Link Love Friday: Five Favorite Tutorials

California Summer Blooms
Summer blooms in the garden

Over on CraftyPod, Diane had a fantastic idea: Link Love Fridays. In August she is hosting a theme for each week, this week is for favorite tutorials.

Here’s some fabulously crafty and brilliant ideas from some of the blogs I follow:

Washi Monogram Art

DIY Washi Monogram Art on Lia Griffith’s Handcraft Your Life

There’s so much potential for customizing a monogram like this. And it will give me more ideas for using up my washi tape stash.

 

Recycled tshirt canvas


Recycled TShirt Canvas Arty by Kim over at The Trashy Crafter

I have a ton of t-shirts I don’t wear but can’t part with because of the sentimental value. Making them into art is a brilliant way to use them. I’m thinking about seasonal decor – football season in particular.

 

 

DIY Summer Cocktail Glasses

DIY Summer Cocktail Set over at Remarkably Domestic

Charming set is made with stencils and glass paint. The technique could be used with so many different themes.

 

 

Crocheted Balls

Purl Bee’s Whit’s Knits: Crocheted Balls

I look at these and think “Kitty toys!” Plus they’re pretty with the embroidery floss stripes. As always the Purl Bee’s photo tutorials are gorgeous and easy to follow.


Origami Spirit: Origami for Beginners: Butterfly Tutorial | Mariposa

Leyla Torres’ video tutorial takes you step by step to create beautiful butterflies. Her blogpost has some wonderful advice on being a beginner and perseverance.

Head over to Crafty Pod and look at a bunch of other great crafty tutorials.

Neat Stuff on the Net: Words, Words, Words

Camellia

We have been having a glorious week of weather here in Northern California. And the camellias finally bloomed! They are hands down my favorite but I also enjoy the pops of color everywhere this week:

Pink/orange

Here’s a bunch of neat stuff I learned:

Braggadocious” means boastful or arrogant:

it sounds braggadocious, but I don’t think I ever dropped a pass in a game
I’ve never been a braggadocious kind of guy

See the other words added to the Oxford Dictionaries recently

If you’ve ever made the drive from the Bay Area up to Mendocino, you’ve probably passed through the quirky Booneville. At one time its residents spoke their own language. Sadly,’boontling’ is fading away.

Yellow

I recently discovered the delightful The Second Lunch blog who led me to the work of Jane Mount, who paints books! I squealed when I saw her project: The Ideal Bookshelf. So close to my librarian heart.

hand painted bookshelf

And then, separately, I found the artist Ed Ruscha who has been painting and creating books for many years. If you’re in New York you can go see a show with his work and the work of others inspired by him. The show, called “Books & Co.” opens on Tuesday at the Gagosian Gallery’s Madison Avenue space. There will also be a “Live from the NYPL” event with him on Wednesday March 6.

Orange

Cheers! to glorious weekend weather and trying not to look schlumpy.

Post Thanksgiving Menu – what to do after turkey day

On the menu potluck salad

I was asked to bring my “potluck salad” for Thanksgiving – lucky me! So easy!

After the big meal with the family and all the Turkey day traditions, I am lucky enough to have three days off. I’m not they type that enjoys the Black Friday sales so I’m looking at a very welcome bit of down time. A few things on my weekend “menu:”

Reading:
Telegraph ave.
Currently, I’m enjoying “Telegraph Avenue” (Chabon)

… and am learning about “The power of habit” (Duhigg).

Knitting:
I just cast on for some “toasties” and am working on the leg of sock number one of a toe-up version of the a pair of tesserae socks.

Photography:
The last of the SOAR photos need to get weeded and posted.
Take a “photowalk” around town.

Cooking, making, baking…:
Try a new recipe using the pears from our farmbox.
Maybe the “caramel pear cranberry cake” from the November issue of Sunset – made in a crock pot – bonus!

Other:
I hope to participate in “Small Business Saturday” and find some new etsy sellers to support.

Nap!

See a movie: “Lincoln” or “Wreck it Ralph” (or both).

Football: It can’t be Thanksgiving weekend without football.