The Hostess with the Mostess shares an inexpensive way to decorate for St. Patrick's Day with this Lucky Mugs centerpiece project. Downloadable labels area also provided!

The sixth Food Design competition just announced their call to entries:

Participation in the competition is free and is open to all those who want to put to test their abilities in projects linked to the theme of Food Design. Particularly architects, professionals, artists, craftsmen and designers creatives, high school students, university students and students of the sector. Participation can be either individual or collective and in the latter case a person must be appointed and will be the only referent for the promoters of the competition. When students or a group of students from a class or a course are coordinated by a teacher, he/she acts as a referent.

The aim of the competition is spreading, promoting and fostering design culture through projects that re-interpret customs and functions linked with food. In particular the shaping of new behavioural models, new rituals and habits combining the materials with colours, flavours and inspirations. Research and experimentation are brought forward on the theme of food, of its packaging and of its use. They stimulate the quest for new functional solutions which must also be sustainable and flexible.

If you love art, design, and food, go check it out! [via Core77]

I first met bead artist, Teresa Sullivan, a year ago during my trip to Portland for the screening of Handmade Nation. She was wearing one of her amazing beaded pieces (to call it a "necklace" just seems ... wrong. It was an art piece wrapped around her neck!). I was astounded by the detail she was able to convey, and the incredible durability of her pieces. I'm thrilled to see this interview with Teresa by another good friend I made on that same trip to Portland, Kim Werker. Not only does she share Teresa's answers to a handful of thought-provoking questions, but she's also included a beautiful video by Ian Lucero about Teresa and her work.

Flickr user imakefunthings used two of my Instructables to construct this adorable soft circuit hoodie with a snap-on blinky heart. He used a LilyPad Arduino and Open Heart Kit.

• Open Heart brooch
• TV-B-Gone Hoodie and Zipper Switch
• CRAFT Video: LilyPad Arduino 101
• CRAFT Video: LilyPad Arduino Bike Patch
• LilyPad Arduino POV Wristband
• Touch Sensitive LilyPad Arduino Hoodie
• Electronic Embroidery

The cuteness of this chicken egg family is almost too much to handle. Can you figure out all the secret ingredients to add the fun details to these hard boiled egg chicks? See the step-by-step how-to over on Eye Candy. [via Dabbled]

When the daughter of Maya of Maya*Made was gifted a plain turtleneck from a sibling, she declared it "too chokey" and boring to wear. Mom came to the rescue with a brilliant and stylish solution by trimming the turtleneck down and creating a ruffled edge with lettuce stitching. The result was so nice that Maya even decided to transform one of her own turtleneck shirts.

Matt @ Make: Online writes:

Filmmaker and crafter Holly Klein combined her talents to produce this short, Maggie and Mildred. All of the set pieces and characters were cross stitched by hand, then scanned into a computer and animated.

For those of you who have beat your head repeatedly against the archaic wall of finite system-only web fonts, relief is here. Tired of Arial? Bored with Times New Roman? Fatigued by Verdana? Insulted by Comic Sans? Me too. Typekit to the rescue!

Typekit is a San Francisco web app company produced by Small Batch Inc. They offer a flexible, subscription-based service which provides web-only linking to an extensive library of Open Type fonts, all neatly organized and tagged for your perusing pleasure. In other words, they handle the licensing, and you gain access to non-sucking letterforms, available with the mere insertion of a line of JavaScript. Finally, real fonts for the web. It's about time.

By Jessica Wilson

When I was a kid we didn't have pool noodles, we had boogie boards. While boogie boards were very cool in their own 1980s way, they were not nearly as versatile as the candy-colored pool noodle. There are all kinds of nifty things you can do with a pool noodle. You can float on them, build with them, turn them into swords and lightsabers, and even make nifty gear-styled walls, all sorts of fun things.

You know summer is almost upon us once the pool noodle pops up everywhere. From fancy-schmancy flower- and star-shaped noodles to your regular old round noodle, they are ridiculously easy to find. Once summer ends, though, you're left with a slightly squished and has-been candy-colored thingamajig. Don't throw it away -- turn it into a lightsaber, car wash, or sword, or follow along with me to turn a pair of noodles into some nifty room decor.

Tamara of Brooklyn Craft shares photos of her crafty work space where she transformed a fireplace in her kitchen into her sewing nook complete with her vintage Singer sewing machine.

There's still plenty of time before St. Patrick's Day to whip up a nice bunch of these cool fabric four leaf clovers from Melissa over at Bolt Neighborhood.

This touch-sensitive stitched keyboard is powered by conductive thread and two LilyPad Arduinos, don't miss the video!

Vickie Howell created and shares this pattern for these cool crochet earrings based on a pair worn by American Idol contestant, Lilly Scott.

Only one more day left to apply to vend crafts at Bazaar Bizaare Maker Faire Bay Area 2010! The payment policy has been improved, pay only $10 upfront and not a penny more until you're accepted:

Applications Due on Tuesday March 16th for Bazaar Bizarre Maker Faire

This is a two-day event being held on May 22nd and 23rd, 2010

Saturday 10am - 8pm and Sunday 10am - 6pm. (Not Memorial Day Weekend)

Bazaar Bizarre supports artists and craftspeople that appeal to the aesthetic of the indie art and craft scene and have innovative approaches to traditional craft forms. There is a $10 application fee to apply. full vendor fees collected after acceptance.

Apply Here

Check out photos from last year's show, as well as the Maker Faire site.

