Fun Times at the CRAFT/Naughty Secretary Club party

Oh good grief! I just realized that this post has been sitting in my drafts since *last* Saturday night. That's the kind of week it's been. Ah well, better late than never, right?

The CRAFT/Jennifer Perkins party was a total blast. There were loads of great folks - all ages, all styles, and all ready to get crafty. Jen's book did smashingly well, we sold some CRAFT subscriptions (and remember, when you get a CRAFT subscription, you can get a free adult day pass to Maker Faire Austin. That's a crazy good deal - those suckers are $25 a pop!) and we ate pink and aqua cupcakes. It doesn't get much better than that. Jen was a total dream boat, and I was so happy to finally meet her in person after emailing with her for months and months. She's as down home sweet and fun as you would expect.

On to the thank yous and other random bits from the party!

(iPhone pic, so it's kinda blurry)

First off, some fantastic volunteers. These gals helped greet folks, hand off raffle tickets, sell subscriptions, and helped guests make the fabric covered button ring projects. I can't thank them enough. They are (l to r) Misty, Jamie, Niku (of Lovely Letterbox fame) and Jennifer (of Textile Fetish - who also donated an adorable apron for the door prizes). Not pictured are also Sarah and Anne Marie.


Next is just a sampling of the cool folks who came to the event. I watched this mother/daughter pair throughout the party, and thought it was so cool to see them there together. I could tell the daughter was just a few years older than my daughter, and she just seemed .... so cool and fun. It made me a little excited for seeing my daughter at that age. She was so cute throughout the party - mingling, talking with Jennifer, making stuff - and when I'd do door prize drawings, she'd sit there, clutching her ticket, dying to win something. Toward the end, I could tell she was about to leave, and when I happened to draw her mom's ticket as a winner, I invited her over to the table to pick something out as well. I couldn't let her go home empty handed.

As I talked with her, I learned that she and her mom are actually from McKinney and live not to far from Jennifer's mom and dad. Avery, who is the ripe age of 11, is a self-proclaimed "devoted fan" of Jennifer Perkins, and they travelled to Austin primarily for this event. She even made the adorable Barbie shoe earrings that her mom is wearing! And she was adorned in all kinds of cool handmade jewlery of her own! (as well as little black Chucks - a girl after my own heart. I'd kill for my daughter to want to wear black Chucks!)

As you can tell, I was quite smitten with them. Avery's mom, D'Wanna, is also crafty and seeing the mother/daughter duo out on a crafty adventure just set my heart all aflutter. I mean, how adorable are these two?

If you missed the party, don't fret! You can catch Jennifer and her sister at Bazaar Bizarre at Maker Faire Austin in October. Go ahead and hop over to order your CRAFT subscription so you can score a free adult day pass - it's a deal you cannot pass up.

A Crafty Party you do NOT want to miss

We're just a little more than 24 hours out from the Craft08/Naughty Secretary Release party, and folks - this is gonna be a humdinger of an event. We'll have all kinds of cool goodies from CRAFT to giveaway, great deals on subscriptions, and - of course - we'll be celebrating with one of the coolest crafty gals around, Jennifer Perkins of Naughty Secretary Club. Jenny Ryan from Craft Magazine will have a book review and Crafty Q&A with Jen up on the Craftzine blog later today. Check it out!


You've heard me go on about how cool Jen's new book, The Working Girl's Guide to Handmade Jewelry, is, and part of what makes it so cool is all the neat stuff she uses in it. You'll have the chance to get your hands on some of the very supplies she used in the book, as well as some of her other favorite craft supplies at the party. She's scored loads of amazing door prizes and if you can't make the party, you still have an opportunity to get your hands on these goods, 'cause she's doing a tandem giveaway over on her blog.


I am COVETING these rub-ons. When I saw them in the book, I hit their web site immediately. They are amazing. Hmm ... wondering if I can slip my name in the door prize basket ... ehhhh...

Does the goodness ever stop? Really.

Here's a preview - hop over to Jen's blog for even more pictures and descriptions, and - better yet - make sure to be at the party tomorrow night.


When you get Jen's book, you'll want to try resin casting (I'm itchin' to!) - this door prize will give you everything you need to get started ...
Hooray! Crafty Chica stuff! And did you know you could win a spot on the Crafty Chica Cruise?
More Hooray! Sublime Stitching Stuff! Must.Stitch.Ovaries.STAT.

Speaking of the Naughty Secretary Club book ... a review!

OK, so it's no secret that I'm a big fan of Jennifer Perkins and The Naughty Secretary Club. I love Jen's aesthetic, and her big Texas personality, and - I have to admit - I'm quite smitten by the fact that she and her mom and sister are all so tight ('cause I'm the same way with my mom and sister). So I'll admit I had a little bit of a bias when I received a copy of her new book, The Naughty Secretary Club: The Working Girl's Guide to Handmade Jewelry. I knew I'd love it, but - dang - I had no idea I would love it *so* much.

Let's talk physical attributes: The book is square - it's a great size, and its colorful, crazy, kitschy design is off-the-charts fun. If you've watched Jen on Craft Lab, read her blog or kept up with her jewelry design at all, you can easily feel her presence on every page.


Now on to the projects: I wasn't sure how many office-related projects someone could come up with, so I was weary about what kinds of things would be in the book and if they'd be something I'd actually want to make. Let me say: I want to make almost every single thing in this book. Like now. They are fun, cute and most seem totally doable with little learning curve.


I love details like the fact that on the gnome necklace, it wasn't enough just to string gnomes on a necklace, she's added boquets to their little gnome hands. And the fabric covered button rings look like a great instant gratification project*.


The Secretary's Delight bracelet & ring set has made me absolutely hungry to try resin casting. The one I really covet, though, is the Secretary's Day Bouquet bracelet. I've admired (ok, drooled over and dreamed about) Jen's cha-cha bracelets for ages, and she's actually showing how to make them in this book.


Yup. I'll give you a minute to run over and order it, 'cause I know you want to now.

And now on to the writing. I have this weird thing about reading craft books cover to cover before I start any projects from them. I'll sit and read through them page by page and night - reading all steps, materials lists and filler info. I'm geeky that way.

This one was loads of fun to read. Jen's writing and style make you feel like you're hanging at Huts having a milkshake and onion rings. It's funny and informative and not in any way boring. Big bonuses. And her introduction and acknowledgments that spew love for her family make me a little teary and love her even more.

This is a great fun book that will make you want to try new things, and look at everyday objects in a new way: just searching out a place where you could drill a hole in it and make it into your latest bauble.

* And these are the projects we'll be making at her book release/Craft08 release party!

Austin Craft08 Release Party & Book Release Party with Jennifer Perkins of Naughty Secretary Club

I mentioned this in a previous post, and more details will come over the next week and a half, but I am THRILLED to announce that I'll be hosting the Craft08 Release Party in conjunction with the book release party for Jennifer Perkins' The Naughty Secretary Club: The Working Girl's Guide to Handmade Jewelry. We'll be celebrating at Craft-O-Rama on Saturday, August 30 from 3-6 PM, and we'll be making a project from Jen's new book (which is stinkin' FABULOUS. Really. ). We'll have door prizes, loads of special guests and lots of crafty goodness. Please join us! And, if you'd like to help spread the word, just email me at averagejanecrafter at gmail dot com and I'll send an evite that you can use to invite your friends! It's like hitting the crafty motherlode - you will not want to miss it - trust me.