diy

Do it Yourself; Tips and ideas for DIY projects to create your next family heirloom, personalize your photo album and more.

Scraps of Hope
I knew exactly how I wanted to announce my second pregnancy, but there was one problem: Everything I needed to make it happen was in the trash.
By Find FLOE5 years ago in Families
re.making textiles
Fabric and fibers have always been my best method of communication. My grandmother and I had a fraught relationship. I felt that she was harsh and brash, and I was sensitive and easily hurt. We struggled to communicate with each other, but eventually we figured out how to speak through crafts and textiles. She perpetually had a project in her hands, be it a sweater she was knitting as a gift, or a cross-stitch she had been working on for months, or a latch hook pillow she was finishing off for a grandchild. Her hands were always busy making something. Her sewing box was the stuff of wonders, with a variety of scissors each devoted to their own craft and threads perfectly organized by color. And I found curiosity and joy in watching her make. So, despite our differences, working on a project together was one place in which our relationship was easy and exciting. She taught me to knit, crochet, hand sew, embroider, latch hook, and needlepoint, but really what she taught me, was a love for fiber arts and a way to communicate with her and others. She would set me off with new project and I would sit on the floor working away in my little “factory” for hours, my parents amazed by my sudden devotion to a new craft. Years passed, the craft might change, but fibers and fabrics remained.
By Samantha Ives5 years ago in Families
Armed with Faith, Hope and Love
He was that handsome 4-year-old that had a smile capable of making a grown man cry. I know, because on numerous occasions when dropping him off, I did cry. As a proud uncle, he was the son that I had always dreamed of having and I spent every waking moment that my sister would allow me to take him to my home 800 miles away from the bed that he loved oh so much. He liked being with his uncle, but he loved being with the characters at Disney even more, so I used the season passes as bait to get him to come visit. Tuesday nights were $.25 cent wing night at the popular Frogger's restaurant, and it was always packed with lots of kids because they offered children entertainment. As outgoing of a boy as he was, he did not do well when initially meeting other kids, but once he got past the bashful barrier, “my best friend” became everyone’s title.
By Michael C Burrow5 years ago in Families
Honoring My Ancestors
A crowd of witnesses are cheering us on as we run this race called life. Those crowd of witnesses are our ancestors who watch over us like guardian angels who protect us, counsel us and remind us who we are and what we can be.
By Janice Habersham5 years ago in Families
"Where are my scissors?"
Introduction So I'm living here in Bali, Indonesia, raising an adopted daughter. Long story short - she was fostered with the director of the health center where I came to volunteer many years ago. Her birth family couldn't afford to keep her. When she was two, Elle adopted both of us as her mothers (that's a different story) and so we co-parent her. She divides her time between our two homes. We -- her two Moms -- are also creatives. We're both writers, for one thing, and I'm also a knitter, while the Other Mother sews and makes jewelry. We've passed our love of creating on to Elle. The women in her birth family are weavers, so maybe creativity is in her blood as well.
By Liz Sinclair5 years ago in Families
Memory Bears
My name is Sue Saari. I am 63 years old. I am a sister, a Mom, a Grandma. I've lived in St. Paul, MN, all my life. My wonderful Mom, taught me how to sew, when I was 10-11 years old. The first thing I remember sewing, that turned out, was a rag doll, with yellow yarn hair, and a purple dress. It was for my baby sister, Cindy, She loved it, and slept with it every night, for years. The next thing I remember I made a dress, for myself. It was a short dress, it was late 60's early 70's, when mini skirts were in. I remember, I put the sleeves on inside out. I was upset. My Mom, told me, it's okay, we can fix it. She showed me how to use a seam ripper, and we took off the sleeves, and put them on the correct way.
By Sue Saari5 years ago in Families
Creating: An Extension of the Heart
If there was one thing I was meant to do in this world, it would be to create. Since I was a child, creativity and the art of creative expression has been all around me. My mother was a seamstress, and since the moment I came into this world she has been crafting things for my sister and I -be it clothes for our dolls or halloween costumes for us or any other fashion piece that our heart desired.
By Cassandra Flores5 years ago in Families
Creativity and Cleverness…
People have always told me I was “clever”… I hated it – and still do. You are “so smart” the kids at school would say – and then the bullying would begin. I told them that I wasn’t clever at all, until I even believed that myself – and still do.
By Michelle Hughes5 years ago in Families
Family Crafts
When I was six I started sewing. My Mom bought precious moments doll panels for me to practice with. A boy and girl angel. My sister was sick off and on. My parents thought it would be a good distraction from all the questions I had. I didn't know they were waiting for answers to the same questions. While my Mom was at the hospital with my sister I tried to figure out what I was supposed to do. My Dad surprised me and taught me how to hand sew. Dad learned to sew when he was younger. It came in handy for Dad when he was in boot camp. Most the men could not sew. They paid him to sew their badges and tags. He taught me to sew on a couple practice pieces and showed me how to cut the dolls out. He gave me a pair of bright orange scissors to use. Dad said that good scissors were very important to sewing. I today know they were Fiskar scissors. I then hand stitched each one carefully. By the time my sister came home she had two precious moments angels waiting on her bed.
By Renee Sharkey5 years ago in Families
Stitch by Stitch
Our lives are a series of firsts. There are “big” firsts. There's the first breath, first birthday, first steps, first word, first day of school, first time driving, first kiss, and first dance at your wedding, for example. But there are so many other firsts that make up the fabric of our lives. One fond “first” memory for me surrounds the first time I ever used a sewing machine.
By Annabelle Kisky5 years ago in Families
The Shear Joy of It
I am sixteen. It’s my birthday and my mother hands me a wrapped package. I tug at the curled ribbon, coaxing it to a corner so I can slide it off, but the knot is too tight, unwilling to budge. She hands me a knife and I release it, the ribbon falling to the floor. I pull away the wrapping paper to reveal a 12 x 9 inch gray box with the name Fiskar plastered across the front in white.
By Pam Laughlin5 years ago in Families
From Trash to Tote
I have always had a passion for creating, and sewing has been my main creative outlet for several years now. I occasionally make gifts for friends, hem my clothes, and create projects I randomly come up with. Another passion of mine is all things Disney. I especially love the theme parks and find myself totally immersed and inspired while I’m there. I’m constantly looking at the construction, theming, colors, and layout of all the lands. Lucky for me, my most recent project has been a combination of my two passions.
By Grant Fukui5 years ago in Families