Our latest virtual visit of an artist’s studio features the Bay’s beloved Tomoko Maruyama! Tomoko describes her style as evoking “feelings of warmth, peace, and happiness.” We definitely agree – you can’t help but smile when looking at Tomoko’s depictions of the Golden Gate Bridge and other iconic landmarks and features of San Francisco! Tomoko makes it easy to spread the joy by offering a variety of products, including totes, tees, magnets, and stationery. And of course, her beautiful, affordable 11×14 prints are perfect works of art for any room.
A …

Another Crafty Hour for the books! They just keep getting better and better; now we just need to turn our “craft room” into one of those tents from Harry Potter that magically hold hundreds of people. This month we were inspired by San Francisco-based Yellow Owl Workshop’s great guide to hand-printing, Print Workshop. Designer Christine Schmidt created so many simple and satisfying projects, we just had to try one.

Armed with wooden blocks, a selection of differently-textured yarns, and tons of color options, we set out to make some stamps (and …

The holidays are insanely stressful; sometimes there’s so much to do it’s painful! But I think it’s important to set aside just a few hours to get cozy and do some extreme Christmas crafting. Making stuff can even be a stress eliminator, because you can use some of the goodies you’ve made as gifts. People love getting handmade gifts (and Xboxes, of course); and they’re the often the ones that end up getting passed down from generation to generation! The internet is chock-full of great free tutorials for holiday crafts …

Ever wondered what to do with all those leftover paint chips from a potential room makeover? They’re just too darn nice to throw away. Luckily, our good friend the Internet has lots of ideas about how to give paint chips the future they deserve: as a piece of fabulous art! This Thursday night, you can make your own masterpiece at our Crafty Hour. We’ll be sharing a few simple techniques on using cut-up paint chips to create some seriously impressive-looking works of art. We’re really excited to get cutting and …

Dia de Los Muertos, or Day of the Dead, is kind of a serious holiday, but it involves some beautiful and fun traditions. In Mexico, November 2nd is the day when, according to religious tradition, the deceased return to their homes for one day to visit family and friends. In preparation for their arrival, people decorate their homes and bring out all their loved ones’ favorite stuff, so they can enjoy it during their visit.

These things include sugar skulls and marigolds, but can extend to the person’s favorite foods and …

Philly-based designer Sara Selepouchin’s girls can tell line has been with Modern Mouse from the very beginning. We absolutely adore her clever diagrams gracing useful goods! We’re also big fans of her meticulous process and her inspiring blog featuring studio news, yummy eats & drinks and exciting life happenings. When we got word that Sara opened a new “work | shop”, we just HAD to get a peek!
Where’s your *new* studio located?
My studio is located in a little storefront just off Passyunk Ave in South Philadelphia. It’s a great little spot, near so many excellent …

It’s almost Halloween! Well, we’ve got 29 days left. But from what I’ve been seeing all over the Bay Area, people are more than ready to get dressed up and pig out on candy. There are already pumpkins everywhere, and those pop-up costume shops are in full effect! I love Halloween, but I also really love October and the cozy weather, fall leaves, and pumpkin spice lattes that the month brings. I’m a sucker for the changing of seasons.

I wanted to share a fun tutorial that I put together this …

(Crafty Hour happens each month at Modern Mouse from 5-7 PM on second Thursdays! Look out for the next one…come and craft with us!)
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!
We provided the supplies, which included a wooden …

(Crafty Hour happens each month at Modern Mouse from 5-7 PM on second Thursdays! Look out for the next one…come and craft with us!)
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 …