The thing is, they’re so darn cute! That’s why we’re taking all of the cuteness (and none of the chalky aftertaste) for this month’s Crafty Hour and making some sweet embroidered conversation hearts that’ll last forever.

Remember this one? Hot dog! What about "Fax Me?"

You can make your heart say anything. Anything. No judgements here! We’ll have some pins and some string so you can make yours wearable or into a hangable ornament. Not to mention that we’ll send you home with some Valentine cookie goodness from Alameda High’s Sweets and Treats Club. RSVP on the Modern Mouse Facebook page so we can have enough candy-colored felt for you to make a whole box full of hearts, and in the meantime, “Chill Out, Be Good, and Fax Me!”

Printing by hand is all the rage these days, and this project proves you don’t need any special equipment or fancy machinery to create something wonderful. We’ll be making a series of stamps and then using them to create ultra-modern patterns on paper and whatever other surfaces we can get our hot little hands on! Trusty Mouse Polly will be leading the workshop, which is this Thursday, January 12, from 5-7, right here at the shop.

For a mere $5, we’ll supply the materials, tasty snacks, and drinks; just bring your awesome self and join what’s blossomed into a great community of the funnest folks in Alameda County! RSVP on our Facebook page; we look forward to meeting you!

We had another excellent craft night last week at Modern Mouse; making glorious pieces of art from blank canvases and paint chips! The project was nice and messy, which is always a good sign, and everyone’s creativity was in full gear. We were honored to have some out-of-state visitors as well as a great Bay Area crew! Everyone brought a handful of paint chips, which was enough to go around, and after a lot of plotting and planning, the gluing began. There’s something awfully soothing about cutting and pasting, ya know?

Planning the finished product!

If you’d like to give the project a try at home, here’s a tutorial that should be helpful!

Hard at work!

We always seem to have just enough room for everyone. Magical!

Autumnal work in progress!

 The color combinations were out of sight!

It’s been a great year of craft nights and we look forward to many more! As always, you can get updates and details (as well as offer your own crafty suggestions!) on the Modern Mouse Facebook page. Woo-hoo!

Sound fun? RSVP on our Facebook event page or stop on by the shop Thursday between 5-7 PM for snacks, drinks, and crafts! We’d love to see ya!

DIY T-Shirt Necklace by Keira Lennox

I (Christina) am super excited for this upcoming Crafty Hour (which happens every 2nd Thursday!). We’ve made pins and bracelets, and with these necklaces we’ll have the complete DIY accessories experience! This t-shirt necklace project is just in time for Fall – it’ll give a little warmth for cooler days and add color and texture to autumn outfits. The possibilities for different looks are endless. You could go for dense and uniform like the necklace above, or colorful and thinly layered like the one below.

T-Shirt Necklace by Mucke

I’m planning on bringing some of my own t-shirts and maybe mixing and matching with fellow crafters at the workshop! Hoping for some Tie-Dye to make an appearance ;)

The Crafty Hour details:

{ who }
Ms. Polly Conway, Crafty Creator Extraordinaire, will show us the way!

{ what }
We all have them in the back of our closets – those t-shirts that just don’t cut it anymore! Well, with a pair of scissors and some crafty willpower, you can transform your old tee into a stylish, stand-out necklace!

As always, you’re welcome to share our supplied materials – or bring your own – t-shirts and fabric scissors!

Drinks and Light Refreshments definitely provided ;)
$5 suggested donation to offset the cost of supplies.

{ when }
Thursday 10/13/11 from 5:00pm to 7:00pm.
Please RSVP so we’re sure to have enough space and supplies.

{ where }
backroom turned crafty workshop space!

Modern Mouse
2228-A South Shore Center
Alameda, CA 94501
510-814-8830

{ why }
Impressed friend/stranger: “Whoa, that’s a cool necklace! Where’d you get it?”
YOU: “Oh, I made it myself. Yes, I’m just that awesome!”

Hope to see you there!

Another Crafty Hour for the record books! Last Thursday we did a super-versatile craft: embroidery hoop art using a no-sew applique technique. Taught by trusty Modern Mouse employee and blogger Polly Conway (yeah, that’s me!), the workshop was standing room only, with a roomful of awesome folks creating great projects as well as an extra-fun environment to hang out in!

Examples I brought in!

We provided the supplies, which included a wooden embroidery hoop, wool felt, fun fabric scraps, and fusible web (it’s stuff that basically turns your fabric into an iron-on patch). The project works great with really bold fabrics; either with a big print to cut out your favorite pieces of (like the matryoshkas above), or a smaller print that you can cut into cute shapes. After that, it’s a matter of ironing your handmade patches onto the wool felt (don’t try this with regular felt or it’ll get all melty) and putting the whole thing into the hoop!

We never said it was a tidy project!

I like teaching beginning crafts because inevitably, students will take it to the next level on their own, making incredible things that always blow me away. This project was no exception!

