Event Review: Chicago Craft Social

Reported by Julie Tiu

Another successful, craft-laden Chicago Craft Social last weekend! For those not familiar, the CCS is an evening to make-and-take projects, learn techniques, see friends, and make new friends all the while in an uber-creative atmosphere complete with snacks and beverages to keep you going with 15-20 projects to choose from.

And once again, participants went home with parting gifts such as a sample size Mod Podge from Plaid and Westcott scissors! Art Institute Glitter also generously gave guests a discount certificate along with a sample of glitter.

Projects from the last Social in June were so much fun, it was hard to imagine what else we could do! CCS's coordinators did a wonderful job. Take a look at the great project tables!

This cute Halloween Treat bag was made with the Scor-Pal. There were also matching notecards available.


Intricate designs turned into amazing silhouette paper cuttings! Thanks, Pye, for showing this craft!

Mini-Albums with Dee and Stampin' Up!

Pendant-making with Premo Sculpey Clay from Polyform!

Simply Screen by Plaid... who says you need expensive machinery to do your own shirts, dishtowels or canvas bags?

And, who isn't a fan of duct tape projects? Thanks to Marisa Pawelko and Westcott for the Duck Tape Cuff Bracelet project!

Embellishing your projects with Jacquard

Crocheters were able to start the Pomp-a-Doodle Scarf with Gwen and Coats and Clark

Ayla's Originals brought this sparkly Beaded Candlestick project.

Check out this retro braided headband with Earth Cadet! I wanted to break out my leg warmers.

Fabric Scrap Flowers sponsored by Fabric Etc 2

Collograph Prints with Fiori Falsi

Wire Bird Nest jewelry with Tamera Gagne, instructor at the Riverside Arts Center

Halloween Door Decor! sponsored by Quick Snippers

Glass Etched Votive Holders

Are you interested in attending the next Craft Social? Have you hosted your own craft social, big or small? Share your story and let us know!

Event Review: World Maker Faire 2010

Reported by Rachel Johnson

What do you get when you combine a craft show, a technology expo, a science museum, crazy inventions, Martha Stewart, music, costumes, and delicious food? The World Maker Faire 2010 that took place last weekend in New York. I attended the Faire on Sunday and it was quite the scene!

The Maker Faire was held at the New York Hall of Science in Flushing Meadows-Corona Park, Queens (the location of the 1939-40 and 1964-65 World Fairs). Exhibits were spread throughout the interior of the science museum (seen above) and also in the surrounding park area. There were craft areas, technology areas, building and construction areas, demonstration stages... too many different booths and exhibits to keep track of!

I made sure to visit the Craft Pavilion, which had a Craftzine.com booth (seen above), as well as a Lion Brand Yarn station where you could learn to knit or crochet, and a Xyron table where you could play with all of their different craft tools and pick up your own, free sticker maker! Score!

Martha Stewart Living was one of the main sponsors of the Maker Faire and the magazine had a huge booth where you could make butterfly wands and giant papier mache bones. They also had two spooky backdrops set up that you could pose in and get your photo taken by their professional photographer. I forced my husband to pose with me in the butterfly library (all of the resulting portraits can be viewed in the Martha Stewart Living Maker Faire Flickr group).

One of the things that I was most looking forward to at Maker Faire was the Bust Magazine Craftacular that was held in conjunction. I always love a good craft fair, and this one was billed to have over 100 vendors and appearances by some big name craft personalities.

Since I am not a vendor, I can't be sure, but I would guess that the Craftacular was maybe not as successful as many would have hoped. It was spread out in the parking lot outside the Hall of Science and was a little lackluster. Because it cost $25 to get into the Maker Faire, some visitors may not have been in the mood to shop once they got inside. I didn't see any purchases being made. However, some of the excitement may have been drained by the second day, when I visited. Plus, it was over-cast and a little rainy on Sunday, which didn't help. All that being said, there were some awesome vendors to check out. Here are some of my favorites...

Sharp Shirter had really funny, manly t-shirts - their banner definitely caught my eye!

Perch Ceramics had absolutely beautiful bird houses and other delicate ceramic vessels. I loved these salt and pepper shakers.

