FaveCrafts

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How FaveCrafts Celebrated Our 10 Year Anniversary

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2019 marks 10 years that FaveCrafts has been online, and what a joy it has been! Over the years we’ve worked with hundreds of bloggers to share wonderful crafts and inspiration for readers like you. To celebrate, we partnered with the Craft Yarn Council‘s charity Warm Up America! to collect gloves and mittens for those in need. Learn a bit more about our celebration below!

FaveCrafts turned 10 in 2019. To celebrate, we partnered with Warm Up America! to run a Gloves and Mittens Charity Drive. This pattern was created for the promotion by Alex Halsey from withalexofficial.com and can be found here.

We Asked the Craft Yarn Council What They Needed

The Craft Yarn Council is a nonprofit that sponsors a wide range of promotional and educational programs, including its highly acclaimed Certified Instructors Program, Discover Knit and Crochet classes, and its popular I Love YARN Day event (the second Friday in October). You can learn more about them at their website, craftyarncouncil.com. Their charity, Warm Up America!, accepts donations of knit and crocheted items year round for those in need. When asked, they said their biggest need at this time is for gloves and mittens!

Easy Peasy Crochet Fingerless Gloves pattern by Shawn Mosch of Crafty Chic's Blog
Easy Peasy Crochet Fingerless Gloves pattern by Shawn Mosch of Crafty Chic’s Blog. View the pattern here.

We opened up the charity drive to include crocheted and knit sections as well, suggesting that after fiber artists finished whipping up a pair of mittens, they could use the leftover yarn to create 7×9″ sections. These sections are later seamed together by WUA! volunteers to make warm afghans.

The FaveCrafts Afghan 7x9" Section by Sarah Zimmerman
This 7×9″ section pattern was designed by Sarah Zimmerman of Repeat Crafter Me.

Sarah Zimmerman of Repeat Crafter Me designed a new crochet pattern that donors could use to make the sections. Not only did she design individual sections, but she created…

The FaveCrafts Afghan

The FaveCrafts Afghan
The FaveCrafts Afghan, by Sarah Zimmerman. You can view this pattern at RepeatCrafterMe.com here, or at FaveCrafts.com here.

We were so fortunate to work with three designers for this promotion. Sarah Zimmerman from Repeat Crafter Me designed The FaveCrafts Afghan, comprised of crocheted 7×9″ sections that can be donated to Warm Up America! Alexandra Halsey of With Alex created a gorgeous beginner-friendly mittens pattern:

https://www.instagram.com/p/BxIFLOThJ8L/

And Shawn Mosch of Crafty Chic’s Blog created a lovely fingerless mitts pattern tied off with a ribbon:

Check out more of the lovely Instagram posts about our charity drive at https://www.instagram.com/explore/tags/favecraftsturns10/

We Made Sections at the Office

Several of the editors at Prime Publishing crochet and knit, but many of us are beginners, so gloves are a bit beyond our skill level! In order to still participate in the charity drive, we organized an in-office event for editors to learn how to knit or crochet their own sections.

Toby Teaches Morgan How to Knit
AllFreeKnitting Editor Toby teaches FaveCrafts Editor Morgan how to begin the pattern.
RecipeLion Editor Kristin and AllFreeCrochet Editor Laura begin their sections.
Kristi, Rachel, Dana, and Leith Making Sections
AllFreeKnitting Editor Kristi, Managing Editor Rachel, FaveCrafts Editor Dana, and special guest Leith making sections.

You’ll notice the special guest in our photo above—Leith! The day we hosted our party happened to also be Bring Your Child to Work Day, so Leith had the opportunity to learn how to crochet with us.

FaveCrafts 10 Year Anniversary Charity Drive
FaveCrafts Editor Dana teaches Leith how to crochet.

Warm Up America! Collected Over 800 Knit and Crocheted Items

Our Gloves and Mittens Charity Drive ran from May 1-June 30, 2019. We are pleased to announce that Warm Up America! collected:
202 Pairs of Gloves and Mittens
606 Sections

It’s Not Too Late to Get Involved

Did you miss our charity drive? Warm Up America! accepts donations year round. Check out their current needs and follow them on Facebook to see their latest requests! And, if you don’t have time to make something, you can always make a financial donation to Warm Up America!

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DIY Jewelry Drive: Results and Winner Announcement!

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We all know the age old adage, “It is greater to give than to receive,” but the past two months you’ve all proved it to be true with your generous donations to our DIY jewelry drive! We here at AllFreeJewelryMaking.com have been collecting charitable handmade jewelry donations on behalf of the Women’s Shelter Jewelry Project from readers, fans, and anyone who wished to get involved, and we’ve been blown away by your astounding generosity (as well as your impressive jewelry making skills and creativity!).

