Mini Piñatas DIY, Oh Happy Day.

DIY Striped Camera Strap at Dismount Creative. I like.

DIY Modern Typography Art @Craftzine.com blog.

Paint Pail Mittens – the purl bee. Love the neon with beige.

make grow gather – dip-dyed filter garlands. Simple and so pretty!

Sequin Photobooth DIY at Oh Happy Day. Love!

A Femme’s Guide to Improvement: Solid Perfume | The Hairpin. Love the talk about American Girl lockets.

I got a copy of The Colette Sewing Handbook by Sarai Mitnick and I think I swooned a little. I’ve been a fan of Colette Patterns and her tutorials for a long time. The book contains five principles (a thoughtful plan, a precise pattern, a fantastic fit, a beautiful fabric, and a fine finish) and five patterns (a scalloped-hem skirt, flutter-sleeve blouse, sweetheart neck sheath dress, asymmetrical flounce dress, and a lined dress with gathered sleeves). Each section of the book takes you through creating each garment, teaching you techniques as you work.

The book has my favorite spiral binding so it will stay open while you work, as well as a set of patterns in the back.

The book takes you through the basics, showing tools and techniques very clearly explaining the benefits and uses for each kind.

Each section of the book uses one of the patterns in the back and acts as a complete lesson in sewing a garment from start to finish. This is how I learn, I need a real project to work all the way through, so I adored how this book was arranged. You build your knowledge with each project.

She gives very basic and practical tips so you don’t have to struggle. Every step is clearly displayed and explained.

And of course all the items in the book are things you definitely want to wear. Easy enough to take on, with just enough clean detail to be super cool. Just look at this top, gorgeous. If you want to learn to sew your own clothes and need a set of lessons to start you off this book is perfect.

Welcome to oliver + s > tutorials: flat-felled seams.

diy project: leather envelope phone case | Design*Sponge.

make grow gather – why, hello etsy!. A review of the event in SF that I wish I could have been at!

Freshly Picked: How to Sew a Basting Stitch, How to Machine Baste. When I sew I over-use basting stitches, it’s my secret super power.

adventures in home-making: The world’s best sewing tutorials in no particular order..

All About the Packaging: Candy Button Punch Box Tutorial | Celebrate the Big & Small. Really great and colorful idea for a party game.

I’m so happy to let you know that my friend Kelly Wilkinson, Make Grow Gather has a new book out! Congratulations! It’s called Weekend Handmade it’s it’s full of useful and fun projects. Congratulations Kelly! And with her book tour stop here today she is sharing some thoughts on Saturday afternoons, enjoy:

Hi everyone! I’m so thrilled to be here at with Not Martha as part of the
blog tour for Weekend Handmade. Over the course of the tour, I¹m breaking my
ideal weekend into its different parts, and posting about each part on a
favorite blog of mine. I’ve been lucky enough to spend a leisurely weekend
afternoon with Megan so it only feels natural to be here for the tour ­
thanks Megan!

Saturday Afternoons

An ideal Saturday afternoon for me is equal parts action and leisure. And
nothing embodies that more than being in the garden. There are plenty of
weekends that require errands or full days of work, but if I can being
completely indulgent and moving at my own pace, you¹ll find me in our little
vegetable patch in the fresh air, with dirt under my fingernails, planting
or weeding or harvesting.

I created a whole chapter of projects inspired by the outdoors, including
decorated planters and a tea towel apron that¹s equally at home in the
backyard as the kitchen. If I feel particularly ambitious, I¹ll even set up
some sunprint cloth to ³print² while I¹m out back. But inevitably, I get
thirsty. Megan and I both love a good shandy ­ and I happen to think they
taste best sipped out of a big Mason jar. This requires some planning ahead
for me, because I live in a San Francisco apartment. Our garden access is
out the kitchen door, down two flights of stairs, and through a little
alley. My husband and I like to mix half ginger ale (or lemonade), half
beer, and a lot of freshly-squeezed lime while we¹re up in the kitchen, and
bring it downstairs. But if you ­ like me ­ don¹t regularly keep lemonade or
ginger ale, here¹s a quick little trick so you¹re never without shandy
fixings:

Quick Shandy:
Squeeze 1-2 lemons or limes into a Mason jar
Add a couple tablespoons of sugar, fill halfway with water, screw the lid
closed and shake to dissolve the sugar. Open back up, fill the rest of the
way with beer and you have yourself a homemade shady!

Photo credit: Photos by Thayer Allyson Gowdy.

Painted vessels – The Crafts Dept. How to make dipped or swirled painted vessels, and how to set the paint. So simple!

Tiny Animal Origami at Design For Mankind and Giant Origami at Design Mom.

How to Print DIY Patterned Fabric » Man Made DIY | Crafts for Men.

Crepe Paper Source at Oh Happy Day, including where she buys crepe in San Francisco and Paris.

