cathy of california

"when ghosts come a-knocking, greet them with handouts like these!", 1963

who dosen't love popcorn balls? here we have "chief jellybean", "good witch curlilocks", "peter pumpkin eater" and "thomas candy cat". i can't get over how cleverly decorated they all are! and here's a really good tip: all of the candy is stuck to the popcorn balls with "marshmallow stickum" (melted marshmallows and shortening) so it's all completely edible - well except the paper cup part.

and how about those catherine holm-esque bowls?

(from "better homes and gardens birthdays and family celebrations, dozens of delightful ideas and recipes for family red-letter days...birthdays, holidays, anniversaries" 1963)

a bigger and even better felt club is coming up on november 18

here's just a quick reminder so you can mark your calendars. felt club: XL holiday will happen sunday, november 18, from 11am-6pm on the los angeles city college campus (right near the intersection of vermont + melrose). please join me and over 70 amazing crafters, delicious food and great music, plus an all-new section called "maker square", a miniature version of maker faire!

wanna learn how to make this kitty?

when the carla from craft: magazine asked me to write about vintage crafts for the "old school" column i naturally headed straight to my collection of hazel pearson craft books for a little inspiration.

hazel's "folded magazine novelties" is a big favorite of mine because it has the instructions for the turkey that bears more than a passing resemblance to the one my girl scout leader taught the troop to make so that we could earn our "crafts" badge. i flipped through the pages for a little refresher and knew that this just had to be the technique that i would write about for my first ever magazine article!

to learn how to make this kitty plus oodles of other crafts + to get the latest news from the world of crafts please check out the latest issue of craft: volume 5. i just got mine on the mail so i'm sure it will be on the stands any minute now. or better yet you might want to subscribe so you won't miss a single issue!

"as seen in craft: magazine"

about a year and a half ago i did my very first craft fair. i had no idea what i was doing and sold a grand total of one thing the first day. luckily i had a very nice neighbor who i had a fun time chatting with. generally i got a good response from the few people that did venture into my booth.

at one point a very sweet girl stopped by who seemed to like my crafts more than anyone else. she explained to me she was working on a new magazine about crafts and that she was going to tell the editors about me. she gave me her card and said i should stay in touch.

that's how i met natalie zee. we have since become friends and i am honored to say that she has become one of my biggest supporters in my crafty endeavors. i am so excited that natalie has chosen one of my pincushions to feature in the "bazaar - crafty goods we adore" section of craft: magazine volume 05.

if you would like to have one for your very own they are available in my etsy shop and i'll have some at the next felt club craft fair on november 18. you can also find them at reform school in silver lake and stitch lounge in san francisco.

here's my blog post on how the whole mushroom pincushion thing started for me in the first place.

here's priscilla in the bee costume!

it's just like me to get the time wrong! i set my alarm for 7 turned on the TV and it was the "care bears" and not the "early show". oops, the show was on a 5am - that's what i get for not checking my local listings. so sorry to those of you in LA who read my post yesterday.

anyway, isn't priscilla so totally cute? she made a wonderful little bee. the craftzine blog has already posted instructions and photos of all the costumes.

you might want to set your alarm clock (or tivo)

my pals and craftzine bloggers natalie zee and jenny ryan are in new york this very minute preparing for an appearance on tomorrow morning's CBS early show. natalie will be appearing on camera showing off "last minute halloween costumes for kids" and jenny will be behind the scenes as stylist!

the costumes are all "quick and easy" ideas that can be made in just a couple of hours with materials you probably already have on hand or can easily purchased at your local craft store. the costumes were designed and created by craft: magazine contributors susan beal, nancy flynn and diana eng. oh, and i whipped up a little something too!

so that's 7:45 am tomorrow morning on CBS. for all the details please go to the craftzine blog. and stay tuned to the craftzine blog after the show for the how to's.

(images of susan, natalie and nancy at maker faire lifted from flickr)

please excuse me for the lack of posts...

things have been a little topsy turvy for me here lately. i'm in the middle of a couple of big projects (including getting ready for the next felt club) and it's starting to be that very busy time of the year for me professionally. and quite frankly i am somewhat saddened and distracted by all of the wildfires still burning in southern california, especially the huge one in my hometown of san diego.

but i did just go on a major ebay shopping spree and scored some more vintage craft books that i will be blogging real soon....

(map of southern california from "southern california - a new souvenir guide in natural color" 1956)

vintage kitchen motif fabric

a couple of years ago i had to clean out my mom's house because i was moving her into assisted living. my mom sewed almost everything she wore and had quite a stock pile of fabric. i boxed most of it up, brought it back to my house and was just finally able (both emotionally and because i had the time) to really go through it. i have been using bits of it in craft projects here and there, but the majority of it i found i couldn't really use. i am saving some of it for sentimental reasons and decided that the rest should get into the hands of those who could really use it. the larger chunks i have given to some friends and to charity. there were alot of scraps of some interesting prints that i cut into fat quarters and some smaller sizes. i'm bundling them up and will be selling them at the next felt club on nov 18. the money i make from the sale of the bundles will be donated to alzheimer's research. here's a little flickr set i created with some shots of the fabrics.

then and now

on the left:
erica wilson's re-embroidered linen fabric with designs inspired by the background pattern on a vladimir kagan rocking chair from "needleplay" by erica wilson, 1975.

on the right:
a mid-century scandinavian design chair featuring crewelwork blooms on linen fabric from the latest anthropologie catalog.

home accessories keyed to the mediterranean look, 1960

"cover scene - an interior reflecting spanish influence in decor - is showcase for decorative acessories made in easy craft techniques."

i turned on my ipod just as i sat down to scan the images for this post. i have it set on shuffle and (what a coincidence!) "the lonely bull" by herb alpert and the tijuana brass was the first song that played!

as you know i just can't get enough of the art direction of the early to mid 60s "mc call's needlework and crafts". this one is a recent find (thanks ellen!) and i think it just might be my all time favorite. all of the crafts (everything - even the rug and tiles) featured were designed by irma bolley.

the crafts are all just so delightful, but i think the standout has got to be the "lively design in quick point" bull! it's really hard to tell from the picture but there's a "bit of added whimsey" - the banderillas are wool pompons on knitting needles!

the house i live in was built in the early 60s. not too long after we moved in i removed all of the mediterranean style switchplate covers because for some reason i wanted a "cleaner look". what was i thinking? luckily i didn't throw them away because i think it's time to reinstall them!

("mc call's needlework & crafts" fall-winter 1960-61)