Blogger Babble: Craft Bloggers Part II

By Marni Elyse Katz
May 14, 2010

Forget heroin chic of the ‘90s; it’s granny chic that rules right now. The craze for crafting may have roots in Brooklyn, but the trend has made its way across the country, even around the world. Crafty hipsters sidle up to aging hippies and earthy mamas to crochet, cut, glue, scavenge, sew, embellish, etc., exchanging ideas and showcasing creations on blogs and at fairs. It’s a virtual DIY love fest out there. In this two part series, The Inside Source contacted bloggers dedicated to the various arts in the crafting world for tips and top project picks, and then asked them to source supplies on eBay.

Craft Blogger: Brittni Wood, Papernstitch

Loving: Reusing and recycling old and discarded materials; it’s a trend that crafters just can't get enough of.

Inspiration: Materials you might just have lying around your house already, which keeps your wallet and the environment happy.

Project: Here are three projects I love: making a DIY chalkboard table, from Instructables; creating a new skirt from old button-down men’s shirts; and reupholstering a vintage chair with an old sweater, both from Junk Market Style.

Supplies: Skirt, chalkboard, chair.

Top row: Brittni Wood and one of her craft projects. Bottom row, left to right, Wood's eBay supplies: Green Jordache ‘80s Button Down Skirt (buy it now price, $4.99); School Chalkboard Vintage Authentic (buy it now price, $179.99); Rare Sculptural Easy Chair Eames Era (starting bid, $399)

Craft Blogger: April, Felt-O-Rama

Loving: My Felt-o-rama blog focuses on all things felt, so it's probably no surprise that my favorite crafting trend is felt food! It's been a strong trend for a while now, but it's not on its way out anytime soon.

Inspiration: I just blogged about the eco-friendly play food for children created by Felt Playground. They have healthy play foods, including sliceable fruits with Velcro insides.

Project: Kids love to play kitchen with the creations, but some pieces are perfect for home décor. The challenge is in making the felt food creations look as life-like and mouthwatering as possible! There are books and patterns out there for everything from pizzas and bag lunches to gourmet cakes and fruit tarts. . Japanese craft books have felt food down to a science.

Supplies: Felt food patterns

Top row: April of Felt-O-Rama's inspiration and project. Bottom row, her eBay supplies: Pretend Play Kitchen Felt Food Patterns Sushi (buy it now price, $14.97); Layer Cake Decorating Felt Food Pattern (buy it now price, $6.50); Japanese Felt Food Craft Pattern Book (buy it now price, $21.99)

Craft Blogger: Cathe Holden, Just Something I Made

Loving: Faux deer head wall hangings. The clean, white, monotone style of the pieces emphasizes the beautiful shape of the antlers and the innocence of the animal’s face.

Inspiration: After seeing the look on blogs, I went straight to eBay to find one. They were so lovely, I was inspired to paint my own, and create ones that incorporate vintage kitschy souvenirs.

Project: Matte white paint gives the piece an alabaster or chalkware look, or you can paint the deer heads solid black to simulate an antique Black Forest look. I’ve also created colorful ones for my studio with bright red and aqua blue paint, and done decoupage versions with old paper too.

Supplies: Deer head wall mount to paint, white gesso, chair above which to hang your creation.

Top row: Cathe Holden and one of her projects. Bottom row, left to right, her eBay supplies: Whitetail Buck Deer Head Wall Mount (buy it now price, $39.92); NEW Liquitex White Acrylic Gesso (buy it now price, $3.95); NEW Retro Modern Houndstooth Accent Chair (buy it now price, $389)

** Photos of the bloggers and their projects provided by the featured subjects. **

Marni Elyse Katz is a Boston-based writer and editor who covers style, art and design for a variety of publications, including the Boston Globe Magazine, Boston Home and her own blog, Style Carrot.

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