Handmade ornaments are one of my favorite things to make during the holidays… what better to put you in the spirit of the season! These adorable teeny embroidery hoops by Cathy Gaubert – from Fa La La La Felt - are the perfect mini craft project for holidays, especially if you’ll be spending any time on the road. And they’re perfect for kid crafting if they’d like to get involved. Just hoop up the felt and stitch away!

Download the full instructions here: Sweet Trio Ornaments

Some of my more tech-savvy friends have long since bought an e-ink reader or a Nook Color. But this year, it seems like even my mom is interested in something to tote around that can do it all. I never thought we’d be talking about things like the Kindle Fire and Nook Tablet as gifts for her.

But I’m a fan of these hybrid devices. There’s something that just feels right about the 8-inch size. Unlike a smart phone, the regions on the screen are easy for me to tap. No more trying to click a link and feeling like I have lobster claws instead of hands. But as a lifetime paperback reader, the 8-inch size is in some ways preferable to the larger 10-inch tablet screens too. It feels more manageable to hold in different ways and read for a couple hours. I just can’t imagine doing that with a bigger screen.

That brings me to the case. There’s more and more options out there every day for this unique size (I

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Have you ever double-checked your gift list only to find that you’ve forgotten Aunt Mamie? Or what about the Secret Santa party at the office? Don’t stress, quickie gift relief is here. There’s some super-duper clever ideas out there and I’ve had a terrific time gathering some of my favorites. You might want to make a couple of them to keep on hand just in case the neighbor down the street suddenly presents you with a surprise pound cake…

 

(L) Revamp a tee, adding pretty flowers and some ruffles made with gathering stitches and a few strips of tee material. Okay, full disclosure: don’t wait until the very last minute to make this feminine shirt as it does require a bit of time, but is oh so worth it. From Tea Rose Home.

(R) Maggie Weldon presses doilies into air-dry clay to create fanciful dishes and plates. More information about how she does it at Strictly Simple Style.

 

(L) A mini book, either blank or filled with your prose or sketches will be appreciated by the book-lover on your list. From Ruth Bleakley.

(C) The music lover will appreciate this nifty little case to house their earbuds, keeping them tangle-free. Erin Erickson tells you how at her blog Dog Under My Desk.

(R) How fun are these?! Not only will the sweet tooth on your list be satisfied, but they can use the cookie cutters to create their own tasty treats. From timeless Betty Crocker.

More simple gift ideas after the jump…

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We’ve asked some of our authors, contributors, and favorite people in the jewelry community to recommend the best jewelry books, and we’re putting them all together right here for you. The books might be ones they especially treasure and love, that affected their own work or development, or simply books they’d recommend as excellent, helpful, and instructive.

Our newest list is from Alison Lee of CraftCast, joining the lists of Thomas Mann, Barbara Becker Simon, Stacie Hooder, Pauline Warg, and Ingeborg Vandamme. Also, you’re welcome to see our lists of best books for beaders.

Please enjoy, share the link widely, and leave a comment on this post with the jewelry books you’d recommend to jewelers and crafters. Join the Lark Jewelry & Beading community on Facebook, too.

List No. 6: Alison Lee

Alison Lee is the founder and host of CRAFTCAST, a website and community for live online crafting classes and video downloads from the top teachers in a range of crafts, including jewelry and beading.




Metal Clay Beads by Barbara
Becker Simon

This is one of my absolute favorite books! Endless inspiration and techniques inside. I go back to this book often.

 

 

21st Century Jewelry by Marthe Le Van

This book is pure inspiration! I love having this kind of eye candy available when I need it.

 

 

 

30-Minute Earrings by Marthe Le Van

Another great book edited by Marthe Le Van. Lots of great ideas that you can copy or use as a jumping off point to get yourself creatively moving.

 

 

 

 

Chains Chains Chains by Joanna Gollberg and Nathalie Mornu

I love making chains, so I really appreciated Joanna and Nathalie’s book, which takes a fresh look at some classic patterns. Lots of current new looks to get inspired by.







