Craft Bits — Wedding Pies, Grannies for Hire, Exploding Phones

Team Pie: 1, Team Cake: 0

I still find it hard to believe that anyone but the hell-bent-on-being-quirky brides are going for a wedding pie … but apparently pies are becoming a pretty big deal. Some bakers are reporting double-digit sales figures over this time last year. If you do go that route, just make sure to have cake on hand for Great Aunt Mable, because you know she’ll have her Complainin’ Hat on.
Read more about the pie baking trend from Tampa Bay Online.

Gatsby Would Have Loved This

The New Zealand town of Napier had a vintage-y weekend (they call it Art Deco weekend) where everyone got to dress-up, play games, ride around in antique cars and presumably drink lots of gin. Or something like that. I’m envious that a) they did this, and b) it’s sundress weather there.
Find out more about Napier’s Art Deco weekend from The Dominion Post.

But Can They Discuss the Golden Girls?

You can apparently hire your own grandmother to knit whatever you’d like through the site GranniesInc.com. Just choose from a line of patterns, indicate what color you want and in a few weeks you’ll have a lovingly hand-knit wearable. Cute.
Learn more about the Grannies Inc knit-for-hire shop from Ecouterre.

For Tiny House-Owners 

There’s a shop that specializes in dollhouse decor and furnishings in New York City. It just warms your heart, doesn’t it, to know that somewhere it is possible to walk into a place and come out with a teeny-tiny dining room set?
Learn more about the Tiny Dollhouse Shop and some niche market business tips from WNYC.

Text Your Playstation 

Speaking of tiny things, how cute is this felt Playstation? The little console holds onto your iPhone, keeping it safe from rogue spills and falls.
See more felt game console cell phone holders from Technabob.

Exploding Phones as Gadget Art

When I dropped my last phone, tt burst into a million pieces, much like this exploding gadget art by Todd McLellan. He takes apart each element of vintage cameras, phones and the like, then arranges them to look as if they exploded from the inside out.
See more of Todd McLellan’s exploding gadget art from Tecca.

Is Online the Future for Crafts?

Seriously, if you’re not lucky enough to live near a cute little niche-craft shop, your options are A.C. Moore, Joann Fabrics and Michael’s. Soon, that might not even be the case — allegedly A.C. Moore is mulling going up for sale. The good news is that someone might buy it and the chain will be under new ownership. The bad news is that someone might not buy it and the chain will go the way of Borders.
Read more about A.C. Moore’s potential sale from The Philadelphia Inquirer.

A Non-Static Panton Chair

I swear, I’m still giving off shocks from the last time I sat in a plastic Panton chair at a furniture showroom last month. But anyway, this clever homage by designer Peter Jakubik is made from a rough-hewn piece of wood. It’s ideal for those of us who live in enchanted forests.
Read on to learn more about the DIY Panton Chair from Core77.

Famous Phone Book Faces

At first I thought this was Beyonce, but it’s the face of Marilyn Monroe, carved into a phone book. See, those things are still good for something. Made by artist Alex Queral, the series also includes other famous faces like Mr. Bean.
See more of Alex Queral’s phone book art from Lost At E Minor.