Introducing "Show Me a Story" by Emily K Neuburger

One of my favorite things about the time I spent at CRAFT was finding and following so many immensely creative folks through their blogs. I love stumbling on new blogs, keeping up with them, and watching them grow over the years, and it's even more exciting to see them make the jump from blog publishing to book publishing. 

Emily with her daughters, Hazel and Leah, telling stories using the Traveling Puppet Theater project from Show Me a Story

One such case is Emily K. Neuburger of Red Bird Crafts, whom I first connected with a couple of years ago after posting about some of her projects on CRAFT. I've followed her work and stayed in touch ever since, and was thrilled to se her new book, Show me a Story, that has "40 craft projects and activities to spark children's storytelling."

The Story Disks project is simple and cute, and will end up providing hours of creative play for kids. 

As a mom, I have to admit that when I've tried to craft with my kids, they don't always jump right on board. They seem to need some kind of additional hook to get going. What I love about Show Me a Story is that the projects have purpose. It's not just about making something cute, it's about making something that you then turn around and use to share creative stories and adventures with others. That bumps the awesome factor right up through the roof for me.

The Storytelling Jar is an adorable project that would look cute on a desk or shelf, and can then be pulled down to use for story telling whenever the mood strikes. 

The projects are mostly pretty simple, and use basic materials that can often be found around your house (even in the recycling bin!) so it's a great book for families to have on hand for rainy days, family activity nights or summer boredom busting. It's also a book that would be a great gift for teachers, because many of the activities would be perfect for the classroom.

Emily's thoughtful and thorough explanations of the mechanics of stories, and her rich prompts help readers jump right in to the story-telling process.

Emily doesn't just provide craft project tutorials in the book, but she also includes incredibly helpful guides for getting kids in the right mindset to fall deep down the story telling rabbit hole. She's prepared rich lists of prompts and explanations that help parents or teachers put the activities in to context for the children. Show me a Story is filled with the kind of projects and inspiration that help create special moments between adults and children, and it's really refreshing to see this kind of take on a craft project book. I like when there is purpose to a project beyond just making it.

If all this resonates with you, you're in luck! I have one copy of Show me a Story to offer for giveaway to an Average Jane Crafter reader. Just leave a comment on this post, telling me how you would use this book with the kiddos in your life, and I'll draw a winner at random on Monday. You have until 9PM CST on Sunday, September 29 to leave your comment. Sorry, contest is open to U.S. residents only.

Hey, wait a minute ... I recognize that name under the quote up there ...

Winner!

Ah! A bit late on the announcement, but congrats to Holly Taylor, winner of a copy of Sewing With Oilcloth! Here's to many more great oil cloth projects in your future!

Sewing With Oilcloth Book Tour - and a Giveaway

 

The bright colors and bold designs of oilcloth and laminated fabrics have always intrigued me. I'm drawn to them, but I'm also a bit ... well ... scared of them. I've never sewn with oilcloth before, and I'm not really sure where to start. I know that - without the right tools and tips - it can be frustrating to work with, but I also know that projects made with oilcloth and laminated fabrics are beautiful and durable. Thankfully, one of my favorite oilcloth gurus has written a book that's a great guide to working with these fun and super functional fabrics.

I've followed Kelly McCants on Modern June and Oilcloth Addict for ages. Her new book, Sewing With Oilcloth, has loads of great projects and wonderful tips and instruction for working with oilcloth and laminated fabrics. Let's take a look, shall we?

Kelly starts Sewing With Oilcloth with great resources to help you succeed with your oil cloth sewing projects. Part of my fear of working with these fabrics was how to make my machine advance them easily and not jam up. Kelly shares several options for helping them feed easily and for what tools work best on oilcloth. She also shows you how to make and attach oilcloth bias trim, which is crazy kinds of cute.

The projects in Kelly's book range from simple to complex and are beautifully practical (something I really love). These nesting bins would be great in the garden shed or kids' bedroom.

  

These seat cushions remind me of an awesome outdoor lounger my grandparents had in their backyard. How happy would you feel seeing these bold prints on your porch every day?

And here's the project I'm dying to try first from the book: a cute and practical wallet. This one looks like a great starter project with simple lines, easy details and a resulting piece that you'll use over and over again.

A fabric pack from Kelly's Etsy shop: Oilcloth Addict! 

If you have trouble finding great oilcloth or laminated fabrics at your local independent fabric shop, be sure to check out Kelly's Oilcloth Addict shop. Her selections are extensive and beautiful.

