Assignment #1: Use Your Library Card

I've traveled the world twice over,
Met the famous; saints and sinners,
Poets and artists, kings and queens,
Old stars and hopeful beginners.
I've been where no one's been before,
Learned secrets from the writers and cooks.
All with one library ticket
To the wonderful world of books.
-Anonymous

For your first assignment I would like you to go to the library and bring home a big stack of books (don't forget to bring your canvas bag along to tote them home in) I want you to get a bunch of books, but I want you to think a little outside the box. Don't spend a lot of time picking them out. Go over to the scrapbooking section- pick some books out. Then go to something you don't usually look at, like watercolor painting. Grab one of those books. You might learn a new technique you can put on a page. Also, grab any that do catch your interest. For example, I really want to do a lot of stuff with felt, so I picked some books on felting. However, I flipped through one book and noticed that it wasn't really my aesthetic. It seemed a little dated and I probably wouldn't consider doing 80% of the projects. I still got the book to bring home. I find that the books that I don't like the colors, etc. I find more inspirational because it's not the project that appeals to me, but the technique used that pops out and screams to me more. I then can learn and take that technique and personalize it to the colors I like. When I see a book that has everything in it that I love, I want to copy it exactly, so it doesn't get my brain going as much on how to adapt the technique to fit my style. So I encourage you to pick up some ugly, dated books in your interest area that you would never normally pick up. Please tell me if I am making any sense you guys! Get some sewing books, home decoration, etc. Make sure you have a big old stack, and remember you're going to browse through them like a magazine for ideas. Bring them home. Take a look at them with a notebook and a sticky pad with you. Flag any pages and jot down some ideas that you might like to try. Have fun!


Here are some of the books I picked up:
Last-Minute Fabric Gifts by Cynthia Treen
Felt-Crafting on the Go
Creative Stitching on Paper 40 Beautiful Projects, From Scrapbook Pages to Chinese Lanterns
Simply Felt by Margaret Docherty and Jayne Emerson
Focal Point from the editors of Memory Makers Books
Hand Decorating Paper by Marie Browning (try looking for this one ladies, it's a great one!)
The Big Picture by Stacy Julian
The Book of Me: A guide to Scrapbooking About Yourself by Angie Pedersen
Miniature Scrapbooks Small Treasures to Make in a Day by Taylor Hagerty

This whole list is going to be different for each person, the only book I would love for you guys to find also is this one:
Hand Decorating Paper by Marie Browning (try looking for this one ladies, it's a great one!)
Don't sweat it if they don't have it, but I just think it's really inspiring.

Here is my wish list of books, some are on the waiting list at the library, some I keep seeing at Barnes and Nobles and would love to buy. That is another inspirational place, browsing at B&N. I love that they encourage you to look at their books. Don't try to do that in Greece. After 3 minutes of browsing, a rude lady approached us, "This isn't exactly a library you know."
I was so angry because we were planning on buying the book. But we just stormed out of there and took our business elsewhere!
Simple Sewing by Lotta Jansdotter
Pretty Little Pincushions
Bend the Rules Sewing
Designing with Words
Designing with Vellum
(pretty much any of the designing with books)

Here are some books I got yesterday at Value Village (same as Savers):

Dips and Doodles. It was published in Mankato, MN. I couldn't resist. The illustrations are great. I don't think it's really a good book to show a kid for skiing. It's so dated, and more importantly there are at least 10 pics of his terrible wipe outs! I would be so frightened to ski after reading this!

And I want to crochet, and this has 99 granny square patterns.

How am I going to learn to crochet you might ask? I also picked up this gem. It is so great. It has everything in it, sewing, knitting, crocheting, tatting, smocking, embroidery- anything and everything you want to know. Great diagrams and pictures. An oldie, but goodie!


Please leave a comment letting me know some really good ones you're finding! And please do this assignment right away. I am talking spending 10 minutes at the library, don't make excuses, don't procrastinate. This isn't going to work if everyone doesn't do it!
Please leave a comment letting me know some really good books you're finding! You can tell me about the ones you wish to buy, the ones you keep browsing at the book store, or a good one you picked up at the library! Have fun!