Child's Play Book is here!

Well, it's only 3 1/2 weeks behind schedule, but it's finally done (big, big grin!)

I am excited about this book for a bunch of different reasons...  The first reason is that this is the first book that I've self-published. (Actually, at first it was just going to be a quilt pattern... but then I started adding more and more ideas until it turned into a 55 page book with about 8 projects and 3 recipes... but that is just like me: I have said it before and I'll say it again, I am definitely a "more is more" kind of girl!)

When you do a book with a publisher, it takes a very long time- a minimum of a year. I was able to put this together and get it published in about 4 or 5 months' time. In working with a publisher there is also a loss of a certain amount of creative control, and depending on the publisher this can be a lot or a little. (When I worked with Kansas City Star for my first book, they were actually really great about including most of the projects that I wanted to do, etc.)

For Child's Play, I designed & made all of the projects & recipes, laid out the book, provided the artwork & illustrations, did the photography... being a "control-freak," it was appealing to me to be able to have everything exactly the way I wanted it (I have a bit of a rebellious streak and sometimes don't like collaboration... I just want to do things my own way...)

It was a lot of work, and a really huge learning curve for me as far as the technical aspects... Many, many times, through tears of frustration, I wondered what I had gotten myself into and swore that I would never do it again. But then I finally got my copy and held it in my hands and it looked so great and I was so proud of it... and I immediately knew that Yes, I will definitely do it again.... hopefully next time I will have figured a lot of it out and it will be a much easier process!

Another thing that I am super-duper-excited about with this book is that I have ventured into the world of video... talk about a learning curve! I had never made a video in my life, but after some trial and error I think the videos came out fairly decent (again, now that I know a little more I think the next ones will be easier for me to do and come out better.) I did 3 videos to go with the book, and with the digital version (which I'll talk about a little later), you can click right on the link and it will take you to the YouTube video. So, for example, if you are making the stuffed animals and would like some tips on how to turn and stuff those skinny tubes for the arms and legs, just click the link and watch my video! Really convenient, don't you think? (If you buy the printed version, you will also have access to the videos, you will just have to type the provided address into your browser instead of just clicking.)

The book is available in both a print copy and a digital copy. I love books- I have many, many in my collection. Isn't it fun to just sit and look at the pretty pictures while enjoying your cup of tea or coffee?

I wanted this book to be very affordable- at only $15.00 for a 55 page, full color book with 8 projects, 3 recipes, and several kid's activity pages, this is a fabulous value! 

To order your printed version of the book, click here. This will take you to an outside but fully secure website. I looked into several options for printing the book, and decided on this site for several reasons. First, I could keep the price to a minimum. Second, I do not have to warehouse and ship the books myself. This is huge because right now for my other products, I do all of the order processing and shipping myself, and I am finding it harder and harder to keep up with orders. This website ships the book directly from the printer to the customer. And as I said earlier, the quality of the printed book is beautiful.

Now, you also have an option to buy a digital copy of the book. To buy your digital book (e-book), click here. There are many advantages to the digital book also! 

• First, the price- only $12.00 for all of the full-color content you get in the printed book. That's a lot of content for $12.00- really a great bargain!
• You don't have to wait for the book to be shipped- you should have your link for your book within 24 hours of your order, which means you can start creating right away!
• Especially important to international customers: No Shipping Costs!!!
• You can view it as a "flippable" book (like my newsletter), or you can download the PDF onto your computer or device to read at any time.
• It looks beautiful on the iPad!
• Links are easy to use- just click. There are links to the videos as mentioned above, and also to my social media sites such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest.
• Print out just the pages you need- maybe a recipe or a pattern page or the kids' activity sheets. So much easier to have a single recipe page in the kitchen to work with than a whole book, right? And you don't have to worry about splatters on your book!
• Never trace a pattern again- just print it out onto inexpensive computer paper and cut the pieces out.
• For those concerned about using up a lot of expensive color ink, you can save ink when you print pages by choosing "grayscale" in your printer options and printing in black and white.

To see more sample pages, click here. (The quality of the sample pages is greatly decreased- the quality of the actual digital & printed books is much better.)

So, just to re-cap, here is what you get for the price of $12.00 for the digital book or $15.00 for the printed book:

• 2 quilt patterns (2 colorways each)
• tote bag pattern
• patterns for 3 stuffed animals with clothes
• 2 embroidered wall art projects
• 3 kids' activity sheets and 2 crafts
• 3 kid-friendly recipes (easy for the kids to help make, fun & tasty)

(And even though the name of the book is Child's Play, the tote bag and Skip to My Lou Quilt would be great in your favorite "grown-up" fabrics! And the recipe for Sloppy Joe Egg Rolls is a great appetizer for any party. Why should the kids have all the fun?)

I hope you will enjoy this book as much as I enjoyed putting it together. It was a real "labor of love"!

I look forward to your feedback- please tell me what you think!