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.

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.

]]> http://www.larkcrafts.com/jewelry-beading/giveaway-soutache/feed/ 109 http://www.larkcrafts.com/jewelry-beading/releasing-soon-soutache-by-anneta-valious/ http://www.larkcrafts.com/jewelry-beading/releasing-soon-soutache-by-anneta-valious/#comments Mon, 13 May 2013 10:21:01 +0000 Nathalie Mornu http://www.larkcrafts.com/?p=59980 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!

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!

"Cuor di Bue Tomato," © 2005 Dominik Hundhammer, CC Attribution-ShareAlike license: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/

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1.) Okay, this first step isn’t so much about laziness as effectiveness. You’d think it were a carefully guarded secret, as few people know it, but it is really key to growing tomatoes. Start tomato (and pepper) seeds in flats with heating pads. A lot of people report that they have trouble getting tomato seeds to sprout, especially earlier in the season. The reason for this is that the soil needs to be about 75 degrees Fahrenheit to ensure a good germination rate. (Germination rate is the percentage of seeds planted that actually sprout.) Little kits are available at gardening stores with a pad that heats to just the right temperature and a plastic enclosure to hold the heat in. These kits cost maybe $30-40, but I’ve gotten years of tomato plants from mine; and with good seeds, the germination rate is very, very close to 100%. Furthermore, you’ll have transplantable seedlings within two weeks or so. Totally worthwhile investment!

"Tomato Seedlings," © 2008 Stephanie Vacher, CC Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative license: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/2.0/deed.en

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2.) Start hardening off your seedlings right away, and all at once. (Hardening off is when you start exposing your baby plants to the elements: sun, rain, wind.) I have read a lot of articles and books that recommend exposing very young seedlings to sunlight only at first (in a window or under artificial light), and then waiting a week or two (or longer) to begin placing them outside in the elements, starting with an hour or two of exposure and gradually working up to all day. I’m lazy, and I disagree! If you use a nutrient-rich potting soil (which you should, because that increases germination rates too), then your tiny plants will grow so fast that by the time you get them outside, they’ll be tall and unstable. (Forcing them to reach for a window will also encourage that kind of growth.) It is important for tomato and pepper seedlings to get sunlight as soon as they emerge from the soil, so I just go ahead and start putting them outside all day long as soon as they peek out of the soil. The elements will kill a few, but those were probably weaklings anyway, and now you don’t have to do all that babysitting. As long as it is above 55 degrees (F), those plants can be outside, no matter the conditions (unless it’s the storm of the century or something).

3.) Prune your tomato plants. Or don’t. I have tried both, and I do find that I get bigger (but fewer) fruit from pruned plants. If you live in an area where tomatoes are prone to fungal disease, such as blight or anthracnose, pruning may keep your plants healthy for longer (like a week or two, maybe). Our plants get anthracnose every single year, and my solution is to just plant lots and lots of plants, harvest a ton while they’re healthy, and preserve them by canning or freezing. That said, I think the plants have hung in there a little longer in the years when I’ve pruned them. I’m not sure it’s wise, though, because I’m so much more heartbroken to lose plants that I’ve worked hard to save, and it doesn’t seem to buy enough time to make it worthwhile. I guess the lesson here is: If you’re a pruner, prune. If you’re lazy or prone to emotional attachment like I am, don’t bother.

The most common fungal disease, late blight, should not be confused with blossom-end rot, which is often a calcium deficiency or moisture inconsistency (either way, it's curable, unlike blight). ©2011 Downtowngal, CC Attribution-ShareAlike license: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/

4.) Tomato cages are worth the time and money. You’ll spend a lot less effort with cages than you will with those dumb ol’ sticks. (You have to keep re-tying the plants to the sticks as they grow.) Instead, just place a cage over a small plant, and forget about it. If you don’t support the plants somehow, you’ll lose a lot of them to wind and gravity casualties, plus increase the odds of those pesky funguses taking hold!

The cone-shaped cages toward the far ends of the bed are better than the homemade, cylindrical ones you see closer to the camera, because they have stakes that stick right into the ground. The cylinders, on the other hand, have to be secured to something so they don't fall over. (Thanks to my dad back home in Parma for the classiest pink flamingos this side of the Mason-Dixon.)

