Zakka Style (and a Lucky Day Give-Away)

Here it is.  Zakka Style.  The last of the books I contributed designs to this past year.  It is a collection of zakka-inspired projects from crafters around the world, curated by Rashida Coleman-Hale, published by Stash Books as part of their Design Collective series.   

The funny thing is, I never really fancied my crafting style to be very zakka-ish.  Sure, I veer the direction of cute--but that homey sweet look particular to the Japanese zakka aesthetic--not so much.  So, I was a little flummoxed (but pleased too) when Rashida contacted me about a year ago and asked for a submission.  My first idea was to make the spelling version of my counting bean bags--which I did--but they did not make the cut for unknown reasons and that project wound up here.  My next idea was to make the hand warmers you see above.  I was in the midst of a a very snowy winter and having something sweet I could tuck in my pockets to warm up my hands seemed a good idea--and I guess Rashida thought so too since here they are in the book, all happy and cozy there.  I designed them to have removable rice bags to warm in the microwave, so the exterior embroidered pouches could be washed if needed.  Now check out some of the other loveliness in the book...

...patchwork pencil case by Shannon Dreval...

...stem messenger bag by Larissa Holland [Hey Larissa! That bag is awesome!]...

...patchwork ribbon by Melody Miller...

...Zakka Block Quilt case by Leslie Good...

...orchard path tweed pouch by Amanda Jennings...

...sweet sugar cookie sack with playtime cookies by Amy Sinibaldi...

...little pocket pillowcase--with bear--by Meg Spaeth [Hi Meg!  How's it going?  Still love this design...]...

Lovely, right?  And there are many other beautiful projects in this book--24, to be exact--bookmarks, totes, memo boards, sewing kits (one of my favorites--it is on the cover), pot holders, nesting boxes...and even more than that.

Now, if you have hankering for your own copy of this book, I have a little quid pro quo for you, something I would like to get your thoughts on: if I were to put together a book of my designs, what sorts of designs would you like to see in the book--what would it need to have in it to make you want to buy it? Would you want it to have all toy and plushie designs, or would you want it to be a mash up of big people stuff, kiddo stuff, and whatever else...what about the crafting mediums--would you prefer it be all sewing, or again, a mix of sewing and other crafting techniques (sort of like the array of tutorials I offer today)?  Any other ideas or thoughts you have about what you would like to see in a book are appreciated and welcome.   So, leave your comment here by end of day Sunday, March 4, to be in the drawing for a hot off the press copy of Zakka Style.  Just be sure to come on back on Monday when I will announce the winner so you know if you won and can contact me with your mailing address, real name, that sort of stuff.  

And for those of you who are impatient (you know who you are) and just need your own dang copy right now--you can order Zakka Style right here.  Now, off you go...

Kids Crafternoon Blog Party and a Lucky Day Give-Away

Here I am, stop number 6 on the Kids' Crafternoon Blog Party--think of it as being a bit like a pub crawl, only with blogs instead of pubs, and kids crafts instead of shots of whiskey.  Yes, Kathreen is at it again--putting together more fantastic books of kiddo-friendly crafts--this time centered on beads and felt.

For this portion of the party, I decided to let Beeper and his friend, Ivan, take over--meaning I had them take a look at the books and pick a project to make for their own personal crafternoon.  They quickly decided upon the Robot Softie by Bianca Brownlow--which was a relief to me since they are 7 & 8-years-old respectively and it appeared to be a simple first sewing project.

Like any good little robot designer, I had them each start off by making a sketch of their robot and any special features they may have--like a yoyo that doubles as a weapon (always handy when bored and faced with a spot of trouble) that Ivan's robot sports , or the cell phone that Beeper's robot keeps handy in his chest cavity (I would assume for quick calls to his mom as needed).

Next, we cut out the felt pieces then I put them to work on the sewing machine--this was their very first time driving the sewing machine and they were naturals.  That is Ivan's mom (Hi Chellie!) there overseeing Beeper's work like a good sweat shop supervisor.

Next, I gave them a chop stick and had them stuff all those narrow little robot limbs--and again, they were pros.  Okay, maybe they got a little impatient with it after the second leg, and I jumped in to make quicker work of it--but still, for having the attention-spans of a tse fly, they were softie-making rock stars.

