Lark Crafts

Add some bling to your spring with inspiration (and let’s be honest: complete eye candy) from a number of our gorgeous Jewelry and Beading gallery books! Right now, hundreds of Lark books are included in a 50% Off Spring Sale on BN.com, where you’ll find everything from master beadwork to enameling instruction to easy beginner techniques.

Included in the Spring Sale are the following stunning gallery books, which spotlight no end of artistry and craftsmanship, as you can see in the featured photos. Click here for a link to the complete listing of Lark books in the BN.com 50% Off Spring Sale.

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500 Earrings

Polly Wales

“Gypsy Wedding”

Each 7 x 9 x 0.1 cm

Gold plate, sterling silver, 9-karat gold, aquamarines; hand pierced

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500 Silver Jewelry Designs

Jasmin Winter

“Friends of Mine: Two Sides”

63 cm long

Sterling silver, enamel, resin, thread; annealed, oxidized

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Masters: Gemstones

George Morin

“Jaded Sun”

3.6 x 4.9 x 3 cm

Gold, jade, Paraiba; hand fabricated, pavé set

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We’re celebrating Spring with a big 50% Off Sale of hundreds of our books on BN.com!

Just in time for Mother’s Day (and with summer break on the horizon), you’ll find this Spring Sale abuzz with how-to guides, gorgeous gallery inspiration, and insights into the technical and inventive processes of wide-ranging creative categories. From jewelry to clay, crochet to paper art, pies to moonshine, and more, Lark celebrates creativity in its myriad forms, and our 50% Off Spring Sale on BN.com celebrates creative readers and makers everywhere!

Are you ready to try a new creative outlet?

Are you seeking the perfect gift for a special mom in your life?

Are you that special mom whose bookshelf needs a little love?

Making plans for a summer break filled with creative activities?

Planning ahead for the upcoming school year?

 

Now through Friday, April 26, say hello to spring with a bevy of books—visit the entire list of sale titles here:

Spring Sale of Lark Books on BN.com

*And remember, as with all BN.com orders of $25 or greater, readers get free shipping!

 

Spring into Journaling!

Lookin’ Good this Mother’s Day with Handmade Wearables

Spring Bling! Gorgeous Jewelry Books in Lark’s Spring Book Sale

Celebrate Spring with these Free Flower Crafts

 

 

 

 

Raise your hand if you’re ready for spring!

Now raise both hands if you’re ready for spring accessories!

You and I both know we don’t have to look far when it comes to pretty eye candy on Etsy, and with the delicate, sweet, light colors of spring, Etsy is a treasure trove of delightful, pastel earrings.

So off with your overcoat and on with the pretty jewelry—three cheers for spring!

Thanks to the Etsy sellers featured above and below for giving us all something sweet and springy to cheer about!

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Brass Chevron “Fin” Earrings :: ILIOS

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Jade Teardrop Earrings :: LoveLittleDarling

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Wooden Geometric Earrings :: LiKeGjewelry

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Pastel Flower Earrings :: HelgaYutt

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Jade Dipped Brass Earrings :: AcuteDesigns

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I don’t know about you, but I’m sort of over this whole gray late winter thing. We haven’t even had a hard winter here in the mountains of Western North Carolina, but there’s just no escaping the fact that we’ve been without leaves and blossoms and brightness for quite some time now, and I’m ready for spring. Real Spring. The blooming, chirping, breezy, riot-of-color Spring.

So, to speed things along and welcome in Spring, I decided to gather an eye-full of pretty, springy, colorful quilts, perfect for brightening up even the grayest of late winter days. From delicate tiny patchwork blocks to pleasing geometric squares to an oh-so-dear ring of bunnies, these quilts and their makers sure are springy and lovely.

Thanks to the Etsy folks who create such pretty quilts!

And let’s hear it for spring, which officially begins tomorrow! (Artist, shop, and link info below)

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My Song Quilt Pattern :: fortheloveofjoy

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Stepping Star Quilt Pattern :: sweetjane

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Honey Bunny Appliqué Quilt Pattern :: JoAnnHoffmanDesigns

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Golden Spring Pin-dot Patchwork Tutorial Kit :: appleturnovershop

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When it comes to Saint Patrick’s Day, there’s a pretty clear theme: GREEN. Green everything! Lucky green socks, green shamrock glasses, green everything-you-wear, green food, green beer, green green green. (One more for good luck: green!)

In the festive spirit of St. Patty’s Day and its green, green theme, I took a stroll through Etsy and feasted my eyes on these lovely necklaces. From a pale, delicate seafoam to a deep, forest pine, there’s quite a beautiful spectrum of greens to be found, and these pretty accessories truly capture a variety of styles, textures, shapes, and personalities.

Thank you to the Etsy sellers mentioned below for sharing these charming green necklaces, and Happy Saint Patrick’s Day to you all!