Kate Durkin's booth was beautifully presented and her hand-stitched animal pillows are adorable.

I just had to take a photo of this booth: Jersey Shore Baby. Very funny -- and somewhat disturbing -- baby clothes.

After pursuing the Craftacular, my husband and I ventured out to explore the more technological and mechanical offerings at the Maker Faire. We saw lots of crazy contraptions like the crazy lady "chariot" seen above. There was also a "jet-powered pony" ride (that was incredibly noisy), a life size mousetrap game, recycled "junk" art areas, the Maker Shed, kid-powered rides, a robot fabrication tent, and much more! It was a lot to take in and eventually we had to stop for a food break.

I got this delicious Cauliflower Salad from Scratch Bread and liked it so much that I had to spread the word. Yum!

Overall, the Maker Faire was a lot fun and a great one-day adventure. I am so glad I attended it because I had been hearing about the previous Maker Faires for years and had grown increasingly curious. The Faire was definitely a family-friendly event, with lots of activities geared directly toward kids, like the alien parade shown above, and the Young Makers Pavilion, not to mention the full interactive science museum with a 60,000 square foot outdoor Science Playground. We saw a lot of families and all of the kids seemed to be having a great time. If you have children, I would definitely recommend attending a Maker Faire!

Did you attend the World Maker Faire in New York? What did you think? Have you attended previous Maker Faires in other cities? How did they compare?

QuicKutz QuickStik

Reported by Peggy Marsh

 QuicKutz QuickStik - Advertised as "The Quicker-Poker-Picker-Upper"!

I wasn't too sure that I needed this tool when I first noticed it at my local scrapbook store. Then I saw a friend using it at one of our craft events and I was convinced. This little gadget has a sticky point that is perfect for picking up the smallest pieces of bling and bits of paper... all of those little things that are so tiny and hard to handle with fingers.

Here's the great features of this little tool

• A sticky point to pick up small bits of bling, tiny pieces of paper, etc.
• A very pointy end to poke out small pieces and corners of die-cuts (keep this away from children)
• The end opposite of the sticky point has the other 2 tools. It pulls out, and I use it frequently to hold things and to poke out die-cuts that didn't cut through.
• Retails for about $6-7

The right way to use this little tool is to slightly turn the sticky end to allow some of the green sticky substance to flow, then tighten it back up to stop the flow. Dried-up sticky stuff can be easily picked off the tip, but it's pretty impossible to get out of the cap.

The only thing I didn't like was that the instructions for using the tool itself are not very clear. When you first use your QuickStik don't twist off the cap. Just pull it off. Twisting it starts the green sticky material flowing and then you will be guaranteed a sticky mess like the one I created. I obviously wasted quite a bit of the green sticky stuff just trying to get the silly cap off as you can see in the above picture.


Pros:

• Handy little tool to have in your craft bag. It's light as a feather and takes up no space.
• Perfect for picking up little pieces of paper, rhinestones, beads, and other bling.
• Great for poking out pieces of die cuts, Cricut cuts, etc.
• Great for jewelry-making projects too
• Have long nails? This is the perfect solution

Cons:

• Can be messy, especially if the cap isn't removed properly. Doesn't impact performance of the tool --just isn't very pretty looking. Instructions could be much better.
• It's not refillable. Once the glue is all used up, it's time to purchase a new one. But, even with my messy oozing it will be a while before I'll need a new one.
• The green substance can lightly discolor some papers. Be sure to use carefully. It's not intended to be a glue for your project.
• The pointed end is one very sharp tool. I store mine with a wine cork on the sharp end so it doesn't accidentally hurt some unsuspecting soul.

Do you use the QuicKuts QuickStik? Do you find it indispensable? Leave us a comment and let us know!

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Contest Announcement - Trick Your Pumpkin

We are so excited to announce that Craft Critique has partnered with Plaid for this exciting contest just in time for Halloween.  So grab those pumpkins and get crafty!

This Halloween contest is all about honoring the almighty pumpkin!

