Fun with Flickr!

Many folks now use Flickr to share their photos with friends and with other likeminded souls. In itself, Flickr is a pretty fun toy that I can spend hours playing around with. Today I discovered a great application written by the folks at AdMarket that allows you to embed Flickr slideshows on your Web site or blog (thanks to the Gardener's Supply people for including one in their recent e-newsletter to me).

I created a slideshow from my "Crafty Repurposing" set on my Flickr account. The cool thing is that if you click on the photo then you'll get the description that accompanies the photo on Flickr.

It really was a snap. I spent less than three minutes setting it up and then blogging about it. If you've got a Flickr account, you should definitely give it a try. It could be a great marketing tool if you're selling on Etsy or through your own Web site.


Created with Admarket's flickrSLiDR.

Denim recycling

Denim recycling
Originally uploaded by sassycrafter

I received this lovely potholder as a thank-you gift at a friend's recent wedding celebration. Her new mother-in-law makes lots of things out of recycled denim, which is a great idea since so many pairs of unwanted jeans end up at thrift stores. And denim is a great choice for potholders because it will stand up to a lot of abuse.

Cool new online magazine

There's a great new online magazine I stumbled across called Refueled. I describe it as a magazine for people who enjoy searching for well-worn, gritty, rusty, and otherwise interesting stuff from flea markets found at the end of limerock roads. Collectors of objets d'art from everyday life.

If you dig the e-zine, you can also visit the companion Refueled blog. And if you still crave more design eye candy, visit Urban Prairie, the Web site of Refueled editor-in-chief Chris Brown. I love his stuff, even if some of it is slightly disturbing (e.g., a birdcage full of baby-doll heads).

Heartless rip-offs

It's an indie designer's worst fear--that someone else copy her design. Sure, it's innocent enough to borrow inspiration from another's work, but to outright copy it stitch for stitch? Well, that's an unspeakable horror.

Trashy Diva knows this all too well. She's been making fab vintage-inspired clothes for 12 years, selling both at her boutiques in New Orleans, wholesale to other vendors, and online. Apparently, one of her wholesalers ripped off one of her designs. You can read about what happened on Trashy Diva's MySpace.

It's infuriating. And heartless. And just plain wrong.

The only upside is that Trashy Diva is fighting fire with fire by offering the dress in question--the Trixie--for a discounted price. Take that, imposters!

Summer shrug

Summer shrug (front)
Originally uploaded by sassycrafter

This fun summer shrug will be featured in the July issue of The Satellite and is a great way to chase away the chills when you're strolling through the frozen section of the grocery store or heading to the movies. It's made from an oversized, open-weave sweater that I scored at a thrift store.

If you'd like to make your own shrug, here's what to do.

1. Start by cutting the sleeves off of an old sweater. The trick is to cut outside the seamline so that the sleeves won't unravel.
2. Then take a contrasting yarn and whipstitch around the raw edge of each sleeve. I also added a gathered section of yarn that runs from my elbow to the cuff, because I wanted to have a three-quarter sleeve.
3. Finally, use a piece of yarn to lace the two sleeves together. You may have to put on the shrug a few times and adjust the tightness or looseness of the lacing in order to get it so that everything feels okay.

In this picture, you can tell that the lacing is still a little loose. In retrospect, I guess you could use elasticized cord for a more forgiving fit.

The shrug was inspired by two different projects from Stefanie Girard's new book Sweater Surgery. It's a fun book filled with great repurposing projects, including several by me. (Yes, that was a shameless plug. Sorry--I'm still so excited to be in a book!)