Every Saturday around these parts I share some of our favorite crafty links from the blogosphere. I'm part of a group of Crafty Bloggers who do a round robin weekly and I sprinkle in a generous helping of extras. There's a lot to see here, but it's all good stuff so take a moment to check it out.
Have a fabulous weekend and I'll be back for Terrorific Tuesdays! I take Sundays off of blogging, but you can tune in tomorrow to QVC for Silver Style and I'll be on with several items in the 8-12pm ET show. Until we meet again, craft on with your bad selves.
Cheers, Madge
Here is this week's sampling of TastyLinksTM "TastyLinksTM are all the good blogs, all the good blogs wrapped up in one!"
Layers Upon Layers Make a fabric collage, using digital images as your inspiration.
Stefanie Girard's Sweater Surgery Stefanie, unlike Joan Crawford, embraces the wire hanger and her favorite medium-the sweater- to make a quick and easy Ghost Halloween Decoration.
Cross Stitch at About.com Stitch a spooky skull with glow-in-the-dark blending filament - if you dare!
Craftside-A behind-the-scenes peek at a crafty world Halloween crafts are in full swing at Craftside with a GIANT web with a super cute spider from the book Fleece Animals, a papier mache skull with natural rust effects, and a found in the yard decoration inspired by Faux Florals in Glass. But Halloween isn't the only thing happening, there is my finished Crafty Chica Empowerment Guardian and a whole bunch of techniques using Angelina fiber from the creative mind of Susan Stein.
Cathie Filian Cathie's new book Bow Wow WOW! fetching costumes fabulous dog is now available. Have a peek at the 36 different fun costumes and fashion accessories you can make for your pooch.
About Family Crafts Find out how you can transform ordinary soda pop and beer cans into crafty masterpieces.
The Impatient CrafterTM In honor of Halloween, Madge has joined Terroriffic Tuesdays. This week she shares a free Crystal Web Collar she created for CYSWCSE Swarovski's DIY brand.
Thank you to the delightful Debba Haupert of Girlfriendology for the shout out and linky love! Debba's on to something pretty cool over there and is inspiring women to celebrate each other, which is in my mind about the best thing women can do! She listed me as a Top Ten crafty/creative site you'd recommend to a girlfriend. I am truly honored.
Super shout out to Rachel of the fabulous blog One Pretty Thing. She scours the internet to bring you some of her favorite crafty goodies, it's a must read! She posted my Crystal Web Collar Necklace and my Runs With Scissors bracelet on her blog this week! Thank you Rachel!
Thanks again to Alexa Westerfield for bringing us Terrorific Tuesdays, it's been an amazing ride so far and I can't wait to see what folks dream up for next round. Yay Alexa!
Ms. Robin Beam, crafty superstar and all around amazing gal has some very cool projects on the AC Moore boards in the Crafting with Robin section. You absolutely must go see!
You have to check out this AWESOME recycled can pin by Christine of the How to Make Jewelry Blog. Thank you for the Linky Love my most talented friend!
Linky love shower is going out to Zigi from Live Journal for including my Crystal Web necklace in her Halloweddings blog post! Thank you!
Big hugs and thank you's to the amazing Angela of Angela's Art Diary for the super kind award she gave me. As always, I am offering this to all of you readers, because you all inspire me every day to be a better crafter and human being and because you are super friends.
We interrupt this blog post for a special announcement: I'll be at the Middleton New Jersey AC Moore for their Grand Re-Opening on Saturday October 18th doing demos and signing books from noon to 2pm! Come and see me if you live in the area! Here's my offering for next Tuesday's Terrorific Tuesday Round Up. It's a very simple to create charm bracelet using a genius bracelet blank from the folks at Fusion Beads and fabulous ceramic beads from Earthenwood Studio. You can change it up to suit your style or make your own quirky charms to add to the mix, in fact I encourage you do to so. This is much more of an "impatient crafterTM" idea than last week's design, this one you should be able to whip up in about an hour or so. I think this is one of those ideas you could work a whole Runs with Scissors costume around.
Or you could just wear it because it's fun. It's certainly got year round appeal in my style book.
Until Saturday...craft on with you bad selves.
