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  1. Introducing…PUFFY patches!!

    August 7, 2012 by The Crafty Concubine

    With Zine Dream 5 and Canzine in on the horizon, I figured it was time to get to the embroidery like a good craftster! As usual, I have continued with the guns as they are such a huge hit…buuut this year, I have introduced puffy patches to the mix!! Only the raddest of the rad rock em’! Want a custom puffy patch? Email me!

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  2. utter craftiness…

    July 18, 2012 by The Crafty Concubine

    A taste of some of the things people will see at the seasons up and coming arts and crafts festivals…working on new stuff as we speak! Don’t forget to check out my table at Zine Dream 5, Sunday August 12. I unfortunately won’t be there this year, but a rad friend named Adam has stepped in to be my “merch guy” as well as show off some of his awesome work as well…trust me…it’s good!

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  3. New tattoo outline complete!

    July 14, 2012 by The Crafty Concubine

    Wise old owl's keepin' secrets!!

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  4. First ever attempt at shading…”the swallow”

    May 29, 2012 by The Crafty Concubine

    Feels good to have finally completed a tattoo that wasn’t JUST an outline. This lady is very happy at the moment.

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  5. Ugly white Diesel “Space Boots” transformation project!!

    February 18, 2012 by The Crafty Concubine

    So last week I was out at a Winners in Oakville and I happened upon a sign in the shoe/boot dept. that declared “FINAL CLEARANCE” and thought…”Who doesn’t LOVE a good deal?” Well the problem with anything clearance is there’s rarely anything worth buying as you’d think it would’ve been purchased already had it been fun/interesting/stylish. Well I suppose lucky for me I have strange taste…a pair of very weird white Diesel “slouchy space boots” were calling to me from a pile of reject footwear. The white had started yellowing a bit in areas and they had been marked down a number of times from $100 to $16!!! I am definitely NOT a solid white shoe fanatic (dirt loves me too much), but I saw potential in these gems!!
    I took em’ home and used several colours of fabric paint to create sort of a leopard effect (it didn’t have to be perfect as they are slouch boots and you’ll never see everything line up anyhow), bought a bunch of random chains and links and fashioned what I consider now to be a wearable “Amanda Approved” piece of footwear. \m/ Enjoy!

    **The machine gun pendants came from a shop on Etsy, and chains were purchased at Arton Beads downtown Toronto!

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  6. Black Ink Folk Art Inspired Illustrations…NEW!

    December 11, 2011 by The Crafty Concubine

    I’m thinking of turning these illustrations into greeting cards, or calendars…maybe note pads, we’ll see what happens. They are black ink on paper and inspired by old folk art…more to come!!

    Category Concubine:Craftiness | Tags: , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

  7. Holiday Gift Giving – Vegan Treats: A kinder, crafty way to celebrate the holiday season…

    December 2, 2011 by The Crafty Concubine

    I’m not a huge Christmas fan…ok, I actually despise Christmas, the whole idea of Christmas. I mean I suppose once upon a time is was a celebration of family, and if youre religious…well, then you spend more time in church than worrying about trees and presents, but these days…come on. A fat man in a red suit squeezing his overweight milk guzzling ass down your chimney (essentially breaking and entering), only to leave overpriced gifts under an overpriced tree for kids who couldn’t recognize the value of a dollar if it bit them in the face with overpriced teeth!
    Gone are the days that I remember, when trimming the Christmas Tree (sorry, Holiday Tree these days..) was a low budget family affair, followed by skating, card playing and family bickering. When we were overjoyed if we got knick-knacks and chocolate in our stockings, nevermind the latest iPhone, XBox and MacBook Pro.
    People who are otherwise ignorant, greedy douchebags all year long put on the mask of “I really am a ‘good’ person” and talk “candy coated smack” for 2 weeks leading up to the big day…only to follow the holidays with tales of woe about how much debt they racked up, how their children are always wanting the best of the best, they cant pay rent..blah blah blah.
    Children and tweens filling malls unified by the “I want, I want” chant that rings like sleighbells possesed by greed…high pitched, ungrateful and down right annoying.

    So, now that Ive shared with you my undying hatred for Christmas, know that I am not against gift giving, or showing love to those around you (note that I do not consider those 2 things synonymous with each other). I do however believe that a gift from the heart always reigns supreme and that a persons time is invaluable. Therefore creativity with your gifts, partnered with a practical edge (you know the person will actually USE it for something) are my favorite ways to approach every day of the year, let alone “holidays” twisted to propel the economy through rampant spending.

