Category Archives: crafty books

Twyla’s advice.

I’ve been reading The Creative Habit by Twyla Tharp. It’s really good. I’m having trouble getting to it with my busy life lately, but report cards are soon to be all done and hopefully I can get back to it in full force.

There’s a page of questions to work through, there are many excercises in the book, but I copied those pages and went about answering the questions in a creative way. I cut them into strips and put some washi tape to good use making it pretty.

Sadly, I have to return it to the library, I’ve renewed it a bunch. I think it’s time to buy my own copy!

Why I need to read magazines the day they come out.

Last night I caught up on my Gathered by Mollie Makes issues. I found this in last week’s edition.

Sadly, it seems kinda silly to shout it from the roof tops now that today’s issue is out. Which, by the way, I read this morning with a tea lazing on the couch.

Also, I know I’ve said it before, but Gathered and Mollie Makes are ridiculously awesome publications. You MUST subscribe. Yes, must.

A new journey.

I finally got around to reading Making an Impression by Geninne Zlatkis. I took it with me to my overnight spa trip. So it was prefaced with a few hours quiet time, then I laid in bed with some music on, on a belly, in my jammies and read the book with my shiny new sketchbook right beside me.

I’m dying to get into stamping and printing my own fabrics, I’m collecting ideas on this Pinterest board. I’m making an effort to work hard at researching techniques and gathering ideas and inspiration.

It didn’t take long to flip through the book and soak up all the lovely images. In about an hour I filled the first page of my sketchbook with doodles of possible stamps, designs for fabric and new cup cozies! I really have to make more time in my busy life to do this again.

If you’re looking to get inspired along the same lines visit Geninne’s blog for some great ideas and pretty, pretty images.

Digital Hoarding.

I think I have a problem.

Literally, *every* Michelle Patterns pattern. Every single one.

I mean most people today have too much stuff. We’ve been trying at home to keep our ‘stuff’ minimal. We’ve banned knick knacks unless they come from our travels or really *mean* something to us. With our kids, while we are careful with how much we buy them, it’s hard with an October birthday and a December birthday and then Christmas 2 days after that . . . it gets a bit crazy. Honestly, it’s usually the reason I advocate for us to travel at Christmas, thinking we’ll skip the gifts mountain but it doesn’t work.

When you’re a crafter of course you acumulate stuff. Before getting into sewing I did papercrafts, cards and scrapbooks mostly. Then after starting my blog and getting into fabric now I have yardage, then a fat quarter collection and then I keep a scrap bin. THEN I have smaller scraps for 1 inch magnet making and then I keep the smallest scraps ever for hair clips and such. It’s insane.

Mollie Makes digital subscription. Now add Gathered to that. Honestly, both amazing, amazing magazines but yeah, adding to my collection.

Now add to that the things I’ve started to accumulate on my iPad and Macbook.

Folder and folders of things to look at later and get inspired or ideas to make. As if I need to add to my to do list or ‘things I want to make’.

Then there’s the business research and books and things to read I have as well. Classes to take, things to learn. It’s tough to balance it all when what you love to do, drives you to do it more and makes you happy but is hard to fit into your ‘normal’ life.

Someone please tell me you have this going on too!

If you’re sick of hearing about these look away now.

I’ll forgive you.

Yeah more scrappy wallets. I love Michelle Patterns, perhaps you’ve noticed. I want to grow up and be like her. I keep collecting PDF patterns and trying them all out in an effort to better understand them and how they work so that someday, someday, I can create my own from all these sketches I just keep accumulating.

I just need some time to research it all and get going on it. Michelle Patterns has this great resource for heading in that direction. It’s an ebook/document sharing some of her knowledge from years of selling PDF patterns online.

Description from her site:

• What the pattern user needs
• Basic overview of the pattern making process
• General photo info – test photos, file formats, etc.
• General info about the pattern pieces – margin guide, text to include, etc.
• Setting up and saving a template so your document will be ready for future patterns
• Tips for writing the instructions – style, voice, font considerations, etc.
• Inserting the instruction images
• Inserting, testing, and troubleshooting the pattern pieces (the hardest part!)
• Exporting to pdf
• Testing the pattern
• Lots of tips from my own experience!

I love that she supports other women in starting their own business by letting you make and sell items from her patterns. I don’t always intend to do that with what I make but it’s nice to know you can if you’d like. Also now that she’s branching out and sharing tips on how to *make* your own that’s even more awesome. She’s also selling patterns made by other people in her online shop now so if you’re ahead of me and making your own PDF patterns already that’s something you might want to explore for some more exposure.

I recently bought the Idea Pouch and can’t wait to make one and store my iPad, stylus, little notebook some markers in it.

Stuffed magazine

Apparently, not only has this publication been around for a while, but it’s only published twice (?) a year. But I have to tell you it’s the cutest magazine, full of such eye candy.

I had one in my hand during one of my cross border expeditions but I passed on actually purchasing it. I regret that now. It’s hard to find now since it’s published in January, and I’ve found it once here in Canada and it was $15 which just sort of breaks my brain and I can’t part with all that money for it.

I did find a download for a bit cheaper online, well I think it was $10 so not *that* remarkably cheaper.