xoxo Madge
Runs with Scissors Terroriffic Tuesday #2 Free Project for Personal Use Only (No resale please) Copyright 2008 Margot PotterThe Impatient CrafterTM
This wonderfully wicked bracelet features beads from Earthenwood Studio combined with CRYSTALLIZEDTM-Swarovski Elements crystals and a scissors button from Streamline. For those who know the hazards of crafting far too well and yet continue to play with sharp objects, toxic substances and messy paints and inks, this bracelet is for you. Scary? Yes but oddly appealing and incredibly simple to whip up at a moment's notice. Materials Skully Muertos Charm Earthenwood Studio 8 candy red pumpkin pair beads (a.k.a. four pairs) 7 8mm eight ball beads (can be replaced with bones or mini hearts) 7 mini skull beads from Mexico 16 3mm crystal vitriol rounds 14 3mm jet rounds 7 4mm black diamond rounds 7 4mm Indian red rounds 1 metal scissors button/charm 1 sterling bracelet blank with loops 23 5mm silver plated or sterling jump rings 36 silver plated or sterling head pins
Tools Round nose pliers 2 pairs chain nose pliers Wire cutters
1. Create 16 coiled dangles using pumpkin beads with 2 crystal vitriol rounds on each side of the beads to prevent the head pin from sliding out. 2. Create 7 coiled dangles using mini skulls with 2 jet rounds on each side of the beads to prevent the head pin from sliding out. 3. Create coiled dangles for 7 mini eight ball beads. 4. Create coiled dangles for 7 black diamond rounds and 7 Indian red rounds. 5. Assemble the bracelet by attaching the charms in the following pattern: Attach scissors and ‘Skully' bead to a bracelet loop on a jump ring using two pairs of chain nose pliers to open and close ring, attach a pumpkin bead on a jump ring to the next loop, attach a mini skull on a jump ring to the next loop along with an eight ball and the Indian red and jet beads on the same loop on a separate jump ring...continue alternating between single pumpkin beads and mini skull/eight ball/crystal combo working around bracelet loops until you reach the final loop and pumpkin bead. 6. Check the jump rings carefully to ensure they are closed. (Designer tip: Make sure when you are closing each one that you are creating tension in the ring so it remains secure. There should be no exposed space between the two ends of your ring. You do this by pushing them gently together as you pass the ends by one another until they click into place.) Sources Skully, eight ball and pumpkin beads Earthenwood Studio, crystals CRYSTALLIZEDTM-Swarovski Elements, bracelet blank Fusion Beads, jump rings and head pins Beadalon, scissors button Streamline, Mexican skull beads Eyes Gallery Philadelphia
Yep, it's that time. It's the first official post of Terrorific Tuesday!!! Eleven artists posted projects over the past week on their blogs in celebration of their love for all things Halloween. The pics above are in order with the links below, so check out these spooky and inspiring projects by some of the most inspired crafters on the "web".
Eye of Newt Necklace Melissa J. Lee treats us to this stunning necklace filled to the brim with lots of texture and gothic appeal!
Halloween Knitting Patterns Sarah E. White whips up some insanely fun knitting patterns on her About.com Knitting Blog. Learn how to knit a ghost, pumpkin hat, Halloween bag and more!
Spooky Googly Eyed Crafts Alexa Westerfield a.k.a. Swelldesigner creates 6 projects which includes a frame, pumpkin, and fashion accessories with her crafty stash of googly eyes.
Trick-or-Treat Candy Pot Phyllis Dobbs paints up an adorable pot that will make all the little ghosts and goblins smile.
Owl & Witch Halloween Cards Brenda Pinnick uses her Sizzix dies to craft these totally spooky cards. So swell!
Franky Halloween Card Marice Rodriguez crafts up this adorable glittery and colorful Halloween concoction on her Flickr page.
Resin Halloween Cabochons Tammy Powley's experiment with resin turns out to be a success! Check out her adorable cabochons and ideas for using them on her About.com Jewelry Making Blog.
Pumpkins & Swirls Halloween Candle Kate Pullen shows you how to make this beautifully-inspired candle using simple rubber stamping techniques on her About.com Rubber Stamping Blog.
Crystal Web Necklace Margot Potter a.k.a. The Impatient Crafter wins the webby award with this dramatic necklace using CRYSTALLIZEDTM-Swarovski elements and Beadalon silver plated wire.
Happy Haunting Collage Lorilyn Hurley of the Dream Life creates this collage filled with vintage goodness and an oh-so-risque flying witch!
Halloween Ephemera Collage Christina Tuey a.k.a. the Collage Contessa shares her artful wall hanging filled with all kinds of whimsical Halloween goodness.
If you'd like to participate, please read more about it here. It's open to all bloggers out there who want to join in! So join back here next Tuesday for another helping of inspired ideas!
Here is a design I created for Create Your Style with CRYSTALLIZED-Swarovski Elements, the new DIY initiative from Swarovski brands. It's glamourous enough for an evening on the town, but durable enough to wear as a costume accent. This is my first offering in the Terrorific Tuesday round-up. Check back tomorrow for links to more spectacular Halloween themed projects!
Crystal Web Collar Necklace Copyright 2008 Margot Potter for Create Your Style with CRYSTALLIZEDTM-Swarovski Elements (Click on images to view close up)
This intriguing web of metal and crystal floats around your entire neck in a web of glamour and intrigue. Whether the basis for a Spider Queen costume or a striking seasonal necklace, it's made from affordable materials that are brought to life with the beauty of CRYSTALLIZEDTM-Swarovski elements and Beadalon silver plated wire.
