Easy Gift Ideas For Mother’s Day

Posted by on July 23, 2018 in Handmade Crafts, Handmade Gifts Ideas

With Mother’s Day around the corner, I wanted to share a few easy gift ideas to get your mom, or special caregivers in your life! My mom is super chill about gifts. My brothers and I have been giving her handmade gifts for as long as I can remember, and she prefers we spend money on ourselves and on the necessities instead of on her. But as we get older and have the means to spoil her, we finding more and more opportunities to surprise her with easy gift ideas that she loves.

My family are huge Toronto Blue Jays fans and often head to a Blue Jays game for Mother’s Day. Last year my mom wasn’t able to go because she had two broken legs and was pretty much confined to the house. Now that she’s doing so much better, we’re hoping to make it to a game this year too!

My mom is one of the craftiest and creative people I know, and she definitely passed that down along to me. In our house there was always a DIY attitude when it came to decor and other fun projects. I remember making DIY chalkboard paint when first became cool because we saw it on Trading Spaces. I remember dabbing a sponge of paint to give texture to the walls of our living too. My mom also a master baker. If I head home I can almost guarantee the Food Network is on and she’s cooking up all sorts of ideas in her head.

So clearly I get a lot of my creative side from my mom. And while she was never one to garden often, she had cool ideas for the garden where she could. The garage of the house we had growing up was covered in growing vines to cover the aging paint. It looked super cool.

Easy Gift Ideas Mother's Day Planter

One of the Mother’s Day easy gift ideas I had this year was a pompom planter. This project is so cheap and easy to make. You can make it even easier by buying the pompoms, which I didn’t (but should have) done. (more…)

FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL SIGNS – FREE PRINTABLES

Posted by on July 23, 2018 in Handmade Crafts

I can’t believe we’re headed back to school soon and that it’s almost time for the first day of school already! Summertime seems to get shorter and shorter each year! Back-to-school means that it’s time for those obligatory First Day of School photos, so we’ve got you covered with a cute set of free printable First Day of School signs for preschool through 12th grade! Even better, if you’re a professional procrastinator (like me!) and you always wait until the last minute to do things, no worries! You can print these back to school signs right before the kids head off to school and still manage to snap a few precious First Day of School pictures for posterity. One of my favorite things to do is look back at those photos each year and see how much my kids have grown!

FREE PRINTABLE FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL SIGNS

The set includes back-to-school printable First Day of School signs for preschool, pre-k, PK, transitional kindergarten, TK, and kindergarten along with all of the numbered grades. (more…)

12 Easy Handmade Gift Ideas for Him

Posted by on May 21, 2018 in Handmade Crafts, Handmade Gifts Ideas

I always seem to struggle with a DIY gift for any guy. Whether you are looking for a handmade birthday gift for dad or a unique gift for your boyfriend just because, it is always very hard to find something that is both good-looking and functional.

I have put together a list of 12 DIY gifts that are super easy to make – plus there is something for every crafting skill level – from homemade shaving cream to painted mugs to simple woodworking projects!

I guarantee you they will never get shoved into a drawer!

Easy handmade gift ideas for him

Let’s start with the DIY Phone Holder with a photo display that I shared with you last week. It makes a great gift for his desk to hold the phone as well as a picture or a fun or motivational quote!
Talking about desks, how about a desk organizer for his office (probably not painted gold though – silver or white might better work for him ;))Easy DIY desk organizer - unique handmade gifts for him | DIY Father's Day gift

A DIY desk nameplate for his desk. This one so easy and classy! (more…)

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Madame Alexander/AG News from Costco plus…MY BEAUTY AND THE BEAST BLU-RAY IS HERE!!! YAY!!!

Posted by on May 17, 2018 in Handmade Crafts, Handmade Gifts Ideas

Hi guys!  Finally made it to Costco for groceries today…despite the risks.  Any time you take 3 girls 6 and under into Costco after school you’re just asking for at least one melt-down moment…either from them or me!! :}  We actually survived and had a pleasant time looking at all the Christmas stuff and toys before we did our shopping.  I wanted to tell you about some of the things we saw.

First off, we saw the beeauutiful Alexander Girlz dolls by Madame Alexander.  There were 5 different dolls:  2 blondes (1 with bangs and 1 without), 2 brunettes (1 with bangs and 1 without), and 1 African American doll.  There were 3 different outfit variations.  Each doll came with her own MP3 player, headphones, digital camera, and a pair of sunglasses with a holder.  What’s even better is that I checked Costco.com and they have them on there, so I can post pics to show you what they look like! 🙂

First off, here’s the African American doll:

I love her jacket and cute black boots!

