spend some time // stitching in circles

As I begin this year of playing with shapes, starting with circles, I thought it would be nice to show you how some other folks are using circles creatively. I asked these lovely ladies if I could show off a bit of their work, and they graciously said yes. If you haven't checked out their blogs before, be sure to spend some time at their blogs!

When I think of Wendi of Shiny Happy World I think "stuffed animals" and "the woman who got me quilting." She also designs embroidery patterns, and in the case of the hoop above, encourages you to design your own. Her mandala project uses felt circles and circles of stitches, resulting in a relaxing design that lets you explore the process. And it comes out looking amazing!



Rachel blogs at Stitched in Color, and her quilts are always stunning. She recently shared a way to make a clamshell design using circles with raw edges (I LOVE raw edges!). This really appeals to me because it looks so much easier than true clamshell cutting and applique. I'm still not sure about machine sewing those little curves as perfectly as she does, but fortunately, Rachel has a class for that! (I took her Handstitched class and it was fantastic.) You might also like her Wheel and Love in Bubbles quilts.



Diane, or CraftyPod as she's sometimes known, has managed to make plastic canvas look better than it ever has. Seriously, she is doing super creative things with this material that I thought would never be cool again. And I love her for it. Similar to Wendi's zen stitching, Diane's Choose Your Own Design Adventure Ornaments are perfect for stitching and seeing what happens. Be sure to see her black and white ornaments in the post.

Do you have any favorite circle-themed tutorials? Share them in the comments! And before you go, here are a few more to visit:

Dandelion Puff Embroidery from Hugs Are Fun
Hula Hoop Chandelier from Sarah with an H

spend some time at radiant home studio

Sometimes I like to share places around the blogging world that are worth checking out. I call these posts "Spend Some Time @..." because I'd like to encourage you to do just that. Spend some time visiting, reading, and poking around a blog that I enjoy. Today I'd like to introduce you to Radiant Home Studio. Sara is a lovely person, and she sews some super fantastic stuff. Here are a few of my favorites:



She had me at embroidery. Stitching onto leather (even the faux kind) is tricky, but worth it for a pouch this sweet!



I've just started trying my hand at making some clothes for myself, and this tutorial is one I'd like to try. Add pockets to almost any skirt!



Sara even designs some Spoonflower fabric, and she has this very fun print for a recipe tea towel!

So what are you waiting for? Go spend some time at Radiant Home Studio!

All photos copyright Sara Curtis. Used with permission.

spend some time @ down grapevine lane

It's been too long since I wrote up a Spend Some Time @ post, but I'd like to get back to it. Why? Because there are some really lovely blogs out there that everyone needs to know about. This weekend, why not spend some time at Down Grapevine Lane?

I have an old strawberry pincushion similar to this, but I think this is the kind of thing you can never have too many of, and I want to make some!

Sedef (who writes Down Grapevine Lane) does some beautiful embroideries, and this one is a free pattern she shares!

And how about these cushions? They appeared in Australian Homespun magazine, as have a few other wonderful projects that Sedef has done.

So, keep reading Wild Olive, but be sure to see all the beautiful and creative blogs that keep showing up. Because blogs, and the people behind them, are a very fine thing.

All photos copyright Sedef Imer. Used with permission.

spend some time @ uncommon goods

I've long admired the items that Uncommon Goods sells, so when they asked me to share some of my favorite items, I was happy to oblige. What I love about them is that they not only sell beautiful and unique objects, but they also incorporate a lot of handmade and fair trade into their product line. You can even filter search results by recycled or handmade!

They have gifts and special items for just about anyone you might need to shop for, and certainly you'll find things that you'll love! But since this is about some of the things that I would choose, let's jump in!



I'm not a mom, but I'd like to think that any mother who appreciates handmade or creating their own handmade would enjoy this hand-embroidered zipper case (find it here) or a stoneware bowl (find it here) to hold yarn while knitting or crocheting. Or perhaps if you're a mom looking for something you can do with you kids, the book shown at the top of this post would be a good fit (find it here). It's filled with crafts and activities that you can work on together!

