I thought I’d start off posting some fun button things I’ve spotted this week… I just adore this lovely embellished notebook cover project by my friend (and Button It Up contributor) Diane Gilleland! It’s such a cool idea, I especially love the circle pattern she did.

The complete tutorial is posted over here and you can see lots more of Diane’s craft projects here and here.

And my friend Kathy Cano-Murillo‘s new craft book, The Crafty Chica’s Guide to Artful Sewing, is out today! To celebrate, she is giving away a fantastic prize package — including this amazing Janome sewing machine, which she decorated with lots of fanciness, including some colorful rows of buttons.

One grand prize winner will receive:

* A custom-decorated Janome ThreadBanger TB12 sewing machine, decorated by Kathy herself, and featured in The Crafty Chica’s Guide to Artful Sewing (courtesy of Janome)

* A copy of The Crafty Chica’s Guide to Artful Sewing (courtesy of Potter Craft)

* Thirty (30) Jars of Crafty Chica Glitter (courtesy of Duncan)

* A custom-made Crafty Chica Picture Bracelet (courtesy of the Crafty Chica herself!)

All the details to enter are here on the CRAFT: blog… good luck!!

Today is two weeks until Button It Up is out, I’m very excited! Speaking of giveaways, I’m offering up two signed copies of the book and two hand-picked button stashes from my collection over on West Coast Crafty — just leave a comment on that post with a favorite button story or tip and I’ll randomly draw four winners a week from today.

I love the button stories people have told so far, don’t miss the comments!