So sometimes I’m internetting away, randomly clicking on things and I see this lady in an ad and she is super cute and I am like “Hi cute lady!” and then I keep on internetting.
So last night I internetted a bit deeper and NO ONE TOLD ME THE CUTE LADY HAS A BLOG and is not just a CUTE LADY. (Wow could I be more out of the loop?)
Yeah dudes I just discovered Twinkie Chan. How do I go through life without knowing these things?!
Go watch the video of her puppy playing dead to avoid a bath. <3 <3 <3
I am working on building a little craft book library. Maybe one day I will need many shelves. I love reading craft blogs, but sometimes having a book is just more practical.
1. Craft Inc – I picked this up on our last trip to Deep Cove. It’s all about how to turn your crafty hobby into a thing that makes money. Something I am very interested in at the moment. One bummer is that it is written for people in America, so some of it I was like blah blah county license huh, what are you on about? However it still has a lot of practical advice and I think it will come in handy in the next couple years.
2. Sewing Green – I bought this one day instead of the Gentle Art ofDomesticity because I thought it was more useful. It has patterns and really great ideas for people who want to recycle and “upcycle” (ooh aah environmental buzzwords). The door stopper is très, très cute. Also I love the photos and the ideas, of taking something old and turning it into something useful and awesome. Hooray!
3. The Gentle Art of Domesticity – I love this book because it mostly just talks about how awesome it is to make things and be obnoxious with colour. There are a few recipes but aside from that she doesn’t really get into the how’s of making things, more just the why’s. It is also pretty good for people like me who have trouble paying attention to things because you can read it in little chunks – each topic is nicely squished onto one page most of the time. My only complaint is that I am not really into her quilts, but at least it has made me consider the idea of making a quilt.
4. Softies – My love of crafts probably started thanks to Heidi Kenney from mypapercrane.com. The things she makes are super cute, and I always love the little happy faces on everything. Even the sad faces are so precious, like her bruised bananas. I bought this book because I wanted to learn how to make some of the things that she and others make that I find myself coveting. I haven’t gotten around to it yet, surprise surprise, but I am pretty stoked that this book came with patterns all neatly folded up in an envelope at the back (I should probably buy a printer soon eh?).
5. Intertwined – This book I have a love/hate relationship with. Mostly love. On one hand, the yarn made out of old candy wrappers really offends me on a primal level, but on the other hand I think the main point of this book is to let yourself go when you are doing hand spun yarn.
Anyone can go to the store and buy commercial spun yarn and yeah sure it is perfect and even, but it often doesn’t have much soul, either. I love the idea of turning “mistakes” into something beautiful and allowing yourself to get really creative. The zombie hat she made is pretty awesome, I could see doing something more like that rather than the candy wrapper yarn.
6. House Proud – This is another book that I bought more for ideas than for actually making anything in it. Ok yes you used a really awesome blue rope for your macrame but you aren’t fooling anyone, Danielle. You came from the 70′s; let us just get that out right now. And there is nothing wrong with the 70′s, really… but aside from the colours and prints, it is not really my thing. Oh wait, was it only about the colours and prints? I am not so sure now.
Ok fine, maybe I am distracting you all from the fact that I can’t keep plants alive so I really have no use for a macrame plant hanger. Oh, and that shark door stop was sweet, too. Maybe part of me doesn’t like this book because she is British and there are some things that I do not understand. Language barriers, if you will. (Yes we both speak English but the Brits call things different things from what I call them.)
Also a lot of it you need access to a yard (a lot of the projects take a lot of space, or must be left out to dry, etc), really, and I do not have that. Plus she is way more dedicated to flea markets than I am (why do the ones I go to only have junk?!).
Still! Some good ideas in here, I promise.
7. Handmade Nation – I love, love, love this book. It is so inspiring. And I am going to the premiere of the documentary here in Vancouver. Did you get tickets yet? I am pretty excited. However, I wonder why it is only $5 in Winnipeg but $20 here? I got in early enough to get a grab bag, I wonder if that might be it?
8. The Savvy Crafters Guide to Success – This is also another businessy type book. This one feels a bit more dated than Craft Inc, but it still has a lot of good advice. The thing that I don’t get is… There seems to be a lot of crafty folk on the internet, yet apparently there are tons of others who aren’t really online. And maybe that’s because they could be from an older generation, but still, I think the internet is probably the single greatest tool for someone who is trying to make a name making things. It is an endless source of inspiration, ideas and support from people who are doing what I want to be doing.
Anyways, uh, tangent there. Long story short this book has practical advice and didn’t cost me a whole lot. I did not read the whole thing yet (actually I have not read all of these books entirely yet) but the focus seemed to be more on “making do” with what you have, which is something I need to learn to do, because I often find myself putting things off until I have the perfect space, and the perfect ideas, and the perfect supplies. Not going to happen.
I think maybe I don’t like the “business” books because they talk about being responsible, and that is not a thing that I have learned to be yet.
9. The Complete Book of Embroidery – Hi so I got this book at a thrift store for like one dollar and it is freakin’ amazing. I might need to do an entry just on this book. It is full of information and instructions on completely outdated techniques. Love it. There is this one vest for men that is total lols, I will try to get a picture of it sometime. My goodness.
