Monster lovers, it’s officially the best and creepiest Tuesday of the year. It’s Papertoy Monster Day! Last year, there were all sorts of invasions as the papertoy monsters clawed their way into our tortured hearts and our libraries full of the macabre. How are the monsters celebrating this year?

Pharaoh Thoth Amon selects a giant cake as his unsuspecting party snack....er, date.

Scorpion Robot prefers to party in a too-large, seasonally-inappropriate hat.

And Wingy Wingy takes a joy ride on a private jet with her new fiend.

............

……What? Why the intense stares, little monsters? Oh! Presents? Fine.

How about two Valentine’s Day Papertoy Monsters: “Be Mine” Cupid and Monster Mutant Cupid?

Or the Super Bowl Papertoy Monsters, the SuperBowl Ghouls?

Maybe a creepy little bloodsucker, Li’l Vamp?

Or one of three Papertoy Monsters masks?

Want to join in on the Papertoy Monsters conversation? Check us out on twitter (@PapertoyMonster) or Facebook.

Until next year, my fiendish friends, keep on partying like true party monsters.

Queue up Tchaikovsky on iTunes, decorate the tree, and while you’re caught up in the spirit of decorating, pull out the crayons and scissors for some holiday playtime.

From puppeteer Noel MacNeal, author of 10-Minute Puppets, here’s a brand new 10-Minute Puppet just in time for Christmas! Maybe you can help these two archenemies from The Nutcracker become  friends in time for Christmas (how’s that for a plot twist?). And while you have the crayons out, prepare for Act II by making a whole fleet of Sugar Plum Fairies (download the Teeny Ballerina template, here)!

Materials:

-The Nutcracker & The Mouse King template

-Colored pencils, crayons, or markers

-Scissors

-2 empty toilet paper tubes

-Clear tape

Make It:

1. Download and print The Nutcracker & Mouse King template. Color in the two designs.

2. Cut out the two designs from the page.

3. Carefully cut around the dotted lines of the Mouse King’s ears and gently curl or fold them forward.

4. Attach strips of tape along the white edge of each of the templates, then lay the templates facedown (so the tape is sticky side up). Press an empty toilet paper tube into the tape on each template and wrap the template around the tube.

5. Secure the open ends with tape. Then insert the tubes onto your fingers, and it’s on to the Kingdom of Sweets!

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The Nutcracker & Mouse King are a brand-new puppets by professional puppeteer Noel MacNeal, based on his book 10-Minute Puppets.

As a publicity intern at Workman, my regular work includes putting together press kits and mailings. But every once in awhile, I get a task that’s a little more out of the ordinary! Like when I was recently asked to find a snake piñata for a Splendid Spotted Snake event.

After some brief research, I became determined to make a piñata myself. When I left work that day, I had my mind set on a large, snake-like balloon and papier-mâché piñata, which I would then paint and cover with crepe paper. Once I arrived home and consulted my mother, however, my plan quickly changed after she wisely reminded me that papier-mâché has never been my artistic medium. (To bring you up to speed,  I’ve had some scarring formative papier-mâché experiences: Picture a bespectacled third grader attempting to make a festive paper bowl with just a balloon, newspaper, glue, and a dream. Now imagine a loud balloon pop, a crumpled blob of gluey newspaper, and a newly disillusioned third grader. You get the picture.)  Not to mention, my mother was also careful to point out that the piñatas of my youth were radically unsafe (thanks, Mom), and that newer piñatas are equipped with colorful strings that, when pulled, open a secret trap door in the body of the piñata. The candy is then released into the ecstatic and, most importantly, uninjured group of waiting children. Oh, the wonders of modern piñata technology!

My very splendid, very spotted piñata!