Dueling crafters!

Creative energy was bouncing off the walls! Group crafting is great because people get to share ideas and end up teaching each other as much as the instructor (if not more!).

Loving the skull 'n butterfly combo!

These hoops make great gifts, and they’re also really fun to hang in groups on your walls. I made a bunch of tiny ones for Christmas ornaments last year and people loved ‘em!

MM employee Marguerite shows off her drooly dog!

Once all the ironing is done, you can continue to embellish with embroidery thread, or just leave the hoop as is!

Absolutely gorgeous shell-themed hoop!

Embroidery hoop art is a really inexpensive and fun way to make a lasting heirloom (or something commemorating your dog’s drool issues). Missed out last week? You’re in luck; we just happen to have a video tutorial starring yours truly!

Crafty Hour happens the 2nd Thursday of every month. We’d love to see you there; make sure to like us on Facebook for times, dates, and deets. See ya next month!

Flowerbed Lemon Fabric by Echino

…into something like this!

No-Sew Applique with Ms. Polly Conway!

At this month’s Crafty Hour, we’re giving all hoarders of cute fabric a chance to show off their favorite fabulous fabrics with a simple, no-sew craft project.

{ when}
Join us on Thursday, 9/8, for two hours of crafting and camaraderie, 5-7PM!

{ what’s happening }
Problem: You’ve got too much of a good thing – fabric with the most adorable/awesome print you’ve ever seen.

Solution: Make decorative wall art using embroidery hoops! Ms. Polly Conway will show you how to get the most out of your patterned fabric stash.
This project is a great way to showcase the cutest parts of the fabric without using too much of it. It requires no sewing and is so easy, you’ll find your walls covered with embroidery hoops in no time!

{ what to bring }
Bring your own cotton fabric with fun print, fabric scissors, and embroidery hoop- or just share ours!
We’ll also supply more fabric, embroidery hoops, wool felt, iron-on materials, fabric scissors, iron, and twine.

Light snacks, juice and wine will be provided as always. :]

{ rsvp }
Let us know if you’ll be in attendance so we can be sure to have space and supplies. RSVP on Facebook!

{ cost } 
$5 donation kindly requested to offset our costs.

{ address }
Modern Mouse
2228-A South Shore Center
Alameda, CA 94501
510-814-8830

We did it again! With another successful Modern Mouse Crafty Hour under our belt, we became crochet pros in two hours thanks to this month’s teacher, Julia Akpan of Simple Truths. Our recently revamped back room quickly filled with enthusiastic crafters ready to learn a new skill and leave with an awesome scalloped bangle bracelet. As usual, we were armed with cookies, candy, and sweet drinks to keep ourselves nourished while focusing our brains on crochet!

Most attendees had little to no crochet experience, so Julia introduced them to the basics. Like knitting, crochet can be a little tricky to pick up at first, but with a little patience and practice, everyone figured it out!

Crochet is a great craft to know; once you’ve got the skills, you can use yarn, embroidery thread, or any string-like substance to create some really cool stuff. For this project, scalloped bangles, we used embroidery thread, pretty small crochet needles (they come in all sizes, from teensy to huge, depending on how big/small you want your stitches to be), and plain old metal bangle bracelets. Totally an economical project!

It always helps to have a good teacher!

We were pretty good students, too.

By the end of the night, everyone had a beautiful bangle bracelet to take home, a fab idea for holiday gifts (it’s never too early!) and a new fun activity to continue experimenting with at home! If you couldn’t make it, here’s a super-cute tutorial using the same skills we learned; enjoy! If you’d like to come to one of our Crafty Hours, we’d love to have you! Find out the dates on the Modern Mouse Facebook page, or sign up for our monthly newsletter.

Her jewelry line, Simple Truths, features a fresh take on crochet and is colorful, gorgeous, and a little bit fun too! I mean, look at what we’ll be learning how to make:

So pretty, right?  New to crocheting? Not to worry – Julia will have you crocheting like a pro by the end of the evening! And fellas need not feel excluded, for what woman in your life wouldn’t adore a gift handmade by you?! And once you learn just a little crochet, you’ll be hooked. Hooked! Get it?! Uh-oh. Before I make any more bad puns, here are the details:

August Crafty Hour

Thursday, August 11

5:00 – 7:00 PM
{ what to bring }

Feel free to bring your own supplies, or just share ours! Bring a small crochet needle if you have one, and any embroidery thread and bangles you might like to transform.Otherwise we’ll supply the materials (small crochet needle 2.10mm-2.27mm, cotton pearl embroidery thread, thin metal bangles or hoop earrings, strong glue).
Light snacks, juice and wine will be provided as always. :]

{ rsvp on our Facebook page}

Let us know if you’ll be in attendance so we can be sure to have space and supplies.

{ cost }

$5 donation kindly requested to offset our costs.

Hope to see you there!