Art of devine: It Ain’t Only About The Flies: A crafty type and a lover of mischief, a whim, a ‘Why Not?’. Tania is also a mum of three, a wife, a graphic designer, a juggler extraord...
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Monday, October 17, 2011
Sunday, October 16, 2011
It Ain’t Only About The Flies
A crafty type and a lover of mischief, a whim, a ‘Why Not?’. Tania is also a mum of three, a wife, a graphic designer, a juggler extraordinaire (in training). You’ll find her over at Myrtle & Eunice, celebrating her crafty hits, confessing the misses and always bewildered by the pile of dirty washing.
It Ain’t Only About The Flies
It’s not that I’m obsessed with flies, cos I’m not. Certainly, if you happened to refer to theNovember page of this year’s Whipup calendar, you’d turn to look at me all sideways and squinty and doubtful-like. But THAT fly – the one composed of a bazillion stitches, was really all about the obsessive joy in (finally!) mastering the french knot. THIS fly, the one above, was all about the sudden fascination with the crafty potential of fly screen.
I almost did my eyeballs in. Crafting with fly screen is like crafting blind. The grids of tiny squares appear to move and intersect, creating a moiré effect. Half the time you can’t tell which is shadow, or which is the surface you’re working on. And it’s a SHOCKER to photograph. Navigate the light, the shade, the shadows cast, the greying effect of the mesh, the disappearing into-backgrounds, then give up in a huff. Put away your camera, live it in real time.
In real time – and you’ll probably have to trust me on this – it is possible to appreciate the delicate intricacies of embroidered fly body hair.
As a crafty type who never knows when to leave well enough alone, I couldn’t help but try my hand at cross-stitching a flying fly…
…which in one fell swat, becomes a cross-stitched, well past-his-prime fly.
It struck me that flies were not the only obvious subject matter. Too busy losing focus to fly screen, to notice teetering laundry piles, a disaster kitchen, and an impressive spider web population inhabiting window frames, it finally dawned upon me. If you can’t beat ’em, join ’em.
While the bug lovin’ middle kid is chuffed to bits with his fly-eating, window-inhabiting spider,
I have been forced to concede to the Mr’s long-held theory: not one part of this house is safe from the craft.
steam wars from lolmart
Love this Steam Wars shirt from the people at Lolcats, finally they seem to be spreading their wings and producing designs that are not necessarily to do with LOLcats. This shirt is avalable for $15 for the next 3 days, which provides a little more notice that many of the 24 hour t-shirt deals from shirt.woot and the like.
Also, a blast from the past, check out the increasingly inaccurately named Top Ten Star Wars t-shirt list from 2007
Hidden message glow in the dark embroidery
Hello! I’m Devon, an avid maker, baker and nature lover currently navigating through my 20’s in Los Angeles. I originally started my blog Miss Make when I started working at the Urban Craft Center just to show friends and family all the cool stuff I was learning how to do. I now teach sewing and quilting there, and I’m admittedly a little obsessed with using my blog to spread the love and knowledge of making stuff to any and all remotely receptive audiences.
Hidden message glow in the dark embroidery
It is a plain and simple truth that if something glows in the dark, it’s inherently cooler.
Whether it’s an action figure, stars on a bedroom ceiling or the little hands on your watch face, there’s something extra captivating about that magic green glow from within. [Mini science lesson: It’s actually not magic, it’s compounds known as phosphors that ‘trap’ electrons from light beams and slowly release them in the minutes and hours after exposure.]
The last time I was visiting the Urban Craft Center, my crafty happy place, I saw that they had added some glow in the dark embroidery floss to their shelves.
I obviously bought some immediately. I mean, it glows in the dark.
Because it looks so much like regular white floss – you only see that telling greenish aura if you’re really looking – I thought it would be fun to mix it in with white and create a secret message that you can only see in the dark.
This little embroidery project is quick, super easy and has lots of squeal appeal [that “ooh!” when people see the hidden message]. I’m by no means an embroidery expert. My skills basically end at being able to thread a needle and tie a knot. But when this was done, in about an hour no less, I wanted to show everyone I knew. [“No seriously, go hold this and stand in the closet, trust me!”] It would be the cutest thing to leave under the bedside lamp of a loved one so that they see it when they turn out the light.
I made a pattern that you can download here for free. You can find glow in the dark floss online, just do a search. I used DMC Mouline E940. The rest of the supplies you can easily find at your local craft / fabric store.
Directions:
- Trace pattern onto desired fabric with transfer paper, chalk pencil or disappearing pen.
- *Tip: If you want to transfer the pattern to dark fabric, tape the fabric to a bright sunny window with the pattern behind it and you’ll be able to see and trace. Or, see my blog postabout making a light box with a few standard household items and trace it that way!*
- Put the fabric in a 6” embroidery hoop. Using the glow in the dark floss, embroider all the lines that are red on the pattern. One long stitch per line is enough.
- Switch to regular white floss. Embroider all remaining lines.
Charge your project under a lamp for a few minutes, find a dark space and marvel.
VIENNA DESIGN WEEK 2011: KIDSROOMZOOM
Via @smowblog, seen at Vienna Design Week 2011, "a delightful, turn of the century, downtown Vienna flat furnished especially for kids. Adults were allowed in; but hadn't been considered in the planning of the exhibition."
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kidsroomZOOM was a showcase for contemporary European kids furniture design and was "evidence that there are options beyond the cheap tat available in every large furniture store."
