The Cookie Monster State

By a show of hands, how many of you live in an awesome state (or depending on country...an awesome region, providence, county, etc.)? Wow...that's a lot of hands. Okay, hands down. Now, by a show of hands, how many of you live in the best state? Wow! You all must be from New Mexico...because it is most definitely the best state and you all have your hands up. It seems for the most part (there are always exceptions, I know) people really have "hometown pride" for not only their hometown, but often their county and state. Is there a term akin to patriotism for a state? I am thoroughly convinced NM is the best, but others would heartily disagree and offer up their state as "evidence". This state patriotism has been evidenced on Pinterest through a few projects, but this is the most popular one I've seen:

The Original Pin

http://theharpsterhome.wordpress.com/2011/12/12/heart-in-ohio/    <--That's a great tutorial.  

The string art state. Looks easy enough, and I think it is to a degree...but there's always someway to make things a little off kilter with any project. 

Enter Amy. She decided to try this project out and ended up sending it to us. She got the exact latitude and longitude coordinates for her house so that she could place the heart in that spot and then got to work. She printed the map, bought the board, pounded in the nails and pulled some yarn out of her stash. Where did things get a little weird? Her yarn choice .She says, "I wanted a more filled-in look so a used a super-fuzzy yarn." She pulled out the only mohair yarn she had...which happened to be Cookie Monster Blue. 

The Pinstrosity

http://fluidmotion.blogspot.com/2012/09/crafts-vermonster.html

 "Looks like I used Cookie Monster fur, right? The nice thing is that it is nice and touchable. When you see it, you kind of want to rub your hand on it, like you're petting an animal or something. Which is okay by me."

"But the color is kind of a problem. The first thing you notice is that it's blue. And you wonder, 'Why isn't it green? Vermont is the Green Mountain State. ... Srsly, why is it blue?' This was my thought as I was making it. This was Dollar's first comment when I showed it to him. Someday, when I acquire green mohair yarn, I'll cut this blue stuff out and re-string it with green."

"Also, my nails aren't thin/small enough. The state border is okay, but there really should be more nails making up the heart."

http://fluidmotion.blogspot.com/2012/09/crafts-vermonster.html

"The heart nails got filled quickly (especially since I was using a bulkier yarn) as I was stringing them."

"The wooden board I bought at Joann's. It was unfinished, so I stained it a Maple color. I bought the nails at Home Depot. I already had the mohair yarn. That's really it for supplies. The board is a bit plain, so I'd like to wood burn some design or words into the lower right-side of the wood."

"I like it, though. The mohair yarn makes it extra-weird. And weird things are always welcome in my house."

So really this one isn't too bad...just a little weird, as Amy says. And Cookie Monster-ish. By experimenting with different types of yarn/floss/string you could get a variety of different looks. The biggest issue I've seen with this project from various sites is the type of nail/brad you use. Make sure it has a decent head on it or the thread will just slip off the nail...and that would make this project really frustrating.  

This project is one that is easy to customize to fit your own likes. I've seen various threads used, variations on colors, and variations on the inside shape (rather than a heart). In fact, I'll show you a picture that we were sent when we hosted our Pinstrosity Challenge. Maureen decided to highlight her Alma Mater (Clemson University) with the colors she chose and the shape she put in the middle (a tiger paw). 

Cool, huh?! I love it. Fits right in what what I was talking about on Tuesday...take a pin and make it your own. Same base idea but with a few personalizing tweaks.