The Violet Hours

Time for Colored Pencils

Why is it that a new box of colored pencils thrills at any age? I always hate to ruin the shiny points that line up perfectly in a fresh set. It's definitely a universal feeling, as proven by these amazing examples below...

  

Helsinki based artist Jonna Pohjalainen was inspiried to make this pencil sculpture during a summer Environmental Art workshop at the Open Air Art Museum in Pedvale, Latvia. Found via The Jealous Curator.

If you are crazy about Jonna's sculpture, you can buy a mini Colored Twig Pencil Set at A Toy Garden. Via Ohdeedoh.

And if you are really obsessed with colored pencils, you can subscribe to 500 Colored Pencils. You'll receive 25 pencils for 20 months.  I love this quote describing it: It's about enjoying an unhurried creative process and the artist, that over time, you become.  The names of the colors are amazing, like Tea with Milk, Autumn Fog, Miss Muffet, Pretty Polly, and 496 more!

Time for Last Minute Valentine

As an individual, I don't celebrate Valentine's Day traditionally. But as a crafter, I simply can't avoid it. It is a holiday ripe with creative possibility! And, I'm a bit of a sap, so one small gesture per year is allowed.

If you are in need a last minute Valentine for the significant other in your life, this one packs a big punch. Last year, I made a numbered list of each day that I had known Michael. I know, it sounds daunting, but with auto-type on Word, it's super easy. I figured out important dates (like when we were in Argentina, I wrote in Spanish) and described them accordingly. To make it easier on myself, I often copied the same sentence over and over to complete the list. I rolled the scroll and tied it with twine.

So for this Valentine, you just have to have patience and math skills.

(Love to you all.)

Time for Skyscrapers

   

I saw this amazing cabinet over on Joglosmart Furniture Design and it got me thinking of how inventive we can be with skyscrapers.

Goody bag display painted in the form of a cityscape from the May 2009 issue of Parents magazine.

Adorable skyscraper family Halloween costume from Martha Stewart.

Time for (non-Christmas) Wreathes

February may seem to be a strange time to blog about wreaths, but lately I've become a big fan. Having grown up in a home where we didn't celebrate Christmas, wreathes were the equivalent to having a tinseled, lit tree in your living room. But today I'm declaring that stigma over. For good. These delightful examples prove my point...

  

This beautifully crafted wreath would be amazing on the door at an intimate wedding. Felt flower winter wreath from The Purl Bee.

The color choices here are phenom. Felted ball wreath from Pickles. 

Paper Wreaths by Haru, via Craftzine.

Paper circle wreath from Crafty Stylish.

Tie Wreath from Good Housekeeping.

Nature wreath from Parents magazine.

Time for Rainbow Cake

Birthday cakes are meant to do 3 things.

1. Taste good.
2. Look good.
3. Hold candles.
4. Excite eaters.

This cake does all of the above. (I assume it tastes good...how could it not?). It reminds me of the cake I made for my husband's birthday last year with our nieces and nephew that I found here. But let's be honest, it's way better.

 

  

Other rainbow cakes, in case these weren't delightful enough...

From Incredible Things.

If cake's not your thing, try this from Tarehna.

And lastly, for individual rainbow love, cupcakes from Baking Bites.

Time for Butcher Paper

Sometimes, the simplest, most inexpensive materials are my favorites. Like butcher paper. It's everywhere, cheap, and enormously versatile. There's something really earthy and unassuming about it. Here are some examples of how to use it...

  

For our rehearsal dinner at The Piggy Bank in Beacon, New York, my husband designed these place mats. He divided the heart like a meat cut chart with each section labeled with something about us. We couldn't find pre-cut kraft place mats, so we bought sheets and cut them individually with a rotary cutter outfitted with a scallop blade. These were silk screened by local Brooklyn artist, Philip Sachs. 

Perfect material for tags. From left to right: The Paper Addict ($5.75 for 50 tags); Scrap of Mine ($1.75 for 30); Anna Ruby King ($5.50 for 10 tags)

 

Book City Jackets (Bookshelf set, $11)

  

Perfect for table covering: Kid's holiday table cloth, complete with crayons. Instead of place cards, write your guests name in the center of a red wine stain. Genius.

Time for Garland Stamp

I love this—for 2 reasons. It's a garland and it's a stamp. Oh, and it's DIY. So that's 3 reasons. Check out how easy it is to make one and how fabulous the result is on Just Something I Made.

Found via Creature Comforts.

Time for Message Cookies

I'm not really a fan of conversation hearts (although I hear their recipe is new and improved), but a cookie that tells me that I'm Hot Stuff or a Sweet Heart or a QTπ is alright in my book. You customize the cutters by sliding in letters or premade words to form a name or message. When you press the cutter into the dough, your lettering is imprinted on the cookie.

Message-in-a-Cookie Cutters via Just Our Story.

PS...if you have a soul and love cookies, check out my friend Scott Sternberg's cookie blog.

Time for Craft Shopping 001

     

It's kind of amazing when your profession and your obsession are the same thing. I get to craft for a living. For reals, I'm not kidding. I get to wander slowly through craft stores, fabric stores, the flower mart (my favorite block in NYC) and if I'm caught day dreaming at work or playing with pipe cleaners, it's totally excused. In fact, it's celebrated.

The other day I had to do some craft errands to finish up a project and visited a few of my favorite sources. I plan on adding a sidebar list to TVH of my favorite stores (I have no problem revealing my secrets), but until them, I'll be posting "Time for Craft Shopping" posts.

From left to right:

Best for buttons, ribbon, trim, iron-on, feathers: M&J Trimming

Best for cheap findings, wire, colored bells: Toho Shoji

Best for candy, candy, and more candy: Dylan's Candy Bar