For the love of used books

I’m a bookworm, and I’m thrifty, so it’s no surprise I’m a big fan of used books. The Really Good, Really Big, Really Cheap Book Sale occurs annually here in Greenville, SC, and this past weekend I scooped up more than my fair share of reading material (but hey, it was only $10 to fill up a giant shopping bag, so yeah...that’s my excuse). This outstanding event is put on my the Greenville Literacy Association, a non profit organization that collects all kinds of used book donations, then hosts this enormous sale each summer to raise money to help increase literacy levels here in the Upstate.

This year, I walked into the book sale with my tote bag as I have done the last 4 summers, and promised to limit myself to 5 books this year, but since it was the last day of the sale, it was only $10 for as many books as you could fit into a grocery bag, so I didn’t hold back. I picked up a stack of new novels (full list is below), art books, tourism booklets, and even a few vintage nature books I’m planning to use for some collage type of stuff in the future. All in all, a pretty good loot!

- The Activist's Daughter by Ellyn Bache

- 700 Years of Dutch Cartography

- Blue and Other Colors by D. Paul Reynolds

- Halfway House by Katherine Noel 

- What Was Lost by Catherine O'Flynn

- Trunk, a Love Story by Michael Perry

- The Opposite of Me by Sarah Pekkanen

- The Book Shop by Penelope Fitzgerald

- My New American Life by Francine Prose

- Paper is Part of the Picture

- Apples of Gold (compiled by) Jo Petter

- This is Not Chick Lit - Original Stories by America's Best Women Writers

- The Dove in Bathurst Station by Patricia Westerhof

- The Forrest & The Sea - from LIFE Nature Library

GreenCraft Article Published

Writing and crafting: two of my favorite things. I'm excited to announce my second DIY article was recently published in GreenCraft Magazine! I so enjoy reading this magazine, it appeals to my love of up-cycling and repurposing, and I always find inspiration for new eco-friendly projects with every issue. It's a complete honor to be able to contribute my DIY guide to making suede fringe earrings to the Autumn issue of GreenCraft. 

I would say 99% of my writing is fiction, but once in awhile I get the itch to share facts and real life experiences, and I'm lucky enough that GreenCraft has allowed me the opportunity to share this DIY article with them and their readers. I hope you enjoy the magazine, there are so many great projects in the Autumn issue! http://stampington.com/GreenCraft-Magazine-Autumn-2014

Suede Fringed Earrings: A How-to Guide

Craft supplies are everywhere I look, and I rarely visit the craft store. Just about everything I need for jewelry making can be found on a rack in a thrift shop or piled up at a garage sale. My passion is to upcycle leather, suede, and anything else I can get my busy crafting hands on. It’s an affordable, eco-friendly, and extremely rewarding way to create. When I see an old leather jacket or a beat up suede skirt at Goodwill, items that aren’t likely to be used again due to the style or condition of the garment, I happily claim them, but not to wear as they were originally intended to be worn. My plans for these outdated or damaged garments include deconstructing them, chopping them into unrecognizable pieces, then repurposing the material as casual but bold jewelry.

My indie craft business called Once Again Sam is where my love of thrifting and jewelry making came together. I had always enjoyed digging through old clothes at thrift shops for fun, and creating jewelry had been a favorite hobby of mine for years, but it wasn’t until 2009 when I opened my business, that the two became intertwined. Once I discovered how simple and rewarding upcycled jewelry making could be, I was free to buy any thrift shop clothing item I wanted, and it didn’t matter what condition it was in, the style statement it once made decades ago, or how close it was to my size. Having chosen to source materials for my jewelry line through non-traditional means, I learned to walk through a secondhand clothing store and see it as a fabric warehouse. As an upcycler, I was free to seek out luxurious textures and colorful material, and pay only a few dollars in the end, and I love knowing there’s a backstory behind every piece I make. 

