Etsy Find of the Day: Mudpuppy Bud Vases

I stopped in yesterday at Berkeley's Lola (which, by the way, is an absolutely beautiful shop and definitely worth a visit if you're local) and was immediately drawn to these delicate bud vases with woven waxed linen "knotless nets" from Mudpuppy (aka Denver ceramist Michael McDowell). I don't know what it is, but the combination of needlework and other, non-textile mediums gets me every single time.

In the end, I couldn't resist. I need more white pottery like I need a hole in the head, and we really shouldn't be spending on non-essentials right now. But the heart wants what it wants, y'know?

Lola has a few more of these, so pop on by to take a look if you're in the area. If not, you can find them for $26 apiece on good old Etsy, where Mudpuppy has a shop filled with lots of little handcrafted ceramic lovelies that you probably don't need, but that your heart will undoubtedly desire.

(P.S. Check out my Etsy widget at left for a few more Mudpuppy creations. I update the widget with five new Etsy finds every day, so if you view the blog via an RSS feed, it's worth clicking through to check out the bonus goodies.)

(P.P.S. Click through to the comments on this post to see a great discount offer on Mudpuppy wares, just for More Ways to Waste Time readers. Thanks, Michael!)

How to: Make a Snowflakes-and-Oranges Window Hanging

I'm off to run a bunch of errands this morning. (Ugh -- DMV, anyone?) In the meantime, I'll leave you with a rerun of a fun and simple holiday craft project from last year, in case any of you missed it:

Atomic Garden, one of my favorite shops here in Oakland, has the prettiest window displays. Just like the store itself, they're simple, natural, and lovely.

The eco-friendly housewares-and-clothing boutique's current window candy is a clever and beautiful assemblage of crocheted snowflakes, yarn pom-poms, and dried oranges hung from a gently gnarled tree branch.

Here's how to make one of your own -- perfect for dressing a window for the holidays or simply brightening up the view during the dreary winter days ahead.

You'll need:
* A tree branch measuring three-quarters of an inch or more in diameter and about the width of the window you want to hang it in. (Pick up a fallen branch the next time you're out for a walk or a hike, save one when you trim your trees, or buy one from a floral-supply shop or online.)

* Two to three ceiling hooks for suspending the branch. (You could also slip the branch into wall-mounted curtain brackets.)

* A spool of fine twine, waxed cord, or fishing line.

* A large, sturdy needle, such as an embroidery or darning needle.

* A selection of crocheted snowflakes. (You can create your own if you're especially crafty or simply use cloth doilies -- I spotted several for a couple bucks apiece at my local fabric store yesterday -- paper snowflakes made from medium- to heavyweight paper, or snowflake-shaped ornaments.)

* Fabric starch or craft glue.

* A section of golfball- to tennis-ball-sized pom-poms. (Make your own with yarn, craft them from tissue paper, pick up a bag of fuzzy pom-poms at a craft store, or simply substitute a few white ball ornaments.)

* Dried orange slices. (They're easy to make at home, or you can buy them from a specialty grocer. Dried pineapple slices would also work.)

Instructions:
* Screw the hooks into the ceiling, making sure they're anchored well. Loop lengths of twine, cord, or fishing line over the hooks, tying them securely. Tie the other ends around the tree branch so that it hangs across the top of your window. (Or simply remove the curtain rod from the window and slip the ends of the branch into the curtain brackets.)

* Depending on the width of your branch and how many snowflakes, pom-poms, and oranges you want to hang, tie several lengths of cord around the branch with the ends trailing down. Vary the lengths randomly so that the longest hits the bottom of the window and the others are shorter.

* If you're using cloth snowflakes or doilies, douse them with laundry starch or dab them with craft glue mixed with a bit of water and pin them flat so that they dry stiff.

* Once they're dry, tie the snowflakes onto the cord at varying heights.

* Using your sturdy needle with the cord threaded through, hang the pom-poms at varying heights. If your window is wider than it is tall, one pom-pom per length of cord is fine. If the window is tall and narrow, hang a few pom-poms from each cord, spacing them out randomly and tying the cord beneath each to keep it in place. (If you're using ball ornaments, simply thread the cord through the loop at the top of the ornament and tie it securely.)

* Finally, thread the remaining lengths of cord with orange slices. Poke the threaded needle through the flesh of the orange near the top and tie the cord to hold the orange slices in place.

Enjoy!

(Thanks to Jamie and Erin at Atomic Garden for walking me through this.)

