Lark Crafts

We are so very happy to share with you our new book,

Hand in Hand: Crafting with Kids by Jenny Doh,

a celebration of the joyful art of crafting with kids.

 

Twenty top parenting bloggers share imaginative craft projects to make with kids of all ages: from a cardboard cityscape and papier-mâché masks to felted falling stars and DIY stilts, it’s all about sharing simple moments and making lasting memories.

 

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Chances are you’re a creative person. Maybe you are an inventor in the kitchen, maybe you recently made scarves for everyone in your extended family, maybe you designed and planted raised beds in your garden. Whatever your pursuit may be, you probably derive great happiness from making something.

We’re all creative in such different ways, but I’m willing to bet that we each grew up with the idea of creativity modeled for us somehow, whether it was a family member, a teacher, or a mentor who helped us understand what creativity might mean. Some of us spent our childhood immersed in the idea of being creative, while others of us may not have identified as a maker-of-things until later in life.

However your creative history may have unfolded, it’s likely that you have a creative history.

Hand in Hand: Crafting with Kids aims to spark and feed that joyful creativity for the kids in your life, encouraging you to journey with them as they carve a creative history for themselves.

GIVEAWAY INFO:

To celebrate the release of this wonderful book, we’re hosting a giveaway! One lucky reader will receive a copy of Hand in Hand by Jenny Doh. To enter for a chance to win, please leave a comment on this post by 11:59 pm EST on Friday, May 11. Any comment is fine, though I’d love to hear about the person or people who helped you understand the meaning of creativity—whose words and actions have inspired you to create?

One winner will be selected at random from among all eligible entries and notified by Monday, May 14. Click here for the official rules.

 

Learn a bit more about the designers and bloggers featured in Hand in Hand:

Jackie Boucher :: weelife

Samantha Cotterill :: Mummy Sam

Jenny Doh :: Crescendoh

Maya Donenfeld :: maya*made

Ali Edwards :: AE Blog

Rachel Faucett :: Handmade Charlotte

Pam Garrison :: Pam Garrison

Abby Glassenberg :: While She Naps

Cindy Hopper :: Skip to my Lou

Beki Lambert :: Artsy-Crafty Babe

Merrilee Liddiard :: mer mag

Jhoanna Monte :: One Red Robin

Jessica Okui :: Zakka Life

Ella Pedersen :: Little Red Caboose

Carly Schwerdt :: Nest Studio

Amanda Blake Soule :: soule mama

Nicole Spring :: Frontier Dreams

Jean Van’t Hul :: The Artful Parent

Dana Willard :: MADE

Kristin Zecchinelli :: Maine Momma

 

Want a glimpse into Hand in Hand?

Check out this PDF of the Tissue Paper Lantern project created by Kristin Zecchinelli.

 

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If I were entering this giveaway, it would be difficult to point to just one person who has helped me understand creativity, since I’ve been so very fortunate to grow up with creative parents, grandparents, teachers, friends, and role models. But I will point to one person: I’d like to shine a spotlight on my dad.

 

Every day before school, my dad would draw a picture and my name on my lunch bag: I still remember the one where a man was fishing in a small boat and his fishing line had caught the B in Beth, while the e, t, and h were still swimming underwater. My dad is also an incredible baker, and when I was growing up he’d include me in the delicious, silly, and fun process of making Bubble Bread together. Standing next to him, breathing in the scent of yeast and cinnamon and rolling dough into little spheres was such a treat. His enthusiasm for making something by hand combined with his love of sharing that with me is a very big part of why I, too, love to bake and make things by hand, many years later. Thanks, Dad.

 

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Mother’s Day is just around the corner on May 13. My mom loves flamingos so I’m usually in the throws of making something flamingo-themed – that’s a lot of pink and lime green, my friends! And almost being a new mom myself really has me in the spirit this year.

Author Cynthia Shaffer thought this mom-and daughter-apron set from Stash Happy: Appliqué would be the perfect gift to celebrate, whether you want the set to give to your best friend, your sister, or whether you’re the mom yourself!

To enter for a chance to win the aprons, please leave a comment on this post by 9 p.m. EST on Friday, May 4. Any comment is fine—though we’d love to hear what plans you have for Mother’s Day! One winner will be selected at random from among all eligible entries and notified by Monday, May 7. This contest is now closed – the winner will be contacted shortly! Thanks to everyone who shared their Mother’s Day plans and apron memories!

Click here for the official rules.

Like what you see? Check out some of other posts (and free projects) on Stash Happy Appliqué:

Take a peek inside the book here!

Free appliqued lampshade project available here!

Super cute mason jar cozy project available here!

And of course check out the book!