Tools & Materials:

-       Hammer

-       Pliers

-       Leather punch: circle 1/16”

-       Scissors

-       Leather / suede garment

-       Jump rings & ear wire

Technique:

To make a pair of lightweight and lovely suede fringe earrings, you’ll need to first choose your material sources. Head out to your favorite thrift store, check out garage sales, or even look in the depths of your own closet for that article of clothing you haven’t worn in years but haven’t been able to part with just yet. Any kind of leather or suede clothing will work, but pants and skirts have fewer seams and more flat material, which make things easier when taking the garment apart.

1. Choose three articles of suede clothing.

2. Use sharp scissors to deconstruct the garments.

3. Select pieces of suede to work with.

4. Sketch out an earring shape, then draw the final design onto a piece of cardboard to make a template for each layer.

5. Trace around your cardboard template with a thin marker onto the suede, then cutout two copies of each layer.

6. Cut into the bottom of each layer approximately 3/4” to create fringe.

7. With a 1/16” circle leather punch, hammer holes through the tops of all layers of suede.

8. Secure all three layers through the punched holes with a small jump ring (6mm) then attach matching ear wire.

9. Enjoy wearing your suede fringe earrings!

Travel in the Springtime

This spring, my husband and I embarked on the longest road trip either of us had ever been on. We drove from Greenville, SC to Austin, TX to attend SXSW and exhibit at Renegade Craft Fair. The events that brought us 1,100 miles each way were exciting all on their own, but I have to be honest, the drive and all of the pitstops were quite memorable as well. 

Every time we travel long distances like this, it does good things for my brain. After the playlists get old, and the scenery gets monotonous, that's when my mind starts working. During our long drive west (and back), I developed about 5 new jewelry product concepts, fleshed out 2 new novel ideas, and decided on some major business changes I wanted to implement for my craft biz, Once Again Sam. I owe so much of my inspiration to being utterly bored! 

Seeing new things is also quite inspirational for me. We stopped in New Orleans, made a run out to San Antonio for a day trip, and saw as much of Austin as we could manage in the better part of a week we were there. Here's a little glimpse of some of the sights that have stuck with me long after our return home. 

< Click photo below to view album >

Art & Literature Collide: The Days Lost

Writing can be a lonely sport. It’s rare that I get the chance to talk to others about it in depth, or compare publishing experiences. For the longest time, I only knew other readers, not other writers. When I first met my friend Shannon McCrimmon, she was working on her first novel, just like I was, and I quickly discovered how helpful and inspiring it can be to have a fellow writer to relate to and discuss ideas with.

Since publishing her first novel, The Summer I Learned to Dive, Shannon McCrimmon has published 2 more, The Year I Almost Drowned, and most recently, The Days Lost. She has self-published all 3 on Amazon.com, and I was lucky enough to be a beta reader for The Days Lost. It was an honor to get a sneak peek at her new book before its release, and I enjoyed the fact that I could read along and think about what I might adjust, since it wasn’t set in stone just yet. I really had to dig deep for comments or suggestions - The Days Lost was a great story, even as a work-in-progress! It’s a YA must-read, and it’s completely different from her first two books so be sure to check it out. 

The Days Lost by Shannon McCrimmon

Even more awesomeness about The Days Lost: Shannon McCrimmon has a love for the arts, especially local. She came up with the idea of having an art show where Greenville artists could contribute work inspired by her new novel. The Art & Literature Collide show opened this past weekend at Art & Light Gallery in conjunction with the book signing, and my husband and I each made a piece for the show. I typically stick to making leather and wood jewelry or needle felted fiber art, but I was inspired to make something completely out of my comfort zone for the show. I sculpted a life size copperhead snake out of clay and cut out hundreds of tiny leather scales for its skin, then mounted the whole thing on an antique wormy chestnut plaque. What part of the book inspired this 3D piece? You’ll have to read the story to find out!

Shannon made a story, I made a snake. 

Work by Tim Speaker, Sheila Lutringer, Teresa Roche, and Annie Koelle

Work by Chris Jones, Teresa Roche, Josh Mandell, and Sarah Mandell

Work by Kent Ambler, Paul Flint, and Annie Koelle