Showing posts with label handmade. Show all posts
Showing posts with label handmade. Show all posts

Friday, 13 January 2023

On the 4th Day of New Years...

... I would like to present to you...
… four paper pests…
… three growing bathers… 
... two storytellers...
... and a lazy day in space.


Did you know that the majority of spiders in your home right now, are male? A study was done by the University of Gloucestershire and Charles Darwin House, and it showed that 82% (which is 4 out of 5) of the spiders in your house are male, and it’s because they’re basically bar hopping looking for the next pretty long legged lady.

I’m slightly less level headed about seeing spiders in the house than I used to be, since one fell from the ceiling as I was sitting at my parents kitchen table, and crawled in my ear… 


… spiders, and bugs in general, don’t bother me as long as they understand that if they stay away from me (and definitely out of my ears), that I’ll stay away from them, or at least re-home them to the garden. 

So, how does my traumatic bug experience lead in to Day 4? With three-dimensional fauxidermy insects.

When I was a kid, my parents had a framed set of pinned butterflies on the wall. At some point over the years, it was carefully retired to the loft because it felt cruel. I never know how I feel about pinned butterflies, on one hand I love seeing these creatures up close, butterfly wings being made up of minuscule scales that look like iridescent shingles or tapestry stitches and that fascinates me. But on the other hand, if you don’t know where they’ve come from, are they culled or found dead, is it right to have them on your wall?

Every time I go up into the loft, I look at them, dusty and unloved, and it feels kind of sad to have them hidden away, but I also can’t quite resolve my feelings about them. My parents however do still have butterflies on the walls, two huge ones that I made out of wool a few years ago. They’re both a little under a meter wide, a bit bigger than your average butterfly, but resurrecting them from hideous ex-window display items covered in pale green yellow sisal, I think it’s a vast improvement.

(I realise this is a tragic photograph, the lighting is not great in a narrow hall and there’s no chance I was going to attempt taking them off the wall because 
I’d inevitably not get them back up, and just to top it off every time I tried to size it the image quality dropped. Yay! But here are my butterflies anyway.)

Bug decor is a definite yes, and paper fauxidermy, is starting to become a favourite…

Giant Stag Beetle

Amsterdam based Studio ROOF, create these large insects out of recycled cardboard, printed with plant based inks which they sell as kits which slot together. Which is amazing, they’re simple, colourful and easy to put together - my little sister has had three of the kits and they were a doddle - and they make really nice pieces of three dimensional wall art.

Longhorn Beetle

(Yes, I may now have to make a giant type-case full of giant bugs. What did I say about being weak for a new craft? Apply that to anything displayed in a type-case too.)

Lady Beetles

Comet Moths

Not limited to insects like stag, scarab, shield and longhorn beetles, Studio ROOF also produce butterflies, moths, dragonflies, flowers, sea creatures, birds and jungle animals, basically any nature inspired design you could think of, and while they’re not painted to be realistic, they’re minimal patterning and use of colour blocking make designs which really stand out. 



Stag Beetle

Another brand that sends you insects pre-squashed from the Netherlands are Assembli. Created by designer Joop Bource, the flat pack bugs employ a similar design to that of Studio ROOF, with slotting pieces of cardboard to create a three dimensional skeleton. However, they then rely on folded metallic paper to create the exoskeleton, adding even more three dimensionality and realism.

Atlas Beetle



Assembli refer to their kits as puzzles and projects, shunning the idea that these are merely products to be purchased and displayed, but instead are something that the recipient is creating themselves. They may be pre-cut, but they take time and effort to build (45 minutes according to Bource) and that should bring the owner just as much pride for creating it, as joy for owning it. 

The pride you feel having something you’ve made hanging on your wall, whether it’s from scratch or from  a kit, making something is ridiculously fulfilling. And it hits just as hard when you’re an adult as when your mum or dad pinned your drawing on the fridge or hung that janky looking Christmas decoration on the tree when you were a kid. 

