You are currently browsing the tag archive for the ‘crafting’ tag.
My electronic archives have been neglected this year as I took a turn back to the old ways, to relish the dying art of handwriting and its ancient tools, and to savor the privacy, tangibility, focus and flow that these tools afford.
For some reason, this seems like a good time to share a gratuitous picture of a turtle I met this year. Or maybe she’s not so gratuitous. Maybe she was a little spirit companion meant to remind me the value of slowing down, grounding, and seeking solitude.
But I didn’t come here today to share turtle pictures. I wanted to show you one of my most prized possessions — a garden journal my sister made for me.
She calls it a “junk journal,” though I don’t think that’s a fitting description. Every single page is embellished with awesomeness.
There are all sorts of nooks and folds in which to tuck notes, thoughts, dreams, and ideas. And she stocked it with seeds, charms, a vial of dandelion fluff upon which to make wishes, and all sorts of magic.
And these pictures do not even begin to do it justice.
With this journal I am a garden wizard! Next year, I should be able to grow a beanstalk to climb to find the goose who lays golden eggs.
It makes me happy.
The video below is her doing a complete flip-through of the journal in case you’re interested:
And if you want to see the other journals she’s created (e.g., Murder on the Orient Express), here’s a link to her channel:
Recycled by Skattur
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It has been an eventful week for SoKaN.
I invite you to visit our wonderful new website: isokan.com Skattur did an awesome job designing it and I am just ecstatic that there is now a picture me in my “boobhat” publically displayed on the Internet for all to see.
Last weekend’s Broad Avenue Art Walk and Art Bark was a blast. The weather was perfect, there was music in the air, “Pawcasso” pups running around in costume, and an abundance of interesting people doing interesting things.
This little Dali dog with his melting clock made my day…
An artist across the aisle captured a couple SoKaNers in his sketchbook.
Skattur added a little holiday flair to her display.
The KnitWits of the bunch are back in action for the season…
And here’s a random picture of a picture I took through the giant earhole of Jimmy “Tightpants,” who looked smashing in his polka dot dress.
Next week SoKaN will be at MEMFIX on Cleveland Street from 10 a.m.-10 p.m. We invite you to come come see us if you’re in the area!
If you’ve recently joined the adventures here at My Little Spacebook, I would first like to extend a warm welcome. Thank you for being here and sharing in this moment with me! Secondly, I’d like to introduce you to the Society of Knitters and Nutters (aka SoKaN). We’re a band of eccentric folks who get together and make stuff… jewelry, knits, garden art, birdhouses, quilts, fun, and memories. We’ve made so much stuff that we have to get together to sell it at times, so we can get together and make more stuff. We like making stuff and we like each other THAT much. 😀
We’ve reach a critical mass again, so this coming Saturday and Sunday the ladies of SoKaN will be selling stuff at The BIG One.
Here’s what’s been going on lately.
Skattur has been breathing new life into the artifacts that people leave behind. She takes cups, vases,and saucers that folks cast off and turns them into birdfeeders that pretty-up gardens. She also turns orphaned plates into art for the garden or the wall…
This one is mine, mine, mine! Skattur said so.
She’s really good at it…
…so the birds can eat in style
You’ll find more of her amazing work (as well as her story) on her Etsy page Recycled by Skattur and of course this weekend at “The Big One.”
The Beady Babes have been busily beading bodacious baubles. Beady Boop has been doing this new thing that takes her a really long time to do and to explain. So long and complicated was her explanation of the process that I really couldn’t work out any of the details in my head, but here’s the final results of her alchemy …
Pretty,
she made that pendant some how or other…
pretty!
She’s also been at work blinging up some ceiling fan pulls with her Kazuri Beads, which are handmade by families of the Kikuyu tribe in Kenya. The sale of these beads help promote fair trade in Africa. It’s her way of crafting with cause. You can read more about Kazuri Beads on their website here. Good stuff.
Our other Beady Babe, Elitist Jerk (who Skattur really thinks should change her name), has created dancing beady peep earrings. They’re really adorable.
She’s also created a line of bottle cap necklaces for kids….
They come in other styles besides peace…for example skull and crossbone if pirate is more your thing.
She’s also made beaded rings…but sadly the Archivist didn’t get a good picture. I guess you’ll just have to come to The BIG One this weekend to see them.
Ok, so what is The Big One? It’s the largest and most popular swap meet in the Mid-South, of course.
