Embroidery, in particular, has seen a surge in popularity this past year, being relatively cheap and easy to pick up. But why not add a playful twist to your new-found hobby? Michelle Galletta’s embroidery kits make for the ideal gift, teaching you how to make your very own toys from scratch.

According to Galletta, the kits are essentially embroidery samplers, meaning you learn the craft as you go. It also means that your work doesn’t—and shouldn’t—be perfect, but you’ll get lots of practice along the way.

“I guess the main intention was to give other people the opportunity to make something really special with their own hands,” Galletta explained in an interview with Meet the Makers. “I love the whole ‘do it yourself’ thing, so much of what we have is digital and automated so it’s really nice to be able to take a step back, relax with something, and have your own time to put a project together.”

Galletta’s brand Kiriki Press launched in December 2012 and includes a range of DIY products with an emphasis on DIY toys. The kits are screen-printed by hand and assembled in Toronto at Noble Crafthouse, making your purchase a more personal and sustainable one. Scroll down to see some examples of her products.

The post Your Next DIY Project: Kiriki Press Embroidery Kits appeared first on https://everydaymonkey.com.

Traditional rug hooking is made by pulling loops of yarn or fabric through a stiff woven base such as burlap, linen, rug warp, or monks cloth. In contrast, latch-hooking uses a hinged hook to form a knotted pile from short, pre-cut pieces of yarn. With time on our hands, we might as well give it a try.

Rug hooking expert Rose Pearlman is here to get you hooked (pun intended): “As an artist and teacher, it’s my goal to inspire and help others create,” she stated once in an interview with Sarah K. Benning. An artist, teacher, and textile designer, Pearlman teaches monthly rug hooking workshops in NYC, as well as online.

“For me, rug hooking is the fiber medium most like painting,” she expressed. “The punching technique is simple to master so your energy can be spent on composition and color.”

According to Pearlman, rug hooking is a forgiving medium as it allows you to change your mind and undo your work quite easily. “You can easily pull stitches out to reuse the same cloth backing and fiber without waste,” she stresses.

Follow her social media pages for more info and purchase her book, Modern Rug Hooking: 22 Punch Needle Projects for Crafting a Beautiful Home here. In it, you’ll find rug hooking instructions for beginners and innovative ideas for those wanting to go further.

The post Rose Pearlman Will Teach You the Art of Modern Rug Hooking appeared first on https://everydaymonkey.com.

“The definition of artist is shifting,” reflected Shlian in an interview with Yatzer. “People who think that the artist works alone, wearing a beret and painting all day, are mistaken in this notion. It takes a lot of resourcefulness to succeed as an artist. Someone close to me once joked that it took me ten years to become an overnight sensation.”

Indeed, if there’s one thing Shlian doesn’t shy away from it’s hard work. His work, which requires a deep level of understanding of forms and shapes, often includes collaborations with experts outside of the art world. The end result, more often than not, looks like an optical illusion of sorts—made to perfection.

According to Shlian, he was first drawn to paper as a medium because he loved its immediacy. “My interest in geometric form led me to paper – then paper led me to pop-up books,” he explained. “Mechanical movement in paper engineering led me to architecture and design, which in turn led to my collaborating with people outside of the art world.”

Scroll down to see some of his incredible pieces.

The post Matthew Shlian Explores the Mechanical Movement of Paper appeared first on https://everydaymonkey.com.

Born in England, her work is also very much inspired by her move to Barcelona, where she currently works in her creative studio, specializing in character design. “My work has developed hugely over the last few years,” she told Inky Goodness, “informed by some big life decisions like moving abroad and pursuing a very particular artistic path. I’ve been really lucky to be surrounded by a positive, creative environment and have been greatly inspired by the people and places around me.”

Inspired by what she calls “the grit of the city contrasted with the idyllic coastline”, her work is often bright, textured, and uplifting with references to pop culture (anything from Harry Potter books to Wes Anderson’s films). “I’m not afraid to step out of my comfort zone to explore different styles,” says Menzies.

Show her some love on Instagram and check out more of her work below.

The post From Illustrating to Embroidery: Meet Katie Menzies appeared first on https://everydaymonkey.com.

His interests also include animals and insects, the sciences (particularly physics and biology), robotics, automatons, magic tricks, and experimentation in general. One of his more experimental projects incorporates balloons, with his recreations including birds as well as human heads.

According to Cook, each balloon sculpture takes a couple of hours to make and then more time on top of that to photograph. With his bird series, the idea came to him quite naturally. “I am obsessed with birds (Mostly British and European) and have been since I was a child,” explains Cook on his website. His balloon heads came afterward, having watched the bird balloons deflate. “I thought it would be cool to use the creases that form naturally on the balloon surface as the latex begins to degrade and lose its form,” he writes. “I made heads and then photographed them over a period of weeks as they began to deflate. Some went quicker than others.”

