Lark Crafts

Last week, we posted a giveaway of Aimee Ray’s Doodle Stitching collection, including an advance copy of Doodle Stitching: Embroidery & Beyond. Congratulations to Aileen, the lucky winner of all three books! We received an overwhelming number of entries—sounds like you can’t wait until Embroidery & Beyond comes out in March! Here’s what you had to say:

I have been wanting the Doodle Stitching books for months! – Pam

Aimee Ray has the cutest designs! I am inspired by her designs, especially the mushrooms and little birdies. – Stitchin’ Kat

I love Aimee’s books and whenever I’m in doubt of what to do next, I look to her for ideas! – Jennifer

I have her first two books and look forward to the new one! – April

Many of my previous projects have been Aimee’s patterns. Can’t wait for her new book! – Debbie

Who doesn’t love these books! Her work is amazing. – Susan

Who doesn’t love Aimee’s books, indeed? Aileen will be able to get an early start perusing Embroidery & Beyond, but we’d like everyone to have a little peek at all the fabulousness in store. Check out these images from inside the book, and don’t forget to pre-order your copy of Doodle Stitching: Embroidery & Beyond at BN.com today!

There are all sorts of aphrodisiac foods and herbs out there, ranging from delightful and delicious (e.g., chocolate) to exotic and weird (e.g., cobra blood). For those of us who love cooking, Valentine’s Day offers an opportunity to try new recipes, perhaps ones that are more decadent than what’s in the normal dinner rotation. Well, I’d like to take this opportunity to share a couple of my own out-of-the-box recipes for love, hopefully with enough time for folks to order ingredients online if that’s necessary. (I’ll include some links for that at the end.)

Both of these recipes are perfect for opening up the heart, whether you want to relax into a romantic evening with your sweetheart or just be cheerful and present for a social gathering.

Five Senses Tea

This first creation, a tea I call Five Senses, is a delightful blend of sense-awakening herbs. I love to give this tea in a decorated glass jar as a gift, especially for bridal showers and weddings, because it just looks, smells, and tastes so sexy!

At Lark, we live more than a little in the future. Keeping an eye on things to come—possible trends, promising titles, potential sales—we’re always looking ahead (we’ve got books cooking clear into 2015!). The June release of 500 Paper Objects: New Directions in Paper Art gives us yet another reason to be fixated on the future. A new addition to Lark’s sensational 500 series and a title we’re positively thrilled about for 2013, 500 Paper Objects spotlights paper craft, a dynamic medium that’s in the midst of a renaissance.

 In this remarkable collection, which features the work of nearly 300 artists, paper—a seemingly commonplace substance—proves to be a material of near-limitless possibility, capable of accommodating a variety of visions and aesthetic styles. The book’s scope is surprising: There are traditional origami pieces, wall-scaling installations, and uncannily accurate facsimiles of everyday objects (check out Jennifer Collier’s Map SLR Camera below). The collection also includes a wide range of work made from recycled materials—record sleeves and vintage maps, insurance forms and phone directories. Upcycled and ingenious, these pieces are the epitome of creative conservation—smart art!

“It’s a great moment for the paper medium,” juror Gene McHugh writes in the book’s introduction. “The world is finally catching up to what those of us who love paper objects have long known: paper craft techniques aren’t just parlor tricks.” McHugh—an arts writer who is currently the Kress Fellow in Interpretive Technology at the Whitney Museum of American Art—viewed work by artists from around the world as he made his selections for the book. The result is an unforgettable collection that will forever change the way you perceive paper. 500 Paper Objects: New Directions in Paper Art is available for pre-order on BN.com. Stay tuned for more coverage of this terrific book in the weeks to come. In the meantime, enjoy the images below.

Red Riding Hood Paper Ring by Elsa Mora

 Untitled by Richard Sweeney

Little Fairy Tale Boxes by Marlis Maehrle

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We’ve noticed that it’s sometimes easier to keep new years’ resolutions when you’ve made the commitment with someone else. We’ve also found that it’s more fun crafting as a group (here on the needlearts teams, we’re learning to needle felt and crochet together). And how about the best of both worlds: keep your crafty resolutions intact and enjoy some group creativity. This week, we’re picking one lucky winner to receive four copies of Quilt It with Love – one to keep and three to give away. Spread the Project Linus love, spread the quilt inspiration, and spread the crafty goodness… craft it forward, friends!

To enter to win four copies of Quilt It with Love (one copy for you and one copy for three friends), leave a comment on this post between now and 9 p.m. Thursday, January 31st. Any comment is fine, but we’d love to hear about a time when you’ve had fun crafting as part of a group. One winner will be selected at random from among all eligible entries and announced by Monday, February 4. Click