 

 

 

This month Gwen Diehn’s latest book, The Complete Decorated Journal: A Compendium of Journaling Techniques, is available online and in bookstores. The Complete Decorated Journal  is a 240-page compilation of Gwen’s two most popular books, The Decorated Journal and The Decorated Page. For those of you that already own one of those two books, this is an opportunity to get the other one plus new material, all in one comprehensive volume—priced at the cost of one book ($14.78 on Amazon!). The bonus material includes additional techniques such as working with casein, 13 artist profiles along with galleries of their work, and project instructions for creating a unique journal from a butter box (or a cereal box, a Little Debbie’s box, or any similar type box of your choosing).

 

 

 

 

We’re giving away this one one made by Gwen PLUS a copy of The Complete Decorated Journal (see entry details below*)!

Continue reading...

UPDATE: Congratulations to Traci Staves of Whitefish, Montana, the randomly selected winner of this giveaway. Our thanks to everyone who participated! ~ Ray

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I just sat down to write this blog post, a giveaway of a big set of a dozen bead books to celebrate the release of Sabine Lippert’s Beaded Fantasies, and happened to notice Lark Jewelry & Beading’s two Beadweaving Master Class books released this spring, Sabine’s book and Japanese Beadwork with Sonoko Nozue, are the No. 1 and 2 books at this hour in the Jewelry category on Amazon. (See image below and, hey, look at what’s No. 3!) So, thank you for your support of the books — I hope you love them — and we’ve really got something to celebrate here!

Here’s how I like to celebrate: I’m giving away a complete set of the Beadweaving Master Class books, plus a few other bead books for good measure. Some of the books are signed by their authors, too.

Here’s the list. The Beadweaving Master Class books included are:
Sabine Lippert’s Beaded Fantasies
Japanese Beadwork with Sonoko Nozue
Sherry Serafini’s Sensational Bead Embroidery
Rachel Nelson-Smith’s Bead Riffs (signed by Rachel)
Maggie Meister’s Classical Elegance (signed by Maggie)
Laura McCabe’s Embellished Beadweaving (signed by Laura)
Marcia DeCoster’s Beaded Opulence (signed by Marcia)
Diane Fitzgerald’s Shaped Beadwork (signed by Diane)

PLUS we’re giving away a few more great beading titles:
Making Wire & Bead Jewelry by Janice Berkebile and Tracy Stanley
Diane Fitzgerald’s Favorite Beading Projects (signed by Diane)
Dimensional Bead Embroidery (signed by Jamie Cloud Eakin)
And not exactly the same kind of thing but too much fun to leave out:
Creating Glass Beads (signed by Jeri Warhaftig)

So, two things: First, yes, you might have bought some of the books already. No worries: Enter anyway for fabulous gift-giving opportunities or to donate those books to your local bead society or library.

Second, people tell me sometimes they get frustrated: they enter a giveaway, forget to check who the winner is so the giveaway never really “closes” for them, and then later realize they’d forgotten to buy a book they really wanted. Easy solution: Click through and wishlist the books you’re interested in right now. If you don’t happen to win, you’re giving yourself a reminder. And if you do win, you’re already set!

How can you enter for a chance to win the set of 12 books? Leave a comment on this blog post by 9 p.m. EST on Wednesday, April 25. Any comment works, but if you’d tell us who your very favorite bead artists and designers are, that’ll be an awfully fun and interesting set of comments for everyone to read through.

One winner will be selected at random and announced on the Lark Jewelry & Beading Facebook page on Monday, April 30, so please click through and “Like” the page. Also, you can click here for the official rules.

Thank you for being a part of the Lark Jewelry & Beading community, and please be sure to check out and follow our new and fast-growing Pinterest boards at Pinterest.com/LarkJewelry.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We are so delighted with the publication of our most recent bookbinding title Making Mini Books that we’re offering up a rather spectacular giveaway to celebrate.

Erica Ekrem of Odelae Graphic Design & Book Arts Studio generously provided her actual Butterfly Wings project from the book, and we’re offering it–and a copy of Making Mini Books–here to one very lucky winner. Talk about a miniature work of art! This artfully crafted miniature book measures just 2.25 x 3.5 inches, but it delivers large scale artistry. Stitches along the spine of the book complete a beautiful butterfly design when the book is opened up.

How can you enter for a chance to win a copy of Making Mini Books and this extraordinary project from the book? Just leave a comment to this post by 9:00 pm EST on Thursday, April 26. One winner will be selected at random and announced here on Monday, April 30. Click here for the official rules.

Erica’s handmade books are constructed the old world way using hand tools– an awl, needle & thread, ruler, bone folder and steel blade. Materials, as well as her tools and binding methods, are chosen with careful consideration for the environment. Her vintage journals are born from faded, timeworn materials, many of which are discovered at the bottom of old chests and bookstore salvage boxes–she reclaims what is remaining and revives it. More of Erica’s beautiful work can be found at Odelae.com and in her Etsy shop.

