Home Made

Story Time Clock designed by Jim Rosenau for The Repurposed Library by Lisa Occhipinti

Although spring's arrival in New York has been hesitant at best, there's just something about this time of year that incites a need for a refresh, especially at home. There's no quicker or more personal way to liven things up than with handmade decor, and STC Craft books are chock-full of luscious inspiration for making some changes around your place. Here are some of my favorite ways to perk things up for the new season:

Getting organized is an essential part of the process, but it doesn't have to be boring. These monogrammed plates and colorful hook organizer from Past & Present by Amy Azzarito are a great way to put some order to all of the little bits that clutter up an entryway:

From L to R: Empire-Inspired Plates designed by Julia Rothman; Hollywood Hang-It-All designed by Ashley Meaders

Sometimes, all you need to transform an uninspiring piece of furniture is a quick coat of fresh paint! Printing by Hand by Lena Corwin has so many inspiring projects to choose from:

From L to R: Linen Lampshade and Dressed-Up Dresser

New textiles instantly update a room, and even just one bright, graphic pillow or throw makes a big impact. I love these options from Kaffe Fassett Quilts Shots and Stripes by Kaffe Fassett and Liza Prior Lucy and More Last-Minute Knitted Gifts by Joelle Hoverson.

From L to R: Zigzag Cushions from Kaffe Fassett Quilts Shots and Stripes ; Bright Stripes Blanket from More Last-Minute Knitted Gifts

Everything feels so much more homey with greenery around, and a small terrarium, like this one from Twig Terrarium's Tiny World Terrariums , and a handmade vase filled with fresh flowers, like this one from Crafting a Meaningful Home by Meg Mateo Ilasco, are a great way to bring the outside in:

From L to R: Adventurers Terrarium designed from Tiny World Terrariums; Rockite Bottle Vases designed by Anna Corpron & Sean Auyeung from Crafting a Meaningful Home

Make sure to follow us on Pinterest for more inspiration! What are your favorite ways to spruce up your home come spring? We'd love to hear in the comments!

How to Look and Feel Great in Your Clothes: A Guest Post by Knit to Flatter Author Amy Herzog

I’m so excited by the response Knit to Flatter has gotten, it’s hard to put into words. So many who have reviewed the book truly understood its core message: That your body is perfect just the way it is and nothing about you needs to be “fixed”, and that your clothing can make you feel phenomenal. This message is bigger than just knitting. Hand-knit garments are treasures, to be sure…

…but we can and should love all of our clothes, regardless of whether or not we made them.  To explore this implementation of my “Fit to Flatter” ideas in a broader context, I started a series on my own blog called “Fashion Fridays”. I thought you might like to share in an excerpt!

In this post, I wear the same clothes in two different ways, and briefly step through why they look so different. (For more, please see the original post.)

 Let’s start with the basics. The clothing, lighting, makeup, and conditions are the same. I’m smiling in both pictures. My underlying body shape is a proportional one, with a very straight waist and a long torso/short legs for my height.

I’m totally uncomfortable on the right, though, and it shows. Fashion point #1:

If you’re not comfortable in it, you won’t look good in it.

Your happy spot, clothing wise, is a very personal one. I’m not out to give you some crazy, restrictive rules you need follow slavishly. I’m here to help you figure out how clothing can make you happy. If something doesn’t feel good? Don’t wear it!

Clothing changes the way your inherent body shape looks in four main ways:

• Horizontal lines or visual impressions broaden a region of the body
• Vertical lines or visual impressions narrow a region of the body
• A single piece of fabric/color/texture lengthens a region of the body
• Many different pieces of fabric/color/texture shorten a region of the body

So what’s going on with these outfits?

On the right, there aren’t really any strong horizontal or vertical lines present in the way I’m wearing my outfit. So the eye travels elsewhere: You can see lots of details of my figure under this very plain clothing, and the eye is drawn to my hands and thighs, visually widening them. My torso looks quite long due to the solid block of gray, and my legs look very short thanks to the many different vertical sections

Contrast that with the visual impressions I’m giving in the left-hand picture: My contrast-colored tank, now visible in curvy strips and at my hips, shortens my torso and paints a curvier waist. My legs are lengthened by my long, plain pants. My deep V-neckline brings my bust visually up close to my head.

There are lots of reasons I’m more comfortable in the clothing on the left, and other people perceive me differently as a result. Again–I’m not saying one way is “right” and the other “wrong” for everyone–far from it!

But for me personally, one outfit makes me feel beautiful, and the other dumpy. And that shows!  

Amy Herzog is the author of Knit to Flatter: The only instructions you’ll ever need to knit sweaters that make you look good and feel great!. She teach classes around the US and online about creating sweaters that are tailored, clean, and fit perfectly into every wardrobe. You can find a full list of her designs on her designs page and in her Ravelry designer profile. For more information, visit her blog.

