Crafts

I've recently become more 'crafty' lately. Here are some of the things I'm into. I'm always looking for more ideas.

Scrapbooking
Anyone else here into this? My S/Os sister got married back in december, and I took like 6 rolls of film (at the rehearsal, rehearsal dinner, wedding and reception) and I wanted to surprise her with a wedding scrapbook.

I finally got off my lazy can this weekend and did it. It turned out so well. I was really pleased with how it turned out and it really resparked my interest in scrapbooking.


Appliques
so last week I was doing some online window shopping and found the cutest little skirt at the gap online. I was not excited about the price Overpriced skirt so I decided I would make my own. I went to the salvation army, got an indentical denim skirt for $3.99 then went to Joanns fabric and bought some flower and butterfly appliques ($12) and sewed them on. They were iron on but I didn't want them falling off easily and I wanted to be able to machine wash it. It took me probably 4 hours to sew all those little buggers on but it turned out soooo cute! So cute in fact that I just finished sewing little daisies on the hem of a pair of my jeans. I also bought some patriotic appliques and my next project is to make some patriotic jeans.

Blankets
I've been making some 'no sew' fleece blankets. I started this around X-mas time and made a couple for some friends. (if any of you can take a pic and post it, that would be great! ) I haven't made one in a bit but this is something I will definitly do again. For instructions on how to do these, do a search on 'no sew blankets'. I don't have instructions per se, they are all in my head from making 7 of them

I've been known to try needlepoint but I can never seem to get it right. I once made a santa who looked like he had jaundice because I accidently used yellow thread on his face

so what kind of things do you guys do?

Mostly when I craft I do wreath making or colouring on huge adult pictures.

Mostly cross-stitch. I also got into painting on glass objects with stencils for a while. I made a few bowls for friends, and have two tall rectangular pasta-holding bottles that I painted with autumn leaves and put dried rose petals in on my entertainment center. Besides that, I'm not too crafty.

I crafting!

I have a sewing machine and sew lots of things using fabric from old clothes! Simple throw quilts and little purses and pouches for make-up, jewelry, or other little accessories. It's fun and easy to make curtains and tablecloths too.

I've recently started doing some applique where you find images in a magazine and use this gel-type stuff to turn them into transparent decals which then can be put on things - I've taken a bunch of cheap glass vases/containers and decorated them this way.

I make beaded jewelry - just simple things like bracelets and earrings.

I have also been decorating gourds! This is my newest thing and I'm getting a bunch of new gourds to play with this week and I have a book on gourd crafting so I'm excited to try some new ideas!

What else? I can't think right now but I do lots of other little things too. Hopefully I can post some pictures later of some of my crafts. I just love using my hands to do something creative. This is a great thread and I hope to get some inspiration for new crafts I can try!!!

Edit: Of course! How could I forget wreaths! Whenever the craft store puts their dried herbs and flowers on sale I make a new wreath!

This is Crafts day on QVC until midnight. I have done painting of statuettes, embossing metal, crocheting, embroidery, oil painting, and craft painting. I'm going to watch Donna Dewberry right now. I also make fake cut glass suncatchers and frameable art. My favorite of all is oil painting, like Bob Ross. It impresses everyone. I have no talent in art, but my paintings have been auctioned off for charities, etc. Oil painting is easy;' you don't need to be able to draw! Crocheting is also great--much easier than knitting. Sewing is also fulfilling. Bye for a while. I have to watch the crafts show!! Watch out, Colby. You'll get hooked!

Anymore I just cross stitch, and even that is getting less and less. I'm just too busy!

I tried painting those little plaster Christmas ornaments and figurines one year. Had a lot of fun, but the ornaments broke so easily most of them were ruined. I do still have the bigger projects and those held up pretty well.

I made placemats by stenciling on fabric paint. That was fun.

Probably the best project I did was decoupage on frames. I got the plain wood frames, some pretty ribbon and matching little silk flowers and pearl strings and decorated the frames. Those turned out really well, but I never did anything with them, dummy me!

Oh, Big Kat, you reminded me. I arrange flowers and make wreaths too! I've probably tried everything, so I had better stop posting. Everyone is going to remind me of something else I used to do, or---oh, yes. Stepping stones!!! Decorated with "jewel" flowers, addresses, and the date. Put your friend's last name on them, and WELCOME! Great satisfaction! OK, That's enough. Oh, and miniature houses and, and.......I love crafts.!!!

Colby the blanket maker!

You should make pet blankets and sell them Colby. We can't keep our cats off our blankets. I have one picture with 6 cats on the one you made Mike, it is still in my camera though. Once it gets used, I will post the picture. But we LOVE our blankets and so do our cats! I also love how easy they are to clean, just throw them in the washer and the dryer.

I started scrapbooking not too long ago. They have stuff to order from at Creative Memories thats where I order mine from, and also they have magazines called Memory Makers. My landlord is also my teacher and so I can walk to her house for lessons. Its so much fun - I am sure you have seen my pictures somewhere on this site.

