FaveCrafts

1000s of free craft projects, home decor ideas and DIY tips

Plaid Decoden Clay Twitter Party

by

Announcement time! We will be hosting a Twitter party Thursday September 25th at 9pm EST! We’d love to see you all there participating in the chat about the exciting Collage Clay from Plaid! Collage Clay is available at Michaels Stores.twitter-partyCathie & Steve from Plaid will be joining us to answer all of your pressing questions about this amazing clay. They’ll be offering tips and tricks to make your Decoden projects superb. Plus, don’t miss out on a chance to win prizes!

@cathiefilian

@steve_piacenza

#craftychat

We hope to see you chatting along with us as well!

Remember I told you there would be giveaways? Well there will be! All you have to do to win a prize is send out one tweet with the hashtag #craftychat and you are automatically entered! Of course, the more you join in on the conversation, the more chances you have of winning! Contest ends September 25th 9pm EST. Winners will be announced at the end of the chat.


Twitter Party Recap + A Chance to Win!

by

We had a wonderful time at last night’s twitter party with Plaid Crafts and Rachel Faucett from Handmade Charlotte! You can find some great stenciling projects on our Pinterest board with Rachel this month.

Stenciling Tutorials

Everyone had a ton of tips and stencil ideas, and we loved hearing about Rachel’s affordable new stencil designs (now available at Michaels). We even gave away brand new stencils to a few lucky tweeters.  But don’t worry if you weren’t able to join us last night, here’s a recap of all the fun tips and ideas we loved (and another giveaway below):

Stenciling Tips and Tricks


Q1 – What tools do you need to get started stenciling?

@BEGB_Lisa: Good stencil brushes and painters tape!
@sleatham1: Paint, stencils, sponge brushes
@CarolYemola: Gotta have the paper towels! I’m messy and they are great for dabbing the brush!

Q2 – What kinds of paint work well with stencils?

@followcharlotte: Acrylic paint dries really fast!
@DisneyMom917 : like Plaid craft all purpose paint – so many colors to choose from.
@followcharlotte FolkArt Multi-Surface paint is insane amazing! It’s dishwasher, oven,& wash machine safe! Love!

Q3 – What types of projects can you make or have you made with stencils?

@S_thirtymommy : Our a stenciled headboard on my bedroom wall!
@Yiononta :I did some wine glasses and flower glass vases for my cousins wedding
@partyof6888jail : decorations on the walls in childrens rooms and on tote bags and tshirts
@DisneyMom917 : I decorate vintage suitcases with stencils
@pottsacademy: I just used stencils to put a chalkboard grocery list near the fridge!

Stenciling Project Ideas

 

Q4 – I am always interested in organization, How do you or would you store your stencils?

@HelloAnnaH : LOVE those clear plastic drawers. Label the drawers and it all stays neat
@pottsacademy : I’m putting my stencils in clear page protectors and inside a binder.
@partyof6888jail : we love storing our stencils in organization bins all in order of what they are used for.

Q5 – Do you need to “clean” your stencils after use?

@Jaderbomb : always clean to make sure each application comes out PERFECT!
@EastSeattleMama : yes, baby wipes!
@HelloAnnaH : I usually do clean my stencils so colors don’t transfer later. I like my tools clean!

Q6 – How do you hold your stencils in place? Is there special tape? Or any tape?

@partyof6888jail : duck or painters tape
@DisneyMom917 : I use masking tape
@Jaderbomb : I ALWAYS use a light adhesive spray!

Q6.5 – Then if you are stenciling fabric, you use tape?

@sleatham1: I’ve used masking tape
@HelloAnnaH : Painters tape works well

FaveCrafts Blog Giveaway Logo

Handmade Charlotte Stencils from Plaid Crafts

It’s not too late! We’re offering one more chance to win some new Handmade Charlotte Stencils from Plaid Crafts. Simply answer this question for a chance to win:

If you had a brand new set of stencils, what’s the first project you would try?

 

Official Rules for Daily Contest:

  • There is a maximum of one entry per person. The entry will be based upon a comment left on this blog post. Duplicate comments will be deleted and are not tallied.
  • Winner will be selected at random from the comments on this blog post only.
  • You have until September 9th, 2013 at 11:59p EST to leave your comment on this post. Comments posted after that will not be counted.
  • Contest open to anyone 18+ in US and/or Canada.

Twitter Party with Handmade Charlotte & Plaid

by

We are hosting a twitter party on September 4th at 9p.m. EST! We would love for all of you to join us  and our special guest, Rachel Faucett from Handmade Charlotte for this fun filled event.