Et voila!  Their finished robot creations.  The best part was how very proud they each were of their work--Ivan declared he would be sleeping with his tonight.  And then they each took their robots along with them as dates to the Children's Opera performance we went to later.  

But, I suppose you might like to know more the types of projects you might find in these books--so, let me share a few of my own favorites...

From the Beading book: Woodland Beaded Cards by Sharon Baldwin; Lego Jewels by Nicole Vaughan; Push Button Canvas also by Nicole Vaughan; and Freckles Photo Frame by Lisa Tilse.

Oh, and look, its one of my projects from the book--a little bejeweled skull and crossbones tote.  Swanky, eh?

And from the felting book: Stitched Jewels by Cassi Griffin; Zombie Critter Charms by Lisa Tilse; Upcycled Sherpa Hay by Lisa Siebert; and Designer Wallet by Claire Dollan.

Oh, here's my project in the felting book--some simple felt cards.

You can read about the first round of Kids Crafternoon books here, and if you want to continue on with the pub crawl--I mean, blog party--you can party on at any of these swell blogs:

Monica Solorio-Snow from The Happy Zombie 20-Nov

Cate Holst from Go Make Me 21-Nov

Shannon Cook from Luvinthemommyhood 22-Nov

Jennifer Casa from JCHandmade 23-Nov

Kate from Picklebums 24-Nov

Steph Morgan from Modern Parents Messy Kids 25-Nov

Kara Fleck from Simple Kids 26-Nov

Li’l Magoolie 27-Nov

Jackie Boucher from Oh Dee Doh 28-Nov

Bianca from Sadie and Lance 29-Nov

Tricia Hogbin from Little Eco Footprints 30-Nov

Lisa Siebert guest posting at Poppytalk 1-Dec

And, if you would like to get your hands on a copy of either of these books--well, I just so happen to have a copy of each to give-away to two of you.  So please go ahead and leave a comment here telling me which book appeals to you most and whatever else you might want to share.  But you should do that by the end of the day on November 20th and I will try to come back promptly on Monday. to announce the winners (but please keep in mind my track record here--so, no promises)

And just in case you were wondering, the Robot Stuffies spin exceedingly well on the floor--clearly they are gifted break dancers.

You can read more about the Kids' Crafternoon Felting and Beading books over at Whip Up, and buy your own copies of the books here.   And don't forget to leave a comment if you want to be in the running for the book give-away.

Lucky Day Give-Away: Microcrafts

This is a book called Microcrafts, compiled by Margaret McGuire, Alicia Kachmar, Katie Hatz and friends.  The book is a collection of lovely, teeny-weeny crafts of all sorts--nearly every project in here is smaller than a spool of thread, and we all know tiny directly translates to sweet and clever in the crafting lexicon.   The projects are designed by a pell-mell assortment of crafters--one of which includes me (giggling coyly behind my hand, blushing, swelling preposterously with pride, but also wishing you would all stop looking at me now...no, really, do stop now...).

I have two designs in the book, actually--my Bitty Bow Wow (listed generically as Dogs in the table of contents) and all of his itty bitty doggie accoutrement...

...and my Matchbox Monsters (called Monster Babies here) with their little diapers and matchbox bed with a scrap of a blankie to snuggle under.

Oh--but there is more.  Lots more, people.  This book has 25 teeny projects!  The craft mediums range from plushie sewing to book binding to jewlery-making to button crafts to quilling to gardening, for god's sake! Check out a few of my faves...

...the taxidremy-inspired Deer Heads by Katie Hatz...

...the Candy Charms by Mei Pak...

...the Spool Dolls by Hope Watthanaphand...

...the Planets (Pluto included!) mobile by Alicia Kachmar and Melaine Kachmar...

..and what may be the sweetest little fairy-tale-inspired greeting cards ever by Larissa Holland (you know, from Mmmcrafts).  The book includes clear step by step instructions for each project with full-size templates, as well as an appedix with further info on supplies and basic techniques.  And the photography of the projects is really lovely (which may not matter to you, but good photography with nice styling is half of what sells a book to me--it inspires me in a way the project alone would not). I am just uber-pleased to be part of this book.

