Book Review: Uncommon Cards

Uncommon Cards by Jeanne Williamson

With the holidays over, I'm left with a plethora of paper, ribbon, and packaging.  So, I thought this would be the opportune time to review Uncommon Cards since it's all about making cards with recycled objects.  The book features 52 projects to make stationary using found materials combined with sewn designs.

I decided to test out one of the projects with a leftover nutcracker promotion brochure.  For the green paper, I used a piece of cardstock that comes with the book. The directions were straight forward and the card was easy to make. 

This was the project I modeled my card after.  The projects in the book are versatile allowing one to add their own style to the cards.

One important thing I should point out is that all the cards require machine sewing.  The photo above is a good example.  Even though it is possible to hand stitch the cards, I wouldn't recommend it.  

One of my favorite parts about the book is all the rich textures created from combining different materials and sewing stitches.  Honestly, has a garlic bag ever looked so sophisticated?

To learn more about the Uncommon Cards, click here.

Book Review: All Things Paper

All Things Paper by Ann Martin

If you've been following along on this blog, you know I enjoy paper crafts.  There's something very gratifying about being able to turn a humble piece of paper into a piece of art.  So when Ann asked me if I would like to take a look at her new craft book All Things Paper, of course I said yes.  Ann Martin is also the author of the blog All Things Paper where she posts paper craft tutorials and writes about various paper artists and their work. 

All Things Paper contains 20 projects from 18 leading paper crafters, artists, and designers. Since there are a variety of artists contributing to the book, you get a wide array of projects and styles.  The other benefit is many of the projects incorporate a specific paper technique such as screen printing and quilling.  I personally find craft books like this useful because it allows me to build on the techniques and come up with my own projects. 

One thing that stood out to me about this book was the detail in the directions.  I've never seen a craft book with such detailed instructions.  Because the steps are so well thought out, I believe a beginner level crafter could pick up this book and start making the projects.

Below are a few pictures of  projects you will find in All Things Paper.

Fringed Flower Card by Agnieszka Malyszek - The designer shares how to make this flower which includes a unique technique using mini binder clips.

Citrus Slice Coasters by Casey Starks - Included in this project you will learn about the art of screen printing.

Antique Key Pendant by Ann Martin - For this project you will learn quilling techniques and tips.

If you want to find out more about All Things Paper, click here.

Book Review: Martha Stewart's Favortie Crafts For Kids

 Martha Stewart's Favorite Crafts For Kids:  175 project for kids of all ages to create, build, design, explore, and share

When I saw Martha Stewart's Favorite Crafts For Kids would be hitting the market soon, I secretly crossed my fingers I would receive a review copy.  And lucky me, I was offered one so I'm sharing about it with all of you today!

Martha Stewart's Favorite Crafts For Kids contains 175 projects for kids to make.  As you might have guessed, many of the projects are from the website and past magazines. 

Usually for book reviews I pick out a few project I like and share them with you.  But since this book is for kids, I let my daughter pick out her favorite projects to share. 

Pictured above are sheep my daughter made from one of the projects in the craft book.  My daughter picked out the project and we read the directions together.  She's seven years old and was able to make the sheep on her own.  She was even able to draw and cut out the sheep shape for the construction paper.  I thought I was going to have to help her with this part but I was pleasantly proved wrong.    I don't have the original picture from the book to share with you but they look just the same.  The only difference is the the sheep are hanging from string.

Ice Pop Shop made out of wooden craft sticks

Solar System Bedroom How-To

July 4th Rocket Favors

If you would like to check out more of Martha Stewart's Favorite Crafts For Kids, click here.  There's even a sample pom pom animal project.

An Unexpected Package

 Party Origami in German!

Just about every week a delivery truck will park by my house and I'm always hoping there's a package for me, even if I haven't ordered anything.  I quietly peek out the window and keep my fingers crossed.  Usually the carrier walks right past my house and over to the neighbor.  But once or twice a year I'll receive an unexpected package.  And this weekend I received a box filled with copies of Party Origami in German!  It was such a happy surprise.

How was your weekend?  Any happy surprises?

