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Laura Bray’s Creative Marketing Ecourse

October 8, 2009

What is it about the month of October? Always so many cool things going on.
Here’s another one: I’ll be participating in Laura Bray’s Creative Marketing ecourse. It’s a course to help artists and crafters market their work more effectively. And I’ll be teaching a segment on blogging as a marketing tool.
The whole class looks like [...]

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How to Make a Felted Sweater Trivet

October 7, 2009
Thumbnail image for How to Make a Felted Sweater Trivet

When Mom and I did Felt Day last week, I dug out a bunch of my precious hoarded felted sweater scraps. I really wanted to use them somehow. Then, I got to thinking: “What if I made yo-yos?”
…Aaaaaaaand this project was the result. Hope you like!

I’m using pieces of several lightweight wool sweaters here. If [...]

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A cool new ebook: Game Knitting

October 6, 2009

I never get tired of seeing cool, crafty self-publishing. The ever-talented Lee Meredith has just released her first long-format ebook, Game Knitting. It’s a super-cool concept. As she describes it:
“If you love both knitting and playing games, maybe you’ve wished you could somehow do both at the same time. Sure, you can knit a few [...]

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Free Project (by me) at The Knittn’ Kitten!

October 6, 2009

It’s a new week, which means there’s a new free project sheet at The Knittn’ Kitten. And it’s by me!

I wanted to do a little project that makes a simple, useful gift you can make for pretty much anyone on your list. The patchwork process is very easy – even if you’ve never done any [...]

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Got any Craft Store Horror Stories?

October 5, 2009

Happy New Week, everyone! Today, I have an interesting question for you.

Pat, who you may remember from the Crafty Retailers podcast, is collecting bad craft-store experience stories for her clients. As she puts it, slow sales at indie craft stores are probably “not ALL about the economy.”
Have you ever been to an independent craft store [...]

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Epic Plastic Canvas Haul, Part 2

October 3, 2009

ACK! I nearly forgot to post the second half of my epic plastic canvas haul! Here are more treasures Amy was kind enough to let me have…

A whole pile of Christmas ornament kits!

One bajillion pre-cut snowman shapes!

…And best of all, this angel kit. This is some amazing PC architecture, my friends.

Just to give you [...]

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Giveaway: Molly Lee Cards!

October 2, 2009

Happy Friday, everyone! Let’s celebrate with a giveaway.

Molly Lee Cards has generously offered to give five lucky winners one pop-card of their choice.

To enter, just pop over to the shop and decide which card you’d want if you win. Then come back here and leave a comment. Please include your email address and the [...]

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One Last Seat… Want it?

October 2, 2009

Hey, Gang – one seat just opened back up in my upcoming Craft Blog Tune Up online class! Still want in? Come and get it!

All the deets are over here.

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I made felt balls, and it was everything I thought it could be.

October 1, 2009

Yaaaay! Mom and I got together for a craft day yesterday, and explored the wonderful world of felting!

We had a great time making these felt balls, which are totally intriguing. We used Judy Coates-Perez’s tutorial, which worked like a charm.

It’s so easy – you lay your roving down in layers, with the strands criss-crossing. Then [...]

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Cool Reader Projects from Kanzashi In Bloom

September 30, 2009

I’ve been meaning to share some cool stuff from the Kanzashi In Bloom Flickr group. Creative people from all over have been posting insanely cool projects. Makes me want to go back and write the thing all over again so I can include them!

For example, this cute upgrade of a thrift-store handbag by Suzy Spence, [...]

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This week’s free project at The Knittn’ Kitten!

September 29, 2009

It’s Tuesday, which means there’s a new free project sheet at The Knittn’ Kitten!

These freaking awesome beaded hairpins were contributed by the ever-talented Teresa Sullivan. (Which, if you’ve never seen her work, follow that link. I’ll wait.)

Stop by The Kitten anytime this week, and you can pick up the how-to for these pins, and some [...]

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Craft Blog Tune-Up: An New Online Course

September 28, 2009

I’m excited to share this – I’m diving into the world of online courses!
…And I’m offering a pilot class next month: Craft Blog Tune-Up. It’s a three-week class, designed to examine your blog and bump it up to the next level. Here’s what we’ll cover:
Week One: How Your Blog Reads

Understanding how people read blogs
Making your [...]

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CraftyPod #101: Crafty Retailing (the brick & mortar kind), with Pat Riesenburger

September 25, 2009
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In this show:

- An interview with Pat Riesenburger, who works with brick-and-mortar craft store owners. She writes a great blog: The Crafty Retailer.

