Let's make happy
Crafted Things
Luv-able and Hug-able at gallery hanahou
Nov 24th
Luv-able and Hug-able, our holiday plush show coming up at gallery hanahou in NYC, is just around the corner, opening December 4th! If you’re in the area, I hope you’ll join us, or stop by sometime while the show is up through January 7th. (Full show info is at the bottom of the post.)
As promised, here are some photos of the amazing plush toys artists have created for the show.
Sardines by Nicole Gastonguay
We love fashion! by Kup Kup Land
Tweed Bear by Yuko Hara
Beheadable Anne Boleyn by Katie Park
Large Rag Doll by Christina Gordon
Beast by Blythe Church (I bought one by her last year and I love it!)
Luv-able and Hug-able
December 4 – January 7
Opening party: December 4, 6-9 pm RSVP info@galleryhanahou.com
gallery hanahou
611 Broadway, Suite 730, NYC
[7th floor of the Cable Building, NW corner of Broadway + Houston]
Hours: Mon-Sat 12-6 pm
Also don’t forget about Jenny Harada’s workshop on the 13th!
Make an Elf Chum with Jenny Harada!
Nov 21st
Plush queen Jenny Harada will be teaching a workshop at gallery hanahou in NYC on Saturday, December 13th, at 1-3 pm. She’ll show the group how to use hand-sewing techniques to make an adorable ornament-size Elf Chum, like these!
or these!
(I am very taken with the furry brown ones, myself.)
The workshop is just $20, which includes all the supplies you need. Space is very limited, so email info@galleryhanahou.com now to sign up!
amineko no iru seikatsu
Nov 20th
I don’t buy so many craft books but I picked this one up earlier this year and it’s become a new favorite.
Not sure if it’s been discussed much among Western crafters, but amineko no iru seikatsu (Life with Amugurumi Cat, I believe) deserves some love. The book contains only one amigurumi pattern, plus a few sewing patterns for small accessories for your amineko, but the highlight of the book are the wonderful photos of amigurumi cats doing various activities like eating, reading, and sleeping in various objects. In almost wordless, comic-strip-style vignettes, we see the simple crocheted cats come to life with distinct personalities and moods.
I got my copy at Kinokuniya, but you can also find it on Amazon Japan.
LittleBigPlanet
Oct 27th
Denise (winner of this year’s Mochimochi Photo Contest) alerted me a while back to the cute knitted main character in LittleBigPlanet, the new PlayStation 3 video game by Sony. Coincidentally, my husband just reviewed the game for The Onion A.V. Club.
As John was working on his review, I got a sneak preview of the game (lucky me!), which is being released today. LittleBigPlanet has “craft” all over it—every character and object has a handmade look of something sewn, cut out of cardboard, or bolted together in the garage. Too fun!
The game’s biggest features are the tools that allow you to create your own levels for other players to try out. I haven’t attempted this myself yet, but it looks like a great challenge for crafty gamers.
Paper Pod Beads
Oct 21st
My super-crafty mother-in-law recently made these gorgeous boutique-worthy necklaces from unusual materials: mini cereal boxes (top left), a box containing sweets from Japan (top right), and postcards from the PIT improv theater in New York (bottom).
(The cardboard recycling pile at the town dump is also great place to find colorful materials, as I learned this past weekend.)
Bonney got the idea from a tutorial on Folding Trees.
