New craft books on the way

We all know that I am a bit obsessed with craft books. I love them all, I can't get enough! Here are a few books that will be released later this year that I can't wait to get my hands on.

Amy Butler's Style Stitches I have all of her other books and this one is all handbags! I saw a preview of it at Quilt Market and there are some great patterns in there.

Tina Given's Sew Tina - I love Tina's fabrics and designs so I can't wait to see what fun she has in store for us in her new book.

Here are a few others that I found on Amazon that look great too:

Plus I just got Sew Retro and it is super cute, lots of great retro patterns and awesome photos from the 60's and 70's of sewing patterns and some great hairstyles too.

I also just bought The Homemade Home and One Skein Wonders - both full of some great patterns too.

I told you, I can't get enough. I added 3 books to my collection this month, like I needed any more?

Are there any new books you are looking forward to?

Free Books!

When I was at TNNA I picked up a few new books. I need more craft books like a fat kid needs more cake but I simply can't resist them. Especially when they are free - I mean just giving them away! So I got these two gems:

Crochet Adorned:

A Rainbow of Stitches:

I haven't had a chance to really dig in to either book yet but after flipping through them at the show I am very excited about some of the cute projects - lots of great ideas. Plus I met Linda, the author of Crochet Adorned and she is super nice. She even offered up her email address in case I was having any trouble with any of the projects, how sweet is that! I will let you know once I crack open these books and have more info for you.

Back from my travels

I am back from my crazy travels and back to the blog! I haven't had a chance to upload my photos from Quilt Market yet but I will have them up soon. If you are starving for a little Quilt Market goodness, head over to True Up to see some of Kim's fantastic photos and reviews of some of the exciting new collections from market. She has tons of posts on a wide variety of booths so be sure to check out each and every lovely one.

I just found out that the summer Bazaar Bizarre show has a few openings so I might be hopping up to Cleveland for that show on July 3rd if I can get my act together and start sewing (a lot!) over the next few weeks. I will keep you updated on my progress along the way.

I will be back soon with market pictures and other updates. And since I've never done a picture-less post, here are the two new books I picked up at market, signed by the lovely authors themselves!

Win your own copy of Martha's new book!

If your a sewer then you know the name Singer as a very trusted brand of some of the best sewing machines on the market. They have an awesome contest going on, they are giving away a copy of Martha Stewart's new book Martha Stewart’s Encyclopedia of Sewing and Fabric Crafts every day the entire month of April. And you, my lucky reader, can enter to win your very own copy! The rules couldn't be easier just become a fan of Singer Sewing Company on facebook or sign up to follow them on Twitter and you will automatically be entered to win. Visit their website to find out more!

It has arrived!

Of course I had to order Martha's new book, I have the crafting encyclopedia so as a sewer of course I must have the sewing and fabric crafts encyclopedia too! So it arrived yesterday and I dove in as if it were a pile of warm cookies and I was a fat kid at dessert time. Yes, you could say I was a bit excited.

So on to the review. I have a subscription to Martha Stewart Living and I am also subscribed to the Martha Stewart Craft of the Day emails so I have seen LOTS of Martha's projects. As I flipped through the pages I will admit that I recognized many of the projects from previous issues of the magazine or email blasts. There were many projects that were new to me so it was still a lot of fun to take a look through the pages. Although there are some projects that can easily be found on many websites and other projects that I had seen before I still always love looking through Martha's publications. They have wonderful photography, great directions and I am always inspired after looking through the projects.

Overall I am really happy with the book and I can't wait to get started on a few projects!

What have I got myself into?

I started this weekend in my sewing room with the plan to organize one of my closets. It was a bit of a disaster so it needed some help.

The previous home owner had wallpaper EVERYWHERE, including the closet and the ceiling in the closet. So there was a little piece sticking up and I pulled on it - big mistake. So a few hours later I was sitting in a pile of stripped wallpaper and new DIY project on my hands.

