vintagecraftworkshop

sneak peek of a few of the projects

Here's a sneak peek of a few of the projects you will find in Vintage Craft Worskhop - Fresh Takes on Twenty-Four Classic Projects from the '60s and '70s. 

Going clockwise from the upper left: Macrame Hangers by Derek + Lauren, Crochet vase Covers by Cecily Keim, Folded Book Sculptures by Lucy Spriggs, Papier Mache Vase by Katie Steuernagle, Crocheted Mobile by Laura Normandin, Mod Circle Placemats by Diane Gilleland, Crewel Pillow by Erika Kern and Flower Waste Paper Basket by yours truly.

The photography was done by Meiko Takechi Arquillos. I had long admired Meiko's work in many of the Lotta Jansdotter books and was beyond thrilled when Chronicle Books hired her to do the photography for my book. The amazing Simone Lueck was also on hand to assist Meiko.

fantastic review in "mollie makes" magazine

i love magazines. magazines have played a very important role in my life - i was obsessed with interview and vogue as a teenager and i have to admit they did play a pretty big role in shaping how i look at things. i still have not recovered from the abrupt shut down of gourmet magazine. i was a little ambivalent about the recent closure of ready made as it was not all that great in recent years (but it was pretty good early on). but if sunset ever goes under i'm pretty sure that will be an indication of the end of civilization.

but the good news is that even though the ecomony has been in the toilet there are lots of new magazines launching - that's print magazines and many of them are independent. i'm especially loving anthology, uppercase and lucky peach. just the other day a blog commenter informed me that she had found out about vintage craft workshop in an article in mollie makes magazine. never heard of it. but it's now my new favorite magazine - and not just because they wrote a very nice review of my book (as you see pictured here).

mollie makes just launched in may and is published in the UK. it's super hard to find here in the US. i had to go to about 36 locations of barnes + noble to track down issues 1 + 2. if you thoroughly fish through the "women's interest" section you might find a copy hidden behind cooking with paula deen or wedged into a stack of crochet world magazine. trust me it's worth it.

 

mod cloth's super cute interpretation of one of the projects

 

this might sound crazy but even though i just wrote a craft book i personally have never made a project exactly the way i find them pictured in a how-to book or magazine. i always add my own spin to it. that's why i'm loving some of the things i've been seeing lately as people post photos of what they have been making based on vintage craft workshop. after all my book is all about being inspired and creating your own interpretation.

nicole vasbinder's "citrus slice bulletin board" has been a big crowd pleaser. i've seen a few versions and they are all amazing. i just love what the girls at mod cloth did. pictured here is a sneak peek of their process. please visit their blog and see the finished results!

window display @ the curiosity shoppe in san francisco

here's a couple of shots of the window display i did last week at the curiosity shoppe in san francisco. i had so much fun at the book signing, saw some old friends and met some new people! the display should be up for another week or so. if you are in the neighborhood please take a peek!

 

july events: CURIOSITY SHOPPE + RENEGADE CRAFT FAIR

(Here's The Curiosity Shoppe's windows with nothing in them. Check back soon and I will post photos of the window display I'm putting in using projects from the book!)

Thanks to everyone who came out for one my events in May. Was so nice to meet you!

I have just scheduled a few things for July:

San Francisco:

I'll be putting in a window display that will feature a few projects from Vintage Craft Workshop at The Curiosity Shoppe in San Francisco and will be doing a booksigning on Saturday July 9th 4:00 - 7:00. The window display will be up for about 2 weeks. Will be posting photos too.

I will be at the Renegade Craft Fair on Sat + July 9 11:00 - 3:00 and Sun July 10 11:00 - closing. I'll have some books on hand and you'll find me in the Mahar Drygoods/Krank Press booth.

Los Angeles:

I will be at the Renegade Craft Fair on Sat + Sun July 16 + 17. I'll have some books on hand and you'll find me in the Mahar Drygoods/Krank Press booth.

Hope to see you at one of these events!

"vintage craft workshop" blog tour in progress

I'm running just a little behind so please excuse me for just now letting you know about the blog book tour that has begun! Some amazing bloggers are taking a turn each day and will post a little something about Vintage Craft Workshop. I'm sure you have most of these blogs bookmarked already but if you don't you are not going to want to miss the reviews, interviews, project sneak peeks and all of the other fun stuff that will be going on!

Here's the lineup (I will be updating the links each day as the posts go up):

Monday, May 9 – CRAFT - review and project excerpt

Tuesday, May 10 – Retro Renovation - interview (and giveaway)

Wednesday, May 11 – Easy Crafts Wiki - review and giveaway

Thursday, May 12 – Exit Through The Thrift Shop - Jenny made a super cool project for the book and she's giving away a copy of the book!

Friday, May, 13 – West Coast Crafty - Enid Collins and giveaway
 
Monday, May 16 – Whip Up - review and I pick my top 3 favorite craft books

Tuesday, May 17 – Coquette review and giveaway!

Wednesday, May 18 – CraftyPod review - Diane contributed a project to the book!

Thursday, May 19 – This Is Love Forever review and giveaway! Kayte is also a contributor.

Friday, May 20 – Modge Podge Rocks

 

i'm at crafty wonderland this saturday!

