my craft book library

Last post I showed a peak inside a vintage craft book I found at a resale shop last summer.  Even though the internet is a great source for tutorials and inspiration, I still love a good craft book.  Here are some of my favorites from my library.

1. Alabama Stitch Book -- lots of great embroidery inspiration, although some are a bit intimidating.

2. Doodle Stitching -- lots of cute little simple embroidery patterns and projects.  This book inspired me to start drawing my own embroidery designs.  This is a great book for beginners.

3.  Drawing Lab -- If you are looking to improve your drawing skills and gain more confidence I highly recommend the exercises in this book.  You will feel like an artist in no time!

4.  French General: Home Sewn -- Beautiful photos of French Country inspired projects.  The fabrics used in this book are so beautiful you want to reach through the pages and grab them!

5.  Printing by Hand -- Lots of great, simple techniques for creating your own fabric prints.  Get ready to get dirty!

What are some of your favorite craft books?

inspired by: vintage craft book find

Last summer I was in a resale shop with some friends when I found this vintage craft book from the seventies.  The colors and crafts remind of things I saw in my home and my friends homes when I was a little girl (yes, I was actually alive for a few years in the seventies!).  

I can't wait to dig into these pages for inspiration!!!  Can you say macrame?

Here is a little peak at what's inside...

inspired by: upcycling

Thrift stores, antique malls, and even Etsy shops are great places to find interesting vintage fabrics for sewing projects.

I bought some vintage pillow cases from this Etsy shop and made one into the daisy pillow cover shown above.  Shhhhhh... I have a pretty cool vintage pillow case project in process, but not ready to show yet!

I'm always on the lookout for great wool cardigans to make into pretty cardigan pillow covers.  Here's my cardigan pillow cover tutorial. 

When a bought a blanket on sale it came with two pillow shams that I didn't need.  So I made one sham into a gold pillow cover.

I always snatch up vintage leather belts to turn into bag straps like in this grain sack messenger bag.

What are your favorite things to upcycle in projects?

inspired by: one word

I love words.  I love fonts.  I love typefaces.  I incorporate this love into a lot of my projects; embroidering words, stamping words, or painting words.

Ali Edwards does a one little word project each year.  Each word is just waiting to be turned into a crafty project.  Here are some of my favorites:

awake  .  balance  .  breathe  .  build  .  do  .  dream  .  energy  .  expand  .  focus  .  forge  .  grace  .  join  .  leap  .  less  .  move  .  now  .  pace  .  prepare  .  prosper  .  quest  .  reach  .  relish  .  shine  .  stretch  .  strong  .  tend  .  try  .  uplift  .  whole  .  within  .  yes

And here's a little word inspiration from Etsy:

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inspired by: folk art

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Last weekend I spent some time in a beautiful home.  It was massively big (probably over 6,000 square feet, WOW!).  The home was new, but built in an arts and crafts style.  It was classic architecture and furnishings built for the way we live today with a large open kitchen, big bathrooms, and closet space.

I got to see some great pieces from a "folk art" company called Sticks.  The company was new to me, but located in Iowa (shout out to my home state!).  I saw the flag above (amazing) and a striking perpetual calendar.

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I couldn't wait to check out the website when I got home.  It's a bit pricey, but I took away some great inspiration.  I could totally see these designs interpreted as embroideries or appliques!

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I added an interpretation of this plaque to my sketch book with a Sharpie and some watercolors.  The website is bookmarked as a source for future ideas. 

an inspiring read

read this.  i found it super inspiring.

inspired by: supplies

I need a creative laxative.  I'm seriously blocked.  It seems like creativity is feast or famine for me.  Sometimes I have so many ideas that I can't decide which to attack first.  My old boss would call that a "high class problem."  Other times every idea feels forced and I'm never really satisfied with my finished projects.  That's where I'm at right now.

I worked on half finished projects that had fallen by the wayside waiting for new creative ideas to strike.  Nothing.  I went through all my idea books and old project "to-do" lists looking for inspiration, but none came.  I've left no Pinterest search or linky party gallery unturned in my quest to relieve my creative constipation.

Where does inspiration come from anyway?  How is an idea born?  While I work on unblocking I thought I would share some former sources of inspiration each week.  Maybe it will help if you are blocked too.

Can you think of anything more splendid than strolling through a craft store on a Saturday afternoon?  Maybe I could think of a few places I'd rather visit, but a craft store is definitely toward the top of my list.  Generally I shop with a purpose, making a beeline for the fabrics.  If I have time I will cruise through the scrapbooking aisles.  Even though I don't scrapbook as much as I used to I still like to see what is new.  

The scrapbooking aisle is where I got the idea to make my own decorative measuring tape.  This was a total copy of an (in my opinion) over priced scrapbooking embellishment.

And I never would have tried this coin purse if I hadn't found the frame on sale.

When it comes to supplies, if I see something that I absolutely love and the price is right I buy it.  I figure the inspiration will come later.  Sometimes it works, sometimes I just add to the clutter in my craft room. 

Last weekend I was wandering the aisles of a craft store and found myself in the stained glass and mosaics aisle.  I wasn't ready to invest in a whole new genre of craft supplies, but I can't get those bags of colored tiles out of my mind...  

Maybe I planted a seed for a future project.  Only time will tell.