Admit it. There is so much to love about the world wide web. Two things I love most are that: 1. It gives people a cheap place to share weird obsessions; 2. It gives me the opportunity to find out that I enjoy other people's weird obsessions. Like, for example, looking at pictures of cats in sinks. Many many of them, never straying from the theme. Cats in sinks! Enjoy!
For all you project-makers out there, here's a NOT-to-do list, all in the name of getting your project done.
I also wanted to mention that the website for my forthcoming book, 52 Projects: Random Acts of Everyday Creativity, is up. Please check it out when you get a chance. The book is due out in November.
And just spent way too much time cruising CC's buttons. It is a little tricky to navigate, but worth the work.
"Every punk graphic you’ve ever seen is probably by Jamie Reid. Either that or it's someone ripping him off." On BBC Collective, an interview with seminal punk and Situationist aesthetics-maker Jamie Reid, the man who put a safety pin through the Queen's lips. Reid's memorabilia collection is a great reference for anyone interested in 1970s British punk graphics.
I just posted an interview at 52projects.com with Amy Schroeder, Venus magazine's editor and publisher. She's quite the project-maker, and this interview discusses how she took a perzine made in one night in her dorm room to a full-fledged magazine covering women in the arts (with an emphasis, true to its zine roots, on the DIY). Check out the interview here.
Bear Hugs With Love seeks to collect donated teddy bears for children who've survived Hurricane Katrina. Their goal, in their words, is "to raise 20,000 bears for the little victims to make them feel safe and loved at night through these trying times in the months ahead." They'd appreciate donations of either handmade or store-bought bears.
I just stumbled onto this online exhibition from the Archives of American Art at the Smithsonian Institution. This is a treasure trove of documents relating to 20th century craft--letters from prime movers in different craft movements--from Dale Chihuly to Robert Arneson. There are also photos, sketches, glaze recipes, and advertisements. There is an initiative afoot at the Smithsonian to gather documents pertaining to American Craft, as well as interviewing and transcribing at least 100 key figures. It's interesting to scroll through the archives and see how American craft evolved. Their archive of transcribed interviews is a phenomenal resource. Bookmark it today, and experience the artists in their own words. You know, sometimes America is pretty kick-ass!
LINK
The art of origami: keeping up with the zoological sciences. Scroll down.
So this is not in English- but you don't need to speak German to want to stay in this tree house hotel. Each room is individually crafted and there is entertainment!
Here's another bit of crafty activism on behalf of those who are picking up the pieces of their lives:
Cara Vaughn writes, "While watching my local news, I saw victims of hurricane Katrina arriving into Philadelphia. I realized that many of these people had probably never spent a winter in the northeast and I knew that I needed to help with their adjustment to our cold weather. Being an avid knitter of course, hand knits came to mind and hence the birth of this project."
Knitters can visit Knits for the Displaced to get involved.
