BonesInspired: One Crafty Cat.

DIY invitations and birthday cards

2011-03-31T15:00:00.000-07:00

Here's how you can make beautiful custom cards on the cheap!

First gather some card stock.

You can use thin cardboard from cereal boxes, recycle old birthday or Xmas cards or even the covers of coloring books will do.

Yet another option is blank stationary cards from the dollar store. They come in fantastic colors, cover all occasions and give a nice clean cut look. I personally recycle any cards I can before buying new ones...There's just too many materials out there being wasted instead of being reused.

Next, you need your images and glue stick.

You can either print out images and fonts from the computer or make a collage from old magazines. I like using vintage ads from National Geographic.

For a little extra flair try using stamps or stickers!

The perfect final touch!

And there you have it! No need to shell out big bucks for impersonal cards, you can make it yourself! This is one of my favorite projects because it is so cheap, and oh so simple. The possibilities are endless.

Have fun!

Halloween Happiness

2010-11-01T09:56:00.000-07:00

Jeez, I had a bunch of Halloween posts arranged but didn't get around to finishing them...Figures! I always have a dozen or so drafted posts that I rarely get around to sharing.
Well I have some updating to do but here is some Halloween fun to share with you!

Omkin!

I love my pretty pumpkin!
I was very hard up to find a design, I search online for hours for the perfect face or theme but in the end I did what I knew would make me feel good.
A beautiful glowing Omkin would definitely brighten anyone's spirits!
Below the one I carved are three little pumpkins that my daughter decorated. She used crayola markers and Halloween stickers.
Much more than chocolate and candy, I love to see the life of a glowing pumpkin in the night and all of the creativity that Halloween (Samhain) brings.

Another fun way to decorate a pumpkin would be to buy a kit of face features that you stick onto it. I rather like it on the lemon though!

I love this...

Don't want to buy a pumpkin to put a face on?
You don't need one! You can put a cute floating face on just about anything :)
I just love this happy tree creature guy!
Actually it was kind of spooky because across the street there was a school and the lights were flickering heavily inside...this was on my friends street who somehow encounters a lot of spiritual activity both here in the city and at his cottage in Cape Cod.

Anyway, I hope you all had a very fun and safe Halloween!
I had a blast!

Update!

2010-10-28T12:11:00.001-07:00

On October 23rd, of 2010,

I was a vendor at the Dia De Los Muertos Festival of the Arts craft sale. I had so much fun!

There were so many awesome vendors.
I really couldn't pick a favorite so here they are in all of their glory!

Creepy Christine, Kaotic Ekko's Curiosities, Vintage Love, Ludic, Essex Girl, BonesInspired, Undead Clothing, Dont Call Me Sugar, Gruesome Enterprises, The Gnarled Branch, Baby's First Boo!, Black Currant Jewelry, Carmi's Art, Zirco Circus, Postart Blooming Collective, Clockwork Zero, Titania's Treasures, Curious Oddities, Ruffles & Stripes, Fangs N' Hiss, My Ghoul Friday,
Loca Leopard Lady Inc., Beat Black, Embody Clothing, MaKay & Hung, Kozo Studio, Cherry Bomb Vintage, Ransack The Universe, Lucky You, Fashion Whore Couture, Pixie Fashions

Here are a few items I made for the sale!

wrapped bangles wire wrapped beaded bracelets

Iron on Tee Raffle Donation!

wrapped wire and bead ring fuzzy compact mirrors

beaded ornaments

I think that's it for now but I'll keep you posted!

To Vendors of Dia De Los Muertos Festival of the Arts
I apologize if there are any mistakes in the links/websites! If you see something wrong let me know I will happily change and problems :)

Craft Tip #3

2010-09-17T19:24:00.001-07:00

Craft Tip # 3
Save your scraps for your little ones art projects!
Give them a canvas, the scraps and some glue and let them go nuts!

Project deadlines.

2010-09-04T22:20:00.000-07:00

Feeling a little more organizational than I have been in the last few months, I make a somewhat tidy little list of things to make for my upcoming sale. This pretty much speaks for itself.

Deadlines.

