I am really enjoying checking out the animation over at Aubrey Longley-Cook’s photobucket page. In particularly, I’m interested in the series pictured here in which Aubrey did fifteen different embroidered images of a dog and then compiled them into an animation of the dog running.

Why this is so smart:

• It has flip-book features. I’ve always loved flip-book style art because it’s fun and I also really respect the amount of detail and time that goes into creating each of the individual images that makes up this type of artwork.
• It combines old and new art forms. You have the high-tech art of online animation and it’s used to animate the old-fashioned art of embroidery. Genius.
• The artist has single-handedly brought attention to a new art form. It’s called manbroidery. Guys who aren’t afraid to dabble in traditionally feminine arts bring something fresh and new to the table.
• The value of repetition. There is something to be said for repetition in art. It allows you to explore your creative processes in more depth if you do them again and again. Here we have not only the repetition of stitches within one piece of art but then the repetition of strikingly similar images embroidered again and again for use in the animation and then the repetition of the animated image on repeat. Very fascinating.

Tags: animation gif, arts and crafts, creative inspiration, longley-cook

Most of us like to be involved in DIY craft projects when we can. At the very least, we like to be able to dress up our own clothing or make some of our own accessories now and then. But let’s face it, sometimes being crafty takes a back seat to practicality. There just isn’t always time to do things like sew.

For those of you looking to pull your look together without having to mess around with needle and thread, here are a few tips:

· Button Guns – These craft toys are inexpensive and can be efficient in a bind. Toss it in to your purse and the next time you have a button pop off, you can use your button gun to put it back on quickly.

· Fabric Tape – Have a pair of pants that you want shortened but don’t have the time to hem them? Next time you’re at the store, pick yourself up a roll of toupee tape. Stick the tape on the hem edge of the pants you’re shortening, turning it up so the leg sticks to itself and voila – you’re all set!

· No-sew Snaps – Use these instead of buttons to tighten clothes where they need to be tightened or loosen your look with some decorative picks.

· Patches – With the right choice in designs, fabric patches never go out of style. Rather than getting the sew-on kind, use the self-adhesive ones to jazz up your jeans.

And if you want to make things but sewing isn’t working out for you then I’d recommend trying crochet. I’m still working on learning to sew but it frustrates me a lot. In contrast, I’m finding crocheting to be super easy. I even made that cute little neck warmer recently.

Tags: arts and crafts, crochet, no time to sew, sewing, simple craft tips, smartchick

One of the things that I’ve been looking into lately is how to create online storefronts where you can sell your artwork. I’m in love with the Etsy stores and constantly check out what creative people are doing with their little online storefronts there.

However, Etsy isn’t the only game in town. In fact, it’s not necessarily the best option if you are someone who doesn’t create your own handmade stuff because that site is all for people who do DIY crafts or who sell vintage items.

For those of us who want to easily design something online that doesn’t necessarily have quite the same DIY feel but which can be turned into a cool product for sale, there are many other options. Several stores let you easily upload your own designs or choose from various designs on the site and then create products there like T-shirts and coffee mugs and posters and calendars.

The store that I’ve been looking at most for this kind of stuff is Zazzle. However, there are several other good options as well including CafePress, Spreadshirt, and Printfection.

Tags: arts and crafts, cafepress, diy, hubpages, kathryn vercillo, online retailers, online stores, zazzle