- Get an interesting glimpse into the world of crafty retailing: competing with big-box stores, a tough economy, and the internet.

- Learn some ways to support your favorite local craft stores.

Links:

- Check out [...]

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A Plastic Canvas Design… by me!

September 24, 2009

I know what you’re saying…

“Sure, Diane, you blog about this plastic canvas stuff all the time, but why don’t you put your weird obsession where your mouth is and MAKE something with it?”

Right you are! And I just did!

  

I turned the PC into a sturdy case for crafty tools. This Hook, Needle, Pencil Case also [...]

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Sew Giving Baby Blanket Drive needs you!

September 23, 2009

This is a wonderful crafty charity project, lovingly organized by Khadija.

I hope you can contribute a handmade or purchased baby blanket!

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Making Roasted Veggie Salsa

September 23, 2009

K. and I have been on a six-year quest to make the perfect salsa, and we may be close with this version.

So I thought I’d share the process, even though the lighting in our kitchen is the mortal enemy of white-balance.

Anyway. Sally gave us the idea recently of slow-roasting tomatoes, peppers, and onions together. And [...]

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Free Projects at The Knittn’ Kitten!

September 22, 2009

Hey, Locals – today kicks off a very cool weekly event at The Knittn’ Kitten.
As I mentioned a while back, The Kitten could really use some support from the crafting community. So a group of us got together, and each week one of us is offering a free project sheet at the store.

With the holidays [...]

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The CraftyPod 100 Giveaway Winners (at last!)

September 21, 2009

For those of you who contributed a question to the 100th CraftyPod episode, I have a special drawing of fabulous prizes!

For the record, there were 38 of you, so everyone’s chances of winning were pretty good. I used the good ol’ Random Number Generator to pick winners, and here they are. If you won, [...]

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A Giveaway at The Sister Project

September 21, 2009

Happy New Week, everyone! I wanted to let you know about a giveaway in progress over at The Sister Project.
The wonderful women there are giving away a copy of my weaving ebook, just in time for Fall crafting. To enter, here’s what they ask you to do:
“Weave a tale for us about what crafty undertaking [...]

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Market Scores of the Week

September 19, 2009

I got in a quick, solo trip to Hillsboro Farmer’s Market this morning, right after it stopped raining.

I love this part of market season – everything’s so abundant, and my weekly produce budget seems to stretch for miles.

Thanks to all of you and your excellent eggplant recipe suggestions from last week, I scored a couple [...]

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Giveaway: Creating a Blog Audience

September 18, 2009

I’ve been so thrilled with the reception for my new ebook, Creating a Blog Audience! And the reviews have been awesome.
I thought it might be fun to celebrate with a little giveaway. So – up for grabs is a copy of this here ebook, and its accompanying worksheet pack!
To enter to win, leave a comment [...]

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Will we see you on Sunday?

September 18, 2009

  

Hey, Portland – just a reminder to come hang out with Susan Beal, Alicia Paulson, and me this Sunday at 2:00 at Hollywood Library. We’re presenting a Crafty Writers Talking session, and we’d love to answer your questions about writing and publishing craft books.

Details are here. Please join us!

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Ebook Review: Make and Takes Monster Mania

September 17, 2009

I think Make and Takes Monster Mania is a jim-dandy example of digital publishing. (I’m so excited about it, I’m using phrases like “jim-dandy.”)

This ebook is by Marie LeBaron, of Make and Takes fame. Marie is an educator and a mom, and she’s compiled a wonderful group of projects to do with young children.

Why the [...]

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Kanzashi How-To Video!

September 16, 2009
Thumbnail image for Kanzashi How-To Video!

Kanzashi-Making, by Sister Diane from Diane Gilleland on Vimeo.
A little fun news on the Kanzashi front this week – Woman’s Day has a project excerpt from my book in the current issue. (Page 28, to be exact.)
They also asked me to make a Kanzashi demo video for their website, so I thought I’d share it [...]

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How to Make Stiffened Fabric Jewelry

September 15, 2009
Thumbnail image for How to Make Stiffened Fabric Jewelry

This project is a real example of crafty serendipity. I’ve been noodling with this stiffened-fabric idea since June, but with one thing and another and another, haven’t gotten around to posting it.
When I finally went to photograph this tutorial, I realized the season was changing, and I’d need to switch from the summery fabrics I’d [...]

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Review: Stitch Alchemy

September 14, 2009

Now, here’s a super fun book. I don’t do much mixed media work, but I do loves me some crafty hybridizing. And Stitch Alchemy is a deep, deep exploration of paper cloth.

