Crafty Things

One of my favorite daily reads is Craftzine's blog, where I learn about all sorts of crafty things going on all over the interwebs. Last week, they featured Craftster: Best of 2009 - the best projects from another crafty website - Craftster. I thought I'd share some of my favorites for those readers who are craftily inclined or just like looking at pretty things.

First, from the reconstructed clothing section, this summertime dress made from an old skirt and a 1970's curtain makes me want to sing Do-re-mi on a hillside with Julie Andrews.

Next, from the machine embroidery section, these absolutely precious owl towels might be the cutest little things I've ever seen. I certainly wouldn't want to wipe my dirty hands on them!

Third, from the dyeing section, is this lovely dragonfly batik-dyed fabric. I have no idea how this actually works, but I always think batik fabrics look so whimsical.

This fabric bowl from the crafty housewares category is just gorgeous. Apparently it's a pretty straightforward technique, but it looks like a lot of hard work to me.

And finally, from the paper crafts category, this delightfully whimsical deck of altered cards that the crafter made for her parents' 50th wedding anniversary. It's an idea that I'm going to store in my brain somewhere until I have the perfect time to use it.

There are dozens more of these beautiful, creative projects if you follow the Best of 2009 link from above, and for those of you who are into crafts, I highly recommend it. I never spend as much time crafting as I'd like, but I really love being inspired by all of these truly creative people out there.