We collected hundreds of donated accessories from readers across the country that will now be sent to the Women’s Shelter Jewelry Project to be distributed among various women’s shelters. The pieces you have all so kindly contributed will be going to women in need who have often arrived at these shelters with nothing more than the clothes on their backs. Your handmade jewelry will be a bit of light in a time of darkness and will help them in beginning to build a better future for themselves.

We can’t thank you all enough for helping us to help these women! Having never run a charity drive like this before, we weren’t sure what to expect and didn’t know if we’d receive  more than a few donated pieces. However, we are happy to report that we have received hundreds of gorgeous handmade pieces of jewelry to send to the Women’s Shelter Jewelry Project thanks to your generosity. We couldn’t have done it without each and every one of you, and we are incredibly grateful.

We gave you a look at some of the handmade pieces we had received last month in this update blog post. Now let’s take a look at all of the beautiful pieces we have received since then!

Donation14Donation15Donation16Donation17Donation18Donation19Donation20Donation21Donation22 Donation23 Donation24Donation25Donation30 Donation26 Donation27 Donation28 Donation29Donation34 Donation31 Donation32 Donation33

Pretty fabulous, huh? We certainly think so! OK, and now the moment you’ve all been waiting for: the winner announcement! Part of the deal was that each person who donated at least one piece to the DIY jewelry drive would be entered for a chance to win an ImpressArt Metal Stamping Kit, complete with all the tools and supplies needed to get started making stamped jewelry and other crafts. From all the people who sent in a donation, we have selected one winner at random, and the winner is…

Susan B. from Lockport, NY!

Congratulations, Susan! You are the lucky winner of the ImpressArt Metal Stamping Kit. We will be contacting you regarding your prize. Thank you for your beautiful donation!

And thanks again to all who participated. We know the Women’s Shelter Jewelry Project will be so thrilled to receive all these donations for their cause. And remember, our jewelry drive may be over, but that doesn’t mean you can’t still get involved! Find out where you can donate locally and keep giving back whenever you can.

If you donate any jewelry to a local shelter and want to share your story, you make a new project you’re particularly proud of, or you just want to chat, be sure to stop by our AllFreeJewelryMaking Facebook page and leave a comment! You can also talk to us on Twitter or Google+; we’d love to hear from you! And if you don’t already, feel free to subscribe to our eNewsletter to receive new jewelry projects as well as find out the details on all our upcoming events, giveaways, and promotions.

What are some ways you like to give back?

 

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Update: A Look at Our DIY Jewelry Drive Donations So Far!

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Bead for those in need!

All month long, we here at AllFreeJewelryMaking have been asking our readers (and anyone else who wants to get involved) to use their gift of creativity to give back. We have been collecting handmade jewelry donations on behalf of The Women’s Shelter Jewelry Project to help bring a glimmer of hope to the lives of underprivileged women residing in domestic violence shelters and various other shelters. And we’re not done yet!

We are still collecting handmade jewelry donations until March 28th, 2013, at which time we will send all the donated pieces to The Women’s Shelter Jewelry Project to be distributed among various women’s shelters. So far, we have been blown away by the generosity of our amazing readers! We have received a number of packages already, ranging in size from a few pieces to dozens of donated DIY accessories! We cannot thank those of you enough who have already sent in your handmade pieces. We appreciate your generosity, and we know the women who receive your beautiful handmade jewelry will too.

We thought it would be nice to give a little update on the progress of the DIY jewelry drive and let everyone have a look at some of the stunning pieces we’ve received so far. These will certainly bring a bit of light to the lives of these women!

A big thanks to Hattie of SC, Pina of NJ, Adeline of IL, Susan of NY, Joni of SC, L. of KY, Katherine of ID, Susan of MI, Sharon of TX, Janis of SC, Ruthe of NJ, Tracey of MN, and Wendy of RI (whose donations are pictured here in respective order) for their lovely donations! You have each earned your chance to win an ImpressArt Metal Stamping Kit!

Do you want a chance to win an ImpressArt Metal Stamping Kit too? Then send in your handmade jewelry donation by March 28, 2013! All who donate a minimum of one piece of handmade jewelry to the charity drive will be given one entry in the ImpressArt Metal Stamping Kit giveaway; the winner is to be chosen at random. Find additional details and contest rules here.

All donations can be sent to the following address:

Prime Publishing
Women’s Shelter Jewelry Project
3400 Dundee Rd. #220
Northbrook, IL 60062

Please check out this blog post to find additional details, guidelines, and other important information.