Business and Legal Forms for Crafters

Once in awhile my husband will check out a book for me at the library when he sees something that he thinks I will like.  Last weekend he brought home Business and Legal Forms for Crafters and I was pleasantly surprised at how informative and useful it is.  The book comes with 30 forms from basic invoices to licensing contracts plus shares how to use the forms.  Included with many of the forms are negotiation checklists to help you as well.  The book was published in 2012 so the forms should for the most part be up to date.

I wanted to share this with all of you because when I started out as an independent designer, there were a lot of things I didn't know.  For example,  I didn't know how to write something as basic as an invoice.  I can remember the first time a magazine requested one from me and I was a little overwhelmed by it.  I ended up using Sage One  to send out my invoices.  And I should say, I'm still learning as I go.  I don't have it all figured out.

If you get a chance, check this book out at the library.  And if your library doesn't carry it, see if they will transfer it in from another library.   I decided to buy a copy of the book and it was only $2 on Amazon.  Click here to see the book. 

Party Origami in Mollie Makes Magazine

Party Origami got featured in one of my favorite craft magazines, Mollie Makes!  For those not familiar with Mollie Makes, it's a craft magazine based in the UK. The magazine features craft tutorials from sewing projects to knitting patterns.  The magazine also features lots of craft artists and their surroundings.  In this issue there's a wonderful interview with Brittany Watson Jepsen (designer behind The House That Lars Built).  Another great article in the magazine shares about the best places to shop for handmade in San Francisco. There's so much more in this issue so if you happen to visit the bookstore, please check it out.  The issues always seem to get to the US a little late.  I just found the April issue at my local bookstore.

Page 50 of Mollie Makes

Changing topics, I never heard back from the winner of the Party Origami Giveaway so I've chosen a new winner.   The new winner of the Party Origami book is Fashion Lights.  Congrats!

Announcing my Craft Book, Party Origami

I've been keeping a secret for quite sometime now and I'm so glad I can finally share it with all of you.  I created a craft book with Chronicle Books called Party Origami!  The book includes 14 origami ideas specifically created to use for parties.  What sets this book apart from other origami books is that the pieces are designed to serve a function, such as hold a place card or rest a pair of chopsticks. Included with the book are 75 sheets of origami paper. Party Origami will be available March 26, 2013.  You can currently pre-order it on Amazon.  I'm also told it will be carried everywhere books are sold in April.  

If you're curious, here's a little background about the making of the book:

A little over a year ago I was contacted by Laura Lee Mattingly (Chronicle Books Editor) about creating a party themed origami book.  Of course, I was over the moon about it, Chronicle Books creates some of the most beautiful craft books around.  Plus, a lot of their books are Japanese related which appeals to me.  I've always enjoyed origami since I was a small child and you know I like planning parties so it was a perfect fit.

The first step in the process was creating some thumbnails (tiny sketches) of my ideas for the book.   Pictured above are the first sketches I created, some ideas made it into the book, others didn't. 

After the list of projects were finalized, I had to create the instructions and illustrations for all the steps.  This was by far the most challenging part of the book process for me.  Thankfully I had two things going for me.  One I have a graphic design background and was formally trained in Adobe Illustrator.  Two, I've been writing craft directions for the past five years.  Without these key skills, I'm not sure if I could have pulled it off. 

The book comes in a cute little package that unfolds revealing the origami booklet with the origami paper sitting behind it.  Here's something you may or may not know.  Before a book is created, a prototype of the outside cover is created (imagine a book without the pages).  It's a blank white cover and it's designed to give you an idea of what the book will look like. 

Hillary Caudle designed the book layout and the origami paper.  Pictured above is a sample of some of the origami paper you will find in the book. Isn't it gorgeous?!  What's unique about this paper is that it's double sided; there's a print on one side and a solid on the other.  One of my favorite prints are the sprinkles which unfortunately I didn't get a picture of. 

If you would like to see a sneak peek of one of the projects, the Chronicle Books blog shared a post about it earlier this month, click here.

