As you all seem to be just as excited about Martha Stewart’s Encyclopedia of Sewing and Fabric Crafts as we are, you may be happy to know that we’re having a big ‘Sewing Fest’ to celebrate the launch of the new book.  The event takes place April 1st at our offices in the Starrett Lehigh …

Martha Stewart’s Encyclopedia of Sewing and Fabric Crafts is finally here this March 31st ! For the past year we have been working hard on our second craft book.  It is truly our approach to Fabric Crafts and includes techniques most sewing books don’t normally cover.  In addition to sewing, quilting and embroidery we also …

The other week I had the rare opportunity of getting out of the office to see the Philadelphia International Flower Show.  It was the perfect day trip from New York, just over an hour by train. The highly attended event dates way back to the 1820s. I briskly walked by most of the floral and …

Spring is in the air in New York which has me excited about plants and gardening for the summer.  I currently have big plans to make Hypertufa Pots from our March issue and create an oasis on my roof for the summer.  Hypertufa is a stone-like substance made by mixing peat moss, perlite, and portland …

I was lucky enough to make the trip out to Anaheim for CHA’s Winter Trade Show.  We try to have one member of our department go out each year to see what’s new in the craft world.  With hundreds of the top craft merchandisers represented, we can be sure to find the best materials for …

Inspired by Blake’s “Easy Valentines” post last month, and in a rush to decorate for a friend’s birthday party, I came up with another use for those Bistro Chalk Markers. I used mini clothes pins, monofilament, and a bunch of balloons to make this colorful birthday garland.  The bistro markers wrote on the balloon beautifully, …

I thought this post would be a nice follow-up to Silke’s recent post on care packages. I’ve been putting together a package myself, to send to a best friend and her family who moved far far away a year ago.  Taking inspiration from Silke’s advent calendar,  I’m sending lots of small gifts to be unwrapped one …

I think anyone who has a cat is familiar with the scenario of getting set up to craft, or already totally immersed in crafting, to suddenly find a feline friend who is extremely interested in what is happening. Equally amusing and frustrating I present my two non-helper helpers. It never ceases to amaze me that …