thinks-we-like
05.17.12 cathy says:
macramé park
It’s been all about macrame around here lately – the workshops I taught a couple of weeks ago at the Crafting Community as well as a couple of retail prop projects I’ve been working on. I’m a sucker for large scale fiber art so when i saw these photos of Macrame Park I wanted to learn more.
I was not surprised to learn that Macrame Park no longer exists – the rope could not have held up being that close to the ocean. Alexandra Jacopetti created it and made a documentary in 1974 called “The Saga of Macrame Park”. Saga? I want to know more.
(Images from Native Funk and Flash – An Emerging Folk Art by Alexandra Jacopetti with photographs by Jerry Wainwright, published by Scrimshaw, 1974)
04.26.12 eileen says:
marble it yourself
With Crafting Community fast approaching (it begins tomorrow!), we’ve been in the crafting + DIY spirit more than ever. I’m really excited about our paper marbling workshop (think bookmarks, postcards) and was completely blown away when I saw this amazing glassware marbling DIY by the ever creative gals of HonestlyWTF.
I think it’s safe to say they’ve completely taken marbling to a whole new level. Such a great way to add some color and pizzaz to your tabletop with things you most likely have laying around the house! Check out the full tutorial here.
During my internet travels, I recently came across The Wild Unknown. Brainchild of Brooklyn-based artist Kim Krans, The Wild Unknown is focused on making simple, thoughtful, handcrafted goods. My absolute favorite are these one-of-a-kind prisms that Kim creates.
I mean, how cool is the Mirrored Prism which houses a tiny chime on the inside? Take a look at all of her prisms here!
imagine this as trash
Jenny Murphy, my college buddy and one-time suite-mate (Hurd 210, represent!), has been doing amazing things in St. Louis. After we graduated, she founded Perennial, a non-profit focused on creative reuse with the mission to “empower people to transform themselves and their communities by providing a place to discover ways to transform discarded goods into objects of worth.” For Jenny, sustainability is definitely not just a buzzword – for years she’s been leading workshops designed to help the community see imperfect clothes or broken furniture as raw materials instead of landfill fodder, by teaching the practical DIY skills required to give these raw materials a new life. Last week, after a long fundraising journey, Perennial opened a brick and mortar workshop and furniture store, and boy, is it gorgeous. Take a look at some of Perennial’s amazing transformations…
Some of the incredible furniture produced at Perennial is for sale on their website – take a look around, make a donation, and prepare to get seriously inspired. Go Jenny, go!
liz miller
Part Rorschach test and part… exploding alien spacecraft? OK, so maybe they’re *all* Rorschach test, but these mixed media works on paper by artist Liz Miller are certainly complex and very beautiful. My hands are cramping just thinking about all the exacto blade intensity it must have taken to make these. Which is to say nothing about her elaborate installations…
If you like what you see (or what you think you see), check out her other stunning creations on her website.