It’s held at:
Expo Center at Agricenter International
7777 Walnut Grove Road
Memphis, TN
If you’re in the area, stop by the SoKaN booth and say, “hi!”
Also, there was a great post today that made Freshly Pressed on crocheting….check it out:
http://thepickledhedgehog.com/2012/07/17/crocheting-to-change-the-planet/
Over the years I’ve found myself repeatedly standing in line at Hobby Lobby (or “Handy Dandy” as Mom refers to it), with my arms full of yarn, Styrofoam heads, and cinnamon Scripture Mints. As I wait, I entertain myself by scoping out what’s in other people’s baskets and imagining what they plan to do with the stuff. When I’ve exhausted those possibilities I scan the odd assortment of merchandise surrounding the checkout line. This inevitably leads to me finding David Green, founder and CEO of the company, staring at me from the cover of his book, More than a Hobby. By the time I start wondering what’s in his book and whether I should buy it, I’m usually checked out and on my way to do something crafty.
Last week when I found David Green staring out at me from his cover on a library bookshelf, I grabbed him up and checked him out because I really was interested in learning How a $600 Start-up Became America’s Home and Craft Superstore. Green is a likeable guy – the black sheep merchant from a family of ministers. In his book he details how he developed the idea of Hobby Lobby and how he runs the largest, privately owned arts and crafts retail business in the world.
Don’t expect to find discussions of theory or business buzzwords in his book. Green is a practical guy who tells stories from the trenches, so to speak. Chapter 4 “90% Off??” was the most interesting to me because it described some of the nuances and complexities involved in doing business in the global economy.
I enjoyed the book and the take-home message: You can run a successful business and still maintain your faith, integrity and family.
Jerk’s beady peeps were the big hit of the SoKaN booth!
Beady Boop brought feet to go with her souless sandals. (I thought she was kidding about the feet, but it turns out she wasn’t…)
The River City Balloons booth was fantastic and creative. They had balloon twisters, face painting artists, and cupcake bakers.
And there was sidewalk chalk art that was quite impressive….
SoKaN will be at St. Ann’s Block Party with a booth today and tomorrow!
Here’s a preview of what we’ll have.
I’ve turned into one of the Nutters. Skattur has got me stacking things on top of other things now…
Elitist Jerk has turned from knitter to quilter to beader. Her latest creation? “Beady Peeps”
And Skattur? She’s completely out of control…
St. Ann’s School
6529 Stage Road
Bartlett, Tennessee
The hours are:
Friday, April 27, 5-10
Saturday, April 28, 11-10
Please drop by if you’re in the area.
The family. We were a strange little band of characters trudging through life sharing diseases and toothpaste, coveting one another’s desserts, hiding shampoo, borrowing money, locking each other out of our rooms, inflicting pain and kissing to heal it in the same instant, loving, laughing, defending, and trying to figure out the common thread that bound us all together.
~Erma Bombeck
…live and create. Live to the point of tears.
~Albert Camus
~~~~~~@~~~~~~~
The talent and creativity continues to unfurl week-to-week. It’s exciting to witness.
Beady Boop’s been busily beading….
The Nutter needs a foot for her souless (yes, souless!) sandals. Or maybe your foot just needs adorning with her beadwork.
Meanwhile Skattur has been mastering the art of stacking cute things one atop the other….
The totums will add a bit of Mad-Hatter-esque whimsy to any garden.
SoKaN will be peddling all sorts of interesting wares at St. Ann’s during the Bartlett Block Party, April 27-28. Please come!
The next SoKaN meeting is next Sunday, 3:00 at the super-secret Nutter’s Headquarters.
The website is up, but I’m still having difficulty posting to the blog….stay tuned.
I’m all over the place this week – trying futilely to save cancelled TV shows (SOS!), blissing-out over breakdancers, and now this: ThriftHorror. “Inexplicable Hearts” warmed mine. I discovered this amazing site over at Rewind Knits. You must hop on over there and read the hysterical post.
Oh Internet, how I love you.
The Nutters are back to their unruly antics — trying to boss me around, wrecking havoc, complaining about my lack of archival regularity, questioning my eating habits, mocking my vast spiritual insights, making idle demands and threats, and being general (although loveable) nuisances.
Skattur's Totem
When my circus settles down I will exact my revenge.
Oh, by the way, we have a website under construction, but I’ll be posting about all that soon enough. Eventually, the SoKaN part of this blog will be moving over there. More on that coming soon!
Here we have the recent works from Origami Swami.
Soda Can Flower
