Okay, I’m back, after a crazy couple of days and (thankfully) some good news after a long wait, and I’m so excited to give away some cool crafty things! I’m going to cram mini-reviews of three lovely craft books plus a Portland-only bonus into this one little post so forgive the single photo of each book… rest assured that they are fantastic through and through!

First up is a surprise to go with the other two — I decided to add one more of my personal favorites, the Softies Kit, to the up-for-grabs mix. This is such a nice one. You get 15 patterns plus all the materials for making one softie on the spot. I think my favorite in this collection (which is edited down from the equally lovely book Softies) is the Lucky Elephant — just look at her peeking out on the left! Aw.

There’s also the Fuzzy Felted Friends book from the Kyuuto! series, an instant favorite. This thing is adorable from cover to cover, and the projects are divided into two worlds: Items for Everyday Life and Cute Animals. Really, what else do you need in this world? My favorite project here is the charming family of Mouse Pincushions — as a bonus, the wool helps keep your needles from rusting due to its natural oils.

Last is Amy Butler’s Little Stitches for Little Ones. She’s designed 20 keepsake sewing projects for a new family and beyond: clothes, comforts, decor, playthings, and more, all with her trademark attention to detail and signature fabrics and style. There are some gorgeous baby things to make to choose from, but the one that really caught my eye was the Patchwork Crib/Playtime Quilt — beautiful, versatile, and goes right in the washing machine.

Please leave a comment on this post between now and noon (Pacific time) Wednesday, December 10 for a chance to win one of the three, letting me know something you’re planning to make for holidays — a gift, decoration, recipe, anything you’re excited about. If you’re not a holidays type, something else crafty you’re up to will do nicely. I’ll randomly pick three people on Wednesday and mail them out after that! I am very sorry to restrict things, but US addresses only, please, due to the cost of shipping these heavy things. When I do a kit giveaway I promise I’ll make it international since they are nice and light.

I did say four, so there’s one more in-person giveaway, for Portland folks: I will be signing my book, Bead Simple, and showing how to make earrings at the Oregon Historical Society’s Holiday Cheer authors event on Sunday, from 1-4. I would love it if you could stop by and say hi! If anyone who reads my blog mentions that you found out about the event here, I will be happy to give you one of my new earring kits as a thank-you for visiting.

It should be a really cool afternoon, with dozens of Oregon authors who write in different genres there — I am super excited about meeting Chelsea Cain, seeing Caren and Carl of Velveteria, and getting my copies of The Portland Bridge Book, Portland: People, Politics and Power, and An Architectural Guidebook to Portland signed. For those not as obsessed with our city, there will be lots of cookbook, fiction, children’s and nature authors there too; I am just a Portland nerd so my faves list is embarrassingly specific. I’m sure I’ll find lots more good books, too — all the sales benefit the Oregon Historical Society, which is a nice bonus. Anyway, I’d love to see some crafty folks there! Thank you to OHS for having me, and especially to Lucy for suggesting me as a participant.

Last thing (can you tell I meant to post yesterday?!): Diane has written the newest edition of her awesome Christmas zine with Katin and copies are for sale for just $5 apiece in her shop! I adore this publication. It is filled with cool stuff and projects (here are some peeks) and more than anything else this year it is making me so excited for Christmas. Hooray! Don’t miss the chance to snap one up too.

So just leave me a comment with a favorite holiday project by Wednesday for your chance to win a craft book, and good luck everyone! Have a lovely weekend.