Lark Crafts

Have you ever opened your cabinet only to be faced with unmarked packages of bulk from the grocery store? Small bags of oats, large bags of brown rice, and assorted dried fruits are all common sights. True, there’s plastic containers. But what fun is that?

One of the many projects in Stencil Me In has just the thing: custom mason jars! With contact paper and spray paint, you can create any design or marking you want. Or, if you want to make the ones with the symbols shown here, you can do that, too. Do the symbols really mean “rice” and “oats?” They do if you want them to!

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Looking for a last minute costume idea? This Medusa wig from Joanne O’ Sullivan’s Halloween will be sure to frighten AND it is very simple to make. A trip to the craft and/or toy store should be all you need to get started (unless you happen to have several fake snakes lying around the house).

 

Enjoy!

Medusa_Wig

 

 

Halloween is creeping upon us. It’s time to start thinking about carving pumpkins, gathering ideas for costumes and decorating the house for the witching hour. These charming Pumpkin and Cat decorations are very easy to make and add a spooky touch to your stairway banister or the backs of chairs. You could also use the templates to string together a haunting halloween garland. If you like this project, check out Bethany Lowe’s Folk Art Halloween for more ghoulish projects.Use the link below to download your free project and get started today.

pumpkin and cat decoration

This Easter try Lynne Caldwell’s simple and charming adaptation of the Japanese dyeing technique known as shibori. This time-honored craft of resist dyeing has gained popularity through the decades, most notably during the vibrant 1960s, and became commonly known as “tie dye”. Shibori is also making a big comeback this spring on the runway as the top designers are resurrecting the craft.

This project is very easy and requires minimal tools and materials. If you like these shibori eggs, you may enjoy other projects in  The Artful  Egg. enjoy!

Free Project:  Shibori Eggs

A brief history of  how shibori became tie dye after the jump…

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A year ago I had the chance to work with artist and author Alisa Golden on Making Handmade Books, her new, indispensible guide to bookmaking, and was excited to dive into the world of making books. Now you can too! Released this January, Making Handmade Books is available at a bookstore near you, and is a beautiful, informative, and user-friendly guide to get you started on your own bookmaking journey.

With over 100 bindings, structures, and book forms to try, there’s something for everyone. Even intermediate and more advanced bookmakers can branch out and try some of the more complex techniques inside. Each chapter is organized according to skill level, with careful step-by-step instructions and easy-to-follow diagrams and photos, so you can work at your own pace. For added inspiration, you’ll also find stories of discovery and inspiration from a host of guest artists.

To celebrate the release of Making Handmade Books, we’ll be giving away one FREE copy of the book for the next three Wednesdays, so be sure to check back in for a chance to win. In the meantime, enjoy this post and freebie project from Travis, the Art Director on the book, which was directly inspired by the X Book project inside Making Handmade Books. Here’s a sneak peek of the layout for this project. Click twice here to see it at full size.

Every year around this time, work starts to settle down for a few minutes–long enough for me to get the hankerin’ to do a little Christmas crafting for my own home and family. This year, I’ve been in the amigurumi ornament mood (hence, the Amigurumi-tree I recently posted on my blog) so I’ve been trolling the interwebs, spying what are my 10 favorite crocheted ornament finds for the season. I thought I’d share what I found with you. Hooky Holidays!

Amigurum-tree Ornament

Angel, Santa & Snowman (from Sugar ‘n Cream)

Christmas Bear (fromCurly Girl Crochet)

Rory the Reindeer (from Roxycraft)

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The holiday season brings family and friends together, good cheer, and in many parts of the country, nippy temperatures. Warm the hands (and hearts) of those on your holiday list this year with these cozy fleece mittens featured in Craft Hope: Handmade Crafts for a Cause. You’ll be amazed at how quickly a pair can be stitched up! In this season of giving, don’t forget about the many worthy charities that provide much needed services all year like the Lakota Oyate Wakanyeja Owicakiyapi (LOWO) Child and Family Services Agency located on the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota. The agency which focuses on children who come from abusive or neglectful situations, is always in need of warm winter apparel. Other charities like your local homeless shelter would also benefit from your stitching efforts.

download FREE project here: fleece_mittens

Halloween is over, you’ve made a ghouly girl and eaten way too much candy. Isn’t it time for something nice and refreshing and good for you too? Like fruit. Or, better: like strawberries! Sadly, my favorite fruit isn’t in season right now, but lucky for all of us, there are everlasting strawberries. Yes, there are strawberry fields forever, and you, my Craft-In friends can make your very own–in felt! Craft-In designer Jeanette Lim shows you how inside her scrumptious little booklet–one of 12 sweet project booklets inside the Craft-In box-set. How will you display your Craft-In felt strawberries? Here are some ideas!

Exhibit A: They look terrific as they are, together:

Exhibit B: You can wear one like a brooch, and hand the rest out to five lucky friends. Sweet strawberry posse!

What else can you think of?

For a chance to win Jeanette’s handcrafted strawberries and a copy of Craft-In, leave a comment on this post by Wednesday, November 10th by midnight. The winner will be chosen at random and contacted by November 17th. Official rules are here.

Any comment will do, but I’d love to hear your thoughts on any of the following: 1) What you’ll do with these strawberries if you win. 2) Your favorite recipe with actual strawberries. 3) Your favorite Beatles song (I know, tough one.) Good luck! See you next week for a super duper Craft-In Wednesday you won’t want to miss!

UPDATE: The winning comment for this giveaway, as determined by the random number generator at random.org, was a_mecom. Congrats!