The Art Of Wooing, a new book described by author Kaz Brecher as a mixed media art and poetry book with a story told through email exchange”, is totally original and exciting! Kaz has created this beautifully illustrated book all about (you guessed it) the art of wooing, and everything that that entails. An autobiography of sorts, the artwork and poems illustrate the ups and downs of an 18 month long relationship Kaz had with her kickboxing instructor.

Many people use artistic expression and journaling as an outlet to help keep themselves focused and anchored. This book a fabulous example of just how effective a practice it can be! The book is self-published and available exclusively through the website.

(This Thursday evening, 2/28, there will be a book release party in Los Angeles at Fresh Pressed. Come meet Kaz and pick up a copy of the book for yourself!)

When I was a little girl I loved doing crafty projects with end results that I could be proud of. I was no stranger to tie-dyeing my own tees, papier-maché, making kaleidoscopes out of toilet paper rolls, you name it! There is a fab new book from Black Dog Publishing called Making Stuff for Kids by Victoria Woodcock, Ziggy Hanaor & Safiya Waley which is jam packed with art projects for the whole family! The book is broken down by age, beginning at 3, making it easy to find appropriate activities for all the members of the family! There are new versions of projects that you no doubt did, which I think is really exciting and brings a nostalgic twist to crafting with your kids! There are projects ranging from utilitarian (Pinboard Wizard, pg 116.) to just plain silly and fun (Totally Tutu, pg. 104). Each project includes easy to follow patterns and instructions to make the day go smoothly! You will only have to worry about having too much fun!

What I think is a great added bonus to this book, is the “How To . . .” section in the beginning defining all different forms of fabric crafts, including Applique, Knitting and Felting, with step by step instructions. There are even pages dedicated to easy and popular sewing stitches. I certainly learned a few things while perusing the pages, and cant wait to share this book with my niece!

I was so excited to have found this great post over at Creature Comforts! EZ has a posted a tutorial, complete with downloadable PDFs and illustrated directions, for creating a personalized candy bar wrapper for the one you love! You could easily print a secret message on the inside of the wrapper, for your Valentines eyes only! Think of it as your very own golden ticket! ;)

If you live in and around Los Angeles, and love handmade wares, then I am sure you are no stranger to the Felt Club! Tomorrow, Nov. 18th, is the XL Holiday show! There will be 70+ vendors, 2 tents hosting fun (and free) classes, live DJs and lots of raffle prizes! This season FC has teamed up with Make Magazine, the organizers behind the Maker Faire, to bring a Maker Square to the event! Now, Felt Club truly has something for EVERYONE!

Be sure to get there early to snag one of the 250 swag bags, but beware, these puppies are usually all snatched up in the first 7 minutes! Happy Shopping!!!

The fabulous ladies behind one of the greatest kid-centric blogs, Cool Mom Picks, have filmed a series of segments showcasing some of their favorite handmade and organic kiddie finds for Alpha Mom TV. The ladies have taken great pains to showcase indie businesses run by individuals from around the world, especially moms and dads! The thoughtful product choices will inspire all households to think a little greener and focus more on the fun, and less on the blinking lights and crazy trends that a lot of parents find themselves surrounded by. You can’t help but be in awe of all of the creative items that any adult would love to play with, let alone any child!

You can see the whole range of videos here. There are nine in all with a new one being released each day! Oh, and if you are in the US, these awesome segments will soon be airing on Cox and Comcast Digital cable networks nationwide via Alpha Mom On Demand!

I just stumbled across a blog called My Half Of the Brain that boasts more tutorials than you can shake a stick at, and they aren’t lying! This is a crafters dream! It a resource of tons of craft tutorials from all around the web, collected linked all in one place! Wowser!

This week on my blog Creative Swoon, I featured an awesome fabric company called Pixie Dust Decor. The 100% cotton fabrics are sweet and fun! Perfect for a baby gift, or an entire nursery! Their patterns are based on vintage children’s stories and 60’s retro chic. What better combination could there be?

I wanted to be sure to share this post with the Whip Up community because Pixie Dust is offering a special 33% off coupon code to all Creative Swoon readers! That is a savings too good to keep to myself! Happy sewing!

Felt Club, one of Los Angeles’s biggest and baddest craft fairs, is happening this weekend!! Over 70 of the coolest vendors from all over the US (such as HannahMade, Queen Puff Puff and Eeny Meanie) will be selling their handmade wares. There will be swag bags for the first 250 people through the door and awesome door prizes given out through the day. Charles Phoenix will be the emcee and DJs will be spinning to entertain while you shop! Maybe the best part of the whole event are the craft classes taught by vendors at the show. The classes are free, you have only to buy materials. Check here for more info!

Duct Tape is hosting a “Stuck on Prom” contest where students from all over the US and Canada had to make their own prom outfits from, you guessed it, Duct Tape! I can’t believe how detailed and fabulous these designs are! The ingenuity displayed by each couple really makes me want to start experimenting. . . . I had no idea Duct Tape came in so many colors!

You can click over and vote on the best outfit! The lucky winners will each receive a $3,000 cash scholarship so you’ll be helping some creative kids earn some cash for their college educations! Voting ends 6/29.

I am so excited about to share the awesomeness of this project! Siobhan, of the “deliciously crafty” (love that!) blog Magpie & Cake, recently completed a quilt made from nothing but cardboard coffee sleeves! As you can see, the end result is gorgeous, and totally functional ;).

Based on the premise that quilts are traditionally made from scraps of materials, Siobhan has created a quilt out of the discarded coffee sleeves that are scraps from our morning coffees. With the line “Intended for single use only” imprinted on the sleeves, we are encouraged to use these things for the duration of our beverage and then throw ‘em away! Really, the re-purposing of these materials is genius.

The finished quilt measures 4′3″ x 5′6″ and used over 200 coffee sleeves which were mostly donated by Siobhan’s co-workers in just a few weeks with 80% of the sleeves coming from Starbucks. . . . You can read more about the process here.