#Crab Crafts

[crabsnpersimmons]

an update on the crazy idea i mentioned: i have started on the paper prototype

+chopsticks

+lazy susan

+little gremlin helper? (he's more of a distraction, he keeps giggling and creeping about and asking me what makes me so special?)

the tl;dr: i had the crazy idea of making a small model carousel to display my DCA pins on. and since i'm having a bit of an artblock, this will provide a good break for me.

also apologies for the delay on replying to asks! you're all so sweet and your messages always brighten my day. i will get to you as soon as i can! i'm just arting a little slower as of late :')

longer explanation under the cut

so i ordered the youtooz dca pins because i earn adult money now and this is what i choose to spend that adult money on. and i realized i'm probably not gonna wear them because i'd be too scared of losing them, but i also don't wanna just put them in a box or frame them (some are bobble-headed and some dangle! i gotta let them move yknow?)

then this crazy idea came to mind... what if i made a tiny model carousel to display the pins on? that way they're displayed safely, but they are free to move around and be played with and i can remove them if i ever DO feel comfortable wearing them out. and if i ever get more DCA pins or keychains (like fan merch yknow 😍) then i can always add another "tier" to the carousel and make it taller. or i can mix and match what goes on the carousel. i also already have a lazy susan (i bought a pack of them from amazon for my spices and sauces) so, i could just put the model on it to make it spin (so i don't even need to make the spinning base!)

so yeah, this is going to be occupying my time and brain for the next couple of days (i'm somewhat going through a bit of an artblock too, so this will help me take a little break)

[scottie-draws-sometimes]

HI GUYS HEY GUYS

um different lil art post here, I got a crochet kit this last week and finished this lil guy yesterday and I’m in love so I’m posting him here too

The cat is named Darling and the fish purse (yes I named the fish purse) is named Finns

[professorcalculusstanaccount]

I remember discussing Tintin casting choices with a friend from Germany and remarked how it was odd he often has an English accent in adaptations rather than a Belgian one, and my friend just replied "that's because Tintin gives incredibly strong English boy energy (derogatory)"

Here in the UK there's a lot of weird classism tied into accents. Today accent diversity and representation in broadcasting is actively pursued but in Tintin's time there certainly was a preferred accent to have.

imagine this exchange happens between pages 28-29 in The Crab with the Golden Claws

[tanuki-kimono]

Crabs holding flowers in their pincers, poetic ikebana vases created by ceramic artist Nomura Shunsuke

[aliteral-ghost]

She's silly

[chundrachun]

Hello, everyone! 👋

I wanted to share with you all a pattern, which is an amigurumi crochet hermit crab. You can find the free tutorial on my YouTube channel and the PDF pattern on my Etsy shop.

Thank you so much for stopping by and have a great day! 😊

[guilhernunes]

crab pattern

buy a print

a pattern of crabs in a cian blue background

[canid-daze]

Very proud to be the first person to witness the duality of crab

[bethanythebogwitch]

My niece got a sea creature crafting kit as an early present and I think I like it more than her

[liberaljane]

Self-Care isn’t Shellfish!

[Digital illustration of a hermit crab holding an embrodiery hoop. Next to them is thread and a flip flop pushpin cushion. There’s seaweed and bubbles around it’s large circular shelf and text that reads, ‘self-care isn’t shellfish.’]

[honeybeeofficial]

okay I know your post was about how annoying it is when people make comments about selling your craft and while I certainly can’t speak for other people I would spend mmmmh I’d say $450 on horseshoe crab bag. I have $450 in my bank account right now and would use it to buy a horseshoe crab shaped bag.

This illustrates another piece of the issue that maybe I didn't fully spell out in my post about how badly people underestimate the cost of handmade goods– which is that even when a non-crafter hears "handmade crafts are expensive," they still often don't really grasp the scale we're talking about.

When the same friend I mentioned in the original post found out that I handmade the journal I carry around, he asked if he could pay me to make him one. He said he would happily pay $15–20 for a good journal. I laughed and told him that the labor involved would make it a lot more expensive than that, and he went "oh, like… 30–40? Yeah, that might be more than I'd want to spend." …The actual cost for that journal would likely be around $80–100.

