Lark Crafts

Enlist the kids’ help to make a bouquet of cheery poppies to grace the summer picnic table. This is an inexpensive project that besides a pair of scissors, requires only paper, glue, floral wire and tape, and correction liquid. This is a great project to do with children as the glassine blossoms require creasing, which can be accomplished through shaping by hand (crumpling in the fist). Older children can further assist by applying correction fluid to the fringe of the flower center.

This flower design is one of 25 varieties you’ll find in Paper Blooms, by accomplished paper artist, Jeffery Rudell. Click here for the instructions.

School’s almost out for summer, folks! Are you ready? And are you looking to embark on creative adventures of the sewing variety with your little bundles? Since the day I found out miss Ruby was on her way, I’ve been excited to share my love of sewing with her. My mom taught me to sew, and I can’t wait to do the same. But 10 months is a bit too young to start teaching my little lady how to sew: she probably needs to master other important life skills – you know, fine motor skills, crawling, feeding herself, etc. – before we partake in creative togetherness. When the times comes, though, I’ll be ready with the help of these lovely sewing projects for kids.

Stitch a lovely rainbow, easy peezy on burlap: Sewing Rainbows (from Childhood 101)

Put on a show with a herd of bunny puppets: Bunny Finger Puppet (from Spoonful)

Make a drawstring bag for trinkets and treasures: Drawstring Bag (from Make and Takes)

Craft a flock of birdies: Bean Bag Birds (from Captain Crafty)

Stitch a zoo-full of critter cards: Sewing Cards (from Dandee Designs)

Sew some sweet heart bookmarks for Valentines and beyond: Valentine Bookmarks (from Holiday Crafts and Creations)

Fashion a headband perfect for summer: How to Sew a Headband (from Skip to my Lou)

Repurpose a tee-shirt into a bag: T-shirt Bag (from Make and Takes)

Take your sewing on the road: Alligator Sewing Kit (from Spoonful) 

If you’ve been to Bead&Button, you know how amazing this event is: beading royalty around every corner, exciting classes, happy crowds, funky hair color, zillions of products to choose from. (Oh, and miles of corridors to walk…grin!)

So many Lark Jewelry & Beading authors are going to be at the show! In celebration, we’re giving away one great big set of 20 books—all of these were written by Lark authors attending B&B 2013. Here’s what one lucky winner will receive:

To enter for a chance to win these 20 books, simply leave a comment on this post by 11:59 p.m. EDT on Thursday, May 27, 2013. One winner will be selected at random from among all eligible entries on May 28, 2013. Click here for the official rules.

The 20 books are:

• Making Bead & Wire Jewelery, by Janice Berkebile and Tracy Stanley
• Metalworking 101 for Beaders and Necklaceology, both by Candie Cooper
• The Art of Enameling, by Linda Darty
• Marcia DeCoster’s Beaded Opulence, by Marcia DeCoster
• Diane Fitzgerald’s Shaped Beadwork and Diane Fitzgerald’s Favorite Beading Projects, both by Diane Fitzgerald
• Suzanne Golden Presents, by Suzanne Golden
• I CAN Herringbone, by Melissa Grakowsky
• Heat, Color, Set & Fire, Wrap, Stitch, Fold & Rivet and Mixed Metal Jewelry Workshop, all by Mary Hettmansperger
• Sabine Lippert’s Beaded Fantasies, by Sabine Lippert
• Laura McCabe’s Embellished Beadweaving, by Laura McCabe
• Japanese Beadwork with Sonoko Nozue, by Sonoko Nozue
• Beadmaille, by Cindy Pankopf
• Steel Wire Jewelry, by Brenda Schweder
• Metal Clay Beads, by Barbara Becker Simon
• Jill Wiseman’s Beautiful Beaded Ropes, by Jill Wiseman

Have you ever taken a craft class? Yes? Then you know there’s something magical about learning something new, hearing about someone else’s creative process, and putting energy into your own creative pursuits. And if not, here’s your chance!