 

I picked up this fun cherry oil cloth and dew drop laminated cotton at The Stitch Lab, and now I can't wait to try them out on the projects from Kelly's book! And you're in luck, because Kelly graciously sent a copy of Sewing With Oilcloth for me to give to one lucky Average Jane Crafter reader. Leave a comment here letting me know why you've been scared to work with oilcloth or what successes you've had with working with oilcloth. I'll close comments at 10 AM CST on September 10 and will announce the winner next Monday. For more opportunities to win a copy & to learn more about the book, keep up with the Sewing With Oilcloth blog book tour!

Since I'm personally shipping the book, I need to limit it to US residents. Thanks for understanding!

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.

Craft Leftovers Winners!

With all the holiday hubbub, I forgot to post the Craft Leftovers winners! Thanks for the comments! I got my copy of the new CL last week, and have loved reading it over the holiday weekend. Kristin has outdone herself!

So here are the lucky winners!

Please send an email to averagejanecrafter at gmail dot com with your shipping info!

Embroidered Effects Winner!

Wowza! Thanks for all the great comments! It was so much fun to go through and read about all the different games everyone likes to play. It reminded me how much I enjoy playing games, and that I really need to establish a game night around here. It's too much fun!

I think I'll need to check out this Bananagrams game so many people mentioned. I was surprised that a couple of my favorites didn't make it on to the list. Balderdash, anyone!? How about Mastermind? Surely someone wants to come over and play a round of the Welcome Back Kotter game with me? (Up Your Nose With A Rubbe Hose!) Or how about the E.T. board game?

Thanks to everyone who entered. I wish I had a copy of the book for all of you! It's a truly fantastic embroidery book, though, so I highly recommend grabbing a copy for yourself and a friend. Enjoy!

And the winner is .....
Mollie! Please shoot me an email at averagejanecrafter at gmail dot com with your mailing address so I can get the book out to you!

Crack! Bam! Flower! Win a book!

Remember when I told you a few weeks ago to be on the lookout for a freebie pattern from the Embroidered Effects book by Jenny Hart? Well, it was up last Friday over on CRAFT. I would have mentioned it sooner if we werent' hit with shingles, flu, deadlines and general mayhem over here.

I'm especially excited, because the pattern is of one of the projects I stitched for the book: a Mah Jong table cloth. My mom has been playing Mah Jong for ages, and always wanted me to learn. Finally, about 9 years ago, we were stuck out at a friend's house on a holiday weekend and I had nothing to do. I reluctantly sat down at the table with her friends and learned to play.

They had to pry me away from the table more than five hours later. It was that fun and that addictive.

Now, I'm not talking about the Mah Jong some of you may be familiar with on the computer where you click and match tiles. We're talking the real deal, four-player Mah Jong. I've been told it's like Gin Rummy, but I don't play Gin Rummy, so I can't say for sure. All I know is that it's a blast, and it's the kind of game you can get wrapped up in and play for hours.

Which explains why, despite my mother giving me my own Mah Jong set 8 years ago, I haven't gotten to play much. Once you have kids, chunks of hours at a time to play a game vaporize. But I still love the game and wish I had more friends my age to play with me (hint, hint, friends)


I've been hoping Jenny would do a Mah Jong pattern at some point (turns out she's a big Mah Jong player, too) and was thrilled beyond thrilled when she told me that the first project I'd be stitching for the book would be a Mah Jong table cloth. How rad is that!? I love that the majority of the deisgn is created to rest on top of the table and frames the tile holders - so cool!

Sadly, the photo stylist for the book must not have known much about Mah Jong, as the picture was set up like the computer tile matching game. Ah well!

So, you can scurry over on to CRAFT and download the free Mah Jong pattern for yourself. IF you don't feel like making a table cloth, they would be great for napkins, tea towels, coin purses (for the betting Mah Jong players) and more. The designs are gorgeous - enjoy! And go learn how to play Mah Jong if you don't already know!

This is my son, modeling one of the other projects I stitched for the book - a robot control panel t-shirt! hehehe! When I put it on him, he couldn't stop running around saying (in a robot voice), "I am a robot! I will destroy you! I am a robot!"

And what's even better - if the one free pattern isn't enough for you - you can win the entire book right here! The fine folks at Chronicle Books have given me an extra copy of Embroidered Effects to share with you fine folks! Just leave a comment on this post, telling me what your favorite game to play is, and I'll draw a winner at random on Tuesday, October 20 and will post the winner on Wednesday, Oct 21. Enjoy, and spread the word!

Sublime Stitching Winners!

Here's the card I stitched for my mom for Mother's Day. Pardon the poor quality photo - I took it with my iPhone late at night after I finished stitching in bed with my sleeping husband next to me. Couldn't go all flash-tastic on him. P.S. - she loved it. :)

A quickie post here to let you know who won the Sublime Stitching giveaway from last week. Remember that one person wins the Stitchable Stationery Kit from Sublime Stitching and one wins a hand-stitched card (by me!) from the kit.

