'Make Hey' and other things...

There are a few, what I call 'core craft bloggers' who I find truly inspirational in a 'I don't know how they do it' kind of a way, and Pip Lincolne is most definitely one of those people.  I was lucky enough to have been offered the chance to interview Pip via the publisher, Hardie Grant about her latest book, 'Make Hey -  while the sun shines'

 

You are on your third, or is it fourth?!, book now (congratulations!), have you found the whole process easier or more of a challenge with each book?

That's such a good question!  Every book is so different!  They are kind of like my children, in a way... I have a lot of input into who they are, and I spend a lot of time with them, yet there's a whole lot of other people who help shape them... and they turn out just the way they should!  I've loved working on Make Hey! with my dear friend Michelle Mackintosh (the book's designer) and my favourite editor, Jane Winning.  It was so much fun to pull it all together and combine everyone's vision into one lovely book!

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I love the layout and graphic design in the books, how much input did you have into the design?  

I have a teensy bit of input, because I really super-trust our designer and my publishing team to make educated choices based on their experience.  I helped to style a lot of the shots, a lot of the props are mine, but in the end Michelle Mack is so great at her job that I don't really need to be second guessing her.  We are a dream team! 
  

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How much research do you do to maintain originality with the projects now that there are so many craft books coming out right now?  

I don't do any research at all!  The internet is such a melting pot of creativity and shared consciousness... I don't want to be swayed by anyone else's work!  I am, however, influenced by  illustrators like Charley Harper and Anna Maria Dahlgren.... and by my own 70s childhood.  I'm also influenced by my own neighborhood, art, fashion and architecture.  All that combines with practical ideas about the kind of things I want to make, and forms the basis of the books!  I don't pay any attention to what other people in the craft world are doing, because I want to fly my own flag.
  

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With all the changes at "Meet me at Mikes', blogging, writing books and now pod-casting, between all that do you find time to sleep?!   

I really do sleep! I try not to stay up late. I get up early. I eat really healthy food and I make time to do happy things every day.  I am really careful to be mindful of having nice times and being the best I can be! I'm such a geek like that!

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What would you be doing if you weren't crafting?, is there a career path that was 'almost, but not quite'?  

I always wanted to write and be published. I have always wanted to talk to people and make a difference to their day... make things nicer for them, too!  I will always find a way to do that, whether it's via craft or food... or other lifestyle tips.  Nice times are paramount!

Thanks to Pip for the crafty chat.  I hope that, even with these days so much being available online, you would still consider buying a craft book.  Books will never totally go out of fashion, and I'm amazed by how many homes I go to nowadays where there are no books to be seen.  We have book shelves in every room in our house, including many from when both myself and Al were kids.  I don't trust people who don't own any books!

'Make Hey - while the sun shines' by Pip Lincolne, (isbn-10 : 1742701310 isbn-13 : 978-1742701318)