We want YOU to create a three-dimensional pumpkin using your favorite Plaid products, and there are no limits to what you can create! All we ask is that the pumpkin be three-dimensional (this means that no flat pumpkins are allowed) and the actual pumpkin body itself must be at least 1/8" thick. Possibilities include real pumpkins, craft pumpkins, paper mache, clay pots, wood, fabric and more.

Use your imagination and Trick Your Pumpkin!

Trick Your Pumpkin Rules:

• Contestants must use at least ONE eligible Plaid product as part of the construction of their pumpkin. Eligible Plaid products include: 

• Mod Podge (any formula)
• Dimensional Magic FolkArt paint (any formula) 
• Extreme Glitter 
• Apple Barrel (any formula)
• Glo Away 
• Stiffy

• Contest is open to all ages
• Images are accepted as submissions to our Plaid Community site www.plaidonline.com/CraftingCommunity.aspx

Please title your image with "Your Project Name-TYP" to be considered (for example: CoolestPlaidPumpkinEver-TYP.jpg). We must be able to see obvious usage of eligible Plaid product(s) in the image.

• Contest will run from September 6th through October 16th. All entries must be submitted by midnight EST on October 16th.
• Judging will be completed the week of October 18th and winners will be announced on October 23rd.

Prizes include:
Grand Prize: $100 cash and a Plaid gift basket of merchandise worth $50 retail value
Runners-Up: 5 recipients will receive a Plaid gift basket of merchandise worth $50 retail value.

Judging
We are proud to announce that this contest will be judged by the following crafty personalities!!!

• Candie Cooper, jewelry artist and designer www.candiecooper.com
• Cathie Filian & Steve Piacenza, TV hosts, designers and lifestyle experts www.cathieandsteve.com
• Melody Ross, scrapbooking maven and designer http://melodyross.typepad.com/
• Marisa Pawelko, winner of the CHA Craft Indie Contest, http://modernsurrealist.com/
• Amy Anderson, craft blogger and designer, www.modpodgerocks.blogspot.com
• Simone and Sarah, bloggers and editors from the best craft review site ever www.craftcritique.com

official rules

SUBMIT NOW

eBook Review: The Nester Makes Tassels

Reported by Kelleigh Ratzlaff

(editor's note: Kelleigh submitted this article many moons ago, and it's been stuck in Blogger limbo. This review is of the first edition of the e-book, there may be a more current version available. --Dana)

I made the mistake of reading The Nester's e-book, The Nester's Complete Ultimate Guide to Making the Most Beautiful, Proportional, Fluffy and Full Tassels that People Will Fight over; for You to Give or Sell, the night before last Thanksgiving. Why was that a mistake? Because the book left me so inspired to try my hand at making a tassel that I stayed awake all night imagining fancy fringe and creative toppers. I was itching to create, and yet it was the night before Thanksgiving, which meant that it was going to be two more days before any sane person would be willing to venture into the stores for crafting supplies.

And, according to The Nester, I was going to need some supplies. I already had a low-melt glue gun, but I didn't have any tassel worthy fringe or ribbon or filling or toppers.

And this is when I discovered that I may not be as sane as originally thought. As soon as I possibly could, I packed up the kids and dragged my husband out to the fabric stores in search of the good fringe. The Nester gave me a list of stores to avoid, and although I was tempted, I was able to resist their pull. Finally, I found the tassel maker's mother lode.

Well, at least I think I did. I mean, what do I know? I'm a total tassel newbie. In fact, I didn't really understand the appeal of the decorative tassel until I saw The Nester's tassels for the first time. They were so much richer and fuller than the other tassels I've seen. They are each unique and filled with personality. I love that! The Nester made a name for herself on her blog at The Nesting Place, in her etsy store, and as a member of the (in)Courage team, selling unique tassels and sharing her philosophy that "It Doesn't Have To Be Perfect To Be Beautiful."

photo from The Nester

And yet, the Nester's tassels are just about as perfect as you can get, and I was bound and determined to create something just as beautiful.

photo from The Nester

In the end, I walked away from my shopping trip with enough supplies to create two unique tassels ala the Nester. I even explained what I was doing to two very intrigued sales ladies who listened in rapt attention while I demonstrated the Nester's "roll and glue" technique, found on page 37.