Now through May 23rd, you can enter to win a free class with the fine folks at Craftsy! They have all kinds of online crafty classes – knitting, crochet, sewing, cake decorating – and they’re offering a fabulous new quilting class all about foundation piecing: Precision Piecing taught by award-winning quilter Norah McMeeking. In a series of 9 HD video lessons, you’ll learn the basic techniques, tips, troubleshooting, and more. You can take the class on your own time and revisit it again and again for tips and hints along the way. And best of all: you don’t have to lug your sewing machine and supplies anywhere! Set up in your own space and learn at your own pace.

Click here to follow the link and enter. You’ll need to create a Craftsy login to enter…and (bonus!) you’ll get access to a mini class when you do.

In Printing on Fabric, Jen Swearington covers everything fabric lovers need to know about printing fabric by hand. She starts by translating design ideas to into print ideas, moves on to simple transfers with various stenciling methods, and addresses all the options beyond ink when it comes to printing on fabric (including dye baths, bleach resists, and more).

Oh, and there are all sorts of projects to accompany the lessons, from trendy tote bags and baby rompers to classy cardigans and home decor.

But what about all those scraps you end up with after making a project? She’s got that covered as well, thanks to a couple scrap-friendly ideas. One is the quilt you can see on the cover, and the other is a fun, mailable mini mobile.

Here’s what Jen has to say about it: This anti e-mail surprise is a fun way to harvest bits of imagery from your scrap fabrics, drop cloths, and masking papers. I wanted to make sure it could be mailed, so I started with the envelope and designed the mobile to fit inside it. Be sure to write the words “Hand Cancel” on the envelope so it doesn’t get mangled in a mail-processing machine. Better yet, take it to the post office counter since it might take an extra stamp or two in postage.

Download the project, complete with templates, right here: Mail a Mini Mobile

Anneta Valious

We’re celebrating the release of the new book Soutache, written by Anneta Valious, with a fabulous giveaway! Three lucky winners will each receive a copy of the book, still hot off the presses. And—drum roll, please—one extra-lucky person will win a copy of the book PLUS a piece of jewelry made by the author and featured in the book, the gorgeous Zenith Bracelet shown below!

To enter for a chance to win one of the four prizes described above, simply leave a comment on this post by 11:59 p.m. EDT on Thursday, May 23, 2013. The winners will be selected at random from among all eligible entries on May 24, 2013. Click here for the official rules.

If you haven’t yet discovered jewelry made with soutache, you’re in for a treat. And if you have seen this type of jewelry before, you’ve probably been wondering how to make it. Mystery solved! Be on the lookout for the new book by Anneta Valious (the first ever covering this technique in the English language), releasing next month!

Soutache is a type of braid or trim that’s been around for centuries. For a long time, it was used to embellish garments, but check out this wee sneak peek of projects taught in Anneta’s book to see what beautiful things it can do for jewelry!

Pretty dazzling, huh?

Check Lark’s blog again on May 15, 2013, for a chance to win not only a copy of Soutache, but a project from it!

My five-year-old daughter is really into growing things. She loves digging in the dirt and watching as the seeds she planted sprout and mature into vegetables and flowers. This spring, she got her very own raised bed and was told she could plant anything she wanted:

Yep. She promptly planted herself. I can’t say I blame her — there’s something about a sunny spring day that just makes you want to get as close as possible to the warm, fresh earth.

To celebrate the joys of gardening, we’re giving away a bounty of garden-related motifs from Aimee Ray’s Doodle Stitching: The Motif Collection! Use them to embellish your gardening totes or gloves, a kitchen towel, or a set of napkins. Click here to get a free PDF full of motifs of peas, asparagus, strawberries, a flower, and more!

And, by the way, my daughter didn’t stay planted in her bed for long — she’s now growing tarragon, tomatoes, and oregano in her little plot of earth!