They make everyone a little crazy. But still, "A goal is a dream with a deadline." And that's what makes it fun too!

Craft Tip #2

2010-08-11T21:57:00.000-07:00

Craft Tip #2
Never fix a project with super glue while in a rush or in a moving vehicle!

BonesInspired on Twitter!

2010-07-29T11:04:00.000-07:00

Well, I have finally succumbed to Twitter!
Receive instant up to date craft news!
http://twitter.com/BonesInspired
Keep on Crafting on!

Dun dun dun dah!

2010-07-19T21:43:00.000-07:00

Here's another cool crafting community! Weee! I'm on a roll tonight. I can't believe I've never heard of Cut out + Keep before...Ladies and gentlemen, let's get crafting!

Want Your Crafts Rated?

2010-07-19T21:20:00.000-07:00

It's late, I am bored and I like to look up crafty inspiration...do you get that? Do you get those days where you are completely lacking motivation and waste the day completely uninspired?
On those days, it is when you should be getting to bed that BAM! You are hit by a wave of creativity...or if you are too tired and lazy, you look for hours at other people's creativity.

Anyway, the diy network is a good source of inspiration and I just bumped into their Rate My Craft gallery! How awesome is that? I should post some things that I've crafted and if fact, so should YOU! I hope to see your work there! Enjoy lovelies!

Summer lovin' and crafting galore!

2010-07-10T12:39:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone!
I just got back from camping and our family vacation to Kissimmee, Florida to see the whimsical worlds of Disney. So, I am very well rested and right back to work! The Dia De Los Muertos Festival of The Arts is coming up in October and I have so many things to prepare for my booth.

In the last few days I have been working on a lot of rockin' recycled magnets, which has been amusing to see what I can find in my stack of old mags. When I post pictures the magnets will be happily displayed on my thrifted magnet display-which only cost me an awesome and well spent 2 dollars!
I have also been working half-assed on some button up scarves. So far I have two or three started and no where near finished. Both are crocheted, one is a shell stitch and the other a nice bubble stitch with some fluffy yarn.

Some of the other things on my to-do list include:
designing BonesInspired shirts for the raffle
finish designing sugar skull template
make more rockabilly themed jewellery
revamp wallets and purses w/ leopard prints
sewing up a storm!

I recently bought a new camera because the last one finally kicked the ol' bucket, so look forward to some awesome pics of my latest work!
(Can you tell that I am very please with my new Canon?!)

Bye for now and remember:
"Genius is one percent inspiration, and ninety-nine percent perspiration. "
Thomas Edison

Some yarn...weee!

2010-04-23T20:54:00.001-07:00

One of my stashes of yarn...mostly acrylics.
When I am more skilled in crochet, I will buy nice wool and yarn. Until then I'll stick with my donated stuff.

=-.^=
meow

Alice In Craftsterland Swap

2010-04-07T06:51:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone! I finally have something new to post! (Actually things have been piling up and I have a lot of posting to do!)
I have been a lifelong fan of Charles Dodgson's novels, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Alice Through the Looking Glass.
The adventures have been read by so many, and adored by all and Alice's Adventures have definitely been one of the most influential and creative stories of all time.
and last month, I participated in a very fun swap dubbed "Alice in Craftsterland." on Craftster.org.
Here are the Alice themed goodies I made for my swap partner. She lives all the way in New Zealand and she hasn't received her package yet but I hope she likes it!

The whole Package
=^.^=

The White Rabbit

Mad Hatter & Pocket Watch Magnets

Tiny Alice Craft Bag

And last but Certainly not Least,
(I apologize for the blurriness!),
An Upcycled Alice Bookmark.

Original drawings by Sir John Tenniel.

I had a lot of fun doing this swap and I look forward to participating more often because it is a sheer joy for me to create and give things to other people. I must admit that it's also a lot of fun to receive lovingly handmade, crafty packages.
We may live across the world and have different skills but through swaps we are able to connect to others in a seriously creative and inspiring way.

With permission, I will post the really fantastic items that I received from my partner and perhaps she would answer a question or two for me. We'll see!

Until next time,
"Do what you can, with what you have, where you are."
Theodore Roosevelt.

