diy
Do it Yourself; Tips and ideas for DIY projects to create your next family heirloom, personalize your photo album and more.
Creating Holiday Cheer
Ever since I was little, I always wished we could have a white Christmas just like in the movies. The only problem with that is that we live in California. So because we didn’t have any real snow to play in, my dad taught me how to cut paper snowflakes to fill our windows with instead. I fell in love with it right away!
By Erika Birkenes5 years ago in Families
Letting Foster Children Get Crafty!
It’s 9:00 pm on a Friday night and my husband Allan and I are binge watching Schitts Creek. The phone rings and a friendly voice says, “Hi Silvana. Can you take two tonight? We do emergency foster care, so I know that “Can you take two tonight?” means two children have been removed from a dangerous situation and need a place to stay. Foster children come to our house for 72 hours, giving the social worker time to find a long-term foster home.
By Silvana Clark5 years ago in Families
The Pandemic Jacket
A handful of underwear, three t-shirts, a hoodie, pajama pants, and some socks. I glanced at myself in the mirror: a denim jacket on my body, soft pants on my legs, and shoes on my feet. "This is enough for three days in upstate New York" I said to myself. I was proud of my minimal packing skills.
By Sarah Feingold5 years ago in Families
Granny made me do it
Like so many others, I grew up watching my granny make beautiful quilts. And as all good granny's do, she gave every last one away! I would sit at the kitchen table flicking through quilting books, mesmerised by the gorgeous fabrics and impossibly intricate designs. Every so often I'd pick out one I just had to have and would ask Granny to make it for me. However, she always said that she had a long list of people who had already put in a request. I waited patiently and as the years rolled on and Granny got older I realised that I was never going to get a beautiful quilt unless I made it myself. So that's exactly what I did!
By Georgia Kearney5 years ago in Families
Unexpected Joy
The first thing that I can remember making on a sewing machine was a teddy bear. I was seven years old. When I was three, my mother’s great-aunt Minnie died, and one of the things my mother inherited was a Dixon treadle sewing machine. My father motorized the machine, and I was mesmerized watching my mother sew. When I begged to be taught to use the machine, my mother bought a pre-printed teddy bear panel: a piece of cotton fabric that was printed with all the pieces (and instructions) needed to create a teddy bear. All you had to do was cut it out and follow the instructions.
By Susan Katz5 years ago in Families
Putting together a Poppy Flowered Centerpiece
This is a craft project I wanted to share with others about how to make a candle centerpiece. I really enjoyed putting this together and it involved a lot of different items. The centerpiece is very bright and colorful. It has some nice colors such as red, blue, yellow, and green. I used 5 different items- a ceramic tile, a wooden circle, twine rope, candle holders, and acrylic paints. The theme of this centerpiece is poppy flowers and it involves four steps in putting it together. I will start with the ceramic tile and work my way to the candle holders.
By Carrie Bertschy5 years ago in Families
Great Aunt Dottie
There’s nothing like the feel of soft yarn through my fingers. Let’s face it; Seattle, Washington can be dreary in those long winter months. It’s not as rainy as Forks, but there are those torrential rain days where lighting candles and sitting by the fire makes homesteading look easy. There are also those clear cool nights when sitting at the fire pit, knitting a blanket keeps me warm connects me to my great Pacific Northwest roots. Nothing tops listening to the birds chirp next to a roaring fire bursting with hot orange flames. One of my Great Grandmothers who lived back during the Civil War, made her own clothing from raising sheep and growing flax, spinning a yarn she named, “Flaxy Woolsey.” Knowing I’m continuing the tradition of knitting from generation to generation connects me to the family I never personally knew, but from stories in old letters brings a sense of comradery. Having something to keep my fingers busy brings me joy, especially when it can bless someone else. My own Great Grandmother Ruth knitted many a warm outfit for my own mother when she was a baby living with her family in Alaska. Great Grandmother Ruth wrote about my mother, “It isn’t much, but Grandma wants those little legs warm these cold mornings.” She knew the icy weather my Grandmother Donna experienced in Alaska. Grandma Donna wrote to Ruth, telling her how the great north winds coming off of the Taku Glacier chilled her to the bone. Those were the days where Borden’s milk cost a dime and my Grandfather could buy a ten pound salmon for a quarter. Making things by hand was both special for the person receiving them as well as practical if you could save a dime doing it.
By Cynthia Mael5 years ago in Families
Hooks, Dolls and Blankets
My mother always said I was good with my hands. When I was a child, she'd patiently let me French braid her hair for hours at a time. I was fascinated with her knitting and begged her to teach me basic stitches. At school, I fervently made friendship bracelets, which helped me form social connections. I freely handed them out to my peers and taught them how to do it themselves. We spent lunchtimes winding and knotting colourful embroidery thread together.
By Verity Guiton5 years ago in Families
You Can Sew Again
Home Ec. was a mandatory high school class for girls in earlier eras of American life and I had the epitome of all Home Ec teachers. A cross between Ms. Manners and Attila the Hun, Mrs. King was her name and sewing was her game. She taught her particular home art well, though, and I enjoyed it until a couple decades ago when lack of time, other passions and less expensive readymade clothes caused me to abandon my trusty machine. Just like song lyrics, though, I can still chant strings of obscure sewing terms; ease plussing, fusible interfacing and darts come to mind.
By M. Michael5 years ago in Families
A Peacock’s Journey
Hello. I was born today. Or, I was drawn today. The creator cut me up with Fiskars, orange scissors and then gave me a face. Right now, she calls me Jackie Paper. I’m the first peacock ever made by my creator. I don’t know what that means but I’m the only one created today that got my own name! Using Fiskars, she also cut out other things. She called them animals but they didn’t get a special name. I think she loves me best.
By Tracy Phillips5 years ago in Families
Tiny Dioramas-Big Delights!
My name is Angela Zampell and I’m a crafter and seamstress. I live in Rhode Island with my tattoo artist and painter fiancé Tom Butts along with our little rescue pups, Bridgette and Gidget. Creativity is alive and well at our house. I want to tell you about my favorite craft endeavor yet. This is the story of Hot Glue Heroes.
By Angela Zampell5 years ago in Families
