Your Inner (Or Outer) Geek!

Today is Geek Pride Day. So get your towels out and use the force! It's been ages since I did a mosaic, so I thought I'd do one dedicated to Geeky handmade products from Etsy, whether they be computer geek, sci-fi geek, science geek or un-categorisable geek:

Credits:

Column A	Column B
Circuitboard Tie by ScatterBrain Ties.	Fake Moustache and Glasses Kit by Funny Side of Life.
Booky Badges by BeanForest.	Wine Cushion by Yellow Bug Boutique.
Robot Riding Triceratops T-shirt by Happy Family.	Day of the Dead Ereader Cozy by Rockin Mama.
Geeky Glasses Necklace by Emowieh.	Spock Monkey Sewing Pattern by The Sock Drawer.

Five-Minute Obsessions #5: Filet Crochet!

I'm suddenly and inexplicably obsessed with Filet Crochet. That's the one where you alternate solid and open mesh to make a picture or some other pretty thing. I should be packing to go overseas, and all I can think about is filling in grids with a greylead pencil and trying to figure out how to make a pineapple. But that's just the kind of girl I am.

I see doilies and table-runners a-plenty in my near future!

Knit / Wear

Question: what do you do when you want to wear a necklace, but you also want to keep your neck warm?

Answer: You make a knitted necklace!

It's basically just a ridiculously long piece of i-cord with the ends joined. I can wind it around my neck up to 8 times to create different lengths - and different degrees of warmness.

Mmmmm, warmness!

Photo credits: Boy arranged the knitted necklace on Hedda (my head model) and took these photos. I think he has quite a talent for styling.

Fashion Obsessions #3 : Bags!

As the 8-week mark until my trip to Europe nears, I've naturally started to become focussed on what I'll need to take, what I'll wear, and of course what bag/s I'll use. Cos I'm such a girl. I've been trawling Etsy for a bag, the type with a long strap that goes over one shoulder. The trouble is, I'm not really sure what they're supposed to be called. Sling bags? Satchel bags? Messenger bags? Shoulder bags?

These were my favourites:

Credits:
Column A	Column B
Caffeine Structure Messenger Bag by Craftie Robot.	Shoulder Purse Bag with Flap by 8smake.
Across Body Denim Bag by My Pretty Shadow (Australian!).	Chinese Red Dragon Print Messenger Bag by Happy Family.
Grey Flowers Shoulder Bag by Koej.	Blue Tie-Dyed Mushroom Bag by The Mush Room.
Bright Pink Dandelion Purse by Ner Designs.	Ruffle Corduroy Bag by Blue Corduroy.

---

Previously In This Series:
#1 : Scarves
#2 : Slouchy Hats

5-Minute Obsessions #4 : Bunnies!

I met the cutest rabbit last night, and she confirmed what I'd been suspecting for a while: rabbits are adorable!

See what I mean?

Unfortunately sometimes life gets in the way, and I have to report that there was no crafting or arting at casa de la ApartmentCat this week. Well, not in my corner anyway. Boy did an amazing drawing for his course. You can check it out on his blog.

P.S. If you like cute things, I do hope you'll vote for Puska the Photogenic Cat [link defunct] in the Face of Whiskas competition. Disclaimer: Puska's owner is Boy's friend, so I kinda have a personal interest. He's genuinely cute, though!

---

Previously in the Obsessions series:
1. Spindles.
2. Terraria.
3. Bookbinding.

Fashion Obsessions #2 - I Need A Hat!

It's so cold here right now! I swear it's officially the coldest winter since time began! The Bureau of Meteorology knows it!

I know that other places are probably under 10 feet of snow right now, but ... I'm Australian, I'm not used to this glacial chill!

That's why today's Fashion Obsession is with Hats. Nice, big, warm, fuzzy, woolly ones. I always wear my hair in a ponytail, even in the dead of winter. I don't know why, I guess it's just my thing. normal hats don't really accommodate this bulk at the back. That's why I've been thinking about the slouch hat:

Mmmm, they look toasty, don't they?

