Pirates vs. Ninjas

It's an age-old question. I'm partial to ninjas. Too bad I'll never meet one...

So, when I saw this AMAZING checker set on Goose Grease, I thought, "awww I want it! Too bad it's $150."



Then, I remembered the second part of Goose Grease. Goose Grease Undone - which sells "naked" wooden figurines and paint sets, so us crafters can do-it-ourselves. And for only $30? Yes please!



I'm hoping to do some ordering in the next week, after I get paid. So...I'll keep you updated!

Bunny Scissors

I forgot that I actually own a pair of non-necessary scissors. I'm kind of embarrassed, but at the same time - not.



My friend bought these for me in Italy. Those Italians.

Canvas - the Finished Project

Hooray! All finished! I'm very proud of this. Very, very proud.


Halfway finished with X-acto-knifing the picture of us out.


Success! I cut as much out as I could with the X-acto knife (I did this on top of my super-thick Vogue September 2009). Then, I went back and cut off some stray pieces with my trusty (normal) scissors.


Finished canvas! I did this weeks ago, but here it is. I didn't take pictures of the process. Next time I work on something with Mod Podge, I will definitely document.


There we are! I applied Mod Podge to the back of the picture and slapped it into the corner. DO NOT put Mod Podge on the front. It will be way too shiny and will reflect like a mirror if light hits it.


Woo hoo! Full view (kind of).

My Children Will Hate Me.

I only say this because once they are in this world, they're going to have to deal with homemade clothing, like this:

How adorable is that?

Crafting Essential #1: Scissors

This may seem super obvious. However, it needs to be said.

Scissors are pretty much the thing I reach for the most when I'm doing anything that is crafty. I don't feel like I necessarily need to clarify why they are important, but you NEED a good pair of scissors.

They don't have to expensive or fancy or even pretty, but they need to work. And the two pieces of it (I don't know the correct terminology) need to not stick together.

Jordan, one of my favorite all-around bloggers, has posted about her favorite scissors multiple times. They're pricey ($20!!), but they look great and I've been lusting after them for awhile.

Here are some other awesome but probably not-worth-it pairs of scissors...


Stork Scissors from Bell'occhio - $45


Eiffel Tower Scissors from Bell'occhio - $88


Charles X Scissors from Bell'occhio - $95-$98


Rabbit Scissors from Bell'occhio - $110


Regular normal scissors? Priceless.

Current Project

Okay, kids! I'm always working on some sort of craft project. Sometimes they'll sit, dormant, for weeks or months at a time...oh well. I get to it when I can.

But I'm hoping that this blog will help me keep up the craftiness. As in...I will have a reason to actually DO the projects and will have to do the projects.

So, here's what I have going on currently.

This family-photo project, featured on design*sponge. I love the use of negative space! And I always enjoy collaging, and especially...using Mod Podge (which is an integral crafting tool). The picture below is not mine; so far all I have finished is the collage in the background, of which I used old dictionary pages.


Next up, I'll be making photocopies of me and Pete (my fiance!) at Kinko's or wherever it is people do that sort of thing, and then using an X-Acto knife to cut us out, and then Mod-Podging us on. I really like how the project above looks. We'll figure something out.

Inspiring Craft Rooms

As seen on One Pretty Thing, these rooms are awesome. I want all of them in my house, please.









If you have any craft rooms you want to share, email them my way at kaylen.hoffman@gmail.com !!!

A Little Introduction.

Yay for crafts!

In short, this is a new blog I'm starting just now. I'm taking an English seminar course at SLU this semester, and - seriously - the big assignment is to start a blog. How awesome is that?! So we had to pick a particular topic, something that interests us and will keep us busy for a whole semester. I thought about a couple of things - letterpress, cupcakes, junk like that. But finally, I realized: crafts. Why not crafts?

People enjoy creating crafts, people enjoy receiving crafts and people enjoy reading about crafts. And not everyone likes these things, but there is definitely a niche. I know a lot of people through other blogs of mine that will hopefully enjoy this site.

This site will have a couple of different things. There will be reviews of craft sites (a lot of them that are over to the right side of the page), featured DIY projects from other sites, and then (what I think will be my favorite part), MY DIY projects. Those will either be projects I dreamt up myself, or a project attempted from another source.

So! Keep an eye out here as I update, add stuff, and continue to make the site grow!

Welcome!

It's a new craft site! Check back regularly to see what's cooking up on Alfred Avenue in the craft room.

In the meantime, check out any of the blogs on the sidebar. They are chock full of inspirational projects for your family, friends, pets, home...pretty much anything!