Decorate felt balls with embroidery

Via Bloomize I came across this Japanese magazine with instructions for making embroidered felt balls (see p. 15). So pretty for Christmas ornaments or shade pulls or embellishments on gifts... True, the directions are in Japanese, but I bet you could figure it out using the diagrams for inspiration. If you want to buy plain felted balls, search Etsy. Or to make your own, try this tutorial.

This just in! Helpful blog reader Tiffany Harvey has translated the Japanese instructions for us!

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Be a type designer

If you liked Kern Type, you might enjoy designing letterforms, too. Try the Shape Type game and see how closely your letters resemble samples from actual typefaces.

Ribbon designs in action

Months ago Bella Bark and Meow commissioned some ribbon designs for use on their exclusive line of pet collars and matching leashes. The other day I took a peek at their website to see if they'd been manufactured and turned into finished products, and voilà!
My only question is whether or not I can buy this fellow. Look at that face.

When I contacted the company owner for permission to show these images, she agreed and added that if you mention my name, you can get 15% off your order. Sweet! Enter the code JJONES at checkout between now and Nov. 16th to get the deal.

Printable thank you card

Another fun goody! Jennifer Ferguson, the artist behind the Etsy shop Squirrel in the Attic, draws quirky greetings with patterned backgrounds. Her cards are printed on heavy recycled paper and are even cuter in person. I know cuz I've bought some before. I asked Jennifer if she'd pretty please share a print-it-yourself version of one of her cards, and she agreed. It's one of the designs in her 6-card thank you set. (Do you think it would be weird if I mailed it back to her as a thank you?)

Help yourself to the printable PDF. Then download, open in Adobe Reader, print, trim and fold.

Free needlepoint pattern from Felicity Hall

While poking around The Making Spot blog recently, I ended up at Felicity Hall's website. She's based in the UK and designs contemporary needlepoint kits. I'll admit that I'm way too impatient for embroidery, and the only needlepoint I've admired is a pillow or two from Jonathan Adler. But check out Felicity's letters and numbers! Reminds me of Jessica Hisch's Daily Drop Cap project, only in wool. Pretty cool.

You can download a complimentary chart to make the word "love" here.

Or purchase charts for individual numbers and letters. Make a pillow with your friend's wedding date, spell out some words to hang on the wall, or stitch your initials.

Printable gift tag freebie from Hello!Lucky

I didn't think I was ready to see holiday cards yet, but when the folks at Hello!Lucky wrote to introduce their shiny new website and greeting card lines, I got excited despite myself. Browsing through the site is like visiting a contemporary stationery hall of fame.

A couple of my favorite designers: Darling Clementine, above. Lab Partners, below. Those holiday city cards are killing me, and they come in wedding options, too. The gorgeous photography is by Edyta Szyszlo.

The site also sports a new tool that lets you choose fonts and colors and drop pictures easily into photo card designs, so you can customize away.

And guys, guess what. I batted my eyelashes and suggested it would be pretty awesome if we had a sheet of printable gift tags with some of the new designs. Lo and behold! You can download free pages of holiday gift tags here:
The 2011 version
The 2012 version

They're created by Eunice Moyle based on holiday card designs by SusyJack*. (Thanks a bunch!) And they don't scream Christmas, so you can use them for other things, too. Download, print, and cut them out. Enjoy!

DIY geometric stenciled tote

ModernMom.com asked me for a little tutorial for their "crafternoon" series. I don't have any kids, but I know some moms, so maybe that qualified me? I sent over an easy stenciled tote bag project. Head over there for the instructions. P.S. Happy Halloween!