In my opinion, any e-book that can inspire me to dig out my little glue gun and drag two young boys and my husband out to hunt down craft supplies while everyone and their grandmother is out shopping the sales is worth its $10 price tag.

It is evident from the humble "first edition" of the e-book, that The Nester was in a rush to get it out before Thanksgiving to satisfy a promise made to her faithful blog readers that she would spill her secrets before the holidays. However, she promises lovely graphics and hyperlinks as soon as possible. As for me, I don’t mind that it isn't as pretty as she would like. I'm just excited about all of the gorgeous photos filled with inspiration. I love her wit and wisdom as she shares what do to and what to avoid when making a tassel for sale...things that I had never considered.

The 103 page e-book contains three complete tutorials for the beginning, intermediate and advanced tassel maker. All three are simply gorgeous and yet, after reading through the tutorials and pouring over the photos, I could see myself being able to replicate them.

And so, I grabbed my glue gun and my new fringe. I dug through my scrapbooking supplies for some fun ribbon. I made my husband get the Christmas ornaments down from the attic and I began my first tassel. After only two hot glue burns, I came up with this:





My husband doesn't get it, but I am just thrilled! My lovely tassel hangs on a lamp in the family room, and is a wonderful, unique addition to my home décor. And I made it! Me! I'm so proud. I can't wait to begin my second tassel!

If you are interested in creating a personalized, unique, fancy-schmancy gift that the recipients will drool over, you really must pick up The Nester’s new e-book and learn her tassel-making secrets today! You may find yourself so inspired that you, too, will pack up your children and hit the town in search of the perfect fringe...much to your husband's chagrin!

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Book Review: Around the Corner Crochet Borders by Edie Eckman

Reported by Susie Ziegler

*sigh* Crochet is so alluring. Look at the enticing cover of the book Around the Corner Crochet Borders by Edie Eckman. I could not resist it, so I impulsively added this book to my recent Amazon order.

Inside, are 150 patterns for colorful decorative crochet borders for your crochet, sewing, or knitting projects. Some patterns are elaborate with interesting stitches, other patterns are simple, with layers of single crochet or scallops.

Every pattern shows how to handle corners as well as the straight edge. Stitch counts are given so users can be sure the border they choose will fit their particular project.

I was especially pleased to see that author Edie Eckman included international crochet charts for these patterns. I think that many visual learners who get frustrated reading traditional crochet patterns should give these charts a try. I almost never lose my place in a pattern since I started relying on charts.

Traditional crocheters will still see their familiar complicated written patterns. Each pattern is pictured in clear, full-color photographs with notes and tips.
The book is an odd, short size, but it lays flat and has a pleasing, easy to use layout.

I decided to try out some of the patterns on some pillowcases. First I stitched a uniform blanket stitch all the way around. I used the same cotton yarn I was planning to crochet with. Around the Corner Crochet Borders advises that you can use embroidery floss or thick thread for this step. Advice is also given to put a base single crochet row around a knitting or crochet project.

Look how pretty! I loved these so much, I had to rush out to the yarn store for more combed cotton. My project didn't actually involve going around a corner, but I am confident that the patterns will work well in that application.

I couldn't stop. My goal is that every pillowcase in our linen closet will have a decorative edge like these. I also laundered these and they held up! Of course the yarn I used was washable, yours may not.


Pros:

• Full color throughout
• Many different fun and inspirational colorways are pictured
• Patterns are charted!
• Excellent photography highlights each stitch and motif: no fadeaways, funny angles or blurry styling
  

Cons:

• Not spiral bound, although the book does still lay flat and the binding is sturdy thus far
  
• Um... maybe you can't crochet and aren't interested?

I am so happy that I bought this book on a whim. It is excellent. It now seems that every object in my house needs a pretty decorative crochet border!





Around the Corner Crochet Borders: 150 Colorful, Creative Edging Designs with Charts and Instructions for Turning the Corner Perfectly Every Time is available at Amazon.com, and if you buy it through that link, you'll be supporting Craft Critique at the same time!

Are you ready to crochet around the corners? Leave us a comment and let us know!

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