Extreme Craft

Sedaritives

If you made it into the Amy Sedaris reading at the Decatur Library on Tuesday, good for you! The space was so tiny that literally hundreds of people had to be turned away. I got to watch Amy demonstrate her famous "eye burritos", gossip about David Letterman, and perform wordlessly as piglet. She signed books for all comers until at least 11pm. Our book was signed "Dear Claire. I'm sorry you and Garth broke up. We all knew he was gay all along. Love, Amy". Many many thanks go out to our pal Chrisy of the Indie Craft Experience and A Bardis for snapping the picture. I was trying to look "literary", but Christy caught me peeking at Amy's "bounty".

NPR Contest Details

NPR just put up its holiday contest mini-site with some sample entries and further information. You can check it out HERE.

Ornamental Cruelty

Melody at National Public Radio just emailed me with a contest for snarky crafty types (that's you!). They're asking for people to put together D.I.Y. Christmas/Haunakah projects that have to do with current events. Whip up a homemade menorah or christmas ornament that deals with a news story for the past year. Here are some examples:

*A Mel Gibson menorah
*A global warming Christmas ornament
*A red state /blue state ornament

You can do better than that, though! What about an upside-down hanging Kramer ornament? Have an old Blackberry to recycle? Turn it into a Mark Foley ornament! Don't forget your tribute to George Allen's Jewish heritage! The Macaca Menorah! The possibilities are endless. Show NPR what you've got, and don't forget to tell 'em that Extreme Craft Sent you.

NPR would like to ask our readers to post the pictures on Flickr.com with the tag word: NPRHOLIDAYCONTEST. They will feature the best designs in the coming weeks, and also link to individual websites, if the designs are selected.

If you have any questions, please feel to contact Melody Kramer at mkramer@npr.org. A note: a menorah design must conform to Jewish law and also be capable of safely supporting nine lit candles.

Amy Sedaris visits Atlanta!

Holy Shit! Amy Sedaris is giving a reading in Atlanta tomorrow night! She'll be speaking at the Decatur Public Library in downtown Decatur at 7:15 pm on Tuesday, November 27th. Doors for the lecture open at 6:15, so drop by, peruse your favorite teen periodicals, and grab your place in line. The wife and I have been cribbing crazy amounts of practical (and not-so-practical) party tips from her new book, I Like You: Hospitality Under the Influence. If you come to this lecture, you could learn everything you ever wanted to know about hot gluing googly eyes to peanuts. See you there!

LINK

Post-Thanksgiving Comedown

Happy Post-Thanksgiving, everybody! I spent the holidays making hand turkeys, decorating for Christmas, and working on a top-secret ceramic project (all will be revealed shortly). I neglected my computer, though, and for that, I'm sorry. To make it up to you, unbutton those pants just a bit, lean back in your chair, and bring up THIS VIDEO. I've always wondered about how Thanksgiving parade balloons were made, and this video explains it all. Aerospace Products, based in Sioux Falls, South Dakota produces most of the balloons for Macy's, and they've done a great job whittling the process down into a manageable size that I can wrap my brain around. It's already time for Macy's to start considering their balloons for next year...I just hope they took their government sponsored "Celebrate Monogamy" Britney/K-Fed Kama Sutra balloon out of production in time.

LINK via MAKE

Monsters are Go!!!!!!!

Yesterday, an earthquake struck Northern Japan. Seismologists are still scratching their heads over the cause, but I know exactly what caused them: The sculpture of Carlos Enriquez hit the internet like a ton of bricks. First, BoingBoing carried a photo from the website Toy Karma. The photo then ping-ponged its way around the internets. Inquiring minds want to know more, so I emailed the sculptor directly, and was pleasantly surprised when he promptly answered my email with a bevvy of photos, not only of the fiberglass works displayed above, but also his gigantic carved statue of Japanese character Darkron.

