Thursday, June 30, 2011

Make Stuff Together! (and a giveaway)

If ever there was a book that not only inspired me creatively, but also gave me hope for the future, this is it. Kathie Sever and Bernadette Noll's Make Stuff Together book explores crafting as a community effort though creating with family and friends. Simple projects with special meaning make this book a unique treasure.


I'd love to be able to claim objectivity here, but who am I kidding? Bern and Kathie are friends of mine from my days in Austin, and I love them dearly. These are the kind of folks who make your life richer and give you hope in humanity, but not in an annoying, pretentious way. They are genuine and funny and smart and loving and down-to-earth, and Make Stuff Together is a perfect manifestation of their personalities. The essays on crafting as a family, the projects that use upcycled materials - all of it is 100% true to these ladies and how they live their lives. To know them is to love them, and to love them is to cherish this book.


Last weekend, they had a raging book release party at the Stitch Lab in Austin. I was so bummed I couldn't be there. These folks and this community are one of the things I miss most about Austin. What is so wonderful about Make Stuff Together, though, is that I can feel that connection to community and the inspiration of making things through the book - no matter where I am.

Check out their Facebook page and the other stops on their Blog Tour for more information and to see why what these two rad moms from Austin are doing is so darn important.


Lucky You! I was gifted one copy of Make Stuff Together to review, and I have one copy to give away to an Average Jane Crafter reader. I just want to know a favorite crafting memory of yours, and if it involved working with someone else. Did you stitch with your grandmother? Make pine derby cars with you dad? How do you think crafting with someone changes the experience of making things for you? Let me know in the comments, and be sure to leave a way I can get in touch with you. Comments will close at 11AM CST on Sunday, July 3.

11 comments :

  1. I was sad to miss the kickoff party and would love a copy of the book! It is going to be a long, hot summer and we need some inspiration around here.

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  2. I cut up the curtains (pink with gold stars!) from my Barbie stage and made message holders to hang from the doorknobs in my house. One for each family member. As I craft now with my kids, I remember how simple a project can be while still being completely satisfying.

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  3. I made stuff with my mom all the time, and loved every minute of it. My 3 year old boy woke up the other day, looked at me and said "Today, I am gonna be an artist" my heart nearly burst. Making things with my boys is my greatest joy. After work, on the weekends, the cobwebs will wait, but painting and playing will not!

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  4. My mom taught me a few times how to knit. I made scarves for every doll I knew. Crafting is a special time to learn something new, as well as learn something new about your child. The conversations you have while crafting are sometimes more important then the craft. colleenwharmby at gmail dot com

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  5. All through my childhood my mother hosted ornament making parties in our dining room. It completely took over the area for at least 2 months of the year. We would have many, many parties each season (for our school friends, blue birds, music friends, etc.). My mom collected beads/sequins/tassels/and anything else she thought would look good pinned to a styrofoam ball. It's a tradition that all my childhood friends very fondly remember. We also, as a family worked on model railroading. My mom and I designed the scenery and my dad, brother and I created the track and the circuitry. Wonderful exposure to science at a young age! Lucky me, I get to now be crafty every day when I work with 3-5 year olds. :-)

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  6. I remember my mom teaching me to cross-stitch. Now she can't do much crafting because of arthritis and I know she misses it. I love making things with my kids-- more than I like making them on my own. :)
    annemariem2 @ gmail . com

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  7. I remember my great auntie teaching me to knit on the couch in her apartment. She was very patient...!

    jenwhi (at) sasktel (dot) net

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  8. Thanks for the fun!

    Sewing with my girls is the best! Watching them come alive with a craft I love....not much better than that! :)

    Wonderful book, we'd be so excited to win!

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  9. I love all these comments and memories! And I love the book. I've got a copy for me, and a copy for my sister, so I'm all set, but I couldn't resisit chiming in and saying "Fantastico!" to all the comments.

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  10. Craftyiscool@sbcglobal.net
    Both of my parents were crafty! My dad built us a ginormous dollhouse from scratch, all the rooms with tiny wallpaper and either carpeting or stained wood floors. I would make tiny decorations for the house, and my twin sister and I would live inside there for hours! My mom is super-crafty too. She loved making things for us and with us, from Christmas ornaments to Halloween costumes. I absolutely love sharing the same fun with my kids now. They have all tried crocheting (still working on it!) and we go through stacks of construction paper weekly :) the book looks great! Thanks Rachel, for the giveaway, from another Austin crafty mama!

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  11. I do beadwork and I sew, and I married a man who crochets! How sexy is that, right? I love our weekend evenings at home when we're both working on our separate projects, and I love it even more when we collaborate on something. He's crocheted edgings for things that I've made, and I've decorated his pieces with beading. Most of all, it is so great to have a partner who appreciates the joy of making things, and who sees the beauty in the uniqueness of what we make.

    Thanks for a fun contest, and a great blog!

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