I decided to go to Home Depot to look for a wide pipe of sorts that I could cover with a splendid spotted exterior. Luckily I found one that was lightweight and somewhat flexible. The downside: it was black and ribbed. I bought it anyway, took it home, and cut a hole for the trap door in its “belly.” To cover it, I wrapped it in a taut layer of plaster (the type used to make casts for broken bones — this can actually be found in craft supply stores). This step got rid of the ribs, giving me a splendidly smooth snake body, and covered the black exterior. For the head, I used this same plaster over a balloon (almost too close to the aforementioned bad experience for comfort) and for the tail, I wrapped the plaster over a freehand newspaper cone. Then I waited patiently for these parts to dry and attached it all with yellow duct tape.

Instead of painting it, I decided to give the snake texture by wrapping it in yellow crepe paper. I sprayed the snake with adhesive and then wrapped the snake in strips of the crepe paper.

Lest you think it was ALL about the piñata...there were lots of activities to keep kids entertained!

So now I had a yellow snake with a big hole in its belly! I crafted the spots and face out of felt, and glued them all on with tacky glue. To keep with the theme, I then filled the snake with: gummy worms (like little snakes), gold and red Mardi Gras-type necklaces, and confetti (aka flying spots).

Spots, spots, and more spots! Kids decorated their own spotted snake art.

SPOTTED at the event: Authors Betty Ann Schwartz and Alexander Wilensky!

To seal the great beast’s belly, I sewed one ribbon onto a big sheet of felt, and taped 15 or so ribbons to that same sheet. These were the trick ribbons! Only the magic ribbon would unleash gummy worm joy onto the children. So once the snake’s cavity was stuffed, I fitted the felt into the hole and my snake was complete!

After about 7 hours of crafting, a few haunting childhood memories, and a major glue meltdown, I was done! I  drove my masterpiece into the magical land of New York City, and led it into the magical offices of Workman Publishing, where my efforts were recognized with the  esteemed title of “Intern Extraordinaire”!

The Splendid Spotted Snake piñata made its grand appearance at an event at McNally Jackson in NYC on Saturday, November 5, 2011 where it was a big “hit”–or pull, as the case may be. Thanks again to everyone involved in the success of this event!

We know, you’re a procrastinator. You had all weekend to work on a costume, but you were just too busy (or lazy, but maybe that’s just me…). Well, thank your lucky stars, because this morning Megan Nicolay of Generation T has come to save the day!

With the help of former Workman intern and videographer Elan Bird, Megan put together 10 quick and easy Halloween costumes that are clever as can be. Check out the video below for a tutorial. (I’m personally quite fond of the Deviled Egg…) Be sure to visit Generation T’s website or on the Gen T facebook page to ooh and ahh over the clever sketches while you’re pondering which t-shirt will make you the hit of your Halloween party.

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Megan Nicolay, T-shirt revolutionary, is the author of Generation T: 108 Ways to Transform a T-shirt and Generation T: Beyond Fashion.You can find her and many of her fun DIY projects on the web at Generation-T.com, on Facebook at Generation T, and on Twitter @GenerationTee.

Gah! Scary.

Happy Month of Halloween! We here at Workman love a good costume just as much as we love our Papertoy Monsters, so we thought, “Hey, why not create a Papertoy Monster COSTUME?!” Genius, if we do say so ourselves. Simply click, select one of three monstrous masks, print, cut, and then go out and scare your fiends friends!

Want to win a free Papertoy Monster?* Head on over to the Papertoy Monsters tumblr and submit a picture of yourself, your kid, a friend, a pet, an arch-nemesis, or whoever wearing one of the spooky monster masks. Easy as papertoy monster-shaped pie. (And what monster doesn’t dream of having a mini-me monster of one’s own?)

* While supplies last!

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For more news (and monster pics), check out the book by Castleforte, visit the Papertoy Monsters tumblr, and “like” the Papertoy Monsters Facebook page.

We just got advance copies of Embroider Everything Workshop by Diana Rupp in the office this week, and boy, do they look spiffy! And as we flip through the pages of techniques and projects, we’re reminded of the process that it took to get us to this place. Because beyond the months of editing and layouts, there were the photo shoots, illustration revisions, and more! Today, though, we look back at the photos that went into making Embroider Everything Workshop look so splendid.