Materials 30 6007 7x4mm crystal moonlight rounds(you can substitute another small crystal bead if you prefer) 66 5000 3mm jet rounds 72 5000 5mm jet hematite rounds SS2006 ss12 foiled light Siam flat back crystal (you may substitute a 2028 ss12 here) Remembrance silver finish Beadalon memory wire choker 2 packages silver plated Beadalon small cable chain 3 large silver plated Beadalon swivel lobster clasps 38 6mm silver plated jump rings 66 clear Beadalon bead bumpers 44 silver plated crimp tubes Beadalon 19 strand .024 silver color wire Jeweler's Glue (available at most craft stores)
Tools Round nose pliers 2 pairs chain nose pliers Memory wire shears Wire cutters 1/16" drill bit and electric or battery operated drill
1. Use wire cutters to snip spider off of ring base. 2. Use a small drill bit to drill a hole in the top of the spider's abdomen. 3. Attach a red flat back crystal of your choice to the spider's abdomen using a jeweler's glue. Allow to dry. 4. Create memory wire choker by cutting off a 17" length using your memory wire shears. (Never, ever, ever use regular wire cutters on memory wire, it's tempered steel and it will become razor sharp.) 5. Use round nose pliers to bend one end of memory wire into a loop. (You can adjust the necklace for size, but you will need to increase all of your materials, you can also opt to add more jump rings to the closures.) 6. Thread 5mm jet hematite crystals around wire and cut off excess wire leaving a 1/8" tail. 7. Bend tail into a loop using your round nose pliers. 8. Add a 7" section of silver color wire on every sixth 5mm bead on choker using a flattened crimp tube to secure wire around memory wire base. You should have 11 wire sections hanging from choker. 9. Snip off excess wire tail with cutters. 10. Place your choker on a flat surface so it is splayed out as you work. 11. Slide a bead bumper to approximately 7/8" from top of a wire. 12. Add a single 3mm bead. 13. Slide the first link in your chain on the wire behind the bead. 14. Add a second 3mm bead. 15. Add another bead bumper. 16. Slide a crimp tube on wire to bottom of bead bumper and smash flat with chain nose pliers. 17. When you attach the chain next, make sure it is 2" from the first attached link. 18. Continue around the ‘web' repeating this process until you reach the final strand and cut off excess chain. 19. Move down the wire about an inch and repeat the established process working around your web carefully adding bumper, bead, chain link, bumper and bead. For the second two sections, the chain should be 3" in length from attached link to attached link. 20. When you reach your final sections on each wire, cut off excess wire from bottom of crimp tube using cutters. 21. Attach a swivel lobster clasp to the right side of your memory wire with a jump ring. Attach a second jump ring to the opposite side. This will help secure the web around your neck. 22. Move down to first chain section and attach a jump ring to the right side, threading it into the first link in your chain and around the beaded section before attaching your clasp. Add two jump rings to the opposite side using the same jump ring through first chain link process. Repeat for the second chain section. (Leave the bottom section free standing to allow the web to fan around your neck.) 23. Attach a 5.5" section of chain between the fourth and the fifth beads to the right of center using a jump ring. Attach the spider to the bottom of the chain using a jump ring. 24. Attach a small crystal on a jump ring to the center of each chain swag using a jump ring.
Welcome to this week's edition of TastyLinksTM "All the good blogs wrapped up in one." A group of crafty bloggers have joined forces for the betterment of the crafty universe and we cross post links on a weekly basis. Here are today's offerings:
About Family Crafts Want to surprise your neighbors this Halloween? These unique gift ideas will get your entire neighborhood into the Halloween spirit!
Aileen's Musings Stop by and meet Zoraida the good witch, she's just flown in on Air Broom. She wanted to be here in plenty of time for the Art Muse Contest Aileen is hosting!
Cathie Filian Take a sneak peek at the Emmy Nominated, Halloween craft show, Witch Crafts on DIY Network and check out the complete project list (with instructions) from the series.
Craftside-A behind-the-scenes peek at a crafty world There are crafty tasty treats this week at Craftside with an inside peek into the book Artisan Chocolates, a recycled book slider idea, design points from Singer Decorative Machine Stitching, eye and soul candy from the new book Knitting Art and a secret square altered art page tutorial.
Crafty Princess Diaries As crafters we have an advantage over most folks because we can often wear what we make. See what Tim Gunn from Project Runway has to say about what to wear this season and how accessories play a part.
Cross Stitch at About.com Connie's been having some fun with FurTaStitch floss. See what she's been up to and learn more about stitching with textured flosses.
Layers Upon Layers Be inspired by artist Nicola Dale's amazing book arts!
Margot Potter The Impatient CrafterTM Margot has made the executive decision to split her blog in two. Introducing the brand spanking new The Impatient CrafterTM blog! A new destination for all things crafty!
Stefanie Girard's Sweater Surgery A 10 commandment bracelet is in surgery this week and gets a make over into an asymmetrical necklace.
Here are your weekly "Bonus Links":
Alexa Westerfield has started a new Halloweencentric blog project Terroriffic Tuesdays. I'm in for the fun along with some really talented craft industry pros scaring up some frighteningly fabulous ideas for the season. BOO!
Judith Zausner contacted me right after I posted my new blog and shared links to her initiative of kits and projects that inspire and empower disabled adults to explore creativity. Check out her Caring Crafts Website and her Creativity Matters blog. I love this initiative because I believe we all have a creative fire and Judith is helping through her work to ignite the sparks for people who may have felt they lost their hope of expressing their creativity. Kudos to Judith for making a difference in the world!
Madge pats Amos one of her Pot Bellied Pigs
Make a fabric collage, using digital images as your inspiration.