Craft-Tweet-Chat-Handmade-Charlotte-Plaid

8-stencils 5-mermag-kids-room 3-diy-party-hat

2-diy-stencil-dress6-stencil-pillow7-stencil-play-mat

Rachel is the author of the well-loved DIY blog, Handmade Charlotte and she will be sharing all her tips for stenciling and using paint on your projects. You can create everything from home decor to stylish clothes with her new stencils and paint, now available at Michaels.

 

Join us and ask Rachel any questions you may have about paint crafts, stenciling or any other craft questions.

Giveaways!

As a special bonus for our lucky tweeters, we’ll have special prizes! All you have to do to be entered is follow along and chat with us! Just send out at least one tweet during the chat with the hashtag #craftychat and you’re automatically entered to win -easy right? You can start entering right now by using #craftychat! Contest ends September 4th 9pm EST. Winners will be announced at the end of the chat.

Want to Join The Party?

Wondering how to join in on the fun? Joining a Twitter party is really simple. We’ve created a help article on How to Join a Twitter Party for you if you’ve never done it before! Add yourself to our event page on Facebook! You can share the image below on your site or across Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest to let your friends know so that they can join the fun.
Craft-Twitter-Party-125px-HandmadeCharlotte-FaveCrafts

Holiday Twitter Party!

by

Do you miss our last Twitter party? Well, no worries because we’ve set up another one for you just in time for the holidays! We’ve also partnered up with Plaid Crafts to do it! So if you love Mod Podge, Martha Stewart paint, and crafting ornaments for the holidays, you won’t want to miss our little holiday chat. Bring your tinsel!

We’ll be chatting about crafting for the holidays so bring your best ideas and tricks. No ideas lined up for handmade holiday decor yet? No worries! That’s what this chat is all about. We’ll be chatting all about homemade Christmas ornaments, holiday home decor, and your favorite crafting products to use when you’re creating your handmade holidays.

Joining in a Twitter Party is very simple, and we created a How To Join a Twitter Party post to help you get started.

Giveaway!

 

Just joining in on the chat gives you an entry into our giveaway! The more you join the conversation, the more chances you have to win. We’ll be giving away a special Plaid prize pack to one lucky winner to give you a jump start on creating those wonderful holiday decoration ideas you pulled from the chat! The prize pack will include:

  • 1 Mod Podge Formula Sampler Set
  • 1 Bottle of Dimensional Magic
  • 1 pack of Podgeable Shapes
  • 1 pack of of Podgeable Papers
  • 7 Martha Stewart Glass Paints

Giveaway Rules:

  •     Giveaway open to US and Canada residents 18+
  •     Contest closes November 14, 2012 at 4:00p EST.
  •     Send out a tweet along with the #craftychat hashtag in order to be entered.
  •     Winners will be announced during the chat.

Halloween Twitter Party Highlights

by

If you missed out on our Halloween themed Twitter party Wednesday, you missed out on some fun! We got together with some of our favorite crafty people and some new friends and talked Halloween decorations, Halloween costumes, and Halloween recipes!

Craft Twitter Party 400px Halloween FaveCrafts Pumpkin Decorating, Halloween, Recipes, and More in This Twitter Party!

Since we didn’t want anyone who couldn’t make it to feel left out, we pulled some of the highlights from the questions we asked for you to scroll through.

Q1: Welcome! Let’s do intros. Tell us a little bit about YOU.

@CraftyChica: Q1: i’m Kathy and I like to make stuff. Lots of stuff. All the time.
@CynGagen: Q1 I’m Cyn from Creative Cynchronicity. I love to craft and I love Halloween!
@cristinfrank: Hi. I’m Cristin from Eve of Reduction. I love to decorate with recycled materials – and especially upcycle
@MyPaperMoose: Q1: I’m Jacqueline. I love crafting, especially with paper! Just wish I had more time to craft 😀
@LionBrandYarn: Hey, crafty chatters! This is Jess from Lion Brand Yarn. 🙂 I love to knit and crochet.
@MarkMontano: I’m a Gemini and cat hoarder and I love long walks in the 99c store. That’s me in a nutshell.
Great response from @CraftyChica! Im a Sag, a Chihuahua hoarder and I love long strolls in the Mexican grocery store ceramic and candy aisles!

Q2: Halloween- You like it scary or cute?

