"It's fun, it's retro?and it's back in style. Take a fond look back at the kitschy crafts of the 40s, 50s, 60s, 70s, and 80s, from crocheted doilies to shell-art nightlights. All these nostalgic creations appear in appropriately fashioned period settings that will captivate browsers, and come with instructions for those who just can't resist creating their own string-art pictures, pink flamingo items, far-out tie dyes, kooky candles, macrame; plant hangers, and the one-time must-have on every coffee table: a resin-cast grape cluster. And, of course, who can live without the hottest toy of all? The Sock Monkey Doll. Everyone will have a blast poring over these?even those who have never made a craft in their lives"--Publisher's description.

You won't find die-cut teddy bears, cross-stitched friendship plaques, or ducks painted with bonnets in this hipster collection of crafts from Craftster.org founder, Leah Kramer. You will find forty easy-to-make,fun-to-wear, and stylish-to-display projects pulled straight from the pages of vintage craft books--plus ten all-new retro-inspired crafts-including: Cigar-Box Purse, Coffee Urn Lamp, Doll Face Fridgies, Glovely Lovely Coin Purse, Sweater Teapot Cozy, Novel Necktie Apron, Slip-On Toothbrush Bracelet, Painted Glass Martini Set, Powder Room Poodle, Space-Age Party Accessories, and much more!An unabashedly tacky craft compendium for lovers of gold-painted macaroni, toilet paper cozies, and everything terry cloth, THE CRAFTSTER GUIDE features full-color and vintage photographs, descriptions of tools and techniques-and enough irony to fill a popsicle-stick purse.Reviews"It's time to get in on the latest social craze-crafting! In this clever book by Leah Kramer, you'll find a world of ideas. . . each with easy-to-follow instructions for even the most amateur craftsters."-Justine Magazine". . . an irreverent combination of recycling and innovation."-Decorating Digest Craft & Home Projects"Craft royalty Leah Kramer has rescued and resuscitated scores of great and so-bad-they'¬?re-great projects from half a century of crafting history. Thanks to her discerning eye and clever wit, everything from the cinchy Cigar-Box Purse to the terrifying Terry Loincloth has been given a new lease on life. Whether you make them or mock them, this unforgettable collection of improbable projects is guaranteed to keep you crafting-and cringing-for years to come." -Debbie Stoller, editor-in-chief of BUST Magazine and author of the Stitch '¬´n Bitch books"Leah Kramer's collection of vintage craft books has served her well! She's come up with a kitschy collection of clever crafts that remind us of the days before the ubiquitous hot glue gun. THE CRAFSTER GUIDE is sure to be required reading for anyone interested in mid-century crafting culture." -Brini Maxwell, host of the Style Network'¬?s The Brini Maxwell Show"Leah Kramer has helped advance crafting into the twenty-first century with Craftster.org . . . but she knows the real way to our DIY hearts is with retro projects from the fifties and sixties. Who hasn't pined for a collection of these almost-forgotten classics? Essential for your craft corner library." --Jenny Hart, founder of SublimeStitching.com and author of Stitch-It Kit

A Fashion Tour-de-Farce! Welcome to The Museum of Kitschy Stitches, the astonishingly awful collection of the finest knitting and crocheting horrors the twentieth century has to offer. From hideous hats and gender-bending sweater sets to a set of bonus patterns that will bring the kitsch home, this gallery of notorious knits delivers it all. Remember, one person’s inspiration can become another’s desperation quicker than you can drop a stitch!

The New York Times bestselling craft guide that inspired the hit new TV show, At Home With Amy Sedaris It's often been said that ugly people craft and attractive people have sex. In Simple Times, Amy Sedaris sets the record straight and delivers a book that will forever change the world of crafting. Demonstrating that crafting is one of life's more pleasurable and constructive leisure activities, Sedaris shows that anyone with a couple of hours to kill and access to pipe cleaners can join the elite society of crafters. You will discover how to make popular crafts such as Pompom Ringworms and Seashell Toilet Seat Covers, all while avoiding the most common crafting accidents (sawdust fires, feather asphyxia, pine cone lodged in throat). You will cook your own edible crafts, from a Crafty Candle Salad to Sugar Skulls, with many more recipes and craft ideas that will inspire you to create your very own hastily constructed obscure d'arts. Praise for Simple Times "Amy Sedaris is a kookier, kitschier version of Martha Stewart...Simple Times is an ideal gift for the crafter who has crafted everything." - Associated Press "A wildly cheeky guide." -- InStyle "For anyone who's ever collected hats crocheted together...or simply for fans of Amy Sedaris and her idiosyncratic sense of humor." -- New York Times Book Review

CRAFT is the first project-based magazine dedicated to the renaissance that is occurring within the world of crafts. Celebrating the DIY spirit, CRAFT's goal is to unite, inspire, inform and entertain a growing community of highly imaginative people who are transforming traditional art and crafts with unconventional, unexpected and even renegade techniques, materials and tools; resourceful spirits who undertake amazing crafting projects in their homes and communities. Volume 01, the premier issue, features 23 projects with a twist! Make a programmable LED shirt, turn dud shoes into great knitted boots, felt an iPod cocoon, embroider a skateboard, and much more.

