useful and lovely from scraps

I've been looking for simple projects to make useful and lovely things using fabric scraps. So far I've found these seersucker napkins from Martha Stewart and this fabric mouse pad from How Joyful. I think they'd make great gifts, too. Do you have any favourite projects from scraps?

linus lohoff: the constructed picture

German photographer, Linus Lohoff, created The Constructed Picture series to show everyday objects floating or disappearing. Linus used nylon thread to keep some things in place (and then digitally removed the thread), but other than that, everything we see was photographed that way. Nice, huh?!

Photos posted with permission from Linus Lohoff. Via: Flickr

taking great photos giveaway: from heather

Are you feeling lucky and living in South Africa? If you are, Heather Moore from Skinny laMinx is the girl for you. Heather's running a giveaway on her blog for one copy of The Crafter's Guide to Taking Great Photos. You have until 29 February to enter. Good luck!

Photos: Cushion Covers by Heather Moore, Taking Great Photos AU/NZ cover.

tim mantoani: behind photographs

Photographer Tim Mantoani's new book Behind Photographs: Archiving Photographic Legends looks amazing (I've ordered my copy!). Tim photographed one-hundred-and-fifty photographers with their iconic images using the similarly iconic Polaroid 20x24 camera. Take a look at Tim's gallery here. 

 

Photos of Elliott Erwitt, Harry Benson and Brian Smith (I've always meant to read Breaking The Surface): Tim Mantoani. Via Chase Jarvis.

taking great photos: free button download

To my fabulous contributors for The Crafter's Guide to Taking Great Photos. You are welcome to download any of these free 250x250px buttons that I made for your website or blog. Find the US button here, the UK button here and the AU button here. Link your button through to your choice of Interweave, Amazon.com, Search Press, Amazon.co.uk or Murdoch Books.

taking great photos giveaway: from frankie and canadian living

Are you still feeling lucky? Two more giveaways of The Crafter's Guide to Taking Great Photos are rocking and rolling: 
Frankie - click here for more details and your chance to win a copy

And there are two days left to enter at Canadian Living - click here for more details and your chance to win a copy. Good luck!

Photos: Frankie (top) and Canadian Living (bottom)

taking great photos giveaway: from jenny and jenny

Today might be your lucky day! Two of the gorgeous crafters interviewed in The Crafter's Guide to Taking Great Photos are each hosting a giveaway of the book:
Jenny Gordy from Wiksten - click here for more details and your chance to win a copy.

And Jenny Nemlekar from Jenny N Design - click here for more details and your chance to win a copy.

Photos: top Wiksten; bottom Jenny N Design