Carpe diem! Words are powerful things. They can inspire us, or touch our hearts. For most of my adult life, I have collected quotations and posted them where I will see them daily, in an effort to absorb their messages. Typically, I jot them on wipe-off boards, or print them via my computer’s inkjet printer and then tape them […]
Sharp looking pins These bejeweled sewing pins are pretty, but also practical — they sparle, making them easier to find in the folds of fabric, or if dropped on the floor. They make a great gift for anyone who enjoys sewing. To me, they look like fancy, antique hatpins. You can create a set by […]
Love on deck I ran across this idea on the Craftster web site last year, and instantly fell in love with it. (The artist of that “52 Reasons I Love You” card-deck book said the idea had been around a long time, but I’d never seen it before.) What a great way to make someone […]
Upcycled upholstery I admit it. I have a terrible addiction to upholstery samples and drapery remnants. There is just something SOOOO appealing about their colors, designs, and textures — irresistible! So I have a lot of them in my “craft stash.” Very often, you can get several samples that are a “set” — all part of a […]
Numerical tiny treasures Here is a New Year’s craft (or really “anytime” craft, since this calendar has no real start or end) that you will be able to enjoy – -and update, if you like– for many years to come. It is also a great way to display some of your favorite trinkets. I […]
Scrapbook of attended events So, my eldest neice, Anna, is in college in New York, and she is studying theater. As you can imagine, she goes to lots of public performances: plays and shows and concerts and the like. And she is also heavily involved in staging events like those. This year, I’ve been enthused about making fabric journals. Now, […]
Coiled zipper bracelet This wrist band reminds me of a coiled octopus tentacle. I made it from a vintage zipper from a craft stash I inherited from my mom. My mom was a church craft bazaar organizer, a girl scout leader, and a home sewer. The woman had accumulated quite a craft stash! When I went through […]
Mixed media memory book This past summer, my husband and son and I took a vacation to Los Angeles. The weather was blissful, the sights were breathtaking, and we did, in fact, see an actual TV star in person. When we got home, we missed it so much that I decided to make a memory book, […]
Anti-virus protection! Last year around Christmas-time, I discovered a great craft project over at the Chica and Jo craft web site. (Love their web site!!!) It involved embellishing a tissue box cover with computer keyboard keys. My husband is a “computer professional”, so I could not wait to make my own version as a gift! […]
Crochet-topped towel to loop over a handle My grandmother sent me a set of two towels like these many years ago, and they have been used constantly ever since! Because of the button loop at the top, the towels can be attached to an oven handle, a cabinet drawer, a hook, or a towel rack. […]
Build-your-own flower adornments Is it a hair clip? …a pin? …a headband or purse decoration? Surprise! It’s all of these, and more. This year, my little neices are getting these felt-and-fleece adornents, that feature interchangable multicolored flowers and leaves. The girls can stack the little flowers however they like. All of the flowers start out as […]
When I was working on my owl key cover, I used the Millefiori technique to make the owl’s eyes. When I was finished, I had lots of the “Millefiori’ed” clay left over. So I smashed it all together and made a couple of erasers. (I happened to be using “Amazing Eraser Clay” for my owl.) […]
This summer my husband, son, and I went to Los Angeles for a vacation. While we were shopping, I found the most adorable key caps with tabby cat faces. Even though they do not say “Hollywood” on them or anything, those key covers turned out to be a great souvenier, because now whenever I use my keys (obviously often), those carefree California days come […]
Cute pyramid-shaped felt coin purse This ingenious little coin purse makes a great gift, stocking stuffer, or favor-box for a wedding. It is incredibly inexpensive and easy-to-make — so also a great craft for youth groups. I am calling the shape a “pyramid”, but the mathematically-correct term is actually “tetrahedron”. Here’s what you need: Felt Embroidery thread Needle […]
Courtside cookies! A co-worker asked me to make some cookies for her daughter’s basketball team banquet. She wanted maroon-colored basketballs with white numbers (incorporating the team colors and the individual players’ numbers.) I was more than happy to oblige. I have an embarrassingly vast collection of cookie-decorating paraphernalia, and happened to have a “sports ball” cookie […]
Beverage brand bottlecap magnets I know I already showed you how to make bottlecap magnets where there is a little picture inside the cap. These are a little different, in that they show off the TOP of the bottlecap. Some bottlecaps are stylish, cute or colorful… or even funny/kitschy. Or maybe someone on your gift […]
Embroidered Days of the Week Tea Towels A co-worker of mine married recently, and I thought immediately of a traditional wedding gift in my family, tea towels embroidered with various colorful designs and the names of the days of the week. No one knows how many sets of these my grandmother has made over the years… […]
I happen to have a lot of small circular pictures (created using a 1-inch craft punch). You may remember these from the bottlecap necklace project I did a while back. I took 6 of these and made a set of magnets out of them. l had punched all of them from the same magazine illustration, so that […]