5.) It doesn’t matter how much water your tomato plants get, as long as it’s consistent. (Or not. Whatever.) Watering them every day that it doesn’t rain is the safest bet. That way, when it rains for the entire second half of July, your tomatoes won’t crack from growing so fast. If you decide to do this, can I recommend some soaker hoses or something? Then, all you have to do is walk outside and turn on the spigot. Plus, your plants will be less likely to get those fungal diseases I keep talking about if the leaves aren’t getting wet. (Soaker hoses sit in the garden bed and water at the base of the plants.) Anyway, remember how I said I’m lazy? Well, if you don’t water consistently, the worst thing that can happen is you end up with cracked tomatoes that will eventually rot on the vine if you don’t harvest immediately. Or, sometimes the cracks will scab up. Hey, cracked and rotting tomatoes in the garden this year = volunteer tomato plants next year (assuming you don’t bother tilling, like me)! And those scabs? You can just cut them off and enjoy the rest of the tomato!

And to answer the question you may or may not be asking yourself now, “What is a lazy gardener to do with all the extra tomatoes?”

6.) Throw some back into the garden (or just let them fall off the plant like I mentioned a second ago), and you’re sure to get at least a few volunteers next year! This is an excuse not to till. I know you were looking for one.

7.) Make sauce, but don’t bother blanching and peeling the tomatoes. Here’s how I do it: Chop and core them, and then simmer them in water (covered) for a day or two on the stovetop, checking the level of the water every eight or ten hours just to make sure it doesn’t get too thick and burn. Turn off the heat and let it cool, AND PUT AN APRON ON. Stick an immersion blender in there and blend it all up. If you’re worried about skins and seeds, just pour the sauce through a strainer after blending. If the sauce isn’t thick enough, simmer it uncovered until it is. Add herbs and stuff at the end. Or whenever you want. Or not at all. Maybe you want this sauce to be a blank slate so you can pull it out of the freezer months from now and decide then whether it will be gazpacho, pasta sauce, chili, or a bath for your dog who just got too close to a skunk.

8.) Don’t bother canning if you’ve got some freezer space. Canning is hard. Just pour your sauce into freezer-proof jars, leaving more head room than you think you should, put the lid on, and freeze. I usually put mine in the fridge for a few days first so the flavors mingle.

From top left across:

Cozy up your deck chairs with this Siting Pretty Cushion (from 100 Pretty Little Projects).

Got a not-so-green thumb? Make a bouquet of repurposed Blooms (from Craft Challenge: Scarves).

Set the mood with a set of Flicker candle cozies (from Craft Challenge: Scarves).

Pull up a (quite fabulous) Obi Sling Chair (from Fabric Remix).

Create some colorful cottage charm with a set of Fresh & Shabby Pillow Houses (from Stash Happy: Applique).

Snuggle on the porch with this Wonky Cottage Lap Quilt (from Stash Happy: Patchwork).

Learn how to use a combination of origami and kirigami techniques to create 35 paper dogs that are three-dimensional, freestanding, and full of expressive details, from a graceful Greyhound to a roly-poly Pug. With illustrated step-by-step instructions for every project and a Basics section that explores the tools and materials you’ll need, Hiroshi Hayakawa guides you through the processes of cutting, scoring, and folding paper to create these pups. Just photocopy any of the book’s full-size templates onto cardstock and follow the assembly instructions from start to finish, including the personalization of your pup with simple paint embellishments. In addition to 35 projects, Paper Pups offers readers eight dog accessories including a Best in Show ribbon, a sweater for the Chihuahua, a doghouse, and more. With Hiroshi’s guidance and only a few tools, you’ll find dozens of ways to turn paper into heartfelt, friendly pups, sure to get your tail wagging. Check out some of the canine craftiness below!

Since we’re crafters here, we decided to share our love of Star Wars be scouring Etsy for some fabulous finds on our favorite subject. Who wouldn’t love an R2D2 quilt for cuddle times? Show which side you are on with some rebel or empire jewelry. We even found a fantastic Yoda stained glass panel!

Enjoy, and…

From left to right:

Han & Leia Rings by SpiffingJewelry

Master Yoda Amigurumi by SoulSundries

Imperial Insignia Necklace by sudlow

R2D2 Pixel Art Quilt by GoodwinsCustomCrafts

Ewok Miniature Plush by wishwithme

Storm Trooper Vans by ShoesBySmiley

Boba Fett Amigurumi by MCraftCreations

Darth Vader Embroidery by OccasionallySubtle

Felted Mini AT-AT by famished

R2D2 Earrings by petiteVanilla

Chewbacca Plush by peludossa

Rebel Alliance Ring Sterling925Silver

LEGO Light Saber Earrings by emmadreamstar

Yoda Stained Glass Window by TerrazaStainedGlass

Star Wars Converse by ThoseInFavor

R2D2 and C-3PO Art 3D Pop Artwork by PopsicArt

This is me with my mom, and I was careful not to put any recipes in this post that she would not like. I might be 500 miles away, but my step dad's not! (Ahem. Hint.)

