Crafty Blogger Links!

Look at what the crafty bloggers are up to this week!

About Family Crafts
Have a sick kid at home? Check out this collection of crafts Sherri has compiled to help entertain them while they get better.

Aileen’s Musings
Aileen has a blogoversary coming up and she’s offering a fun giveaway!

Alexa Westerfield a.k.a. Swelldesigner
Alexa gets back into her crafty groove with a cool & modern statement ring!

Craftside-A behind-the-scenes peek at a crafty world
The first week of 2010 at Craftside brings you ho-tos on crocheting broomstick lace and then framing it up to store your earrings, stringing up a ribbon and pearl zigzag necklace, and a call for entries for a new book-1000 Ideas for Decorating Cakes, Cupcakes & Cookies.

Crafty Princess Diaries
Even though this crafty princess is from the South, she still needs a warm crochet hat now and then.

Cross Stitch at About.com
Connie has a “handy” motif you can adapt for multiple uses. Stitch her suggested saying or choose one of your own.

Margot Potter The Impatient Crafter
Madge opens up a rather sticky can of worms in this post about copyright infringement. Right click, save. Done.

Mixed Media Artist
A new year, a new technique! Cyndi shares the first steps to making a shibori background fabric for a new quilt.

The Artful Crafter
Eileen went shopping in her closet and made a 20-something sweater new again. Here’s how to update a dated BIG sweater.

Crafty Blogger Links!

Check out what the crafty bloggers are up to this week!

About Family Crafts
I need your help! Be the first to submit a photo of this completed craft and be featured on the Family Crafts site!

Aileen’s Musings
Your help is needed…Please take a moment to help make a difference We have a chance to get our ovarian cancer charity project on the cover of a northern CA magazine. Your vote is needed! The project benefits the Ovarian Cancer Research Fund. Deadline for voting is July 23rd so hurry and cast your vote!

Alexa Westerfield a.k.a. Swelldesigner
Alexa shares the mental process behind creating a post on her swell craft blog

Craftside-A behind-the-scenes peek at a crafty world
Craftside’s got a how-to’s on bleaching photos and juxtaposing images, a mixed-media journal out of a wide variety of recycled materials and a video with Scatha G. Allison where she shows the incredible designs from her book Jean Therapy. Be sure to answer the day’s questions to be entered to win a free book!

Crafty Princess Diaries
Have you thought about taking your craft hobby to a different level? Tammy has some thoughts to consider before crossing over the hobby/professional line.

CraftyPod
SisterDiane is thrilled to unveil her new ebook, Weaving Un-Loomed: Simple Ways to Weave Cool Things.

Cross Stitch at About.com
Have fun trying out these new free Candlewicking patterns Connie’s sharing. If you use one, send in a photo to show it off!

Mixed Media Artist
Using two very different book pages, you can create a found poem for an altered book…or just because!

Naughty Secretary Club
Jen shares clever and crafty uses for suitcases that have nothing to do with holding clothing. Side tables, laptop cases and portable craft studios oh my!

Stefanie Girard’s Sweater Surgery
Drink Mermaids take the plunge into some silver paint and get transformed into some swimmingly fun necklaces inspired by the wonderfully innovative book- A Charming Exchange.

The Artful Crafter
Eileen shows you how to make a multi-strand fiber bracelet.

The Crochet Dude
Drew reviews the new Simplicty Rotary Cutting Maching – offers up a free crocheted project using fabric strips – and he’s giving away a Rotary Cutting Machine to one lucky commenter!

The Impatient Crafter
Madge shows you how to make a quick and easy Altered Chinese Paper Lantern in her first post on Kid/Teen Crafts for I Love to Create!

Vickie Howell-Craft.Rock.Love
Check out Vickie’s free pattern for a knitted lace, iPhone cozy!

The craft blog thought process

I really enjoy writing my blog and sometimes I am super, super inspired to post a new project or something cool I experienced, but there are times where (like now), it is 11:37pm on a weeknight and I have no clue what I’m going to write about for my daily blog post.

As you probably notice, I really try to come up with new content that’s somewhat interesting (at least I hope it is for your sake…ha ha). When I was thinking about what I was going to do tonight, I had an idea…why don’t I share with you the randomness that comes into my head when I develop a blog post (esp. a last minute one). I’m fascinated by how people formalize their ideas and how an idea gets from point a to point b…so, with that in mind, I want to share with you my thought process behind my a post…so here’s the inner dialogue straight from my brain.

You are now entering Alexa’s Brain

“Oh, no. I really need to think of something for my blog. What kind of project can I do in 30 minutes? Hmm…maybe I can do a post on a 30 minute craft and it become a regular feature. But what if I flake out and it doesn’t become a regular feature. Ugh, I can’t make a promise to do a regular feature and not pull through…I don’t think I’m going to do that.

Hmm…hey, I could do a contest and give away some fun stuff from my craft stash. Let’s see…I have this charm, a cool goblin bead, and let’s see, I have some paper clips. Ugh, I can’t give away paper clips. That’s dumb. OK, I do have this tin. I could fill it with beads, charms, and stickers.

lemon drops

But I kinda like it. I don’t want to give it away. Um, and I don’t know if I would ship it right away. I’m going on vacation and it would be several weeks till I would get around to mailing it out. Ugh, can’t do that idea.

Hey, what project do I have around that I could post. Let’s see…oh, there’s that Creative Techniques project I did…people prob. won’t remember it, but I don’t want to have to go and find the instructions in my e-mail. That would take longer than rewriting them from scratch. Can’t do that one. Oh, wait…I do have this John Mayer frame. It has a cool technique on it…

jm frame

But I don’t really like John Mayer like I used to. He’s too Hollywood now and not as cool. I guess it looks cool and that they are my own photos that I burned on the frame, but I don’t want to have to write instructions and think of how to explain it.

OK, let’s see…hmm, there’s that vase of colorful buttons I could blog about…

buttons

Um, yeah, it’s a vase of buttons. That will make for a real exciting read!

Hey, what about if I show off the project that I created just for my blog? I’ve been waiting to feature it…

canvas detail

Ugh, but I’m not entirely finished with it and again, I’d have to write instructions. I don’t want to be up for an hour and a half finishing it and writing instructions too.

I’m at a total loss. I don’t know what the heck to blog about that people actually will want to read about…hey (looking down next to keyboard), I could do something cool with this measuring tape. It would make a super cool vase or bracelet or something.

wrapped

I don’t have a surface to start with. Hmm, I need to go to plan Z.”

Wait, why don’t I do a blog about how I decide how I choose what to blog…yeah, I think I’ll do that. That won’t take too long and it will be easy to write. I’ll just snap a few pics and I’ll be done in no time. Yeah, I’ll think I’ll do that.

You are now exiting Alexa’s Brain

Hope that made sense and was somewhat easy to follow. I’ve never been one to be perfect about grammatical phrasing. I need to study up.

Hope you enjoyed this little venture inside my head and thinking up a crafty blog post. I promise, it’s not always this hard or this much of a stretch. Some days it just comes, other days it is a little harder, but it’s all worth it. I do enjoy it.

Until next time Swellions!

Alexa