What makes me think you didn't fully comprehend my original post is that in that post, I gave a rough estimated overview of what the cost would be. I said that if I'm charging what my labor is actually worth, $615 is the bare minimum for that item, and that it would likely be more.

After updating my math and factoring in things like packaging + shipping, the "fair price" for a horseshoe crab bag comes out to $780 USD. That's with me charging $25/hr, which is less than I make at my actual job even though leatherworking is more physically taxing. I made a post about how commissions would work if anyone actually wanted to spend that much.

I'm not mad at you, anon (nor am I mad at the friend I've mentioned), but it's clear to me that the original point about how expensive handmade goods are didn't really click for you. Fast fashion and mass industrial production have really degraded our sense of how much things are actually worth, because you can get just about anything almost instantly for a tiny fraction of what it would take an individual to produce.

For the same reason, I've ruled out ever taking my graphic design career in a freelance direction– anytime I've taken a freelance project, or considered it, I get to the point where I calculate what to charge and I just wince and shy away from the project entirely… because I have a gut feeling that something like a logo "should" cost around $100–200… but when I do the math for my time, I would actually have to charge $600–1000 (for a logo! Just a logo!), and I'm just mentally incapable of enforcing that for myself day in and day out to make a living wage.

If you have 5–10 minutes, I'd recommend this exercise to anyone:

Think of a project or task you've done lately. Pick something with measurable start and end points, such as an art project, folding laundry, washing the dishes, writing an essay, etc.

How much do you think you would pay someone else to do that task for you? Write that down. This is "A."

How long did that task take you to do? Write that down (in # of hours). This is "B." Approximate number is fine.

Did that task require any special tools? What about materials? Even basic things like sponges, paint, etc. Roughly estimate the cost of all the tools and materials you used. Because you'd likely get multiple uses out of most tools/materials, divide that number by 5. Write down the new number; this is "C."

What do you think is a fair minimum wage for your area? Many people have been fighting for $15/hr for a long time, but arguably this is still too low. If you're not sure, use $15/hr as a baseline. Write that down. This is "D."

Multiply B by D. Add C. This new number is "E."

How close is E to A? I'd be willing to bet that E is quite a bit higher than A. Remember, the hourly wage you used to calculate this might not even reflect what this work is actually worth. Does this give you a better idea of what you would actually need to pay someone to do that task for you?

Not all work is quantifiable in this way, and modern technology does allow for processes to be combined and optimized in ways that won't be reflected in your process. For example, buying a single bagel would not cost $60, because a bagel shop can make lots of bagels at the same time, using the same materials and equipment. But this absolutely does apply to things like hiring someone to clean your house, do your homework, or– of course– create handmade crafts.

[crabsnpersimmons]

testing out the popsicle stick and skewer structure (ignore the whack tape job, the final thing will be glued, i'm just testing out the arrangement of the sticks and whether or not they can hold the weight of the pins—but seems to hold up pretty good!)

Sun: Are you done yet? You're taking FOREVERRRR!!

i have also learned that i need a better way to cut popsicle sticks

[scottie-draws-sometimes]

I can believe it’s already Friday. Again????

Anyways this week’s art post issssssss

The painting I did for my sketchbook cover!! (Plus a pic w a lil light to show off the metallic paint)

Usually I cover the front with a whole bunch of stickers (which I’m still doing, as you can somewhat see) but I’m already halfway through this one and I barely have any stickers! This was my compromise :3

[origamidotme]

Freshwater Crab - Kota Imai by P. Colman https://flic.kr/p/2mj1snw

[tanuki-kimono]

Mesmerizing sea-themed 3D embroidery art by PieniSieni, THE CRAB PIN IS SO PRETTY!!!!!

I am also in love with their carnivorous plants hairpin:

[erinscoolart]

been working on some polymer clay necklace pendants and im quite happy with how these turned out!