CRAFTERNOON: A Guide to Getting All Artsy and Crafty with Your Friends All Year Long

The next afternoon of craftiness is nearly upon us, and I can hardly wait. Last Crafternoon we had the talented Esther K. Smith on hand to share her collection of letterpress art and to show us some of paper works from her latest book, The Paper Bride.

Esther taught us how to make a garland guest book.

Using the basic folds she taught us, you could also get creative and make other shapes and objects, like the gorgeous crown my brother’s lovely girlfriend Emmy made, pictured below.

As always, we had a tremendous turnout and it was a great day.

This Saturday, March 20th, Kata Golda, author of Hand-Stitched Felt, is coming all the way from Washington state to share her process of making some of the sweetest felt creations to ever roam the earth. So get out your sewing kit and plan to whip up some stitches with us. She’ll be teaching us how to make these darling little mouse finger puppets.

We’ll have some supplies, but if you want to bring your own, Kata suggests that you “bring any scissors that will cut felt and needle with an eye big enough for 6 strands of embroidery floss” (and a sharp point). You could also bring some felt and embroidery floss if you like.

This event is FREE and held from 2-4pm at the main branch of the New York Public Library:

Margaret Liebman Berger Forum (Room #227, located in the northeast corner of the second floor)

My delightful librarian co-host Jessica Pigza will pull a wonderful selection of books from the library’s vaults for added inspiration. Kata and I will both be available to sign books at the event, which are for sale at The Library Shop.  We hope to see you there!

Saturday, February 20, 2:00 – 4:00pm – Esther K. Smith!
For our first Crafternoon of 2010, we will welcome the absolutely wonderful Esther K. Smith. Esther is the author of the beloved How to Make Books,

as well as the delightful Magic Books and Paper Toys and the just-released, utterly lovely bridal DIY guide The Paper Bride. Esther will demo a few projects from her books and share her paper folding and book making wisdom with our group. As always, my wonderful co-host Jessica Pigza will pull an incredible selection of books related to all things paper, letterpress, and more.

My husband Rufus and I were lucky enough to get a tour of Purgatory Pie Press, the letterpress company Esther runs with her husband, Dikko Faust. We shot some video with them, which Rufus is diligently editing as we speak, so check back here in mid-February for a behind-the-scenes tour of an amazing crafty place.

In the meantime, go make some valentines! The big day of love is right around the corner.