sparkle bird

one of the incredible pieces that was exhibited at the Swarovski event in Tucson. A crystallized stuffed bird.

cute crystal creatures!

Valeen Hirata designs these adorable three dimensional little creatures using Crystallized Swarovski Elements. They are so freaking cute I can't explain and she said she makes them with tiny seed beads too! They must turn out the size of a thimble! Luckily, you don't need to figure out how to string the beads into these shapes yourself because she sells kits to make them!

How pretty is this crystal heart for Valentine's Day!

Val you rock...I mean, you're a gem... actually, you are more of a crystal!

I spent most of the afternoon into evening traveling, on Tuesday, to Arizona. Crystallized Swarovski Elements was generous enough to invite me to participate in some workshops they are hosting in Tucson. Wednesday, bright and early, I was a student again—sitting in on a wide variety of classes where I learned some new DIY tricks in jewelry making and an entirely new way of felting (more to come on that!).

Last February I joined Martha on her show and demonstrated how to create a simple heart pendant in time for Valentines Day using an array of crystallized elements. Let's see what this week introduces to me and I assure you, there will be some interesting techniques to share!

little cage

Pico's bird cage isn't actually the first bird cage I have built. Back in college I made little chicken-like creatures named Shmaltz and they were individually housed in a crammed little cage. Made quite similarly to how I built the life size cage but using dollhouse parts, their purpose was very different. The idea was to illustrate the factory farming of chickens—how they are raised in confined spaces (the cage) and how most are deformed (the one eye). I won't get into a spiel on animal rights in this post and if I were going to re-make these to represent what I had intended, they would be much more severe.

the bird cage

A picture of the bird cage will be up on Martha's website probably on Monday but here are a couple our studio photographer, Nick, took for me. Sean Ennis is the show carpenter (and also my good friend & my sister's boyfriend) and he worked with me on this project. Without his skill with power tools and construction knowledge, I probably would have struggled a bit with actually building the cage. I learned a lot about carpentry from him and this project. Thanks Sean!

Please, if you want me to take any detail shots or have any questions about constructing the cage, I will be glad to help. This was a project I developed because I was in search of a big, beautiful, safe cage for Pico and when I saw Martha's, I was truly inspired to build my own. I know there are many other pet owners who want the same for their loving pocket friends!

watch!

NBC at 11 am eastern time on The Martha Stewart Show!

Finally Pico will have her own house!

Martha's birdcage

Back in August, before we started taping season 5 of the Martha Stewart Show, the art department of television was invited to Martha's home, Cantitoe Corners, in Bedford, New York. Whenever we take a trip to Martha's home, we are inspired by so many elements of her world. Her property is exquisite and encapsulates insight into Martha's mind—visiting her at home is a chance for us to see what new things are sparking her and a way to spark up ideas in us. I was certainly influenced and there were many notes that needed to be explored, but I was sure about one thing–Pico needed a new home.

I had seen Martha's canary cage before and it made me think about getting a bird, but seeing it again and having Pico in my life, made me think on grander scales. Immediately following inspecting her pet canary heaven, my mind was brewing up ideas of how I could do this for my avian love. As we perused through her house I jotted down some notes and when we returned to the studio to develop our craft ideas I sketched out the plans.

Everyone in my department thought I was insane when I was building my bird cage, but when I showed Martha the results, she was just as excited as I was to share with everyone an affordable and aesthetically pleasing birdcage you can make at home. Tune in this Thursday, when I join Martha to show you how.

someone else's memories

I bought a deceased couple's family photo album from a tag sale when I was in middle school. They were Greeks and had traveled all over Europe, photographing everything, from hotel bidets to well, you get the picture. These are my two most treasured shots.

love is in the air

I was majorly influenced by Courtney when I was an adolescent. She was a riot grrrl and I admired her "I don't give a shit" attitude. She rocked vintage baby doll dresses and ripped tights, fried her hair with bleach and exposed herself any second she got—she was cool. She was young, wild, a rock star and married to Kurt Cobain. He is an entire chapter in my book—it almost feels cliché right now to talk about how much Kurt means to me—I won't go there now...back to the bitch, who needs the attention anyway...

Courtney has been in the news a lot recently—I get "Kurt Cobain" google alerts but it's usually just gossip about Courtney. Frances (her daughter) left her before Christmas, she is coming out with a new album one of these days, possibly working on a clothing line, has been fat & anorexic, has had lots of "work" done, is being sued by American Express & counter-suing them, is broke, moved to NYC, is producing a film based on her relationship with Kurt, and showed off her new tit tattoos on twitter. Really I don't f-ing care anymore; I just find it amusing and like to calculate all the reasons Kurt would have divorced her ass. I'm being cruel. No, the truth is, I have a love/hate relationship with her, like you do an old friend that once stabbed you in the back.

Anyway, Valentines Day is creeping up and I thought I would write something about Love, Courtney Love that is.

toadstools.

Mushrooms, and specifically toadstools, have always enchanted me. Their whimsical charm and natural cuteness—it's no wonder everyone likes to craft them! Since we don't get to see the real things too often, if ever, I thought I would gather some of my favorite toadstool crafts and share them with you...

I think it was the third time I was on Martha's show that I demoed how to make actual toadstools. It was certainly an involved craft and one of the bigger projects I have developed, but is definitely my favorite. I wound up making eight for Martha and I got to keep my prototypes, which I use as extra seating whenever I have guests.

How about an adorable felt toadstool brooch to adorn a sweat or a coat or a plush toadstools sweetly sewn with button dots?

I love the painted toadstool directly on a page of an old book and the neat little felt sculpture trimmed with a bit of green grass.

Hosanna, who I work with at Martha TV, also is infatuated with toadstools and obsessively felted a pin cushion for me when I was preparing my toadstool segment. Then, she used little bits of polymer clay to make the most adorable pinheads with hand-painted white dots—I snagged a couple of those to go with my pin cushion. She also has endless other mushroom paraphernalia, like the vintage pips that are kept above my desk.

Etsy is overgrown with toadstools in all different styles, shapes and sizes. Micro mini toadstools are perfect to make a terrarium playful and wooden toadstools would be fun to play with too.

You can find handmade toadstools in the strangest places—I bought ceramic garden mushrooms right off the sand in Laguna Beach! Martha sells a pack of stickers at Michael's that is woodland themed and includes a toadstool of course. And what is a toadstool craft if it is not done in paper, or quilled for that matter!

I heart toadstools! Don't you?