2010-03-27T19:51:00.000-07:00

Craft Tip #1
Keep cereal boxes and record covers to use as simple, yet durable sewing patterns.
You can also use the boxes for recycled notebook covers!
Weeee!

Ding!

2010-03-27T19:47:00.000-07:00

Craft Tip #1
Keep cereal boxes and record covers to use as simple, yet durable sewing patterns!

National Craft Month!

2010-03-03T19:06:00.000-08:00

Hello everyone!
Did you know that March is National Craft Month?
Isn't that just too cool?

So many people are participating and celebrating their craftiness in so many different ways.
What will you do for National Craft Month?

Here are some ideas:

Visit your local craft store
Learn a new Craft
Teach someone your crafting skills
Try being a part of a craft swap
Donate unused supplies to schools or shelters
Craft in Public!

Whatever it is that you choose to do,
have fun making something with your own two hands
:D

Happy Crafting Everyone!

2010-02-17T22:53:00.000-08:00

Yay! I think I've found the perfect blog template...for now anyways ;D
Enjoy!

Craft Sale-ing Away.

2010-02-17T21:46:00.000-08:00

I just realized that I never got around to posting any pictures from my first craft sales!
I'm in the talks of doing a fourth in October, the Dia De Los Muertos Festival for the Arts so I was inspired to take a look back at my first sales and catch up on downloading/uploading pictures.

Creator's Marketplace Show and Sale on May 31st, 2009.

Craftzilla at Kathedral
December 5th, 2009

Yes, that is a zombie Santa that I am posing with along with his little helper.

There was a third sale, the Under 30 Craftsale but I can't seem to find any pictures from it at the moment...stay tuned.
We'll get up to date asap :)

Happy Crafting Everyone!

New threads and Contest Announcement!

2010-01-26T22:54:00.000-08:00

Oh the crafty goodness that thrifting brings! This photo does not do the colors justice but I just had to share my latest, and best thrift store find.

Neon Threads!

All the threads you see here for only 2.49! at the old VV (Value Village)
I just can't wait to use these threads to embellish some of my work!

Now to get down to business.
I really would love to receive some feedback from my readers so I decided it's time for a
contest!
I personally LOVE to shop at thrift stores and receiving people's "hand-me-downs".
When I was young I used to think that people who shopped at thrift stores had to be poor and desperate people and was ashamed that that's often where my parent's took me to shop.
As I've grown, I've learned how great thrift stores actually are.
Thrift shops and second hand stores usually donate profits to local charity's or not-for-profit organizations and offer a chance for you to support your local community and keep a TON of unwanted goods from spending the rest of eternity in a landfill.
Not only that, but nowadays second hand stores and thrift stores are filled to the brim with real designer labels and clothing that has almost never been worn.

You never know what treasures you'll find when you are thrifting and that's exactly what this contest is about!

Contest Details:

Post a comment with your best, latest thrift store find and
on February 14th, 2010 at 12pm I will randomly select the best comment.

The person with the best thrift store find will win a brand new limited edition

BonesInspired T-shirt!

All right, if this won't get you posting I'm not sure what will...contest countdown starts....NOW!
Happy thrifting everyone!
=^.^=

P.S Over the next week I will most likely be changing the look of my blog again so don't panic if it looks different or you can't recognize it.
I want the blog to look the best it can :)

Beer Cozy Tutorial

2010-01-19T20:24:00.000-08:00

This cozy is made with reclaimed purple suede from a vintage high waisted skirt.
Using the bottom hem of the skirt as the top of the cozy,
I managed to save the original lining to use as the lining for the cozy. No fuss no muss!

The Om symbol is an iron on transfer that I printed out. Around it I stitched on a crochet chain.

I would rate this project a 2 out of 5 in terms of difficulty.

Supplies:

-Favorite canned drink
(to work a pattern off of.)
-Measuring tape
-sewing gauge
-tailor's chalk
-sewing pins
-iron on transfer
-crochet hook
-printer
-sewing machine

1. Measure the circumference of the can and the height of the can.

Measurements for my Cozy
8.25"(Circumference)x 6.75"

2. Add your seam allowance of .5" with your sewing gauge and chalk

new measurements:
8.75"x7.25"

3. Cut a rectangle out of the desired fabric with these measurements.
This will be the body of the cozy.

4. trace around the bottom of your can.