The book is slated to be released October 4th--you can pre-order a copy right here.  But, if you cannot wait, and are feeling a little lucky, I happen to have a a couple of copies right here that I am giving away.  Yep.  All you have to do is leave a comment here by end of day, Friday, September 30th, telling me why itty-bitty crafts appeal to you, or which project you cannot wait to make, or what was the best teeny craft project you have ever made.  I will announce two winners--maybe on Saturday, but you all probably know me better than to count on that.  Let's just say I will announce the winners some time (in the not so distant future, perhaps).

And by the by, Micrcocrafts is published by Quirk Books--a clever little publisher who puts out some not-so-everyday-sorta-books.  Which I tell you because they also published Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs earlier this year.  I have read it and will be reading it to Beeper real soon because I know he would love it at least as much as I did--and you should read it too.   I believe it is billed as a young adult novel but you should not ever let that scare you away from reading a book because a good book is a good book, no matter which age group it may be aimed at (do you need me to remind you how utterly fantastic The Hunger Games trilogy was and how those were all "YA books").  You can read about the book here, and should, at the very least, check out the intriguing video trailer about the book here.  (and if you are still hungry for more--see the author's fascinating video journal about his exploration of abandoned homes in Europe in order to get video to use in the book trailer--right here...)

Have Yourself a Lovely Crafternoon with the Kids...

I am smiling as a write this--see:  :-)   

I have some very happy news to share with you--I am in my very first book!   It is one of two books recently published--Kids' Crafternoon Sewing and Kids' Crafternoon Papercraft.  Both books were curated and edited by the lovely Kathreen Ricketson of Whip Up and each contains 25 projects designed and created from many talented crafters around the world.  Let me tell you a little bit more about the books...

{Pet Pillows designed by Karen Jester}

{Limby the Button-Eyed Dude designed by Lizette Greco + Grecolaborativo}

Each book features projects that can be completed in an afternoon by kids--most of which are designed to be completed largely independently with limited on-the-scene support from parents or other big people.  While the projects are aimed at the 7-12-year-old set, there are many, many projects in here I know a 14 or 15 or even 16 year old would be interested in making for him or herself.  Oh, and that is the other good bit--the projects are aimed to appeal to both boys and girls.  Nice.

{Illustrated Softy Badges designed by Lisa Tilse}

The books are actually part of a series of craft books, all aimed at kids, of course, that Kathreen put together with Hardie Grant.  Books with projects based around beading and felt will also be released at some point in the future (and I also have projects in each of those, thank you for asking).  

{iPod Creature Cosy by me!}

{Sassy the Sock Softy also designed by me!}
Oh, and here are my two projects in the sewing book: the iPod Creature Cosy (2nd above--made from recycled sweaters and customizable to the size of your own MP3 player needs), and Sassy the Sock Creature with its tongue sticking out of its mouth all sweet and snotty-like (above--made from a stripey sock, can be handsewn too!).

It is a really thoughtfully put together book--clearly designed to make the projects as accessible as possible to kids. Above are the illustrated instructions in the books, just to walk a kid step by step through how to make the projects (Kathreen's husband did the illustrations--personally, I like that--a family effort gives it all more heart). And there is a pocket at the front of the books with the template pieces for easy access.  

Here are just a few of the projects I love in the Kids' Crafternoon Papercraft book...

{Book Invaders Bookmark designed by Elod Beregszaszi}

{Pet Menagerie designed Nancy W Hall}

{Home Sweet Home designed by Cate Holst}

{Sewn Cards designed by Alison Hudson}

Do you like them?  Want to make some of these projects with your own kids?  Curious about the other fantastic projects in the books?  Good--because I have a copy of the Kids' Crafternoon Sewing book and the Kids' Crafternoon Papercraft book to give away--one to each of my readers.  All I ask is that you leave a comment by end of day Tuesday (July 26th) telling me what you like most about these books, or which project you can't wait to make with your kids or just for you (no shame there), or why you think it is awesome Kathreen put together these books in the first place, or whatever comment you choose to leave related to the books--and I will announce the two lucky winners on Wednesday, July 27th right here.  