Momelettes!

Moms have come to expect breakfast in bed on Mother’s Day, and they should get it. Your mom has probably prepared at least 12,317 meals for you, approximately. If you are a grown-up and don’t live with your mom, and don’t want to break into her house early in the morning lest you get shot, then you might just have to plan the breakfast thing instead of surprising her with it. She’ll still appreciate it, I bet. Anyway, how about a momelette?! I am going to just give you some delicious ideas because I know you can figure out how to make an omelette.

• Bacon, fig, and goat cheese make a delicious omelette filling. Cut your bacon and figs into small, bite-size slices and fry them separately–the bacon until it’s crisp and the figs until they’re saucy. Put your crisp bacon and saucy figs inside the omelette along with some goat cheese and maybe some rosemary? Mm-mm. (I might even consider blending the rosemary into the egg mixture in my food processor.)
• Sweet potato and kale: Peel and cube the sweet potato, and then fry it in lots of butter or coconut oil with a dash of salt, and maybe some sage. Did I say use lots of butter or oil? Sweet potatoes need oil, and your mom needs good cholesterols! Unless she doesn’t. Cut the kale into bite-size pieces first. I cannot express how important this is, and dudes don’t seem to get it. So dudes, cut mom’s kale! And then sautee it in some butter or coconut oil with a dash of salt too, but you will likely need to add a bit of water. (Kale does not seem to have a lot of its own moisture.) I think for this one, it will be important to add the filling before the egg in the omelette is completely cooked, because sweet potato is soooo much better when it’s embedded in egg. I also would be willing to bet the farm that some swiss cheese would be a perfect finisher! And salsa? No, that’s crazy.
• Smoked salmon, capers, and cream cheese. This sounds fancy, but it’s very easy, because you really don’t have to do anything to the fillings before putting them in the omelette. You might add some very finely diced red onion too, depending on how mom feels about onions and onion breath.
• Yard foods! If mom is an adventurous eater, try making her momelette with dandelion greens and chickweed, maybe garnished with some violets to make it pretty. Or perhaps a plain cheese omelette garnished with cucumber, chive, and mint relish? Just peel and dice the cuke, chop the herbs, and mix it all in a bit of apple cider vinegar and salt, and just a dash of brown sugar.

Mom-nom-nom! (Image used under Creative Commons from juanelos.)

Not Your Mom’s Pot Pie

Er, yes your mom’s. You are her sweetie-pie, but savory pie will make an excellent dinner! This chicken pot pie is not your standard boxed clump of ice flipped upside-down on a plate, and I would even venture to say it’s better than your average homemade chicken pot pie. This here is springtime comfort food from the rustic kitchen of the one and only Ashley English. You can find this and 59 other delicious pie recipes in her beautiful book, A Year of Pies. First, you’ll need to use one of these basic pie crust recipes. <– That’s your secret weapon. Next step, get your pot pie on!

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Seriously Sinful Chocolate Cake

What? Wow, if your mother is on a diet or anything, just skip this part. I mean, this thing is decadent, and it has lard in it. I know this is not for everyone, but if you’re into this sort of thing, you know how delicious it is! This recipe comes from Cake Ladies, authored by Asheville’s very own cake entrepreneur, Jodi Rhoden. Aside from the recipe, I feel compelled to share the story of the recipe’s creator, Dye-Scott Rhodan (no relation).

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Now for the horrible, terrible, delicious recipe!

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And finally, don’t forget the flowers! But you don’t have to buy that $40 dozen of roses! Last Mother’s Day, I walked around my neighborhood for about 20 or 30 minutes and was able to put together the most beautiful bouquet for my mother-in-law with all the wonderful wild and, um, feral flowers that were in bloom! I’ll share pics as soon as I find them…

Ah-ha!

Mountain laurel, daylily, poppy, corn flowers, red clovers, oxeye daisy, holly leaves, a green onion blossom, buttercups, and peace lily leaves made a lovely Mother's Day bouquet!