Crafterbation

In my hunt for some record themed crafts I came across some great little accessories. Hair clips, rings, necklaces, bracelets, etc. These are a few of my favorites.

I love the simplicity of the implied records on this necklace made of buttons by Minski. Maybe you’re looking for something that’s a little less representational, like something literally made out of a record? Check out these rad record cuff bracelets. 

(L) This great wide record cuff is made by etsy seller wonderful. 
(R) Christine of EyePopArt made this simple record cuff, and gave it a coat of blue paint. 

For a while now I’ve wanted to try my hand an making one of these. My friend Juniper and I used to make journals, bowls and coasters out of old scratched up records and album covers that were in abundant supply at the record store she owns with her husband Dave. We had a couple times discussed trying to make some other things, like record cuffs but never figured out a good way to cut them. Turns out it was easier than we thought. Jennifer Perkins of Stylelicious showed how to make these on their show, you can check out the steps to make your own here.

Rachel of Chezlin whipped up this great wallet reusing an old cassette tape, a zipper, some felt and some glue. Not only that, but she posted a great tutorial so you can make your own! I would like to make one of these! Just imagine all the great reactions you’d get when you pull this out to pay for something… 

Tawny of QuietDoing makes these terrific vinyl recreations of records and turntables. This dual turntable wallet is what first caught my eye, but she also makes cute little ipod nano cases, and little turntable pins. They are pain-stakenly hand cut, hand sewn, and as she points out - vegan friendly. You can find these, and many more, available in her etsy store.

I decided this week to center all my posts around the broad topic of music. This could mean anything from crafty replicas of instruments to iPod cosies and everything in between. Who knows, I may even run across somethings made by musicians. I think this will give me a chance to showcase some great projects as well as focus on one of my other “addictions” at the same time.

As long as I can remember music has been a big part of my life. I spent the bulk of my youth obsessing over it and going to shows. Starting with the dreams I had of being the next Debbie Gibson when I was in grade school, to the my current indie rock pretentiousness. With varied stops along the way ranging from radio-friendly, early 90’s R&B; to alternative/grunge; to mid 90’s progressive punk; and even a serious stint with late 90’s straightedge-hardcore and what we called emo back then. Regardless of what I was into at the time, the music was alway there. 

Wanna snoop what I listen to these days? Check out my last.fm.

Amigurumi creations are one of my favorite crafts ogle. For those of you who have somehow escaped them until now I’ll let Wikipedia get you up to speed:

Amigurumi is the Japanese art of knitting or crocheting small stuffed animals and anthropomorphic creatures. Amigurumi are typically cute animals but can include inanimate objects endowed with anthropomorphic features. 

Cute is the operative word here. It’s crazy how the simple addition of a couple dot eyes and a mere hit of a mouth can convert just about anything into a lovable little friend.  In this post I’m going to focus on one kind of anthropomorphized objects in particular, vegetables.

Anna of Mochimochi land has created this outstanding knit wonder she callsninjabun. It’s a little garden patch that’s growing more than just carrots. You can purchase this pattern along with a ton more from her online shop. 

It seriously has to be one of the cutest knit things I’ve seen in a long while. I’d love to knit one of these up for my nephew Logan once he gets past that “putting everything in his mouth” stage, beacuse those little guys are teeny. :) 

I’ll finish up this post a round up with a just a few of the cuties I’ve come across. First we have a pattern for adorable little mushrooms by Roxycraft. Next is a pattern for carrots and carrot bunnies from etsy seller stripeyblue. Finally I found this lively bunch of veggies by livejournaler parsnippity. 

Looking to get started on some of your own but don’t know where to begin when it comes to crochet? Make sure to check out Hook and Needles’s excellent beginner tutorial on making Amigurumi.

I’m really digging these cute little recipe cards by Michelle of myzoetrope. The little character illustrations are adorable and I love the tone-on-tone printing. If I ever got organized enough to actually write my recipes down, I would love to do it on a set of these cards. Check ‘em out in her etsy shop.

I have a strong affinity for asparagus. Not only is it one of my favorite vegetables to eat, but I think it’s one of the most attractive. So it’s only natural that I am in love with necklace. 

For the most part I don’t wear much jewelry, but I’d def make an exception for this for this excellent necklace by esty seller GreenLeafandOwl. She makes her pendants from polymer clay which she hand stamps, paints and polishes. Check out her etsy shop for this and many more great pieces.

I’ve seen knit veggies popping up everywhere but none I’ve seen so far can hold a soy candle this incredibly intricate knit beet. The two-tone frills on the leaves, and the veining details are awesome. Wanna knit your own beet? Order the pattern booklet from berroco. via you grow girl.

Looking for some free veggie patterns? Make sure to check out these little baby rattle patterns from Jimmy Beans Wool. Almost everyone in my old Akron Stitch ‘n Bitch made a set of these about 2 years ago. I made an eggplant, a carrot and a cucumber for my honorary nephew Teigue, who was just baby at the time. We never had much luck finding rattles to put in them but they were fun and quick knits, nonetheless.

I know, I know. I posted a ton of bags last week, but I cannot get enough of this fantastic tote bag from those geniuses over at design*sponge. It pushes all my buttons in the best possible way.

They posted a great tutorial on how to make your own, following their simple pattern. I am utterly in love with that appliqué! It’s so simple but it’s perfectly captures a cross-section of root veggies still growing in the ground. I’d love to make one using some chocolaty brown, tweedy suit material for the “soil” and a pale blue canvas for the “sky.” Man, that would be so great!

I really liked Adrianne’s suggestion for doing some vegetable themed posts. Being a vegetarian for nearly half my life, and an avid gardener, it’s a no brainer that I love vegetables! I mean like love them, love them - to a frightening degree. My favorite “bracelets” are a set of asparagus rubber bands. PLU 4080, represent. (Yes, I did say frightening remember.)

I had this conversation with a friend one night about how much I wanted to make a t-shirt or something that just said “I love vegetables.” However we decided it wouldn’t be possible to pull it off without everyone thinking I was being all kitschy or ironic. Then we joked I could add at the bottom “(and I’m not trying to be ironic)” yet somehow that would seem even more ironic, so the t-shirt never quite panned out.

Also while I wouldn’t know it here in San Diego, where I from in Northeast Ohio (zone 5b), it’s creeping up on prime vegetable planting time. Early to mid May was always one of my favorite times of year as a gardener. The smell of fresh tilled dirt in the air, the tiny little seedlings, I love it all… but I’m getting a little off track here. My point was, it feels like a great topic to tackle this week. 

Got a great veggie or garden themed craft to share?