My Dysfunctional Relationship with Creativity: A Guest Post by Dawn DeVries Sokol

Now on the STC Craft Blog

Creativity isn’t 24/7. It doesn’t occur 9 to 5. It doesn’t have a schedule. Creativity rarely sticks around when I need it the most. Creativity loves to play games with my head. It keeps me awake at night when I would love to be sleeping. It lies dormant for days on end when I’m trying desperately to work on a project. Creativity likes to elude me. It hides and laughs at me from dark corners, it taunts me when I’m missing it so, it tells me I don’t deserve it in my life.

Introducing: Past & Present!

Now On The STC Craft Blog

It’s been a big week for Design*Sponge managing editor Amy Azzarito. Her first book, Past & Present: 24 Favorite Moments in Decorative Arts History and 24 Modern DIY Projects Inspired by Them, has hit stores, and we couldn’t be more excited!

What Do(odle) You See?

Now On The STC Craft Blog

Created by Dawn “The Doodle Queen” Sokol, Art Doodle Loveis an interactive fill-in book full of prompts that will motivate you to discover yourself while developing your artistic skills. The pages provide fun, colorful backdrops that are sure to jumpstart your creativity.  

Eager to put markers to paper, we picked a prompt from the book and challenged some people around the office to let their creative juices flow, doodling what they saw within the splotches and drips. We were amazed by the different ways each person interpreted and altered the page. See what we came up with over on the STC Craft Blog.

ABRAMS Pinterest Boards for Last-Minute Gift Ideas

Unique Presents and Party Ideas

A confession: I haven’t done any of my holiday shopping.

Well, let me backtrack a bit; I’ve bought a few things, mostly small and falling in the “ancillary gift” category, but we’re getting down to the wire now and ABRAMS calendars for the whole family isn’t going to cut it.

If you’re in a similar pickle, I recommend Pinterest—no, not to distract yourself with photos of dream homes, foreign places, or fanciful desserts, but to find last-minute gifts.* We asked three of our colleagues to curate boards featuring unique presents and party ideas, many of which can be quickly made or quickly shipped.

Handmade Holidays!

Now On The STC Craft Blog

The holidays are always an exciting time of year, with the brisk post-Thanksgiving air inspiring us to begin decorating (and stocking up on peppermint treats) in anticipation of the upcoming December festivities. And what better way to prepare than by taking out a box of shiny baubles and crafting holiday odds and ends!

Head over to the STC Craft Blog to read the full story >>

Partying with Heather Ross

From The STC Craft Blog

There are many things that author Heather Ross does well, and one of them is throwing a great party. To celebrate the release of her latest book, Heather Ross Prints, she decorated the rooftop of her apartment building to the nines, put out fabulous food and endless proseco, and managed to assemble the most wonderful and interesting people in the sewing and craft community in one little space (including Amy Sedaris!!).  Head over to the STC Craft Blog for more photos and the full story!

Knitted Dinosaurs, Wee and Whomping

On the STC Craft Blog

It’s awfully exciting to come to work in the morning and find a box on your desk containing a knitted dinosaur. It’s even more exciting (and, okay, a little strange) when that happens every day for a week! But alas, there was a reason I came to work each day last week to find a new knitted dinosaur waiting for me: We had hired knitters all over the country to make samples of all shapes and sizes from our new book, Knitted Dinosaurs, for display at Vogue Knitting Live (last week) and for TNNA (this coming weekend).

Head over to the STC Craft blog to read the full story! >>

STC Craft at Vogue Knitting LIVE New York

The second annual event is this weekend!

The second annual Vogue Knitting LIVE NYC is this weekend, and if last year’s show was any indication, midtown Manhattan will transform into a knitter’s mecca come Friday. STC Craft is excited to be part of the festivities. If you’re attending, we hope you’ll check out our author events. Head over to the STC Craft blog for the full schedule!

From the STC Craft Blog: Knitted Dinosaurs Take Manhattan

STC Craft's 15 Prehistoric Pals to Knit from Scratch

Join STC Craft senior editor Liana Allday in her adventures with Knitted Dinosaurs: 15 Prehistoric Pals to Knit from Scratch by Tina Barrett on the STC Craft Blog.

This superfun collection of prehistoric pals is a must-have for dino-obsessed children and grown-ups alike.

Shooting Heather Ross’s new textiles book at Melanie Falick’s house

(And this isn't the only time our STC Craft Editorial Director's home has served as the background for a photo shoot)

Over the years I have worked at STC Craft, many photos for many of our books have been photographed at Melanie’s house. (When I’ve seen these photos after the shoot is finished, I’ve actually found myself thinking “and now it’s really a Melanie Falick Book.”) From Sewing Green to Knitalong to Weekend Sewing, Melanie’s home makes numerous appearances. And if you look closely, in almost all of these books, you’ll even see the infamous grass-green cabinet. (It’s shown above on the lefthand side, though the cover of Sewing Green is where the cabinet makes its most prominent appearance.)