Lark Crafts

From Asheville, North Carolina, it’s This Dog’s Life. I’m Ira G. Each FRIDAY, of course, I pick a theme and present a story around that theme.

My new favorite past-time is pulling a disappearing act. Oh the thrill of being let out into the big fenced-in back yard and then finding some way, any way to get into the unfenced front yard. You should see the look on Mom’s face when she finds me. It’s hilarious. And she just can’t figure it out. She’s patched up all the gaps and holes she can find, but little does she know–I’ve been secretly studying magic. David Blaine, you got nothin’ on Ira G.  And with that, ladies and gentlemen…-poof!-

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Unless you’re living in a cave, you’re bound to know that the latest season of FOX’s musical mega-hit, Glee, debuted this week–oh, and the term “glee” is exactly what this show brings me! Even if you’re not like me though (a theater geek at heart with a slight obsession with dance movies), you’d be hard pressed not to at least crack a smirk when the quick tongue of the snarky Sue Sylvester begins to wag. Seriously.

So my friends, we here at LarkCrafts.com decided that no only shall we wait with great anticipation for next week’s Glee installment, we will also host a Glee Twitter Party (a Twee Party, if you will) in its honor. That’s right, an hour of unabashed tweeting amongst us crafty types, about the show we love and the projects that could (even loosely) go along thematically with it. Why, you ask? Because crafters are Gleeks, too. That’s all there is to it!

Join me to swap high school, theater, and glee club-inspired project ideas (Got the perfect pattern for Rachel-centric halloween costume? Excellent. Decoupaged your locker with Glee-isms? We wanna see it!), get links to free patterns, and answer Glee trivia questions to win loads of Lark Crafts’ books!

What: Lark Craft’s We *Heart* Glee “Twee Party”

When: Tuesday, September 28th, at 1pmEST (12pmCT/10amPT)

Where: #Larkglee

What IS a Twitter Party?
A Twitter Party is where a group of people can discuss or “Tweet” about a specific topic in their own little chat room. To participate in the discussion you’ll need to sign up for a free Twitter account (instructions are listed below), if you aren’t already on Twitter.

Why Attend?
Twitter parties are a great way to connect with other people while chatting about a specific topic. Lark Crafts will be hosting a lunch-hour Twitter Party as our crafty ode to Glee. Oh, and there’ll be prizes, too!

Twitter Party Hosts
Twitter Party Hosts oversee the event, answer questions, and keep the flow of the party going.

How To Participate

1. Twitter Account – Go to www.twitter.com to sign up for a free Twitter account.

2. Find and Follow any or all of the Lark Craft hosts:
@VickieHowell

@LarkCrafts

@LarkNeedlearts

@Sterlingbooks

During the party if you want to address one of the hosts directly, be sure to use their entire Twitter handle (ie @VickieHowell).

Hashtag – The Twitter world calls a pound sign (#) a hashtag. A hashtag is a code used to mark a specific topic. The Lark Crafts Glee, Twitter Party is marked and happening at #Larkglee. You can search for #Larkglee to participate in the party and see the party tweets.

Set Up TweetGrid – On the day of the party, use TweetGrid.com or another Twitter application such as TweetDeck or Hootsuite to follow all of the “tweets” marked #Larkglee and participate in the party.

On TweetGrid – You can comment, reply and read all at once in TweetGrid, and it even puts the hashtag in your comment for you.

Click here for a TweetGrid tutorial list. The Twitter Party Tutorial should be #8.

Not Another Teen Knitting Book, goes digital!
Especially for the Lark Craft’s Twee party, my 2006 book, Not Another Teen Knitting Book, has been re-published in digital form–you can download it from Zinio now!

Whether you’re a jock, cheerleader, nerd, prep, or undefined–NATKB has a project with your name on it! Here are just a few.

“Twee” you Tuesday!

Craft.Rock.Love,

Jaw harp, Jew’s harp, juice harp, mouth harp, Ozark harp, trump harp, English trump, guimbarde, lamellophone…the list of names goes on and on.

Whatever you call it, this simple metal object is my latest obsession. There is so much grace in this design.

Since a jaw harp is meant to be played, its function must have dictated its design. Can the absolute clarity of purpose makes a design more beautiful? Hm. I’ll have to chew on that for a while.

Speaking of chewing, I love the way this object relates to the body. The scale of the object to the mouth is more intimate than, say, a trombone. To me, it feels like jewelry.

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You’ve been hearing a LOT about the Creative Connection event around here…and for very good reason. Lark Crafts was a proud co-platinum sponsor with our friends at Etsy, we had a bunch of our fabulous authors and publishing partners in attendance, and in general we’ve been pretty darn excited about the whole thing since we heard about it earlier this year. This constellation of entrepreneurs, authors, bloggers, crafters, and enthusiastic creatives came together from all over the country (from 46 states, I believe!) to join together to share, instruct, and inspire each other over a period of three days in the lovely city of Minneapolis. Perhaps you read Vickie Howell’s recent on-the-ground report chronicling just the first day of the event? Quite the whirlwind of activity, no? Well, I can tell you as someone who was there the entire time, from preview of the Handmade Market to the goodbyes at the Cupcake Farewell that the excitement, inspiration, and fun just kept coming for the remaining two days. And I have the photos to prove it. Check out my extensive set on Flickr chronicling the weekend’s adventures. You’ll see me, some of our authors, some celebrities in the creative world, and our wonderful trio of scholarship winners.

