Pretty earrings tonight @ Crafty Tuesdays!

Come make pretty embroidered fabric earrings tonight @ Anomaly. Join us 6:30-8:30p. $5 and BYOB!

See you this evening.

xo.
emily

Bringing back the scarflet!

Tonight is a repeat from a project we originally did back in December. It's a cute neck wrap made from old sweaters.

I know it's still 90 degrees outside in this lovely Florida fall weather, but I have an ulterior motive for doing this project tonight. Tomorrow morning I'm going to be shooting a tutorial for jacksonville.com! It will be airing in October so I wanted to do something that was cute and fallish. I think this is a perfect project because every time I wear mine, I always get loads of compliments, plus it's pretty easy.

I need your crafty help to make examples to show at the end of the segment. I want to show a bunch of different styles and all my crafty crew always comes up with the best twists on the project I present. So, hopefully you can make it tonight and help me out AND make a cool neck warmer.

**IF YOU HAVE A SEWING MACHINE, PLEASE BRING IT! :)** This is an easy sewing project but it does require machine stitching.

Looking forward to seeing you all this evening!

xxoo.
emily

a delicate fabric flower necklace.

tonight it's time to get crafty once again! i've missed all my crafty peeps and am so excited to see everyone this evening. we're making a flower necklace that i absolutely love.

so, come by anomaly from 6:30-8:30 and make a perfect statement necklace to spruce up any ol' tee or tank!

see you tonight!

xo.
emily

RE:Style old zippers have a new look!

I didn't have too much luck at the flea market today, but what i did get was well worth the trip! i scored a supa sweet shoe box FULL of vintage notions!

One of the many ideas on my "things to make" list happens to be a zipper flower. It was my lucky day because this box was FILLED with zippers! There's quite the assortment. Some fashioned from ivory cotton, yellowed with time and lined thick silver metal zipper teeth. Some are a deep purple and others olive green, or there's the skinny polyester ones circa 1970's and 3 are even still in the package! As if the 15 zippers wasn't enough of a treasure, the box also held 2 packages of unopened needles (just broke my last one on Friday night!), a bunch of ribbed poly cord perfect for handles for tote bags, a few yards of elastic, buttons galore, and other miscellaneous sewing trinkets. I'm not going to even tell you how much I paid for it. You wouldn't believe me anyway.

I have a tremendous appreciation for vintage packaging. A few of the buttons in my stash were still on the original cards. The back of one of the cards caught my eye.


Such a simple little sales pitch means so much more now that when it was printed. Women have really escaped the confines of being a housewife (although if you ARE a housewife and enjoy, there is nothing wrong with that either!) and have risen to great achievement. From being a doctor, supreme court justice, a senator, and even the proprietor of an independent shop, (wink, wink) women have much more credibility in this world than they used to!

That being said, there is part of me that's a little sad. About a month or so ago I was sitting outside the shop enjoying the weather and working on the handstiching of an owl pillow for RAM. 2 elderly ladies were walking past me and one stopped and asked what i was working on. I told her and she replied, "You just don't see that kind of handwork any more. It's so nice to see that." The making of things is quickly becoming a thing of the past. People are so busy with the chaos of life that it's easier to run to Target and pick up some mass produced item than to take the time to craft something by hand. We've got to keep crafting alive! Let's be inspired by ideas and techniques from generations before us and craft in a way that is modern, fun, functional, and of course, CUTE!

I digress... back to my project... I fashioned up a couple flowers this evening and this is what i came up with... Add a bobby pin or pin back and you've got yourself a cute little conversation piece!

Please join the crafty crew this Tuesday (and every Tuesday!) for Craftacular Tuesdays at Anomaly! As always, it's BYOB, $5 (includes supplies) and we looooove seeing new faces! Hope you can make it. Feel free to call 904-354-7002 if you have any questions!

xoxo.
emily

hands off my wine (cozy)!

Toss out those old wine charms (or better yet recycle them into a new craft!) and dress up your wine glasses with pretty cozies! We will be crafting these cozies out of recycled sweaters, so if you have a specific color you'd like to use, bring your own! As always, we will have all the supplies you need to make your project! And, if you aren't a wine drinker you will have the option to make a cute coffee cozy (a craft from a previous week).