What’s paper cloth? It’s a blend of woven fabric and assorted papers. It’s a fairly simple process with endless variations. And the resulting material [...]

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The Market, Wistfully

September 13, 2009

Sigh… we’ve missed so much of farmer’s market season this year. It was great to pop in to the Beaverton Market yesterday and get a little late-summer color.

Aren’t those red peppers gorgeous? I could photograph peppers all day.

…And tomatoes! Actually, I’ll be roasting the two together this afternoon, with onions, per Sally’s suggestion. Mmmmm.

I always [...]

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CraftyPod #100: In Which We Celebrate!

September 12, 2009
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In this show:

- We celebrate CraftyPod’s 100th episode! My partner Katin interviews me, asking questions provided by you.

- Conversation ranges from the ins and out of podcasting to the wider world of the craft community.

- And, I say Thank You.

Links:

- My thanks to everyone who submitted a question on this show:

Wendy Osborne (Please let me [...]

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The Rest of the CraftyPod 100 Questions (and Answers)

September 12, 2009

This may very well be the Longest Post Ever on this here blog. Below are my answers to all the 100th CraftyPod questions we couldn’t fit in the podcast. Thank you to everyone who submitted one!

I’ve done my best to get all your links in here. If I missed yours, please email me and I’ll [...]

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An Honor Just to be Nominated!

September 11, 2009

Popping in here to share an awesome thing I just discovered: my weaving ebook is up for vote for the October Book Club on Craftevolution!

(If you’ve never heard of this awesome crafty book club, all the details are here.)

Anyway, I’m up against some Very. Stiff. Competition, so I’m not sure I have much chance of [...]

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The latest Knittn’ Kitten Haul

September 11, 2009

Mom and I had a nice visit to The Knittn’ Kitten this week, and here are the spoils!

There are three price tags on that card of turquoise shank buttons, chronicling their slow descent into the bargain bin. I got ‘em for 35 cents. They’ll make gorgeous Kanzashi centers!

Anitra blogged about the butterfly buttons from her [...]

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Save The Date: Crafty Writers Talking

September 10, 2009

  

Hey, Locals – mark your calendars! On Sunday, Sept. 20 (that’s next weekend), Hollywood Library is hosting a panel discussion of crafty authors.

I’ll be there with Susan Beal and Alicia Paulson, and we’ll be answering your questions about craft-book-writing.

All the deets are over here. Hope to see you there!

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Review (Giveaway!): Wrapagami

September 10, 2009

This is an exciting book! Jennifer Playford has taken the Japanese art of Furoshiki, or fabric-wrapping, and compiled a lovely, simple guide.

I’m totally incorporating some of this into my upcoming holiday wrapping. (And, making use of some fabric stash in the process.)

Wrapagami offers up 25 ways to use square or rectangular pieces of fabric [...]

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Craft-Linky Goodness

September 9, 2009

Here’s what The Crafty Bloggers have been up to this week. . .

_________________________________________________________

Aileen’s Musings
Find out what Formica and Christmas have in common when Aileen shares a great gift idea with you! Check out her tutorial and download a free Vintage soda label while your at it.

Cathie Fillian
Craft up an end of summer [...]

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Ebook Review: Small Stitches

September 8, 2009

The awesome indie crafty publishing continues! Carina has just released an ebook (or, ebooklette) – Small Stitches, a lovely primer for people who want to dive into embroidery.

There are photo how-to’s for 11 stitches here, including Satin Stitch, Running Stitch, French Knots, Daisy Stitch, Buttonhole, and others. Carina also offers up a nice Basics [...]

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Nephew-Crafting

September 6, 2009

I hope you’re having a relaxing Labor Day Weekend. We had K’s nephew Logan, and Logan’s mom Jen, over for a little crafting – boy style.

K. had some great cardboard inserts from a computer-related purchase, and these made a perfect foundation for a Star Wars rebel base.

As you can see, it’s a bustling hub of [...]

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Creating A Blog Audience: an Unconventional Marketing Guide

September 4, 2009
Thumbnail image for Creating A Blog Audience: an Unconventional Marketing Guide

That whoooooshing sound you hear is me breathing a huge sigh of relief. My new ebook is finally out!
I didn’t exactly make my self-imposed August 15th deadline on this one, but sometimes it takes longer than you think it will to say everything you want to say (coherently).
I hope you all like Creating a Blog [...]

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Save The Knittn’ Kitten!

