Saturday night I made a special trip to Reform School in Silverlake to attend Christine Haynes book party (and I won a raffle too, Yay!). She wrote Chic and Simple Sewing:
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It seems a lot of people I know have recently published books. Jenny Ryan from Felt Club and Home Ec. published Sew Darn Cute, full of projects based on items from her Sew Darn Cute line. I went to her book party at Reform School a few months back and got her Jenny Hancock on my copy.
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Another book party I went to last month at Handmade Galleries was for Kathy Cano-Murillo (see my last outing with her here). Her book, Crafty Chica's Guide to Artful Sewing:
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and me (sporting some Crafty Chica earrings I won.)
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but I'm waiting to get it when she comes back for an L.A. visit and has a book party. You should get it though, because it looks lovely. I loooves me some buttons.
Other Crafty Books you will want on your bookshelf:
Handmade Nation: The Rise of DIY, Art, Craft, and Design by Faythe Levine.
The Naughty Secretary Club Working Girls Guide to Handmade Jewelry by Jennifer Perkins.
Tiny Yarn Animals: Amigurumi Friends to Make and Enjoy by Tamie Snow.
(more to come.)
All of these ladies are inspiring. For years I kept thinking that one-of-a-kinds were where it's at. I'm learning though, that while a one-of-a-kind is special and precious, showing someone how to make their own one-of-a-kind is empowering. I've been writing more tutorials and leading some crafty workshops for this reason, and have recently gotten a couple small publishing opportunities (which I won't discuss until I actually see them in print). Seeing your words printed for the masses is exciting! I've learned though, that the first rule of writing a book is don't tell anyone about the book you're writing, at least not until it's almost done. Therefore, I won't be discussing my book, but look for it on bookshelves in 10-20 years!
I've discovered through Facebook (am I talking about Facebook too much?) that I have other friends who've recently published books also. I haven't had the chance to pick them up yet so I can't give a proper review, but if they're anything like the people who wrote them, then I'm sure they're awesome.
My former Appalachian studies professor and friend, Dr. Tate, wrote Power in the Blood: A Family Narrative:
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And another Shepherdstown friend and Martinsburg Journal alum Seth Muller recently published a book for young adults entitled Keepers of the Windclaw Chronicles.
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My friend Karen writes books too. She's a celebrity among Canadian teenagers and her books are even taught in schools. I especially love her Haley Andromeda series (I'm even included in the thank you section of one of them). Check out all the books she's written on her website karenrivers.com.
What about you? What book is inspiring you right now? Do you have a book? If so, leave a comment and tell me about it and I'll add a link to it in this post. If you took the time to read my lil ole blog then I'll gladly promote your literary labor of love.