Crafts to waste your most likely precious time.
Paper, fabric, yarn, collage, foods, or whatever I feel like! Also work by artists I like and think are worthy of mention!
Ask me what you wanna see, I guess?
http://procraftinate.tumblr.com/ask
Each craft's source that I originally post should be linked to when the respective images are clicked.
~Background lace from http://cherish.silk.to/ ~
It may be hard to believe, but this incredibly lifelike lobster is entirely made of boxwood. Hand-carved and fully articulated, it’s the painstaking work of 25-year-old Japanese sculptor Ryosuke Ohtake and an awesome example of form of uniquely Japanese sculpture known as jizai okimono.
“The craft involves carving realistic animals whose bodies and limbs are all animated through joints just like the real living thing. Some common subjects are birds, fishes, snakes and insects. It’s a craft that originated in the late-Edo period (late 1700s) when metalsmiths and armor makers, faced with a decline in demand for armor, found themselves with plenty of time on their hands. But ever since it’s modest beginnings, the lobster, with its numerous joints and undulating back, has been considered to be the most difficult and challenging subject.”
What’s perhaps even more unbelievable about this amazing creature is that it was Ohtake’s very first jizai okimono piece. It was shown as part of a wooden sculpture exhibition which took place at Tokyu Department Store in Tokyo this past April.
Click here to watch a brief video to get a closer look at this truly astonishing wooden crustacean, how it was made, and how realistically every single part of its beautifully articulated body moves.
I’ve seen rummy bears and vodka gummy worms, but what if you want something a bit more gamer themed? Imgur user BigEatsBen melted some bags of various colored gummy candy, mixed it with vodka, and formed each sphere into a total of 20 alcoholic Pokeballs. They look like an awesome snack for a themed party, or even just a fun treat to wrap up and give to fellow Pokemon trainers. Quite the rare candy.
They’re creepy and they’re kooky, mysterious and spooky, they’re all together ooky, and now their home has been splendidly recreated using paper. Los Angeles-based artist Alan Ronay of Everyday Miniatures made this beautiful papercraft model of the interior of the Addams’ wonderfully spooky mansion from the 1960s tv series.
“I made the effort to capture the mood of the set using texture and shadows and by reproducing the set decoration as faithfully as possible. I used a slightly purple tint to give it that 1960s CRT nostalgia feel.”
Ronay’s handmade model comes with paper standees of Gomez, Morticia, Lurch, and Cousin Itt and features a host of amazing details that made the Addam’s house so unforgettable, such as:
- You can see the shadow of Kitty Kat, the family lion, coming down the stairs. - A portrait of Gomez’s business partner is hanging on the wall. - Pierre the moose is hanging on the wall over the fireplace. - Thing is popping out of a box on the harpsichord. - Morticia’s peacock chair. - Cousin Farouk is hanging on the wall. - A copy of TV Guide with the Addams Family on the cover.
In addition to this one-of-a-kind piece, Ronay also created a downloadable DIY version that includes all the instructions and print files necessary to make your own scale model of the Addams’ Living Room, Stairs, Piano and character standees. All you’ll need is some paper, scissors, a printer, ruler, glue and a flesh-eating plant or two.
I’m having a GIVEAWAY!
Spring clean your rooms and decorate them with new artwork, and cool stickers. :)
I’m giving away 2 packages! so I’ll be selecting two winners.
Package #1:
Set of 3 5x7 postcards, 3 stickers, and a 1 inch button.
Package #2:
Set of 2 5x7 postcards, 6 stickers, and 1 inch button.
All you need to do is reblog this post for a chance of winning these very packages!
Giveaway ends May 22nd a month from now!!! ✎………….✉
DIY: Turn premade pound cake into chichi petits fours.
“People will swear these are from a fancy bakery,” says Atlas of this tempting shortcut. To follow her lead: Use a serrated knife to cut the crust off a pound cake, then slice the cake into one-inch squares. Place them on a cooling rack with parchment paper underneath, pour icing over the squares, and let set for an hour. Atlas’s 60-second icing recipe? Mix four tablespoons of water to two cups of sifted confectioner’s sugar. Tint the mixture by stirring in a bit of gel food-coloring.
With the return of Gourmet Gaming, I felt a return to the classics (in terms of both food and games) as a gentle ease in would be best. Pokémon recently enjoyed a resurgence in popularity thanks to ‘Twitch Plays Pokémon’ where gamers set aside their differences and took part in some (mostly) jolly co-operation in a bid to become Pokémon master. When it came to the Old Gateau, I decided to base the recipe on the traditional Japanese treat of Uirō, which is rather similar to Mochi in texture and taste. I decided only a sweet from the Edo period could have survived so long in the Old Chateau. I like to think maybe it’s the final tasty evolution of a Gengar…
Ever wondered where my cute little illustrated icon of craft supplies came from? I’d almost forgotten myself! Then it came to me: it was from almost a decade ago, when I found these instructions for how to make a felt Buru Buru Dog (a very much retired San-X character) plushie! Miraculously they’re still online, on the official site, no less.
The instructions are in Japanese, but fully illustrated. Simply click on the large pink button for the instructions. Print out the template and size it to your liking first, and then gather your supplies. Enjoy!
