Lark Crafts

This past weekend, my friend and I popped into The Big Crafty in downtown Asheville to check out local handmade creations. My friend, Teresa, was on the hunt for the perfect earrings for a birthday gift so we were happy to find that almost every other craft booth outside had jewelry.

(Read this post to the end to catch an awesome video of the Big Crafty made by my friends Lauren and Matt, who are starting up their downtown Asheville business in September called Zapow!, an illustrative art gallery and a place for writer and artist development.)

One booth in particular was run by Mackenzie King and here are some pictures I took of her work:

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Okay, here’s a fun game: when I say “go,” start listing all the things that make you think of summery dessert goodness. Ready? Go.

If, like me, your mind raced to campfires and ooey gooey marshmallowy-chocolatey wonderfulness, then you’ll completely understand why this blog post makes my heart flutter.

I grew up spending my summers in northern Michigan, smack dab in a land ‘o lakes (and, subsequently, a land o’ lakeside beach campfires). I’m of the fervent belief that there’s no lovelier way to watch the sun go down than to be gathered round a stone-lined beach fire on the shores of Lake Michigan (cue the sighs) with some sort of tasty morsel cooking over the hot embers. And by tasty morsel, I mean s’mores. Lots of them.

[*campfire photo by Gregwar]

Please tell me you know what s’mores are. If you don’t know (and no offense is meant here), your childhood and entire life up until this very moment is lacking a critical, foundational element.

Here’s the breakdown. S’mores involve three basic things: a marshmallow toasted over an open fire; a slab of chocolate to snuggle up against the toasty marshmallow; and two crispy graham crackers to sandwich around the goldeny, melty, drippy, your-hair-WILL-fly-into-it s’more center. This is the old school version. Plain and simple, yet sophisticated in its time-honored longevity.

But the old school s’more is enjoying a come-back, y’all. Big time. And by come-back I mean fancy-pants awesomeness. Below you’ll find a small yet holy-cow delicious collection of ways people have been transforming s’mores into new and luscious hybridized decadence. Trust me, you’ll want to have a snack handy while reading this post. [*s'more photo by sanchom]

Thank you to the incredibly clever, talented, and inspired people who created the desserts below—if I could, I’d make a pilgrimage to each of your kitchens.

S’mores Cupcake Ice Cream Sandwiches,  from: 52 Kitchen Adventures

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S’mores Cake in a Jar,  from: How Sweet it is

………….continue reading for more s’mores………..

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Road Trip! This Summer’s trip had an unplanned theme centered around Marcel Duchamp’s Étant donnés: 1° la chute d’eau, 2° le gaz d’éclairage . . . (Given: 1. The Waterfall, 2. The Illuminating Gas . . . ) at the Philadelphia Museum of Art. Our road trip was planned for various points North, and Duchamp’s surreal masterpiece left a lasting psychological afterimage everywhere I went…

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Here’s a press release that may be of interest to you:

The Revere Academy of Jewelry Arts announces it’s offering a new scholarship aimed at the beading community. The well-known jewelry school is offering a complete scholarship for any of its 3-day classes to the winner of its new contest for beaders. The winner will chose from dozens of classes offered each year in a wide range of subjects such as fabrication, stone setting, jewelry design and more.

This new scholarship contest is open to anyone who makes beaded jewelry and would like to learn more about traditional jewelry making. The winner can select the class of their choice and will receive full tuition plus airfare from anywhere in the U.S., as well as lodging in San Francisco and kit fees. Applications ask for examples of your beaded jewelry along with a statement of why you want to attend the Revere Academy.

The application deadline is October 15, 2011 and the winner will be announced November 1, 2011. There is no fee to complete the online application. For more details, click here.

“This is a great opportunity for anyone who is passionate about making jewelry and would like to take their skills to the next level,” says the school’s director and founder, Alan Revere. “In just 3 days, the winner will learn an incredible amount from professionals who are eager to share their skills.”

The Revere Academy of Jewelry Arts is located in downtown San Francisco’s historic Phelan Building. Schedules, information and a free video tour are available upon request.

Tel: 415-391-4179

E-mail: info@revereacademy.com

Try as I might, my crafty impulses tend to taper off in the summer…. there are just too many hammocks to sit in, too many mountains to explore, and too many picnics to be made and had! There are many folks who apparently don’t suffer from seasonal crafting laziness… and thank goodness for that! Check out this fresh batch of quilts from flickr – the perfect blend of quilting perfection, loose improvisation, and inspiring colors!

(Click on the links below to see more from these artists.)

1. Habitat bowtie quilt, 2. vintage summer love quilt WIP., 3. Warm Cool Quilt Along – Finished, 4. organic quilt entry, 5. Pixel Pusher, finished, 6. picnic blanket (empty), 7. Supernova – the back, 8. drunkard’s path baby quilt, 9. the big orange wall quilt

Every Friday, I post a set of free project instructions. (Well, I aim for every Friday, anyways.)

Today’s project is Purple Passion, a bracelet-and-earring set from Felted Jewelry: 20 Stylish Designs, by the lovely, the talented Candie Cooper! Click here to download a PDF of the instructions at no charge.

Candie’s also the author of Metalworking 101 for Beaders, and she’s hard at work on another book with Lark.

By the way, if you’re into felting, you may be interested to know that Lark is releasing 500 Felted Objects this September.

No matter your medium, summer is a time to let the creative part of your brain wander. Maybe it’s the years and years of having summer breaks from school. Maybe it’s the freedom you feel when you can happily go outdoors, but instead say, “Nope. I’m cranking the AC and staying inside today.”

But even indoors, summer still has its influence. I know I find myself watching shows and movies that take place in warm climates, whether it’s Dexter or Wet Hot American Summer.

So for the next few weeks, we’re not just sharing any quilt blocks from 45 Quilt Blocks Animals–we’re sharing ones that love getting outside and playing in the water!

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The Fourth of July is behind us, and at least in my neighborhood, the last of the bottle rockets are being launched into the sky. I admit, I’ve never been a huge fan of noisy fireworks in general, but I LOVE sparklers. The sizzle, the golden sparks, and the fleeting surge of excitement in twirling them around until they sputter out. It’s sad, isn’t it, when the spark is extinguished?

Well, thanks to these enterprising shutterbugs, they’ve captured the spirit, and the lasting “spark” of these fiery wands –plus all the fun in writing or drawing with them–in the following pictures from Flickr.

* * * See more pics, and links, after the jump! * * *

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