The Arts Bloggers Visit Again. 

Today they’re offering crafty ideas and business suggestions to inspire you.

Angels can be tiny
Noreen has designed some tiny spool knitted angels that are easy and charming.

Layers Upon Layers
Cyndi explores making small quilts from rusted fabric. 

Painted Hearts Champagne Flutes
Make two of these romantic flutes for a special couple. Add a bottle of bubbly for a complete gift!

Photo Phun!
Some photos to use for your journals any way you choose.

Should We Brand or Not Brand Our Quilting?
Mary Emma at Quilting and Patchwork discusses the latest buzz word in business…branding.

What to Do With Used Disposable Pens
Don’t send your old pens to the landfill. The Pen Guy wants them for his art cars and pentings!

What to do when your sewing machine says “no!”
Is your sewing machine acting up? Here are a few basic trouble-shooting tips to that can get you back sewing.

ENJOY!

The Arts Bloggers are putting together their creative ideas for 2009.  See what you’d like to try.

 Drawer Pull & Pants Hanger Project
Turn these items into a unique photo display via Craftynest.

Gravestone Rubbings for Fabric Art
Mary Emma, at Quilting and Patchwork, discovered instructions for turning gravestone rubbings into fabric art and family history.

How to Make Soap Petals
Soap petals are simply silk flower and leaf petals dipped in melted soap. They are single use and look pretty sitting beside the sink. Let Eileen show you how to make them. 

Layers Upon Layers
Cyndi is hosting an educational blitz this month, and she’s wondering if you know of classes she should add to the list.

Mapping the layout for a new book
Noreen is working really hard on a new book that she’ll be releasing very soon. It’s called: Rosie Recycle Pin Dolls, and it’s full of adorable little dolls that combine recycling with knitting or crochet or spool knitting. Right now, she’s up to the gills in the layout process….

New Year’s resolutions for your studio
Is there something you want to change about your studio this year? Chloe has some New Year’s resolution suggestions to get you started.

Enjoy!

Arts Bloggers

Enjoy these latest ideas from our group of creative ladies.

2008 Advent Calendar Now Live
Heather Blakey’s advent calendar & our own calendar

How to hand-sew sequins
Add some glitz and glamor to your holiday crafting with this easy how to sew sequins tutorial.

Layers Upon Layers
Profiled artist Nicole Braun combines her love of mixed media arts with her photography.

Making Festive Ice Wreaths
If it’s freezing, you can make the perfect ice wreath!

More Ornament How-tos
Come see some beautiful and easy-to-make Christmas ornaments created by Eileen’s new helper elf. 

Spool knitted and woven heart instructions
Noreen has re-worked the instructions for her spool knitted and woven heart. It’s now available as a pdf. The original heart was made in springtime colors, but the heart would be gorgeous in Christmas colors like burgundy, navy and hunter green.

The Fascination of Karen Eckmeier’s Happy Villages
Discover Karen’s unique ways of designing and quilting in her Happy Villages and Accidental Landscapes techniques.

Arts Bloggers Offerings

Here are some more offerings from the Arts Bloggers.  Some of these will make great Christmas Gifts.
Fabric Beads - Fun to Make and Use
Quilters and fabric artists enjoy making fabric beads for their various creations.

Featured Prize: Let’s Knit!
Learn more about this book for beginning knitters, and enter to win by Nov. 23

How to weave a prayer or healing shawl on a narrow loom
Noreen’s been weaving prayer and healing shawls on the Cricket rigid heddle loom, using a nifty technique that she has developed - a mitered loop.

Layers Upon Layers
Cyndi has a whole new set of mixed media artists for you to have lunch with this week!

March of the Penguins Cheese Ball
Here’s a crafty hors d’oeuvre for your next party. There will be smiles all around when your guests glimpse these cute little penguins marching around the cheese ball igloo.

What to do with those wonderful yo-yos?
So you’ve gotten hooked on making yo-yos - but what can you really make with all those little circles?
 

ENJOY!

(Amazon image)

Arts Bloggers Visit Again! Holiday and Harvest Themes dominate the offerings of the Arts Bloggers this week. You’ll find many craft ideas to intrigue you.
Christmas crafting with Tangled Thread
Get a head start on your Christmas ornament crafting with these fun patterns.

Fall Doily Bread Basket
When you say Thanksgiving grace, let this lovely bread bowl grace your table. After the meal, you may want to make the empty bowl a gift to someone at the table that day.

Harvest Themes for Quilters
Now that November and harvest time is here, Mary Emma discusses harvest theme ideas at Quilting and Patchwork.

Introducing the Newspaper Bench
Oscar Lhermitte found a beautiful and functional use for newspapers.

Layers Upon Layers
Cyndi has declared that November is “Take a (New) Artist to Lunch Month”! Come and meet extraordinary artists that you probably haven’t run into before throughout this whole month! 

Love This Journal
A cool new website dedicated to art journal keepers 

Unidentified Flying Hedgehog!
Did you know that sometimes, hedgehogs fly? One of Noreen’s hedgehog tatting shuttles took flight recently and hasn’t been seen since.

ENJOY!

Arts Bloggers

The Arts Bloggers provide ideas and inspiration for our crafty projects.  It’s fun to be part of this group.  I hope you find something that fun to do or learn about.