My Dysfunctional Relationship with Creativity: A Guest Post by Dawn DeVries Sokol

"Just Let Go" by Dawn DeVries Sokol

Creativity isn’t 24/7.

It doesn’t occur 9 to 5. It doesn’t have a schedule.

Creativity rarely sticks around when I need it the most.

Creativity loves to play games with my head. It keeps me awake at night when I would love to be sleeping. It lies dormant for days on end when I’m trying desperately to work on a project.

Creativity likes to elude me. It hides and laughs at me from dark corners, it taunts me when I’m missing it so, it tells me I don’t deserve it in my life.

But Creativity is also the best friend I have. Creativity whispers great ideas in my ear and gives me a tingly feeling when it wants to tell me I’m going in the right direction. Creativity can make me feel on top of the world at times.

But then it will suddenly disappear and make me feel like a slug.

What do I do when Creativity vanishes from my life?

I leave my studio. I watch a movie. I read a book. I go for a walk. I meet someone for lunch. I chat with a friend over coffee. I look at magazines. I take a workshop.

When I’m ready to coax Creativity to come out of its cave, I doodle. I turn on some music and open my art journal to any page and just start doodling. I begin with my favorite shapes and build on those. Line after line, circle after circle, heart after heart, Creativity envelops me once again and whispers in my ear: ideas, dreams, thoughts, and sparks of light.

And I am whole again.

Dawn DeVries Sokol is the author of Art Doodle Love: A Journal of Self-Discovery and several other books on art journaling and doodling. She teaches online doodling and art journaling workshops at www.dawndsokol.com.

A Kaffe Fassett Quilts Shots and Stripes Giveaway!

In Kaffe Fassett Quilts Shots and Stripes, quilt master Kaffe Fassett and coauthor Liza Prior Lucy present 24 projects—small and large, beginner and advanced—made with iridescent solid-colored cotton fabrics (called shot cottons) and woven striped cotton fabrics. Inspired by worldwide travels and a plethora of ethnic textiles, including Amish quilts in America, Japanese indigo patched work clothes, and African weavings, the projects featured include full-size bed quilts as well as smaller pieces that can be completed more quickly, such as throws, wall hangings, table runners, and pillows.

To celebrate this thrilling new installment from the celebrated quilter (and the launch of their new quilting workshops), our friends over at Creativebug are giving three lucky winners fabulous prizes inspired by the book!

Two prize bundles include a copy of Kaffe Fassett Quilts Shots and Stripes: 24 New Projects Made with Shot Cottons and Striped Fabrics and a three-month subscription to Creativebug, and one lucky grand prize winner will receive all of the above PLUS a Kaffe Fassett fabric bundle courtesy of Westminster Fibers!

To enter the sweepstakes, click here and enter your email address. Entering also gives you access to a free video workshop taught by Kaffe Fassett himself. The sweepstakes ends April 25th with winners announced soon after, so hurry on over to Creativebug and enter today!

A Retro-Inspired Soiree with Past & Present's Amy Azzarito

What better way to celebrate a love of decorative arts history and DIY than with a retro-inpired soiree? Amid the din of excited revelers and vintage recordings, we joined Amy Azzarito at West Elm to celebrate her new book, Past & Present: 24 Favorite Moments in Decorative Arts History and 24 Modern DIY Projects Inspired by Them.

With projects from the book sprinkled throughout the store, guests were encouraged to follow the map created by West Elm and visit them.

While Amy signed copies of her book beneath the gleaming Art Deco Mobile designed by CONFETTISYSTEM, Marketing Manager Ellie Levine and I started exploring. Doesn't the Gustavian Clock designed by Kate Pruitt make quite a statement?

Clockwise from top left: Art Deco Mobile by CONFETTISYSTEM, Wallflower Hangings by EmersonMade, Gustavian Clock by Kate Pruitt, and Grotto Jewelry Box by Erica Domesek

Some of the other projects were harder to spot. The Arts & Crafts Woodblock Lamp designed by Meg Mateo Ilasco looked so at home on the terrarium table that we walked by it a few times before we realized what it was!

Clockwise from top left: Arts & Crafts Woodblock Lamp by Meg Mateo Ilasco, Branch & Crystal Chandelier by The Wild Unknown, Tassel Blanket by Randi Brookman Harris, and Gothic Heraldry Pillowcase by Linea Carta

During our wandering, we also found some familiar faces, like Past & Present illustrator Julia Rothman, STC Craft Publishing Director Melanie Falick with Sun Young Park (illustrator of Gertie's New Book for Better Sewing, Alabama Stitch Book, and Knitting from the Center Out), and Grace Bonney from Design*Sponge.

And at one point or another, it seemed like everyone took a trip to the Smilebooth, ourselves included.

Congratulations to Amy on her lovely, albeit snowy, reception! See what some of these fantastic projects look like in your own homes by picking up a copy of Past & Present today.