DIY Crafts Make the World a Better Place
I was walking through the mall the other day looking at all the wonderful items I could purchase. Being a DIY crafter I kept thinking if this is something I could make (and maybe save some money) or is this something so special I would need to make a purchase? Does this sound like you as well? Making is in my blood and it is likely in yours as well so just shopping for stuff is not high on the list unless it is a trip to a craft supply store (sometimes even the dollar store),
I have written many articles on how to do crafts, especially when it comes to involving the whole family! My favorite article was the one titled ” 3 Easy Paper Mache Sculpture Ideas.” It opened my eye to many possibilities of what else we, as crafters, could create. My second in line was entitled “DIY Fonts” – here you could create your own font and so could your children or grandchildren – was an amazing thing to add to your projects! Last but not least are the freebies I upload to my resource library. I am constantly adding new files associated with blog posts in the library each week.
Today, it is important for you to get all the information you need to DIY and make a craft. I have found, int he past and often the present, that I am constantly flipping around the internet searching for the exact set of instructions, a supply list, or simply to find one thing that will help me complete my project. I have heard from many of my readers that they are going through the same thing. Having listened, I am working towards looking at many different crafts, learning about them, then sharing my knowledge to my DIY Craft community.
My goal is to make sure you are able to do most crafts without spending too much on supplies plus have directions at your fingertips. I know you must want the same thing. Typical questions include: “How do I use household items to make …?” or “Do I need to buy a cutting machine in order to create a handmade card?”. My answers in each article will address those issues. Often I find books (I absolutely love books) and videos to help along the way. My goal is to start making my own videos for the questions being asked.
Your DIY Craft Book Collection
If you are someone who loves to get deep into a craft, then books with all the details and beyond are perfect for you. I have a couple of crafts where I consider myself a master as well. Most often, however, I prefer to learn a little bit about a ton of DIY Crafts! This way of crafting is common for most people. I have heard from some of the crafting community that they have many DIY Craft interests and want to have a variety for creating their own suite of makes.
DIY Craft Articles for You
I have been doing the 100-day challenge to write a blog article a day (today is day 86/100) and also to add as many different crafts as possible. I have a huge list of ones I have completed and another list of ones I am looking forward to working on.
My done list:
The best place for my done list is to visit my site and look a the archives of articles. I am still in the process of moving over 45 more crafting articles I wrote for our blog when it was with Copious Crafts – they are still there if you want to go and read some of them.
My to do list:
Although I came up with these – I would prefer if you let me know what DIY crafts you want to see in the blog. This list contains approximately 15+ ideas that I am looking forward to making and sharing with you. Some will contain FREEbies that will be housed in my resource library.
- Gnomes (garden, holiday, or special occasion ones – I am thinking ones made from socks, although I think making one for the garden would be exceptional! This may end up way further down the list as the supplies are something I am pricing out – I want this to be very inexpensive. If you have some ideas, do let me know – thanks.
- Origami – paper folding does not limit itself to just folding cranes and making boxes. I bought a book just on paper folding (paper engineering) that went into the theory behind paper crafts. Very interesting but a bit heady unless you are into stats and research.
- Embossing. This has often fascinated me. I have a small Sizzix embossing machine but before I purchased it I hunted down ways to do my own embossing without a machine. I used rolling pins, some pretty heavy weights, and other items to give this a try.
- Note Paper. I love designing my own papers. I often use Design Space by Cricut (free to use) but downloading the project is not so simple. I then took to learning all about Illustrator to start making my own patterns and designs. I also found some super easy tricks without using over-the-top applications.
- Scene Cards. Very different from notepaper. I mean add a window, make a mini diorama all in one card. Some of these cards are breath-taking! I want you to be able to make these with ease and I think I know how to share the easy steps with you.
- Tatting. OMG, this is something my grandmother would do and now my daughter tried her hand at it. I found cheap plastic tatting shuttles along with a ball of cotton thread (used for lace) at a local dollar store called Daiso (from Japan). My total cost here was under $5. So much fun – it is not much more difficult than doing macrame.
- Paper Stained Glass. I did this project when I had an elementary school art class. I was always in awe of what my students made. I showed them some pretty intricate patterns and they ate it up.
- Pendants. Pendants can be made from a lot of materials. I am going to share how to make an amazing pendant you can give as a gift to your teacher, mother, or friend. You will be so proud to wear what you create!
- Knitted Felt Bags. I must admit I will be learning this craft from my daughter who is a master knitter and expert in the needle felting world. – you can see some of her felting kits here – I am going to find inexpensive ways to combine knitting and felting in one craft.
- Stuffed Animals. At first, I thought this might be difficult but then remembered you can make animals from old socks. I want to take this craft beyond just the socks and stimulate your senses with other easy to do ideas.
- Re-purposed Road Maps. I came across this one by accident and then I started seeing crafts made with old road maps on Pinterest! I am going to share so crazy ideas on what you can do with these pieces of history. A book of directions can lead you anywhere!
- Paper Weaving. This is not just big strips of paper but using paper twine! I found a source for inexpensive paper twine and now am going to show you how to make something incredible with it. Weaving can take on many forms and in this post, we will explore at least 2!
- Doll Making. I used to “collect” old dolls when I was younger but gave them away after having a family. I was recently given a beautiful rag doll by my daughter and I decided this would be an excellent craft for all my DIY Crafters! Bring it on!
- Candle Making. Although I love candles I was never sure if I wanted to make any until one of my crafting community members suggested a simple way to make candles everyone would love. So this is now on my list!
- Clay Work. I am not talking about having a kiln or anything exotic! I am talking about air dry types of clay. There are some interesting simple ways to make beautiful dishes with clay.
- Rug Hooking. This DIY Craft is so much fun. When I first tried this it was like painting by numbers! I bought a kit to get started. I am going to add a FREE pattern download for this one so you can essentially paint by numbers on your own.
- Flower Arranging. This is way beyond just stuffing flowers into a vase. I want to make the flowers in the project and then arrange them so they make a great centerpiece. I can hardly wait!
- Make Your Own Journal. A grunge journal is a lot of fun to make. You can add your own note pages, folders, and art all in one project. Don’t forget the ribbon and the memories you can stuff in here.
- Painting Feathers. I have been collecting feathers from birds that are molting for quite a long time and these are the feathers I am looking forward to painting! You can make a stunning dreamcatcher out of these painted feathers or s piece of wall art!
- Scrapbook pages. I have struggled with putting my own art into my scrapbook until I discovered that I can make my own pages the way I want to record my past and look to my future. This is where you will need a lot of paper and printed images!
- Pattern Making. I recently took a number of courses on how to use Illustrator and in the process, I learned all about pattern making and surface designing. A great skill to have but I found there were some techniques you can use in your own DIY Craft projects without using expensive software. I am going to share my thoughts on pattern design.
Last Word on DIY Crafts
This is all I have on my list for the next month or so. I do hope you see something of interest. If not, I want to know what you would like to have in this blog. I am more than willing to change things up or add new crafts to the mix. DIY Crafting and Making is in my heart and soul and I absolutely love sharing what I learn!
Until tomorrow…(I am sure I will hit Origami tomorrow as I am not sure about the Gnomes just yet)
Bette
Do PIN this image into Pinterest for me – I truly appreciate building my audience! Many thanks and Happy Crafting!
