We created a Christmas Tree for our classroom. We made it out of paper chains. We all helped to do a little part of the tree. We we cut out and made glitter stars to decorate the tree. It was fun making paper chains. Lachlan and Zane made paper chains that were even longer then they are! We measured them!!

Urban Craft Uprising is almost here again!  120+ vendors gathering at the Seattle Center Exhibition Hall on December 5th & 6th to show their magnificent goodies.  We will try to post some info on a few favorites this week – in the meantime, check out the UCU blog for interviews with some of the vendors.

-jon

these finger puppets from london based pelpa, etc. are some of the best finger puppets i’ve ever seen.

pelpa, etc blog

store

My birthday was on the 11th of the month.  Celebrating my loss of youth is always a happy occasion.   One upside of the day was getting to spend it with my son who was out of school.   We went out to dinner and just had a good time, which is really all I need.  As gifts, I received a few books and DVDs from the BF, a necklace and a pair of toe socks from the boy and a gift card to Jo-anns!  Woot!  I went there that night and stocked up on embroidery things.  Embroidery is my newest passion.  Weird, huh?  2007 was gardening, 2008 was quilting and this year is embroidery.

I made butter the other day.  Now, before you start thinking that I actually churned it myself (ummm, no), I threw it in the Kitchen-Aid mixer and let it do all the work.  It was super simple and it worked.  I threw in organic, additive free heavy cream and then whizzed the hell out of it.  It was a bit messy while the cream was still liquid, but once it got past the whipped cream stage and turned into butter, it was awesome!  I even wound up with enough buttermilkish stuff to make some homemade biscuits.  Although I will probably never do it again, but I still feel proud.

I was one of those crazy people heading out this morning.  First stop, WalMart.  Oh, WalMart, how I loathe thee, but alas your cheap prices tempt me.  I wasn’t in search of the $298 laptop or the cheapish ginormous TV.  No, I was seeking the $25 Shop-Vac.  And I got it!  Oddly enough, there was no long line for it.  I ended up standing there chit-chatting to the employee who was tasked with telling all the laptop seekers that they were already out.   At one point he said, “These people are batshit crazy.”

I had to agree with him.  And I was thankful that I wasn’t one of them.

Following my own tutorial, this time with a smaller notebook.

The notebook measurements are 12.5′ x 8 1/4′.

Materials

Fabric

Lining: 1 rectangle 13.5′ x 9 1/4′

Pockets: 4 rectangles 3.5′ x 9 1/4′

Cover: 1 rectangle 13.5′ x 9 1/4′. Mine is made of 3 pieces patched together with the following measurements:

• 1 rectangle 13.5′ x 6
• 1 rectangle13.5′ x 3
• 1 strip 13.5′ x 1 1/2

Fusible interfacing (iron on one side)

Lining and cover: 2 rectangles 12.5′ x 8 1/4′

Pockets: 4 rectangles 12.5′ x 3 1/4′

1 elastic band

1 fabric covered button

Add any embellishments after putting the cover together.

An alternative to a self covered button could be a ribbon though the button and elastic is more convenient.

This time I found that the cover looks better on a hardcover notebook.

Follow the the instructions from my other tutorial.

Here’s the rest of the evelopes we’ll be using as we are doing our Christmas Countdown.

Day 17 (D)

Day 18 (L)

Day 19 (L)

Day 20 (L)

Day 21 (D)

Day 22 (D)

Day 23 (L)

Day 24 (D)

Designed by (D for Dianna), (S for Spencer), and (L for Lindsey)

From templates to paper, invites to stickers, find every printable imaginable here.

