Crafting Over Coffee

I love shopping for gifts. It's probably my favorite part of the Holidays.  Finding that perfect gift for a special someone in your life and seeing the look on their face when they open it.  It's the best. Some years money is tight, however.  This was one of those years for us.  It's unfortunate, but not a problem.  I also happen to love making things.  I needed to make Christmas gifts for my family on a very, very tight budget, and a very limited time frame. Challenge accepted. Lotion A couple months ago, I had decided to try my hand at making lotion.  It was a success and I am now selling the finished product, "Chill Out body lotion", which can be purchased from my  Etsy store . I had some left over lotion in a slightly different scent from when I was experimenting before settling on the scent for "Chill Out".  I put it in some small canning jars I had in storage, printed out a new label and slapped it on...

Today I want to give an inside look at how I put together my new earring cards for orders. I start by gathering everything I need: -Artist Trading Cards (white) -Stamps (thank you circle seal, one of a kind art, letters for my initials) -Acid Free stamping pigment (turquoise) -Multi-hole punch The first thing I do is measure 1 inch below the top of the card and draw a line with a pencil across the paper. Then, I find the middle of the line and mark it. Next, I mark where the holes will be punched, an inch apart.  Half an inch from each side of the middle mark. Punch the earring holes using the smallest setting on the multi-hole punch. Now it's time to stamp on the card.  First I stamp the "Thank you" seal on the front of the card.  I don't take measurements or anything, just eye ball it. Then, I stamp the back of the card with the "...

Decoupage is the art of covering objects decoratively with paper using glue and paint. It's a great way to add a little life to an old piece of furniture, or give a unique look to a boring, worn out tool. I love my multi-hole punch.  I use it all the time.  So much in fact that the rubber handle was beginning to look a little disgusting...  I decided it was time for an update. Decoupage is also great for covering nasty, hard-to-get-off, sticky residue.  I could have also chosen to just paint it and add a layer of Mod Podge over it to seal it, but I wanted the texture of the tissue paper. Materials I used: Craft paint Mod Podge Paint brushes Tissue paper streamer left over from a birthday party 3 years ago. I added two coats of paint to the areas I wanted to cover. After the paint was dry, I brushed on a layer of Mod Podge to the first handle. While the Mod Podge was still wet, ...

Wire jewelry has been around for a long time.  It is an ancient craft dating back to the time of the Egyptian pyramids, and probably even before then. When I first began making jewelry I only worked with beads and cord.  I wanted to learn to work with wire, but was too afraid I wouldn't be good at it.  I didn't know where to start, I knew nothing about craft wire. Wire can be intimidating, but it's really not as complicated as it seems. The goal of this guide is to provide you with the information I didn't have access to when I first began my jewelry making journey. Hardness The hardness of the wire you are working with is very important.  It measures how flexable/brittle the wire is and what you should use it for. Dead Soft: Easy to bend into organic shapes (coils, spirals, etc) MUST be work hardened.  This is difficult and may not always work. Do not use for structural sections of your jewelry Half Hard: Soft enough to ben...

Crochet hook size: F/5 - 3.75mm Yarn: I Love This Yarn (worsted weight) - Mid Green, and Red. Terms: Ch - Chain Sl St - Slip Stitch Sc - Single Crochet Hdc - Half Double Crochet Dc - Double Crochet 2 Dc - Double Crochet two times into the same stitch Picot - Ch 2 at the top of a sc, sl st to attach to the two bottom loops where the ch meets the sc. Fasten Off - Sl st and cut the yarn. Pull the tail through the sl st loop and pull tight. This pattern is worked in four sections.  Three leaves/petals to each section.  Leaves, petals, petals (x2). Set of Leaves: Begin with the Mid Green yarn to make the leaves. Leaves finished Ch 4 and join together to form a ring. Row 1:  *Ch 13, sc in the second ch from the hook and in each of the remaining chs (12).  Sc two into the ring.*   Repeat * to * two more times. Sl st in the first bottom of the ch 13, ch 1. Row 2:  beginning in the next ch, **Working up the...

Macrame is the art of knotting cord or string in patterns to make decorative articles. I'm sure some of you grew up making friendship bracelets as a child.  Those of you who didn't, you're in good company.  I never did either. I would see macrame jewelry in shops and kiosks at the mall and I always wanted to learn how to make them. Recently, I stumbled across a tutorial online and finally learned how to do it!  Today I will share with you my own tutorial so you can learn as well! Items needed for this project: Hemp cord Wooden beads (optional, but preferable) Tape (or something that can hold down the ends of the cords) Scissors Glue (optional) You will need to cut a total of 5 pieces of your hemp cord.  Two at 13 inches (these will be the "filler" cords).  Two at 21 inches (your knotting cords for main bracelet part).  And one at about 12 inches (for making the sliding adjustable closure).   These measureme...