Another quiet-ish Sunday morning – whipped up 3 pairs of pajama pants for the kids this morning – some nice summery crisp cotton shorts. After croissants and scrambled eggs and coffee for breakfast and in a relaxed mode knowing that we cleaned the house yesterday, I can sit and breath and do some emails and blogging.

Thank you all for entering the Amy Butler pattern giveaway - more giveaways coming up next week …

65 Roses quilt for charity find out how you can participate and make a square for this quilt here.

FIND OUT HOW to get your 2010 whipup crafty collectible calendar here .

1. BOOK REVIEWS THIS WEEK Manga cross-stitch + Felties - 2 really excellent books. I loved the little book of vintage paper crafts … MY FAVE THIS WEEK … the crochet flower fridgies …
2. LOTS OF HOLIDAY CRAFTING cluster of glee – check it out … felt poinsettia … fabric pumpkin … russian nesting doll cards … tree bunting … felt ornaments …
3. AND LOTS MORE: chocolate cups … linen scarf … modern vintage potholder … 70’s inspired beaded chandelier … little bag of secrets …

Happy crafting!
Kathreen
xxx

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Careful. This one could get messy! Link to bowl making.

This is so flamin’ appealing. Love it. Thank you! Link to tutorial.

Manga Cross-Stitch: Make Your Own Graphic Art Needlework by Helen McCarthy. Andrews McMeel Publishing; Har/Cdr edition (August 1, 2009).

‘Stitchers often get stereotyped as middle-aged ladies in cardigans, anime and manga fans as geeky teenage misfits. Both stereotypes are equally inaccurate – because both groups are just people who love beautiful things and want to create and enjoy beauty in their own way.’ Helen McCarthy

With a compelling voice, Helen McCarthy, reaches out to those with a curiosity for everything Manga and needlework. McCarthy is a well known writer and speaker on Japanese animation and comics and with her other love of historic and fantasy costume and embroidery designs – it wasn’t long before these two loves would meet in the middle.

She has done a fine job with this authentic manga design book – with short engaging passages that contextualize the manga aesthetic, along with instructions on how to use the included CD/DVD – where you can find all the customisable and printable charts – McCarthy also has included instructions on how to make your own cross-stitch charts based on your favourite character – using the included software found on the DVD.

(Needless to say this book is just as thorough in learning how to cross-stitch as how to design – with the basics covered – thread, materials, charts, there are also good close up photos of how to stitch.) But really this books main feature is its dedication to helping you design your own cross-stitch patterns – and the manga – its all about the manga really – who and what are these kawaii characters / cyber beings / heroes + villains / samurai + ronin / monsters … and more fantastic run down on these character types – how to add in text + special effects, change the texture and tone, and how to change the facial features to give different expressions – this is better than many ‘how to draw manga’ books that are so popular with kids these days.

The readership will not be confined to needle-workers or manga fans but to anyone who wishes to be creatively guided and engaged.

A terrific little idea! And as the unnamed person that sent this to me said “great use for all that scrapbooking paper”, though she wasn’t as polite as that! Link to video.

Easy Cd Case ….NO Glue …. For Everybody…. – Funny bloopers R us

Not to be confused with oilcloth. Great tips by Kathy at Pink Chalk Studio. Link to tips.

Yummy linen scarf! Link to tutorial.

I have a couple of new posts up at red cordial revolution – a movie review – The boys are back – a sentimental family drama with free tickets for Aussies – and a review of the craft of baking – with a delicious recipe for brittle.

Felties: How to Make 18 Cute and Fuzzy Friends by Nelly Pailloux. Andrews McMeel Publishing (October 20, 2009)

Here are some tiny little felt characters sure to win your hearts, with their engaging personalities and almost manga aesthetic, with their big heads and eyes and funny simple style.

Felties is well served by glossy gridded pages, and to-scale illustrations and templates, and the book’s modest scale still allows each character a dedicated page spread with easy to understand instructions. There is a very brief intro/techniques section at the front – but as each project is quite simple I can handle this briefness, although I would have liked a bit more background about the designer/maker as this personalises a book for me – but I know others like to get stuck straight into the projects.

The little guys are cheek-squeezing cute – with oversized heads and eyes and tiny bodies – I love the sun loving rat best, and the retro alien and little bears, puppies and pandas all won our hearts + the projects are so quick that you can easily make up a whole set to make some kids very happy.

Great for gift toppers. Link to tutorial.