5. draw your seam allowance (half-inch) around the circumference with your sewing gauge.

6. Find the image that you want online or in photo albums

7. Reverse the image in a simple online photo editing website,
(My favorite for that would have to be Picnik.com)

8. Print onto iron-on transfer paper.

9. Iron the transfer image onto a piece of scrap t-shirt material.
and cut a small border around the transfer image.
Next, sew the image onto the body of the cozy.

10. Sew up the two sides (right sides together!) to make the cylindrical shape.

11. Flip the fabric tube inside out.

12. Sew around the bottom, right sides together with a half-inch seam allowance. Don't forget to take your time!

13. Take whatever thread, string or yarn you want to use and crochet a chain the length around your image.

14. Sew it on with matching thread and you're done!

C&C always welcome!

Happy New Year!

2010-01-08T22:05:00.000-08:00

Happy new year everyone!

I hope that the cold weather hasn't been getting you down!
If it has though,
Don't pout! Let's craft away our winter blues!

Upcoming Tutorials
Recycled Crayons
Upcycled Notebooks and Notepads
Beer Cozy's!

Did you make any of the holiday crafts from my favorites list?
Did you make any crafty new years resolutions?
If so post a comment! I'd love to hear from you.

Until next time Crafters,
Don't run with Scissors!

BonesInspired's Favorite Xmas Projects!

2009-12-11T18:37:00.000-08:00

BonesInspired's Top Five

Favorite
Holiday Craft Projects!

While I don't have the time this year to put up my own holiday tutorials, I would like to share some of my favorite holiday projects that I've come across in the last few months.
Here they are in no particular order.
Enjoy!

How to Make Easy Fabric Christmas Ornaments

This video tutorial is super easy, inexpensive and fast to make.
Pam you Rock! Thank you for this fantastic tutorial!

http://www.craftster.org/video/How-to-Make-Easy-Fabric-Christmas-Ornaments-225121635

Expandable Christmas Stocking

Now this is a tutorial I know you are all going to love! Who wouldn't want one of these kick ass stockings?! Scoochmaroo you're a genius!

http://www.instructables.com/id/Expandable_Christmas_Stocking/

Scrap Wreaths

An awesome way to use your scraps and turn them into a holiday heirloom.

So beautiful!
Lindamade where did your blog go?!
We all want to see more of your gorgeous handiwork!

Here's another fabulous example by Swallowfield

http://swallowfield.typepad.com/swallowfield/2007/11/making-other-th.html

Felt Garland

I love the look of this felt garland by Anna Maria Horner.

This garland would be great for any occasion.

http://annamariahorner.blogspot.com/2006/12/cozy-up-with-blanket.html

Hand Made Gift Bows

Sure you can buy them but wouldn't you rather make your own unique gift bows?
Miss American Pie from Crafster tells us how to make them!

http://www.craftster.org/forum/index.php?topic=247280.0

Well that's all for now folks. I hope you've enjoyed my personal favorite picks!
If I can't find the time to make it back before Xmas I'd like to wish you and your families a very warm and safe holiday season.
Cheers!

Many appologies!

2009-12-06T19:39:00.000-08:00

Hi everyone!

I'm really sorry to have left you hanging for so long! I've missed you and thought about you all the while I've been away.
I went on my first vacation and just had two craft sales this weekend so I have lots of craftiness to blog about. For now, it's much needed R&R time for me.
Happy Crafting!

BonesInspired Upcoming Craft Sales!

2009-10-15T18:33:00.001-07:00

Hi everyone!

I just found out that I've been accepted for a second craft sale in December.
Come see my goodies in person December 5th and 6th and find tons of unique gifts for your friends and family!

Craftzilla!

Saturday December 5th, 2009
1pm-6pm @ Kathedral
651 Queen Street West Toronto, Ontario.

http://www.facebook.com/search/?q=craftzilla&init=quick#/event.php?eid=122240362578&index=1

Under 30 Crafts Christmas Market

Nothing over 30 dollars!