@shala_beads: I like it both ways, scary and cute. Preferably glittered as well!
@MyPaperMoose: Q2: How about a little somewhere in between? But more cute than scary I suppose!
@spazzgirl: Q2: Scary all the way! The creepier the better. Am I right @Markmontano? (lover of baby doll head crafts)
@cristinfrank: I like cute Halloween decorations but tend to do more Tim Burton-ish crafts. I want to do a candy corn craft – open to ideas!
@MarkMontano: I do love ripping off a baby doll head and dipping it in plaster. Kind of creepy, but satisfying at the same time.
@LionBrandYarn: Q2. Both! You know, a knitting needle saves the day (briefly) in John Carpenters Halloween!
@FreeKidsCraft: Q2: A little of both! This kids’ Halloween craft roundup is a great mix of cute & creepy: http://bit.ly/WAsWgr

Q3: What’s one thing you always make for Halloween?

@SewCalGal: Q3 – Pumpkin bread, pumpkins, embroidered dish towels
@MyPaperMoose: Q3: Im creating fun packaging for the candy Im handing out. Gr8 way to get my name out locally
@shala_beads: Q3- My family always makes pumpkin butter with our jack-o-lanterns. Yum yum.
@cristinfrank: Halloween sculptures out of sidewalk chalk

Q4: Do you have a favorite Halloween recipe?

@cristinfrank: I always make pumpkin soup on Halloween. There was a recipe in Parade (sunday insert) that I’m going to try.
@RecipeLion: These pumpkin cinnamon rolls are our favorite. They’re super yummers! http://ow.ly/eyDIU
@FreeKidsCraft: Q4: Apple Candy Monsters! http://bit.ly/QswNZt
@spazzgirl: Q4: There’s lots of yummy recipes with leftover candies too but I rarely have a leftover!
@RecipeLion: The lion lurves these “scream” cheese brownies, too. You know where were coming from @favecrafts ? http://ow.ly/eyDWq
@ShesNachoMama: No pumpkin, but my QUESADILLA DE LOS MUERTOS is an easy Halloween recipe! #vivacultura #craftychat #diadelosmuertos

Q5: Costumes: do you make them or buy them?

@JudiFrew: Q5: Make my own, buy the kids
@shala_beads: Q5- MAKE! It’s the only way to go.
@SewCalGal: Q5: I prefer to make costumes vs buy them.
@LionBrandYarn: I almost always make my own costume. I have more freedom that way!
@CraftyChica: We always make our own costumes, or do a halfway handmade and alter a store-bought version.
@FreeKidsCraft: Q5: DIY or die! We have 25 cute & creative homemade Halloween costume ideas here: http://bit.ly/PKVe28

Q6: Last one! Haunted Houses, love them or hate them?

@CynGagen: LOVE THEM!
@AFHolidayCrafts: hate them! They terrify me. I like these better: http://ow.ly/eyG4l
@craftyvanessa: I have a love/hate relationship with haunted houses! I always say I’m never going back, but I always do.
@CraftyChica: I love the concept of them, but Im too chicken to survive one!
@SewCalGal: Q10 – I love haunted houses even though many still scare me. Still get a kick at Disney’s Haunted House.

Sad you missed out on the fun? You can still read most of the tweets in Twitter, but next time be sure to join!

Don’t forget you still have 2 days to enter your fabulous pumpkin decorating ideas in our Pumpkinpalooza contest!

Pumpkin Decorating, Halloween, Recipes, and More in This Twitter Party!

by

It’s been a while since we’ve held a Twitter party here at FaveCrafts so we thought it  was about time. What better occasion to celebrate than Halloween?

We’ll be gathering in the Twitter-sphere on October 17th at 3pm EST to talk about crafting for Halloween, pumpkin decorating ideas, and fun Halloween themed recipes. Join us with your questions and ideas! There’s still plenty of time to pull some great ideas for you Halloween parties. We’ll also talk about pumpkin decorating ideas, so if you’ve still been searching for the perfect idea to decorate your pumpkin and submit it to our Pumpkinpalooza contest this could be the time! Personally, I have a slew of pumpkin carving questions. I bet some of you could answer them!

All you have to do to participate is sign into Twitter on October 17th at 3pm EST and search for the #craftychat hashtag or sign into Twebevent with your Twitter account to follow the conversation. To join the conversation be sure to use the #craftychat hashtag in your posts. If you’re using Twebevent, you don’t have to add the hashtag the site will automatically do it for you.

Never participated in a Twitter party you say? No worries! We’ve pulled together a blog post that explains it all.

Giveaway!

 

Just joining in on the chat gives you an entry into our giveaway! The more you join the conversation, the more chances you have to win. We’ll be giving away a Funkin, some Energizer Flameless candles, and a Halloween costume book! If that’s not incentive to join in, I don’t know what is.