I want one of these kits, I want to sit for forty-five minutes putting it together and then get to hang it on the wall or sit it on a shelf and have that paper bug make me feel good about doing something creative just for fun, without the pressure of everything else. Because I’ll always be that kid coveting the magazines with kits, and choosing an art kit or a toy.


Link || Assembli  || Website || Etsy || Instagram || Facebook || TikTok || Pinterest || YouTube || Atlas Beetle Kit || Stag Beetle Kit


Moving less than couple of hundred miles down from Amsterdam, you end up in Belgium, not only where part of my family tree comes from, but the home of the multidisciplinary design studio and ad agency, Soon. 


Working with IGEPA Belux, one of the leading paper merchants in Belgium and Luxembourg, Soon were challenged to make the company stand out amongst their competitors, especially in relation to their ecological impact. Alongside highlighting the companies new line of recycled paper, they were also challenged to use the brochures for these products as their medium for creating the advert, new visual identity and branding. 

They did this by painstakingly hand-making a paper insect for each paper in the line.



I didn’t really appreciate these paper cut insects properly, aside from how pretty they are, until I saw the making of video and could see how the designers brought these insects to life and created lush paper environments, full of plants and flowers for them to interact with.

That said, I love the delicacy, the lacy wings and the shingled bodies and I’d have one of the yellow bugs in a frame on a wall in a heartbeat.

Link || Soon || Website || Instagram || Twitter || Facebook || Vimeo || Behance 



A hop, skip and a jump across the English Channel and back to the UK, with probably the most intricate and meticulously assembled handmade insects of the bunch. 


Created by UK based paper artist Lisa Lloyd, these insects are made up of thousands of hand cut pieces of coloured paper, layered onto inner skeletons formed out of card, paper and tissue and all held together with glue. This designer is old school, it would be so easy to have a counter full of laser cutters programmed by a computer, making sure that each piece is pre-cut and ready just to be glued together, but instead it’s Lloyd, scissors and scalpel blade after scalpel blade to add to her tin of blunt ones. Something every crafter probably has stashed away somewhere in their supplies.
 


Lloyds insects are some of her more intimate creations. They’re small in comparison to her larger, swirling birds and animals, which are dynamic, full of movement, colour and life, but despite their diminutive size, they’re full of incredible detail and their forms are instantly recognisable as the creatures they’re inspired by. 

The intricacy is amazing. These tiny geometric shapes placed on the bee’s body like shingled gives enough of a fur texture to mimic the hairy body of a bee, and the lattice cut out of the wings brings the lightness and lacy quality of bug wings, and without either needing to be replicas in texture, colour or sheerness, you know what they are. And the pastel colour make them unique, and give them a brightness which is incredibly attractive.

Once an extraordinary number of hours and attention to detail has been spent on each piece of paper art, Lloyd takes photographs of her work so she can sells them as prints, have them featured in magazines, advertisements and TV, and after such extreme amount of time and effort is taken on one piece, it’s an incredibly logically way to all more people to enjoy her art.

Link || Lisa Lloyd || Website || Instagram || Facebook || Pinterest || YouTube || Vimeo || Art Republic


Cardboard, paper, some cutting, some folding and maybe a little glue, the same things we used as kids, and it can do such a lot. Two of these were pre-cut kits and two were hand cut piece of artwork, but they’re all connected, they all have unique interpretations of not only insects, but of three-dimensionality. 

And that’s what I like about these, yes some are more beautiful, more detailed, even more artistic than others, but they all rely on mimicking that robust form a lot of beetles and insect have to protect themselves, and I’d rather pin a paper bug to my wall, or in a frame, than a real bug.

This is something I really want to do for my own space, I love the kits, particularly the Assembli ones, but I also love the idea of using textiles, 3D printing or just creating my own cardboard or paper bugs. Maybe not quite on the same scale as my butterflies. Though I’m also coveting these amazing brass beetles, as well as a brass mirror beetle, and a brass bee door knocker… researching this sent me down a rabbit hole of brass bug based decor and I’m in trouble.


Anyway, good afternoon, good evening and goodnight! Part five is fluttering in the room somewhere, go grab a butterfly net and I’ll pin it down!



