Craft:

Sister Diane is a fabulously crafty girl who not only continuously comes up with a variety of creative projects, but she embodies the DIY spirit with her positive attitude and willingness to share ideas with others. She has shared a number of great project with us on the pages of CRAFT, as well as on our site. Back in CRAFT Volume 04, Diane showed us how to make shimmering embossed greeting cards using aluminum foil:

Then, in Volume 08, Diane represented for her hometown of Portland and gave us an insider crafty view of the city with her Travel Crafty feature, which even included a super cool tutorial on how to use Google Maps to map out the city's hot spots. In Volume 09, Diane shared another custom card tutorial with us, showing readers how to machine sew, heat emboss, and embroider paper. In our last issue, Volume 10, Diane taught us how to make homemade flavored bitters, a key ingredient in tasty drinks. In her example, she used dried cherries and spices--yum!

We checked in with this crafty girl to see what she's been into recently and this is what she wrote:

"As usual, I'm doing about 15 things at once! I blog weekly for CraftStylish, which has lately involved creating a lot of interesting recycled projects, like recycled cardboard baskets and decoupaged shoes."

"And I also write my own blog, CraftyPod, which contains projects, craft book reviews, and assorted crafty goodness. My podcast, also called CraftyPod, is still one of my all-time favorite projects. I've been talking to people from the mainstream craft industry there lately, trying to learn about how they view our indie craft culture.

This July, my first book comes out, which is terribly exciting. Kanzashi In Bloom: 20 Fold and Sew Projects to Wear and Give offers a simplified form of a traditional Japanese fabric flower craft. I had a great time coming up with lots of projects that incorporate these flowers: jewelry, tote bags, accessories, and home decor items."

"By the end of April, I'll release my first eBook as well: Making A Great Blog: A Guide for Creative People. I hope this book will approach the subject of blogging in a way the other blogging books don't. I'll be focusing on what goes into creating interesting and valuable blog posts, and keeping this great content flowing over time. [Check out the review of Diane's eBook posted this morning by our own Rachel Hobson for more info.]

. . . and in between all that, I'm hanging out on Twitter!"

Thanks, Sister Diane! We can't wait to check out her new book. For the meantime, with summer around the corner, we thought we'd share Diane's homemade bitters in our Digital Edition. Make sure to keep up with Sister Diane on her blog and pick up any back issues of CRAFT you may not have at the Maker Shed!