Hope to see you tomorrow night, 6:30-8:30 @ anomaly!

Please note: The above picture is a trial run cozy I made from felt. Since felt doesn't stretch, this wasn't a good material to use!

xoxo.

emily

etch your heart out.

it has been quite a mission this evening getting my computer up and running and downloading the pictures. something is wrong with the internal part of my charger AND it's running insanely slowly. there must be some serious viruses on here. urgh. so frustrating. more than anything, i hate low productivity. i don't have time to waste sitting here waiting for my computer to load for ALMOST AN HOUR!!! (no, seriously.)

now that i've gotten that out of my system, let me introduce you to this weeks project. i've been saving glass jars for a little while and i've gathered quite a collection of different shapes and sizes. we will be using etching cream to frost the glass and spray paint to paint the lid. (mine was green!) not only is this is a super easy project but it turns out looking store bought. it's simple and modern.

i decided to adorn an old salsa jar with "treat" because it's the perfect size to stash some candy to satisfy my nightly sweet tooth. mmm... smarties... start brainstorming about something you need a container for. buttons? needles? sharks teeth? wishes?

looking forward to tomorrow night! please contact me at the shop (354.7002) if you have any questions about craftacular tuesdays.

WHAT TO BRING?

• glass jar if you have a specific one you'd like to use. otherwise, i should have enough.
• beverages of choice
• a friend or two
• 5 bucks

see you at 6:30, tuesday evening.

xo. emily

a fusa-bowl!

it's 12:15am the day of craftacular tuesday. after wracking my brain for the past week trying to figure out a pet craft that i promised josh, i decided we would make a multi purpose bowl. this project can double as a super cool collapsible and reusable pet water bowl (for the fur friends) or make a few in different sizes and shapes and use as cool decorative containers.

last night the sample i mocked up didn't really turn out as i'd imagined. with some adjustments to the pattern, i tried again this afternoon. i'd planned to use recycled raincoats and vinyl materials, but the sides were too flimsy. and it kept leaking. no good.

then earlier this evening i was working on another project and it came to me... i would make fused plastic fabric (out of recycled grocery bags) and then sew the bowl from that. the layers of plastic made the walls of the bowl strong, while still being lightweight and pliable. i really think it turned out great... unfortunately, there is no picture. it's another case of the missing USB cord! sorry! (i think the cord is in my car but it's too dark to really see, so hopefully i will find it in the morning and be able to post the picture for you!)

other than that... here are the details about the crafty meet-up that happens every tuesday only at...

ANOMALY. 1021 park street. 32204
TONIGHT. (and every tuesday night)- 6:30-8:30p.
BYOB. (yes, you read that correctly.)
+$5. (that's $2.50 an hour. i don't know where you can get entertainment that cheap and a souvenir from the evening. that's what she said!)

**SIDENOTE: IF YOU HAVE A SEWING MACHINE YOU CAN SHARE FOR THIS PROJECT, PLEASE BRING IT. THERE IS SOME SIMPLE SEWING INVOLVED.**

if you've been saying you want to come check out what this crafty business is all about and haven't yet, what are you waiting for? craftacular tuesday is calling your name.

hope to see you tonight! xxoo. emily

note to self: next time i see the USB in my trunk and think, "i should pick that up and put it with the camera, so next time i need to use it i will know where it is." i should actually do what i'm thinking.

a wedding, the arts market and a t-bag craft tomorrow for tomorrow night!

the past few weeks have been crazy busy! i did a wedding 2 weekends ago. it turned out really nicely. the bride picked yellow and green as her colors and that allowed me to use some of my favorites stems on the tables! i love the mix and match look and we did an assortment of green and yellow vases on the tables along with real granny smith apples as the candle holders. lemons and limes were sliced and put into clear vases. it was so colorful!

her bouquet (pictured above) was traditional with a modern twist. i used a delicate combination of hydrangeas, mini calla lilies, and jade roses.

