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Lotion and Sugar Scrub Making – Whimseybox Review

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Whimseybox is a craft subscription box, but they also sell a huge variety of craft supplies. I received a box to review and was really excited to see what the project was. This month's kit was to make a lemon honey lotion and sugar scrub. Everything was extremely well designed and packaged beautifully. Opening the box was truly like opening a present, there was even a ribbon holding it all together. The instructions were extremely well written and accompanied by easy to follow photos of every step of the process. The instructions are also available online along ... Read More

Review – MiniEco

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MiniEco: A Craft Book by Kate Lilley is so much fun! Kate's blog, also named MiniEco, is consistently filled with fantastic craft projects and ideas and the aesthetic is so bright and colorful. The book is no different, the projects are extremely fun and varied. I love how many different types of crafts this book encompasses, some are more simple little ideas while others are more in depth with patterns. Each project's skill level is rated with stars to show the difficulty. The fuse bead projects in this book are what made me go and buy a huge tub of them, I really ... Read More

Darby Smart Alcohol Ink Coasters

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I reviewed the December Darby Smart To DIY For box and loved it. I've been lucky enough to be sent several others (that I still need to do!) When I got my February box, I forgot about all my other projects and just had to try it out! It was a coaster set using alcohol inks designed by Rachel from 52 Weeks Project. I had never used alcohol inks before but they were a lot of fun, though I have pink fingers today. I think this would be fun with older kids, but I knew Evie was too young, so I waited until she was asleep. Darby Smart always impresses me with the ... Read More

Book Review – Modern Baby Crochet

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I came across Stacey Trock's book Modern Baby Crochet: Patterns for Decorating, Playing, and Snuggling right after Mira was born and I was immediately interested in checking it out. So I was thrilled when I had the opportunity to review it. Stacey is the designer behind Fresh Stitches, so while I was familiar with her amigarumi animals, I was really excited to see her take on baby crochet items. I was looking for patterns for baby items for Mira and I felt like I kept coming across the same things, Stacey's book offers a lot of fresh new alternatives. While the book ... Read More

Book Review – Hand Embroidered Haven

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I received a copy of The Hand Embroidered Haven by Megan Frock to review, and I fell in love. One of the first things I look at in any craft book is the tutorial section. I want to see how they've illustrated how to do stitches or any other special skills necessary. To me, this is one of the most important parts of a craft book, great patterns and designs mean nothing if you can't teach the reader how to do them. Megan Frock's basic stitches and techniques section is spot on, it is illustrated really well and is very clear and concise. The book covers hand ... Read More

Review – S is for Stitch

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S is for Stitch review at Hugs are Fun

I was really excited to review S is for Stitch by Kristyne Czepuryk. I love monograms, so the idea of a whole book of alphabet embroidery patterns definitely appealed to me, and it didn't disappoint. The patterns in this book are adorable and a great collection to make some beautiful keepsake pieces! The book has a fantastic collection of information about getting started with embroidery. The photos and information are great and will make any beginner feel comfortable jumping into embroidery. It's very detailed and there are a lot of good tips, even if you're a more ... Read More

Review – Modern One-Block Quilts

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I was really excited to receive an ebook review copy of Modern One-Block Quilts: 22 Fresh Patchwork Projects* , and it did not disappoint! I was immediately struck with how easy to follow everything is, there is a terrific combination of illustrations and photographs. Everything is very clean and clear. The book starts out with a great section on learning to sew, so even if you are a complete quilting beginner, Modern One-Block Quilts can help! It lays out a variety of different types of quilting blocks and how to make them. I know that when I finally choose which of ... Read More

Review – Pom-Poms! 25 Awesomely Fluffy Projects

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I was lucky enough to get a review copy of this book from Quirk Books and I fell in love. When I thought of pom-poms I thought of yarn balls, but this book goes way beyond that with a ton of great projects using a variety of materials. The book starts off with projects separated into three categories - home, wear, and party. There's a variety of projects, some are embellishments added to things, while others are more elaborate. I always think it's great to have a book with a wide range of project difficulty. It can be intimidating to open a book that is full of ... Read More