Readers: If you have a simple DIY project to share, send me photos and instructions and I'll be happy to feature it here!

Etsy Find of the Day: YooLa Wire Pendant Lights

I blogged Israeli industrial designer Yael Falk's (aka Etsy seller YooLa) delicate crocheted wire creations not too long ago, but I'm nuts about her new pendant lights (like the Pomegranate Lampshade, above, $90).

I love the webbed shadows the lights cast -- crazy cool.

Scheherazade Lampshade, $180

Each shade comes with a brass halogen light socket and a 78-inch electrical cord. Click here to see all of YooLa's Etsy offerings.

eBay Find of the Day: Vintage Doilies as Art

I'm semi-obsessed with this picture, which I recently saw on Oakland artist Lisa Solomon's blog.

Such a deceptively simple idea -- just a group of crocheted doilies tacked to a wall -- but so beautifully composed and rendered in Solomon's hands. I love the soft colors and the casual but intricate way they're juxtaposed against one another.

I couldn't even begin to create a grouping as lovely as this one, but I think it might be fun to try. I wouldn't trust myself to combine colors as masterfully and subtly as Solomon has done here, but suspect a group of ivory doilies would look equally lovely against a painted wall.

Although crocheting is most definitely not part of my limited crafting skill set, crocheted doilies are plentiful and inexpensive at just about any flea market, estate sale, and -- of course -- on eBay.

Take this set of 12 vintage, handmade doilies, for instance. Current bid: $5 for the lot of them.

(P.S. In addition to wall art, here's another lovely idea that employs vintage doilies. What kind of art or craft projects would you use them for?)

Cool Stuff: Knitted and Crocheted Lightbulb Covers

You guys know I'm a sucker for knitted and crocheted housewares ...

So of course I love these sweet light-fitting covers from Northern Ireland design studio Electricwig. Made to be slipped directly over a low-wattage compact fluorescent bulb and stiffened with sugar water to hold their shape, they'll soften the light's glare and add a touch of delicacy and femininity to those utilitarian bare-bulb fixtures.

They're 8,925 yen (or about $84) apiece from Trico, or 11 pounds sterling (about $22; orange, lime green, and brown only) from Thorsten van Elton.

Or, you know, you could just get out the knitting or crochet needles and make your own ;-)

(Via Granica Monotremata.)

Etsy Find of the Day: YooLa Crocheted Metal

Using a tiny crochet needle and coated copper wire, Etsy seller YooLa -- aka Israeli industrial designer Yael Falk -- creates the most intriguing and ethereal objets.

I especially love her abstracted pomegranates, which mimic the form of the fleshy fruit, but do it in an airy, almost ghostly way.

In fact, these remind me a little bit of Ruth Asawa's amazing crocheted metal sculptures.

Prices range from $42 for this vase to $65 to $95 for the pomegranates.

Check out all of YooLa's crocheted metal designs (she has some gorgeous jewelry, too) right here.

Etsy Find of the Day: Nesting Emily Pottery

Organically gorgeous stoneware pottery from Ontario, Canada Etsy seller Nesting Emily. The combination of embroidery and other mediums, or felted wool for any reason at all, gets me every single time. Above: Dreams Vase, $65

Stitch in Time Vase, $45

Silver Birch Tree Vase, $45, and Snowy Walk Vase, $35

Out of Hibernation Vase, Cloud Watching and Chocolate Eating Vase, and Sway Vase, $35 each

See all of Nesting Emily's Etsy offerings right here.

Trendspotting: Modern Needlecraft

I'm seeing more and more knitting, crochet, and macramé utilized in home-decor products lately. But these aren't your grandmother's tissue cosies -- while still undoubtedly feminine and ornamental, the traditional needlecraft techniques are more likely to be applied in graphic ways to utilitarian materials and furnishings, giving the finished product a sense of freshness and humor that their matronly predecessors lacked.

In addition to the macraméd chairs, knitted pillows, and crocheted light fixtures, hanging pendants, and pottery (top) that I've recently blogged here, several more industrial-meets-handicraft furnishings have caught my attention in recent weeks:

The Macramé Lamp from Sweden's Pernilla Jansson is an art piece rather than a retail product. Still, I want one.

This Macramé Hanging Shade, $168 from Anthropologie, is more "Granny Chic" than industrial, but has a somewhat modern sensibility thanks to the simple drum shape and all-white palette.

These petite Crochet Tables, $50 each from CB2, are rendered in iron and wire, making them both delicate and tough.