 

 

 




List No. 5: Barbara Becker Simon

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What better gift to give than inspiration – for yourself or someone dear. How about 1800 pages of felted, stitched, and quilted inspiration? That’s right: we’re offering PUSH Stitchery, 500 Felt Objects, 500 Art Quilts, Masters Art Quilts Vol. 1 and Vol. 2 – all to one lucky winner!

To enter to win this gallery book bundle, please leave a comment on this post by 9 p.m. EST on Monday, December 19. Any comment is fine—though we’d love to hear what you found inspiring this year (an artist, a trend, a single piece, etc.). One winner will be selected at random from among all eligible entries and notified by Tuesday, December 20. Click here for the official rules.

Comments are now closed! Thanks so much for sharing where you find inspiration… your answers were inspiring! The winner will be announced soon.

We like the fact that this time of year means many things for many people, whether you’re decking the halls, lighting candles, singing with joy, or designing your own unique traditions (no matter how chilly or balmy it may be in your neck of the woods).

 

While we all choose to celebrate and acknowledge this time of year differently, one of the ways in which we can add festivity and beauty to our surroundings it through the warmth and brightness of lights.

 

Susan Wasinger, the author of Eco Craft, has a lovely suggestion for transforming traditional strings of lights into softly glowing lanterns. Through simple folding, you can create pretty paper boxes and affix them to the lights in your home. Susan suggests using old sheet music—I bet you’ll come up with additional clever ideas for your paper inspiration.

 

Download a free PDF of these Paper Lanterns for Holiday Lights, and learn more about Eco Craft here.

Wishing you merry and bright holidays!

Jared Andrew Schorr is a super cool illustrator and paper artist with an Esty shop fittingly called Super Cool Spy Club and a website designed from his charming paper cut art (check it: www.jaredandrewschorr.com, it’s like walking into an old school movie theater made of paper!). He’s also one of the thirty artists included in PUSH Paper with pieces that showcase his use of bright color and great sense of humor.

A few months back I fell in love with one of Jared’s small, one-of-a-kind papercuts on his Etsy shop and snapped it up. As an extra special gesture, Jared sent us one of his original papercuts and a few additional goodies, and I’ve been saving them for a special holiday giveaway for our readers.

Here’s what you’ll get if you win The Great Viking Holiday Giveaway (read on for a chance to enter):

* Jared’s original papercut Viking artwork, shown at the top of the post and below. (Oh, and check out the other artworks in this series, from Jared’s blog)

* A copy of PUSH Paper, featuring Jared and 29 other extraordinary paper artists

* An adorable pocket mirror with a print of one of Jared’s papercuts

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

To enter for a chance to win, leave a comment by 10 pm EST on Monday, December 19th. I’m curious to know what you’d like to see Jared cut from paper, or to hear your thoughts about PUSH Paper or even what paper arts you’re working on for the holidays. One winner will be selected at random and announced on Tuesday, December 20th. Click here for the official rules.

Good luck, and may your holidays be filled with warmth and cheer, to your viking!

If you’re anything like me, the manner in which a gift is packaged can be just as important as the item inside. Why not show the same sense of thoughtfulness and generosity in the aesthetics of giving as in the gesture? And let’s be honest here, folks, sometimes a rather simple token of affection and appreciation can really be elevated to something much more when enveloped in pretty and showy attire. A beautiful bow, some ribbon, or a handmade paper wrap can make all the difference. I therefore gift to you a collection of some of my personal favorite (incredibly simple!) DIY gift wrapping ideas I’ve spotted out there in the creative blogosphere. All of these ideas are accompanied by helpful step-by-step tutorials to make your seasonal giving just a little bit easier. Just click on the links below each image!

L to R: A Spoonful of Sugar, A Pair of Pears, MinieCo, Daisyley, Dana Made It

A Spoonful of Sugar: Transform Japanese washi tape into a colorful, playful design.

A Pair of Pears: Utilize simple (but elegant) ideas in paper, yarn, and twine.

MiniCo: All you need is brown paper and a silver pen to create something artful and modern.

Daiseyley: Thread twine through bay leaves or another fragrant leaf for a gift with eco flair.

Dana Made It: Whip up beautiful ribbon out of fabric scraps for a colorful finishing touch.