---

Previously in this series:
#1: Scarves

Etsy Eye Candy: Things I Wish I Could Afford

Today's goggle-inducing themed mosaic is Things I Wish I Could Afford. Some of them aren't that expensive really, but I'm in extreme savings mode at the moment for my forthcoming trip to Europe (did I mention that? woohoo! I'll try to not mention it in the next post.)

Credits:
Column A	Column B
double ruffle necklace by lilian asterfield.	"Knit 2 Tog" painting by shoofly.
Metta Zine by ihanna.	sushi bar diorama by cattleyasminis.
"mini cats in space" painting by lookability.	silk bellydance costume by theora's dance costumes.
journal with knitted cover by mumblepeg.	chased silver bangle by hiwahiwa treasures.

---

Previously In This Series:
Stationery
Egg Cosies

Trends in Craft #1 - Cupcakes!

Welcome to the first of a 10-part series on Trends in Craft. Since I joined Etsy two years ago, I've noticed there are certain themes and motifs in craft that are insanely popular. Some are cute, some quirky, and some are in fashion seemingly for no reason whatsoever. I thought I'd start with what is quite possibly the number one theme of the last couple of years - Cupcakes!

I've never made cupcakes myself, and I rarely eat them, but I really can see the appeal. They're small, rounded and colourful, and therefore cute. Their round shape and simple lines make them relatively easy to reproduce in knitted, crocheted or illustrated form. They can be decorated with an almost infinite variety of embellishments to suit the occasion: holly for Christmas, pastel colours for Easter, a candle for a birthday, etc. Plus, anything with icing on it is a good thing, in my books!

CREDITS:
TOP:
L: Cupcake Necklace by A Jewelry Boxx.
C: Christmas Snowflake Monogram Fondant Cupcake by TwoSugarBabies.
R: Confetti Cupcake Newborn Hat by NinisHandmades.

MIDDLE:
L: My Little Cupcake Collection by babychickdesigns.
C: Cupcake T-Shirt by KillTaupe.
R: Cupcake Girls Original Art Print by jennysbakeshop.

BOTTOM:
L: Mini Pink Frosted Dark Chocolate Plush Cupcake with Rose by cherylasmith.
C: KEEP CALM AND HAVE A CUPCAKE Print by jennysbakeshop.
R: Minty Chocolate Amigurumi Cupcake by anapaulaoli.

Fashion Obsessions #1

Statement necklaces are so 2009! (The first three-quarters of 2009, that is). I'm completely obsessed with scarves now! I hit up Ebay big time the other day (shhh, don't tell Boy!) and I can't wait for them to arrive. Meanwhile, here are some that look nothing like the ones I ordered:

As for what I'm doing craft-wise, just refer to my last post! I'm still working on the same projects as you see there. I haven't done any art or writing because, frankly, I can't be arsed.

Have a good weekend!

Crochet Darlings

Just when I thought the wool urge had passed me by completely this winter, I'm suddenly struck with a need to make knitted throws and cosies for everything I own. I haven't actually started yet, though. I have an equally strong urge to play computer games until way after my bedtime as well. Perhaps I could consolidate my obsessions by making a laptop cosy?

Etsy Eye Candy - Egg Cosies

A little breakfast-time fun! It's my favourite time of day.

Shop Credits:
makeyourpresentsfelt
bigsister
juja
handylittleme
ColetteAtHome
romeria
Homini
hughesandnordberg

Mini Zine Fun

As promised, here are some pics of the mini zine I made, which I am giving away free with every order until the end of August. My aim is to eventually write a trilogy, and make a snazzy envelope type deal to present them in. One day soon.

Meanwhile, I just finished reading this book which arrived in my mailbox the other day:

The Decorated Journal, by Gwen Deihn.
It tackles art journalling from a technical as well as an inspirational point of view. A wide range of materials and techniques are covered. There are many styles and themes of journal, many of which I hadn't thought of before. It's an amazingly helpful book, and I'm really glad I bought it. I'm sure I'll look at it again and again.
I've also been doing some writing, mostly exercises, and trying to get my head around the insanely large number of craft projects I have, and how to reduce them and sort them out.