I've been a fan of the bright and colorful felt brooches and delightful masks from Laura of Bugs and Fishes by Lupin for a long time. She often shares pictures of her works in progress that are loads of fun, and now she's gone a step further by giving a step-by-step look at her design process and a tutorial for how to put together a felt brooch.

This wooden puzzle from the Maker's Market is a delight. The natural wood colors, the amazing detail, and the complex forms of mushrooms all contribute to a piece of challenging puzzle art. I think Xylocopa Design has created something that will capture the attention of mycology lovers and puzzle solvers everywhere.

I love a good juxtaposition of traditional and modern. And I love dishes. This exhibition of all star graffiti artists and their take on tea sets is yet another chance for me to love both at the same time.

Within the graffiti context, All City intends to re-interpret some of the most classical Portuguese porcelain sets: the nobility of classical shapes were re-invented with improbable graffiti motifs, based on a contemporary urban language.

[via mocoloco]

Related Posts:
New York Delft
Splatter Dishware
Stencil Plates

This week in the CRAFT Flickr pool we saw:

Par Avion Dress by Liliatodd,

Paleozoic Sea Creature by Hine,

Layered Paper Circles Circle by ljlh*designs,

and DIY Memory Branch by The Bottomless Paddling Pool.

I love the "On the Road to Spring" Quilt-Along archives. Thanks to Randi of i have to say... there are 6 lessons that take you through the whole process of making a patchwork quilt and you can go as slow or fast as you want. Her photos on binding a quilt are great, especially for working those tricky corners.

Do you have a blue bin? They make recycling SO easy. My twitter friend Joscie documents arrival of her blue bin with this great scrapbook page. I love that she uses a photo with nice depth of field and repetition to anchor this "green" spread with a blue color scheme. You can check out her unique take on scrapping at her blog, cutchens.com. I'd describe Josice's style as deeply personal, emotional, witty, modern and full of creative fun.

Congratulations to Talela of Atlanta, Georgia and Mahshed of Victoria, BC, Canada, winners of Joan Gorman's Stitch Village E-book. Thanks to everyone who entered, and be sure to check out Joan's blog, Nini Makes.

My mother turned the entire family onto this particular flavor of green chile enchiladas several years ago. Being from New Mexico, we'll try anything that has real green chile or red chile sauce in, on, or around it. The sour cream (Jocoque is a sour-cream-ish product in Mexico) and sharp cheddar combined with the fiery green chile (if you're lucky), make for some dang good eatin' in this particular dish. These enchiladas have quickly become a favorite in our households; my mom's husband asks for them on a weekly basis, and the smell of the sauce cooking on the oven draws everyone into the kitchen whenever I make them.

For my immediate family, I've cut the sour cream in half, and was recently thinking I'd experiment with using crème fraîche instead of straight sour cream. To make my own version of crème fraîche quickly, I use equal parts sour cream and whipping cream, shake them up in a jar, and let this mixture sit out until it reaches room temperature. Recipes I've found online use buttermilk and whipping cream, but I rarely have any buttermilk in my fridge.

I'll let you know how my experimentation goes, and please let me know in the Comments how you like these enchiladas if you make them!

Enchiladas Verdes de Jocoque
(Green Chile Sour Cream Enchiladas)

Ingredients

• 3 cups chicken broth
• 9 corn tortillas
• 3 tablespoons flour
• 1.5 cups grated sharp cheddar cheese
• 1 cup cooked chicken
• 1 cup chopped green chile
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
• 1 cup sour cream
• Vegetable oil for briefly frying tortillas

Directions

1. Combine 1 cup cheese and the sour cream in a medium-sized mixing bowl. If you like your onions mostly raw, stir them in as well. Set aside.


2. Whisk 1 cup of broth with the flour in a medium-sized saucepan.

3. Add the remaining broth and cook on medium heat until thickened. If you like the onions slightly cooked, add them now and simmer for 4-5 minutes.


4. Stir the chicken, green chile, garlic powder, and salt into the broth and set aside.

5. Heat 1/2 inch of oil in a heavy pan on medium-high heat. Dip each tortilla briefly into the oil until softened, about 5-10 seconds or less per side, then drain the tortillas on paper towels.


6. Assemble the enchiladas by placing 1/4 cup of sauce on each dinner plate, followed by a tortilla, 1/4 cup of sauce, and 1/3 cup of sour cream mixture.


7. Top with the remaining sauce and more grated cheese.


8. Place in a 350°F oven for 15 minutes, or until the cheese melts.

NOTE: Enchiladas in New Mexico and in nearby environs are often topped with a fried egg as the pièce de résistance. I prefer the egg with red chile enchiladas only, but knock yourself out if you'd like an egg with your green chile.

Related Recipes

Green Chile Stew

New Mexican Frijoles

I'm loving crafter Nikol Lohr's new sewing area, especially the index card cabinet that holds all her sewing notions and crafting supplies. You can also see Nikol's craft space which we profiled back in January featuring the space for all of her yarn and fiber projects.

Sarai at Collette Patterns shares this handsome pattern for bloomers. I would love to make a pair for myself, but right now my sewing skills max out at simple tab curtains. She also posted some images of bloomers that her readers have made. Pretty and feminine. I wonder if they're comfortable.

These brightly colored eggs were dyed using packets of Kool-Aid instead of traditional egg dyes. Pam of Gingerbread Snowflakes shares her process for experimenting with Kool-Aid and even includes some of pitfalls she encountered.