Lark Crafts

When I was young, I absolutely loved spending time with my mom in the kitchen. Whether it was being tasked with the important responsibility of mixing up the cake, brownie, or cookie batter in the bowl (and licking the spoon afterward!) or simply watching her cooking process while soaking up any worthwhile wisdom, I was fascinated by it all and felt great comfort in those special moments together. As an adult, that mother-daughter kitchen time is usually relegated to holidays and happens much less frequently than I would like (and is therefore all the more precious).

As you take time to celebrate the importance of moms this weekend, I suggest creating some kitchen memories of your own. Make something together that can be shared together.

Cake Ladies celebrates the importance of women’s stories, the power of baking within families and communities, and the simple joy of sharing something sweet with those you love. So grab an apron and a mixing bowl, enlist your mom or your own child, and bake up something wonderful.

We offer here a free recipe for Applesauce Spice Cake, one of my personal favorites from the book since it reminds me of my own grandmother’s cake I savored as a child. Enjoy with someone you love!

DOWNLOAD THE RECIPE HERE: Applesauce Spice Cake

Do your weekend plans include flowers? Whether you’re working in the garden, heading out for a hike, or spending your weekend in craft mode, we hope the lovely early summer blooms inspire you in some way! And if you do happen to be in craft mode, enjoy a free project from Suzann Thompson’s Crochet Garden.

Download the instructions here: Pasque Flower

Happy weekend stitching!

Mother’s Day always seems to sneak up on me. Today while packing school lunches it suddenly dawned on me that Mom’s Day is this Sunday. Does this sound familiar to you? If so, rather than make a mad dash to the drug or grocery store (where the card selection is by now no doubt a sad and picked over collection) how about making an engineering marvel that will be sure to impress?

To make the bouquet on front, you can use flower punches if you have them, or just cut out some simple flower shapes by hand. I guarantee that mom will adore your bouquet either way. While the outside of the card is cheerful and pretty, the inside packs a fun surprise because when opened, whimsical hearts pop up and dangle from thread (check it out here). Put yourself in mom’s shoes—wouldn’t you love to get a handmade card like this? This is just one of 25 designs that you’ll find in Pop-Up Cards: And other Greetings that Slide, Dangle & Move.

I’ve been a jojoba bean picker in the Sonoran desert, copy chief for a busy magazine in New York City, college writing instructor, and managing editor, editor, and author for Lark Crafts. But the hardest and most rewarding job I’ve ever attempted was teaching third graders.

It’s Teacher Appreciation Week! Looking for a teacher gift idea you can stitch up easily in an evening? Grab some felt and make Lisa Jordan’s sweet Apple for Teacher Brooch from our follow-up to Fa la la la Felt, Heart-Felt Holidays (now available for under $10 on amazon and B&N.com).

My nine-year-old niece Oona sewed one for her teacher last night between dessert and bath time.

Look how great hers turned out!

Download a free PDF with instructions and printable templates: Apple for Teacher Brooch.

What is the perfect way to show mom that you care, especially on Mother’s Day? Well, we’ve got some opinions on the matter. We think the proper gift involves one part handmade, one part help-mom-relax, a pinch of make-her-every-day-brighter, and a touch of creativity. These Lavender Tea Bag Sachets by Laura Howard (from Heart-Felt Holidays) fit the bill perfectly. Oh, and did we mention they’re made with felt – our favorite.

Download the project here: Lavender Tea Bag Sachets

Happy weekend crafting….for mom!

Just in time for Mother’s Day, we’re so very pleased to share a project with you from Hand in Hand: Crafting with Kids by Jenny Doh: Tissue Paper Lanterns made by Kristin Zecchinelli and her sweet kids.

These pretty lanterns can be made with tissue paper or scraps of fabric, and you can decorate glass jars of any shape and size. Try a fabric pattern featuring sweet little flowers, or shine a spotlight on summery gingham for picnics with personality. Simply gather glass jars, glue, water, tissue paper or fabric, and some little votive candles, and you’ll be ready to create with the kiddos in your life.

This activity is a fun one for all ages*, and tissue paper lanterns are a lovely way to celebrate any occasion from birthdays to Mother’s Day to candlelit holidays. Click here for a downloadable PDF of the Tissue Paper Lanterns project.

