Thrift Store Finds to Get You in the Halloween Mood!

Aren't mannequin parts fascinating? I like the way these look like severed hands, yet they are immaculately clean & shiny.


Hee hee hee heeee! I'll get you, my pretty! (and your little dog, too!)

This little cutie-pie wouldn't scare anyone!

All of these pics were taken on a recent fun-filled afternoon thrifting with my WonderCraft pals. I posted the full story on The WonderCraft's blog, and you can also check out more pics from the trip in my Scenic Austin Flickr set.

Iron-on Flocking Craft for Pixel Pop Event, Tonight!

Weeeeeeee! My WonderCraft partners & I have had so much fun getting ready for Pixel Pop, a comic book-themed art, fashion & music event! I made this painted cupcake hoodie, which also has a paint tube across the bottom pocket. "H" is my nickname, to distinguish me from my partner Beth A, aka "A."

Tonight at Pixel Pop we'll be making these iron-on flocking designs with party-goers & I think it's going to be so much fun! Guests can make a hoodie like ours, a t-shirt, a tote bag, a sew-on patch or pocket, or superhero-style wrist cuffs like Jen is sporting here. The cuffs are made from t-shirt scraps & let you play Wonder Woman or your comic hero of choice.

I love the giant scissors on Beth A's hoodie below - supercrafty!

So come on out to this fantastic event tonight at The Mohawk. There will be lots of fab local artists such as our pal, Anne Marie Beard, whipping up custom mini-wallets on the spot; a cool fashion show from Team Fabrication; great music; food and drinks & more! Along with our crafty make & take, we'll also have a pop-up shop with selected items from Stella's Boutique. And best of all, the door fee benefits Health Alliance for Austin Musicians!

Stella Did Renegade

Here are pics from The WonderCraft booth at last weekend's utterly amazing Renegade Craft Fair (in Austin for the first time ever!). Everything about the show was craftacularly blissful.

Beth A got up on the roof during set-up to do some cleaning & decorating.

From the time the doors opened on Day 1 until they closed on Day 2, our interactive area was hoppin'!

We showed guests how to "Trick Out Some Timber" with a simple image transfer technique, & then use decoupage &/or picks from our stash of cool ribbon, trims, buttons & baubles to give it some unique flair.

Here comes the Minor Mishap Marching Band!

A steady stream of shoppers enjoyed browsing the handmade goods inside Stella's Boutique (at times it was shoulder-to-shoulder in there!), & we had our famous design-your-own pinback buttons station just outside the door.

A big "thank you" to everyone who came out! We had such a fabulous time spreading the crafty love & made lots of new friends. Can't wait for Renegade Austin 2011! {Oh yes, I think it's gonna happen!} : )

Renegade Craft Fair is going to be AWEsome!

I'll be there with The WonderCraft - we're actually towing Stella, our Airstream trailer, INSIDE the events center! She'll be loaded up with fabulous handmade goodies from our boutique, and we'll be doing make & take crafts, too! Hope you'll come on out to this event. With so many amazing artists involved, it's sure to be fabulous! Click the pic for all the deets.

Recap: New Media Fashion Brunch & Boutique Crawl

{Re-posted from Get Crafty, Austin}
The New Media Fashion brunch and boutique crawl was an all day fashion networking event held March 12, the first Friday of SXSW. This awesome event for fashion-minded individuals who run online style sites, communities and fashion blogs was hosted by Indiana Adams of adoredaustin.com & it was the first of its kind here in Austin. Way to go, Indiana!

L to R: Anna; Kelly; Katy; Pamela; our fabulous hostess, Indiana; Kristin; Diya & Rachel

This delightful brunch was sponsored by Polished Two and EtsyAustin, whose members provided amazing handmade & goody-filled swag bags for all of the guests.

The WonderCraft also sponsored the event, bringing a trunk show from Stella's Boutique for the ladies to shop. We also donated our DIY obi-style belt kits for the goody bags & demonstrated how to fashion the fabulous belts from vintage neckties. The belts were designed by Kim & are shown here modeled by the Beths.

The gals all had a great time picking out ties & sewing them together to make their own stylish obi belts!

L to R: Rachel from Austin Style Watch & Cassiday from Mix 94.7 get some tips from Beth A; Grechen of Grechen's Closet & Janette of Fashion Loves People sewing with Beth H

L to R: Janette, Pamela, Grechen, Rachel, Kelly, Indiana, Diya, Kayla, Tiffany & Jacqueline

After the brunch, we all headed down to the 2nd Street District for a super-fun boutique crawl! We started at Eliza Page where we browsed the beautiful jewelry displays with champagne in hand.

Beth A got these awesome shoes at Girl Next Door. I found a beautiful blue retro-styled (& magnificently marked-down) dress at Estilo.

clockwise from top left: Merritt, Tran, Diya, Indiana, Kayla & Rachel at Cru

Along the way we enjoyed wine & chocolate-covered strawberries at Cru Wine Bar and amazing cupcakes that lived up to their name at Delish. We visited so many fabulous boutiques that I can't even remember them all, so be sure to check out the handy 2nd Street District directory to get the deets on all the great shops & restaurants in the area.

Big thanks to Indiana for hosting this & inviting us to participate - we had a fabulous time! We enjoyed meeting all of these awesome bloggers - every one of them is so cool and so sweet. Check out their blogs. More great pics of this event in our Flickr set & Fashism's Flickr photo set & in blog posts by Diya, Rachel & Cheryl. Also, be sure to check out Anna's News 8 story & video!