August is Sort It Out Month!

Etsy Eye Candy, Part 1

I've decided to start an occasional series - Etsy Eye Candy.

I'll choose a theme to share that appeals to me at that moment, whether it's a type of product, a colour or picks from my favourites list.

Today, it's cute, drool-worthy stationery!

Shop Credits:
1. YeeHaw
2. macaroniandglue
3. Etsy
4. Etsy
5. GoMakeMe
6. BrambleberryLane
7. GoMakeMe again
8. InkspotWorkshop

5-Minute Obsessions - #3

Bookbinding!

I've been feeling an urge to do nothing but write the last few months. That's why I've had very little craft to show you lately. But, like craft, there are writing supplies and special things to be had. The Jetpens website has been on high rotation on my laptop, and I'll just burst if I don't place an order soon. Paper has taken on more significance for me as well, especially since Boy starting his drawing course. So of course I have to have some lovely journals to write in before I can even start to write anything, right? So I've been cruising Etsy and Notemaker as well.* And if I've learned how to make them myself (hopefully using up some of the insanely large stash of junk in the hobby room at the same time), that's even better! This is my procrastinating brain in action. I'm sure it will all come together one day soon. I hope so, or I might burst.

At 6am this morning (today is Saturday), I woke up suddenly and realised something. A few months ago, someone had asked me how I made my sidebar for my blog. I had always meant to answer them, but it's kinda complicated, so I kept on putting it off and feeling guilty about it. But when I woke up this morning, what I realised was that I needed to write a tutorial to explain it properly ... and that involves writing! My favourite thing of the moment! Plus research, which I'll never say no to (yes, I'm an information geek). Well, I couldn't just lie there in bed and try to get back to sleep with my brain buzzing like that, so I jumped up and madly started typing. I'll post it in a day or two when I've put the finishing touches on it. Probably the most important of which is to get Boy or someone to read it and make sure it's more than just incomprehensible 6am insanity.

Meanwhile, I have prepared a lovely mosaic showing some glueless bookbinding methods, Coptic Binding and Japanese Stab Binding, to be exact:

[I'm afraid it's been ages since I last made a mosaic, and I accidentally deleted the photo credits. =( But these photos are all from Flickr.]

Have a lovely weekend!

---

* I placed an order on Etsy a couple of days ago - I can't wait til it arrives!

Mosaic Monday -- A New Start

Mosaic Monday -- A New Start, originally uploaded by apartmentcat.

In honour of the new year, I have created a mosaic on the theme of "A New Start". How each picture relates to that is up to you to decide!

I did my second annual 3 Days of Craft over the New Year long weekend. (My first one was actually in April last year.) I mainly spent it wrapping up little things from last year though, rather than start any new projects, but I think that was appropriate.

My newest obsession is turning my blog into a book! Last night I downloaded the software from Blurb which automatically sucks my blog dry and slams it down into pre-formatted book form. Then you fiddle with it all you like, before sending the file off to be made into a real, live book! (For a fee of course.) I'm extremely lucky that LiveJournal is just one of the two blogging sites that it will do this for. I think I would like to do this every year from now on. For a long time, I've been trying to think of a way to preserve my blog (cos my ramblings are so deep and meaningful *snorts*) and this just seems like the perfect way. I'm starting to have visions of writing actual books and selling them in my shop and the Blurb bookstore. None of this faffing around with publishers anymore!

Freedom! Starting at US$12.95.

Mosaic Monday - Japan, here I come!

This is just a little post to let it be known that I haven't done any craft lately, and won't be for the next few weeks. I have a good reason, though! I've been insanely busy preparing for my trip to Japan. Boy and I leave in 2 days' time and I'm completely beside myself with excitement, fear and all-around general craziness!

