Thanks to the fine people at AustenBlog, I've just discovered Yarn Love, an online store that sells several colors of hand-dyed yarn inspired by literary heroines.


You can buy Scarlet O'Hara yarn (shades of pink), or Elizabeth Bennet yarn (lavender and yellows), or Anne Shirley yarn (pastels). The only that struck me as being particularly apt was the deep-wine-colored Marianne Dashwood yarn, and the only one I'd really want to wear was the beautiful Guinevere yarn, but who am I to judge?

Labels: DIY, Shopping

Stitchy McYarnpants*'s remarkable book The Museum of Kitschy Stitches: A Gallery of Notorious Knits is currently on sale at UrbanOutfitters.com for a mere $6.99. Pick up a copy for any crafty people in your life, or just buy one for yourself and marvel at the contents, which, according to the publishers, include "sci-fi inspired headgear from the 1940s", "gender-bending sweater sets from the '50s and '60s", and "groovy outerwear from the '70s".

*Real name: Debbie Brisson, curator of the fantastically awesome Museum of Kitschy Stitches website, which features such treasures as the crocheted beer can hat.

Labels: DIY

Behold: our latest and greatest gift suggestions, just in time for you to have to pay expedited shipping charges! (And last year's suggestions are still pretty awesome, if you're looking for even more ideas.)

Scour your local Goodwill or Value Village store for vintage romance, sci-fi, and mystery titles. You can buy a hefty stack of them for under five dollars, and they don't even need wrapping--just tie them up with some colorful ribbon and let their glorious covers speak for themselves.








For friends who love DIY projects, pair a book like Craftivity: 40 Projects for the DIY Lifestyle with a gift certificate from your local craft store. Then they can make this great puffball rug that we're lusting after (and give it to you).









Bookcloseouts.com is a phenomenal source for massively discounted Wordcandy titles: paperbacks for two to three dollars, hardbacks for five to seven. It's not the world's most user-friendly site, but their prices make a little hunting well worth it.








American Georgette Heyer fans take note: order RIGHT NOW, and you can probably get a copy of Georgette Heyer's Regency World shipped to your house before the holidays. This title is only available in England, so you'll need to pay extra for shipping, but it would make a wonderful present for any Heyer devotees on your list. ($25 or so, depending on the exchange rate.)






Sexy librarian pins complete any outfit. ($9)



...as do these Harry Potter scarves ($25)











Penguin Graphic Classics is a gorgeous line of novels featuring covers drawn by modern artists. If you're looking to scare the crap out of somebody, we recommend their edition of Shirley Jackson's We Have Always Lived in the Castle. If not, try this beautiful copy of Voltaire's Candide.






We love this Cheshire Cat mug. Add hot water, and the cat fades away until only his grin is visible.










When all else fails, you can always give chocolate. We can personally vouch for the deliciousness of Moonstruck Chocolates. Their book-shaped box of truffles would make a lovely present for any chocolate-loving bibliophile. Doesn't everybody have a few of those to shop for? ($39)

Labels: DIY, Holiday, Shopping

Tile it pulp-fiction style!




Tiles available through ClassicHardware.com

Labels: DIY, Shopping

I don't know about you, but I love getting packages in the mail. There's something about finding out that there's a box in the mail for you... if you are like me and love "real mail" then you should check out Swap-bot.

So what is Swap-bot? Swap-bot is an internet-based swap. A group of people arrange to trade items through the mail. Items are usually hand-assembled, cheap (but rich with craftsmanship and care), and can include mix CDs, postcards, crafts, or, of course, books! There are lots of great swaps going on, so it is worth investigating the site on your own, but I thought I would get us started with a few book-related swaps.

The manga swap in particular caught my eye. They will be sending out one English-language manga in an almost-new condition. All genres welcome (if interested sign up by July 5th). There is also a Used Book swap, Vintage Magazine swap and a Beach Bum Essentials box swap. All look like they could be a lot of fun. We are planning a swap for Wordcandy books, so if you guys have any ideas we would love to hear them.

Labels: DIY, manga

For any of you who might be looking for a fun project to take on over the next week, might I suggest creating your very own Mexican Novella Love Shrine? I stumbled across this kit today, and since it's such an awesome blend of artwork and racy novela comic books, I thought I'd pass it along.

These kind of projects are the best because the tackier and more over-the-top you go, the better it looks. If anyone attempts the kit (or just creates their own shrine out of whatever), we would love see pictures.

Labels: Comic, DIY

We here are Wordcandy are huge proponents of the Do It Yourshelf (DIY) movement. It might have something to do with our love of design, or the fact we think good design should be available to everyone... but most likely it's because of the fact that our income levels are just above that of the average college student.

The Washington Post Express did a great article this weekend on DIY books about giving your old T-shirts a new life.



They mentioned a couple of books that would be a great resource for getting started. Generation T:108 Ways to Transform a T-Shirt looks to be the best of the bunch. Author Megan Nicolay has a great website that goes along with her recently published book. It has monthly projects for you to try. (I love the idea of having a Tee party with friends to get together and work on your shirts.)

Labels: DIY, Fashion, Shopping