Hello! I’m back from a short and lovely vacation with the family and excited to catch up with all of you. I’ve been working on lots of creative projects and will be sharing those is posts sprinkled out over the course of the next several days. A new podcast is in the works, too. I […]

Hello! I have a little catching up to do this week. I’m going to start off by participating in Kathreen Ricketson’s blog tour for her new book: “Whip Up Mini Quilts: Patterns and How-to for More Than 20 Contemporary Small Quilts.” Read on for a sneak peek of the piped binding tutorial from p. 44 […]

Baking gingerbread cookies is a big part of our holiday routine here at the CraftSanity headquarters. And the book, “Cookie Craft Christmas: Dozens of Decorating Ideas for a Sweet Holiday” by Valerie Peterson and Janice Fryer is packed with inspiration to up your game this year when it comes to cookie embellishment. (To bad the […]

Shhh. Don’t tell my little Amelia, but I’ve been stitching up a storm for her birthday. I have a million things to finish before the big day, but I feel compelled to stop stitching for a bit to tell you about the inspiration for this project from “Hand-Stitched Felt: 25 Whimsical Sewing Projects” by Kata […]

Crochet played a key role in my development as a young crafter. I got “hooked” around age 5 at Great Grandma Case’s Sunday night craft table where I learned to stitch granny squares with the crafty women in my family. I still LOVE to whip up projects with my old set of aluminum needles. (My […]

I recently interviewed Trond Anfinnsen, aka “knitKid” and author of “Hat Heads: 1 Man + 2 Knitting Needles = 50 Fun Hat Designs,” for the podcast and can’t wait to share the story behind this fun book that documents how one man used knitting to connect with people in his life. While I work on […]

Okay, folks, now’s your chance to win a copy of “Journal Bliss: Creative Prompts to Unleash Your Inner Eccentric” by Violette. To enter, all you have to do is share your favorite art journaling or writing prompt in the comment section below. If the prompt is not your original idea, please credit your source with […]

When I sit quietly with an empty page in front of me, pausing for a moment before picking up my paint brush, I’m often surprised by what comes out on paper. I get answers on almost every page. Art journals are great that way, even for those of us who don’t consider ourselves great painters […]

Today Betz White, author of “Sewing Green 25 Projects Made With Repurposed & Organic Materials” wraps up her blog tour with a stop at CraftSanity. Keep reading to find out how you can enter the random drawing to win the book which is loaded with projects that will inspire you to shop your closets and […]

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This week my Grand Rapids Press craft column is a review of some inspiring new craft books. You can read the column on my newspaper blog. And be sure to read it all the way to the end to find out how to enter to win a copy of “Weekend Sewing” by Heather Ross. I […]

I’ve been distracted ever since I got my hands on a copy of “Weekend Sewing” by Heather Ross. It’s a beautiful book (STC Craft, $27.50) featuring illustrations by Heather and great photography by John Gruen. According to the subtitle, the book is loaded with “more than 40 projects and ideas for inspirational sewing.” And I’m […]

I look for answers to life’s big questions everywhere. Billboards, headlines, vanity license plates, those inspirational signs in front of churches. (I LOVE those signs in front of churches.) Today a review copy of a book by a man with some answers arrived up in my mailbox: “What Color Is Your Parachute? A Practical Manual […]

Franklin Habit’s book, “It Itches: A Stash of Knitting Cartoon” (Interweave, $12.95), landed on my welcome mat last week and, wow, what a treat! I’ve heard Franklin read his knitting related essays on the podcast circuit, so I was well aware of his skill in the humor department. But I had yet to realize his […]

How do you like these apples? Lovely, eh? There’s nothing like a bushel of fresh, locally grown apples to welcome fall. Sunday night I made two batches of applesauce and probably have enough apples to make at least four more. The plan is to load up the freezer and serve this delightful sauce warm as […]