 

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Apple Green Wooden Bead Necklace :: JullMade

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Chunky Green Necklace :: stavroula

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Spring Fling Howlite Bead Necklace :: ZolieDesigns

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Happy lesser-celebrated but greatly-anticipated Daylight Savings, everybody! It’s that nice time of the year when we “spring ahead” in time (that phrase never gets old for me)—it’s one hour of one day lost, sure, but it’s also one hour of evening daylight gained! Can I get a Hip-Hip-Hooray?!

I wanted to honor Daylight Savings and its extra evening sunlight, and a lovely trip through Etsy shops seemed like the perfect answer. Below are images of timepieces of all kinds: pocket watches, wall clocks, cuckoo clocks, clocks made of vinyl records, clocks made of doilies, steampunk beauties, upcycled bicycle elements, and more (scroll down for individual photos and links).

Thank you to these talented Etsy artists for sharing such beautiful timepieces, perfect for Daylight Savings!

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Colored Geometry Wall Clock :: PartyMojo

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Laser Cut Wooden Giraffe Clock :: AsymmetreeDesign

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Modern Wooden Wall Clock :: ArtGlamourSligo

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Silhouette in White Clock :: OryxandCrakeDesign

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To celebrate the release of Wee Felt Worlds: Sweet Little Scenes to Needle Felt, we’re shining a spotlight on some of the book’s oh-so-talented designers.

Today, we’re delighted to share a little interview with artist Heide Murray, whose needle felted creatures apper in the book’s Circus Maximus chapter. Heide writes about needle felting, vintage goodness, design, teaching, and more on her blog All Good Wishes.

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How did you get started needle felting?
I started needle felting in 2001. I had been looking for a way to add real fur to my polymer clay sculptures, and that led me to try a class in needle felting. I had been making art dolls for a few years and taking doll making classes with some wonderful teachers, but learning to needle felt was a game changer. I never went back to clay. The design possibilities are endless with wool, plus it is soft and organic and colorful and affordable and wonderful.

(Heide’s needle felted chicken at right)

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What is your dream needle-felting project? Is there something you’ve been thinking about making but haven’t yet?
The next project is always the dream project. I sketch in lots of journals and always go back through them and find things I still want to make.

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What’s the smallest thing you’ve needle felted? What’s the largest?
When I first started needle felting my work was much larger and it took days to finish one piece. I have gone smaller not only because smaller=faster=more affordable, but the size is also more accessible for people to buy cute guys they can quietly add to their home.

(Heide’s needle felted bunny and fox at left)

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If you could make another scene for Wee Felt Worlds, what would you make?
If I were to make another scene, it would have to be the farmers market brought to life. I love faces on my fruits and veggies, and I’ve been doing lots of vintage inspired anthropomorphic characters lately.

(Heide’s needle felted garden friends at right)

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What are your other crafty obsessions?
Probably my biggest crafty obsession is repurposing vintage craft supplies. Almost nothing gets me as excited as finding vintage pipe cleaners, wooden beads, and buttons which I use in my work.

Thanks Heide!

To celebrate the release of Wee Felt Worlds: Sweet Little Scenes to Needle Felt, we’re shining a spotlight on some of the book’s oh-so-creative designers. Today, we’re happy to share an interview with Yin Chan, the mind behind the delicious felted treats in the book’s Sweet Shoppe chapter and the talented artist of Sweet Felts, a blog dedicated to needle felted foods.

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How did you get started needle felting?
It was an accident. I saw a needle felt book for miniature animals at my local bookstore. When I was reading it, all I could think of was to make myself some felted donuts. I am always interested in miniature/dollhouse food items. After I learned the basic needle felt technique, I started to make a couple donuts here and some cupcakes there. After my friends saw my sweet felts, they all wanted some of them. Thus, I started to make them and share them with people who love sweets.

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What is your dream needle-felting project? Is there something you’ve been thinking about making but haven’t yet?
A Wedding cake bakery. I have been thinking about making some life-size 5- or 6-teired wedding cakes with felt ribbons, butterflies, birds, and roses.

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What’s the weirdest thing you’ve needle felted?
It would be for my friend’s twin sons’ birthday. My friend, Teresa, wanted to have some unique party favors for her sons’ birthday party, and she decided my needle felted work would be a great fit. Her sons’ party featured mini-cupcakes and a jungle theme, so I made 30+ mini cupcakes with monkeys and bananas as cake toppers (pictured at left).

It was an intensive project–each banana was so tiny! Some of them were even peeled open. They took me many days and nights to finish them. My eyes actually hurt after that. But it was all worth it when my friend told me how much she and her guests loved them.

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What’s the smallest thing you’ve needle felted? What’s the largest?
The smallest thing I’ve made were the felted bananas. The largest project would be the life-size cup of latte as a giveaway prize for fans on my blog.

(Pictured at right is Yin’s felted Sushi Deluxe.)

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If you could make another scene for Wee Felt Worlds, what would you make?
I like what’s in there. I think that I would stick with the same scene, but with more sweets: birthday cakes, layer cakes, cookies, pies, and more pastries.

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What are your other crafty obsessions?
I have been a knitter for years. New trends in knitting inspire my work and help me renew my technique. Beyond knitting, my newer obsession is making scale model buildings.

 

Thanks, Yin!