as part of her upcoming show “terrarium” at the montserrat gallery artist karen gelardi is working on a collaborative book project involving readers and art fans everywhere. the project is designed to work with viewers to transform gelardi’s drawings into a sculptural installation through on-demand book publishing technology. viewers can select which of gelardi’s drawings they’d like to be included in the exhibit- in the form of a multi-page book. they then fund its production and receive a copy of “their book” upon the close of the show (karen’s goal is to generate a colorful, towering stack of books in the exhibit). i think it’s such a fun idea and if you’d like to be a part of karen’s project you can click here to check it out. you can also click here to view a video of the book prototypes. [thanks, karen!]

when it comes to decorating, sometimes that little extra detail (a bead, ribbons, a stencil) is all it takes to finish a project. so i was psyched to see kayte terry’s new book “complete embellishment” which covers tons of different embellishing techniques from appliqué and patchwork to ribbon embroidery and printmaking. what more can you ask? click here to order a copy on amazon.

[Images from Complete Embellishing, ©2008 Collins & Brown, used with permission of Collins & Brown (UK) and Creative Homeowner (USA). Photographers: Michael Wicks and Mark Winwood]

to say that i am thrilled and honored to be posting a sneak peek into lena corwin’s long-awaited first book: printing by hand (STC Craft/August 2008/27.50) would be a massive understatement. i’ve been a huge fan of lena’s since the moment i first saw her work and could not be happier to see that her book has turned out exactly like i knew it would- sheer perfection. from the front cover right down to the last project printing by hand is a sheer joy to read and is sure to become a favorite among design and diy enthusiasts alike.

one of the things i’ve always admired about lena is her ability to create and blend patterns beautifully. from her pillows and plates to the fabrics in her own home, lena has always had a way with print and pattern. so it makes perfect sense that her first book would be dedicated to that very skill. printing by hand (available for pre-order right here!) is a fantastic book of print/pattern-based projects using stamps, stencil, and silk screens (all hand-done by lena herself). i love the wide range of projects in the book like printed napkins, hand-printed bed sheets, custom printed notebooks and even a gorgeous how-to for hand-printed stencil “wallpaper”. if you’re a fan of print and pattern you simply will not want to miss picking up a copy of lena’s book. it’s chock-full of beautiful projects that are just as pretty to look at as they are easy to complete. i plan on tackling the dresser project (shown above) asap but that stencil wall is calling my name too.

to celebrate the launch of lena’s book, printing by hand, we’ll have having a contest to find the reader with the best use of pattern in their home! starting today, i’ll be accepting submissions for the contest- all you need to do is send an email right here (title: lena corwin contest) with photos of your favorite use of pattern in your home. [please note: due to shipping costs we can only accept domestic, usa, entries at this time] all photos must be attached in a zip file or as individual files (no flickr links or flash pages, please) and should be of your own home. in honor of lena’s book, what we’re looking for is homes that combine print and pattern in a way that is fresh, modern and fun. i’ll be accepting entries via email until next tuesday, july 22nd at 10pm EST. finalists will be voted on by readers and 5 winners will be chosen and awarded the following prizes:

• 1st prize— one 18″ “field” pillow by lena corwin AND one signed book
• 2nd prize— one 13″ field pillow by lena corwin AND one signed book
• 3rd through 5th prize— one signed book

the contest will be a fantastic way to celebrate lena’s new book and showcase some of the incredible homes out there that use pattern in creative ways.

last but not least, lena was kind enough to take some time out of her busy schedule to do a little interview with me, the results of which are posted after the jump. so to read lena’s full interview (and see more photos from the book!) just click here or click “read more” below. thank you to lena and her publisher for allowing us a little sneak peek into her new book. if you’d like to pre-order a copy (regular sales open tomorrow) click here to place an order.

click here for the rest of the post, lena’s interview and more photos from lena corwin’s printing by hand.

just a little texture to kick off the day- how beautiful is this cover? you can pick up a copy of kyuuto! woolly embroidery right here for $15.95.