So, remember my studio that was coming together and getting clean? Well, this is what it looks like today:It's a crazy mess! But I am actually excited about the hopeful outcome that I will have. I am planning on painting it a nice clean white and doing some stenciling on the walls. Then I will organize it perfectly and it will be an amazing closet that I will be so happy with rather than the dark messy closet it was before.

I have these printing books so I plan to use the tips I find inside to make this closet beautiful.

Have you ever tried stenciling your walls? Any advice?

Organizing my craft room - Before & After - My Book Shelf

My next makeover target was my book shelf. I love craft and sewing books, really any type of book that has to do with these subjects is welcome in my book shelves at any time. Before my bookshelf was just that a shelf with all of my books tossed in.

Now it is a beautifully organized library of craft!

I spent the time to organize my books into different categories so I can easily find the book I want when I want it.

The top shelf includes all of my general sewing books:

My book shelf also has my little collection of vintage toy sewing machines!

The next shelf includes all of my bag making books, needle art books (knitting, crochet and embroidery) and all of my general craft books.

The next shelf has all of the jewelry/button crafts, paper crafting and business books.

The next shelf has a small storage unit and a collection of my journals that are just too pretty to use and write in so I just keep them to look at.

The final shelf has all of my sewing patterns (divided in two boxes, one for purses and one for everything else) and the rest of my miscellaneous books - fashion, decorating and a few others.

I have tried to keep a little extra room on the shelf because I am sure there will be more books to add to my shelf soon. Like Martha's new Encyclopedia of Sewing and Fabric Crafts that is coming out next month!

To see all of these images and the rest of my before & after studio photos you can visit my Flickr page.

Monsterous shopping!

I received many wonderful gifts for Christmas this year but there were 5 times when I opened small brown, familiar boxes that got me quite excited.

These little guys all represent a gift card to Anthropologie, one of my most favorite places. I happened to wander into the wonderful store over the weekend and found a few goodies that had to come home with me right away.

This awesome carafe was on sale, I got the largest size.

This book is fantastic, I am addicted to craft and design books so I had to pick this one up.

I also got a sweater. I decided to save some of my gift cards to do a little shopping before spring quilt market so I can have some new fun items for the trip to Minneapolis this year.

Who's the boss?

I went to the library today and got a big stack of books to give me some inspiration for the week and something to do while it continues to snow outside. Mostly just design and craft books but I also picked up a great business book called The Boss of You: Everything a Woman needs to know to start, run, and maintain her own business by Lauren Bacon and Emira Mears. I've been reading (and writing) for a few hours now, I am only on page 38 and I am already feeling more inspired than I have in a long while. I have read a few other books about small business marketed to crafters and women but for some reason this one is really clicking for me. You know how these books always tell you to make lists and think about what you want your business to be, well, I actually did that. I am writing lists and giving a lot of thought to my business and how I want it to be perceived by others and what I want it to be. So far I am really enjoying the book and hopefully this creative and inspirational mood will stick for a while so I can get through the book and get my business going this year!

As I was writing this post I googled the name of the book and found out they have a blog too! Now I know that I won't be able to get anything done at work tomorrow.

Book Review - Simple Sewing by Lotta Jansdotter

My first book review is on Simple Sewing by Lotta Jansdotter. I bought this book right after it came out. I love Lotta's design, they are often very simple but her colors and patterns are always fun. This book has 24 projects broken down into 4 chapters: Cook, Go, Nest and Organize.

Of course I am drawn to the "Go" chapter that has a few tote projects. My favorite is the all-day tote. It is a pretty simple bag with great pockets and easy to make.

Some of my other favorite projects include the picnic placemat and the magazine holder. I have seen placemats and organizers before but her designs are a little unique and when she makes the items in her own fabric it makes me want it even more.

