I recently got the second issue of CRAFT magazine… and wow, it’s gorgeous!

Of course there are about a zillion projects I want to try (the first to catch my eye were the carved eraser stamps, repurposed house slippers, tin and paper earrings, and the linocut 101 tutorial). I love the columns, especially Jean Railla‘s fascinating take on Modern Crafting… and I just want to send out a huge thank you to Susie Bright for tipping me off via Susie’s Home Ec that Gingher offers a lifetime sharpening/reconditioning service for their scissors — my poor overworked fabric shears are going out in the mail tomorrow for some TLC!

And I was so excited that CRAFT featured my a-line skirt kits alongside all the killer crafty stuff in the Bazaar section — that’s Torie modeling hers! Natalie even mentioned the flickr pool of a-line skirt pictures to check out… thank you so much.

Speaking of the kits, I’m adding some new fabric options early next week, plus a few limited edition prints and patterns — yay!

And if you’re planning to whip up some extra-special v-day cards this year, well, you won’t want to miss the CRAFT Recycle Your Heart contest…

Just use secondhand materials to make your own original card designs, add photos to the CRAFT flickr pool, and tag them craftvdaycontest. The deadline is February 9, and the winners will be chosen by celeb judges Megan of Not Martha, Garth of Extreme Craft, and Tiffany of Tiffany Tomato and announced on Valentine’s Day. The fabulous prizes include magazines and CRAFT t-shirts, and all the details are here.

Cool — I see a perfect excuse for a trip to the thrift store in my immediate future, right after I scout out our recycling bin!