Speaking of those scholarship winners: I adored them. Seriously, you couldn’t find more enthusiastic ladies to send to an event like this. So when it came down to providing a recap of our time there, I decided that they could encapsulate the experience far better than yours truly ever could. And so I asked Kerrie, Suzanne, and Jennie for their reflections of the event.

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The irrepressible Tina Givens is a Renaissance woman—illustrator and stationer, as well as fabric, pattern, and clothing designer. Now she’s an author, too, as Sew Tina! debuts on October 5. It’s a charming collection of 30 projects for children that celebrates Tina’s signature clothing and accessories, all made from her glorious fabrics, of course. Here’s the first part of my discussion with the busy designer and mother of three; look for the remainder of our chat in October, when Tina tells all about designing fabrics and gives us a sneak peek at her upcoming line.

Tina, you do so many things! People love your line of fabrics and patterns. But you were discovered at a stationery show. Tell me a little about how that happened.

My handcrafted stationery collection launched back in 2004, and a year later I decided (at the last minute) to exhibit a new scrapbook paper collection at the Craft and Hobby Association show. We arrived and found our booth miles away from the whole scrapbook area. We wrote few orders that show, however it was enormously successful in that representatives from Westminster Fibers came into the booth and introduced themselves.  They loved my work and literally on the spot invited me to design fabrics for their FreeSpirit line. I was stunned. A seamstress at heart, this was a dream. I kept pinching myself all the way home!

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If you don’t own any of Lark’s acclaimed ceramics books yet, this is your chance to win four standout releases. To be entered for a chance to win, all you have to do is leave a comment on this post by 9 pm EST on Tuesday, September 28th. Any post counts, but we’d love to hear about your most prized piece of ceramics. Is it a raku vase from a local artist? A goblet you were given as a housewarming present? Or maybe it’s a sculpture from a family member. Either way, we’d like to hear about it and why it means so much to you. We’ll announce the randomly chosen winner on October 5th. See the official rules and regulations here.

Be the first to own 500 Vases before it’s even available in stores! (For everyone else, you can pick up your copy on  October 5^th or pre-order here.) The vases in this survey are far more than utilitarian objects; in this spectacular collection you’ll find works that challenge and enchant. As juror/potter Julia Galloway points out “the best vases transcend service and stand on their own as art.” Get ready to look at the vase in a whole new light with these extraordinary pieces of art. Front cover art by Priscilla Hollingsworth.

From freestanding objects to large-scale instillations, the works in 500 Ceramic Sculptures show the exciting diversity of ceramic art. Juror Glen R. Brown carefully honed this collection from over 7,500 submissions—a difficult task indeed—but what you’ll find is the best of the best of contemporary ceramic sculpture. Front cover art by Jeff Kaller.

Masters Porcelain showcases the work of 40 leading sculptors and potters using porcelain today. It’s a fascinating snapshot of porcelain’s unique expressive and technical qualities, and offers a glimpse into the thoughts and feelings of the featured artists. Curated by ceramist Richard Burkett, this is the first book in the Masters series, and the perfect book to start with for your very own growing Masters library. Front cover art by Sergei Isupov, Keisuke Mizuno, Silvie Granatelli, Harlan House, and Richard Shaw.

According to AmericanStyle magazine, flipping through the pages of Masters: Earthenware is like exploring a fine art gallery. Handpicked by the late ceramist Matthias Ostermann, 38 international ceramic artists are profiled with galleries of their spectacular work, and as with each and every Masters book, you’ll find insightful quotes from the artists interspersed throughout the images. Front cover art by Phyllis Kloda, Joan Takayama-Ogawa, and Holly Walker.

Now, go polish up your coffee table and clear some space—these books demand to be admired, poured over, and deliciously savored. Good luck to all who enter!

UPDATE: Congratulations to Simone for leaving the winning comment, as determined by a drawing at random.org. Enjoy!

I love walking along rivers and lakes looking for rocks. In particular, those smooth stones that have been tumbled and sanded, soothing to the touch. I have a collection of specially found and loved ones. While a rock pile is great, check out what these etsy artists have created with their finds.

1. Ashley Akers Jewelry 2. Heavenly Cranes Jewelry 3. fugudesigns 4. sedona rockstax

5. Filigree Pheasant 6. Diane Kuligowski Handcrafted Jewelery 7. EmJay Designs 8. Reagan Hayhurst

We’re all about designer Tina Givens here in the needlearts group. We’ll celebrate of the release her first book, Sew Tina!, with lots of fun posts beginning this week. Look for the book on October 5; until then stick around for an interview, some sneak peeks, a free project or two, and info about Tina’s blog tour. Today I decided to see what the clever folks at Etsy have been making from their stashes of Tina-designed fabrics.

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