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Listening: Spiderwebs - No Doubt
Posted by Emily Boyd at 15:09 0 comments
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Wednesday, 19 January 2022

On the 7th Day of Christmas...

... this blogger gave to thee...
... seven custom Cons...
... six fancy dresses...
... five gold things!..
... four FX plushies...
... three midnight magnets...
... two tricks and treats...
....a tale of lovely lore.


What comes after a dress shopping? Shoe shopping, or at least shoe appreciation. In previous years I've tried to pick shoes that could match up to the dresses from Day 6, in others I've gone ham showing off pairs from one particular brand. Well, I've done that once, last years choice to showcase Irregular Choice shoes was actually allowing me to gently bully my little sister into admitting that she liked at least one pair... and do you know what happened? SHE DID! 

And she loved the most ridiculous pair in my book, the faux fur peep toes based on Animal from The Muppets pair:

It actually blew me away that of all the pairs I picked, these were the ones she loved, and that after years of her telling me how much she disliked the shoes from this brand, I'd actually found a pair she would like! 

Today however I'm stepping away from bullying my little sister, and instead going back to basics with a true classic, Converse, because if I'm honest I wear four pairs of shoes consistently, a pair of black ankle boots, a pair of ballet pumps and either a pair of Converse Ct Lite Ox's (a thin soled variant that was discontinued) or a pair of traditional Converse 70 Classic low tops. And I fully admit that I am a ruiner of shoes, I will wear a pair until they fall apart and then I'll move onto the next pair until they fall apart.

There was a point in time where having dirty, holey, scribbled on Converse would have been ideal. It was a mark of pride for some people I knew that their originally white converse were now completely grey, or that the first thing they'd do with a brand new pair was go outside, rub them with dirt and scuff them up so they look old. Pristine wasn't the goal, grungy and lived in was. Unless you had some of the weird and wacky patterns or a one of the particularly bright colour the brand produced.

So for today I could show you seven pairs of cool Converse that you could go out and buy... or I can show you seven pairs of cool Converse that people have hacked and individualised, plus some of the ways you could turn a pair you're bored with into something unique to you. That sounds more fun, so let's go with that.



Painted/Drawing

Probably the easiest way to customise your sneakers is by drawing or painting on them. It takes minimal supplies, can take minimal effort and yeah, your skill level when it comes to art does play a role in painting on this particular canvas, but it can be as simple as flicking paint at them. This would lead you to creating a similar design, unique to you, which you'd pay £80 for if you were to buy the real thing in a shop. 

Archive Paint Splatter Chuck 70 in Digital Blue from Converse


I'm not knocking buying that perfect pair of premade Chuck's, but there's fun to the individuality that you, and only you, can create.

It could be a simple floral like these ones from Kate Fitzgerald's Etsy shop, Original Kate...

Hand Painted/Embroidered Flower Converse by OriginalKate on Etsy

... something to show your love for one of your favourite artist, singers or films...

Hand Painted Van Gogh Starry Night Converse from MadCandies on Etsy


Totoro Shoes by Kayleigh29 on DeviantArt

... or your own art work...



It's as simple as picking up a pen, a paintbrush and some paint and going nuts. You could even use bleach to remove colour and designs from the canvas to create an interesting tie dye patterns.

Though it's probably wise to have some sort of plan of action, especially if you're using Converse as opposed to generic sneakers that cost a third of the price, because a sketch can't hurt, but your bank balance can.


Link || Archive Paint Splatter Chuck 70 in Digital Blue from Converse
Link || Kate Fitzgerald "OriginalKate" || Etsy || Instagram || TikTok || Facebook || Etsy Listing
Link || Kayleigh29 || DeviantArt
Link || MadCandies || Etsy || Instagram || Facebook || DeviantArt || Pinterest || Etsy Listing
Link || Beverly Salas "ArtByBeverlySalas" || Etsy || InstagramB || Facebook
Link || Bobsmade || Website || Instagram || Twitter || TikTok || Facebook || Pinterest || DeviantArt || YouTube



Embroidery

Another simple, relatively inexpensive option for adding your own unique spin to your sneakers is embroidery, which of course Converse has embraced releasing editions such as the Chuck Taylors All Star It's Okay to Wander High Tops:


They're not complicated designs, they use micro florals and tiny icons to add a little flourish to your shoes, and if you look on Etsy hand embroidered sneakers are everywhere!