Come Tie One On at The WonderCraft's Grand Opening!

Re-posted from Get Crafty, Austin.




This is going to be a blast, y'all! We hope you'll come out to craft with us, peruse the awesome handmade goods in our lovely little Airstream boutique, and learn about our craft classes & parties. We'll also have some of our favorite local makers vending at the event, so you won't want to miss all of this amazing handmade goodness!

While you're there, you can enjoy tasty treats from our fabulous sponsors, including Blue Note Bakery, Apothecary Cafe & Wine Bar and The Cupcake Bar.

We'll be posting features on each of our sponsors & vendors {on Get Crafty, Austin} from now up until the Grand Opening, so stay tuned. Be sure to check out the write-ups we've done recently on Squid Ink Kollective and Merritt Gade if you missed 'em!

Embroidered Neckties are cool!

Made this last night at The WonderCraft's "soft" grand opening at our new spot at The Art Pad. It was a trial run for the BIG Grand Opening we're planning next month. You can read more about it (& see lots more pics of the cool ties people made!) in my re-cap on our Get Crafty blog.


I had a great time helping people add some embroidery to their neckties. Beth A showed our guests how to screen print on them & even made some with our WonderCraft logo for the 4 of us to sport at the GO! Stay tuned for more details on that upcoming par-tay...

Holiday Fun!

Last night we put up our Christmas tree, hung the stockings & strung the lights around the house. It's looking quite festive! I always love decorating the house for Christmas, and I needed to get it done because it's going to be a busy, busy holiday season for me this year.

To start, I'll be out at the Lights of Love 5k with the other WonderCraft gals this Friday. It's a fundraising event for The Ronald McDonald House. We'll be making felt snowmen ornaments with the kiddos as part of our outreach program. Come by & see our Airstream, Stella, with the adorable handmade boutique we've just set up!

The very next day we'll be out at EtsyAustin's Craft Riot! If you're local, you'll want to come out to this fabulous holiday bazaar! It lasts the whole weekend, and in addition to all of the lovely, handmade items you'll find there that will make unique gifts for everyone on your list, you'll also enjoy wine tastings & photos with Santa! Head over to EtsyAustin's blog to "Meet Your Makers" (including yours truly)! We WonderCrafters will be there with Stella, with each of our own handmade items & nifty WonderCraft DIY kits inside, as well as the photo booth.

Then, the handmade holiday fun continues the following weekend at the Cherrywood Art Fair. Stella will be there as well, and we'll be selling all of our own handmade items & WonderCraft DIY kits again. Cherrywood is an amazing shopping paradise for those who love unique, handmade items & one-of-a-kind art - over 80 vendors! Here's a peek at a few. Plus lots of great live music, kids' activities, artist demos & a huge silent auction (bid on my Lion Family collage!). Over at The WonderCraft corner, we'll be demonstrating lots of cool upcycled gift-wrapping techniques throughout the weekend. Come on by!

Hope to see you out & about this month! Happy Holidaze to you & yours!

Another Austin Treat: Blue Note Bakery - Try it tonight!

We here at The WonderCraft love supporting our fellow local businesses, especially when they are this tasty! Blue Note's desserts are simply marvelous! Blue Note Bakery got its start in a small, shared catering kitchen back in 2004, and has grown steadily ever since. They now have their own shop located on South Congress. They can create a unique dessert or custom cake for any occasion. Check out the photos of their one-of-a-kind works of "edible art!"


If you come out to our Mix & Make Crafty Hour tonight you can taste Blue Note Bakery's delicious treats for yourself! You can also kick back with a glass of wine, make some fabulous wine glass charms to take home, mingle and shop our boutique of handmade items from local artists. In honor of the East Austin Studio Tour, our Crafty Hour is free tonight! Come on out & get crafty with us! Stella is parked outside of Creative Side Jewelry Academy for the duration of E.A.S.T. at 628 Allen Street, stop #45.

The WonderCraft's Handmade Goodness Boutique!

Our brand new boutique is all set up & looking fabulous! Hope you'll come out & see it during the East Austin Studio Tour. Join us for a glass of wine & a wine charm-making session this Thursday at our Mix & Make Crafty Hour, or come out next weekend from 10-5 Saturday or Sunday! We're at Creative Side, stop #45 on the E.A.S.T. map.













Check out all the amazing handmade goodies we carry:
* jewelry from Merritt Gade, Lucy Blue Studio & Broken Ear Productions
* unique purses & wallets from Fayded Creation
* fun greeting cards & screenprinted apparel from Paired Hearts
* awesome art for your walls from Leah Duncan, Nessa Dee & The Flashbulb
* appliqued clothing & gifts for kids from The Snuggle Herd
* felted goodies & felting kits from Gypsy Harte
* DIY screen-printing kits and stamp sets from Craft Chi
and more!

If you miss The WonderCraft during E.A.S.T., don't worry. You can find Stella (our Airstream trailer) at her new landing pad, The Art Pad! We'll have our boutique open regular hours for your shopping pleasure, plus we'll be teaching our crafty classes & holding future Third Thursday Mix & Make Crafty Hours there. Join the WonderCraft mailing list for more info!

My Double-Signature Accordion Book - Complete!

Just put finishing touches on my accordion book & I'm lovin' how it turned out. You could make your own tomorrow in my Basic Bookmaking class - it's not too late to sign up!