Today is a big day, folks! The current Craftershock & Awe contest ends today! All entries must be received by 11:59pm EST. If you haven’t finished (or even started) yet, it’s not too late!

On another note, we’re really excited to be going to Bazaar Bizarre this weekend in Cleveland. If you’re in the Cleveland area, you definitely don’t want to miss this! If you aren’t in the area or can’t make it, have no fear! We will have plenty of photos, reviews, and crafty goodness to share with you next week!

So get those Craftershock & Awe entries in and have a fabulous weekend!

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!

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!

Read more…

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.

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.