Custom Converse Chuck Taylor 1970s Embroidery Logo by CustomConversDesigns on Etsy




Converse Space Hand Embroidery by MEMEstoreBotique on Etsy

Again this means of customising takes minimal materials, in the end it's a needle and some embroidery thread, which you can get from online retailers for as little as a fiver, but it does take a little bit of basic knowledge. This genuinely only needs to be a very basic skillset in how to embroider, I promise, it's not as difficult as it looks, and if you take your time, watch some YouTube on how to do basic stitches, you'll be able to create simple forms like stars, little flowers and leaves, or even embrace your lack of skills and go more abstract and experimental. 


Personally I have pairs of sneakers that I don't really wear, and are definitely on the boring side, so this is something I fully intend to do, because the worst that happens is I hate it, I have to unpick it all and I've waisted some time and some threat. This option is fully reversible (yes you might have some holes, but it's better than paint or dye you can't remove!) so great for the inducive among us.

There's a reason this kind of customisation has become so popular. It's relatively easy, can be really impactful and pretty, and if you exclude the time, can be pretty inexpensive to make but give you the equivalent of an expensive to buy product.

I keep mentioning it, but "it costs that much 'cause it takes me fucking hours..."

Plus if you're looking for a crafty hobby this could be really fun.


Link || Converse Chuck Taylors All Star It's Okay to Wander High Tops from Urban Outfitters
Link || Thuy Duong "CustomConversDesigns" || Etsy || Pinterest || Etsy Listing
Link || Poppy Delany "EmbroiderMeUK" || Etsy|| Instagram || Facebook || Pinterest || Etsy Listing 
Link || Linh Thuy "MEMEstoreBotique" || Etsy || Instagram ||  Etsy Listing
Link || AJ Morgan "No Naked Denim" || Website || Instagram || Facebook || Etsy



Hydro Dipping

Hydro dipping, water transfer printing, immersion printing, water marbling... if you've heard of any of these terms then great, but for those who haven't, it is the process by which a layer of paint, ink, dyes, pigment, polish or printable film is placed on the surface waters surface and then you dip your object through it, the surface tension of the water allowing it to bend and curve around the shape, coating its surface in your pattern

And that's a very basic explanation of the process, but it's one that has been all over social media, is doable at home, and can look very cool.
Converse Hydro Dip Dyed Chuck 70 Canvas LTD in Hi Black via The Sole Supplier
Converse Hydro Dip Dyed Chuck 70 Canvas LTD in Hi Multi via Base Blu

The hydro dipped edition Converse will most likely be done using pre-printed hydrographic films in a very precise project to give the best results on every sneaker, even down to the "unintentional" printing over the sole, label and laces, making it look like these were all errors embraced to give that grungy aesthetic.

But from the videos I've watched, there's definitely some trial and error in the process, but there's also lots of different ways for you achieve this effect, such as with spray paint:


Obviously these shoes aren't Converse, finding good examples of Converse wasn't easy, so these are all going to be purely for the process, not the sneaker. Anyway, the spray paint option seems to have been the most popular iteration online next to water marbling using nail polish, primarily for the vibrancy you get with the colour and the drama from the process. Understandable why social media picked it up as a fun activity. Monetarily however, unless you have a large supply of spray paint in your craft stash or plan to water marble everything you own, there are other cheaper options available to you, such as marbling in shaving foam.


Though this particular example is subtle, which I actually really like alongside the neon colours, marbling into shaving foam could lead to really interesting results depending on what amount or intensity of the acrylic paint, fabric dye, leather dye or marbling paint you use. It would also give you the opportunity to more thoughtfully pattern your marble and look at more tradition methods of patterning.

However, if you want to get that really beautiful water marble effect you see on paper, you could use a marbling kit, a tray of water and look at techniques such as Japanese Suminagashi, or the Western style of using combs.