I'm not going to take any craft supplies with me as I don't think I'll get time to fit any crafting in. I mean, if I'm sitting on my butt at home every night and I'm not crafting, then I doubt I'll be doing it on an overseas trip! (For the record, I've been more inclined to play computer games than craft lately. I go through phases, I guess. I try not to beat myself up about it. But that's a-whole-nother post!

Sure, I have plenty of time on the plane and in the airport to work on a portable project. 20 hours each way by my calculations! But no. No knitting needles or crochet hooks allowed in the carry-on luggage. How $*%&(@# frustrating! I got excited all over again when I thought to take some pencils and drawing paper to practice my drawing instead. However, Boy seems to think that pens and pencils may not be allowed in carry-on luggage as they might be considered to come under the heading of sharp objects. I'll be so @#$%($& if that's the case! I've decided to take 2 sets of pencils in case the carry-on ones get confiscated. I'm also taking glue stick, scissors and glitter glue (in my suitcase) to decorate my travel journal with. The notebook I bought is 100 pages long, and I wondered how on earth I would fill it up? Then I had the idea to make it into a themed art journal as well. So I will do lots of drawings in it, stick in photos and postcards, and make pockets in it to store brochures that I'm sure I'll collect along the way. Right now I'm probably more excited about that than anything else.

Here is my list of things to buy in Japan:
* fabric, ribbons, trims and buttons
* stationery
* special paper (for glue-less bookbinding, origami, etc)
* crazy crazy foods (though I won't be able to bring those back)
* religious paraphernalia (shinto, buddhist and taoist, if they have it)
* gaming merchandise
* figurines with flocking on them (that fuzzy, suede-like stuff) I don't know why but I love that right now!
* craft books and magazines
* all things amigurumi
* some things steampunk

I'm hoping I'll be able to post a couple of times to keep you updated. There's an internet cafe at the hotel we're staying in. Just gotta. Not. Log. On. To. Twitter.........

---

P.S. How about that Presidential election? What a rollercoaster ride!

Mosaic Monday - Softies

So sure, it's Friday. But that pretty much reflects my whole crafty activity schedule lately.
Goals - uncompleted. Thoughts - unthought. Ideas - unhad. Crafts - unmade.

Here are a few things I've been obsessed with though:

Softies! How wonderful are they? I can completely understand why people collect them. Here's a quick summary mosaic from Flickr:

Today I also joined Twitter. At first I thought, what on earth is the point of this site? But then people started adding me ('following me' is the term they use, as if I'm some kind of goddess! Heh!). So I started looking at their profiles, and their shops or blogs, and who follows them, etc etc. And I guess that means that some of them are looking at my profile/blog/shop, hopefully!

P.S. Stephen Fry is following me!!!! How surreal!

---

Photo Credits:
1. Georgette & Lisette - Conjoined Twins plush, 2. Handsome Devil and P.T. Stitchy, 3. E, 4. horned ghost, 5. australian shepard plush, 6. Petronilla Oetingerilla, 7. Blue Mommy softie and kitten, 8. for etsy's upcycling contest, 9. Softie Mclovely Dinosaur "I'm ready for my close up", 10. for etsy's upcycling contest, 11. Frederick The Panda, 12. Puppy Forget Me Not, 13. Creature Feature: Alien - amigurumi, 14. jellimo kid dex, 15. Bjorn @ etsy.com, 16. reindeer oobees!!, 17. Striped bean softie, 18. Blue Siamese Kitty, 19. three chaps, 20. Dinosaur @ etsy.com, 21. new dolls, 22. Cute Face, 23. Prancer,Cupid & Donner, 24. Family :), 25. Luke The AstroNaughty

Mosaic Monday - Lazy

I didn't do any craft at all on the weekend. I didn't cross off anything on my list, or achieve any of my goals.

And it felt great!

How could anyone stay inside on a day like Saturday? 25oC, sun shining, light breeze, blue sky... lovely! A drive, a walk and lunch with some amazing friends and the always amazing Boy. I even had time for a little Op-Shopping. I picked up a couple of wooden bead bracelets, a framed embroidery, and a tin Barbie lunchbox just ripe for major girly radical feminist altering.