I created a FLICKR gallery for the photos, so please pay them a visit. Carlos Enriquez is a Venezuela-based sculptor who draws inspiration from the Japanese Kaiju (monsters) that he loves to collect. He also mixes in South American lore and monsters for good measure. His background is in art, and he grasps the power of handcrafting objects that are normally mass-produced. The gigantic Darkron statue's charm is amplified by its scale--the human touches add both pathos and energy to the object. Enriquez also uses fiberglass and metal flake automotive paints to create objects, such as the Belzor figures pictured above. He shows with Praxis, so look for his work at an art fair (and soon museum) near you. What's up his sleeve next? He's working on more gigantic wooden and fiberglass statues that will be sure to inflict more earthquakes on Japan.

LINK to Flickr Gallery

Bibendum X

Pfffffffft! Bruno Peinado rules. Maybe he'll do a Stormtrooper as Che Guevara next....oh wait.

via We Make Money Not Art

Here is my Spout!

Teapots. They're the showpieces of the ceramic world, and they can be virtuosic...or fall well short of the mark. Ceramic artists love to make them because they are one of the most complex forms that can be attempted--lots of different parts that have to relate to each other. They also love teapots because there are a shitload of collectors out there who will buy them. I was flattered to see that Andy Titcomb linked to my work on his weblog a while back. Titcomb is a master of the novelty teapot, and I have seen his work featured in several books. Check out his website, which is filled with examples of his work over his long and storied career. Also, for the teapot fanatic, don't miss his "teapots teapots teapots" weblog, which is filled with awesome work, both historical and contemporary. LINK

Poop! There it is!

I think most of us have an idea of what it feels like to have a bona fide hit on our hands. When a great idea comes, that little shiver of excitement lets us know that the future has big things in store for that idea. I can only imagine how Jou Ling Yee, proprietress of Amigurumi Kingdom felt when she came up with the idea for Mr. Poop and Mr. Toilet Paper. Just in time for the holiday comes Holiday Mr. Poop and Mr. Toilet Paper, dressed in festive bows. Are you and your best friend remotely this cute? Sadly, Holiday Mr. Poop and Mr. Toilet paper have sold out, but I'm hoping that more will be put up for adoption. One piece of advice...if you license these to sell them in Germany, you could be a Baron of Industry.

LINK via CRAFT

Nerve Tonic

For a new project, I've been accumulating craft magazines from different time periods. I just lucked into an incredible treasure trove--nine issues of "Needlecraft" magazines from the late 1920's to the early 1930's. It's been incredibly interesting to thumb through the magazines, looking at how much style has changed through the years. Advertisements, of course, were incredibly copy heavy in the 20's and 30's, persuading you that an array of doctors and experts think that your use of certain cigarettes (or latch hook yarn) is beneficial to your health. It's also striking how much has stayed the same. D.I.Y. projects in the magazines use the exact same techniques as modern magazines to convince you that craft projects will add spiritual value to your life. The very first magazine that I flipped through, from March 1927 had this great letter from a reader entitled "Needlework as a Nerve Tonic".

"To those of my sisters who are afflicted with nerves, I wish to recommend sewing. Not making a gown, which requires much studying of patterns and care in cutting and basting--oh, no! but simple, plain sewing: that is what rests my nerves. Embroidery which does not take a great deal of skill fills the bill perfectly. I find cross-stitch ideal, and the fact that it is very much in vogue at the present time does not detract from its value as a remedy for refractory nerves in the least. We all like to know we are using our needle to some purpose, even though with another end in view Summer dresses of voile, gingham and like materials, decorated with touches of cross-stitch embroidery, are beautiful, as are many other articles for personal and household use; and to be interested in the creation of lovely things lends zest to the work."

"There are endless varieties of simple embroidery that are restful and soothing. Robert Louis Stevenson used to spend hours knitting. He declared that the click click of the needles acted as a sedative on his tired nerves. Many claim the same good office for crochet, using simple patterns either in yarn or thread, not too fine--and again fashion is on our side, because the coarser or heavier laces are preferred for most things. I often wonder, as I pass a sister of charity on the street, what is the secret of her calm, serene expression; there is not a hard, ugly line in her face. Is not one reason, at least, because she spends hours with her needle? Does needlework give her peace and poise of mind? I think it does--knowing what it has done for me."

--Mrs. Ruth K. Daury, Connecticut.