September 2, 2009

Locals, I’m asking for your help.

Many of you know and love The Knittn’ Kitten, PDX’s own craft supply thrift store. We’re awfully lucky to have a place like this in town, and in fact, quite a few indie craft businesses here rely on The Kitten’s low prices to help them stay afloat.

Well, sadly, foot traffic [...]

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Epic Plastic Canvas Haul, Part 1

September 1, 2009

I think I mentioned an epic plastic canvas haul from Amy… well here’s part one: this pile of PC magazines!
Oh, so much PC goodness here. There’s a lot of Christmas stuff I’m going to save for later, but here are some non-seasonal favorites:

I’m not suggesting you make this, necessarily, But what if, as you were [...]

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Can you ID this craft supply?

September 1, 2009

So, over the weekend, I met Amy, who had kindly offered me some craft materials of her grandmother’s.

She gave me an absolutely epic plastic canvas haul, which I’ll tell you about in another post. But she also had some metallic thread I’ve never seen before, and we’re wondering if any of you can shed some [...]

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A New (to me) Local Crafty Haunt

August 30, 2009

Well, seeing as how I forgot my camera when I went to the Farmer’s Market this weekend, I thought I’d show you another wonderful local spot: the Pendleton Woolen Mill Store, which Mom turned me onto recently.

Some of you may be familiar with Pendleton Woolen Mills, which is famous for high-quality wool fabrics in all [...]

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CraftyPod#99: Craft & Graphic Design, with Patricia Zapata

August 29, 2009
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In this show:
- Patricia Zapata talks about how graphic design affects her crafting, and vice versa.
- Some discussion of how design principles can be beneficial to a small crafty business.
- Suggestions for developing your “design eye.”

Links:
- Check out Patricia’s craft blog, A Little Hut .
- You might also be curious about Patricia’s graphic design [...]

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Say Hello to Parasol•Craft!

August 27, 2009

…Speaking of indie publishing, there’s a brand-new online craft magazine, and it’s amazing. Parasol•Craft is a sister magazine to Parasol, which many of you already know and love.

Both projects come from the talented mind of Yasmine Surovec, who also blogs at A Print A Day. Yasmine has curated a really wide-ranging and fresh craft mag [...]

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Big Thanks & Future Conversation

August 27, 2009

This is a quick post, with two purposes:

First, I want to say a heartfelt Thank You to everyone who’s taken the time to offer their insights on yesterday’s ebook post. You’ve given me so many new avenues to explore, and much great food for thought. And I’m deeply grateful.

______________________________________________________

Which brings me to the other reason [...]

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Pick Your Brain?

August 26, 2009

Do you have a minute? I could use your input about something.
As you probably know, I recently released an ebook about weaving. I may have mentioned this once or twice. :-)
Well, it’s been out for about two months now. Interestingly, I’ve had lots of visitors to the book’s page and my online store, but comparatively [...]

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Review: Wool Pets

August 25, 2009

I’ve been dancing around needle felting for a while now. I totally want to get into this craft, but I fear that when I do, it’ll take over my life.

In what may be an act of fate, Laurie Sharp stopped by my demo at Urban Craft Uprising and introduced herself. She gave me a [...]

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I love it when we’re cruisin’ together

August 24, 2009

(Is it too geeky to admit that I hear the theme from Love Boat in my head every time I think about this?)
Okay, THIS is just about the coolest thing ever. I’ll be setting sail on the Crafty Chica Art Cruise next April! Wanna join in the fun?
In case you haven’t heard about this one, [...]

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Craft-Linky Goodness

August 24, 2009

Here’s what The Crafty Bloggers have been up to this week. . .

_________________________________________________________

About Family Crafts
Find out how to can make a story sack for the book, and soon to be movie, Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs.

Aileen’s Musings
Aileen’s created a quirky copper bird pin,,,,stop by and check it.

Alexa Westerfield a.k.a Swelldesigner
Alexa [...]

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How to Weave a Ric Rac Lampshade

August 21, 2009
Thumbnail image for How to Weave a Ric Rac Lampshade

I’m hard at work finishing up the next ebook in the blogging series right now, so I’ll just pop in here to share a new tutorial I have up on CRAFT.
This lampshade project is, in fact, a little off-loom weaving project. You turn the shade itself into a simple loom, and then weave in various [...]

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Recent Goodies

August 20, 2009

One of the best things about this summer has been seeing so many crafty peeps in person – and not just because many of them brought gifties.
But, I do have a lot of wonderful gifties to share with you today! Starting with this gorgeous button brooch, made by Stephanie. This was a thank-you for the [...]