Marcel Wanders' Crochet Table for Moooi, $1,448 from UnicaHome, is made from cotton and hardened with epoxy.

Check out the gigantic needles Dutch designer Christien Meindertsma uses to knit her Flocks Poufs, $800 and $1,600 each at Design Within Reach.

I think it's nice to see handicrafts coming back into vogue, even among die-hard modernists. What examples have you spotted lately, and what do you think is behind this melding of traditional needlecraft and modern design?

Etsy Find of the Day: Lace Pottery

So lovely ...

These delicate porcelain bowls are created by Kernersville, North Carolina crochet guru Maggie Weldon, who molds the wet pottery against doilies to transfer the lace's intricate impression to the vessel itself. Above: Day Dreaming Beauty, 16 by 16 inches, $225

Tatted Bliss, 6 by 8 inches, $25

Lotus Bowl, $65

See all of the offerings in Weldon's Etsy shop right here.

Cool Stuff: Minimal Lamp

These handmade pendant lights from Burlington, Vermont industrial designer Jed Crystal are made from cloth-covered electrical cord that serves two functions: It powers the bulb and has been crocheted into a delicate, web-like shade possessing a grace that belies its utilitarian origins.

The pendants, stunning when hung as a group, are available in five colors. The cords can be tied and intertwined to suspend the bulbs at different heights and to create a colorful sculptural display of their own.

Crystal's Minimal Lamps are $240 each right here.

(P.S. I wonder what it says about me that I can't quite fathom spending $200-plus on a ceramic bowl -- gorgeous as it may be -- but I would totally drop that on a lightbulb suspended from an electrical cord ... )

Mark Your Calendar: Curiosity Shoppe Crochet Clinic With Jessica Polka

Feeling crafty? Get your crochet on at San Francisco's Curiosity Shoppe this Sunday, February 10, from 3 to 6 p.m.

Embroidery and crochet artist Jessica Polka (that's her sweet jellyfish above) will be leading a free "crochet clinic" where you can learn how to make wonderful yarn specimens of your own. Polka will also be unveiling some of her new creations, such as the embroidered cyanotype below.

The Curiosity Shoppe is located at 855 Valencia Street in the Mission.

P.S. If you can't make it, don't despair -- Polka also sells patterns for her crocheted sea creatures, as well as an occasional completed specimen or two, in her Etsy shop.

Cool Stuff: Crocheted Pendant Lights

I am officially in love with these crocheted pendant lights, $238 each, from brand-new online store Rian Rae.

Each delicate cotton pendant is crocheted by hand before being starched to retain its shape. They're a generous size, too -- ranging from 16 to 24 inches in diameter and from 17 to 28 inches in height.

Take a closer look at the pendants here. And be sure to check out all of Rian Rae's beautiful offerings right here.

The Artful Home: Ruth Asawa

I had to bop over to San Francisco's de Young Museum for a work thing this week (I know -- poor me). On my hurried way to check out the thing I needed to see, I was struck speechless by these ethereal wire sculptures by Ruth Asawa.

Seriously: One minute I was jogging to the elevator, and the next I was rooted to the spot where I stood, my mouth hanging agape at the gorgeousness before me.

The delicate biomorphic and organic sculptures themselves are breathtaking -- but it's the play of light and shadow that they cast upon the walls that's absolutely magical.

Although it turns out that I'd seen various pieces of Asawa's public art around the City over the years, I didn't know anything about her. And when I read up a bit on her life and work, I was even more blown away.

As a young woman during World War II, the California native was sent with her family to a Japanese internment camp, where she began to explore art. At art school, she studied under Buckminster Fuller and learned traditional basket-making techniques while traveling in Mexico.

Photo by Laurence Cuneo

In the 1950s, Asawa actually crocheted these pieces from iron, copper, brass, and bronze, often working late into the night while her six -- yes, you read that right: six -- young children slept. (So much for that "parenthood leaves me no time for creativity" rationalization, eh?)

Her work has been exhibited at various California museums as well as at New York's Whitney and the Museum of Modern Art. Asawa also dedicated much of her life to advancing and safeguarding art in San Francisco's public schools.

For more on Ruth Asawa and her amazing creations, keep an eye out for the book Contours in the Air. And if you're in the Bay Area, don't miss the opportunity to see her beautiful wire sculptures in person at the de Young -- they're in the Hamon Tower entrance on the ground floor, which you can visit for free.