Spring has sprung, friends! Whether you’re planning to learn a new craft this new season or looking to use all the craft supplies you hoarded over the long winter (guilty!!!), celebrate with this bounty of free projects…and a spring sale! Right now (until April 26), all of these featured books are on sale at 50% off their list price at BN.com.

Pretty Stamped Stone from Making an Impression

Blooming Flowers Bracelet from Shrink! Shrank! Shrunk!

Crocheted Leaves & Berries (a bonus project from Crochet Garden)

Easy Paper Marigolds from Paper Blooms

Mushroom Terrarium from Stash Happy: Felt

Lavender Sachets from Heart-Felt Holidays

Here’s a link for more info…and the full list of books in the sale!

 

 

We’re celebrating Spring with a big 50% Off Sale of hundreds of our books on BN.com!

Just in time for Mother’s Day (and with summer break on the horizon), you’ll find this Spring Sale abuzz with how-to guides, gorgeous gallery inspiration, and insights into the technical and inventive processes of wide-ranging creative categories. From jewelry to clay, crochet to paper art, pies to moonshine, and more, Lark celebrates creativity in its myriad forms, and our 50% Off Spring Sale on BN.com celebrates creative readers and makers everywhere!

Are you ready to try a new creative outlet?

Are you seeking the perfect gift for a special mom in your life?

Are you that special mom whose bookshelf needs a little love?

Making plans for a summer break filled with creative activities?

Planning ahead for the upcoming school year?

 

Now through Friday, April 26, say hello to spring with a bevy of books—visit the entire list of sale titles here:

Spring Sale of Lark Books on BN.com

*And remember, as with all BN.com orders of $25 or greater, readers get free shipping!

 

Spring into Journaling!

Lookin’ Good this Mother’s Day with Handmade Wearables

Spring Bling! Gorgeous Jewelry Books in Lark’s Spring Book Sale

Celebrate Spring with these Free Flower Crafts

 

 

 

 

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 always loved St. Patty’s Day. I was born the day before, so every year I celebrate extra hard. Everyone around me knows to beware, if you aren’t wearing green you’ll get pinched! And no, a little pin on your shirt or wearing green socks doesn’t count. It has to be highly visible!

And it’s not just humans I go after, no sirree. I go after everything, and that includes the office dogs! Well, I wouldn’t really pinch a doggie. But, it is a great excuse to dress them up in green accessories and outfits, right?! Right!

So, to help you protect your doggie companions from evil little pinchers like me, I’ve put together some great Etsy finds for St. Patty’s Day doggie wear. They include tutus, hats, and outfits galore! And I know most dogs don’t like to wear stuff, but just tell them it’s for their own good. They’ll sulk, we know, but they’ll look so cute!

Now, I bet you’re wondering: Well, where are the wearable goodies for cats? All I have to say is this: Have you ever tried to dress up a cat? Yeah, no.

Continue reading for credits and links to where you get these wonderful outfits and accessories for your doggie pals.

Happy St. Patty’s Day!

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You know you’ve got a good thing going on when you’re asked to write a blog post about your favorite Lark books, and it takes you all of 10 seconds to come up with the list.

Here are my top five “staff picks” and why I love them dearly, as in, I can’t imagine my life without these books. Please excuse the personal element of all my stories, but isn’t that why anyone falls in love with a book? Because of some special little connection, quote, or start of something new…

 

1000 Rings

 

This book introduced me to Lark. I wanted to design my own wedding ring and needed inspiration—1000 Rings offered more than I could have imagined. It sparked my creativity for a design and began my path to a job in the publishing world. I discovered that Lark was in Asheville, North Carolina, by reading the copyright page (dorky, I know). In fine print, it says that if the reader has any questions to contact Lark, and the address follows. In fact, yes, I do have a question: Will you please hire me?! I stalked several editors until they let me in the door, finally landed a scary group interview, and soon moved south with my fiancé in tow. It’s five years later and those editors are my beloved colleagues and friends—all because of a ring (or 1000 of them, I guess).

 

 

A is for Apron 

 

I love this book because it gave my co-workers and me a reason to get together and sew during lunch breaks one winter. We all decided on an apron to make, lugged our sewing machines to the office, and set up shop on the top floor of our building. During those lunches, we yapped about life, discussed office politics, and somehow ended up with several adorable creations. It was the perfect (and totally unexpected) example of that happy little place where team building meets therapy!

 

 

 

 

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It’s right around the corner, that day where we celebrate our loved ones and our crushes. The usual gifts of roses and chocolates are all good and nice. But, you want to stand out. You want to let your special someone know that you really, really, really like them. You LIKE LIKE them. So get them something special, something unique, something COOL.

Well, we’ve got some suggestions. We’ve scoured Etsy for some of the neatest and awesomest Valentine’s Day gifts out there. Who wouldn’t want a cute little heart-holding fox? And the Love You Periodic Table Pillow would be great for the nerdy love in your life. Personally, I would be over the moon if my cutie patootie got me any of these fantastic finds (though I’m partial to owls and dinosaurs, hint hint).

Enjoy these Etsy finds, and we hope we’ve inspired you to find that perfect and fantastic gift for your sweetie pie, honey bun, love muffin, cuddle bear, snuggie woogems…

From left to right:

Amigurumi Love Birds with Nest by chubbyninjacrafts

Scrabble Letter LOVE Pillows by RyensMarketplace

Cloudy Rain of Hearts Embroidery Hoop Wall Art by buligaia

Geeky Cross Stitch Card ‘My Heart Beeps For You’ Robot by symmetwee

Love Heart Fingerless Gloves by HodgepodgeArty

The Little Love Bunny by AdoraWools

Needle Felted Fox Holding Heart “Sweetie” by TimeTravelersWares

Felted Sheep Love Ewe by BondurantMountainArt

Felt Valentine Piggy by Owiekiddie

Foxes in Love Woodland Animal Embroidery by FluffedAnimals

Valentine’s Day Scarf by greenaccordion

Love You Red Periodic Table Cotton Pillow by YellowBugBoutique

Red and White “I Love You” Crocheted Mug Cozy by TrendyEarth

Knitted Stuffed Owl Soot Hoot by WoodsyWools

Be Mine Valentine Cross Stitch Wall Decor by BritterflyGarden

Valentine Sweetheart Cowl by MarciLynnDesigns

Cross Stitch Quote from The Princess Bride by notsomodernmillie

Cross Stitch “Rawwwr means ‘I love you’ in dinosaur” by RagingStitch

The older I get, the less I like cold weather. That’s why each year, I tune in to see if Punxsutawney Phil is going to do me right, avoid seeing his shadow, and send us all an early spring. (To find out everything you wanted to know about Phil but were afraid to ask, check out the official Groundhog Day site here).

If, like me, you’re just trying to power through February to get to that first hint of warmth in March, I’ve got the perfect project to work on while you hunker down: this too-cute Seeing Shadows Phone Case by Mollie Johanson from Heart-Felt Holidays. Download the pattern, and pass the time stitching up a unique accessory for your phone or handheld device. Then before you know it, spring will be here!

Download the pattern here: Seeing Shadows Phone Case

To purchase a copy of Heart-Felt Holidays, where you can find crafts for every season of the year, go to BN.com.