I wrote this article for Craft Critique, where it appeared two weeks ago. It’s a wonderful treat to come home from a vacation with a nearly completed scrapbook. I recently attended The Bead & Button Show in Milwaukee and thought I’d share a few “how-to’s” on creating your own travel art journal. CHOOSING YOUR JOURNAL This is a deceptively simple task. You have to ask yourself several questions: 1. Will I be working on my journal in a single location (ex. always at the hotel) or will I be working on my journal in various locations (ex. on a bus,... Read more →

Last weekend, I attended the Renegade Craft Fair in Williamsburg. What follows is my review, originally posted on Craft Critique. The Renegade Craft Fair calls itself, “a unique DIY event organized by Sue Blatt + Kathleen Habbley. When this event began in 2003, there was nothing else like it. We took up crafts as a hobby after college and decided to try selling our stuff in local fairs. To our surprise, no events were catering to the burgeoning DIY craft community or even prohibited crafts all together. So we thought of organizing a fair of our own that tapped into... Read more →

I wanted to let you know that Craft Critique is holding a contest with a big goodie giveaway! We're looking for celebration-related projects. All you have to do is e-mail a photo or scan to [email protected]. You can find more information here. Also, new projects from the Altered Pencil Lines team are up! And, on Wednesday, an article I wrote on how to use a scrapbooking sketch to inspire altered items will appear. I hope you'll check it out! Read more →

I just received my Embellisher by Baby Lock! I have been eagerly anticipating the arrival of this wonderful machine. It's a needle felting machine. Basically, it looks like a sewing machine, but instead of a needle that you thread, it has a circle of seven barbed needles. There's no thread either. The seven needles just go up and down when you step on the pedal. The seven needles basically mesh nubby fabrics (like felt) together. Though, I have heard that you can use paper (!!!) in it. I'm afraid of dulling the needles, though. I want to experiment with some... Read more →

This is an article I wrote for Craft Critique. It appeared on that blog last week, but I wanted to share it with you here. Especially since organization is one of my number one favorite things! Here you go... Proper organization can change the way you work. In my case, it has meant that I use my supplies! I am truly making a dent in my stash and using my things rather than simply collecting them. Here are my secrets: 1. Organize the way your brain works. What does this mean? When you’re scrapping, do you say, “I need something... Read more →

I wanted to share my June DT projects with you. I Still Feel Like A Kid I cut the letters out using my Klic-N-Kut. I then doodled around the edges of each one. The arrows were cut out freehand. Journaling: Mom took these photos of me in Milwaukee and had to keep saying, “Be serious. Stop it!” I can’t help it, I’m still a total goof and I won’t grow up! June 2007 The Most Beautiful Discovery I mounted the photo on top of a 6x6 piece of patterned paper from the same line as the background paper, so it... Read more →

This is going to be a truly miscellaneous post. I've got a lot of little things to share. GETTING HOME I'm back from Milwaukee and the Bead & Button Show a day late. After waiting in the airport and the plane for 6 hours, they cancelled my flight. I trundled off to a charming airport hotel for the evening and flew back to NYC this morning. As disgruntled as I am about being delayed, the good news is I didn't have anything scheduled for today that I missed. So, I've decided that I'm lucky. (Especially because the people in front... Read more →

I'm still at the Bead & Button Show in Milwaukee and still loving it! But, have I mentioned how tired, how sore, how exhausted I am?! And yet, I shoot out of bed every morning at 7am. (For anyone who knows my night owl tendencies, I am far more likely to go to bed at 7am than to get up at 7am.) It has been a fabulous few days since I last posted! So much has gone on! So many fabulous new techniques learned! I made this necklace last night with techniques learned in two classes: The little circle with... Read more →

The first group of projects for the Altered Pencil Lines challenge is up! Here is an image of my sketchbook where I figured out what I was going to do: You can see the inspiration sketch on the left and my designs (and sewing math) on the right. Here's a bigger image of the final product: The purse is all cotton, with a cotton lining (I even put in two pockets -- one for a cell phone and one for whatever else). It closes by tying a beautiful silk ribbon. The large placard, which says "If at first you don't... Read more →

So, I've spent four days in Milwaukee and three at The Bead and Button Show. It has been a wonderful and inspiring three days! I've been taking an intensive workshop with Laura McCabe. We've been beading for three days from 9:30am - 6pm. And then every night, I've returned to my hotel room to bead into the wee hours of the night. Though, I must admit, my hand is cramped up and my neck and back are aching. We've been using the tiniest beads! Here's a photo of the results of more than 30 hours of work: I'd say that... Read more →