And on Sunday, I went shopping! New clothes, new bathers, new jewellery, new make-up. Spring, here I come!

---

P.S. I didn't even play any Spore!

Mosaic Monday - Retro Crafts

I've just finished reading Retro Crafts by Suzie Millions. I heard about it from one of the blogs I read. (There's about 145 on my list currently and I can't remember which one, sorry!) I am completely and utterly in love with this book!

If you're into retro, kitsch, craft, recycling, glitter, powertools, hardware store strength glue, and/or complete craziness, order this book now! I have an burning desire to make just about everything in it RIGHT NOW. I want to spend all my money on glitter and epoxy and vintage plastic flowers. NOW! *wheezes*

More sensibly, I would like to make a few things from it, over time. I'm also listening to old episodes of CraftyPod again, to try and get over my depression caused by there not being any new ones for the foreseeable future, and I'd like to actually get down and make some of the featured projects instead of just listening and imagining. I think at the moment I'm starting to focus more on things I want to make, no matter how awful and kitschy, not just what might sell in the shop. I'm a bit over my shop right now. Things are slowing down again, and my yarn things aren't selling at all, just my zines. Which is OK, I suppose!

Last weekend, I decorated the picture frames I bought on Thrifty Thursday. I got busy with the Crackly Medium - gosh, I love that stuff! I just need to varnish them and they'll be all done. Also, I'm making some pencil cups out of tin cans. I painted them, and then I'm going to varnish them and stick felt shapes to them. I was inspired by Craftypod #4: All About Felt. Pictures when I have something more interesting to show than paint spatters!

I also started a new Kokeshi doll. This little girl is blue, and I've finished her head already. Judging by the size of her head though, she won't be a little girl compared to my previous efforts! I want to try going for a sky/cloud theme with the embellishment this time. Headshots later.

I'm off to go swimming now. Love youse all!


[Later:] I sold 5 zines while I was writing this post! Shut my mouth!

---

Photo Credits:
1. Vintage Ad, Retro craft ad, 2. Crafting 365, day 173 - pink teacups, 3. Better Homes and Gardens Easy Bazaar Crafts, 4. Paper Arts & Crafts: murals, 5. tv retro horror, 6. vintage, retro, items,, 7. institches, 8. Retro Food Clock, 9. Retro lion

Mosaic Monday 14-7-08 and Zoo Trip

This week - it's the zoo! I am inspired by and in love with the Melbourne Zoo. Animals - I love them! I want to go back and draw them. Being 15oC on the day I went though, most of them were either shivering or asleep. Poor darlings.

I've spent most of the last week either shivering or asleep as well. I've had another cold, and I've been so sick that my hands lay limp and lifeless (or holding a book) instead of having their normal impulsive need to be doing something. So I've torn through about 3 books, but no craft was there to be seen all week.

Things improved yesterday though - I finally finished my 2nd kokeshi doll! I also started making some doll faces as I still have the hope that I might make a series of them. Pictures in the next post.

Last but not least, I'm off to my first Brown Owls craft night tonight! They we are doing Sublime Stitching embroidery. There's a different project each fortnight. I've only signed up for the first one as I want to see how I go.

Will she go? Will she chicken out and go straight home after work? Will she go, but stand outside in the dark peering through the window wistfully? Will she muster up the bravery to go inside and have a really wonderful and not-awkward time?

Stay tuned to the next exciting episode!!

---

Photo Credits:

1. Melbourne Zoo, 2. Melbourne Zoo - Meerkats, 3. Sumatran Tiger at Melbourne Zoo, 4. Melbourne Zoo's Largest Resident!, 5. Melbourne Zoo kleine Panda, 6. Melbourne Zoo - 19 July 2004, 7. Some Of The Gardens At Royal Melbourne Zoo, 8. Meerkat, Melbourne Zoo, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 9. Melbourne Zoo, 10. Melbourne Zoo's Largest Resident!, 11. Melbourne Zoo, 12. Orang-Utans, Melbourne Zoo, Vic (AU)