this past weekend, for those of you that don't know, was the opening day of the Riverside Arts Market. if you didn't come down to RAM, you really missed out on a truly historic day in du-val. it was amazing! an incredible turnout... 40,000!!! the crowd was pleasant, positive and 100% energizing. the crafty crew and i have a booth and hopefully will every week till december 19th (it closes till the following april). unfortunately, during the madness of opening day setup (and the fact that it was too early to be up for someone who drank too much and stayed out past her curfew the night before) i forgot to get my camera. urgh. next week i'll post some photos of how cute the booth turned out! our collective is appropriately named "the makers of things" and offers quite a variety of goodies! thanks to all my lovely, crafty friends for their help, support, and enthusiasm. you guys are awesome!

i've also been a non stop maker this week trying to build up some stock for the booth. i've made pillows, fabric collage necklaces, funky headbands and bobby pins, rings and earrings, cute vintage fabric cloches, and funky kids tees. i sold a little of everything but the t-shirts were clearly the hottest seller of the day. today i was back at it, rebuilding my inventory. i'm exhausted but have a few more things left to sew tonight... then maybe a little relaxation.

can i just say, i looooooooove my crafty club!!! seriously, that's what craftacular tuesdays have become... we ARE the 'crafty club'. it's a super fun group of people from different places, different backgrounds and of all ages. the fact that we all make things is what brings us together. i love hearing about everyone's ideas and seeing the finished projects.

JOIN THE CRAFTY CLUB THIS TUESDAY NIGHT (4/7) from 6:30-8:30p.

come make this adorable recycled t-shirt tote. use it to carry your fresh produce from RAM or throw in a towel and sunscreen and head to the beach!

this is a super easy sewing project. we'll have t-shirts for use or bring one you'd like to use from home. if you have a sewing machine to share, please bring it if you can!

we'll also have an assortment of other projects going on. some crafters want to bring whatever project they have been working on lately and just work on it at craftacular tuesdays! we would love for you to bring your projects to complete and/or share with us!

hope to see you tomorrow night!

xoxo. emily

lost marbles? come find tomorrow night @ anomaly!

i'm just sitting down to take a break from making tomorrow nights craft to blog about it. i'm also trying to stockpile some inventory not only for anomaly, but also for RAM which is less than 2 weeks away!!!

tomorrow nights project consists of flat backed glass marbles that can usually be found in the floral section at your favorite craft store. this may not be very cute as filler in a vase, but you can make some really great accessories with them. i've made bracelets, earrings, pendants and even fridge magnets before! this week at craftacular tuesday we're making earrings. (and for all you gents, a tie tac or a lapel pin)

for this project i'm recycling an old obey catalog. shepard has the best prints and they really show up well underneath the marble. i have really fallen in love with this line. not only is his 'medium is the message' agenda such an interesting study in human nature but the clothing itself has really progressed in terms of great fit, style and detail! it's so much more than screen printed "OBEY" tees now! flipping back through the catalog now makes me excited because we should be receiving a new shipment sometime next week! yay!

i really hope to see you all tomorrow (6:30-8:30p) night for a fun night of creativity and fun with friends.

xoxo.
emily

paper bead necklaces tomorrow night!

come get super crafty this tuesday night 6:30-8:30. we're making a beautiful paper bead necklace and for 5 bucks you can make one too! i was really happy with how this turned out. it looks really nice tied around a neck too! :)

hope to see you tomorrow night for good times.

xoxo.
emily

cool paper beads!

i was searching through the internet this morning for inspiration for the next craftacular project and came across this tutorial on another blog. you can find it HERE! we won't be doing this one because it's too in depth to do on a tuesday night, but maybe this will encourage you to try it at home. i LOVE how the necklaces turned out! simply wonderful.

we will be making paper beads on tuesday, but not like this. stay tuned.

have a wonderful day and enjoy this craft!

xxoo.

emily

all tied up.

this tuesday night from 6:30-8:30p, for only 5 bucks at anomaly, we're making the cutest TIE BELTS! plus with the slack you will have leftover, you can make a cool cuff too! 2 projects out of one recycled tie! all you need to do is bring yourself but if you have a cool tie you'd like to use, feel free to bring that.