Ballet Flats Tutorial @Craftzine.com.

MegAllanColeCrafts’s Channel – YouTube. I love Meg Allan Cole and her entire channel is great. Right now I especially love this video for Neon Colorblock Heels.

Modern Parents Messy Kids: Book Week: Preparing for Preschool with a Personalized Photo Book. This is so sweet! A book of what the new school room will look like to make it familiar place for your child.

A new Kraftwerk-inspired LED tie kit? – Evil Mad Scientist Laboratories. “Now, if you’re anything like us, the most important question going through your head at this point is something along the lines of ‘why am I not wearing a tie like that right now?’” Exactly.

Butterfly Shrimp and Other Fun With Laser-Cut Nori – Seattle Restaurants and Dining – Voracious.

Magic Braided Leather Tutorial » ISLY | I Still Love You. So that’s how it’s done.

DIY Sun Printing on Fabric. I used to make tiny sun prints when I was a kid, this larger scale is quite pretty.

Hanging succulent garden | Skinny laMinx. With a tutorial for basic macrame. Via Prudent Baby.

say YES! to hoboken: DIY: Mason Jar Sewing Kit. So cute.

money gift box – The Crafts Dept. A little box made from a dollar bill, lovely!

make grow gather – Posts – summercraft: coozie makeover. Turning something that is usually ugly into something lovely.

past & present: pajaki chandeliers + get your own | Design*Sponge.

How to make your own scratch-offs | How About Orange.

True Up | All Fabric, All the Time » Kei Honeycomb Dots. Such simple and colorful fabric. I want some!

poppytalk: How to Make Your Own Leather Passport Holder. This looks like a nice introduction to leather work as well.

Random Recast: Corks Day 2 – DIY Life. Very simple, using corks as a place to stick all those sharp needles and razor bits in your craft room.

crepe paper flowers | Hip Hip Hooray!. A how-to for a full garland, lovely!

Magnetic Googly Eyes: For the Benefit of All Mankind – Evil Mad Scientist Laboratories. Simple project that could add some levity to your space.

diy project: solid perfume pocket watch locket | Design*Sponge.

Hi there! Today is a stop on the blog book tour for 1, 2, 3 Sew: Build Your Skills with 33 Simple Projects—Bags, Accessories, Home Accents, and More written by Ellen of The Long Thread. The book is filled with happy and useful projects and has a whole section for organizers. If you head on over the the book’s page you can find a preview of some pages, and you can also see the book trailer on YouTube. It’s stop motion and I’m sort of in love with it.

There is also a free tutorial for the Market Tote which is completely adorable. I must make one.

Next up on the blog book tour is Modern Kiddo, and you can see the whole schedule right over here.

flower drinking straws – The Crafts Dept. Simple and lovely.

How-To: Hedge Maze Area Rug @Craftzine.com blog. I have a special litle spot in my heart for hedge mazes.

make grow gather – summercraft: picnic weights. These super easy polka dot rocks are so cute it hurts.

Rocket Candy Crackers – The Crafts Dept. I am Wish I’d Thought Of That level in love with this.

swissmiss | Woven Gift Toppers. Very cool.

Making the Sassy Pillowcase Dress: 20 Years Later | xoJane. Awesome. My mom actually sent me my old Sassy’s last year, I really need to spend an afternoon slightly drunk with friends going through them all.

Make Your Own Stationery: Pop-Up Cards | The Hairpin. More pop-up cards!

o l g a j a z z y :Cable Braided Necklace. A clever and simpler than it looks pattern to use up that little bit of good yarn you have floating around. Via Craftzine.

julies blog: Flower Hair Clip Tutorial. A nice and quick project to create some pretty folded-felt flower clips.

Sophie-World: Rubik’s Cube photo collage. This is really clever, let guests fill in their own photos with colored backgrounds to create a huge Rubik’s cube for the table.

Grosgrain: Free Pattern Month Day 1 – The Sew Convert: The Sunny Resort Blouse Pattern. I like this blouse a lot! Via Craftzine.

How-To: Portal Sentry Turret Egg Cup @Craftzine.com blog. Oh, cool.

Crepe Paper Garland for Cinco de Mayo | Family Style. Via Jordan Ferney on Twitter.

Jordan Ferney | Oh Happy Day!: DIY Pop Up Cards. Simple and fantastic.

How To: Make Tree Branch Magnets » Man Made DIY. These are great.

How to dye buttons | Rit Dye. This is a very good bit of knowledge to have if you sew or knit. Via Craftzine.

DIY Faux Enamel Necklace · Dismount Creative. Love this, so very simple. Via the awesome Design Crush.

What’s going on here? My site started ten years ago this month and to celebrate I’m giving away something each weekday. Because I like you.

