We like to play German games. Also called designer games or hobby games, German games involve more logic and strategy than traditional party games like Monopoly, Life or Pictionary, which depend more on luck than strategy. We try to get together with friends at least once a month or so to play games like Settlers of Catan, Carcossonne, San Juan, Babel, Alhambra, but sometimes it can be hard to find other people to play with. It is nice to know that there are others out there in cyberspace playing these games and even people who are doing a little DIY board game design and “pimping their German games”.

Peter Callesen is on of the most talented cut paper artists I’ve seen. His work is simply amazing, intricate and clever. You can see more of Peter’s inspiring work on his web site at http://www.petercallesen.com.

Give it a try yourself, too! There aren’t really any rules to follow. You’ll just need some paper, an Xacto knife or scissors, and an idea. If you give it a try, upload your image to your own blog and post the URL here

Yeah, potatoes! Remember making potato prints when you were a kid? It was a pretty cool way to make art. It still is. And now that you’re all grown up, you can make grown up potato prints, which are even better!

Potato prints are stamped art made from a carving you created on a cut-up potato.

You’ll need just a few simple supplies like potatoes, of course - the bigger, the better. Paint of your choice…tempera or acrylic for papers, fabric-friendly paint for cloth, latex or oil for walls, wood. Experiment! Stains and inks work well too, but result in a completely different way. You’ll need a sharp knife, possibly carving tools if you plan on getting fancy with your design. Cookie cutters make great templates, too. You’ll also need something to stamp your design onto to…paper, wood, etc. Oh, and the obvious miscellaneous things needed when painting - water, brushes, sponges.

 To begin, cut your potato in half either horizontally or vertically, exposing the flesh. Then, trace a design, similar to how you would trace a design on a pumpkin - use the pin prick method, a tool, a pencil, anything that works so that you can see your tracing. Then, carefully cut away the negative sections of the design, leaving a relief of your art. Or, you can also cut away the positive sections so that you have an outline of you art.

Dry the potato as much as possible and apply your paint with a brush or sponge. Then, you’re ready to stamp, stamp, stamp!

And sure, your potato won’t last more than a day, but you can preserve your stamp forever by stamping the design on a white piece of paper with black ink. Once it dries, you can then scan the art into your computer and use it again and again.

If you’re loving the idea of potato prints, but the thought of making them isn’t exactly spudtacular, you can hop on over to Sweet Potato Prints and purchase some of their cute-as-a-button potato print clothing for your tots! Here’s some of their fun products:

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Posted by the Crafty Folks at Anna Bella Fine Stationery.

Collage art is one of those crazy, anything goes crafts that I personally love because it can involve absoultely everything and anything - there are no rules on style, materials, or subject matter. And really, the more you include, the better it gets - I love it!

I never knew much about the world of collage until I met Claudine Hellmuth a while back - and what a world she has created! Claudine’s style of collage is fun and whimsical, yes. But, the best part is that she uses pictures of her clients as the “main characters” for her work.

Better yet, Claudine is a pay-it-forward type of gal, who offers workshops in collage, teaching you her most favorite collage techniques. And if you can’t make it to one of her classes taught across the country, you can pick up one of her many books or videos.

Save your ribbon and paper scraps and any old photos. You’ve got some collages to make! Or, if you’re not feeling all that crafty, you can commission Claudine to create an original piece of art, just for you!

Visit Claudine Hellmuth online at www.collageartist.com to purchase her books, videos, greeting cards and to order your own personal collage.

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Posted by the Crafty Folks at Anna Bella Fine Stationery.

I just got my Wolfie and the Sneak Freshly Sliced Art: Floral Edition Coloring Book in the mail and I can’t wait to get out my markers, colored pencil, watercolors and color away the day. I love that it’s printed on heavier weight archival paper and has perforated edges so you can frame your creations. I’ll be sure to share my results. Now to figure out which drawing to start with!

I actually collect coloring book, so if you know of any indie coloring book designers or other cool places to get coloring books be sure to leave a comment.

As a kid I loved to color and I atually still love to color.  I  collect coloring books, which I do color in, the Dover coloring books are my favorites. In celebration of spring and coloring , I decided to make my very own spring coloring pages from some photgraphs that I took at Longwood Gardens. For the big kids that still like to color, like me, just click on the images to open the coloring pages, print, color and enjoy!

I loved The Lorax by Dr. Seuss as a kid, as I am sure many of you did, but never, ever, ever in all my crafty years did I desire to actually knit a Thneed. Apparently somebody did though, because there is a pattern for it. I discovered this craziness on Threadbared.com, a site devoted to poking snarky fun at vintage patterns from the 40’s to the 80’s.