crafts – Page 25 – the long thread

March 8, 2010

Recycled Yarn Eggs

make-it-monday

yarn-eggs

I made these before Christmas this past year, thinking they would be good ornaments. But the egg-shape of them really made me think of spring. I was inspired by this yarn bowl, but I think Martha Stewart has done something similar as well. This fiber bowl also looks like a fun spring craft project.

Anyway, I found a nice knit cotton sweater at the thrift store, then the kids and I unraveled it, dipped each strand in a mixture of equal parts white school glue and water and wrapped the yarn around balloons. We left the eggs on wax paper to dry overnight, then popped and removed the balloons. As simple as that. Messy and fun.

yarn-eggs-3

yarn-eggs2

March 7, 2010

Spring is Coming

daffodil

I’m counting down the days until spring arrives, but there are signs that it’s on the way! Daffodils in our front yard, planted for the fairies to make their homes. My younger daughter is a firm believer in fairies and I’m encouraging her.

glue-batik

And since I’m out of my mind, I agreed to do another auction project with my daughter’s first-grade class (they have two per class). I have been thinking a lot about batik lately and thinking of ways to make batik fabric without hot wax. Then I saw this lovely experiment from Jennifer Judd-McGee, which led me to this brilliant tutorial from That Artist Woman. So many creative people out there. I did this quick sample and will be making fabric designs with the kids next week. I’m thinking of a vertical patchwork wall-hanging that could also be used as a table runner, with some color inspiration from A Stitch in Dye. More on the project soon.

January 21, 2010January 20, 2011

Hearts Handmade

valentine's-day-pencil-topp

Looking for ideas for handmade Valentine’s Day cards? Making cards with the kids seems like such a chore when we have to mass produce them for every kid in the class. Check out my post over at Alpha Mom for seven easy heart-themed craft ideas.

January 20, 2010January 20, 2010

Valentine’s Day Crafts

Here’s a round-up of some of my Valentine’s Day projects from the past. Look for more card ideas tomorrow.

valentine's-day-round-up

Lovebirds Printable Card (cut-out version and printable for kids).

Lacing Card.

Felted Sweater Flowers from my post for Alpha Mom.

NY Times Chocolate Chip Cookies.

Recycled Valentine’s Cards for kids to make.

Doily Cards.

Hugging Heart Softie.

Heart Soaps.

Stamped Hand Towels.

Valentine’s Cans.

Photo Hearts Printable Cards.

Felt Hair Clips.

Plus more ideas for baked goods for Valentine’s Day.

January 19, 2010January 19, 2010

Craft Hope for Haiti

I’ve been meaning to post about this for a couple of days, but in the meantime, the Etsy shop of Craft Hope for Haiti has had 740 (and counting) sales. So if you haven’t visited their shop, check it out. Handmade goods from all types of people, all proceeds benefit Doctors Without Borders. This shop was created by Craft Hope, a faith-based organization that has been donating handmade goods to those in need for about a year now. You can buy stuff like this kitty from Minori Design.

cat

It’s interesting to see how technology, crafting and fundraising have all converged here. I think this is the first major disaster in which technology has played such a large role in the aftermath. From victims sending text messages from under the rubble, online and text financial contributions, blogs connecting loved ones, and information being spread quickly through social networking sites like Twitter. I’ll admit that technology can complicate our lives, but I’m still thankful for it. We seem to be only limited by physical obstacles in this situation. And I don’t think it’s possible to have too much information (as long as you can sift through it and discern the truth). So we still need brains after all.