So! Winner of the Kit is:
Sewitsforyou!
Winner of the Card is:
Kristi! (See! First commenter *can* win - it happened to me once, too! :)
Kristi - I need you to email me at averagejanecrafter at gmail dot com with your mailing address.

And the most fun handmade story left in the comments (winner of my admiration) is April:

Sublime Stitching Review Part 3: Stitchable Stationery and Giveaway!

Day One, I introduced you to the new Sublime Stitching Journal. Day Two was the adorable Bib Kit (which, by the way, is part of our Friday CRAFT pattern podcast - you can get two of the designs from the kit for free!) and today I'm sharing my favorite new Sublime Stitching products - the Stitchable Stationery.

The kit comes with six 5X7" note cards that are printed with adorable embroidery designs on nice, heavy paper. There are also coordinating envelopes, embroidery floss and two needles.


I have had more fun with this kit than I'd expected I would. The cards aren't pre-punched, so I thought it would be frustrating to have to punch the holes myself. It was quite the opposite. Punching the holes with the included needles took 5 minutes for the simplest designs, and just under 10 for the more complicated ones. Here's my tip: Lay the card on the arm of your chair or couch and quickly punch each hole. You don't have to take the needle all the way through this way, and it makes things go muuuuuch quicker. I didn't have any problems with needle marks on my chair, but you might want to test one or two punches just to make sure this will work for you.


Stitching on the cards was also a breeze. The paper is nice and thick, and once you've punched your holes, it's a dream to stitch on. I also like that, since the stitch dots are already marked on the pattern, your stitches end up looking super even and clean. It's strangely satisfying.


The accompanying envelopes are also adorable. They come in a variety of muted colors (white, yellow, beige-ish) and have little stitching designs on them.


And, of course, since this is a Chronicle Books product, the packaging is impeccable. The folder in which the stationery is stored is actually stitched across the top and bottom. Cards and envelopes are in one side, and floss and needles are on the other side. The folder is sturdy enough that you could reuse it once you've stitched and sent all your cards.

As I was tweeting about stitching these cards at my son's tee ball game last week, someone asked if stitching on cards wasn't something I could do on my own, and did I feel the kit was worth the money. To this, I answered, "Yes and Yes." There are loads of tutorials around on the web for hand-stitching on paper cards. It's certainly a project anyone can tackle. I also think, though, that this kit is great because it gets you stitching within moments of opening it. I have stitching-on-paper tutorials bookmarked, and designs in my head ... but I've still never jumped on the project. This took some of that guesswork and planning out of the process so I could just get to stitchin'. Plus, I really like how the dots are already on the design, giving a very clean look to the stitching. Lastly, because it comes with the supplies needed to stitch (and brief instruction on using the back stitch to complete all the designs) I think it would make a great gift.


In short, there's room for both. These sweet little projects could absolutely get you even more inspired to tackle the project on your own.

Finally! The giveaway part! I have two things up for grabs:

1. A Sublime Stitching Stitchable Stationery Kit - thanks to the Sublime Stitching gang
2. A hand-stitched card from the kit - stitched by me, with some kind of witty, crafty message inside and mailed to you! Who doesn't love getting *real* mail, right? I've stitched a card that I'll mail to one lucky winner. You can cut it in half and toss the side with the message, or keep the whole thing in hopes that some day I'll be "famous" (ha!) Whatever you choose.

To enter: Leave a comment on this post and tell me when was the last time you sent an actual hand-crafted card (stitched, collage, painted - whatever!) in the mail to someone, and why you might be inspired to send one out soon. I'll close comments at 9AM CST on Thursday, May 7th and will notify winners here on the blog by Monday, May 11th. Enjoy, and pass it on to friends! :)

Vintage Embroidery goodies from blogland

Last month, I was the lucky winner of an anniversary giveaway on Sweet Bee's blog. She's got some great vintage embroidery stuff going on over there. Be sure to check it out.

I received my package recently and have been late getting pictures. It was such a delightful package to open and go through!

Look at those awesome embroidered buttons. Lazy Daisies are one of my favorite stitches, and I love the tiny detail on these. I've got to try making some of these some day! And that pin cushion is adorable! I tried making a little segmented pin cushion like this once. Um .... let's just say "wonky" would be an understatement. Hers is perfect. :)

And then some fabulous vintage embroidery transfers. These are just some peeks at my favorite little pieces.




Thank you, Sweet Bee, for a fabulous gift! :)

Lotta Prints giveaway!

Remember when I reviewed (and raved about) Lotta Prints back in May? Such a yummy, fun, inspiring book - it's a great addition to your craft book library. If you haven't picked it up for yourself yet, drop in on the Chronicle Books blog and enter to win your very own copy. Hurry on over there!