Dead pumpkin's society: school ghouls, potted pumpkins, scarecrow wreath, glass goblin wreath, quick-fix berry vine wreath, instant ancestors, Gaelic cross, witch clips, kitchen witch night-light, corn on the cob night-light, clay pot candle holder, those amazing maize brothers, Hallowe'en hoop-la, Spook Nest Inn, the gourd guys, old-fashioned party fans and favors, canned Hallowe'en, party hat lights.

Unleash Your Inner Crazy Craft Lady! Here a cat there a cat, everywhere a crafted cat! Cats to decorate your home, to wear, or to give to someone you love. The Cat Lover's Craft Book is dedicated to those who craft and those who are in love with all things cat-related! Whether you like to embroider, crochet, sew, knit or felt, there's a cat-tastic project inside this charming book you'll want to try your hand at, including: Turn your umbrella handle into a furry cat's tail Sew and embroider a personalized cat book cover Make a lovely hand embroidered brooch or earrings Make a cute cat door stop using a bottle and fabric Make cuddly cat pouches, purses and bags Knit, crochet or sew a charming cat-shaped pillow Sew a chic cat badge or button cover using cross-stitched fabric Sew an adorable cat doll and dress her up And so much more! Super simple, step-by-step instructions, diagrams, and templates make these adorable cat crafts accessible to knitting, felting and embroidery beginners. These purr-fect needlework crafts will delight cat lovers of all ages, and provide many hours of fun creating cute and kitschy cat-inspired items--the perfect handmade gifts with lots of purr-sonality.

Domestic handicraft was an extraordinarily popular leisure activity in Victorian Britain, especially amongst middle-class women. Craftswomen pasted shells onto boxes, stitched fish scales onto silk, scorched patterns into wood, cast flower petals out of wax, and made needlework portraits of the royal spaniels. Yet despite its ubiquity, little has been written about this curious hobby. Providing a much-needed history of this under-studied phenomenon, Talia Schaffer demonstrates the importance of domestic handicraft in Victorian literature and culture.Novel Craft presents what Schaffer terms the "craft paradigm" -- a set of beliefs about representation, production, consumption, value, and beauty that were crucial to mid-Victorian thought. She uncovers how handicrafts expressed anxieties about modernity and offered an alternative to the conventional financial, political, and aesthetic ideas of the era. Novel Craft reveals how this mindset evolves in four major Victorian novels: Gaskell's Cranford, Yonge's The Daisy Chain, Dickens's Our Mutual Friend, and Oliphant's Phoebe Junior. Each chapter centers on a scene of craft production that expresses the novel's ideals and also interrogates the novel itself as a form of craft, and each chapter highlights an influential craft genre: paper crafts, pressed flowers, knitting, and hair jewelry. The book closes with a coda on the current resurgent crafts movement of Etsy.com as a fresh version of a Victorian sensibility.Featuring illustrations from two centuries of domestic handicraft, Schaffer deftly combines cultural history and literary analyses to create a revealing portrait of a neglected part of nineteenth-century life and highlights its continuing relevance in today's world of Martha Stewart, women's magazine crafts, and a rapidly expanding alt craft culture.

Are you a do-it-yourselfer, or do you want to be? Are you looking to easily improve the decor of your home? If you're searching for inspiration, look no further! Material World takes you into the creative minds of 20 DESIGNERS from around the world to bring you unique home decor projects. Each fun project has a common thread -- THEY ALL USE FABRIC as a main ingredient! This beautifully illustrated book will take you on a journey from inspiration to materialization, with step-by-step instructions for projects to decorate and personalize every room in your habitat. It provides simple solutions for design dilemmas -- upholstering furniture, sewing slipcovers, window treatments, bed trimmings, light fixtures, floor coverings, pillows, room partitions -- even a bed for your dog! Perfect for a DIY novice or a seasoned professional, Material World covers a variety of exceptional SEW AND NO-SEW PROJECTS for terrific results. New York City architect, interior designer and co-host of DIY Network's "Material Girls", Cat Wei, curates a recipe book of project ideas (including many of her own designs) to beautify your home for better living.

The host of HGTV’s Knitty Gritty presents “craftographies” of the most influential designers in the industry and profiles of under-the-radar newbies. Bestselling author and stitchery dynamo Vickie Howell puts down her needles to pay tribute to her fellow crafters! Her extraordinary new collection features interviews with thirty successful professional craftspeople as well as profiles of a diverse group of approximately sixty amateurs. And every interview includes a photo of the subject, plus a peek at their work or their studio. This project—a true labor of love—also documents how social networking sites, groups like Stitch ’n’ Bitch, and alternative sales outlets such as Etsy have helped create a close community of crafters passionate about their work and each other. Includes interviews with such influential crafters, designers, and business people as: Renowned quilter Denyse Schmidt The Crafty Chica, Kathy Cano-Murillo Artist and designer Mary Engelbreit Emmy-nominated host of Creative Juice, Cathie Filian Indie craft documentarian Faythe Levine Scrapbooking legend Sandi Genovese Project Runway winner and fabric designer Jay McCarroll TV Host and author Mark Montano Craft pioneer Carol Duvall Famed fabric designer Amy Butler “Bad ass!”—Christina Batch-Lee, marketing for Etsy “The kind of book you can’t stop devouring from the moment you open the cover and when you’ve finished reading you’re hungry for more . . . It’s the kind of book that changes lives.” —Margot Potter, The Impatient Crafter “[Vickie’s] heart, soul and intentions [with Craft Corps] are touching, and crazy cool!”—Amy Butler, world-renowned fabric designer