craftershock - all things crafty.

A Collection Of Painfully Cute Bears

craftershock — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 16:40:21 +0000

If you enjoy things that are miniature and adorable, today’s your day. Olivia of onewtonj makes felted wool creatures that are so cute, you just want to squeeze their little heads off… well, that’s the affect they have on us, anyway!

Create Your Own Mini Koinobori

craftershock — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 17:45:44 +0000

Today, we’re going to show you how to make your own mini koinobori! This template was created by a super creative crafter, artist, and Dal Frara enthusiast, Mini-toko.

Before we get started, you’ll need to download the free template (PDF).

Now that you’ve done that, let’s get to work!

Step 1
Print the template.

Step 2
Cut out the koinobori pairs (don’t cut apart the matching sets), making sure to leave a tab of white space on one side of the fish.

Step 3
Fold the white tab under and crease.

Step 4
Unfold the tab and lay flat. Apply glue to the white tab.

Step 5
Fold the white tab in again. Match up the tab fold edge to the edge of the other side of the fish (as shown). Important: Read part two of this step before gluing together!

Just before you glue together, insert a toothpick towards the mouth of the fish. Now press along the edge firmly to glue the koinobori to the toothpick.

That’s it! You’ve got your your first mini koinobori!! Just repeat the steps with the other fish on the template sheet for a collection of these fun little guys!

Jewelry For The Bees

craftershock — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 15:36:48 +0000

On our search to find super awesome crafters, we constantly sift through a lot of crafts. Every now and then, we come across someone who uses polymer clay in a way that really impresses us. Today is one of those days. Amy of The B-Line makes beautiful clay flowers and combines them with beads to create these elegant bracelets.

Imaginary Friends: A Pattern Series

craftershock — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 15:11:31 +0000

Nienke of Nosey Nest has come up with a super idea for a series of sewing patterns, and she’s sharing that idea with us today! Rather than paraphrase, we’ll let her explain the series:

“Have you ever been afraid of the dark when you were a kid; of critters under your bed, squeaking stairs and shadows on the wall? So frightened you couldn’t fall asleep, woke up at night or didn’t want your parents to leave you before they’d checked under your bed a thousand times?

Did you ever suspect that these so-called scary creatures aren’t that scary after all? That you even could become friends with these monsters?

Nosey Nest introduces the first two in a downloadable pattern series about children’s fears.”

First up is Mini-Monster Manfred:

Second is The Daring Dragon:

Both patterns are downloadable PDFs that are available through the Nosey Nest’s blog.

Cats With Attitude

craftershock — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 18:45:33 +0000

If you’ve ever spent more than five minutes around a cat, you probably know one thing about them: cats have attitude. It seems that Alyssa of Penguin & Fish spends a lot of time with cats because she has really captured their essence with these awesome kitties.

Also, a quick reminder that the current Craftershock & Awe contest ends one week from today! If you haven’t yet started, get to work!

Have a craftacular weekend!

Repurposed Vintage Typewriter Keys

craftershock — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 17:33:02 +0000

Vintage typewriters are awesome, but have been functionally replaced by computers and their boring keyboards. Elizabeth Marie of Keys And Memories, a self-described “junkyard freak,” has come up with a way to save those old typewriters from dusty basements (or worse) by making these fantastic accessories.

Creature Cozies For Your iPod

craftershock — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 19:11:13 +0000

Electronic gadgets such as MP3 players can be expensive and fragile — not the kind of thing you want to shove down into the bottom of your bag or pocket. Anna Lee of annamatic has come up with an extremely cute solution to that problem with these iPod cozies.

Craftershock & Awe July Contest

craftershock — Fri, 11 Jul 2008 19:03:09 +0000

We have two huge announcements today that we’re super thrilled to tell you about! First, Craftershock & Awe is finally here! You may remember a while back we announced this fancy contest of ours, but if not, here’s how it works: We will supply you with a theme and a list of craft supplies, and it’s up to you to create your best craft, creatively representing the theme and using only the listed supplies. You don’t have to use all of the listed supplies, but you cannot use anything that isn’t listed! The winner will get a very special prize — more on that in a minute. But first, without further ado, we proudly present…

Theme: These Are A Few Of My Favorite Things

Supplies:
» 10 buttons
» 1 spool of ribbon
» 5 colors of fabric paint
» 3 fabric squares of any color or pattern (each square no larger than 36″ x 36″)
» 1 wild card supply of your choice
» needle/thread
» scissors
» glue

Deadline: Friday, July 25, 2008.

Winner Announced: Friday, August 1, 2008.

Prize: Winner will be featured in the very first issue of…

That’s right, folks! We’re so excited to announce the launch of Craftershock Magazine!!! Inside, you’ll find even more crafty goodness including tutorials, templates, showcases, and craft resources not found on the site! The first issue will be available in August and will feature a special showcase of July’s Craftershock & Awe winner.

How to enter: First, download the Craftershock & Awe entry form (PDF). Email completed entry form and 3-5 photos of your finished craft to showcasethis@craftershock.com by July 25 11:59pm EST.

Good luck!

Scrap Paper Journals

craftershock — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 18:44:21 +0000

You know that stack of scrap paper sitting next to your printer with just enough information printed on it to make it all seemingly useless? Well Emily of Subu has come up with a clever and cute way to put those scraps to good use. She binds those discarded sheets with blank pages of colored paper to make these lovely one-of-a-kind journals.

Fancy A Cup Of Tea…light?

craftershock — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 18:44:42 +0000

We love crafts that are creative, unique, and especially those that employ a double entendre. Jennifer Fee of Flurogoddess has come up with a craft that covers all three — vintage teacup lights! We especially love the extra touch of the tea bag label on the wick.