Today I’m tickled to have a copy of Alicia Paulson’s second book Embroidery Companion: Classic Designs for Modern Living to give to one lucky winner. Alicia is one of those people I’ve known online for almost as long as I’ve had an internet connection, and whom I’m happy to say is just as awesome and warm in person, and I adore the love and care she puts into all her work. Her take on embroidery shows a fondness for the past but has a modern and cheerful way about it. She also has a delightful blog, Posie Gets Cozy where she talks about food, dogs, gardening and the joys of hammocks. And she produces patterns for sewing, crochet and embroidery as well as offering the occasional carefully compiled craft kits which sell out crazy fast, her latest was the Daisychain ABC Sampler, and I love her felt Christmas ornaments. You can find everything at her online shop Rosy Little Things.

If you’d like to win the copy of Embroidery Companion please leave a comment with this post and, if you’d like, answer this question: What is the first craft you remember doing? Though my mother has evidence of earlier creations the first thing I remember was using cut fruit as stamps to decorate t-shirts on a rainy afternoon during a vacation. Your turn, you’ve got until Friday, May 27th at 10 a.m. PST to enter, the fine print applies. Good luck! Closed, thank you so much for entering!

What’s going on here? My site started ten years ago this month and to celebrate I’m giving away something each weekday. Because I like you.

Today I’m thrilled to say that Juniper Moon Farm has offered a Yarn CSA for one lucky reader, the 2012 Spring Shearing worth $175 (that’s some serious yarn). The Yarn CSA works like a farm CSA but instead you get a yield of the scrumptious yarn that is produced from the sheep and goats they lovingly raise. Juniper Moon Farm is amazing run by a small group of people who are dedicated to what they do and are fantastic about sharing what is going on with share holders, visitors, and readers of their blog. The farm was started by Susan, whom I’ve followed since she started (back then it was the Martha’s Vineyard Fiber Farm, which you might remember if you’ve been reading my site long enough) and I’m astounded and so pleased to watch how it’s grown. If you’re not already I encourage you to read the blog, follow along as lambs are born in the spring on the LambCams, see what the farm dogs are up to, you can attend shearing day and even stay at the farm for a week or long weekend. It’s really amazing to watch the farm work all year and then find yarn at your door that reflects all of the care and attention that they put into it. I just want to hug the whole farm. The blog isn’t just about the farm, I’ve loved all the Probably Something You Would Like links posts, her recent pictures from Preakness, her famous world’s greatest granola recipe and how she went paper towel free on the whole farm (it involves making a lot of your own cloth napkins, enough so you always have plenty of clean ones).

Would you like to win this amazing Yarn CSA? If so please leave a comment with this entry and let me know the following: Have you ever spent time on a farm? I spent a few summers on my uncle’s farm in Oklahoma, he had cattle, two greyhounds, a small lake with a rope swing, a tiny farmhouse and bales of hay that seemed to be piled taller than the house itself. I loved it there. Ok, you’ve got until Tuesday, May 24th at 10 a.m. PST to enter, the fine print applies, good luck! Closed, thanks so much for entering!

Today is a bit of synchronicity, my month of giveaways coincided with the blog book tour for World of Geekcraft, Step-by-Step Instructions for 25 Super-Cool Craft Projects. The author is Susan Beal, a super cool lady who writes for Craft, Stitch, ReadyMade, CraftStylish, Geekcrafts.com, has her own site at West Coast Crafty and whose many books have appeared on my site before (most recently see Modern Log Cabin Quilting). But more importantly she is one of those people whom I’ve known online (and in person) forever, very close to a decade. To learn more about the World of Geekcraft book check out the blog and you can find PDF instructions and templates for the Pow! Zap! Magnets right here. The book tour is headed over to House on Hill Road and Public School tomorrow, go and visit.

If you’d like to win a copy of World of Geekcraft please leave a comment with this post. You’ve got until Friday, May 13th at 10 a.m. PST to enter, the fine print applies. If you’d like something to mention answer this question: What was your favorite geeky tv show or movie when you were a kid? Me? I’m gonna have to go with Buck Rogers. Alright, good luck! Closed! Thanks for entering!

Today I have a wee finger puppet made by the amazing Moxie for one lucky person. Moxie is a fiber artist and needle felting wool by hand is her usual (but not only) medium. She creates breathtakingly amazing sculptures, both large and small, some are lifelike and some hilarious while at the same time a bit heartbreaking. You can see some of her most recent work on her site: icons & totems & pieces of the past, a recent show in NYC, and her sets Hungry and Hungry 2 are hilarious. If you’re interested in learning to needle felt keep an eye on her schedule, she teaches classes.

If you’d like win this sweet bit of the genius please leave a comment with this post. If you don’t mind I’d love to know: Have you ever tried needle felting? I have, but I’m afraid it’ll take a lot more practice for it to become something that could be called presentable. You’ve got until 10 a.m. PST Friday, May 6th to enter, the fine print applies, good luck! Closed, thanks for entering!