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Review: Crocheted Gifts

August 18, 2009

So, it’s August, which means that, yes, we should really be turning our attention to what we’re going to make for holiday gifts this year. Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaack.

Still, this is great timing for Crocheted Gifts to come out from Interweave Press. It’s a lovely collection of projects to make and give, designed by crochet luminaries including Doris [...]

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sewExpecting ebook, by Leigh Ann Tennant

August 18, 2009

I linked to this one in the latest podcast, but wanted to give it a fuller review here. Leigh Ann Tennant, who writes an excellent blog called The Object Project, has released an ebook of simple sewing projects for new mothers.

sewExpecting contains 20 projects, which include bibs, burp cloths, changing mats, diaper clutches, and blankets. [...]

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CraftyPod #98: Two Ways to Publish a Craft Book, with June Gilbank

August 15, 2009
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In this show:
- Some straight talk about crafty publishing: what’s it really like to have a craft book published the traditional way? And what’s it like to publish a crafty ebook?
- Plus, a short interview with June Gilbank, who sells self-published crochet patterns, and has a print book in progress, and has just released [...]

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A delightful zine about The Borrowers

August 14, 2009

The past few weeks have brought me several great new zines. This amazing thing, by Su Mwamba, makes me 100% happy.

If you’re not familiar with The Borrowers, they’re the subject of a delightful childrens’ book series. A race of tiny people who stay hidden from full-size humans, but “borrow” all kinds of things to help [...]

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Giveaway: Crochet Adorned!

August 12, 2009

Two things: first, this is a project I contributed to Crochet Adorned – double-layered trivets. ‘Twas fun! And believe me, If I can make these, anybody can. Anybody.

And secondly, I have an extra copy of this fine book to give away!

Leave a comment here and tell me what you find most challenging about crochet. I’ll [...]

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Review: Crochet Adorned

August 12, 2009

I have dreams of someday crocheting a garment for myself, but it’s really unlikely that will ever happen. I just don’t have the time to develop all the skills needed for that particular kind of craft.
But I’m super excited about Linda Permann’s new book, Crochet Adorned. Linda’s taken the genius approach of crocheting pretty trims [...]

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Check Out Craftig!

August 11, 2009

Here’s a cool new crafty resource for all of us – Craftig, a crafty social bookmarking website.
What is social bookmarking? Well it works like this…
Let’s say you find a craft tutorial you really like. You want to be able to find it on the web again, and you want to let others know about it. [...]

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Embroidery + Metal?

August 10, 2009

Here’s something I’ve been noodling around with lately – embroidered metal discs!

Wait – what?

I bought a bag of these perforated beading discs a while back, intending to make some beaded pieces a la Miriam Haskell.

Only I never quite got around to those, and eventually a different light bulb went on over my head. I could [...]

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A Market Quickie

August 9, 2009

Sadly, book-related things have kept us out of the farmer’s markets the past couple weekends. But we did get in a quick visit to Orenco Market this morning. The light was lovely!

We scored two pints of these gorgeous blackberries, which might become muffins or smoothies if they last long enough.

…And I loved these interesting striped [...]

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Craft-Linky Goodness

August 8, 2009

Here’s what The Crafty Bloggers have been up to this week. . .

_________________________________________________________

About Family Crafts
Hurry on over and submit your photos and ideas! Sherri is now accepting Halloween submissions. Share your costumes, haunted house ideas, more and browse through the photos everyone else has submitted.

Aileen’s Musings
Aileen is offering a book giveaway! See how [...]

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Help CraftyPod Turn 100!

August 7, 2009

This blows my mind, but the CraftyPod podcast is nearing its 100th episode! I thought it would be fun to celebrate with a special show, and I’d love your help.

My plan is to have K interview me, and the questions would come from you! Seriously, what do you want to know about the show? Or [...]

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Getting back to what’s REALLY important…

August 6, 2009

I know what you’re thinking…

“Sure, Diane, that’s all well and good about that whole book thing, but WHEN are you going to get back to blogging about plastic canvas?!”

Well, at Urban Craft Uprising I got to meet Dawnise, who, in addition to being awesome, gifted me with some great PC stuff, including this magazine. Say [...]

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My Powell’s Moment

August 5, 2009

So… I had my book signing at Powell’s last night. This was, co-incidentally, my last book event, wrapping up two weeks of intense promotions. And it was pretty dang cool.

