Our Blog

Edgar Allan Bro by Joseph Toschlog

Back in July we announced a Broetry contest, asking broets and broettes in training to submit their own broems to our esteemed Broet Laurette, Brian McGackin.

Stacey Graham (soon to be a Quirk author with her upcoming Zombie Tarot) sent in a piece entitled Hello, My Name Is. “Dedicated to all the boys [she] dated with their hats turned backwards and unfortunate tribal arm tattoos,” this was Brian’s favorite of the bunch. So here it is.

Well done Stacey.

On Small Business Saturday, I spent a few hours in a very large business, a Barnes & Noble to be exact!

But in the spirit of “small,” I was there to facilitate some crafting sessions in support of Microcrafts, your go-to guide for teeny tiny DIY-ing. Barnes & Noble had set us up with some basic supplies and we came ready with a makeshift Christmas “tree” (lots of branches inside a vase) from which we hung many of the book’s crafts, including mini books, owls, houseplant macramé holders, quilled ornaments, and bottle caps.

After signing all of the store’s copies of Microcrafts, we got down to our small business: making one of the book’s projects, little greeting cards and envelopes by paper-pro Larissa Holland. Only 2 inches in size, these cards and envelopes are perfect for adorning your Christmas gifts or for slipping notes of the non-text-message variety.

All you need are some cardstock or wrapping paper and a little creativity! Well, and scissors and glue. Adults and kids alike enjoyed getting crafty amidst their book-shopping and Starbucks-sipping. Now if only the U.S. Post Office would let us mail these diminutive Christmas cards…

Check out some more pictures from the event on the Quirk Books Flickr page!

With all the indulging these holidays, wouldn’t it be nice if you showed up to a party with the healthiest dish? One of the healthiest grains, brown rice, was used in this casserole.

This is a versatile side that can double as an entrée too, with its combined flavors of nutty brown rice, two hearty sausages, various vegetables, crisp almonds and broth. Just the thing to complement roasts or salads anytime of the year.

Believe it or not, that’s a Kindle case.

You seldom spot anyone at the Quirk HQ without his or her trusty iPads. Whether we’re rocking out to our respective iTunes playlists at our desks, playing intense games of Angry Birds during lunch, or reading using the iPad’s Kindle App, Apple’s handy tablet is always within reach.

However, as book people, we often miss the look of a well-designed cover while reading eBooks, especially with Doogie and Katie creating their masterpieces on the third floor. This is where Retro Readers comes in.

An Etsy shop ran by Melissa Obrien, Retro Readers takes vintage books and repurposes them as shells for your eReader of choice. The designs are elegant and beautiful, with a handful that work quite well around the holidays. Check out this Christmas cover!

Retro Readers doesn’t only specialize in iPad covers. They also craft some really nice Kindle and Nook protectors, such as this Circle of the Seasons piece, with its lovely green accents and charming ribbon.

The covers are reasonably priced too, cashing out at around $40 after shipping. A small price to pay for a truly unique case that will be envy of all your bookish friends.

Retro Readers @ Etsy
http://www.etsy.com/shop/RetroReaders

Photo by Amanda Pinprick

Sewing can be intimidating, but few basic tips can make that apprehension disappear. In this post I will describe a few topics that will not only help the appearance of a sewing project, but increase the durability and will help make things easier. Some of these things are topics I have wrote about on my own blog, trailscrafts.com, and some are new.

1. Know Your Sewing Machine. All sewing machines are different. Whether you purchased your machine new or used, it's important to have a manual. Usually you can find it online if one did not come with the machine. Knowing the functions of the machine will help through any project. Also, it's very important to keep your machine properly oiled. The manual for the machine will say which parts need to be oiled and how to get to them. It's also good to have extra parts of the wearable items. For instance, the bobbin case. Over time the screw that adjusts the tension on the bobbin thread will move. Some sewing machine manufacturers tell you that you'll never have to adjust the bobbin tension, and that the bobbin case comes adjusted from the factory, but anyone who has had to adjust the tiny screw several times in a row and still not have the tension quite right, knows how frustrating it can be to fix a bobbin case that is not adjusted correctly.

What’s America’s favorite way to eat leftover Thanksgiving turkey? You guessed it: in a sandwich. Specifically, “The-Day-After-Thanksgiving Turkey Sandwich.” Yes, its got an official name.

While variations exist, this sandwich generally consists of thick slabs of toasted white bread covered with a mountain of leftover turkey meat, mashed potatoes or stuffing, cranberry sauce, and brown gravy.

It’s colossal. It’s comforting. It’s as American as apple pie. But a whole lot better.