And if you are not so fortunate as to be one of the lucky winners, there are other options so listen up, people: you can either crash the blog party Kathreen has arranged around blogland (find the sites and dates here), or you can order your very own copies either through Booktopia or Amazon UK.  

Imagine me dancing around all joyful-like with the books in my arms right now, elated as hell to be part of the crafty group represented in the book--because that is what I am doing (or let's be honest--maybe I am just folding some laundry right now but, well, you know what I  mean...)

Belated Valentines

 Everything feels belated these days.  My hands have been more than full with all manner of projects and I have this thing where I think I can actually do 3 book submissions, 1 magazine submission and 3 guest blog posts all in a month--seemed reasonable when I committed to it at the time (plus who wants to pass any of that goodness up?).  Anyway...this is just by way of an explanation for why a post about valentines is coming to you 5 days too late and why I drop off the face of my blog for 10 days at a stretch.

But here is what we did for Beeper's valentines this year.  He has been into things with beads recently so I purchased some carved stone-looking animal beads (they are actually plastic--$3 for 25--but I wish they were stone--not that a 1st-grader gives one rip if it is stone or plastic--although they might give a rip if it was made from some kind of candy...) and some colored suede cord and with a couple of knots we called it a bracelet and attached it to a little card with an animal image that reads, "I am wild about you, friend."  There were actually 4 card designs--but the lion is not pictured here because we gave all of those away.  I got the beads and suede cord from Michael's and the colored card stock came from my favorite place to buy it--Paper Source (lovelovelove all their colors of paper and card stock--my palms get sweaty every time I get in front of that wall of paper bins in the store).

But here is the card template I made, if you have a far better memory than mine and want to use it for next year...

DOWNLOAD ANIMAL VALENTINES

  Happy very late Valentine's Day, blogland friends.

No Coast Craft O'Rama: Come Say Hey

Hey you.  You may not realize it, but you should--it is the weekend of the No Coast Craft O'Rama here in Minneapolis.  And if you are from this area, you should stop everything so you can come on over and do some shopping and stop in at my booth and say "hey".  I love meeting you in person.  

The sale is from 9-5 today at the Midtown Global Market on Chicago and Lake Streets.   You can read more about the No Coast here and all of its uber-cool crafty vendors.

And yes, all those photos above are of the things I am selling today (new things like the fabric cones filled with vintage dimestore toys and candies, organic cotton sleepy bear, the monster i-pod cozies, the elepharoos, the smiling dotty hippos...)--in addition to matchbox monsters, beddy bye beasts, bitty bow wows, cute as a button hairpins, counting bean bags, batbaby hats, onesies, bibs, and more that I am sure I am forgetting because I really need to be finishing this post and getting over to the sale so I can set up now....

Oh--and I really did make A BUTTLOAD this year so I am sure there will be stuff I will not sell so if there is anything you see here that you really would like for yourself, please leave a comment stating what it is and your email address--or just send me a separate email with said info--and I would be pleased as punch to put up a reserve listing for you in my Etsy shop (my standard shipping charges will apply--but I am happy to ship priority mail at no extra cost to you so it can reach you in two shakes of a lamb's tail.)

And happy Saturday to everyone.  Hope there is some handmade on everyone's holiday shopping list.

The Bitty Bow Wow

I guess the Bitty Bow Wow was inevitable.  What with there being Bitty Bebes and Bitty Birdies, it was only a matter of time until the dog popped into being.  I'm not even so much a fan of dogs, but something this teenyweeny, with a little red lolling tongue and blue patch over one eye, well, I guess it is sorta cute in that sugary candy all gritty between your teeth sort of way.  Littlest Pet Shop, meet your handmade competition.

(oh, and did I mention some of these will be showing up in my shop sometime before the holidays [and did I mention the holidays in September?  Yep--I did.  Sorry about that but a girl's gotta have some lead time when hand making toys like I am my own personal Santa's workshop]?  And also, this is part of a secret project I cannot tell you more about quite yet...patience, young grasshopper.)