Sunday, December 6, 2009

2:30pm - 8:30pm
Ralph Thornton Centre
765 Queen St. East

http://bymyhands.net/craft-show/
http://www.facebook.com/search/?q=craftzilla&init=quick#/event.php?eid=80401812127&ref=ts

See you there!

Another fantastic craft site!

2009-10-13T09:32:00.001-07:00

How could I forget this website?!

Here is another one of my favorite crafty websites. It lists vendor calls, and crafty happenings around the city.

Toronto Craft Alert!

http://torontocraftalert.ca/
Enjoy!

Sweater-Scarf Tutorial!

2009-10-08T10:42:00.000-07:00

Oh So Simple Sweater-Scarf tutorial

First, find an old, tightly knit sweater with a funky pattern or colors that you think might look nice as a scarf. This patterned black and white sweater is what I chose:

Start cutting off the sweater ribbing and the sleeves so that it looks like this:

*Don't forget to keep the ribbing for later!

Now, cut up the sides and lay it out flat again.

Cut on the top shoulder seam and around the neck ribbing.

You can use either the front or the back of the sweater as you only need one half to complete a scarf. I chose the back of this sweater. Cut the back of the sweater into a big square.

Cut the square evenly into smaller squares or rectangles.
At the bottom you can see that I saved a small rectangle from the scraps of the previous step.

Time to start sewing your scarf!
To get a cute fringe type seam, sew the pieces wrong sides together into a long chain.

Now, find the sweater ribbing that you cut off earlier and trim it
a tiny bit smaller than the width of the scarf. Sew it on right sides together to tidy up the ends.

Weee! They look exactly like sweater sleeves!

It's almost finished!
Fold the scarf length-wise in half, right sides together and sew up the seam.
You can pin it or just match up all the little seams as you sew.

Last, but certainly not least, slowly turn your scarf right side out.
Pull the ribbing to the left, over the the inside-out scarf and pull the scarf out with your right
hand.

Finally, here are two finished reclaimed sweater scarves. I just love the way they look! They feel fantastic too.

Well that's it I hope you find this tutorial helpful and Please feel free to post photos of your brand new sweater scarves!
I'd love to see them!

Until next time,
Happy Crafting Everyone!

Nuit Blanche! One of my favorite nights of the year.

2009-10-04T09:53:00.000-07:00

So, I know we are all still waiting for that tutorial I promised, and I promise it will be up soon. But, in the meantime I just had to write about Nuit Blanche!

Nuit Blanche translated from french literally means "White Night" or "All-nighter".
Apparently, its exact beginning is disputed between Paris, St Petersburg, and Berlin, but, taking elements from all of these, the idea of a night-time festival of the arts has spread around the world since 1997, taking hold of Toronto and Montreal, Madrid, Lima and Leeds.
A Nuit Blanche will typically have museums, private and public art galleries, and other cultural institutions open free of charge, with the center of the city itself being turned into a de facto art gallery, providing space for art installations, performances, themed social gatherings, and other activities.

Toronto describes it as "a free, annual all-night contemporary art thing" and it is spread out over the downtown (Toronto) core.

This year there were roughly 500 artists participating with upwards of 130 projects to discover.

My good friend and I went together and saw some amazing art exhibits/installations and a random (but wonderful!) traveling dance performance.
It really is a good thing that this event is from dusk until dawn! If you want to see even half of the exhibits, you are going to need the whole night and maybe then some.
I would suggest biking around rather than walking, busing or driving. It's the fastest and cheapest way to get around easily.

I've just been blown away by the creative minds in this city and we are so very lucky to have such a fantastic event. I wish there were a Nuit Blanche every month! It's so much fun biking around, finding new and inspiring things to look at and meeting new and interesting artists and admirers alike.

I really can't wait for that lighting bolt of sheer brilliance to strike me and tell me just what it is that I will be presenting at a future Nuit Blanche. Until then I'll just blog, keep my fingers busy doing what I do and scratch my head.

