As Robin mentioned, this month we're celebrating the ABC's of all things crafty. Here are a few A items that sparked my interest today:
Apples – yes, the kind you eat to keep you healthy…but also the magical boxes that so many of us sit at everyday to work and create. I loved this shot of an “apple” key by rolon2000.
Adhesives – without which most of us couldn’t create! The top dog of this category, for me, is the Scotch ATG 700 tape gun. I had the lucky opportunity of working with this beauty of a tool at a stationery shop a few years back, and I’ve been in love ever since. Incredible holding power!
Acrylic Revolution – this book will show you everything you need to
know to be successful in your acrylic painting projects. There is
literally page after page of acrylic instruction and inspiration for
everyone from artists, to crafters, to weekend enthusiasts, to students
of all levels.
Anticraft – filled with projects such as the Curse Your Boyfriend
sweater and the Snowball’s Chance in Hell arm warmers, this book
introduces readers to craft ideas they'd never see in Family Circle or
Martha Stewart Living. Plus, it features a variety of knitting,
stitching AND beading projects. A little something for everyone!
Amy Butler Accessory Patterns – This oh so fabulous textile designer
shares some of her favorite patterns FREE online. Try making these
simple portfolio covers, or a throw pillow for your couch. Anything
made with her gorgeous fabrics will make even the simplest of projects
stand out.
Aardvark Project – "a collective art project with no end". The group gathers artwork from anyone interested with the common theme of "aardvarks". According to the site, all you have to do is "create an aardvark, pimp an aardvark, photograph an aardvark…anything to do with aardvarks". And if you don’t have access to an aardvark in need of a makeover, sign up on their website to be considered for a free one to get you started!
What does the letter A have you thinking about today?
March is National Craft Month, and we’re ready to provide some crafty inspiration all month long. We’re going back to the basics to find creativity prompts for all genres of crafters. And what’s more basic than the alphabet? Stop by every weekday for a blog post that’s chock full of crafty ideas springing from the letter(s) of the day. Don't forget to leave comments with your inspirational ideas for that day!
Check back today to see the many ways Eileen is inspired by the letter A.
If you haven’t found inspiration from the numbers 4 and 29 this week, here’s a little Leap Year folklore that might get you thinking creatively:
"A tradition was introduced many centuries ago to allow women to propose to men during a leap year. Leap day was sometimes known as “Bachelors’ Day”. A man was expected to pay a penalty, such as a gown or money, if he refused a marriage offer from a woman. The tradition’s origin stemmed from an old Irish tale referring to St Bridget striking a deal with St Patrick to allow women to propose to men every four years. This old custom was probably made to balance the traditional roles of men and women in a similar way to how the leap day balances the calendar." (sourced from TimeandDate.com)
While I’m not sure role reversal once every four years is “balanced” per say – I do rather like the idea of trying your luck in love on Leap Day. If the old school rules apply, then it sounds like a win win situation to me: you either snag your true love, OR you walk away with a new dress!
It appears to be a strange way to start a blog post, but since we're all about Leap Year this week, I was thinking, "What's associated with Leap Year?" and the number four kept coming back to me. (That and images of frogs, but we'll stick with the number four for now)
What I love about numbers is their symbolism. I used to teach a class in scrapbook design called "Rules of Three" and basically, it revolved around how three papers, three textures and three elements made a layout. It also worked on the notion that embellishments should be placed in a triangular manner somewhere on the page to draw the eye. But, that's not what this is about. This blog is about the number FOUR.
Think about it - what comes in fours? There are four seasons, four directions (N,S,E,W), four elements (fire, water, air, earth), squares have four sides, four quarters to a dollar (and just about everything else) and Mars is the fourth planet. (For all of you planet watchers!) Four is a pretty important number in the world!
In the spirit of the number four, I decided to pull some images that will hopefully spark the creative fire and send you on your way to crafting something that revolves around FOUR. For me, I think I'm going to do a scrapbook layout (remember - I'm a paper crafter by trade) that's in a quadrant (4) about each member of my family and our relative traits. I might call it "Family of Four". What's YOUR four?
This Friday, February 29th, is LEAP DAY. And, being that a leap day only happens once every 4 years, we thought it was the perfect source for this week’s inspiration. Really, it’s almost like we’ve all been given a FREE day in the year. And, well, we think that day should be spent living it up. Do things you don’t normally make time for. Create something you wouldn’t normally create! (For those of you looking for a more scientific reason behind leap year and why you should celebrate, click here)
Two very different possible interpretations – both very cool. Think about how this unique day inspires YOU. Then come share your thoughts with us in the forum. And stay tuned all week for more ideas on making the most of this Leap Year event.