Hand in Hand: Crafting with Kids is a celebration of the imaginative, playful, and inspiring ways we create with the kids in our lives. Twenty top parenting bloggers share their clever and thoughtful insights into creative parenting along with their 20 how-to craft projects from an ABC Photo Book to Felted Falling Stars.

We hope you enjoy this project, and we wish you and all the mothers in your lives a very Happy Mother’s Day!

*editor’s note: Kristin’s project really caught my attention when I was working on the book with Jenny, and I loved the idea of transforming mason jars into shining little lights. In fact, I was so inspired that I skipped the crafting-with-kids part altogether and made tissue-paper lanterns to illuminate an outdoor party all on my own. With that in mind, I can confirm that grown-ups big kids like making these crafts, too!

Our two brand new releases in the Beadweaving Master Class series are Japanese Beadwork with Sonoko Nozue and Sabine Lippert’s Beaded Fantasies. We’re posting two more projects from these books so you can get a good taste and feel for them; use the links below to download the PDFs:

Sonoko Wave necklace from Japanese Beadwork with Sonoko Nozue

From Japanese Beadwork with Sonoko Nozue, click here to download a PDF of the Sonoko Wave project

Purple Rope Necklace project from Sabine Lippert's Beaded Fantasies

From Sabine Lippert’s Beaded Fantasies, click here to download a PDF of the Purple Rope Necklace

You also can click through to earlier blog posts to download even more content from these books. Click here to get the Les Fleurs Necklace project from Sabine’s book as a PDF. See this post to download the Crystal Rose Necklace project from Sonoko’s book and to see photos of other projects from the book.

Please join us on Pinterest at Pinterest.com/LarkJewelry and on Facebook at Facebook.com/LarkJewelryBeading.

And, while you’re here on the blog, let me share with you a great array of blog posts that included project PDFs for you to download and preview the books. (Remember, you can always find these and many other free Lark Jewelry & Beading projects, as well as other craft projects, at http://www.larkcrafts.com/bonus/. Bookmark it!)

From Heat, Color, Set & Fire by Mary Hettmansperger:
Etched Copper Neckpiece
Liquid Enamel Necklace

From Diane Fitzgerald’s Favorite Beading Projects:
Fortune Teller Beads Necklace
Midnight Snowflakes Necklace

From Making Wire & Bead Jewelry by Janice Berkebile and Tracy Stanley:
Cascading Spirals Bracelet
Wire Pod Pendant

From Rachel Nelson Smith’s Bead Riffs:
Rondo Neckpiece
Billie’s Bounce Necklace

From Laura McCabe’s Embellished Beadweaving:
Herringbone Cluster Earrings (plus an interview with Laura!)
A Well-Kept Secret Necklace
Star Flower Earrings

From Maggie Meister’s Classical Elegance:
Artemisia Earrings
Laksmi Pendant
Fiore Earrings

From Tapestry Bead Crochet by Ann Benson:
Treasure Box
Golden Paisley Bag

From Sherry Serafini’s Sensational Bead Embroidery:
Arizona Sunset Earrings
Rock Star Cuff

We hope you enjoy all these great projects!

Many of my friends and coworkers are excited about the warm weather settling in early this spring. It means they can get out in the garden and get a jump on planting their future harvests. I hear talk of tomatoes, pro-tips for peppers, and all sorts of other gardening chatter. But the fact remains: Some of us aren’t so lucky.

If you, like me, don’t have a gardening space, do not despair! You can still celebrate gardening season with today’s free project from Making Mini Books. With some empty seed packets and homemade wheat paste (recipe included), you can make a modern or vintage-inspired book for yourself or your favorite gardener.

It’s just one of 34 creative miniature book projects in Making Mini Books. The others are winners too: from matchbooks and pocket-sized leather journals to colorful accordion fold zines and block printed notepads. Many of them, like the project below, also utilize found objects (maps, airmail envelopes, vintage fabric, vinyl records). An invaluable illustrated Stitch Library provides the essential steps for key bindings used throughout the book, including pamphlet stitch, Japanese stab binding, long stitch, kettle stitch, and different forms of Coptic stitch.

So go ahead, download the project below and celebrate spring with a mini book!

Download the Perfect Seeds book PDF.