I am an expert instructional writer with several magazines, special interest publications, websites, and books to my name as an author, editor, and design contributor. This includes titles for the brands Taste of Home, Country Woman Magazine, and Birds and Blooms. I also authored the instructional book Felting Projects You Won't Be Able to Resist for Capstone Press in January 2018. For the past seven years, I have enjoyed independently designing and writing religious workbooks and hobby journals under my own publishing imprint 123 Journal It. My talent is making creative content that is well written, organized, and visually appealing for the consumer.
Instructional Felt Crafts Book
Felting Projects You Won't Be Able to Resist
This collection of how-to projects will take a crafty kid's imagination to the next level. Building on a base interest of felting this book will show kids the basics and beyond! The book includes sewing craft felt, wet felting, and needle felting techniques with several projects and step-by-step instructions with photos. It is for grades 4-8 and intended as a teaching tool for adults and children.
Review excerpt by the School Library Journal online, SLJ.com, on April 24, 2018
For the complete "Crafty Creations" set of books by four authors, including myself
"Fiber craft books written for young people often avoid the more technical stuff. Not so here—these are more like textbooks, with strong images and lots of space dedicated to basic techniques, eight to 16 simple projects, and plenty of opportunity to get comfortable with tools, notation, and terminology. Machine and hand sewing, knitting flat and in the round, wet and dry felting, pressing, and gathering are all covered. In addition, best practices, which, as experienced makers know, add time and complexity to a project, are included and will help guarantee professional-looking results. VERDICT: Crafters will be ready to read and follow almost any pattern or set of instructions after working through these books."
This collection of how-to projects will take a crafty kid's imagination to the next level. Building on a base interest of felting this book will show kids the basics and beyond! The book includes sewing craft felt, wet felting, and needle felting techniques with several projects and step-by-step instructions with photos. It is for grades 4-8 and intended as a teaching tool for adults and children.
Review excerpt by the School Library Journal online, SLJ.com, on April 24, 2018
For the complete "Crafty Creations" set of books by four authors, including myself
"Fiber craft books written for young people often avoid the more technical stuff. Not so here—these are more like textbooks, with strong images and lots of space dedicated to basic techniques, eight to 16 simple projects, and plenty of opportunity to get comfortable with tools, notation, and terminology. Machine and hand sewing, knitting flat and in the round, wet and dry felting, pressing, and gathering are all covered. In addition, best practices, which, as experienced makers know, add time and complexity to a project, are included and will help guarantee professional-looking results. VERDICT: Crafters will be ready to read and follow almost any pattern or set of instructions after working through these books."
PUBLISHER: Capstone Press (2018)
DELIVERABLES:
Book Outline and Manuscript
Projects for Photography
SKILLS:
Project Management, Team Collaboration, Original Content Creation, Instructional and Developmental Writing, Book Layout Art Direction, Artisan Fiber Crafts Expertise
SOFTWARE:
Microsoft Office (writing and editing), Adobe Illustrator (patterns)
DELIVERABLES:
Book Outline and Manuscript
Projects for Photography
SKILLS:
Project Management, Team Collaboration, Original Content Creation, Instructional and Developmental Writing, Book Layout Art Direction, Artisan Fiber Crafts Expertise
SOFTWARE:
Microsoft Office (writing and editing), Adobe Illustrator (patterns)
Magazine Instructional Articles
PUBLISHER: Country Woman Magazine and Birds and Blooms Magazine (2012-2013)
DELIVERABLES:
Planning Presentations
Developmental Writing
Step-by-Step Instructional Writing
Project Patterns and Assets
SKILLS:
Project Management, Team Collaboration, Original Content Creation, Instructional and Developmental Writing, Freelance Contracts, Budget Management, Photo Shoot Direction
SOFTWARE:
Microsoft Office (writing and editing), Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop (patterns and assets), Microsoft PowerPoint (planning presentations)
DELIVERABLES:
Planning Presentations
Developmental Writing
Step-by-Step Instructional Writing
Project Patterns and Assets
SKILLS:
Project Management, Team Collaboration, Original Content Creation, Instructional and Developmental Writing, Freelance Contracts, Budget Management, Photo Shoot Direction