One of the best things (from a geeky standpoint) about author events at Powell’s is this freaking amazing podium. I’ve wanted to stand behind that bad-boy [...]

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Mom reviews my book! (And makes something cool…)

August 4, 2009

It’s definitely a fun thing to have a book out, but I’ll tell you what’s way more fun: having your Mom review said book on her own blog, and make a killer project from it!

Mom did an awesome mashup of two projects in the book: the Tiny Blossom Earrings and the Back to Back Ornament. [...]

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Kanzashi Invades Powell’s Books – Tonight!

August 4, 2009

 
Hey, Locals – tonight’s the big night. I’ll be doing a book signing event at Powell’s Books downtown!

We start at 7:30pm in the Pearl Room. I’ll talk a bit about where Kanzashi comes from and share a few stories from the making of the book. Then I’ll do some Q&A, and then we’ll all fold [...]

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CraftyPod #97: A Top Etsy Seller Downsizes, with Ryan McAbery

August 2, 2009
Thumbnail image for CraftyPod #97: A Top Etsy Seller Downsizes, with Ryan McAbery

A set of Ryan’s new photo blocks

 
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In this show:

- And interview with Ryan McAbery , who was a top seller on Etsy, and then decided to walk away from it.

- Learn what drove Ryan to leave her business behind, and what’s bringing her fresh inspiration now.

- Gain some perspective on the benefits and drawbacks of [...]

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An Awesome Day at Urban Craft Uprising

August 2, 2009

I don’t think I’ve ever had a day fly by faster, but Urban Craft Uprising was a total blast.
It’s still going on today (Sunday), so if you’re near Seattle, you should stop by! A great space, and so many intriguing artisans. Plus, crafty demos all day, taught by awesome people!

After getting lost in downtown Seattle, [...]

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Blog Book Tour (Last) Stop: West Coast Crafty

August 2, 2009

Whew! The Kanzashi In Bloom Blog Tour comes to an end over at West Coast Crafty. Susan Beal and I both live in PDX, so we got together recently to make some Kanzashi from vintage fabrics and buttons.

(…Because Susan knows her vintage buttons!)

Anyway, we had a great time, and Susan documented our fun. Her photos [...]

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See you in Seattle this weekend?

July 31, 2009

Hey, Seattelites – I’m super excited to be going to Urban Craft Uprising tomorrow!

I’ll be there teaching a little Kanzashi-making workshop from 12:30 – 1:30, and then signing books from 2-3. I’d love to meet you!

Actually, UCU will be packed with crafty demos and signings, including Susan Beal, Becky Stern, Jennifer Worick, Moxie, Kristen [...]

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Book Blog Tour Stop: Dudecraft

July 31, 2009

Today, the Kanzashi In Bloom Blog Tour stops at Dudecraft. Paul Overton delivers one of the hardest-hitting interviews about Japanese fabric flowers ever published.

As in, Ouch! I still have some bruises.

Seriously, it’s dang funny. Link on over and take a look! And by the way, check out Pauls’ awesome Dudezashi.

The whole blog tour is – [...]

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Book Blog Tour Stop: Average Jane Crafter

July 30, 2009

Today’s stop on the Kanzashi In Bloom Blog Tour is super fun!
Rachel Hobson, of Average Jane Crafter, not only reviews the book, but she interviewed my thumbs!
Wait – what?
It all makes sense if you read her post. Which is hilarious!
The whole blog tour, you may have heard, is over here.

var addthis_pub = ’sisterdiane’;
var addthis_language [...]

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Beating the Heat…

July 30, 2009

Yesterday, K. and I headed downtown in search of air conditioning, and stopped at Summer Arts on Main to say hi to a couple friends.
It’s been horribly hot in PDX. So we were stoked to score these koozies for all the cold drinks we’re chugging. They’re from Merritt at PDX Softgoods.

I’m still kicking myself for [...]

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Book Blog Tour Stop: Zakka Life

July 29, 2009

Today, the Kanzashi In Bloom Blog Tour stops at Zakka Life. Jessica Okui has a nice review of the book, and a peek at a couple more projects: the Stretch & Bloom Headband, and the Super Star Tote.

(Which is a good opportunity to mention: you can make more than flowers with these Kanzashi techniques! In [...]

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Blog Book Tour Stop: Betz White

July 28, 2009

Today, we stop over at Betz White’s blog on the Kanzashi In Bloom Blog Tour.

Betz is offering up a giveaway, illustrated with some of the most beautiful book-review photos I’ve seen. She’s also offering a peek at a few projects, including a Kanzashi ponytail clip and some cheery little shoe clips.