Here is a link to the archives of Nuit Blanche past, featuring fantastic photos and comments from some of those who visited the many exhibits of the night.
http://www.scotiabanknuitblanche.ca/archives.shtml

Is there a Nuit Blanche in your city? Come visit ours!
Here's the website so you can start planning your visit to Toronto's Scotiabank Nuit Blanche :)
http://www.scotiabanknuitblanche.ca/home.shtml

Sweater Scarf Recon Tutorial

2009-09-29T11:47:00.000-07:00

Coming Soon!

How to make a rocking new scarf from a retro 80's sweater!

In a day or so I will post my first tutorial with plenty of pictures on how to turn that tacky, 80's tight knit sweater, into a hot new scarf! There has been a small delay putting this tutorial together as while working on my second sweater scarf, I got distracted by a noise and managed to sew through my nail and nearly right through my finger.

See it's not as gory as one might imagine but one of the lovely nurses from Telehealth has informed me that I'd better go get a tetanus shot since I am breastfeeding and could potentially pass on tetanus to my daughter. Has this ever happened to you? I'm just glad I didn't have to wrestle with the machine to get my finger out LOL. Anyways, bear with me folks! I promise it will be worth the wait :D

A little about this crazy crafter...

2009-09-25T10:06:00.000-07:00

So, maybe I should tell you a little bit about myself. Perhaps a rough glance at where my crafty mind roams and what drives me to make all the things that I do.

I'm 23 years old, I have always been an avid recycler, and I was born to "Craft".
For as long as I can remember I've always tried to take the old things that nobody wanted and turn them into something new and completely unique. Given my cousins old hand-me-downs, it was regular practice to cut them up to give them more character, and I've always had the need to pick up that old and dirty marble that was forgotten in the gutter. Your trash is my treasure, and every object inspires a new creation.
There are times, though, that inspiration is slow to come... I always have a dozen projects started, but still feel the need to start something new. Where do I turn for inspiration?

Craftster.org

Instructables.com

Threadbanger.com

I could spend hours upon hours on these sites. They are very well known for their excellent tutorials made for, and by other fellow crafters.
"Craftster is an online community where people share hip, off-beat, crafty diy (do it yourself) projects." -Craftster.org/about.html. There are forums covering every sort of craft there is and then some, hundreds of fantastic tutorials, member craft swaps, and thousands of fantastic craft pictures to stir up your imagination. Craftster is my number one favorite website for inspiration.

Instructables(.com) "is the Biggest How To and DIY community where people make and share inspiring, entertaining, and useful projects, recipes, and hacks."
Again, this site has fantastic pictoral tutorials, amazing projects and brilliant minds sharing the coolest ways to recycle and make unique things that your neighbor definitely won't have.

"The ThreadBanger(.com) network is a landing point for people who want to create and discover their own style through alternative fashion: recycling, up-cycling and re-fashioning anything and everything with simple sewing tools and techniques. From our episodes, forum and blog, to our newsletter, contests and viewer-take-overs, ThreadBanger is a multi-media network for people who want to share their passion for DIY, fashion and crafting with each other. ThreadBanger is a place to share ideas, tips and advice and help make the world more fashionable, ThreadBanger style!" -Threadbanger.com/page/about.
I really couldn't have said it better myself!

Well, please keep checking out my blog as I add more and more to it and go now! Go check out my favorite websites. Fall in love and be inspired!
http://www.craftster.org/
http://www.instructables.com/
http://www.threadbanger.com/

A craft blog to call my own.

2009-09-23T22:41:00.000-07:00

Hello Everyone!
Weee! My very own craft blog :D
Here I plan to display my favorite projects, tutorials, websites and other fellow artists. I want to share inspiration. Expect many photos! (Hopefully this blog can keep up with me and won't wimp out on storage space.)
It's funny that nighttime is a such wellspring of inspiration...I really should be getting to bed.
Well, for any of you who have found my blog -and I have successfully piqued your curiosity- here is a link to my facebook group displaying some of my random creations:
http://www.facebook.com/inbox/?ref=mb#/group.php?gid=19721953212&ref=ts
I have some big ideas so I'll be back tomorrow (hopefully, if baby allows me) to post some more! Enjoy and have a great night!