plus plus plus... a special thanks this week to two super crafty friends... cathy (or is it with a k? sorry!!!) for sharing this idea with us and elizabeth for donating the ties for the project. i love revamping old stuff!

and thanks to you too... for your continued support!

xoxo. emily

new year, new craft.... cute coffee koozies!

hopefully everyone had a fun and safe new year. before i write about this week's craft, i just wanted to thank everyone that has supported anomaly this year and in years past. i am so happy that craft night has blossomed into such an amazing evening. i am constantly inspired by everyone that comes and it wouldn't be craftacular without all of you!

new years is always a sign of reflection and i just wanted to share with you some of my goals and resolutions in 2009!

clean out my backroom and turn it into a full time craft haven.
make more time for myself.
start a clothing line.
get more manicures and stop picking at my nails!
start webtv craft tutorials.
make this blog look cooler and post more than once a week on it!
be more organized and less organized chaos...
read more books.
eat vegan 3x a week.
seek out more handmade/indie crafter lines for the store!
start an online store.
sew more.
bike more.
be happy.

i think it's going to be a great year for us all! what's in store for you?

now, on to the craft du jour...

stop wasting those cardboard wraps you use to prevent from burning your hand with your delicious beverage! join us tuesday night when we make felted wool (we're using old wool sweaters!) coffee koozies! this picture does not do this craft justice at all! i was really happy with the way it turned out!

tuesday jan 6th
6:30-8:30p

WHAT TO BRING?
BYOB
$5
and a partner in craft if you choose

crafterparty at raglands to follow...

i supply everything you need! hope to see you tomorrow night!

xoxo.
emily

bust a cap.

tonight it's all about resin and bottle caps. we'll be making pendants and/or keychains. another GREAT gift idea!

very cute and fun craft. this one may be trial and error though... hopefully it works... if not we'll have to put plan b into effect.

see you tonight...
6:30, BYOB or grab a delicious beer at raglands. they'll put it in a togo cup for you!

ALSO, if you have any bottle caps, bring them... we may need. thanks!

modern ornaments

with december upon us, everyone is dusting off last years holiday decorations from the attic, i wanted to spice up my decor with some new garland. tuesday night we're making garland and/or ornaments out of either recycled magazines or fun holiday papers. you can take your pick. the way you piece together these balls is by cutting out circles and folding the edges in and then gluing the edges to other pieces. (picture coming soon...) it's simple, fun and an ornament would be a nice present for a friend as well.

tell your friends and bring some booze. :) see you tuesday.

xxoo,
emily

TONIGHT...

It's the return of the FUSED PLASTIC!!! This craft is super fun and easy!

TONIGHT --- 6:30-8:30

WHAT TO BRING:

• BYOB
• an iron if you can.
• plastic bags, if you have a specific color/style you want to use...
  

** i will have 2 available to use, but the more the better! :)

See you tonight!

xo, emily

get organized AND reuse your old cardboard food boxes!

do you have any papers/bills/recipes, etc... you need to organize? school is starting soon... need to keep track of important papers for class? head to anomaly tuesday night to make file boxes!

WHEN? 6:30-8:30p
WHERE? Anomaly, 1021 Park St 32204
WHAT (to bring?): bring a cardboard (or multiple if you'd like to make a few) box of your choice. different sizes look cute together!

see you tuesday!

xo, emily

Ooh la la.

Come make a lovely vase out of a recycled bottle this Tuesday at Anomaly! I used a champagne bottle but you could really use ANY TYPE of bottle you'd like. A short vase (from a beer bottle) would be really cute. A set of 3 on a shelf would be even cuter! We will be wrapping the bottle in ribbon, strips of vintage fabric, yarn, etc...

WHAT TO BRING...
*$5
*a bottle (plastic or glass, any size), if you'd like. i will have beer bottles on hand for everyone.
*beverage(s) of your choice.

Looking forward to Tuesday! Feel free to call or e-mail if you have any questions!

xoxo.
emily