These are some light switch covers that my husband, Patrick, decorated with polymer clay. He rolled and sculpted each and every one! This is exactly what you would call a texture craft! He also did a whole concrete bench in fired clay with the same concept. Gosh, I wish we had pictures of that too!

This lovely project is from my book: The Crafty Chica Collection!


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CLICK HERE to see my crafty videos at LifetimeTV.com!

Other links:
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* All content/photos copyright, © Kathy Cano-Murillo, 2007. For more artsy goodness, check out CraftyChica.com * for awesome crafty resources check out DuncanCrafts.com

Labels: Cinco DeMayo, Day of the Dead, Latin-inspired, multi-culti

Don't these pillows look like they came from a home design or department store? They kinda did. They are napkins! I took some large cloth napkins and used my heavy duty glue gun and made them into stury sofa pillows. What makes this project so dang cool is that the napkins already have crisp seams, so you just glue them together inside the hem. This idea came to me because I love the different kinds of napkins that are for sale, but we are just *not* a fabric napkin kind of family. We're like the Viva paper towel family. So at last, my soul is at peace because I found a way to have my napkins and use them too.

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* All content/photos copyright, Kathy Cano Murillo, 2006. Photos property and courtesy of Arizona Republic and AzCentral.com. For more artsy goodness, check out CraftyChica.com *

Labels: home decor, inside

Last month I had the privilege to sit down over coffee with the talented and radiant Megan Nicolay, author of Generation-T: 108 Ways to Transform a T-shirt.


Megan is just as gorgeous as she looks on the book cover, with the added benefit of a great sense of humor!


Thank you to Carrie Wheeler from AZCentral for putting all these stories online and giving them such great play! Before I go on with the link parade, visit Carrie's comical and informative Spinning Wheels blog on beauty, fashion and celebrity commentary!

Back to T-shirts. Here is a link to the story I wrote for last Saturday's The Arizona Republic on T-shirt reconstruction, which featured my interview with Megan about her book, as well as two fabulous Phoenix designers, Miriam Navarro and Yesenia Puente of Lola y Lola.

Here is a link to directions for making a project from Megan's book.

Here are tips from Megan.


Here is a link to Lola y Lola's MySpace page.

While you are at it, check out these other "must-have' books on the topic!


Tease: 50 Inspired T-shirt Transformations, edited by Sarah Sockit (Perigee, 2006, $15.95 paperback).


99 Ways to Cut, Sew, Trim & Tie Your T-Shirt Into Something Special, by Faith and Justina Blakeney, Anka Livakovic and Ellen Schultz (Potter Craft, 2006, $19.95 hardback).

OK, go cut up a T-shirt already!

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* All content/photos copyright, Kathy Cano Murillo, 2006. Photos property and courtesy of Arizona Republic and AzCentral.com. For more artsy goodness, check out CraftyChica.com *

Labels: wearable art

I think the reason I love assemblage art so much is because I finally put to use all the knick-knacks I refuse to throw away.

I made this mint tin shrine in honor of my hubby's grandpa. Every single one of the items in there has a specific meaning to him and his personality. For example: the cough drops. He always had them in his pocket and when he greeted you, he would shake your hand. He'd walk away, you look at your palm, and there was a cough drop. The sexy dancer is inspired by the Saturday night variety shows on the spanish language networks. He loved the flirty dancers in the sequined outfits! Get the idea? It's amazing to think how many "little" treasures you can find if you look hard enough.

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* All content/photos copyright, Kathy Cano Murillo, 2006. Photos property and courtesy of Arizona Republic and AzCentral.com. For more artsy goodness, check out CraftyChica.com *

Labels: collage/paper, father's day, recycled, shrines

Use icing tubes to jazz up your chocolate eggs!

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* All content/photos copyright, Kathy Cano Murillo, 2006. Photos property and courtesy of Arizona Republic and AzCentral.com. For more artsy goodness, check out CraftyChica.com *

Labels: Easter, food crafts, other holidays

Here are some ideas to keep you busy this week!

- Quickie projects


- Fake Easter Chocolates

- Egg Placeholders
- Cascarones


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* All content/photos copyright, Kathy Cano Murillo, 2006. Photos property and courtesy of Arizona Republic and AzCentral.com. For more artsy goodness, check out CraftyChica.com *

Labels: Easter

Those clever folks at Magnetic Poetry have just released some ultra cool letter stamp sets. Sure you can customize your tees, but I opted for terra cotta pots. HERE ARE THE DIRECTIONS.

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* All content/photos copyright, Kathy Cano Murillo, 2006. Photos property and courtesy of Arizona Republic and AzCentral.com. For more artsy goodness, check out CraftyChica.com *

Labels: garden, outdoors

In Show 15, I read an excerpt from my new book, "Crafty Chica's Art de la Soul" - about the time I hit a respectable news anchor on the head with eggs on live TV. I also share a nifty "Mexicali Shabby Chic" crafty idea for your flower bed or garden. Peace, love and glitter from the Crafty Chica!

CLICK HERE TO LISTEN

Show links:
Buy Kathy's book here

How to make casarones
American Idol blog
Stylelicious TV show
Creative Juice TV show

Photo of "Wonderfully Worn Flower Fence"

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* All content/photos copyright, Kathy Cano Murillo, 2006. Photos property and courtesy of Arizona Republic and AzCentral.com. For more artsy goodness, check out CraftyChica.com *

Labels: Latin-inspired, podcasts

I made this framed art in a snap. I found some pretty glittered handmade paper at the craft store and I used two contrasting sheets. I sewed the two pieces together and in the center, I stitched on one of Teresa Villegas' Loteria cards. Assembled it in a frame, and there it is! A piece of wall art!

You can put just about anything in the center and it will look cool. An imported food label, a vintage photo, a funky postage stamp... The key is the glitter paper. I'm telling you, glitter makes the world go round!

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* All content/photos copyright, Kathy Cano Murillo, 2006. Photos property and courtesy of Arizona Republic and AzCentral.com. For more artsy goodness, check out CraftyChica.com *

Labels: collage/paper, home decor, sewing

I can sniff out a cool craft project anywhere. At the shoe store, the bank and even the hair salon. Recently, while my hairdresser was snipping my split ends, something wonderful caught my eye. Up on his supply cabinet was a little brag book themed around his new puppy. My hair guy had just adopted an adorable Australian shepherd, and its mother's owner, Kathya Hidalgo of Laveen, was kind enough to create an accordion photo album for him that doubled as a tip book. One side has photos and captions, the other has little pockets that offer feeding, grooming and discipline tips. I fell in love with the idea, not only for its design, but also for its function.
Puppy Tip/Memory Book
Supplies
2 pieces of mat board covered with decorative paper, 5 1/2 by 4 1/2 inches each
1 piece of heavy art paper, 24 by 5 1/2 inches
4 card stock pockets
4 card stock tags with ribbon
Assorted scrapbook paper
Assorted pictures
Pens, rub-on letters, embellishments, rubber stamps
Glue stick or other paper adhesive

Directions: Accordion fold the art paper five times to create even-size panels. Affix one end of the panel to the inside of each piece of mat board. If desired, cover each panel with decorative scrapbook paper. One side of the book will be filled with pet-care tips, so affix the pockets to each panel, write tips on the tags and insert them. For the other side of the book, affix pictures of the pet and use the pen and rub-on letters to write phrases or notes. Decorate the covers with rub-on letters, rubber stamps and embellishments.


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* All content/photos copyright, Kathy Cano Murillo, 2006. Photos property and courtesy of Arizona Republic and AzCentral.com. For more artsy goodness, check out CraftyChica.com *

Labels: collage/paper, pets