If you haven’t done so yet, read our interview with Dana Schneider, the jewelry designer who made the mockingjay pin that actress Jennifer Lawrence wears in the movie The Hunger Games. Dana has designed jewelry for more than 50 movies, television shows, and music videos.

We don’t have one of Dana’s exquisite pins she made for the movie to give away (only four exist), and we wouldn’t give it away if we did! But to celebrate the key role a piece of jewelry is playing in the most talked about movie of the season, we are giving away a licensed version of the mockingjay pin.

To enter for a chance to win, just leave a comment on this post by 9 p.m. EST on Wednesday, April 11. Any comment is fine, though we’d love to know your thoughts about The Hunger Games or to hear about a favorite piece of jewelry in a movie or television show.

One winner will be selected at random and announced on the Lark Jewelry & Beading Facebook page on Monday, April 16. Click here for the official rules.

Go to Lark Jewelry & Beading Facebook page to see the announcement now!

Short and sweet: In honor of all the pop-up jewelry stores, well, popping up this spring, we’re doing a pop-up giveaway: 48-hours from now we’ll give away a set of 12 author-signed jewelry and beading books. Some of the books are brand new releases, some are older classics: all are wonderful.

They’re a mix of metalwork and beadweaving titles, because all the books hold ample inspiration and beauty for artists and jewelry designers of all types. If you already own some of them, of course the books make wonderful gifts for friends.

How can you enter for a chance to win the dozen books? Leave a comment on this blog post by 9 p.m. EST on Wednesday, April 4. The comment can be anything, but just to be different, why don’t you tell us what your favorite poem is? It’s a time to celebrate, after all: April is National Poetry Month and in spring, to paraphrase, the world is mud-luscious and puddle-wonderful.

One winner will be selected at random and announced on Monday, April 9. Click here for the official rules. Thank you for being a part of the Lark Jewelry & Beading community, and please connect with Lark Jewelry & Beading on Facebook.

maggie (meister) and milly and molly and may …

While you’re waiting to see if you win, give yourself a reminder about getting your favorite books: pop over to your local bookstore or online and wishlist the books, just in case:

• Metal Clay Fusion by Gordon Uyehara
• Diane Fitzgerald’s Favorite Beading Projects
• Diane Fitzgerald’s Shaped Beadwork
• Dimensional Bead Embroidery by Jamie Cloud Eakin
• Rachel Nelson-Smith’s Bead Riffs
• Maggie Meister’s Classical Elegance
• Laura McCabe’s Embellished Beadweaving
• Chains Chains Chains by Joanna Gollberg and Nathalie Mornu
• 30-Minute Rings by Marthe Le Van
• 30-Minute Necklaces by Marthe Le Van
• 30-Minute Earrings by Marthe Le Van
• A Bounty of Bead & Wire Earrings by Nathalie Mornu

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UPDATE: This giveaway is closed. Congratulations to Tessa E. Rickard-Carpenter of Hamtramck, Michigan, the randomly selected winner, and thank you to everyone who participated. I was truly delighted by the poems cited, recited, or created in your comments. Happy Poetry Month, everyone! ~ Ray

 

It’s spring! (Well, in western North Carolina it’s spring. Happy autumn, all you southern hemisphere folks.) Spring is such a joyful season: trees blossom overnight, birds and little critters celebrate the warming days, and the earth erupts with petals, leaves, and a cacophony of color. We’re joyful for spring because it marks the publication of Quilled Flowers by Alli Bartkowski—a celebration of paper quilling and 35 beautiful paper projects!

To celebrate the release of this gorgeous book, we’re hosting a giveaway! One lucky winner will receive:

A copy of Quilled Flowers; a kit of quilling tools and supplies to get you started; and three original quilled zinnia flowers made by Alli in the book! (These little beauties are perfect as gift toppers, as they’re just the right size for prettying up a package, envelope, or sweet little box.)

The quilling starter kit includes tools and materials manufactured by Alli’s quilling supply company, Quilled Creations:

-a slotted tool

-a needle tool

-a package of quilling paper in a rainbow of colors

-a 3-dimensional shaping tool (known as a mini mold)

 

This giveaway is closed–congratulations to Nimisha for being the winner!

To enter for a chance to win, please leave a comment on this post by 11:59 pm EST on Friday, April 6. Any comment is fine, though I’d love to hear about your favorite flower—why do you love it? One winner will be selected at random from among all eligible entries and notified by Friday, April 13.

Click here for the official rules.

 

Want to learn more about Alli and her creative inspiration? Read my interview with Alli Bartkowski here.

 

Curious about quilling? Visit my post explaining the art and exploring quilled work by a collection of artists.