Made from clay, painted with Acrylics

I am back in New York after a long Europe period. And could there be a better first day to get in the U.S spirit then Thanksgiving? After a week op non-stop great and elaborate meals in Europe( 8-course tastings with amuses mostly!) I thought a rather small meal would be good given our upcoming sun vacation, but Craft only had a Thanksgiving tasting with all the works. Way too much, fairly expensive(115 a person) but incredibly tasty. The restaurant from Top Chef’s Tom Colicchio is decorated very nice. Comfy chairs, great paintings, subtle lighting, very friendly staff and tres chic bathrooms. But the main thing of the place is the great food of course. We started off with a small pumpkin soup amuse that was sweet and rich in flavor. The starters were a frisee salad with cheese, macadamia and pancetta. As great as this was, fresh and flavourful, this was the weakest of the starters(and that says a lot). The scallops with truffle were to die for and so was the carpaccio with dried shallots(best carpaccio ever). All these starters are on their regular menu as well so we will go back for those sometime. As a main we could get the turkey, but being jet-lagged(and not needing any tryptophan) I decided to have salmon instead(not super, but ok) and my bf had the beef. The beef was just perfect, medium rare with a nice crust. As side dishes we had grilled veggies, super tasty mushrooms, sweet and creamy butternut squash, rich stuffing and Brussel sprouts. I used to hate Brussel sprout back home when I was younger because they were always boiled. In the U.S I learned to eat them roasted and then they taste so much better. The grand finale was 5 plates full of desserts. Great rhubarb-crumble, some sorbets/ice-creams(our fav was the pecan) a mediocre pumpkin pie, a great tarte tatin and some doughnuts with chocolate. This dinner was a 8/10 definitely and we will be back at Craft soon!

i’m going to make a million of these owls. maybe a few more toadstools too.

i tried to leave less space between stitches with the toadstool and the purple owl. it takes a lot more time and more stitches, but i think the outcome is worth it. it’s more pro.

i’m happy it’s kind of christmastime because this means i can listen to bright eyes’ christmas album many times a day and not feel awkward. are there any other modern christmas cds i need to download?

Peacock Feather BUTTERFLY Pure Luxury Handmade Dupioni Bridal Silk Clutch

Available at my Etsy shop:
Magic Laboratory of Fashion
All designs are © Tatiana Agapcheva, please do not copy my work.

Well, I’m spending most of this morning working on scrabble tile necklaces, but I also poured some resin in molds for new necklaces with candy sprinkles and I finished up a few new resin necklaces, so I wanted to post a few photos and get things caught up. First, let me remind you I’m on my way to Covington, KY tomorrow morning for the Craft Mafia fair. Here are some details in case you are going to be in the Cincy/ Covington area this weekend:

A few months ago I bought some ice cube molds at IKEA that I thought I would use for resin casting, but I never got around to it because I could not find any mold release spray anywhere. Well, Monday I finally got some, so the first cast resin I have made with the molds are these really cool puzzle piece pendants with real candy sprinkles. I also got a really nice black velvet display, which helps with taking a good photo! Here are the 2 different styles I made of the puzzle piece pendants:

I also have recently made about 30 very cool Alice in Wonderland bottle cap magnets. All the bottle caps have an image glued in the bottom and a strong magnet on the back, and then resin is poured inside of the bottle cap to seal in the image and give it a shiny finish. Here are a few pictures of these new magnets.

Well, I have a lot to do today to prepare for this weekend (and first I need to eat some Thanksgiving left-overs!). Next weekend I will be back in town at the IHE/ Mass Ave Holiday Hoopla on December 4th. So, if I don’t see you in Kentucky, I’ll see you next weekend on Mass Ave!

Saturday from 10am to 5pm in St George’s Hall, Liverpool, come and say hi!  And for those of you further away I’m also here, along with some other rainbow goodness from Folksy.  I’ll see you all on the other side of the weekend when the craft show madness ends and the Christmas crafting begins x

These are the ornaments that my son designed and I assembled (due to glue issues).  They are for 2 of his cousins and his aunt.  He decided on colors and shapes of fabric of his cousins’ ornaments.  Then told me or arranged on the fabric what he wanted to see.  For the angel ornament, I chose the fabric and the shape but when I couldn’t decide what to put on it, he said “I know!” and put the heart on it.

Designed by my son, assembled by me.

I thought I had a perfect project for the kids to work on after we polished off our turkey and stuffing.  In my refrigerator were four bags of cranberries and my mom was nice enough to bring over a boxful of styrofoam balls and cones, along with some red ribbon.  My idea was to have the kids cover the foam with cranberries to make holiday decorations that could be hung with ribbon or placed around the house.  They were going to be so pretty. 

If only I hadn’t forgotten to buy pins.  I only had a tiny box of push pins that wouldn’t be enough for even one child’s project.

