Hello Craft » upcycle

Packing Some Steampunk

tinaseamonster — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 02:05:25 +0000

Steampunk jewelry has never been for me, but I still respect people making things in this currently popular style. So I often find myself searching for Steampunk stuffs on Etsy.

I recently found and can’t stop thinking about these awesome converted toy guns by River Wraith.

Can you believe this is a converted Nerf gun, made of plastic? It has been painted, aged, and sealed with a gloss. The gun no longer fires Nerf bullets. It is strictly a prop or costume gun. For just $28.00, this gun makes me want to write and film my own little space opera.

And look at this one!

Seriously, these are amazing. Check out River Wraith for even more.

ACC Baltimore Part 1: Shopper Show & Tell

Sara — Mon, 09 Mar 2009 00:08:58 +0000

The American Craft Council show in Baltimore is huge. I mean really, really huge. With 3 days and over 700 craft vendors, craft sensory overload is common. Hello Craft was fortunate to have the on-site aid of shoppers who stopped by our booth to share their hard-sought, handmade finds.

Here, in ACC Baltimore Part 1, I’ll share some of our favorite shopper stories and images for the weekend.

Purchased: Stamped sterling silver earrings
Made by: Jennaca Leigh Davies

Reason: Bought them for her mother because she was ungrateful to her for a longtime. She thought the earrings were very refreshing after lots to repetitive and expensive crafts.

Purchased: Feather Headband
Made by: GALVIN-ized Headwear

Reason: She’s an art teacher and likes to wear things that help her stand out from other teachers. Also, great example of colors and texture for students.

You may recognize this shopper (and her good taste) from Etsy, where she shares her handmade finds and seller tips as daniellexo. Was nice to meet you, Danielle!

Purchased: Ceramic Bird Vase
Made by: Little Flower Designs

Reason: On her wedding day, she had a moment alone after walking the dog when she looked out the window and (being a city girl) saw her first blue jay ever. She has been wanting something with a blue bird on it since.

Purchased: Plush ring
Made by: Raeburn Ink

Reason: Because it is awesome, light weight & voluminous.

Purchased: Carnelian Earrings
Made by: imogene

Reason: Love the color and they match her pants! She’s really loving the warm pumpkin rust color right now.

Purchased: Mug with butterflies
Made by: Justin Rothshank

Reason: She liked the unevenness and they way it feels in her hand.

Purchased: Wooden Flip-Car Toy with Ramp
Made by: Baldwin Toys

Reason: For grandson and his father who refuses to grow up. The toy is going to make them laugh and laugh.

Purchased: Purse
Made by: Laura Maclay

Reason: So darn cute! I love the look. Very simple but very professional.

Purchased: Puzzle piece hand cut glass necklace & earrings

Made by: Dena Pengas Glass

Reason: Love the color, way it felt, the idea, the fit. Truly handcrafted & handmade.

Dena also makes really cool glass lego jewelry in a wide variety of colors. Above is a collection of her Lego earrings. Visit her site to see the pendants, necklaces, cufflinks, rings and more.

I did some shopping of my own at Erica Gordon’s booth, aka Steele Toe Studios. I’ve been a fan of her work for years and planned to pick up a recycled bike tube belt (the result of a collaboration between Erica and Alchemy Goods, makers of the famous Ad Bag). While Erica helped other customers, I admired her recycled bike gear buckles and took the chance to hold her multifont buckle, an item I’d been eyeing online for sometime. I couldn’t put it down. I really enjoy the solid weight of the cast metal and different dimensions of the raised letters.

Also of note, was Erica’s clever use of a digital picture frame to showcase images of her at work with red-hot metal rods, which struck me as an extremely effective way to educate and engage shoppers not familiar with the creative process.

Like I said, the ACC Baltimore show is huge! You can see more shopper photos in our Flickr pool. In part 2, I’ll show you more work from the artists that caught my eye and offer some well-designed booth examples.

Thank you to our Secret Santas!

Kelly Rand — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 23:34:04 +0000

For the holidays Hello Craft sponsored an Upcycled Secret Santa Swap over at swap-bot. The aim of the swap was to repurpose materials to make something new for your secret Santa.

Well the results are in and we have some very crafty people out there. Here is a handful of what was created:

Kim with a rockin’ scarf-kerchief from This Chickadee

Becky got this great bottle cap ornament from Sara.

Juliette was the lucky recipient of this precious bunny, made from lost gloves on the metro, by me.

And I was ecstatic for these amazing lockets by Kim to come into my life.

Thank you to all of our participants! It was a blast seeing all the creativity. Keep an eye out for possible future swaps.

Hello Craft Episode 4: Tripper’s Shadow Puppets

tinaseamonster — Mon, 08 Dec 2008 11:38:51 +0000

Each week, the Hello Craft Podcast collects stories of making and buying handmade.

This week, Tripper Dungan tells us about the shadow puppets that he makes from cereal boxes.

Click here to download the episode (right-click and choose “save as” on PC, or control-click and choose “save as” on Mac)

This video from March Forth Marching Band showcases Tripper’s shadow puppet magic. You can check out everything else that Tripper does at numberstar.com

Learn how to contribute to the podcast!

Upcycled Secret Santa Swap!

Kelly Rand — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 16:36:08 +0000

We were so enamored of the swap process over at swap-bot, that we decided to give it a try. So please join us in our Upcycled Secret Santa Swap.

In the spirit of promoting handmade and a dash of conservation (good for both your wallet and the planet) we will be using items you probably already have on hand to re-create them and turn into a gift for your Secret Santa!

Always wondered what to do with all those bottle caps? They’d make a lovely pair of earrings. Have a sweater with a nifty cable pattern that doesn’t fit anymore? It would be great as mittens or even a pot holder!

The possibilities are endless and you are only limited by your creativity.

You will have one partner and your upcycled gift must be handmade by you using “unconventional” materials and items that you probably have on hand. If you must purchase additional materials such as thread, needles, glue, etc to finish your item please spend no more than $10.

To join the swap, visit our swap site here. You have until the 26 of November to sign up. All handmade, upcycled gifts will be sent by December 19th, just in time to enjoy on the holiday of your choice.

Image by craftapalooza

Extreme Craft Call for Submissions

Kim — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 01:52:58 +0000

As someone who is obsessed with the upcycling craft craze, I was totally psyched to hear that the Garth Johnson, the man behind the cerebral and often hysterical Extreme Craft blog, has signed on with Quarry Publishing to pen 1000 Ideas for Creative Reuse, the next book in their “1000 Series”.

Johnson is currently looking for submissions for his book. 1000 Ideas for Creative Reuse will feature 21st Century craft and design, all made with recycled, upcycled, repurposed and reused items. Extreme Craft invites designers, artists, visionaries and crafters from all over the world to submit examples of paper and book arts, jewelry, clothing, home and personal accessories, furniture, art, and miscellanea for possible publication.

Help the save environment and inspire idle hands, by sharing your upcycling and recycling craft and design work with Extreme Craft.

The deadline for entries is January 5th, but Johnson is strongly encouraging early submissions. For the details and information downloads, or to post questions and comments, check out http://extremecraft.typepad.com/extreme_craft/creativereuse.html.