Craft spring lambs – and hop over to join the Papercraft inspirations blog party!

We're not the only crafters enjoying a blog party this weekend! Our chums at Papercraft inspirations are hosting an Easter extravaganza, including some fantastic free downloads, mega competitions and lots of inspiration for your handmade cards. Click over to the Papercraft inspirations blog to check it out now.

We wanted to bring a great free project to the paper party, so here's one of our favourites from the Papercraft inspirations archives - Debi Potter's funky sheep cards!

Free Easter bunny crochet pattern

We're getting ready for Easter with a fun blog party this weekend, and we're starting today with a wonderful free crochet pattern from our friends at Coats Crafts!

We just love this adorable bunny napkin ring. It's easy to make, and you can have fun dressing up your finished bunny with a ribbon bow and tiny crocheted flower. The bunny is crocheted in Anchor Aida - it's available in a range of shades, so you can make bunnies in different colours if you like!

Click here to get your free crochet bunny pattern now (PDF) We've got a handy list of crochet abbreviations and UK/US conversions here to help you along!

If you love this, head over to coatscrafts.com to discover more great crochet projects, browse crochet yarns and other gorgeous products, plus find stockists in your local area.

Free Easter papercraft project – plus more spring treats this weekend!

This weekend we're helping you get ready for Easter with a crafty party right here on The Making Spot blog! We're kicking off the fun with this gorgeous free Easter party papercraft project, PLUS a special voucher code so you can enjoy 50% off your next order at The Making Spot - read on to find out more...

You'll love Jo Anne Cavanagh's Easter party decorations. Bunting, gift tags, treat boxes and more - they're sure to be a hit with family and friends, especially children. Click here to download the project now; you have to register with The Making Spot to get the download, but it's quick and totally free.

Even better, you can enjoy 50% off your next purchase at The Making Spot from now until 2nd April 2013! Simply add the projects you'd like to your basket, then enter the voucher code EASTER2013 at the checkout - you'll see the discount applied to your purchases before you buy. Happy shopping!

We've got more treats for you this weekend, including free project ideas for Easter, plus crafty giveaways for you - bookmark The Making Spot blog now, and pop back tomorrow!

Made in Paper - out now!

Don't miss Made in Paper, a special magazine from the makers of Papercraft inspirations. The mag is out in UK shops now, or you can order online and get it delivered to your door!

This gorgeous 132-page mag showcases a wealth of gorgeous paper craft projects to make at home. You'll discover pretty ideas for parties, home décor, cards and gifts, plus cute projects to make for kids. We especially love the gorgeous garlands and pretty party pom-poms!

Made in Paper includes handy templates and 12 beautiful patterned papers so you can start crafting straight away. You'll also find a special voucher code inside the mag, so you can also download a PDF version of the papers for free!

Get your copy of Made in Paper in UK shops now, order online at www.myfavouritemagazines.co.uk, or buy a digital copy over on Apple Newsstand, through the Papercraft inspirations app. You can also visit the Made in Paper Facebook page to find out more and say hello to the mag team!

Freebie Friday – floral cross stitch chart!

Happy Friday! Today we've got a fun free cross stitch pattern for you - Maria Diaz's Bright Blue Flowers. This design is so much fun to stitch and won't take long- it measures 7x10cm, and there are no fractional stitches or backstitch. It's the perfect size for a greetings card, notebook patch or needlebook. 

If you'd like to use soluble canvas to stitch on to felt as in our photo above, you'll find our soluble canvas tutorial here.

If you love this, check out more of our Friday freebies now. Have a great weekend! 

The Spring Knitting & Stitching Show – this weekend at London's Olympia 2!

We're so excited about The Spring Knitting & Stitching Show, which kicks off this Thursday 14th March at the Olympia 2. We'll be there, along with our friends from magazines including Papercraft inspirations, Simply Crochet, CrossStitcher and more!

 

Come to the show, and you can join us for a spot of crafting, shop for all the latest products, browse for inspiration, talk to experts and meet some of UK's best-known craft authors.

The show runs from 14th-17th March - to find out more and book your tickets now, click over to www.twistedthread.com or call 01473 321872. We can't wait to see you there!

Freebie Friday – classic lace scarf

It's Freebie Friday! Today's free download is this gorgeous Classic Lace Scarf knitting pattern by Kirstie McLeod. As well as your pattern, this download shows how you can use different yarns to create your own unique look, and also includes some great ideas for embellishing knitted scarves.

Click here now to find your free Classic Lace Scarf pattern. You'll have to sign up to The Making Spot to get the pattern, but it's quick and totally free.

Love this? Catch up on more of our Freebie Friday free patterns. Have a great weekend!

How to sew crazy patchwork

We've just added a new free step-by-step guide to The Making Spot for you - how to sew crazy patchwork. This fun technique is a great way to use up fabric scraps and practise your embroidery stitches. We just love the colourful results!

Click here to find the free step-by-step guide now. Have fun!

Valentine wool comp winner!

Wow, so many crafters entered our Black Sheep Wools valentine competition - it's great to know that you all love gorgeous yarn as much as we do!

Today we're saying a big congratulations to the winner, Dr Jen from Leicester. Well done Dr Jen, your prize will be with you very soon.

Don't worry if you didn't win - keep your eyes peeled, we'll have more competitions coming up here on The Making Spot blog. If you live in the UK, there's still (just) time to enter our win a subscription for Mother's Day competition!

Craft along with Prima!

 A promotion from The Making Spot

Live with Prima is a series of live online scrapbooking classes by the papercraft experts at Prima. Watch for gorgeous scrapbook ideas, plus handy tips and tricks - and because the classes are streamed live, you can chat with the instructors online!

The Prima team are based in the USA, but they're creating some new classes to be broadcast at a handy time for us European crafters. Today you can watch Live with Prima at 7pm GMT; click over to www.ustream.tv/channel/primaflower now and bookmark the page! If you'd like to join in and chat to the instructors, just create a free Ustream.com account, then a chat box will appear next to the video window.

You can also catch up on shows that you've missed - there are classes on card making, stamping, mini albums and more. 

Happy scrapping!