Sunni Jean,

I'm interested in trying my hand (no pun intended) at sewing. I'm not sure how much I will like it or if I will be any good at it. For a beginner like me, what would the initial investment be? Do I need to go out and drop a few hundred dollars on a sewing machine and supplies to see if I like it? Or can I start small just to see if it's something I would enjoy? I'm especially interested in making curtains.

My problem is, when I start something new, I do it in a big way. I'm an all or nothing kind of person. I had to buy every scrapbooking tool under the sun (Kellye, creative memories, LOVES me!) just because. I bought tons of appliques and now I'm just looking for something to applique But then I get bored and move on to something else (even though I eventually return to it, like I did with scrapbooking) So I guess I'm just looking to test the waters.

Heidi, those frames sound like fun! That is definitly something I'm up for. Next time I'm looking for a new hobby I'm going to try that.

Oh ya, and I'm DEFINITLY interested in making some wreathes. I would love to make some to match the different decors in the house. I wish I had a hobby buddy near by to do all these neat things with


I'm loving all these ideas you guys! Keep em coming!

MA,

as soon as I HAD to make blankets (IE if I was selling them they wouldn't be fun anymore! And then I wouldn't WANT to make them. I would love it if you posted a pic of yours or Mikes blanket.

(I made MA a blanket for X-mas and then she hired me to make one for Mike b/c he liked hers so much)

I highly recommend these to our crafty folks. Easy to make and so cute!

Airprincess why don't you live in Monterey, CA?!?! I've been searching for a crafting friend forever!

You sound exactly like me. I get these ideas into my head of crafts I want to try and I go out and get tons of tools and supplies and then get bored with it after a while, but luckily, I also always come back to it later on and then I already have everything I need!

As for sewing I am still a beginner myself! I asked for my sewing machine as a present so I didn't buy it myself. I had been looking though and my plan was to get one used out of the classifieds. I think that's what you should do. It's hard to get a feel for sewing without a machine, and new ones are somewhat expensive. But with buying a used one you can get a much better machine at a cheaper price (rather than buying a cheaper quality new one). I'll PM you tonight with some thoughts!

So just because of this thread I've already looked up how to make a no-sew blanket, and am thinking about buying some wood frames to decorate!!

I do bracelets, and clay figures. There is a link to the add that has alink to my site in my siggie I love making stuff!!!

Colby, I'm not an expert at sewing, but in order to make curtains, you need only a straight stich. You can get a sewing machine very reasonably in the want ads, second hand, and if you like it, you can spend anything from 150 -1500 dollars for a new one, depending on how fancy you want to get! To make curtains, you just make a top hem, side hems and a bottom hem. Drapes for traverse rods are harder, but aren't really "in" right now anyway. (Today's sewing machines can be like computers; those are the very expensive ones!) But the regular ones often have 35 stiches or more-very reasonably priced.

You could try a class on sewing and see if it is something you like? That way you don't have to plunk down a ton of cash and still get an idea of how you like it.

I tried to do some of this stuff a few years ago...just did not have the patience! It was so time consuming! I wish I did, though, because I would save a ton of money!

This is for parents with small children.You know those plastic laundry scoops you get in your box of detergent? The local boys and girls club take these and make cute scenes inside of them using cut-outs from greeting cards, catalogs etc. The stiffen the cutouts with decoupage, and cut slits in the bottom of the scoop, put the figure on the slits and glue them down- add fake flowers, grass whatever and sell them for $1.50 a piece. They make some cute Christmas ornaments out of these as well. It is just a good rainy day activity with kids.

Something else fun for kids might be to decorate your outside trees and bushes for the birds! (Since it's SPRING too!) You know, the whole string popcorn and cranberries and whatever else you can think of that birds will eat on some dental floss or cotton string and drape around the tress like some people do around Christmas. Seems like it'd be good in the springtime too!

I paint rocks... I started it last summer when I found one of Lin Wellford's magazines at the grocery store (check out linwellford.com - she's very talented!). And I teach rock painting to youngsters at the local library.

I cross stitch from time to time. I have a very short attention span so I usually just make the little "sampler" patterns. I can't go much bigger than that, or else Socks decides that she wants to "help". Argh! Chasing a kitty with a mouth full of aida cloth is not fun!! (Don't worry, I'm very extra super careful with my needles.)

Other than that, I enjoy rug hooking, but I haven't done it in a very long time because I never have the money to buy the kits.

And I help out instructing crafts at the nursing home. It's a lot of fun, but it's pretty hard to find crafts that aren't too juvenile but aren't all that difficult, either. Any ideas?

Sunni, it's a shame you don't live closer I would LOVE to have someone to hang out and try new things with.

I'm going to check our pennysaver and see if I can pick up a used sewing machine. Then if I find it's something I really enjoy I can upgrade.

Jeanie, do you think if I bought one of those little hand sewers I could make curtians with that? I'd like to experiment before I drop even $100-$150 on a used machine. At this point I don't even know where I would 'set up shop' in my house.

I would think the picture frames that you decorate yourself would be good for folks at the nursing home. Then they could put pics of themselves in them for great gifts for their family, or keep them for pics of their grandchildren.