Boo-tacular Halloween crafts
Chloe at Tangled Thread has put together a list of her favorite free patterns for Halloween crafts - for all ages.

Layers Upon Layers
Making art with recycled bottles and jars…that’s Alyice Edrich’s thing! 

More Spring Ideas
Some great spring activities

Service with a Smile
Eileen responds to a customer’s question about one of her most popular original patterns: a panadiere or fabric bread basket. These bread baskets make lovely hostess or holiday gifts.
The Thread Project
The Thread Project is profoundly stirring. Founder, Terry Helwig has created an international gathering of thousands of threads, woven into banners of hope, healing, creativity and reconciliation. It’s pure joy.
The Toymaker
Experience a DIY paper toy wonderland.

Tottie Tomato has her own blog!
Tottie Tomato is a delightful doll and sweet character that Noreen Crone-Findlay created. And now, Tottie Tomato has her own blog, where she and Noreen will be sharing all kinds of tutorials and stories about the crafts they love! 
13 Tips for Quilting Inspiration & Design
Mary Emma at Quilting and Patchwork provides some ideas to give you inspiration for your quilting and fabric art.

ENJOY!

(Amazon image)

QuiltingAndPatchwork.com

Join the Arts Bloggers for fall creations and other projects.

Celebrate fall colors
Tangled Thread is inspired by fall colors to create a new fall flower wall hanging.

Change Your Writing Tools
Encouragement to use differernt writing tools in your journal

Layers Upon Layers
Come see some of the work that has arrived at the home of the “Ties That Bind” collaborative art project, raising money for ovarian cancer research. 

Make It Pink Challenge at CraftStylish
Upload your pink craft project to CraftStylish and they’ll donate to breast cancer research
Men in Quilting - Does Grandfather Make Quilts?
After discussing the role of women in quilting for so long, Mary Emma at Quilting and Patchwork looks into the role of men in this art.
Scrapbook More than Your Holidays to Preserve Precious Memories
Don’t let any more family gatherings or everyday special moments fade away because no one thought to bring a camera. Capture the moments in photos. Then bring them back to life on a scrapbook page. Here’s some inspiration from Eileen.

Enjoy!  Do you have any autumn creations to share?

(Amazon image)

(c)2008 Mary Emma Allen

HomeBizNotes.com

What do the Arts Bloggers have planned for you this week?  It’s always a great surprise to see the extent of their creativity.

ENJOY!
Crocheted baby earflap style cap for Save the Children
Noreen Crone-Findlay has designed a tiny crocheted earflap style baby cap for the Knit One, Save One campaign of Save the Children.

Flying Pig and Other Junk Art
Bill Morris shares his junk creations made from shovels, barrels and more.

Free Autumn kids crafts
Chloe from Tangled Thread has compiled a list of free & fun kids crafts to celebrate the Fall. 

Layers Upon Layers
The second year of the Bead Journal Project has just started, and Cyndi has her first piece finished.
Self Portraits
A visual journal prompt using your own image 

Window Envelope Card Ideas
There are many uses for eye-catching window envelope cards. Today Eileen talks about making window envelope cards for mailing.

13 Frugal Finds for Quilting & Fabric Art
Quilters have always been resourceful when it comes to finding fabric, embellishments, and other supplies for their work. Today is no exception.

(Amazon image)

(c)2008 Mary Emma Allen

QuiltingAndPatchwork.com

Here are some more ideas from the Arts Bloggers to “get your creative juices flowing,” as my mother used to say.
Cloudy skies on fabric with Tangled Thread
Follow this step-by-step tutorial to create your own hand-painted fantasy skies on fabric.

Book Arts Resources at Layers Upon Layers
Book arts resources to either get you started or to inspire your further exploration!

Quick Visual Prompt
Visual prompt from the book Art Escapes

Quilters “Going Green” - Has This Changed Your Quilting?
Mary Emma at Quilting and Patchwork shares some tips on recycling and going green in your quilting/fabric art.
Scrap Girls Color Challenge: Red, White and Black
Do you know the derivation of the phrase “Three Dog Night”? Eileen clues us in with a scrapbook layout featuring three of her darling dogs.

ENJOY!

(Amazon image; check here)

(c)2008 Mary Emma Allen

QuiltingAndPatchwork.com

We have another round of inspiration from the crafty Arts Bloggers.  Try these ideas on a crisp autumn day and enjoy.
First Day of Spring (or Autumn)
Create a visual journal entry about spring or your favourite season.

Hannah’s Toadstool Doorstops
Get instructions for cute doorstops using gravel-filled plastic food containers.

Layers Upon Layers Artist Profile 
Pallas Vititoe is a mixed media fabric artist that you’ll want to meet! 

Quilters’ Lunch Box Memories
Back-to-school time brings lunch box memories. Do quilters make quilts and fabric art with lunch box designs? Here are some suggestions.

“Costume” Earrings
Do you have any outfits that you just can’t find the right earrings for? Or perhaps a cute pattern on, say, a shirt of which you would love to have matching earrings? Eileen tells you how to make custom costume earrings with any graphic design or pattern you like.      

Do you have any artsy crafty ideas as autumn approaches?

(Amazon image; details here)

(c)2008 Mary Emma Allen