Link on over to her [...]

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Book Blog Tour Stop: Whipup

July 27, 2009

We’re stopping at Whipup today on the Kanzashi In Bloom Blog Tour.

For something a little different, I contributed a guest post about one of the few remaining traditional Kanzashi masters in the world. Her name is Kuniko Kanawa, and she’s on a mission to keep the traditional form of this craft alive.

Link over to Whipup [...]

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Special Dealio on Ebooks for Cut Out + Keep Readers!

July 27, 2009

Look! It’s a non-Kanzashi post! :-)
I thought y’all might like to know that Cut Out + Keep just posted a review of my weaving ebook, and is offering up a coupon deal!
Link on over to get a coupon code that’ll give you 20% off any ebook or tutorial purchase in my shop. Blogging ebook included!
The [...]

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Still hoping to win a free copy?

July 26, 2009

Psssssssssssst! If you’re looking to win a free copy of Kanzashi In Bloom, I thought you’d like to know about two new giveaways going on:
- CraftStylish is giving one copy away. Enter their drawing over here. Deadline is Wednesday, July 29.
- Craft Gossip also has a giveaway copy. You can enter that drawing here, and [...]

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A great book event at Twisted!

July 26, 2009

Yesterday’s book event at Twisted was just lovely! I arrived to find this in the shop’s front window – how freaking cool is that? Shannon and Emily, who co-own the store, are the kindest and most community-engaged women. If you haven’t visited Twisted, you really should. It’s such a great place to hang out.
(And, [...]

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Book Blog Tour Stop: Futuregirl

July 26, 2009
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Blog Book Tour stop: Dollar Store Crafts

July 25, 2009

It’s the Kanzashi In Bloom Blog Tour, Weekend Edition!

Heather Mann of Dollar Store Crafts offers up a nice, comprehensive post on the book today, and she interviewed me about how to make Kanzashi on the cheap.

I also love how she adapted one of the projects for dollar store materials! She took the Sampler Wall [...]

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Kanzashi for all in PDX Tomorrow

July 24, 2009

Here’s my project for today – cutting out lots of fabric squares for tomorrow’s Kanzashi event at Twisted!

I hope you can stop by – between 3 and 5pm, I’ll be there teaching all comers to make a flower. You can also get an up-close look at some of the projects from the book.

Oh – and [...]

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Book Blog Tour Stop: Love Forever

July 24, 2009

The Kanzashi In Bloom Blog Tour continues today over at Love Forever. Kayte Terry interviewed me about how this crazy book project came to be (answer: quite by accident), and how I added my design eye to a centuries-old craft.

And, Kayte has a fun giveaway!

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Book Blog Tour Stop: A Little Hut

July 23, 2009

Today is the third stop in the Kanzashi In Bloom Blog Book Tour!

Over on A Little Hut, Patricia Zapata has an interview with me, in which we discuss my earliest craft project, a brief history of the podcast, my advice to people who want a crafty business, and my crafty obsessions. I had lots [...]

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Resource Roundup #21

July 23, 2009

Here are some webby goodies I’ve been saving for ya…

Did you know that an estimated 95% of fabric buyers shop at big-box fabric stores? How sad, when there are so many great independents out there!

Be sure and check out Project 95, an effort to get more fabric-lovers supporting local indie stores. They have an awesome [...]

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Book Blog Tour Stop: Lindamade

July 22, 2009

Stop #2 on the Kanzashi In Bloom Blog Tour is Lindamade. Linda Permann has a nice glimpse into the book, showing some of the step-by-step instructions that my Mom photographed. She also shows one of my favorite projects: the Elegant Floral Gift Topper.

And, even better, Linda’s also offering a giveaway! Link over to her post [...]

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Ebook Review: The Punchneedle Handbook

July 22, 2009

All photos in this post are by June Gilbank, Planet June.
I’m so excited to see crafty ebooks becoming part of our landscape! June Gilbank (who you may know from Planet June) has just released a really cool one called The Punchneedle Handbook.
If you’re wondering what the heck punchneedle embroidery is, it’s an interesting form of [...]

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Book Blog Tour Stop: CRAFT

July 21, 2009

Okay, the Kanzashi In Bloom Blog Tour begins! Natalie Zee Drieu wrote a lovely review on CRAFT this morning. She also interviewed me about the book, my creative process, and future projects.

Oh – and, CRAFT is giving away three copies! So, link on over and leave your comment now! (Thank you, Natalie!)

You can keep up [...]