Giveaway Rules:

  •     Giveaway open to US and Canada residents 18+
  •     Contest closes October 17, 2012 at 4:00p EST.
  •     Send out a tweet along with the #craftychat hashtag in order to be entered.
  •     Winners will be announced at the end of the chat.

Eco Crafting Twitter Party Re-Cap!

by

Did you miss our Twitter party yesterday? Well you missed out on some fun! The highlights? Crafty ways to use left over jars, thrifting items to use for beads, sequins, and buttons, and creating jewelry out of bones! Yep. You really missed out.

So we asked some really fun questions and got some inspiring and interesting answers. I’ve pulled the questions and some tweets for you guys to scan over but you can view the entire conversation here if you want to read through.

Let’s get to the good stuff:

We asked: Besides lovin’ the earth, why do YOU craft in an earth friendly way? #craftychat

Some answers:
@glueandglitter: I like the challenge of reclaimed crafting & thinking about waste in a new way. “How can I reuse this?” is my favorite question! #craftychat

@modpodgerocks: @FaveCrafts Q2: If you want the honest truth, I love eco-crafting cause it’s budget friendly!! Also a great challenge. #craftychat

@cristinfrank: I craft with recycled products because it’s cheaper and I don’t have to run to the store

@condoblues: @FaveCrafts Q2. My favorite source for project materials is my recycling bin. #CraftyChat

@thezenofmaking: Q2: I’m incapable of throwing away cute things. Spice jars? Cool wine bottles? I just can’t do it, so I have to craft! #craftychat

@Lu_and_Ed: @TiffanyWindsor @spazzgirl I love when I find sheet sets – so much fabric for so little money, and so many possibilities! #craftychat

 

We asked: Q3: What’s your favorite material to recycle into your crafts? #craftychat

Some answers:

@TheSewingLoft: Q3-I love to reclaim linens. Think chenille bedspreads, napkins & bed sheets.#craftychat

@janejoeyxo: @FaveCrafts Q3 tissue paper #CraftyChat

@modpodgerocks: I love using cereal boxes! Goes so well with MP

@jmpm1037: @Mellistrinkets I hate throwing cards away! sometimes they are so cool! so many little embellishments you can play with #craftychat

@EclecticMamma: A3: Oh geeze! Uhm… I have used thrifted fabric a lot, but my fav is taking apart outdated jewelry to make multiple new pieces! #craftychat

@AllFreeKnitting: Q3: I LOVE turning old t-shirts and sheets into yarn. #craftychat

@DavidLeonMorgan: Q3: I love collecting old beads from thrifted purses, beaded seat cushions etc http://t.co/DGLr6lax #craftychat

 

We asked: Q4: What is the craziest thing you’ve recycled into a craft? #craftychat

Some answers:

@Lu_and_Ed: @FaveCrafts Q4 Hmmm, probably computer memory sticks! lol! I made tree art from them with buttons and thread! #craftychat

@crafttestdummy: My bestie @creativegoddess upcycled a Viactive container into a gift box. And it was CUTE! #craftychat

@kissingbunnies: @FaveCrafts Hmmm, the craziest thing I have ever recycled while crafting has got to be old sewing machines. #craftychat

@IlonaHavenaar: Q4 a hubcap. Decorated with scrapbookpaper and all kinds of interesting stuff for the babyroomn #craftychat

@CynGagen: My mom recycled old bones (from dinner) into jewelry – I thought that was a pretty crazy thing to recycle LOL. #craftychat

@condoblues: @FaveCrafts Q4. Made mid century raised dog feeder from shadowbox & napkin rings http://t.co/ZmSNRenu #CraftyChat

 

We asked: Q5: Where do you find eco-friendly crafting supplies? #craftychat

Some answers:

@go2kauai: @FaveCrafts q5: i look for them @MichaelsStores #craftychat

@modpodgerocks: The recycle bin. Hahaha! RT @FaveCrafts: Q5: Where do you find eco-friendly crafting supplies? #craftychat

@WeightWars1: @FaveCrafts – Q5 – I troll online for most of my stuff. #craftychat

@kissingbunnies: @FaveCrafts I usually raid family and friends houses. There is so much you can do with so little, and it makes it fun! #craftychat

@KaratewithaZ: A lot of Etsy sellers also offer eco friendly supplies #craftychat

 

We asked: Q9: Anyone ever have a recycled craft fail? #craftychat

Some answers:

@go2kauai: @FaveCrafts q9: we tried to cut up a plastic 1 liter soda bottle for a craft, but we had trouble cutting through it #craftychat

@glueandglitter: @FaveCrafts Oh yes. There is a Refashioned Dress of Shame in a drawer in my studio at this very moment. #craftychat #recycledcraftfail

@kissingbunnies: @FaveCrafts Recycling craft fails are common place for me. I prefer to call them examples of what is to come. #craftychat

@cristinfrank: yes, I tried to make a weaving loom with tp rolls and it was a disaster. Ha. Move on. #craftychat

 

These are just some of the topics that came up in our chat. If you don’t want to miss the next one, keep checking back and follow us on Facebook and Twitter so you don’t miss a beat!

