** UPDATE:
3rdEyeMuse won the book giveaway ***
I'm so excited to be talking to you about
Kanzashi In Bloom! It's the first (paper and binding) book by my good friend and all-around amazing crafter, Diane Gilleland of
CraftyPod. I was blown away when I received my review copy because this book is *gorgeous*. I'm such a sucker for good graphic design. :)
Kanzashi are flowers made from fabric which you fold, sort of like origami. As always, Diane doesn't just give us amazing instructions and wonderful projects, she also educates us about the history and context of the craft. There is a lot of background information about the origins of Kanzashi and it's present day story with links to people and places to get more information.
The first part of the book shows you how to make three different kinds of petals, discusses techniques and supplies, and gives detailed written and photographed step-by-step instructions for assembling the Kanzashi.
There is also a special section which helps those of us (like me!) who invariably mess things up. She gives tips and tricks for fixing common mistakes, like when you string on a petal on upside-down. I'm 100% sure I would have done that* if the book hadn't warned me about it. :)
The rest of the book is full of 20 ways to use the Kanzashi. And she isn't just gluing them onto everything in sight (although, why not?! They're cute!). She includes patterns and sewing instructions for awesome projects in their own right, like a wallet made from a necktie, a two-tone tote bag, and a tea cozy.
Here are some of my favorite projects from the book:
I love this idea! I totally own a jacket just like this one, and a flower pin would be adorable on it.
These teeny tiny earrings are sweeter than sweet. They are also proof that solid-color Kanzashi are beautiful, too. Plus these would match my purse (and shoes and sun hat).
I love that you can do more than flowers with the petals. This butterfly is awesome. She even shows you how to make wire-beaded body.
Want more?! Check out the whole
Kanzashi in Bloom Blog Tour and see what everyone else has to say about this great book.
Thanks for choosing me to be a part of the tour, Diane!
Book Giveaway!Oh! I almost forgot! (no I didn't ... teehee) I get to giveaway one copy of Diane's book to one of you! Leave a comment with your ideas about how you could use all the beautiful Kanzashi you won't be able to stop making. I'll be announcing the winner in this post on Tuesday.
*p.s. I'll post about the project I made later!