Here’s the first caucasian doll variation, in blonde and then brunette:

Just to let you know, the bangs look much better in real life. 🙂

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The Crafting Guide to Mindfulness

Posted by on May 4, 2018 in handmade business, Handmade Gifts Ideas

As someone who loves being crafty, you’re probably well aware of how relaxing crafting can be – the happiness of getting out a project bag or squirrelling away to a craft room for a few hours to lose yourself in your latest project. Focusing on a craft often puts us in a state of ‘flow’, having complete concentration on what you’re working on and being fully in the moment. When you’re thinking ‘how do I want to shape this, where does this stitch go, how do I want this to look?’ you’re not thinking the bundle of other thoughts that run through your head each day; crafting is a gift to ourselves to pause and just be.

This isn’t only conventional wisdom amongst crafters – studies by the American Journal of Public Health have shown that crafting reduces stress and anxiety and boosts positivity and connectedness.

So while I’m not going to suggest you eat a raisin (it’s a mindfulness thing) or hug a ball of wool (although that does sound kinda nice), here’s some ways you can actively encourage more mindfulness and relaxation into your crafting.

Use Your Senses

How to make a bath bomb

We’re working with our hands, and a huge part of what makes crafting so wonderful is the tactile connection we can have with the materials and tools we work with. The next time you pick up a project, take a moment to really feel the texture of the fabric or materials. How does the embroidery hoop or paintbrush feel in your hand? Use all your senses to appreciate what you’re creating with. (more…)

HOW TO GET REORDERS FROM YOUR STOCKISTS

Posted by on May 4, 2018 in handmade business

Editor’s Note: This post was shared with us by Etan and Emily from Wholesale In a Box. They offer makers a method to get into stores — and tools to make growth easier and faster. You can sign up for a free eCourse on their method for growing wholesale (without trade shows, hassle, or stress) here. -Nicole S.

Before they get their first store, most handmade business owners are focused on how many store accounts they want to get. They dream of having wholesale accounts around the country, with their products sparkling on hundreds of store shelves.

But after the first couple of stores are under their belt, many people realize that not all wholesale accounts are created equal. The store in Milwaukee that orders $800-$900 every quarter is worth so much more than the store in Tulsa that ordered $1,000 once and hasn’t placed an order since.

Sometimes stores don’t reorder because of something on their end. Some shops are struggling financially or changing business models and aren’t going to place follow-on orders with you for those reasons. But the majority of the time, a given store is placing consistent, large orders with some makers — and it is up to you whether you are one of them. (more…)

PODCAST EPISODE 69: GETTING HONEST ABOUT YOURSELF AND YOUR BUSINESS WITH LINSI BROWNSON

Posted by on April 28, 2018 in handmade business, Handmade Gifts Ideas

Today on the Dear Handmade Life podcast we’re talking to Linsi Brownson of Spark Collaborative. We talk about Linsi’s belief that everyone is born creative, how to tap into that natural creativity if you’ve lost your connection to it, what types of questions to ask yourself to see where you are, where you want to be and the steps you need to get there, what areas of your business and life you need to evaluate, the importance of starting small, exploring and experimenting when making big changes and we use Delilah as guinea pig and Linsi does some on the spot coaching with her that starts with the question, “What is your challenge right now?”.

AND…. As a Thank You for tuning into this episode of the Dear Handmade Life podcast, Linsi is offering 5 Free Laser Coaching Sessions. Laser Coaching is a 90 minute virtual session where you’ll dive right in to your latest greatest challenge, fear, idea or opportunity! To enter, apply for a session here and leave us a review on iTunes here. Good luck!

Things we mentioned during the episode: (more…)

DIY Creepy-Chic Decor

Posted by on April 18, 2018 in Handmade Crafts, Handmade Gifts Ideas

Wallpaper, guys!

It’s my new favorite medium to work with!

I know when all of us think of wallpaper, we think…well, walls.

I teamed up with Graham and Brown this week, the company behind so many fun patterns and designs of wallpaper, you’ll be drooling!  AND, they have a really fun line of some creepy-chic Halloween designs.

lamp1

So, I got crafty with wallpaper this week, and tried to think outside of the box.  I was able to use this amazing design called FairyToile (find it here) from Graham & Brown.  I could go crazy with this stuff!  How about use a strip as a fun table-runner, or piece the strips together to make a table topper for a spooky Halloween party.  Fill in a large black frame for the season or, use this durable paper as the medium for your next bunting project.  I tried my hand at covering up my current window valances by piecing the strips together and pinning it into place.  (My kids LOVE our creepy house)  and then tried this easy creepy-chic lamp project that I thought I’d share with you today.