So excited to be heading up to one of my favorite cities later this week. If you live in Portland i'm sure you already have plans to attend Crafty Wonderland on Saturday. There will be lots of crafters selling their wares as well as a few book signings!

with a little help from my friends: book events for may 2011

A number of years ago, when I was still just getting started the craft world, I heard about all of the indie craft fairs that were being organized. I decided to apply for Bazaar Bizarre and was happy and a little surprised to be accepted. I did not know anyone who was involved in the scene and, being a little on the shy side, I was kind of apprehensive the first day of the show, but it turns out that I had nothing to worry about – I was made to feel very welcome and everyone was really nice. My neighbor at the show and I did the same thing for a living (retail display) so we got along really well. I met people that weekend who have become very good friends and made some really good contacts.

I went on to do many more shows (Felt Club and Renegade Craft Fair among them) and I met some really amazing and talented people along the way, including representatives from Chronicle Books. One thing eventually led to another and Chronicle asked me if I was interested in doing a book. My first thought was turn to the amazingly crafty friends and acquaintances I have met over the years to create projects for the book. It became a rewarding culmination of my experience in the craft world and a chance to honor some of the people I have drawn inspiration from.

Now that my book is about to be released I have found that things have come full circle, as I am working once again with craft show organizers and others in the craft community to put together a mini West Coast book tour.

Hope I’ll see you at one of these events!

 

Saturday May 7, 4:00 – 5:30

Crafty Wonderland - Portland, Oregon

Book signing (I will directly follow Susan Beal and Heidi Kenney)

 

Wednesday May 11,7:00 -9:00 pm

Urban Craft Center - Santa Monica, California

Book signing and Vintage “Crafty Lady” presentation

 

Saturday May 14, 2:00 - 4 :00 pm

Reform School - Silver Lake, California

Book signing and flower loom demo

 

Sunday May 15, 1:00 - 3:00 pm

Patchwork Indie Arts and Crafts Festival - Long Beach, California

Book Signing

 

Saturday May 21, 3:00 - 4:00

Craftzine Booth @ Maker Faire - San Mateo, California

Book signing and Vintage “Crafty Lady” presentation

 

Sunday May 29, 1:00 – 3:00 pm

Patchwork Indie Arts and Crafts Festival - Santa Ana, California

Book Singing

 

Times subject to change. For all the latest please stay tuned.

reform school Q + A

My friends Billie and Tootie own one of my favorite stores. Reform School is located in the Silver Lake area of Los Angeles. When I was preparing for my book I just knew that Billie and Tootie had to be a part of it. I am so excited that they contributed a project.

Please join us at Reform School on Saturday May 14 between 2:00 – 4:00 to celebrate the launch of my book. Reform School is located in Sunset Junction at 3902 Sunset Blvd.

Here's a little interview they did with me that they just posted in their blog:

Q: Congratulations on your book! What was the best part about putting it together?

A: Why thank you! I think the favorite part of putting the book together was having my friends contribute projects to the book. I also really liked working on the "Crafty Lady" profiles. There are a few mini bios in my book of ladies who ran craft companies during the 60s and 70s. I actually got to meet (and/or talk to them on the phone) a couple of them which was really cool.

Q: What was it like growing up in California in the 70s?

A: I think growing up in California regardless of the decade really informs how anyone looks at things. For me growing up in Southern   California during the 70s totally shaped me and will forever be a part of how I approach creative projects.

Q: What do you think of the current state of DIY/craft in America?

A: It's so exciting to me that so many people have embraced craft lately. I really feel that craft fell out of favor during the 80s and 90s. Without realizing it at first maybe that's why I choose to look back at the 60s - 70s in my blog. For me personally I found it really difficult  to run a crafty business in the 80s (I was making jewelry) because there was no "support system" like there is today.

Q: Any great resource for fun/vintage fabric?

A: You could spend days on end looking at all of the amazing fabric there is on eBay. In fact there is so much vintage fabric there it can   be frustrating at times because you feel like you might be missing something. Of course everybody seems to have their secret source or favorite thrift store.I also think that asking your mom, grandmother or auntie to see if they have anything in their stash that they are willing to pass along to you is a great way to find some hidden treasures.

Q: Will there be photo opps at the book signing?

A: Will have to get my hair done! What will I wear?

Q: What's next for Cathy of California?

A: I would love to do another book and have a few ideas that I am developing. In fact I probably could have done 3 books with the content I had for "Vintage Craft Workshop" - so who knows maybe a "Part 2" could happen.

first review!

Members of the "Crafter's Choice" book club got the first crack at Vintage Craft Workshop - it was their selection for March. Dawn Rogal who is a regular reader of my blog posted a really nice review of my book on her blog. Thanks Dawn!

"the blurb"

For the past couple of months I have been handing out promo cards for the book. Everyone has been very complimentary and I have been recieving a lot of really good feedback.  But by far the biggest response has been on the blurb I got from Amy Sedaris.  It has typically gone something like this: "Wow Cathy your book looks really cool, but OMG YOU GOT AMY SEDARIS TO WRITE A BLURB!!!".

Amy was on the list of people I wanted to reach out to and ask if they wanted to write a blurb for my book. I really had no clue as to how I would go about getting in touch with her but it turned out that we had a mutual friend who was kind enough to make an introduction. Amy and I then had a little email correspondence. She is super nice and I was so touched when I read the blurb for the first time.

(image via Simple Times - Crafts for Poor People)