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Passover Picks from Etsy

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My original idea for this post was to choose 10 items from Etsy that in some way represented each of the 10 plagues. But I decided that was too morbid, even for my taste. So I went with a more general Passover theme, and while Passover isn’t exactly a crafting holiday, I did find a few great items on Etsy.

Matzah Kippa from racheltreasures

I was pretty excited that someone made an item around the plagues. Check out these 10 plague wine markers from Yontifications.

I found the idea of a paper mache faux shank bone intriguing. Since most of my mom’s family is vegetarian, they always put a dog bone on the seder plate in place of a lamb shank. Interesting alternative from braidedbeings.

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Bi-Monthly Craft Question: Handmade Christmas Gifts

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Twice a month, we like to ask fellow crafters a question, just out of curiosity. For our first question, we asked:

What’s the best handmade gift you made or received this past Christmas?

Here are some of the answers:

My 10-year-old niece made me a pair of pink crocheted mitterns 🙂
Alicia Paulson

My friend made me a makeup bag with handpainted ikat inspired patterns. It’s quite pretty 🙂
Yasmine of A Print a Day

The best handmade gift I received for Christmas… it’s a tie.  Both of my sisters made me really beautiful portraits (one a collage and the other a silhouette paper cutout) with meaningful words of love written on them.  Such special gifts… I will treasure them forever.
Ez of Creature Comforts

My answer? I crocheted my sisters each a set of slouchy hat and matching scarf in a beautiful blue-ish grey yarn. I used Lion Brand’s Two For the Road Scarf pattern for the scarves.

What’s your answer?

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Etsy Pick: Pop-up Cards

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I’ve never met anybody who doesn’t love a good pop-up book or card. I am always so impressed by the thought process required to conceptualize and execute the creation of a pop-up, which is why I chose tracychong for today’s Etsy Pick. tracychong creates beautiful pop-up cards for birthdays, weddings, Valentine’s Day or just because. I love the simple, clean designs and the fact that there is ample white space to sign or write a personal message (though I’m not sure I would be able to bring myself to write on these beauties).

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How to Make a Great (Cheap) Valentine’s Day Gift

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Deciding on a good Valentine’s Day gift for your partner can be tough. It may be that you want to avoid those cheesy cards and lacy hearts in Walgreens, it may be that you don’t have the money to spend on something extravagant or it may be that you’ve just started dating and you aren’t sure if a gift is even appropriate. But whatever the problem, this project can solve it.

Oh yeah, and the gift is a collage frame.

This personalized collage frame (photo to come soon) is the first gift I ever gave my boyfriend. (He’s still here two years later if that tells you anything). I had the misfortune of starting a relationship with him a few months before the holiday season. So feeling like I had to do something for Hanukkah, I decided to decorate a frame. It was easy, cheap and somewhat quick. And it also doubles as a great Valentine’s Day, Christmas, Anniversary or Guy Fawkes Day gift.

The project is designed for you to make it your own, but here are the basics.

How to Make a Collage Frame:

1. Buy a plain, solid colored frame (size is up to you) with a smooth surface. I bought a solid black 4 x 6 frame on sale at Macys and if I remember correctly it was well under $10.

2. Grab a stack of magazines and start rummaging. This step will take up the most time. Cut out images, designs and phrases that suit the person you are giving the gift to. Do not cut images and phrases right up to the word or picture. Make sure you leave a sufficient border or area around your cut-outs, so that you have extra to work with when fitting the collage together.

3. Arrange your pictures/words around the frame to get an idea of how they will fit together. It’s a good idea to cut out a few extra pieces of a color you like or a background pattern, to fill in any oddly shaped spaces as you go.

4. Glue your pieces around the frame as desired.

5. To add a glossy shine and to make sure my collage stayed together, I borrowed my (art major) roommate’s acrylic medium. I brushed it over the top of the collage and let it dry. There are many art glazes you could use here, this just happened to be what I had.