Here’s an quick project tut for you to whip up:

Supplies:

-Drum-shaped lamp shade (mine was $2.99 at Goodwill)–and it was new, still in the plastic

-Thrifted lamp (mine was $4.99 at goodwill)

-Spray Primer and Metallic Silver Spray Paint/Painters Tape

-Wallpaper (FairyToile from Graham & Brown (here)

-ModPodge

-Electrical tape

-Coordinating Embellishments

-Hot Glue Gun & Glue

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First thing’s first…The top of this lamp was just fine…but I didn’t enjoy how it went from clear/silvery to a gross old yellow-orange color.  So, I used Blue Painter’s tape to tape-off the top layer, and I primed and spray-painted just the bottom section of the lamp.  No pics of spraying, but it turned out really nice.

lampb

Next, I measured my lampshade and it was 8 inches tall, and I needed two strips of wallpaper to go all the way around my shade, so I cute 2 8 inch strips x the length of the wallpaper.  (Ps: My rotary cutter and mat made this magical.)

lampc

Step 3: Generously slather on ModPodge like it’s going out of style, and then adhere it to the outside of the lampshade.  Easy.

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Step 4: I used some rubberbands to hold the wallpaper in place until the ModPodge dried completely.

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Step 5: Use electrical tape, or some other coordinating tape to cover up the seams and to insure that the edges don’t lift at all over time.

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Step 6: Embellish as desired.   I used a glue-gun to attach the Pom-Pom garland trim to the bottom of the lampshade, and a black Gimp along the top edge.

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Super easy project to spook-up your home this Halloween season.  I’m telling you, wallpaper is so much more fun to work with on a project like this than fabric would be…and the design choices are so fun!

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Janome S9 Sewing Machine Review

Posted by on April 17, 2018 in Handmade Crafts, Handmade Gifts Ideas

I am so lucky to be a part of Janome‘s artisan team.   This year, they came out with the latest Skyline model, the S9.  They contacted me and asked me to review it, so of course I said yes and they sent it over.  I knew, based on my experience with both the Skyline S5 and S7 models, that this machine would also be amazing.

skylines9_main

When I opened the box, I saw that this machine was a sewing and embroidery machine.  I have never had an embroidery machine and so I was excited (and a little nervous) to try it for the first time.

skylines9_embroidery

But before I talk about that, I want to let you know about the machine itself.

It has all of  my favorite features from the S7:

  • large foot pedal
  • automatic threader that always works
  • clothing stitches
  • embroidery stitches
  • automatic tension that works perfectly every time
  • easy bobbin winding
  • stitch plate is SO easy to remove

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We Are Knitters: The Poplar Scarf

Posted by on April 13, 2018 in Handmade Crafts, Handmade Gifts Ideas

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I received this beautiful Poplar Scarf knit kit from We Are Knitters in the beginning of November, right when the cozy season was ramping up and Texas temperatures were starting to blessedly dip below sixty degrees. The first thing I did when I got this yarn was rub it all over my face. I mean, seriously, you can’t necessarily tell from the photos, but these yarn balls are off-the-charts squishy. I rarely work with alpaca yarn so I always forget how soft it is – and it was no less delightful sliding across my fingers. While life happened to make this project much slower for me than it needed to be (hellooo, Christmas knitting), it was a welcome, squishy, interesting reprieve from the monotony of thesis work and ribbed hat holiday gifts.

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We’ve been watching lots of Marvel TV series around here, and this was a fun pattern to work on because it required just a tiny bit of attention. The pattern for this scarf includes an interesting “snowflake” stitch that I had never done before. And if you know me as a knitter, you know I firmly believe learning new things is the only way to stay inspired – even though the process is sometimes a little intimidating. Fortunately, WAK have handy stitch tutorial videos on their website, so it was pretty easy to figure out what I was doing. (Although, I will admit that there’s a little 20-row section toward the beginning of my scarf where I wasn’t really paying attention and thus consistently did the snowflakes incorrectly, resulting in a wonky section that doesn’t increase properly. But you know what? It’s fine, because mistakes are part of the charm of handmade items – or at least that’s what I told myself when I decided to stubbornly press on without frogging.)

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