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Kanzashi in Bloom

July 21, 2009
Thumbnail image for Kanzashi in Bloom

I cannot believe I’m saying this, but today’s the big day! Kanzashi In Bloom is finally released into the wild.
Just one year ago at this time, I was working crazy long hours finishing up the writing and making. Let me tell you, K. deserves sainthood for putting up with me during that time.
Anyway, there’s a [...]

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My Mom’s having a Giveaway!

July 20, 2009

Hey, everyone – you might want to pop over to my Mom’s blog this week and enter her Christmas in July giveaway. To celebrate the arrival of June 25th, Mom’s having a drawing for this ornament – which hails from the 1970’s and has hung on our family Christmas tree for many years. Cute, huh?

Just [...]

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Smub for Crafters

July 20, 2009

I have something a little techy for you today – but if you’re a crafter who shares links to interesting websites on Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr, or others, you might find this useful.

I’ve been playing around with a new service called Smub lately. It’s a nifty little tool that makes saving and sharing web links much [...]

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Craft-Linky Goodness

July 19, 2009

Here’s what The Crafty Bloggers have been up to this week. . .
_________________________________________________________
About Family Crafts
Family Crafts needs your help! Be the first to submit a photo of this completed craft and be featured on the Family Crafts site!
Aileen’s Musings
Your help is needed…Please take a moment to help make a difference We have a chance [...]

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CraftyPod #96: Nuts About Needlepoint, with Janet Perry

July 18, 2009

Welcome to the CraftyPod, a craft podcast all about making stuff.
Click the “Play” button at the bottom of this post to listen!
In this show:
- All about needlepoint, with Janet Perry, who’s on a mission to change the way we think about this craft.

- Some discussion of why needlepoint is a perfect craft for today, and [...]

 
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A Dip into the Market

July 18, 2009

It was a rather hot trip to the Hillsboro Market this morning, despite our attempts to get it done early before the heat.

Still, worth it to get a load of these Ranier cherries! They look like they’re glowing from within.

I’m most excited about pickling some green beans this week, and trying out one of the [...]

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Review: The Complete Guide to Wire & Beaded Jewelry

July 16, 2009

I circle back to wire crafting pretty regularly. Wire is such an intriguing medium for jewelry, and doesn’t require any special soldering or cutting skills. And, thanks to The Complete Guide to Wire & Beaded Jewelry, I can see just how many cool possibilities it has.

Clearly, Linda Jones knows her wirework backwards and forwards, and [...]

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How to Make Cute Candy Sachets

July 15, 2009

Here’s another guest tutorial – this time on Dabbled. (I’m one of several bloggers covering for the uber-talented Dot while she’s on vacation this week.)

This little drawer sachet project came to life when I was noodling around with some woven squares. I was using some variegated Sugar n’ Cream, which wove up to look a [...]

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Review: The Enthusiast

July 14, 2009

Something a little different today – a review of a fiction novel!
The Enthusiast isn’t exactly a crafty novel, although crochet does figure prominently in the plot. Actually, the back-cover summary had me at hello:
“Henry Bay has his own America going. If there’s an offbeat interest or extreme sport that’s poised to sweep the nation, chances [...]

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My Button Memories

July 13, 2009

A note for my button-loving friends – Stephanie has just launched a new series on her blog, called Button Memories. In it, she’ll feature interviews with crafters about their button obsessions.

I’m honored to be the first interview guest in the series! So if you want to know all about how this monkey became attached to [...]

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Upcoming Book Event Dates!

July 13, 2009

Hey, Locals – and those with travel plans…
I thought I’d better let y’all know the dates of my upcoming Kanzashi book events. I would love, love, love to see you at one!
First up, I’ll be at Twisted on Saturday, July 25th from 3-5pm. We’ll be making Kanzashi brooches, so you can stop in, learn a [...]

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A Little Housekeeping Note

July 12, 2009

After thinking about it for way too long, I’ve finally installed a new comment-management system on this here blog. It’s called DISQUS, and it’s dandy.

You won’t notice a whole lot of difference, except that it’s now easier for you to reply to other people’s comments here, which is cool for fostering discussion. (See the lower [...]

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The Market in mid-July…

July 11, 2009

I just kicked off the weekend at the Hillsboro Farmer’s Market. There aren’t any tomatoes yet, but oh, my! The berries!

On tap for this weekend, more blueberry muffins, a raspberry yogurt smoothie, and some cherry scones.

This week also marked our first sighting of our favorite garlic grower. He has so many varieties, and if we [...]

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