Lark Crafts

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.

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.

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!

If you’re searching for an antidote to April’s showers, then you’ve come to the right place! It’s Flower Friday at Lark, an occasion for celebration as we crack the covers on Jeffery Rudell’s new release, Paper Blooms: 25 Extraordinary Flowers to Make for Weddings, Celebrations & More—a book that’s certain to get you into the swing of spring.

In this delightful collection of projects, Rudell shows you how to make an array of flowers using his genius patterns and easy papercraft techniques. All of the classic blooms are included—poppy, sunflower, black-eyed Susan—along with a few surprises. Rudell has included step-by-step photos on how to assemble each, as well as tips on selecting paper and working with color and scale. From the big picture (creating table-worthy arrangements) down to the fine details (shaping petals and stems), Paper Blooms covers all the bases. Whether you’re making a simple spray or a statement flower, filling a buttonhole or a bud vase, you’ll discover springtime bliss in Paper Blooms.

In honor of Flower Friday, we’re offering a free how-to from the book. A quick way to get your flower fix (without getting your hands dirty), the Marigold project pictured above is a sure cure for spring fever.

Download the free project instructions here: Marigold. 

Into each life some rain must fall — or so say Henry Wadsworth Longfellow and Ella Fitzgerald. Too bad Henry and Ella didn’t have a pair of spiffy knee high socks with storm cloud appliqués from Stash Happy Appliqué to perk them up. But you’ll be right as rain this spring when you grab a pair of  socks, download the Stormy Weather Knee Highs pattern here, and start combating those rainy day blues in no time!

Authored by the oh-so-talented Cynthia Shaffer, Stash Happy Appliqué offers up a bevy of ways to use your stash of fabric, including a mod skirt, café curtains, a tote bag, a lampshade, and so much more.

Don’t let April showers get you down — download your free pattern of Stormy Weather Knee Highs, then snag a copy of Stash Happy Appliqué for more creative ways to use your fabric stash!

It seemed like spring was never going to arrive this year (Snow in March? Totally unfair.), but I think warmer weather has finally settled in for good here in Asheville. And with the higher temperatures, a lot of us are feeling the urge to get stuff done: cleaning our front porches, packing away sweaters and scarves and pulling out sundresses, and planning our springtime craft projects—like these cross-stitch designs from Trice Boerens’s Two-Hour Cross-Stitch: Animals. The great thing about Two-Hour Cross Stitch is that every design can be made in a short amount of time—just right for stitching while you take a spring break road trip, soak up the sun in your yard, or indulge in an extra-long lunch (ahem) to enjoy the warmer temperatures.

Get started on your spring craft projects by entering to win a FREE copy of Two-Hour Cross-Stitch: Animals, plus two finished, framed pieces from the book: a little duck holding an umbrella and a squirrel with an acorn. You just can’t get any more spring than that!

Plus, you can download a PDF pattern of these two designs for free: just click here and get stitching.

For even more cross-stitch fun, pick up a copy of Two-Hour Cross-Stitch: Animals at BN.com or at your local bookstore. You’ll find animal-themed projects to fit every occasion – birthdays, holidays, baby showers, and more!

UPDATE: The contest is over and we have chosen a winner! Thanks to everyone for participating!

To enter to win two framed cross-stitched pieces and a copy of Two-Hour Cross-Stitch: Animals, leave a comment on this post between now and 9 p.m. Wednesday, April 17. Any comment is fine, but we’d love to know what cross-stitch project you’re currently working on. One winner will be selected at random from among all eligible entries and announced by Thursday, April 18. Click here for the official rules, and good luck!

I have done the occasional cross-stitch, and sometimes I even finish them! I have a whole box full of materials just waiting to be used. Well, I think I’ll open that box again, because Two-Hour Cross-Stitch: Animals is full of great ideas. Have you ever seen a cross-stitched alligator? How about a lion jumping through a ring a fire? And my favorite: a unicorn! This book contains all kinds of animals for you cross-stitching pleasure. There are your more tame animals, such as dogs, cats, ducks, and squirrels. And then there is the more wild side of the animal kingdom with seals, monkeys, kangaroos, elephants, and more!

To get you started, download these two free patterns in one PDF: a gentleman frog, and an owl and her owlet.

And to get you even more inspired, we are giving away the two finished pieces from these patterns, along with a copy of the book!

To enter to win two framed cross-stitched pieces and a copy of Two-Hour Cross-Stitch: Animals, leave a comment on this post between now and 9 p.m. Tuesday, April 9. Any comment is fine, but we’d love to know what would be your favorite animal to cross-stitch. One winner will be selected at random from among all eligible entries and announced by Wednesday, April 10. Click here for the official rules, and good luck!

Congrats to Laura, our winner!