SOFTWARE:
Microsoft Office (writing and editing), Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop (patterns and assets), Microsoft PowerPoint (planning presentations)
Holiday Special Interest Publications
PUBLISHER: Taste of Home - Ultimate Halloween and Christmas Cookbook (2012)
DELIVERABLES:
Planning Presentations
Developmental Writing
Step-by-Step Instructional Writing
Project Patterns and Assets
SKILLS:
Project Management, Team Collaboration, Original Content Creation, Instructional and Developmental Writing, Freelance Contracts, Budget Management, Photo Shoot Direction
SOFTWARE:
Microsoft Office (writing and editing), Adobe Illustrator (patterns), Microsoft PowerPoint (planning presentations)
DELIVERABLES:
Planning Presentations
Developmental Writing
Step-by-Step Instructional Writing
Project Patterns and Assets
SKILLS:
Project Management, Team Collaboration, Original Content Creation, Instructional and Developmental Writing, Freelance Contracts, Budget Management, Photo Shoot Direction
SOFTWARE:
Microsoft Office (writing and editing), Adobe Illustrator (patterns), Microsoft PowerPoint (planning presentations)
Religious Studies Workbook
PUBLISHER: 123 Journal It Publishing (self-published 2018)
DELIVERABLES:
Book Layout and Cover Design Files
Kindle Direct Publishing Metadata
SKILLS:
Project Management, Original Content Creation, Instructional and Developmental Editing, Book Layout Design, Publication Process
SOFTWARE:
Adobe Illustrator (assets), Marq (layout design), PicMonkey (cover art)
DELIVERABLES:
Book Layout and Cover Design Files
Kindle Direct Publishing Metadata
SKILLS:
Project Management, Original Content Creation, Instructional and Developmental Editing, Book Layout Design, Publication Process
SOFTWARE:
Adobe Illustrator (assets), Marq (layout design), PicMonkey (cover art)
Holiday Devotional and Coloring Book
PUBLISHER: 123 Journal It Publishing (self-published 2018)
DELIVERABLES:
Book Layout and Cover Design Files
Kindle Direct Publishing Metadata
SKILLS:
Project Management, Original Content Creation, Instructional and Developmental Editing, Book Layout Design, Publication Process
SOFTWARE:
Adobe Illustrator (assets), Marq (layout design), PicMonkey (cover art)
DELIVERABLES:
Book Layout and Cover Design Files
Kindle Direct Publishing Metadata
SKILLS:
Project Management, Original Content Creation, Instructional and Developmental Editing, Book Layout Design, Publication Process
SOFTWARE:
Adobe Illustrator (assets), Marq (layout design), PicMonkey (cover art)
Spiral Bound Hobby Journals
PUBLISHER: The Hobby Journals Etsy Shop (I sold hand crafted spiral bound journals on Etsy with a 5-star rated shop and 3,000 sales from 2019-2023. I designed all covers and interior pages, manufacturing books in small batches and shipping nationwide. This was supplementary to my nationwide distribution of paperback versions, available through print-on-demand services.)
DELIVERABLES:
Book Layout and Cover Design Files
Promotional Images and Marketing Materials
Spiral Bound Hobby Book Merchandise
SKILLS:
Project Management, Original Content Creation, Instructional and Developmental Editing, Book Layout Design, Publication Process, Business Management, Online Marketing
SOFTWARE:
Adobe Creative Suite (marketing assets), Marq (layout design), PicMonkey and Procreate App for iPad (cover art)
DELIVERABLES:
Book Layout and Cover Design Files
Promotional Images and Marketing Materials
Spiral Bound Hobby Book Merchandise
SKILLS:
Project Management, Original Content Creation, Instructional and Developmental Editing, Book Layout Design, Publication Process, Business Management, Online Marketing
SOFTWARE:
Adobe Creative Suite (marketing assets), Marq (layout design), PicMonkey and Procreate App for iPad (cover art)
Local Television How-To Craft Segments
FEATURE: Five Seasonal Craft How-To Television Segments for Country Woman Magazine on TMJ4's The Morning Blend in Milwaukee, Wisconsin (July - October 2013)
DELIVERABLES:
How-To Instructional Presentation
Patterns and Guide for Online Downloadable
Finished Projects and Set Styling Displays
SKILLS:
Project Management, Original Content Creation, Instructional and Developmental Editing, Training Presentation, Brand Representation, Television Segment Production
SOFTWARE:
Microsoft Word (research and instructions), Adobe Illustrator (patterns and assets)
DELIVERABLES:
How-To Instructional Presentation
Patterns and Guide for Online Downloadable
Finished Projects and Set Styling Displays
SKILLS:
Project Management, Original Content Creation, Instructional and Developmental Editing, Training Presentation, Brand Representation, Television Segment Production
SOFTWARE:
Microsoft Word (research and instructions), Adobe Illustrator (patterns and assets)