Many of us craft-obsessed folks have books full of our scribbles as we plan crafty plans for when we have a little more time. Many of these books are little works of art in themselves. Isn't it about time they got a little of the limelight?
The Sketchbook Project is a idea that gives your scribblings the chance to shine and tour the US alongside the sketchbooks of others.
The idea is:
- you sign up by buying a moleskine sketchbook which is sent out to you to fill up
- You fill up the sketchbook with all the wonders you can possibly squeeze out of your head
- You send the sketchbook back
- Your sketchbook goes on a tour across the US on a path to arty fame and fortune
If you're not sure where to start on filling up your blank book each one has a title to give you a creative shove in the right direction. Titles range from "Things found on restaurant napkins" to "Great hopes and massive failures" and all manner of inspiring stuff in between.
Sign ups end October 31 2010.
Sport shoe giants Nike are challenging creatives to turn the humble trainer into something crafty and arty in a global project which will hit London's Design Festival this year.
Some amazing interpretations of the shoe have already begun appearing on the Nike78 Project site to prove that artists and crafters really can make something inspiring from anything.
78 pairs of plain white trainers have been sent out to creatives worldwide, in a project thought up by graduate Paul Jenkins. Each of them has been asked to "use sport as inspiration to challenge their function"
The results are fish tank shoes from Japan (watch the video to see how they did it), remote control shoes from the UK, shoe masks from a Finnish artist, and cake and knitted versions too.
The finished shoes can all be seen at the London Design Festival in September.
To me words and photography are just as big a part of the crafty world as the crafts that get your hands dirty. Fancy using your words and pictures to be part of an interactive installation at Selfridges, one of London's most famous shops?
The haven of purchasable wonders has teamed up with the London Festival of Architecture, House of Jonn and Aberrant Architecture (V&A+RIBA Residents) to create London's first architectural pop-up residency. It will be a piece of performance architecture staged live at Selfridges on Oxford Street between 15th-28th June.
You can contribute by sending in your words and pictures that you feel show your London.
Find out more info about joining in here.
We're entering the last week in the run up for crafty fashion folks to see their own fashion designs sashaying down the catwalk at London Fashion Week, as BBC Blast team up with London's Victoria and Albert Museum.
The fashion pieces need to be based around the V&A online collections with the themes of "Ceramics", "Japanese" or "Medieval and Renaissance" collections. A quick hunt around on the collections on the website reveals a whole host of fabulous things to get your creative scissors and sewing machine into.
Along with the big catwalk prize you'll win fashion masterclasses from industry pros to help you create a collection for the catwalk.
You can enter on your own or in a group of up to 6 if you fancy combining your style powers.
See all the info and a short video to explain it all here.
Closing date is the 6th of June so you better be quick with those finishing touches.
William Morris is a bit of a crafts hero. He was a craftsman, designer, writer, socialist and conservationist who was part of Britian's Arts and Crafts Movement between 1880 and 1910. He could embroider, weave, dye and print and was the designer of some amazing fabrics and patterns.
London's William Morris Gallery, set in Morris's 18th-century family home, shows off a large collection of his work, and now it can show off some of your work too.
The gallery is calling for submissions for a group show inspired by the life and work of William Morris. All London-based artists, craftsmen and craftswomen can enter their submission which must be inspired by Morris's work.
It's more than just an opportunity to make a tribute to a pioneer of craft. The first prize is a solo show at the Gallery itself.
The deadline is July 1st so there is plenty of time to get along and see what Morris was all about before you get crafting your entry.
All information on how to apply and conditions of entry can be found here.
Leanne Prain, co-author of Yarn Bombing: The Art of Crochet and Knit Graffiti, is looking for unexpected embroiderers. She's not talking about falling asleep and waking up finding that you've sewn the image of Cliff Richard's face onto one of your throw pillows. She's searching for those who embroider outside the box.
Like her Yarn Bombing book Leanne is hoping to bring together folks at the forefront of subversive stitching once more for Hoopla: The Art of Unexpected Embroidery. This time they have smaller needles but similar values. They're the folks taking their craft and turning expectations of tweeting birds and blossoming flowers on their heads.
To put it simply "If you describe your stitch-work as arresting, subversive, quirky, or conceptual, Hoopla should feature your design work."
Full details of how to submit can be found here.
Go forth and pimp your subversive stitching. Go on.
The Easter Bunny is bouncing closer and to celebrate our friends at Folksy are launching an Easter Treasure Hunt to keep it crafty.
Those wishing to enter can trawl the handmade halls of Folksy and keep their peepers peeled for Easter eggs in the banners of several shops. Find 11 eggs of the same colour (there are 33 eggs in all) and email the shop names along to the Folksy folk.
You can win one of three goody bag prizes. Each bag is crammed with up to £100 of Folksy goodies to make your Easter eggellent. You can see all the details on the Folksy blog here.
Like you needed more of an excuse to spend some time checking out the cave of crafty wonders that is Folksy. Get finding them and support your fellow Folky friends.
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