I had seven kids sitting around the table with their cones looking at me expectantly.  ”I’ll be right back!” I blurted, and ran to the basement to retrieve the rainy day craft bin filled with buttons,ribbon, sequins and everything else left over from crafting days gone by.  They oohed and ahhed as I open the treasure chest of crafting and immediately started to glue, bend, and poke things onto their styrofoam.  It was a huge success. 

You will need: styrofoam forms, glue, your junk bin and kids looking for something to do.  Have fun!

My sick car is mended (hurrah)! This week has ended on a high. Yesterday I spent a few hours preparing food as we had some friends over. I took a risk and tried a new recipe from Nigella’s ‘Feast’ book. It was a Tunisian meatball dish and apart from a dodgy sweded (thanks Sainsburys!) we had a great time. My friend lent me her Mums tagine and it worked out well (genuine thanks Nigella!).

I also achieved something I’ve wanted to do for years; recreate a dessert that a coffee shop I used to work at in Colchester called ‘Poppy’s’ used to sell. It is a layered meringue with a lemon curd and cream filling. I didnt quite get it exactly right but it all got eaten!!

I’ve got a Stampin’Up! party tonight . The hostess is a lovely girl from my childrens school and it should be a great night. We’re doing simple Christmas cards and it’ll be great to have a chilled evening after a hectic week. The piccy is of a covered chocolate bar as a prize for the evening. I just love the ribbon. I could tie it on everything! The cute ladybird and ‘be happy’ is from a hostess set called Darling Dots, that my friend may well get tonight. I’m happy to take party bookings over the phone, so dont hesistate to give me a ring!

I’m also planning a series of craft classes in the New Year. A couple of people have asked about them, so I’ll take the plunge and get organised.They’ll be in Liverpool and as soon as I’ve sorted the schedule, I’ll let you all know! Talking about new things I have had some projects featured in Crafts Beautiful in their Christmas special and I’ve got more coming up in the January and February issue. Its very exciting and I love a good challenge so its right up my street!

Well, I’d better make tracks! Thanks for looking!

Recipe, Cardstock on the tag- Real red and So Saffron.

So Saffron ribbon, Versamark and clear embossing powder (all from Stampin’Up!)

Textured cardstock and patterned paper from my stash!

My father, who makes a living building – among other more utilitarian things – beautifully crafted decks and garden structures, has been recruited (by yours truly) to build my Xmas present. My hen house! I’m not sure what thrills me more – finally being able to purchase my chicken babies or having something that my father designed and hammered and sweated over. I’m kinda hoping he puts a big red bow on it! Here is the first pic that he sent me.

It will be able to slide out for cleaning and each divider lifts out! I squealed when I saw this!

I’m so excited! (And I just can’t hide it!) I’ve just put my special holiday gift offer on my website, and I think it’s such an original and creative idea for a gift.

It’s a private two-hour craft lesson with me in your choice of craft – knitting, crochet, or embroidery. Plus, it comes with a stylish gift box – that I’ll send you in time for gift-giving! – that includes yarn and a hook/needle for crochet/knitting, or thread, needle, hoop, and pre-printed handkerchief (in your choice of three designs) for embroidery.

If you’ve been racking your brain to come up with an original gift for the loved one who has everything, why not give the gift of learning a fun new skill that will last forever? Contact me for more details!

Especially big hot pink heart-shaped earrings! Big fun earrings suit my huge mass of brown wavy hair

Hopefully I will have something crafty for you all next week. Have a wonderful weekend!

♥ ♥ ♥

It’s back! The biggest craft extravaganza this side of the Atlantic is returning for a big festive bash in London on 12th December when BUST magazine take over York Hall in Bethnal Green.

The Craftacular, which only started to host events in the UK a year ago, has fast become an important fixture in the indie crafter’s diary. Its summer event was a huge hit, and this more tinsel-tastic affair promises to be splendid fun too – with a Christmas tree Tombola; tea and cake at the Lady Luck Rules OK Pop-Up Christmas Party, knitting know-how with Prick Your Finger and Knit & Destroy’s giant knit-along Christmas decoration. And if that’s not enough to get your needles knocking, plenty of very hip-sounding DJs will be in residence, spinning tunes as you craft the night away.

Anyone else planning on going along?

Bust Christmas Craftacular: 12 midday – 7:00pm, York Hall, 5-15 Old Ford Road, Bethnal Green, London E2 9PJ