But those are just a few of the Mother's Day items that you'll find. See more at Uncommon Goods.



Their Home & Garden section is also full of fun things to make your home stand out. Or perhaps more importantly, they'll make your home "you." See the full collection here, but I especially like the Today is the Day wall hanging (find it here...it's 8x10, which I think is a great size for something like this), and the Neon Dinosaur Planters (find them here...but hurry, because they're discontinued!)



Finally, I have a confusing grouping of items. You see, I found them here, in their "For Kids" section, and I don't know about you, but all of these look like things that I would want! I may not be your typical adult, but food pillows and random acts of kindness cards? (find them here and here) All natural paints? (Find them here) Blocks that you can build robots and monsters with? (Here!) I'll take one of each!

This weekend, spend some time looking around Uncommon Goods. While you're there, visit their blog and explore some of stories of their makers. I guarantee you'll see some great things. Things that are both uncommon and good.

Thanks, Uncommon Goods, for sponsoring this post! To my readers: I was compensated for this post, but the opinions I share are all my own.

spend some time @ modern handcraft

I love having you come to visit my blog. In fact, you're welcome to stay here as long as you want, anytime you want (just stop moving my embroidery needle...I know it's gotta be you!). But sometimes, I like to encourage you to visit some other blogs that need to be on your radar.

And today, if you like fresh, modern sewing and quilting, you'll want to spend some time @ Modern Handcraft. Take a look at a sampling, and then look for a special treat from Nicole!



Lately, Modern Handcraft has been featuring all kinds of wonderful Halloween project. Some are simply to show you what she's made, like this table runner. Nicole shares a simple explanation of how to make one, but mainly it's pretty pictures!



But you'll also find some great tutorials, like this candy corn bunting. Don't you love it?



Of course, her hexies jump out at me, because...well, I'm entirely hooked on them. And more than a little jealous of these Star Wars and dancing monkey hexagons. Note to self: find Star Wars fabric!



Now, here's the exciting bit! Nicole has been making some fold-over bags, and she wants to give one to one lucky Wild Olive reader! The bag measures 10.5" wide and 11.5" tall unfolded. It has Faux leather accents and a metal zipper, and is way cute, yes?

You can enter with a blog comment, or get some bonus entries by following Wild Olive and Modern Handcraft (any way you follow is fine!).

a Rafflecopter giveaway


Good luck, and thanks to Nicole! Now, go spend some time at Modern Handcraft! You won't regret it!

All photos copyright Modern Handcraft. Used with permission.

spend some time @ flax & twine

In August and September I got a little off with my bi-weekly Spend Some Time posts. Let's face it, I'm a little off from my regular posting here all around. At least that's how I'm feeling. Anyway, Spend Some Time is an introduction to a blog that may be new or unfamiliar to you, and an invitation to spend some time looking at the wonderful things they have to share.

This week, I like to recommend that you Spend Some Time at Flax & Twine.



The first time I discovered Anne's blog, it was because of all of the amazing accessories she makes. Many of them use embroidery floss or perle cotton, like this braided bracelet.



To get in the holiday spirit, how about making a little ghost garland!?



And I love this idea for making up your own party items using washi tape!

But those are just a few of my favorite posts and projects. Go Spend Some Time at Flax & Twine!

All photos copyright Anne Weil. Used with permission.

spend some time @ while she naps

Every other Friday I like to suggest a blog that you might enjoy spending some time exploring. Today I'm pleased to share my friend Abby's blog, While She Naps. You may be familiar with Abby's work, as she wrote Stuffed Animals, which I reviewed a few months ago. If you like making soft toys, running a creative business, or both...you'll want to check out While She Naps.

Abby makes some of the cutest projects AND she tackles topics that I think other bloggers are afraid to. So, you'll learn how to make a super sweet bear, design your own toys, consider why craft authors keep secrets (any why maybe they shouldn't!), and lots more. Her blog is very well organized, so I suggest that you start out checking the tabs along the top so you can get a quick overview of all her content.

But first, here are a few great how-to posts that I think you'll like!



August is bird month here, so how perfect is this ornament?



