Crafty Manolo

(Illustration via About.com, where you can find instructions for these wax resist greeting cards)

May Santa bring you all the crafty toys your heart desires!

(Photo via Women’s Day where you can find instructions… if you dare)

Be sure to set a place for me!

Or, well, not. But have a great day, a great meal, and lots of fun, no matter who is at your table.

The pumpkin says it all.

May you all have a crafty day and more than enough candy to go around.

I love Halloween. I love a chance to dress up and I love candy and I love giving stuff to kids. Put all three together, and bingo! it’s Halloween.

But sometimes I don’t get around to dressing up. It’s sad, but true. Heidi Klum always dresses up, but she’s got a budget and stylists, and (apparently) a dentist who made custom-fitted vampire fangs for her. Now that’s dedication to Halloween!

Still, I usually do dress up and I take a certain pride in being able to rummage randomly in my closet and create a visual pun on the spot (or with a quick trip to the dollar store for a prop or two).

I have two favorite last-minute costumes I came up with. For one, I used pale makeup to make myself look ashen, wore a flowing long dress and tied a very long scarf around my throat to go as the ghost of Isadora Duncan. Sick, but those in the know got a blast out of it.

The other was inspired by a rubber pig snout someone gave me. I wore a pair of slacks, a dress shirt, and a man’s vest all with play money coming out of the pockets, and put on the pig snout. What was I? A capitalist pig, of course! The people who bought books from me that day (I was working in a really great book store at the time) got some good giggles out of that one.

So what about you? What’s the best Halloween costume you’ve ever done? Was it for you? Your kid? A friend? Did people get it at first glance? Or were they as mystified as the time I went out as one of the chorus of professional bridesmaids from Ruddigore? As it turns out, when I was eleven there wasn’t a single Gilbert and Sullivan junkie in our entire neighborhood who didn’t live in the same house as I did! Who’da thunk it?

Yarnbombed bike rack via Jafabrit’s Art

Hey folks, it’s heads up time!

What do you need to know? Why, that June 11, 2011 is International Yarn Bomb Day!

On that one day, people will be carrying out yarnbombing runs all over the world.

So… what about us? Do you want to participate? Solo or as Crafty Manolo readers? Do you have a good idea?

Talk to me about bombing, people. Let’s hear what you have to say.

Happy Easter, everybody! And may the big bunny bring you egg-zactly your favorite candies today.

… For St. Patrick’s Day, that is?

Or perhaps you’ll go blue, as explained in this interesting essay over at Vintage Image Craft, along with links to some St. Pat’s crafts that may be of interest to some of you.

I’m thinking I might find a shamrock pattern to put on my lace pillow… or I may just stick to my usual St. Pat’s tradition of wearing orange and cooking corned beef and cabbage.

As some of you may be aware, Mardi Gras is one week from tomorrow. In honor of the occasion, reader Margot Silk Forest and her partner in crime, Destiny Carter of the Glitter Sweatshop, have created these rather fabulous boots as part of the San Luis Obispo Arts Organization’s Mardi Gras fundraser, Walk on the Wild Side. I think these definitely fulfill that promise and more!

If you want to see how it was done, just click through here to go to their page about it.

Fabulous, ladies!

Oh, and if you want instructions to make a King cake to go with those shoes or don’t know where to get beads, just check out this site.

May 2011 be a joyful and crafty year for you all!

via country Living

Merry Christmas to you all! May you find all your crafty desires under the tree.