I love Lotta's style, from the small pencil drawings throughout the book to the font she uses for her title. I enjoyed looking through the book almost as much as I enjoyed making the projects. The book includes step-by-step instruction for each project, pattern templates, a fun list of resources and some general sewing tips, and it is spiral bound so it lays flat when you have it open to make a project, a big plus in my book.

Overall I enjoyed this book and it has some great ideas. I would say 3.5 out of 4 stars.

*photographs by Meiko Arquillos*

Obsession Confession: Craft Books

Here we go with confession number two. I am addicted to craft books. I love books in general but I have about 65 books that are just crafting books. They cover various topics from sewing to crochet, from purse projects to print making and of course a few general craft books. There are tons of books out there on knitting and crochet or scrapbooking and paper crafts but I find it can be hard to find new sewing craft books (maybe that's just because I already have them all).

I love looking through the books to get inspiration or try a pattern. I love using the basic idea of a project and then transforming it into something of my own creation. You can often find me in a book store or library (I can't get enough of the smell of a book store, you know what I'm talking about and you probably love it too, don't try to deny it). I love heading out to Barnes and Noble, picking up a stack of craft books and finding a chair or a corner to look through them all. Half the time I don't buy anything but I have an ongoing wish list on amazon of some of my favorites that I have seen.

My favorites, of course, are sewing crafts and purse pattern books, but I also enjoy the books written about the craft culture and individual crafters. A little peak inside their worlds always interests me, especially if there are pictures of their studios! I love hearing their stories about how they got started, what niche they found to work with and how they balance their artistic, work lives with their families and sometimes their "day job." Hearing these stories is always an inspiration and makes me think that it all could really work out someday.

Since I have this addiction and as long as there are new craft books coming out I don't think I will stop buying them anytime soon, I figured I can use it as a benefit. I am going to start doing reviews of all the books I have, I will try to do at least one or two a month. If you have any specifics you have seen out there and you want to know about them please let me know and I will check my personal library to see if I can give you my thoughts on it.

Projects and Presents

I have been busy getting ready for Bazaar Bizarre. Trying to get myself organized and get a list together of what projects I need to make and which items I want at the show (easier said than done since this is my first craft show). With Thanksgiving coming up as well as my vacation to Charlotte, to visit my sister and her family, I don't have much time to work so I will have to use every spare moment I have. Which also means I should probably take a break from the Twilight series. I am almost done with the third book and I can't put them down. Everyone told me I would get sucked in and I definitely have. I think I will finish the third book this weekend and then only allow myself to read at night, after my sewing is finished. We will see how well that works out. I have a list of what I want done but I am also thinking about putting together a few little gift sets with two or three items together. Since people will be shopping for the holidays I figure this is a great way to sell more items.

On to the presents portion of the post! When I arrived home from Quilt Market last week (read my recap and see the pictures here and here) I was surprised by a wonderful gift from my amazing husband. He got me a beautiful Rowenta iron and a great new ironing board. It is so wonderful to work with. Now, there is a little story that goes along with these presents. I had a basic iron before I left for market but about a week before I left I ended up needing a new ironing board because in my rush to finish up a project I may have accidentally fused some interfacing to my ironing board instead of the fabric it was supposed to attach to. Not paying attention, the interfacing was upside down so then there was glue all over my ironing board and I had no time to go get a new cover. But, in the end it worked out very well for me. New ironing board and new iron! Husbands are great!
I have lots of work to do in the next few weeks and not too much time to get it all done but hopefully it will all come together in the end and I will have a great show. I hope to see lots of you there!

It's Here!

It just arrived yesterday! All four books in the series in a nice little box from Amazon.

I got the twilight saga in the mail yesterday and I can't wait to start the first book. I have heard so much good feedback about these books. I must admit I am a bit skeptical because this is not really the type of book I usually read but I am going to give it a try. I figured it would give me something to do while traveling to market this weekend and in the hotel at night. From what I have heard I won't be able to put it down so it should make for a short flight. Don't tell me what happens!