Soft and Jolly Apparently, I will not be satisfied until I have one of these yarn-wrapped wreaths for every single season and holiday! I particularly love the soft plushness of the red background on this Christmas wreath. I used a yarn called Starbella Arctic, which has one lacy/net-like edge and one fuzzy/plush edge. When I […]

DIY Fall Décor Just a quick post to share another yarn-wrapped wreath like the ones I made for Halloween, Easter, and Winter. I made it using the same yarn I used for the Halloween wreath, but brown instead of black. I’m not sure I am crazy about the yarn on this one. It looked great […]

A Swag of Flags This colorful swag of fabric flags makes a great decoration for parties… or for no reason at all. By the way, what is the right name for this thing? A garland? No, that is supposed to be flowers or leaves or something. Banner? No, that is supposed to be one long strip. […]

Acrylic Frames Become Memo Holders Looking for quick and easy volunteer appreciation gifts? Or maybe a craft activity for a group of kids (scout troop or school classroom) for Mother’s Day or Father’s Day? Or maybe an inexpensive teacher gift? Here is an idea for you! It is very easy to make these cute little memo stations that […]

Rabbit Wreath from Recycled Sweaters As you may know, I recently made a wool felt bunny. I couldn’t decide what to do with him, so I decided to make him a home — a springtime wreath. These wreaths are so much fun to make and decorate that I cannot stop churning them out. I guess […]

Spooky Wreath For at least a year, I had been yearning for Martha Stewart’s Mambo yarn. It has such a sketchy, Edward Gorey-esque appeal! But I couldn’t figure out exactly what I would do with it, so I resisted. Then  I started making yarn-wrapped wreaths (see previous posts), and when the Mambo yarn went on sale a […]

Hand -Stitched Sweet Bunny I have a deep affection for bunnies. While I have never really owned a live rabbit, I feel as though I do, since our large backyard often has a rabbit or two wandering through it. I love watching them from the kitchen window, as they hop and nibble and twitch their […]

2 Fine Girls and a Fine Dog Last week, I ran across a picture of my sister, Cindy, and I posing with our childhood pet, a chubby fox terrier named Ginger. (We insisted that her name should be Ginger, despite that fact that her fur was black as coal.) I have a strangely vivid memory […]

Groovy! So as you may know, I have been using vintage LP record album covers to make spiral-bound notebooks. In most cases, this means I have the actual records left over, so I wanted to find fun, creative things to do with them, as well. So I took advantage of their round shape and center hole, to decorate […]

Recycled T-Shirts Rug I recently saw this technique online (sorry, I can’t remember where… If anyone knows, please speak up with a comment and let everyone know!)  You cut old t-shirts into 1-inch strips and then crochet them together with yarn to form a cushy, soft rug. The one I saw online was very girly, in […]

Upcycle a Shoe Box & Old Board Games I love board games! Electronic games can be fun, too, but there is something special and intimate about playing board games, whether with family members or close friends. Even the pieces scream “FUN!” … colorful glossy game boards, clattering dice, and tokens make of plastic, wood, or metal. […]

Rope Pot Rest There is something so fascinating about complicated knots. I have a ring that is a Celtic knot, and I love the way the lines double back on themselves and intertwine with the other lines in such mysterious but symmetrical ways. Like M.C. Escher art… Or mathematics brought to life. I ran across a tutorial […]

Tone-on-Tone Winter Wreath This year, I made some yarn-wrapped winter themed wreaths for some of my relatives. But deep down, I really wanted one of my own. So I made two more — one for my office and one for home. The first one was this multi-tonal ivory and tan assemblage. It is made of […]

Cozy Winter Wreath Featuring Wool Roses Doesn’t it always seem a little barren in the house, when the Christmas decorations come down? Here is a special wintertime wreath, meant to be hung when the Christmas décor is packed away. I have seen a lot of these wreaths on the Internet lately, so I’m not sure […]

Cupcake Ornament Made from Recycled Sweaters We had an ornament exchange this year at work, and I wanted my contribution to be handmade. I found directions at the Better Homes and Gardens web site, telling how to make a cute cupcake ornament from recycled wool sweaters. Although I did not follow the directions exactly (I […]

Facebook Twitter and You Tube Throw Pillows These are great gifts for a young person who is a fan of Facebook, Twitter, and/or YouTube. My pillows are made out of flannel (except for the lettering on the You Tube pillow, which is felt.) However, they could also easily be made from fleece or felt. I put a flap on […]

Quilted hoop clock with book title buttons This quilted clock was a gift for someone who loves children’s literature. I followed a great tutorial over at a.squared.w. The only changes I made were: Lining up the hours on the seams instead of the centers of the sections. Using foam core rather than wood for the back. […]

Ballerina warrior princess! In a recent craft-swap email, my swap partner referred to herself as a “ballerina warrior princess”! I don’t know exactly what it means, but the turn of phrase lodged in my imagination, and I had to create something for her, using that as a theme. This is a vintage photo that I printed […]