I got kind of obsessed with watching these sort of videos for a little while during lockdown, and I can't remember exactly why, but for a little more accuracy and artistry in your hydro dipping surfaces, actual water marbling is probably a good way to go.

The final option bar having your shoes professionally hydro dipped is to use printable hydro dip film (and an activator) to add digital images to your sneakers, and Bryan Perrenoud a.k.a. Shmoxd has done a lot of weird and interesting experimentation with this technique, including on Chucks...


Part two of Shmoxd's videos shows him embroidering his sneakers, combining the two techniques.

Hydro dipping is definitely the customisation choice with the most methods to try, and  it can lead to really interesting results but it needs a lot of trial and error to get the technique right.


Link || Wikipedia || Water Transfer Printing || Paper Marbling || Nail Marbling
Link || Converse Hydro Dip Dyed Chuck 70 Canvas LTD in Hi Black via The Sole Supplier
Link || Converse Hydro Dip Dyed Chuck 70 Canvas LTD in Hi Multi via Base Blu
Link || Bryan Perrenoud "Shmoxd" || Website || YouTube || Instagram || Twitter || TikTok || Facebook || Pinterest || Tumblr || Patreon


UV Colour Change

In 2019 Converse released a limited edition collection of UV colour changing sneakers, the collaboration with Market (previously Chinatown Market) turned a very pale pastel set of Chuck 70's into vibrant colourful ones when exposed to daylight.

It seems like something that isn't that achievable at home, but you'd be wrong, you can in fact buy UV activated paints and pigments from places such as SFXC (Special FX Creative) in the UK and Solar Color Dust in the US, and quite easily achieve the effect yourself...


I know it's not magic, but it's still magic, and it's fun that while these Converse were limited edition, you could still make your own pair in the colours you prefer.


Link || SFXC (Special FX Creative) || Website || Instagram || Twitter || Facebook || YouTube || Pinterest
Link || Solar Color Dust || Website || Instagram || Twitter || TikTok || Facebook || YouTube 
Link || ArtsyMadWoman || YouTube || Instagram || Twitter || Twitch || Facebook || Etsy



Mood/Thermochromatic

If you grew up during the 90's you might remember Global Hypercolour, the brand of t-shirts that changed colour with your body heat. and if you've got a ridiculous memory you might even remember Gino Ginelli ice cream, a brand that at one point came with a spoon that changed colour when you put it in the ice cream. I'm probably alone in remembering that one, but as a kid I loved both these things.

What most people will probably remember is mood rings, something I have such a nostalgic memories of these pieces of cheap kids jewellery which supposedly told you your mood by the colour they displayed. I just remember being fascinated by how the colour would change from black to green, to blue, to red and back again, and honestly if I had one now I'd probably spend way too much time playing with it... though I still have one from the 90's lurking in a jewellery box.

Mood Converse - Temperate Activated Color Changing Shoes via Dream a Little Bigger

Now this is one of the only sneakers on this list that Converse haven't introduced to their own line, and what a miss! 

Created by Allison Murray of Dream A Little Bigger, in a step-by-step blog post, she explains how she uses Liquid Crystal by SolarColorDust (SFXC also carries similar products) to create this pair of black converse that harks back to that of the mood ring to create mood shoes. 

They're very cool... or hot... depends on your feet, but I love this idea. There's something about those thermal mapping oil slick like patterns on the black canvas of the sneaker which just takes me back to being a kid and buying mood rings with pocket money. Even if these didn't change colour with heat, it would be a pattern I'd happily wear on a pair of sneakers.


Link || Dream A Little Bigger with Allison Murray || Website || Instagram || Twitter || Facebook || Pinterest || YouTube
Link || Mood Converse - Temperate Activated Color Changing Shoes via Dream a Little Bigger
Link || Liquid Crystal & Thermal Products from SolorColorDust
Link || Liquid Crystal Products from SFXC (Special FX Creative)



Cut It Out

There have been a few official iterations of the cut out Converse, from simply chopping off the heel to create mules and then taking off the toe to make slides, to turning them into gladiator sandals and possibly the most horrifying, flip flops. 