6. After the frame dries completely, add your photo. As a personal touch, I wrote a message on the back of the photo.

7. Give to your honey. Watch as their face lights up but his eyes say, “Wow that’s really sweet and personal and all I got you was this $5.99 bouquet of Tulips”

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Favorites Friday: New Year’s Resolution Edition

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It’s my favorite part of the ending holiday season — New Years!  Time to reflect on the past year and apply that insight to the year to come.  Although most of my resolutions never make it past the first couple months, this year, I’m determined to make them last.

So what are your New Years Resolutions?  To inspire you, here are some links of our favorite craft-related resolution ideas!

  • Here you can find some great ways to incorporate crafting into those tried and true resolutions

  • Or, make something crafty to remind you of your intended resolutions like MilkMade.

You can do it!  We believe in you!

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Etsy Pick – The Third Night of Hanukkah.

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In honor of tonight being the third night of Hanukkah, I grabbed some things off Etsy that relate to the number three or come in sets of 3.

I love penguins. These represent the phrase “See no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil” (From fliepsiebieps)

There are never two peas in a pod anyway. (Three Peas in a Pod Necklace from sudlow)

Because I’m a writer, I can truly appreciate the value of an old school typewriter. This vintage ring is made from an old typewriter key. (From KeysandMemories)

Happy Hanukkah!

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If The New York Times says it, it must be true.

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An article from today’s NY Times about the increase in crafting sales.

“Across the country, people are crafting more,” Victor Domine, spokesman for the Craft & Hobby Association, said. “With the recession, people are looking for ways to save money, and doctors are recommending it as a major form of stress relief.”

Stress relief? I don’t know about you, but trying to weed through all my scrapbook supplies for hours and adjusting and readjusting everything to make sure the page is just right kind of makes me need a stiff drink. Maybe I’m doing this wrong…

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DIY Holiday Comeback

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Don’t have the money this year to splurge on all the usual holiday indulgences? Me neither.

I’ve been scrounging around in the sale bins with everyone else, scouring the internet for deals and getting creative with this year’s holiday gifts. And with the worst economy in decades and a skyrocketing unemployment rate, more and more people are scratching flat screen TVs and designer clothing off of their shopping lists and replacing them with inexpensive materials to create homemade gifts. A number of online news sources are reporting an increase in DIY Holiday presents.  In an article today about homemade gifts Postcrescent.com, the website of the Appleton, Wisconsin Post-Crescent, reports:

“An online poll conducted for arts and crafts retailer Michaels Stores Inc. says more holiday shoppers plan to spend their money on homemade gifts while cutting back in some of the season’s most popular categories, including electronics, toys and travel.

Fifty-eight percent of respondents in the survey of more than 1,000 people stated they were more likely to make gifts this year versus last year, and 41 percent said handmade gifts were the best use of their holiday shopping dollars this year.”

In the spirit of saving money, I found my top 3 DIY Holiday ideas.

1. The Life as Mom blog had this idea for a unique photo gift. She went out and attempted to capture each letter of the alphabet from an everyday object or a place that you wouldn’t think to look. (For example, for the letter “S”, she took a photo of a metal link that connects a playground swing to its chain). To get a better idea, take a look at the finished product.

2. Last month Oprah aired her much anticipated “Oprah’s Favorite Things” episode. This year she focused on having a thrifty holiday and did The Top 10 Gifts Under $10. One of her ideas, A Gratitude Box, gets right to the heart of the DIY gift concept. The idea is simple: decorate a plain box using anything from gift wrap and ribbon to stickers and 3-D embellishments and then have the friends and family of the gift receiver fill the box with heartfelt notes. Oprah, who received a gratitude box at her 50th Birthday celebration, said, “The words from the heart mean more to people than anything you can buy.” Below are two examples, the first of which is a shoe box decorated with wrapping paper, ribbon, a monogram and cranberries. Check out Oprah’s site (click the above link) for more ideas and for printable notecards to stuff your gratitude box.

3. I really liked Debbie Gebheim’s idea from the Postcrescent article. Because her son is a musician, she is mounting a vintage vinyl Eric Clapton album cover in a shadowbox. This would also be a great way to display old photos, awards or sports memorabilia.

Happy Gifting!

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