A pickle with a face? Yes!



And I love this little guy...it's featured in a post on choosing fabrics.

Now, have a great weekend, and spend some time at While She Naps!

All photos copyright Abby Glassenberg. Used with permission.

spend some time @ lark crafts

On Monday I shared some very lovely news, and I'm pleased to say that Lark Crafts is who I'm working with. They've been my favorite for a long time, and they locked the top spot with their offer to publish my book. Actually, their offer was more of a suggestion that I should write a book, but that's for another time.

Anyway, this weekend, I'd like to recommend that you spend some time at Lark Crafts.



Their Needlearts section has things that I get most excited about (including plenty of free projects!), but there's lots more to find. Perfectly timed for Wild Olive's Book Month, you can even get a peek at a new title all about making books!

spend some time @ stash books

Remember the Stitch Zakka book I told you about the other day? (By the way, you can still enter to win!) It was published by Stash Books, an imprint of C&T Publishing. Since this is Book Month on Wild Olive, I thought it would be appropriate to direct you to a few book blogs, and who better than the publishers themselves?!

At the Stash Books blog, you'll find sneak peeks of upcoming titles, giveaways, and a few other things from time to time. I love when they have employees try things from the books...even people in the craft book field can learn from the things they're publishing!

Have a lovely rest of your weekend, and spend some time at Stash Books!

spend some time at mel's kitchen cafe

This isn't a food blog, and it never will be. But we all need food, right? And how much better when that food is delicious and enjoyed by everyone around your table?

I'm the oldest of six kids, and I plan and prepare many of the meals we (hopefully!) enjoy as a family. Let me tell you...it's challenging, but Pinterest has helped a great deal (you can find my recipe pins here). It was through Pinterest that I found Mel's Kitchen Cafe. So far, every recipe I've tried has been a success and loved by all.

If you're searching for dinner inspiration, spend some time at Mel's Kitchen Cafe.



Pictured above are the recipes we've decided are new favorites at the Johanson house: Layered Mexican Cornbread Salad (be sure to use her amazing cornbread recipe!), BBQ Pulled Chicken Sandwiches (yay for slow cookers!), and Creamy Tuscan Pasta Sauce (so easy...I'll never buy sauce like this again!).

Be prepared to leave Mel's feeling hungry, but ready to start cooking!

All photos copyright Mel's Kitchen Cafe. Used with permission.

spend some time @ family chic

Two weeks ago I suggested that over the weekend, you spend some time exploring the My Poppet blog, and I thought I might make it into a little bi-weekly series! I know that it's easy for me to continue reading the same blogs or just spotting a single post here and there at unfamiliar sites, but never get to know new blogs and the people behind them. And sometimes it's as simple as spending 20-30 minutes looking through a few pages worth of posts.

This week, I invite you to spend some time @ Family Chic. Camilla Fabbri consistently delivers simple and stylish solutions for bringing creativity into your life. I love that so many of the things she presents are easy transformations of everyday objects. She proves that you don't need to spend a lot (of time or money!!) to make things special.

Here are a few of my recent favorites:



Stitched coasters. Perfect for a weekend sitting outside...stitch 'em and put 'em to use!



Brocade Bracelets. You know those pretty ribbons you have? Wear them!



Gouged Frame. These would be fun for both kids and adults to make!

Now, go spend some time @ Family Chic!

Note: All photos copyright Camilla Fabbri. Used with permission.

spend some time at my poppet

Do you have plans for this weekend? If you didn't before, you do now. I'd like to encourage you to take a leisurely look at the blog My Poppet. Cinti has some really great ideas for cute, colorful and clever projects. I like those kinds of things, and I know you do too. You'll find some stitching (check out the chair below!), some quilting (she's recently started sharing some hexagons!), and lots more!

My Poppet has been one of those blogs that I read in bursts, especially when I find one of her posts that is making its way around the internet. She's officially on my Blog Lovin' list now, and she should be on yours too. Now, spend some time at My Poppet!






Hey! I thought you were going to visit Cinti's blog?! I'll see you back here on Monday!