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Handmade Houseplants

Book Review: Handmade Houseplants by Corrie Beth Hogg

March 30, 2019

A few weeks ago my 15-year-old, Roxanne, and I checked out Handmade Houseplants: Remarkably Realistic Plants You Can Make With Paper (affiliate link) by Corrie Beth Hogg from our local library. This book was published in September of 2018 by Timber Press and we were excited to find it on the new releases table. Roxanne… 

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Filed Under: Book Reviews

Unusually Good Books for Creative Entrepreneurs

February 11, 2016

I don’t read a lot of fiction. I prefer real life stories and recently I’ve read the best of Robert Collier’s books that appeal to the creative entrepreneur in me. From reading, I learned that effective entrepreneurship often requires a strong foundation in critical skills such as problem-solving, creativity, and adaptability. I was also given… 

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Filed Under: Book Reviews, Business Tips

Book Review: Fleece Hat Friends by Mary Rasch

October 30, 2015

When my son, Simon, was five we bought a winter hat shaped like a shark at the Gap on a whim. It was made from gray camouflage fleece and it tied under his chin. The face opening was a red jaw lined with fierce teeth. Just a few months prior I’d had a baby and… 

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Book Review: My Felt Doll by Shelly Down

September 23, 2015

When I first began to explore creating and selling PDF sewing patterns for softies and dolls I did some research to see if the idea was actually viable. Would people buy a digital doll pattern? And if they did, what should it include, how should it be photographed and described, and how should it be… 

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Book Review: Retro Mama Scrap Happy Sewing by Kim Kruzich

April 3, 2015

I admire designers who have a signature style. When you see their work out of context you immediately recognize it and know it’s theirs. Their blog, their patterns, their business cards – everything they make – is part of an overall aesthetic. Kim Kruzich is one of those designers. When I think of Kim I… 

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Book Review: Stitch Love by Mollie Johanson

March 9, 2015

I bought Stitch Love because I’m friends with the author, Mollie Johanson of Wild Olive. I love Stitch Love because it’s a valuable and charming book that I’ll use for years to come. Mollie designs all sorts of crafts: embroidery patterns, printables, quilts, sewing projects, softies, and more. Her signature design element is a little… 

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Book Review: Fairy Tale Sewing by Heidi Boyd

January 26, 2015

I love toys inspired by fairy tales (and I’ve got the Pinterest board to prove it!). Characters from fairy tales and nursery rhymes are a natural subject for toys, and give kids and parents a chance to retell the stories we love so much. When I saw Heidi Boyd’s new book, Fairy Tale Sewing: 20… 

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Book Review: The Ultimate Sock Puppet Book by Tiger Kandel and Heather Schloss

December 3, 2014

Four years ago at Christmas time I was doing some holiday shopping on Etsy and came across SockHollow, an Etsy shop with wonderfully charming sock puppets like I’d never seen before. I bought two (a zebra and a giraffe) for our good friend, Huck, who was in preschool at the time. When they came I… 

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Filed Under: Book Reviews

Sew Cute to Cuddle 1

Book Review: Sew Cute to Cuddle by Mariska Vos-Bolman

August 26, 2014

I pre-ordered Sew Cute to Cuddle by Mariska Vos-Bolman as soon as I saw it on Amazon and was so excited when it arrived last week. Aside from sewing, playing games like judi roulette online is also a great pastime. Mariska is the designer of the popular PDF softie pattern business, DIY Fluffies. She’s Dutch… 

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Book Review: Make Your Own Soft Toys by Rob Merrett

May 2, 2014

  Make Your Own Soft Toys was originally published in 2010 under the title Sew It, Stuff It and with this cover: Photo by Laura Howard. The new title and cover photo are more appealing, I think. They’re cleaner and more to the point. This is purely a project book. For the cover price of… 

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Filed Under: Book Reviews

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Welcome! I'm Abby Glassenberg and I'm glad you're here. While She Naps is a blog about designing and sewing stuffed animals and running a creative business.
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