Book Review: Show me a Story

Show me a Story by Emily K. Neuburger

Today I'm participating in the book tour for Show me a Story by Emily Neuburger.  For those not familiar with Emily, she also is the author of the lovely blog Red Bird Crafts.  I'm not sure when I first started reading her blog but my guess would be a few years ago.  You can always find inspirational crafts on her site along with gorgeous photos of her life.  To find out more about Emily, please visit her site.

I found myself asking how I would describe Show me a Story because it is truly unique to any children's craft book I've seen.  Maybe that's because it's not just a craft book.  The book is composed of 40 craft projects with the purpose to foster creative story telling/writing.  For example, one of the projects has you create a neighborhood with stamps.   Once the scene is set you have the child tell a story about who lives there.  So really there are two parts to the project, the craft and the story.  Plus most of the projects come with teaching tips and other uses for the projects.  Instead of trying to explain the content of this book, perhaps I should just show you.

I asked my daughter to pick a project from Show me a Story and she zeroed in on this Adventure Kit right away.  Specifically, she wanted to make the paper-roll spy binoculars.  

Here's the kit my daughter made, paper-roll binoculars along with an Adventure Book to write in.  We also added a few extra things, such as a compass and a small bag to collect treasures (rocks, twigs, etc.). 

We decided to make our map at our destination so it would be more accurate.  My son's not in the picture but he was really into this too.  He also wanted to help make a map. Once the map was finished, we set out on our adventure.

My daughter surveyed the scene for ideas to fill her adventure book with.  She even claimed she could see better with the paper binoculars.  

After a good walk and lots of sightseeing, she sat down to document what she saw.  When it was time to go she told me, "writing's my thing now, that's what I like to do".  

What stood out to me about this project from Show me a Story is that the craft takes the pressure off writing.   Instead it allows the process to be very easy and organic.  Sometimes it can be intimidating  for a child (or adult) to think of a story.  I realized the craft projects replace the traditional brainstorming methods, making the writing/story telling process easier for children.

Above is one of the projects from the book my son created.  First he had to think of a memory that stood out to him.  Then he made pictures to represent the story.  Last he used the pictures to tell a story about his birthday party.  

There's so much more I could say about Show me a Story but instead I'm going to refer you to some other great posts.  Stop by these blogs to see what others are saying about the book.

9/24 Catherine Newman of Ben & Birdy

9/25 Maya Donenfeld of Maya Made

9/26 Cassi Griffin of The Crafty Crow

9/27 Rachel Hobson of Average Jane Crafter

9/28 Ruby Bansal of Zaaberry

10/2 Ashley English of Small Measure

10/3 Jessica Wilson of Scrumdillydo

10/4 Nicole Blum of One Golden Apple

10/5 Roselee Conklin of Jane of All Trades

10/6 Kathreen Ricketson of Whipup

10/7 Molly Balint of Mommycoddle

10/8 Blair Stocker of Wise Craft

Craft Book Review: Reinvention

When Wiley publishing asked if I would like to review a copy of Reinvention by Maya Donenfeld of course I said yes.  I've been following Maya's blog (Maya Made) for years now and when she announced she was publishing a book, I couldn't wait to see it.  I knew it would be just as inspiring and creative as her blog.

Reinvention by Maya Donenfeld is a sewing book filled with 28 projects made from salvaged materials.  The chapters are broken down by materials, Linen, Burlap, Jersey, Wool, Denim, Mailers, and Vintage. Along with the projects, there are also two chapters dedicated to sewing basics and printing basics.  This book has projects for everyone from sewer beginners to advanced.

One of the things that stood out to be in this book was that Maya shares the history of the materials and their environmental impact.   For example, she shares about the product Tyvek which I knew nothing about until reading Maya's book.  The Environmental Impact section really made me think about some of the products I buy and what I could do without.

Below are few of my favorite projects.

Toadstool Cottage made with felted wool.

Reversible Summer Sling with Maya's signature gingko leaf prints.

Little Forager Skirt made with jersey.  I'm thinking this would be perfect for a day at the beach searching for sea glass.

Do you like to work with recycled materials? If so, what's your favorite material to work with?  Please share.

Featured in Haute Handbags

I'm excited to share that my yoyo coin purse tutorial is featured in the 2012 spring issue of Haute Handbags. It was even more exciting to see that the tutorial even made the front page. Yippee!!! I was in need of a little good news.

