Designed By You Special Occasions Review and Giveaway!

Need a gift idea for your super crafty niece or your fashionista daughter? I've got a great idea for you. Oh and did I mention THREE of you will win it? Yeah, check out all of the details HERE.

Designed by You Special Occasions Fashions Review and Giveaway Ends December 10, 2010 at noon Eastern Time.

Book Review: Thank You Martha!

Martha Stewart's Encyclopedia of Sewing and Fabric Crafts by Martha Stewart Living Magazine

Cliffs Notes Version: Techniques taught, fabric 101 and projects to inspire

Rating: 5 (out of 5) golden paintbrushes

Thoughts: Who are the people who work for Martha Stewart Living Magazine and who wouldn't die for a job that super cool? A big pat on the back to these talented people for creating yet another super-mega informative book including everything you've ever wondered about fabric, thread, and stitching then coupling that with project ideas that make you want to doggy ear the pages like mad then pull out your needle and thread.

Did I mention I was inspired? And not just because I was sitting on the dock at the lake laughing with my best friends and admiring my fresh coat of pinky-pink toe nail polish (although those things did help!) I have some new Michael Miller fabric that would be perfect for this multi-compartment tote bag!

I've just started preparing the nursery for our new little boy and one thing I noticed I needed more of were good drool bibs, the kind that will really protect his shirts, not just look pretty... thank you Martha, these Oil Cloth Bibs would do the trick, and they are even cute too! (Plus, I've been dying for an excuse to buy the new Amy Butler laminated fabric!)
I checked this book out at my library, but I think it might be one I need to ask for for my birthday... July is just around the corner and maybe I can keep renewing this copy until then!

Ode to the Library!

I love my library. Absolutely love, love, love my library! There is a wonderful children's book section with comfy chairs and big bins on the floor so Owen can search through the board books on his own. There's even a playground next door! I check out so many craft books that my friendly librarian Meg now suggests more every time I'm in! It's wonderful!

I thought it might be fun to show you the ones I check out and give a quick review periodically. If you like this idea and it's helpful, let me know and I'll be happy to do it more often. (Especially if it means having to go back to my favorite place!) Here's the first batch of books:

Weekend Sewing by Heather Ross

Cliffs Notes Version: Informative, but not inspiring

Rating: 1 (out of 5) golden paintbrushes

Thoughts: If you're a beginning sewer or if you're someone who likes to follow meticulous details and patterns, you'll like this book. I didn't get much out of it. The projects and pictures are beautiful, but not original. I liked the way Heather diagramed her sewing machine, for the beginners to know which parts she's referring to. I also liked the description of fabric with "drape" vs. "body".

ReadyMade by Shoshana Berger and Grace Hawthorne

Cliffs Notes Version: Good for a lesson on the history of crafting materials and a laugh

Rating: 3 golden paintbrushes

Thoughts: This was one of the more informative and funny craft books I've ever read. It is broken down in six categories of raw materials (paper, plastic, wood, metal, glass and fabric), giving each material's history, facts about the material I'm certain you've never heard before, then they explore different projects. They even included projects that turned out to be big flops, which were really funny. The plastic section included an article on face exercises you can do to avoid plastic surgery... sure to induce some laughs and possibly more smile lines!

Most of the projects were completely original, although not really my style, they were very creative.

Eco Craft by Susan Wasinger

Cliffs Notes Version: Re-freshingly original look at Re-cycle, Re-craft, and Re-styling

Rating: 3 1/2 golden paintbrushes

Thoughts: I would recommend checking this book out if you're at all interested in recycling old things to make new things. Usually I'll get only a couple good ideas from a craft book. This one had me bookmarking like crazy! Susan came up with very original ideas that are right up my alley. I don't think I would buy this book (an accolade reserved for only the very best craft books!), but I would recommend looking at her projects because they are so unique.

The Sewing Bible by Ruth Singer

Cliffs Notes Version: Tons of sewing techniques demystified

Rating: 5 golden paintbrushes

Thoughts: This is one book I need to own! Beautiful pictures, easy step-by-step instructions, inspiring projects, this book modernizes old tried and true techniques and actually inspired one of my New Year's goals this year: tackle a tough stitching project! I love how Ruth takes something simple, like sewing on a button for example, she shows me how to do it, then shows me ways to start thinking outside the box to make it more unique. See the buttons with decorative stitches below? I had a moment on almost every page!

This book is not going to go out of style quickly either. She's made it timeless and beautiful. I can't wait to try my hand at this circular skirt!

The Gentle Art of Domesticity by Jane Brocket

Cliffs Notes Version: Inspiration at its best

Rating: 5 golden paintbrushes

Thoughts: I've talked about this book before. Every inch of it is inspiring to me. The colors and the pictures are almost spell binding. I just jump right in to Jane's world through this book and I love it there! In addition to the earlier post I wrote about this book, I also love that she included this picture of a mother teaching her children and the title is "A Life Well Spent." Amen! I've looked at it plenty of times and it never fails to choke me up! I highly recommend adding this one to your collection. It's the perfect book for getting past a crafter's block.

Want me to review a craft book you've heard about? Email me (createstudioblog@gmail.com) or send a comment my way and if it lives among the pages at my library you can be sure I'll go pick it up!