Sometimes your are surfing around and similar things come to you from different sources. This morning I somehow ended up at Project Gutenberg, a great site with over 17,000 free books online, and started looking around for craft books. I came across this gem — The Ladies’ Work-Book, which contains knitting, crochet and other needle work patterns as well as some nice old illustrations.

A little more searching found Beeton’s Book of Needlework, which includes 600 engravings! And I’m sure there are more books like this hidden in this site. Days can be wasted with this kind of web surfing.

So I finally pulled myself away from Project Gutenberg, only to be sucked into the beauty that is Illuminated Books (found via meggiecat.) They have taken beautifully illustrated and illuminated books from private collections and scanned them into the website for your viewing pleasure. Some of the children’s books are especially nice.

I love Rosa’s new brown monkey - super adorable. Isn’t this photo fantastic!

while she naps made these adorable scrappy owls with matching cards.

icy suncatchers that iris made. Of course you need freezing temperatures outside for these to work - but what a fun idea.

Heather (our new author - soon to be writing for us - check out her profile in the sidebar) from Making time - has an excellent round up of japanese miniature bears. I loved the link for totona mei - and this picture is from there.

updates:
last time I posted about twelve22’s teacup cozies, now she has a new design for tall glasses - I love it.
And my little mochi is at it again - this time with a kokeshi doll pin - 2 inches high.
patterns:
Don’t you just love wee wonderfuls paper dolls - go and download them now.
love the tutorial that pinned has posted on making a patchwork table runner, more about it here too.
people:
I am really enjoying kraf-o-la and her amazing people interviews.