Here's a glimpse at what the tutorial looks like. I also wrote a little intro for it.

And since I'm talking about the magazine. Here are a couple of my favorite projects from the publication.

Grocery Tote by Donna Barnitz

Here's one of the projects in the magazine that stood out to me. It's a grocery tote made out of calendar tea towel. Love this idea!

The Knotty Bag by Marijke Mill

If you click on this image, you can get a better look at the knots incorporated in the front of the bag. I thought this was so pretty and creative.

Side note: Thank you for all your kind words and encouragement on my Spring Break post. I'm feeling much better. I'm not at 100%, but hopefully in another week or so I'll be there.

Hand in Hand, Crafting with Kids

Hand in Hand by Jenny Doh

I've been waiting for over a year now for the book Hand in Hand to come out. Now that it's here, I can finally share about it with you. Jenny Doh of Crescendoh asked 19 bloggers including myself to contribute a unique kid craft for the book. Along with 20 craft projects, the book also profiles our creative lives with photos and our thoughts on creativity.


For Hand in Hand I created a paper bracelet craft. Can you guess the main supply I decorated it with? Hint: it's one of my favorite mediums to work with.

Here's just one of many crafts that caught my eye in the book, plush animal cushions. This project is by Jhoanna Monte of One Red Robin.

My daughter has already gone through the book and has plans on making a thaumatrope by Mummysam. I always find it interesting to see what craft projects appeal to my children. It's one more insight into their personalities.

Want to learn more about the book? Here's a complete list of all the contributing bloggers:
Jackie Boucher, Samantha Cotterill, Jenny Doh, Maya Donenfeld, Ali Edwards, Rachel Faucett, Pam Garrison, Abby Glassenberg, Cindy Hopper, Beki Lambert, Merrilee Liddiard, Jhoanna Monte, Ella Pedersen, Carly Schwerdt, Amanda Blake Soule, Nicole Spring, Jean Van't Hul, Dana Willard, and Kristin Zecchinelli.

Book Review: Knits for Nerds

Knits for Nerds by Joan of Dark (a.k.a. Toni Carr)

Once in awhile a craft book will come my way that I feel compelled to share. Recently I was sent a review copy of Knits for Nerds which reminded me of my inner geek. I think I've mentioned this before, I'm a big fan of science fiction and fantasy ( books and films). Many of my weekends as a teenager were spent hanging out at my Grandmother's house with my uncles. My days included playing Gauntlet on the commodore 64, and watching movies such as Batman, Willow, Star Wars, Star Trek, etc. Once I even memorized the entire Batman movie word for word. Now you know.

Knits for Nerds contains 30 knitting projects for fans of Science Fiction, Comic Books, and Fantasy. The book also includes a techniques section with pictures. Even though there are one or two "easy" patterns is this book, I would recommend it for intermediate to advanced knitters.

Below are few pictures of my favorite projects from the book.

Baby Elf Beanie

Star Trek inspired dresses

Cyborg inspired from the Dr. Who Cybermen (cuter version)

Book Review: Make and Takes for Kids

Make and Takes for Kids by Marie LeBaron

I'm so excited to be sharing with you today Make and Takes for Kids by Marie LeBaron. For those not familiar with Marie, she owns the craft blog Make and Takes. I've been visiting her site for years now so I was pretty excited to find out she published a kids craft book.

Make and Takes for Kids includes fifty projects to make crafts and food with kids. The crafts and recipes are tailored for each month of the year. The crafts are easy enough for preschoolers but also engaging enough for a 9 year old. What I like about the book is that most of the projects can be created out of things you already have in your house. I could probably make at least half of the projects now without having to run to the store.

Below are a few of our favorite projects from the book. Photo credit: Nicole Gerulat

Spring Banner made with egg shells.

When you want to have a camp fire inside.

Mini Umbrella - I asked my 6 year old daughter which projects she liked best and this was one of them.

This is a fan my daughter made from the book. She made it on her own except for me tying the ribbon on it. It came out a little different than the book's fan because I let her do it on her own. I try not to be too controlling when it comes to kid crafts. It is art after all.