The very talented photographer Jim Franco invited us into his studio as he began shooting some of the tabletop items. Here, he props the cross-stitched Fancy First Aid Kit (flip to page 210 in the book to check it out!) on a marble tile surface with some bandages and other basic fix-it gear. Then he switches out the surface for a more rugged wooden one to shoot the embroidered Return to Sender Luggage Tag (page 192).

Jim’s studio is right next door to an amazing prop room, where he had access to dishes, fabrics, mirrors, and other furnishings of all shapes and sizes (and color-coded, too!)–it was a wonderland of artfully organized treasures.

Below, author Diana Rupp works with Jim to style the satin stitched Peony Jewelry Box project (page 183) to get it juuuust right.

Each project gets photographed multiple ways, to ensure that we get a winning shot. Remember that luggage tag, above? Here, it’s attached to vintage suitcase with a bright red ribbon. Since he’s changed the angle of the camera, Jim takes a light reading before he clicks the shutter.

A couple of weeks later, we hit the streets of Brooklyn (with lighting assistants, and cute young models!), photographing on the sidewalks (the Smocked with Love dress, page 127) as well as the Patch ‘Em Ups stitched patches for kids (page 122).

Then we scouted locations in the park, where we clicked images of the Bargello Belt (page 112), the Monogrammed Sneakers (page 106)–which Diana thoughtfully stitched onto a pair of cute kicks in her editor’s size!!), the Stag Hoodie (page 102), and the Dashing Vest and Tie (page 90).

But the real treat was shooting at a farm in upstate New York for two days. Below, Jim experiments with the lighting while shooting the Something Blue Hanky (page 225).

“Did we get it right?” Jim and Diana check the computer monitor to see if he got the shot.

The model waits patiently to confirm that they have a good one before moving! And, to whet your appetite, here’s a closeup of the amazingly stitched keepsake.

Next up? The Sashiko Top and Tunic dress (page 86) using the traditional Japanese pattern called “Seven Treasures of Buddha.” Diana stitched white on navy for the dress bodice, and switched it up with a variegated floss on white along the sleeves and bottom of the shirt.

Again, Diana and Jim check the computer monitor to see if the photo is a keeper (it was! You can see the final one on page 86 of the book).

And here’s the project that’s up first in my queue: the Crewel But Kind Giraffe (page 118). I already ordered the fabric from my local quilting shop and the iron-on pattern comes in the pocket at the front of the book! A perfect project for my subway commute.

Keep an eye out for the book when it hits shelves later this fall–and check back to our website, too, to see if Diana will be doing an author event (and make-and-take) for Embroider Everything Workshop in your area before Christmas!

Don’t look now, but there’s a Papertoy Monster behind you.

Scarleah likes your flowers.

I said not to look! And I meant the other direction.

Wolfman Joe can see you.

Wait — there’s another! Right under your desk . . .

Papertoy monsters do not like being thrown in the trash. Next time, try the recycling bin.

They’re everywhere! The Papertoy Monsters book is back in stock with its second printing, and the power-hungry creatures inside are preparing for a serious invasion. Remember the last time?! Better watch your back. Things could get a bit . . . fiendish . . . around here. Not all of these monsters like pop music and the so-awesome-I-want-to-try-it hobby of sled-singing.

Nom Nom wants to eat your town.

Scorpion Robot thinks your world is puny.

See what I mean?

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For more news (and monster pics), visit the Papertoy Monsters tumblr and “like” the Papertoy Monsters Facebook page.

The ABCs of summer may really be more like the BBQs and Ts, because that’s all you need on a hot day like today: your coolest, comfiest T-shirt and a delicious meal (carnivorous or otherwise) fresh off the grill. Rob, a Workman sales rep in the UK, and his daughter Flossie know the importance of those two hot-weather staples—and they even know how to put their own spin on the old classics.