Crafty Business Twitter Party Re-Cap!

by

Were you there? Did you miss it? I hope not! Thank you to everyone who participated and made this the biggest Twitter Party we’ve EVER had! It was so exciting to see so many of you joining in and chatting with us!

Having everyone talking about their craft and how they have or would like to turn it into a business was such a great way to celebrate National Craft Month! Some craft industry veterans like Mark Montano, Crafty Chica, and our very own FaveCrafts Radio host Amy Anderson joined in to offer up their advice to all of you! We asked some tough questions, but got some great answers.

 

Q1: Would you consider yourself a crafty businessperson? What is your crafty business?

@ISpyDIY said “My blog is my job and I treat it that way, it is important to stay consistent and keep giving good content daily.”

@thezenofmaking said “Reach out to established bloggers who’re already where you’d like to be. If you’re friendly and honest, they’ll help you!

 

Q2: For the bloggers out there, what is a tip you would give to newbie bloggers?

@CraftyChica said “Biggest mistake I see in budding bizfolks is WAITING. Just dive in, take action. Doing=learning.”

@Creative_Income said “Guest blogging is a great way to get your name out there when you’re starting out!”

 

Q3: It’s social media time, what form of social media “works” best?

@CynGagen said “I think different types of social media work in different ways and for different purposes. That’s why I try to use them all.”

@modpodgerocks said “My most loyal readers are in my Facebook group! I like interacting there.”

 

Q4: Describe your business model in one word.

@Ninth_Street said “progressive”

@ISpyDIY said “Busines model in one word: DIY, haha does that work?”

 

Those were just a couple of the hundreds of answers we got for each question. If you want to see the whole chat and read through, you can do so here.

Thanks again everyone! If you didn’t join in this time, be sure to like us on Facebook for news on when we have our next #craftychat!

Crafty Business Chat Today at 3pm EST!

by

 

Hey all! Just a reminder that our Twitter Party will be happening this afternoon at 3pm EST! If you missed the details from last week, keep reading to find out how you can join in.

We’ll be talking about crafty business with our favorite craft business celebrities as well as our friends over at the Creative Income Blog!  We’ve invited craft companies, bloggers, and designers to join in and help us answer all your craft business questions. You’ll be able to benefit from the knowledge of Craft Test Dummies, The Crafty Chica, and Mark Montano! So if you’ve been thinking about turning your hobby into a business, this is one Twitter Party you won’t want to miss!

Never joined a Twitter party? It’s really simple. We’ve even created a help article on How to Join a Twitter Party to make it a breeze!

Giveaways!

As a special bonus for our lucky readers, we’ll have special prizes for participating tweeters! All you have to do to be entered is follow along and chat with us! Just send out at least one tweet during the chat with the hashtag #craftychat and you’re automatically entered to win -easy right? You can start entering right now by using #craftychat! Contest ends March 21st 4pm EST. Winners will be announced at the end of the chat.


Crafty Business Twitter Party!

by

In honor of National Craft Month we are hosting a twitter party on March 21st at 3p.m. EST! We would love for all of you to join us on Twitter and talk with some of the busiest people in the craft industry!

We’ll be talking about crafty business so if you’ve just started building your own crafty castle or are thinking about it, this is one Twitter party you won’t want to miss. We’ve invited craft companies, bloggers, and designers to join in and help us answer all your craft business questions. You’ll be able to benefit from the knowledge of Craft Test Dummies, The Crafty Chica, and Mark Montano! We’ll be sharing industry insider tips, better ways to manage your time, and the best social media outlets for crafters just like you.

Wondering how to join in on the fun? Joining a Twitter party is really simple. We’ve created a help article on How to Join a Twitter Party for you if you’ve never done it before!

Giveaways!

As a special bonus for our lucky readers, we’ll have special prizes for participating tweeters! All you have to do to be entered is follow along and chat with us! Just send out at least one tweet during the chat with the hashtag #craftychat and you’re automatically entered to win -easy right? You can start entering right now by using #craftychat! Contest ends March 21st 4pm EST. Winners will be announced at the end of the chat.


Crochet

Jewelry

Knitting

Paper

Sewing

Thrifty