Cook notes that he only uses Qualatex balloons made from natural latex, which are biodegradable and break down easily. Scroll down to see some of his creative projects – balloon-made or otherwise.

The post From Robotics to Balloons: Terry Cook is a Tinkerer and a Doodler appeared first on https://everydaymonkey.com.

Like most creatives, Sundqvist took to art making from an early age. Growing up in a creative household didn’t hurt either, and Sundqvist most probably took note from her mother, a trained potter. But it was only during her second year at the University College of Arts, Crafts, and Design that she actually came across with paper art.

The discovery itself was by mere chance (or was it fate?). “My brother was studying in Beijing and brought home a book containing paper art,” she relayed in an interview with Magnus Ekbladh. “The book itself was pretty cheesy, but I remember being in awe over the amount of time someone had put into the pictures. That made me wanna try to translate my images into paper cut-outs.”

From there the path to being a paper artist was a short one, and she ended up making a 3D paper elephant for her final project at university. “I ended up working day and night for ten weeks, making the elephant as my final project for the university,” she recalls. “I remember it was becoming really fun, even though I was a bit worried it would look a little too much like scrapbooking.”

Jump forward some years later and she now works full time with paper, with her commissions including prop designs. Here are some of our favorite creations by her.

The post For the Love of Paper: Follow Fideli Sundqvist on Instagram appeared first on https://everydaymonkey.com.

“They created the most wonderful 3D images, posters, and projects,” she gushed in an interview with Ballpit Magazine. “All handmade out of colorful paper. Colors I would never have imagined working with. I had the best most inspiring four months there. I finally felt that I had found what it was that I wanted to do. I wanted to be a paper artist.”

And so a paper artist was born. Sticking to vibrant colors, her creations have a humoristic edge to them and include flora and fauna. “As a creative, I look at art in a different way and I’m constantly dissecting it and trying to understand how and why it’s made,” relayed Woodley. “I do find that being an artist in this day and age can be very overwhelming because there is an incredible amount of talent and work out there!”

She dins that for her, paper art is an outlet for her thoughts and emotions, which she shares with the world around her in paper form. Take a look at some of her playful creations (commercial or otherwise) in the gallery below.

The post Alia Woodley’s Paper Delights appeared first on https://everydaymonkey.com.

Embroidery, in particular, has seen a surge in popularity this past year, being relatively cheap and easy to pick up. But why not add a playful twist to your new-found hobby? Michelle Galletta’s embroidery kits make for the ideal gift, teaching you how to make your very own toys from scratch.

According to Galletta, the kits are essentially embroidery samplers, meaning you learn the craft as you go. It also means that your work doesn’t—and shouldn’t—be perfect, but you’ll get lots of practice along the way.

“I guess the main intention was to give other people the opportunity to make something really special with their own hands,” Galletta explained in an interview with Meet the Makers. “I love the whole ‘do it yourself’ thing, so much of what we have is digital and automated so it’s really nice to be able to take a step back, relax with something, and have your own time to put a project together.”

Galletta’s brand Kiriki Press launched in December 2012 and includes a range of DIY products with an emphasis on DIY toys. The kits are screen-printed by hand and assembled in Toronto at Noble Crafthouse, making your purchase a more personal and sustainable one. Scroll down to see some examples of her products.

The post Your Next DIY Project: Kiriki Press Embroidery Kits appeared first on https://everydaymonkey.com.

Traditional rug hooking is made by pulling loops of yarn or fabric through a stiff woven base such as burlap, linen, rug warp, or monks cloth. In contrast, latch-hooking uses a hinged hook to form a knotted pile from short, pre-cut pieces of yarn. With time on our hands, we might as well give it a try.

Rug hooking expert Rose Pearlman is here to get you hooked (pun intended): “As an artist and teacher, it’s my goal to inspire and help others create,” she stated once in an interview with Sarah K. Benning. An artist, teacher, and textile designer, Pearlman teaches monthly rug hooking workshops in NYC, as well as online.

“For me, rug hooking is the fiber medium most like painting,” she expressed. “The punching technique is simple to master so your energy can be spent on composition and color.”

According to Pearlman, rug hooking is a forgiving medium as it allows you to change your mind and undo your work quite easily. “You can easily pull stitches out to reuse the same cloth backing and fiber without waste,” she stresses.

Follow her social media pages for more info and purchase her book, Modern Rug Hooking: 22 Punch Needle Projects for Crafting a Beautiful Home here. In it, you’ll find rug hooking instructions for beginners and innovative ideas for those wanting to go further.

The post Rose Pearlman Will Teach You the Art of Modern Rug Hooking appeared first on https://everydaymonkey.com.