Making jewelry brings joy to your own life; use it to bring joy to the lives of others as well by creating for a good cause! We can’t wait to see what you make!

Will you be donating a piece to the DIY jewelry drive?

 

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Beading for Charity! Donate to Our DIY Jewelry Drive

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So you love to spend your time beading, but you’re already up to your elbows in bracelets, and all your family and friends are drowning in the DIY jewelry you’ve gifted them over the years? Use your creativity for a good cause by beading for charity! During the months of February and March, 2013, AllFreeJewelryMaking will be collecting finished DIY jewelry creations from beaders like you who want to use their gift to give back. Help us to help others by donating your hand-crafted jewelry creations!

 

By contributing your finished pieces to our jewelry drive, you’ll be helping bring a bit of joy to the lives of women in need. We will be sending all the DIY jewelry we collect to The Women’s Shelter Jewelry Project, a program sponsored by the Seattle Metals Guild that has been donating to those who need it most for almost 15 years now. The Women’s Shelter Jewelry Project collects old jewelry that is not being worn and then sorts, cleans, and fixes the jewelry to make wearable new pieces for underprivileged women. They then distribute these upcycled pieces to various women’s shelters, such as the Catherine Booth House, a Salvation Army domestic violence shelter, where they are given to women in need. For these women, who often arrive to the shelters with nothing more than the clothes on their backs, the jewelry provides a much needed glimmer of hope.

As jewelry artists and crafters, we know how special a piece of jewelry can make a woman feel. Imagine the satisfaction of knowing your handmade piece was given to one of these less fortunate woman on her birthday, on Christmas, or to be worn to a crucial job interview. Your hand-crafted jewelry can make a difference in someone’s life!

The AllFreeJewelryMaking DIY jewelry drive will run from February 7, 2013, to March 28, 2013. Please send your donated pieces to the address below any time during those dates; be sure to provide your e-mail address along with your donation so that we can get in touch with you if you are our randomly selected winner. Also, please keep in mind we are looking for finished pieces of quality – something these women would be proud to wear.

Please ship your finished jewelry creations to:

Prime Publishing
Women’s Shelter Jewelry Project
3400 Dundee Rd. #220
Northbrook, IL 60062

But wait…

What You Can Win:

All those who donate a handmade piece to the jewelry drive will be entered for a chance to receive an ImpressArt Metal Stamping Kit! Gifted by ImpressArt, the Metal Stamping Kit includes everything you need to get started creating your own gorgeous metal stamped jewelry and other stamped craft creations.

Learn more about the ImpressArt Metal Stamping Kit here.

Important Rules/Guidelines:

  • Only participants located in the U.S. and/or Canada are eligible to win the prize. Participants from other countries may donate but will not be eligible to win the prize.
  • One entry per participant, not per donation. Donating multiple pieces does not secure multiple entries.
  • All eligible donations must be handmade. Store-bought donations will not earn an entry in the prize drawing.
  • Donations must be in by March 28, 2013, to be eligible for an entry in the prize drawing.

So start sending in those pieces! We can’t wait to see what you create!

Need some inspiration to get started? Try one of these jewelry projects (or check out any of the ideas on AllFreeJewelryMaking.com)!

 

Have you ever used your craft to give back?

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Craft for a Cause: Pine Ridge Reservation

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Around the holidays, it’s easy to focus on the excitement surrounding family gatherings and gift giving; hoping Santa brings you exactly what you wanted this year. And in the crafting world, it’s easy to focus on the crafts we’ll create for our loved ones – for grandma, sister and best friend. Naturally, we focus our energy on ourselves and the people we love during the holiday season.

If we pay attention, the holidays also remind us of the stark difference between a privileged life vs. an unprivileged life. Some families don’t get excited about Christmas for the same reasons we do. There won’t be any gifts to give, or any turkeys to eat. In some cases, they are more concerned about the incumbent winter weather than they are about a silly hallmark holiday.

At the Pine Ridge Reservation, these concerns are a reality. This is how their situation was described by a Friends of Pine Ridge Reservation spokesperson:

“It sometimes gets to 30 below on the reservation and lots of kids and adults simply do not have proper winter gear. Many of the kids (and we’re talking kindergarten kids too) live on dirt roads and have to walk a long ways in the morning just to get to the road where the school bus picks them up. They really need protection from the cold.”

Many of the kids need winter coats, as well as scarves hats and gloves. If you are interested in donating a coat or winter item, please check the Winter Coats Donation Drive for more information. We know all our crafty friends will rise to this occasion and help the people of Pine Ridge Reservation. Get out your needles and hooks and craft for a cause!

chunky-knit-mittens

Click here for free Knit and Crochet winter patterns.

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