The Secrets Behind Successful Design Podcasts
In a time when designers are often too busy to network and seek further education, podcasts have become available to teach so we can learn while we go about our business. I recently “met”Kitty Florido on Twitter when I asked for graphic design podcast recommendations. Florido is a graphic designer who owns Asterisco, a design and photography business in Guatemala.
Florido and I chatted about the rise of podcasts this decade and what role they’ve played in her training, education and sometimes just entertainment. Florido had posted a page on her blog called “Podcasts I Listen To,” and it’s exactly that: a page started for her friends who were always coming to her for podcast recommendations, and now Florido goes through it every four or five months to keep it current.
After listening to hundreds of podcasts throughout the years – and learning what she liked and didn’t like about certain ones – it was only a matter of time before Florido took on a podcast, “Rookie Designer.”
Why did you start listening to podcasts?
I started a lot of years ago – I’ve been listening to podcasts since they were first available. I had to drive to my business every day for an hour. First, I was bringing my iPod in the car because I hate listening to commercials.
It was hard to find them with good content. There were some business and some design, but there were very few. Then I started listening to a friend of mine, Tim Coyne, who does “The Hollywood Podcast,” which is interviews with stars – nothing designer related or anything.
What made it easier was the iTunes store’s guide. There I found “Rookie Designer.” I found some other podcasts – some of which are already dead. One of the things it allowed me was to stay current and be a part of something else. My office is a one-woman business, so I’m not exposed to other co-workers’ ideas.
Where and when do you listen to podcasts?
Now that I’m working from home, sometimes I have to be in the mood. I try early in the morning, like right when I can cram more information in. If I’m listening to marketing-heavy podcasts, I don’t want to listen to that at 5 in the afternoon. If I listen to one about cooking, I don’t need that much attention to follow that train of thought. I do have specific times when I listen to specific podcasts.
Design is so visual – what are the challenges in coming up with engaging podcasts?
I think that it’s really hard for a podcaster to get the idea through – not because a picture is a thousand words but because you have to describe a lot of things. It’s a different approach as a graphic designer and photographer.
Sometimes I’m just looking for a train of thought instead of listening to my iTunes collection. It keeps your mind busy. If I’m listening to a very interesting conversation, I listen to the entire conversation. When I started listening to podcasts, I had to drive an hour to and from work, so it was my little time in the car to connect to the rest of the design world.
What do you look for in a podcast?
If I was listening to a podcast with a monotone, that would bore me. There are some hosts that can be very much like that – or in your face. They’re just kind of rude. That pushes me away. I need someone maybe not completely likeable but just with manners – a sense of humor. The topics need to be interesting and have a train of thought.
The first episode we made recently of “Rookie Designer,” I found it’s hard for me to talk as a podcaster. If it’s two hosts – like “Rookie Designer” is – they go back and forth, but if it’s one person going, “Uh-huh,” that’s not very interesting.
I really like Chris Marquardt’s “Tips From the Top Floor.” He’s a German guy who knows a lot about photography. I went to his food-photography workshop, and it was amazing. It was amazing to see him since I’m used to listening to him! It was one of the first podcasts out. It has intro music that sets the mood – it has music that someone wrote for him! Some podcasts just start without an intro – they just start talking.
How did you become a part of “Rookie Designer”?
“Rookie Designer” was started in ’06. A little more than a month ago, Adam Hay contacted Jake Van Ness, owner of Prepressology, and myself. It’d been silent for a year, and we just released our first.
What have you gotten out of podcasts and other newer technology?
The podcast world has definitely been keeping me up to date. That’s how I learned in 2007 about an InDesign conference in Florida. It’s just a short flight from me and was the first of its kind. I went and met people and realized there’s a whole different world out there of people who like the same things. Since I’m working by myself, I find it’s hard to find friends who do the same thing. I have a few other friends here in Guatemala who were not keeping up with the trends. Before podcasts you had to look for forums to get advice, but technology has made things so much different, like with Twitter. I used it in 2007, and it was extremely new, and no one knew what it was. It has helped the distance and to share knowledge and to express frustration.
Technology has opened a lot of doors for me. There’s a program called design4kids, and I’ve been working with them – I bumped into them through Twitter. Every time they do workshops, I’m in the U.S. instead of Guatemala, but one time I did an online review of the students’ work. And through Twitter I was able to gather designers to help.
What is the future of “Rookie Designer”?
We want to do it twice a month. … We want to do a good, solid episode – we’re really glad with the feedback so far. We want to talk not just about design but also photography and tech geek stuff. At the same time we want to approach subjects and ideas that many designers – rookie or not – face each day. For example, what about client issues, the business side of things? At first we’re going to see how every two weeks works – we’ll see. The important thing is to be consistent.
I’m a Mac user, and Jake is a PC user, so we go back and forth with applications that might not do the same thing but produce the same results.
What are some of your favorite podcasts?
“The Freelance Radio Show” for graphic artists and writers.
“36 Point” for design.
“Managing the Gray”
“Six Pixels of Separation”
“Tips From the Top Floor”
“Enough – The Minimal Mac Podcast.” They talk about minimalism. They have no intro – they just start talking about things like: How many apps do you download, and how many don’t do a thing on your Mac?
“36 Point” for design.
“Managing the Gray”
“Six Pixels of Separation”
“Tips From the Top Floor”
“Enough – The Minimal Mac Podcast.” They talk about minimalism. They have no intro – they just start talking about things like: How many apps do you download, and how many don’t do a thing on your Mac?
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