“The definition of artist is shifting,” reflected Shlian in an interview with Yatzer. “People who think that the artist works alone, wearing a beret and painting all day, are mistaken in this notion. It takes a lot of resourcefulness to succeed as an artist. Someone close to me once joked that it took me ten years to become an overnight sensation.”

Indeed, if there’s one thing Shlian doesn’t shy away from it’s hard work. His work, which requires a deep level of understanding of forms and shapes, often includes collaborations with experts outside of the art world. The end result, more often than not, looks like an optical illusion of sorts—made to perfection.

According to Shlian, he was first drawn to paper as a medium because he loved its immediacy. “My interest in geometric form led me to paper – then paper led me to pop-up books,” he explained. “Mechanical movement in paper engineering led me to architecture and design, which in turn led to my collaborating with people outside of the art world.”

Scroll down to see some of his incredible pieces.

The post Matthew Shlian Explores the Mechanical Movement of Paper appeared first on https://everydaymonkey.com.

Born in England, her work is also very much inspired by her move to Barcelona, where she currently works in her creative studio, specializing in character design. “My work has developed hugely over the last few years,” she told Inky Goodness, “informed by some big life decisions like moving abroad and pursuing a very particular artistic path. I’ve been really lucky to be surrounded by a positive, creative environment and have been greatly inspired by the people and places around me.”

Inspired by what she calls “the grit of the city contrasted with the idyllic coastline”, her work is often bright, textured, and uplifting with references to pop culture (anything from Harry Potter books to Wes Anderson’s films). “I’m not afraid to step out of my comfort zone to explore different styles,” says Menzies.

Show her some love on Instagram and check out more of her work below.

The post From Illustrating to Embroidery: Meet Katie Menzies appeared first on https://everydaymonkey.com.

His interests also include animals and insects, the sciences (particularly physics and biology), robotics, automatons, magic tricks, and experimentation in general. One of his more experimental projects incorporates balloons, with his recreations including birds as well as human heads.

According to Cook, each balloon sculpture takes a couple of hours to make and then more time on top of that to photograph. With his bird series, the idea came to him quite naturally. “I am obsessed with birds (Mostly British and European) and have been since I was a child,” explains Cook on his website. His balloon heads came afterward, having watched the bird balloons deflate. “I thought it would be cool to use the creases that form naturally on the balloon surface as the latex begins to degrade and lose its form,” he writes. “I made heads and then photographed them over a period of weeks as they began to deflate. Some went quicker than others.”

Cook notes that he only uses Qualatex balloons made from natural latex, which are biodegradable and break down easily. Scroll down to see some of his creative projects – balloon-made or otherwise.

The post From Robotics to Balloons: Terry Cook is a Tinkerer and a Doodler appeared first on https://everydaymonkey.com.

Like most creatives, Sundqvist took to art making from an early age. Growing up in a creative household didn’t hurt either, and Sundqvist most probably took note from her mother, a trained potter. But it was only during her second year at the University College of Arts, Crafts, and Design that she actually came across with paper art.

The discovery itself was by mere chance (or was it fate?). “My brother was studying in Beijing and brought home a book containing paper art,” she relayed in an interview with Magnus Ekbladh. “The book itself was pretty cheesy, but I remember being in awe over the amount of time someone had put into the pictures. That made me wanna try to translate my images into paper cut-outs.”

From there the path to being a paper artist was a short one, and she ended up making a 3D paper elephant for her final project at university. “I ended up working day and night for ten weeks, making the elephant as my final project for the university,” she recalls. “I remember it was becoming really fun, even though I was a bit worried it would look a little too much like scrapbooking.”

Jump forward some years later and she now works full time with paper, with her commissions including prop designs. Here are some of our favorite creations by her.

The post For the Love of Paper: Follow Fideli Sundqvist on Instagram appeared first on https://everydaymonkey.com.

“They created the most wonderful 3D images, posters, and projects,” she gushed in an interview with Ballpit Magazine. “All handmade out of colorful paper. Colors I would never have imagined working with. I had the best most inspiring four months there. I finally felt that I had found what it was that I wanted to do. I wanted to be a paper artist.”

And so a paper artist was born. Sticking to vibrant colors, her creations have a humoristic edge to them and include flora and fauna. “As a creative, I look at art in a different way and I’m constantly dissecting it and trying to understand how and why it’s made,” relayed Woodley. “I do find that being an artist in this day and age can be very overwhelming because there is an incredible amount of talent and work out there!”

She dins that for her, paper art is an outlet for her thoughts and emotions, which she shares with the world around her in paper form. Take a look at some of her playful creations (commercial or otherwise) in the gallery below.

The post Alia Woodley’s Paper Delights appeared first on https://everydaymonkey.com.