While we here in the States were celebrating Independence Day, our friends across the pond were ringing in the summer at Grillstock, a celebration of all things barbecue. Flossie, 14, was game to help her dad sell some of Steven Raichlen‘s spectacular grilling books—that is until she saw the uniform. The Raichlen shirt was cool, with a hot slogan to match (“Hot enough for you?”), but it was also way too big. And did she really have to wear the same thing as her dad?!

Rob, flanked by BBQ books, models his Raichlen T-shirt—just right for a dad, but for a young T trendsetter? Not so much.

So like any fashion-forward T-shirt reclaimer, Flossie busted out her craft scissors and her copy of Generation T: 108 Ways to Transform a T-Shirt and revamped the plain black T into a smokin’ fashion statement!

Flossie shows off her refashioning skillz.

We’ve never seen Generation T and The Barbecue! Bible shelved together, but thanks to Flossie and Rob, we can see how these two books make the perfect summer pair.

How cool is this?! The awesome librarians at Ida Rupp Public Library in Port Clinton, Ohio threw a “Create Your Own Papertoy Monsters” event in June that brought in a total of about 30 local,  glue-stick-wielding kids. According to Jennifer Buch (Ida Rupp’s Youth Services Librarian and monster mastermind of the event) many, many new friends fiends were made that day and everyone had loads of fun.

Eeny, Meeny, Miny...Monster!

Just punch out the templates and glue the tabs together!

Fasten your seatbelts, folks, The Blob is about to come to life!

We at Workman couldn’t be happier to welcome these new little monsters into the world! Rawr! The monsters will be displayed at the library until the end of July, when their skillful creators can collect them and take them to their new monster homes.

Cover Monster Icy Huggy is flanked by OctoPup, Hoorgue, and The Gloomy Pack.

The event was so much fun and such a success that Ida Rupp Public Library will have another Papertoy Monsters event this August – which means Port Clinton, OH will be overrun with cute little monsters! Watch out, Ohio, you’ll have to start installing “Monster Crossing” roadsigns!

Halloweeny leads the Papertoy Monster parade (along with a very literary giraffe!).

For more information on Ida Rupp Public Library’s upcoming events, including the August Papertoy Monsters event, visit Ida Rupp’s website and/or visit the Ida Rupp Public Library Facebook page. And for more news and the always-entertaining monster pics, visit the Papertoy Monsters tumblr page and “like” the Papertoy Monsters Facebook page.

When plans to escape the city fell through on a sunny Saturday, my friends and I did what any backyard-deficient New Yorker would do and headed to Central Park. Packed in our bags were the essential staples of a summer afternoon—a frisbee; a baseball and gloves; salads of the egg, fruit, and potato variety—and the bible of the season, Suzanne Brown’s Summer: A User’s Guide, a book packed with tips for making the most of a warm afternoon.

Like Ms. Brown, I am madly in love with summer—the smell of Coppertone is enough to get my heart racing—so in honor of the first day of the season, I bring you one of her tips for living life to the fullest in the upcoming months:

How to Play Beach Volleyball

Scout out a quiet place away from the water and sunbathers, then draw lines in the sand that measure approximately 30 feet wide by 60 feet long.

The serving player must hit the ball over the net and inside the court lines within three attempts. If the server fails to successfully place the ball within three serves, the opposing team gains control.

Players rotate positions clockwise whenever their team gains control of the ball (Thus, each team has a new server at that time.)

Once the ball is hit over the net to the opposing team, a player cannot contact the   ball twice in a row unless the first touch is off a block at the net. A player cannot grab the ball, allow it to come to rest in his hand, or touch the net. If he does so, he forfeits the ball to the opposing team.

A point is earned when the serving team wins a rally, or an ace is served.

The first team to reach 15 points wins. A match is played in sets of three or five games.

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This summer (which officially starts TODAY!), before you head off to your beach bungalow, pack a picnic for the park, or spend a day in the shade, pick up Summer: A User’s Guide and make the best of this short and sweet season.