March is a Crafty Month

I had forgotten that March is national crafts month. I was reminded by the various flyers I got from the various craft and cloth stores in the area. I like looking at these to try to see the trends of what is going to be the next hot area in crafts. I can say that knitting is pretty much saturated right now and is, in fact, shrinking on the bookshelves in the bookstores.

I foresee the next trend will be these goofy plush critters that are very popular in Japan and becoming very popular here among teens. Example of this sort of thing are Plush You and Aranzi Aronzo . I saw this trend coming a couple of years ago when I went into FAO Schwartz and saw these really ugly stuffed toys that were selling like hot cakes to boys, girls, teens of both gender, and adults. This is great for me since this sort of thing is right in my wheelhouse.

One of the better magazines I have found for the more cutting edge of craft which appeals to the young because they are being edgy is Craft Magazine. It came out of another magazine that I dearly love called Make Magazine which a friend who is a scientist brought to my attention. I love their Halloween ideas.

Crafting does have elements that are never going to go away. Go to any craft fair and see what I am talking about. I bet you see things you saw as a kid still being sold. But there are always new materials to play with and figure out what you can do with them. People come up with new things that become popular for a while and then fade. Other things, like scrapbooking, aren't going away anytime soon.

What I find a little sad is that doll making books seem to have vanished off the shelves. I use to be able to find at least a small sampling of those sorts of books and now I am lucky to find Susan Oroyan book there. The nice thing for me is that there are all kinds of very lively doll making groups on-line. But for someone who just wants to start making dolls or doll clothes the pickings are pretty slim if they can't get online these days.

I am grateful for crafts that I can do and do well.

Well this kind of stinks

It was decided by the PTB that we were getting too comfortable in our groups so my wonderful partner adpaz and I have be forced to part ways.

So anyone want to tango? It will be like last time. First come first served because I believe in everyone in this contest.

I am screening comments.

Thank you for your interest. I appreciate all the kind comments on my writing.