Blair Stocker, Author at Wise Craft Handmade

May 24, 2009

Halloween Propping

I’m so glad you guys like the fabric-covered journals!
Last week I was hired to create props for an thrift store chain’s upcoming photo shoot for Halloween (more details will come on all this later). All the crafts had to be recycled, using items from their store, inexpensive, easy, no-sew or low-sew, and family friendly (doable for kids, adults, and teens). All this felt like a surprisingly small order when I actually got down to task and started making up the projects. I really had a lot of fun putting this all together.READ MORE

May 22, 2009

30 minute DIY Fabric Covered Notebook

I love pretty notebooks to make notes and sketches in. These fabric covered notebooks are one of those projects that time spent making is nothing compared to satisfaction gained. Less than 30 minutes, start to finish for a pack of 3 moleskine journals. Its great if you’re like me and have the really pretty fabric and have absolutely nowhere to use it in a project at the moment (a large scrap would do one journal).READ MORE

May 20, 2009

Our Favorite Bread Recipe

I need to start this post with a disclaimer. You see, I, like yourself, try very hard to extol the virtues of whole wheat living on my family (peppered with the occasional “do as I say, not as I do”, because, well, I’ve been waiting my whole life to say that!). I do like it, and my kids come around to it in fits and spurts, which I can live with.
But…
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May 16, 2009

Halloween In May?

Are you guys as busy as we are? School activities really ramp up for us as the school year nears its end, and I never see this coming until its looking me square in the face, surprises me every year. This was a little respite we had after school yesterday. Playing our own casual version of Scrabble/Bananagrams/How Many Words Can you Spell?? is an easy easy game for us, no real winners or losers makes it okay for everyone. (The etsy seller I bought these from seems to not have any for sale at the moment, sadly. These letter tiles have a zillion uses!)

I have resisted thrifting for several months now, we just don’t need more stuff. But Peter and I are actually doing a project involving thrifting and I needed to go (imagine!). Sometimes, I strike gold, like this pure woolen blanket, which I will clean up and store till next winter. (Maybe for my one day tiny cabin by the sea??) All the other things I found are being cleaned and introduced to my little friend, black spray paint, for-
Halloween!

No kidding! Its the Halloween show around here for the next week or so as we get ready for this client project. At least I can do it outside. Its funny how I feel more inspired by Halloween right now than I usually do in October. I don’t know, I feel a Halloween party in 2009.
In the meantime, I am going to eek out some time to make some drawstring bags for the shop, and some other things. I’ve got some ideas inspired by the Treehouse Appreciation Society. When I pop in, I promise not to tell scary stories and yell trick or treat.

May 11, 2009

A Drawstring "Stuff" Bag

Pulling up at school each morning, Ian and I get out of the car within a normal, realistic amount of time, and proceed to begin to wait for Emma to emerge. After several minutes of standing by the car and waiting for her, the door opens and she spills out. She has stuff. Lots of stuff. Bedroom stuff…backpack stuff…portable stuff… I do not know if this is typical of all 10 year old girls, but it is for Emma. There really is no other way to describe these bits and trinkets she finds important enough to carry with her.
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May 6, 2009

Fall Already?

Apparently it is, because there is absolutely no evidence of springtime weather here. 50 degrees and lots of rain does not equal the spring I was hoping to have. We are totally back into the curling up with something warm in your hands to drink weather.READ MORE

May 3, 2009

Old School Crafting

April 29, 2009

More Felted Rocks

Since we all need to be super diligent about washing our hands right now, it occurred to me, after having my hands immersed in warm soapy water for most of the afternoon yesterday, that maybe we, as a people, should just felt some wool rocks together.
Just a thought.

April 27, 2009

Grilling Vegetables

As an adult, probably one of my favorite things about summer is the abundance of super fresh, gorgeous vegetables. Farmers markets literally make the hair on the back of my neck stand up in excitement, and I love opening the kitchen pantry and fridge to see all those beautiful bright colors ready to eat.
We are big grillers here at my house. In my humble opinion, everything tastes better grilled (especially fruit), and its this time of year when grilled vegetables start showing up in literally everything I cook. I do not even begin to think that I am an expert on grilling vegetables, but I wanted to talk about them because of how good and familiar they are to me. Last night, I thought the cupboards were bare and that there was an emergency trip to the market in my future. When l spotted several vegetables that had never made their way onto the table that week, I started up the grill. They were perhaps not at the tippy top peak of their freshness, but grilling takes care of that. Zucchini, shallots, red bell peppers, and eggplant…

I brushed a little olive oil on each side, seasoned with a bit of salt and pepper, then put them the grill (fully pre-heated on high, turned down slightly when I put on the veggies). I have friends who use those special wire grill pans that hold the veggies in it as they grill, but I never have and have never had a problem (cut the pieces large enough so they don’t fall through the grill). A few minutes on each side, and you’re done. (I prefer to grill the shallots whole, to a dark char on the outside, making them soft and sweet on the inside.)

I found some slivered almonds, which I lightly toasted, then made a salad with radishes and grape tomatoes (no cheese, boo!). The grilled vegetables that were left over will show up wraps, sandwiches, and salads we’ll eat over the next few days.

And then it will be time to grill again.

April 26, 2009

Around here

The sunlight is changing our daily living space inside as well as outside. Peter and I have been fantasy shopping for a house (an emphasis on fantasy, because, really, who are we kidding??), but truth be told, things are feeling kind of nice around here these days. The yard is getting weeded and cleaned, and I’m doing my usual knick-knack-move-around the house this week- which is what I do when I don’t know what to do, but want to do something creative (do you follow? am I alone in doing this?). I feel like I’m close to bursting with new ideas for things to sew and knit and make, but knowing it can’t happen all at once, I’m trying to figure out how to pace myself, or bottle up this incredible enthusiasm and give myself a little dab behind the ears every few days. Because, then, I figure, it actually stands a chance of happening.

A good place to start…a little water and wool therapy this morning. Felted rocks. Not quite dry, and I have more to make. So fun to make.
*I wanted to add that those terrariums in the first shot (or our family variation with what we had here at the house, those are quirky little glass vases we found in the basement) were made a few weeks ago, around the same time the Stephanie posted about terrariums on 3191. Make these with your kids, they are so easy and fun, made even more exciting when they actually thrive and grow!

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