Colleen | December 16, 2009 | 7:15 pm
For a few Christmas gifts this year I’m making record bowls. Everyone can use decorative bowls for something like office supplies, wrapped candies, candles, or spare change & keys. Plus, I think this is a good manly gift for my brothers, who are very hard to shop for!
Supplies: a vinyl record (one that’s not valuable!), oven, oven mitts, oven-safe bowl, an additional bowl for shaping the record after it comes out of the oven, and a cookie tray. Read more »
Devona | December 9, 2009 | 3:43 pm
Hopefully my mom won’t read this post, because this is going to be her Christmas present. She collects ugly trees, and I usually buy her one, but this year I wanted to make it for her. After a few mistakes I found a method that I really like and I decided to share it here.
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Colleen | December 2, 2009 | 5:29 pm
Recently, I needed to measure a cup of paint for a project but didn’t want to use the ones I use for food. So I made my own measuring cup with a recycled glass jar.
This project might also make a nice gift for a bachelor or an eco-minded friend setting up their first kitchen.
Supplies:
glass jar, sharpie markers (1 thin tip & 1 broad tip), measuring cups, water, tape.
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Devona | November 18, 2009 | 10:55 pm
The floral hairpins that I was selling at Crafty Mart were a big hit. They are so simple to make yourself once you know how to make a YoYo. I was surprised how many people knew what a YoYo was, but didn’t know how to make it so I thought I’d show you for this week’s tutorial.
This is a great craft to do with a child, as it only requires one simple hand sewing technique, the gathering stitch/running stitch. It also only has 3 materials requirements, a needle, a circle of fabric at least 4 inches in diameter, and thread. YoYos can also be used in many different applications, from accessories to quilts, so it might be a good idea to have a basket of fabric scraps next the couch and work away on YoYos for future project, even if you don’t know what it is yet. I am adding seed beads to mine for some classy holiday accessories. Follow the directions after the jump to make your own. Read more »
Colleen | November 12, 2009 | 12:49 am
I first discovered Iris Folding through a library book. It took a long time to understand the instructions, but I figured it out and made tons of Christmas Tree cards that year! Iris Folding has a learning curve, and after that, each project still takes awhile. For that reason I make fewer greeting cards and more frame-worthy projects. Plus, after learning the traditional methods I decided to be less rigid with my style. I prefer more random color patterns & less calculated placements of each paper, and I don’t care for the “Iris” shape in the center. Plus, for this project I’m using paint chip samples, which if I folded them, they’d be way too thick! So, this project is inspired by Iris Folding, but if you’d like to see the original methods, I recommend the book 460 Iris Folded Cards to Make: The Complete Iris Folded Compendium. And for more images & inspiration, check out the Flickr Iris Folding Handmade Cards Group.
Here are instructions to make this tree, along with a free original pattern.
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Devona | November 4, 2009 | 4:41 pm
Have you ever looked into your sewing stash and found a piece of fusible interfacing that has lost its paper backing? This piece I found at the fabric store in the remnants section for $.40 and had taken it home before I noticed the missing backing. So what do you do if you don’t want to throw out the interfacing, and you also don’t want it to get stuck to your iron? Here’s a way to use your fusible to make adhesive backed fabric when there is no paper backing so that it doesn’t go to waste and you won’t end up with a mess.
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Colleen | October 28, 2009 | 3:53 pm
I think we all have a few pieces of jewelry that are broken and need fixed. For my husband’s mom’s birthday I offered to fix some of her broken jewelry. She gave me this necklace which was one of the first pieces of jewelry she made. She used stretchy cord with the clasps instead of beading wire. The stretchy cord stretched out over time (she probably didn’t prestretch it), and I was worried that the crimp would eventually cut through the stretchy cord, causing her necklace to fall apart without any notice.
So, here’s how I restrung her necklace and how to restring your own…but if you’re not ambitious enough to do it alone, I’ll be teaching some “Fix Your Broken Jewelry” classes this spring in the Akron area, so stay tuned for dates & times. Read more »
Devona | October 21, 2009 | 9:29 am
How many times have you walked through the Thrift Store and found an adorable handkerchief but passed it by because you couldn’t see a good use for it? Well, if you have little kids on your Christmas shopping list this year here is a very quick and inexpensive craft you can make for the little Artists you know.
These little paint smocks are so much fun. Plus you can toss them in the washer too. We have about six of them around here and we use them for everything from painting to baking. I recommend making a bunch!
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Colleen | October 14, 2009 | 9:53 pm
Much of the time when I’m stamping I emboss my images. Embossing makes the image stand out by raising it and making it shiny. There are a few different approaches to embossing & some different products you can try (such as clear or colored powders and white or colored stamp pads, plus we’ll discuss whether to use pigment or dye based inks). But the basic idea is you stamp your image on paper with ink, sprinkle embossing powder & remove the excess, then use a heat tool to melt the powder. So here goes…
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Colleen | September 30, 2009 | 10:19 pm
I love melting extra chocolate into my hot coco, so occasionally I’ll splurge on the sugar and make chocolate spoons. Not only can you add them to hot coco but coffee as well. Plus you can get innovative with flavored chocolates, drizzled designs, and pretty packaging. They’re great for gifts & parties, and they’re inexpensive to make compared to store-bought ones.
So, here’s how you make them…
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