Converse x Free People Shredded Gladiator Sandals via Trend Hunter
Converse All Star Dainty Mules in Black & White via Schuh
Converse CT Gladiator Thong Sandals in Black via Sole Trader Outlet 

Now, I'll set aside my hatred of flip flops for the sake of another weird and curious way of adulterating your sneakers, especially since searching for cut out Chucks I've becomes more and more enamoured of the ones with no cut outs but wedge heels, but also because my most worn pair currently have a hole in the canvas, so who am I to judge? 

But if you're someone who loves a good foot revealing sandal and has a pair with a hole in them, perhaps this hack from Fashion designer Adam Selman, which featured as a step-by-step tutorial for turning your old Cons into espadrilles for Teen Vogue, might just be for you: 


All it would take is a pair of old sneakers, a sharp pair of scissors and a steady hand. But remember, canvas doesn't grow back like your hair will, so if you're planning on doing the big chop and giving them the sneaker equivalent of a mullet, you better be ready because there's no going back.

Also, my question is, why? Why! Why would you do that to a nice pair of Converse? What did they were do to you?


Link || Converse x Free People Shredded Gladiator Sandals via Trend Hunter
Link || Converse All Star Dainty Mules in Black & White via Schuh
Link || Converse CT Gladiator Thong Sandals in Black via Sole Trader Outlet 
Link || Designer Adam Selman Shows How to Make DIY Converse Espadrilles by Sarah Brody via Teen Vogue



Sk8ter Boi

Having been going through a bit of an early 2000's Avril Lavigne and Paramore revival recently, Sk8ter Boi seems like an appropriate title for this final and possibly most ambitious hack for your sneakers, the roller skate.
Converse Roller Skates from Feel Your Soul 

Created by Jacob Zander for his start up, Feel Your Soul, these are a unique hack on the traditional sneaker which completely changes its use while retaining the iconic design of the Chuck 70's, and as someone who used to love roller blading when they were younger (though I had minimal success of regular skates), I fully approve of these. 


It would be a major project to convert your Chucks into roller skates, but you probably have no idea the ridiculous amount of joy or how big my eyes got when I saw that not only did these exist as a product to buy, but could possibly - if you had the budget - be DIYable. 

What can I say, these are just freaking cool and a unique way of customising your Converse.

And yes...  in case you're wondering, I still have my rollerblades stashed in my parents loft.


Link || Feel Your Soul || Website || Instagram || Twitter || TikTok || Facebook
Link || Jacob Zander || YouTube || Instagram || Twitter || TikTok 
Link || Converse Roller Skates from Feel Your Soul 


For a sneaker which became life as a basketball sneaker in 1917, Converse have come a long way, and though synonymous with a particular silhouette and bright colours, they've created hundreds of interesting and different designs off of a few stock forms. They have collaborated with many artists, designers and brands, found new an interesting ways to keep their sneaker a staple in peoples wardrobes for over a hundred years. and still managed to retain lots of the original styling to the shoe which gave its reputation and appeal. 

They're iconic, but they're also a blank canvas for creativity.

Cover them in glitter, bleach dye them, dye them, tie dye them, go to town with Sharpie or yours scissors, or even just add fun laces, customising Converse sneakers is a trend that's never going to stop, and the irony is that half the time customised shoes trends have ended up working their way into the ones you can buy off the shelf. Because a trend is a trend after all, so long as they don't steal another designers work and pass it off as their own...


When it comes to you customising your sneakers, steal like an artist, not like a massive corporation.

And it doesn't need to be Converse! It can be any shoe, it just has to be unique to you and fun to make, because in the end, we're not really talking shoes today, we're talking crafts...

And now I kind of want to make sneaker roller skates... which would be a very bad idea.


Good night/day to you all. The much anticipated part three four eight coming soon to a browser near you...


Link || Converse || Website || Instagram || Twitter || TikTok || Facebook || Pinterest || YouTube

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Listening: Sk8ter Boi - Avril Lavigne
Posted by Emily Boyd at 16:32 0 comments
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