    Ive created a little list of ideas for those of you out there who would like to celebrate a more conscious and crafty holiday season…just remember, it shouldnt take a date on a calendar to show the ones you love that you care.

    Holiday Crafty Gift Ideas!

    1. Amazing Vegan Peanut Butter Cups – Arrange them on a plate, wrapped in a clear cellophane tied with ribbon, or stack 3 (1 on top of the other) in a coffee mug from the dollar store, again wrap in cellophane and tie with a ribbon! Who doesn’t love peanut butter cups…especially if they’re made by YOU!

    2. The Ever Popular Popcorn Goodie Bags (or Jars) – This is a recipe for VEGAN caramel popcorn…ya, you heard me! Break out some old mason jars or scour the local thrift store for some other interesting jar like containers and give the gift of delicious…you could even drizzle some melted carob chips on top for a little extra sweet kick! Popcorn as opposed to the previous recipe will keep for a long time even in room temperature…so a great gift if you’re shipping it away!

    3. Vegan Lip Balm – It’s cold outside, we’re all bundled up it mittens and a hat and chances are, our poor lips are dry and chapped from all the frigid wind. Well, give the gift of moist lips…the mistletoe will thank you;) Not to mention, when the recipe is all said and done…you could be giving away dozens of these little guys in gift bags, wrapping paper or as is for as little as $1.20 per tube – AND you get to experiment with flavours. Use hemp oil instead of the vitamin e, avocado oil instead of the jojoba oil and peppermint or cinnamon instead of the spearmint…go nuts!

    You can jazz these things (and any other ideas you may have) up with home-made gift tags made from old comics cut out and glued to card stock or wrapping your gifts IN old comics. You could also print paper bags with a logo or picture using a stencil or lino cut, then seal them with holiday stickers. Get creative, this is crafting season…when all else fails, visit www.etsy.com and spend your money on something someone else worked hard to make!

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  8. The Finished Product!

    November 6, 2011 by The Crafty Concubine

    So, last month was the unveiling of Leanne Prain’s ‘Hoopla, The Unexpected Art of Embroidery’, a How-To book for those who love unconventional craft. I had the honor of being part of that book with a project of my own.
    The project took me around 46 hours to complete, and I waited an entire year to see the finished product…boy was I surprised! The book is a whopping 400 full colour pages, and is not only a pattern book, but includes interviews, as well all kinds of interesting information regarding the history of embroidery.
    If you are someone who enjoys needlecraft, and art that’s a little more political, sexual or subversive in any way…this book is for you! You can purchase the book for $29.95 @ Aresenal Pulp Press

    Category ::HOOPLA::, Concubine:Craftiness | Tags: , , , , , , | Comments Off on The Finished Product!

  9. Here here…Canzine is near!

    October 12, 2011 by The Crafty Concubine

    As it moves forward into my favorite time of the year, when leaves change from green to extraordinary shades of crimson and gold and metal bands are all on tour, there’s one more exciting event on the table! Canzine 2011! By far, one of Canada’s largest zine fairs and there’s definitely always something for everyone!
    Check out Broken Pencil’s Canzine information page here and mark your calendar for Sunday Oct. 23! Admission is $5, and it’s an all day event from 1-7pm. The venue this year has been moved to 918 Bathurst St. (just N of Barton on the W side of the street)…so come on down and support your DIY community!

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  10. Hoopla: The Unexpected Art of Embroidery

    September 9, 2011 by The Crafty Concubine

    Last year around this time (Aug. 2010 to be precise) I submitted a few pieces of artwork to a woman named Leanne Prain out in Vancouver BC, looking for artistic people with a love of craft to be a part of her next book – Hoopla: The Unexpected Art or Embroidery. One of my pieces was accepted to the now 400pg work of art and the book will be out mid-October! There will be a book launch in Toronto @ Type Books (Queen St. West, right across from Trinity-Bellwoods park) Tuesday, Sept. 27 2011, between 6 and 8pm. Come on in and say HI!

    From start to finish (actually embroidering the piece, drawing and writing up the pattern) the piece took me about 46hrs. This was the longest amount of time I’d ever worked on a piece of embroidery, but the end result was definitely worth it. Here

    are some pics of the original sketch, work in progress and finished piece that you will see in the book. My piece was actually done on a nude colour chemise to symbolize the “self image” aspects of the work, so you won’t just be seeing a bunch of pictures of embroidery…Leanne has taken the time to photograph each piece into a work of art! Check out this link to Leanne’s page for more information about her other projects and how to acquire this rad book!

    Category ::HOOPLA::, Concubine:Craftiness | Tags: , , , , , | 2 Comments

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