I tried to be a cheater pants and take screen shots of parts of it but they seem to be onto that sneaky trick. You’ll just have to trust me it’s a super fun magazine. Find a copy and flip through it.

USA shopping scores

Well I guess it’s about time I actually sit down to write this post about the fun things I picked up on my USA excursion at the beginning of the month.

I got this amazing bag, that I’ve been using almost non stop since, for $3. Actually, not even $3 I’m rounding up. Insanely good find.

I got some great clothes, which I suppose call for some outfit posts. But that’s a tricky one since I’m usually the one behind the camera, I really need to change that.

Other than that my scores happened in JoAnn’s, surprise surprise.

Some FQs just because.

A taste of Denise Schmidt.

Some yardage. Apparently I was in a floral sort of mood.

Whales because how could I not buy those!?! Sure I had a moment of “Gee I’m 30 something should I really be shopping from the juvenile section for myself!?” but I *had* to get these whales.

And I found an english translation of a Japanese craft book I already own. Since I had some coupons the book was half price and I figured it might work like a little guide to help me decode my ever growing stash of Japanese craft books. I have 2 new Cotton Time magazines and today I figured out which symbols say ‘fold’ so I’m pretty proud of myself.

I know it involves more hexies but I need to get around to making this, again it’s just too awesome.

I also picked up some ridiculously cute scrubs that I plan to hack to bits and sew into other stuff.

Fun Fabrics

I was asked recently by My Girl Thursday to share my sources for the fun fabrics I have. She says she has the bug now, if you kind of sort of like fabric I’d leave now because you’ll be totally addicted to hoarding it after this post. Almost all of mine comes from Etsy shops so I’ll share some of my favs with you. Sometimes I just do a search for scraps, but my brain gets confused with number crunching the prices and shipping combos and I usually head back to the stores I know.

I’m addicted to cutesy Japanese prints. Boqinana has great stuff. It’s so hard not to fill my cart with ribbon after ribbon after ribbon. This store is also full of some great fabrics.

This and That from Japan . . . well the store name says it all. Sadly on vacation at the time of posting this but check back, it’s totally worth it. They carry great fabrics, supplies and craft books. Pages and pages of awesome I tell you!

The Hey Day Shop has fun fabrics and usually has a selection of scrap packs to choose from.

I’ve ordered from The Dainty Squid’s destash store before, not sure if it’s still up and running.

The only place I’ve been able to find fun Japanese fabrics in person is at Quilt A Bag in Markham, which is only good to know if you live nearish to there. The ladies are lovely and they carry a lot of Japanese craft books and supplies for projects, coin purse frames, handles, cute ribbons, Japanese craft books. They attend the Creativ Festival in October and carry a lot of great kits with everything you need to finish the project.

I’ve ordered vintage fabrics from Pink Fawn Designs before. While it’s pretty easy to find vintage linens if you go thrifting you can expand your collection, handy if you have a certain project in mind, and not have to use the entire sheet you bought on the one project.

Starlit Nest has packs sorted by designers, themes and even offers a big ole flat rate box deal. Shop 4 Craft has some great wooden buttons, if I’m just in the mood for buttons I go there if I have a hankering for fabric I’ll hit one of the shops that carries fabric AND buttons and get all splurgey.

For snaps I go to Cowgirl Snaps. When I found this shop I thoguht that the pictures must be tweaked adn there’s not way the colours could be that vibrant but when they arrived they were amazing. The colours are great and there are options for mixing and matching.


On my wish list are these great fun scraps. Sometimes, being in Canada, it’s hard to find scraps worth purchasing because shipping can get ridiculous. Someday I’ll splurge on these teeny bits of loveliness.

Small business reading.

Ok so as I’m writing this post about all the craft business books I have piled up to read, physical and eformat, what do I do? Wander off to read an Etsy article and end up buying this! I’m insane. I’m like a craft book hoarder. Someone else please tell me you have this problem too.

Ok so here are some of what’s in my stash and hopefully I can get through them this summer and start implementing all my great learnings in the fall.

I have read Creative Inc, however I read it in my KOBO app and made notes there and since my app died on me a few times I’ve lost those notes. So a re-read is in order.

I’ve also read Handmade Marketplace, but I forget all the wisdom. Sheesh, for a teacher I’m apparently a terrible reader and retainer . . .

Mom Inc is a great read, I’m about half way through when a shiny object distracted me. What I like about this book is that it’s written by 2 Canadian ladies and since often it’s US authors writing small business books there’s entire parts that just don’t apply, mostly financial bits. It’s nice to read things from my own country since getting supplies and shipping costs and financials are so different from country to country.

Craft Business Handbook is yet another book I carry around in my bag and might maybe sort of look at from time to time . . . kinda. This book is written by a UK author but so far I haven’t found that too much info doesn’t apply.

Crafty Superstar is in progress . . . yeah I have a lot of those.

Mollie wrote about this book so of course it’s on my wish list now.

I know I’ve already got my work cut out for me here but if you know of a book I’ve missed, small business of creative type stuff, please leave a comment! Also, if you’ve actually finished any of these and have anything review-like to say you can do that too.