Lark Crafts

Every Friday, I post a set of free project instructions.

Talk about prolific: Jamie Cloud Eakin produces an incredible amount of really elaborate beading. As her editor, I received more than 200 finished pieces to photograph for her upcoming book Dimensional Bead Embroidery—which releases October 4th—and I’m positive she sent me a curated selection rather than everything she currently had. Jamie, do you have a second home in which you store all your materials and all your finished work?! 

Jamie has previously authored two other books for us. Her first title was called Beading with Cabochons. Click here for free instructions for making this pretty Ruffle Bracelet, a project included in Bugle Bead Bonanza, one of many projects from her most recent book .

Our blogiversary bird month is starting to wind down, but I wanted to slip in a little roundup of some free video tutorials before the avian fun is all over. Enjoy these six birdylicious projects from across the interwebs!

1. How to Make an Owl Pincushion

You can have a lot of fun with your fabric choices on these darling owls! Isn’t it nice how a lot of pincushions can double as adorable plushy gifts?

Pattern on The DIY Dish

YouTube user channel: theDIYdish

Website: thediydish.com

Continue reading...

Even before the recession, I’ve always been about getting the biggest bang for my buck and that includes choices for my garden. This means I plant a lot of seeds and perennials. Perennials are the workhorses of the garden–they’re in for the long haul–year after year. Like me, they hibernate and tough it out during the frigid winter months and then slowly start to emerge as the days get longer and warmer. Then these stoic performers come into their own, blooming profusely–whether for a few  weeks, or a couple of months. Heck, amortized over the years, they’re practically free.

Happily, many of my steadfast choices do double-duty. Besides attractive blooms year after year, some varieties attract gobs of birds and butterflies. I like the chaotic English cottage garden look so my flower choices tend to include a lot of what used to be considered wildflowers when I was growing up. These flowers bring back carefree memories that make me happy. Here are some of my favorite tried-and-true bird-attracting, flowering plants. I’ve noted the ones that I’ve had success growing from seed:

Continue reading...

Birds at the office, birds downtown, bird tattoos…where else can we possibly look for birds as the month draws to a close? Well, there are a few more places where there’s plenty of birds to be found.

Today, we’re covering one of them and going birdwatching in a more virtual environment. I’ve tracked down some of my favorite owls, sparrows, and more on Etsy. Come take a look–you won’t even need your binoculars.

In the mosaic above, clockwise from top left: Flying Birds Vinyl Wall Art from ParisDecals turns any living room into a bird sanctuary, the Bird on a Wire Chunky Bangle Bracelet from BuyMyCrap lets you take some birds with you wherever you go, Bird Tags from My3Chicks are the perfect way to add birds to any present–especially if that present is a birdhouse, and the Tiny Owl Necklace from lulubugjewelry is definitely a charming charm.

Continue reading...

Pigeons: Love ‘em or hate ‘em, if you live in a city they’re a part of the landscape. Sure, they can make a mess, and they can be pests–fighting over scraps of food and building their nests where they’re not exactly welcome–but a pigeon is just doing its best to get by. And a pigeon by any other name is really just a dove. (A Rock Dove, actually.) Think about that the next time one crosses your path, and read on for some fun pigeon facts and cool pigeon-inspired art.

Continue reading...

As we turn our attention to all things bird related this month, I thought it might be worth exploring the crafty side of the bird’s humble abode; the bird nest. If you have ever come upon a nest in the wild I think you would agree that they are quite a piece of crafty genius on the part of our feathered friends. I took a look around Etsy to see how other crafters have been inspired by the delicately crafted bird homes and found quite a treasure trove of beautiful items. Continue reading for full photos and a link to the seller’s shops.

Continue reading...

As you know by now, we’ve been celebrating our Bird Love month (and Lark’s blogiversary) this June, and I thought we should celebrate the art of the bird in its many forms, especially its very personal, permanent, and beautiful ink form. The following photos capture just a sliver of the wide world of bird tattoos, but what an inspiring sliver it is.

Thank you to the artists, photographers, and inked individuals mentioned below for sharing their feathered inspiration.

this is joy – from bewailthepast

………………..(continue reading for more images)……………………

Continue reading...

Hey guys, this is Aimee Ray. Are you ready for another week of stitching? Here is this week’s free nest pattern! I used the satin stitch for the leaves and eggs on this one. Also, I found it easier to just wing it on the nest lines rather than following the pattern exactly, but do whatever works best for you.

If you’ve missed the first two weeks, it’s easy to catch up. And we’d love to have you along! Here’s motif #1 and motif #2 if you missed them.

Be sure to show us what you’re stitching by posting your photos in our flickr group: http://www.flickr.com/groups/doodlestitchalong/

Next week is the last free pattern, then we’ll be putting them all together into a cute and easy apron. Don’t miss it!