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Showing posts from April, 2010

l'essentiel, on ne voit qu'avec le coeur

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As I was browsing through the whimsical jewellery over at Calourette (the swing pendant posted over at Swissmiss having brought me there), I came upon this ring (also available in silver). The ring says "inapprivoisée," a French word meaning roughly "untamed," although it seems that the dictionary doesn't think it's a word at all. The fact that the verb is conjugated actually makes it "untamed (fem.)," or "woman who is untamed." The choice of word reminded me of Le Petit Prince , specifically the part where the Little Prince meets the fox: - Je ne puis pas jouer avec toi, dit le renard. Je ne suis pas apprivoisé. - Ah! pardon, fit le petit prince. Mais, après réflexion, il ajouta: - Qu'est-ce que signifie "apprivoiser?" - C'est une chose trop oubliée, dit le renard. Ça signifie "créer des liens..." Which translates approximately to: - I can't play with you, said the fox. I'm not tamed. - Oh! I'm

Yarn Bomb the Textile Museum of Canada

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The Textile Museum of Canada is a little tucked away on a side street in downtown Toronto. What better way to make them more visible than yarn bombing? Fibre Person has put out a call to help the Textile Museum of Canada with a project to gather knitted or crocheted works from crafty people like you and me. The yarn work will end up on a concrete planter and on bike racks outside the museum. Get all the details on how to submit on the Fibre Person blog . The deadline to get your knitted or crocheted works in is May 15, 2010 . Here's the piece that I'm mailing in today... (PS. If you need some inspiration, check out the rad Yarn Bombing book by lovely Vancouverites, Mandy Moore and Leanne Prain .)

I wonder if Darth likes cuckoo clocks?

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I just saw this over at Share Some Candy , and I had to re-post it here. At first I thought it was a paper cut, but I think it's actually an illustration. Still, pretty darn awesome. "The Dark Side of Switzerland" by Alberto Russo

Craft Rock Friday with My Robot Friend

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Today's Craft Rock Friday brings you a sweet song, a sweet story ... and some sweet stop-motion paper-cut action. Using cut paper and pen and ink drawings, artist Liam Stevens ( whose other drawings are pretty great, too ) has created a truly lovely little music video for the acoustic version of My Robot Friend 's song, "Waiting", featuring the lovely guitar of Jay Kauffman . Listening to the song, I hadn't pictured a traditional Japanese setting - but I think it works quite well. The palette and the hand-drawn feel - as well as the charming story - all really complement this version of the song. Oh! And one more delicious piece of crafty goodness for you - I'll leave you with the brilliant artwork for My Robot Friend 's album, Soft-Core. Ha! (Today's Craft Rock Friday tip was sent to me by the ever-awesome Dan - a big admirer of both paper and robots. Thanks, dude!)

how to eat happy fruits and veggies

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I love this little project from Heidi Kenney of My Paper Crane . Heidi's always sewing up plush foods with smiley faces ... now she's created a handy little cheat sheet that you can use when you go to the grocery store or market in search of (non-plush) fruits and veggies to eat. If you're concerned about all the pesticides used in commercial farming these days, keep this guide ready in your wallet. It shows which fruits and veggies are most and least affected by pesticides. We have been trying to buy as many organic fruits and vegetables as we can, but the area when live in sometimes makes it a bit of a challenge. Our local grocery store has just started to carry a few organic items like strawberries and potatoes, so I almost always drive the 15-20 miles outside our town to get groceries elsewhere. That being said I wanted a handy way to remember the "dirty dozen" (or foods with the highest pesticide residue which was measured after washing and or peeling) and

Got Craft and Get Lucky

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It's Springtime in Vancouver... the cherry blossoms are blooming and craft is in the air! The Spring edition of Got Craft? is coming up on Sunday, May 2nd, and I bet it's gonna be good. Got Craft? Sunday, May 2nd, 2010 10am to 5pm Royal Canadian Legion – 2205 Commercial Drive (at E. 6th Ave) Admission $2.00 (kids 10 and under are free) The fine folks at Got Craft? are so by swept up in Spring fever, they aren't just offering up a great craft fair - they're also giving away a ton of stuff: if you're among the first 30 to get into the show, you'll be lucky enough to grab a swag bag. You can also enter to win a YUDU screen printer , worth over $300. just take a photo of a Got Craft? poster that you spy around town, and submit it to their flickr pool . The more you upload, the more chances you have to win! Read the full contest details on the Got Craft? blog. For more information about Got Craft and for a full vendor list, check out GotCraft.com .

Craft Rock Friday with Wendy McNeill

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Today's Craft Rock Friday discovery came about in an interesting kind of way, nicely inter-connecting many crafty things: a craft fair, puppets, dioramas, and a mixed tape. Let me explain... 1. The Craft Fair One day last week, one of my co-workers stopped me in the hallway and asked to see the shirt I was wearing. It was an awesome shirt I'd picked up Portobello West with a silkscreened image of a fox chasing a bunny amidst a flurry of cute polka dots. (Like I said, awesome .) 2. The Puppets My co-worker said that my shirt made him think of this musician he liked, Wendy McNeill . He sent me a link to the video for her song, "Ask Me No Questions" - which includes many wonderful things, like playing the accordian, fuzzy crow puppets, and dancing on the beach and a giant fox! Fabulous! 3. The Dioramas Her newest album, A Dreamer's Guide to Hardcore Living, also features some lovely collage/diorama-riffic artwork, as does her website . 4. The Mixed Tape And finally

Like science class... without the exam.

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Embrace your inner (mad?) scientist with some tasteful science-themed throw pillows from Heather Lins Home ! Specifically, they offer geology , botany , and anatomy . On sale (20% off) from now until Earth Day... oh dear, still $176 each. Maybe I'll just bake some science cookies . Mmm, science.

Han Solo: The Soap

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"I've seen a lot of strange stuff, but I've never seen anything to make me believe there's one all-powerful force controlling everything. There's no mystical energy field controls my destiny." The brilliant minds at Luxury lane Soap have a hot item on their hands: a soap version of Han Solo encased in carbonite. That's right! Get it while you can, it's available for a limited time only. According to the website, this soap is vegan, 100% fragrance-free. Made with pure olive oil, shea butter, and aloe vera, it's ultra gentle on the skin. Perhaps an ideal gift for the sensitive Star Wars fan? It's never too early to squirrel away the perfect birthday present. Also of interest: Roller Queen soap for the budding derby girl (like myself)! [ via ]