crafts

Crafts Hacks for makers; a digital vision board with clever tips, ideas, techniques and materials for DIY creations.

Pick up the Pieces
Don’t throw away that used construction paper! Instead, make art out of it! I cannot tell you the many times that I have seen my niece and nephew literally cut up construction paper and throw away pieces that they can use for other projects. Instead, get those scissors out and cut out some pieces to make art! Here are some of the many ways that you can use the remaining pieces of construction paper:
By A.A.C.5 years ago in Lifehack
Kino Quilt Project
Kino Quilt Project For about twelve years, the Kino Border Initiative has fed migrants in a tiny soup kitchen in Mexico, just across the border from Arizona. Two years ago, after years of saving and fundraising, they were able to start building a shelter that would house about 140 people. As a longtime volunteer, I started thinking about what I could do to help with this ambitious new endeavor.
By Angela Meixell5 years ago in Lifehack
Covid built my happiness
My family has been crafting for many generations. Growing up in a religious household I was taught how to sew at a young age, and if I was bored, I would help my mother with her projects. Not all projects turn out good, but you won’t know until you try right?
By Lauren Dee5 years ago in Lifehack
Crafting A Business
I have always wanted to learn macrame, but never really had the opportunity as time was valuable, and with two jobs and a photography background, it never happened. That was until I got ill. I wont go into the details, but what I can say is I was bedridden, for over 12 weeks. In that time my boredom quickly evolved from watching movies, to feeling like I really needed to do something. Macrame! the perfect thing to keep me and my hands occupied. I learnt by watching several youtube videos and got to knotting. I experimented with knots and different types of thread, and literally covered the house in hangers. My friends loved them, including one particular stylish friend. I knew I had to find the perfect neon pink for him and was super happy to find some reclaimed jersey in a local craft shop- Perfect!
By Liz Matthews5 years ago in Lifehack
One Page At A Time
A bibliophile will cringe at the sight of one dog eared page, let alone every single page of a book, and under normal circumstances, I do too! Yet, it is possible to be a purist about having a pristine book, while at the same time appreciating the time and creativity involved in the art of book folding.
By Diana Dumitru5 years ago in Lifehack
Sewing – My Journey to Confidence and Creativity.
My sewing journey began 10 years before I ever picked up a needle and thread. We were planning our wedding, and I came across an incredible gentleman’s velvet frock coat on Ebay. It was love at first sight, and I nervously placed my bid at what seemed to me to be a ridiculously high amount - $1,111.11. To my joy and horror, I won for exactly that price. Eek!
By Angel Whelan5 years ago in Lifehack
Connecting Through Stitch
I started sewing almost ten years ago. Coming from a line of women untrained in the domestic arts, I found that, at the age of forty, finding the concentration needed to thread my needle happily displaced any and all stressful thoughts.
By Kate Shurety5 years ago in Lifehack
Crochet
When people hear about crocheting they think it's only for grandmothers . You know the one that you use with two hooks? Wait one? People usually get this confused with Knitting , you use two hooks to get your pattern), but crochet is used for one hook to get any pattern that you want. You can use various colors and types of styles to make a hat , a scarf, baby booties etc. However, people don't know the history of crocheting.
By Erica Williams5 years ago in Lifehack
I Was Born To Create
Where did my creative journey begin? I was born to be an artist, writer, chef, baker, decorator and handicrafter. I started pursuing visual arts when I was only two years old. My parents enrolled me in different art classes that would occur at various art schools in the community. My parents always kept art supplies in the house and I would constantly use them during my ABA therapy sessions at home. Even if I wasn't practicing visual arts, I was always doing some kind of creative activity whether that was cooking, baking, writing, dancing and other activities. I always enjoyed thinking outside the box and creating things that would enable me to feel great about who I was.
By Talia Devora5 years ago in Lifehack
My Leather Crafting Journey
I have always wanted to be a “crafty” person. I have dabbled in almost every craft there is, and never found one that fit me personally. I would play with a hobby for several weeks only to slowly stop working on it and lean towards something new. That all changed when my boyfriend was talking on the phone with a friend and told him that I was burning a small room sign for my sister’s foster daughter for Christmas. He started asking questions of whether I could burn a design into leather. I said I would give it a shot and down the rabbit hole I went making a camera strap. My first project came with a lot of learning and a lot of hand sewing. I was extremely worried that it would not be good enough or would not hold up, but my “customer” was incredibly happy as was I.
By Danielle Stumbo5 years ago in Lifehack
The Quilter
When I was younger, I was definitely an outdoor kid. Riding bikes, playing in the huge dirt pile my dad created, or just exploring the neighborhood. As I got older, I became a video gamer and tech geek, usually sitting at my computer playing a game or listening to music. Eventually I would learn the basics of computer repair and would often help out a friend with tech problems just for the challenge. I sold wine for twelve years, split between two different companies. After medical problems forced me to leave my job managing the wine shop at the Pennsylvania Renaissance Faire, I took the first job I could get: a part-time supervisor at a fabric store. That was when I learned I had an interest in quilting buried deep inside of me, like a genetic code hidden within, buried under my father’s genetic predisposition to tinker, build, and fix things. I could sew basic quilts, and I kind of enjoyed it.
By Jen Sullivan5 years ago in Lifehack
My Not-So Crafty Story
Why would you say ‘not-so crafty’? Well, see, because my story is about other people to be crafty. A few years ago, I took over the promotion for a worldwide charity collection at our small church. We filled shoe boxes, you know the cardboard boxes you get when you buy a pair of shoes. We filled them with toys and clothes and some hygiene items for children in other countries. Then, the non-profit organization Samaritan’s Purse would collect and ship them, seriously all over the world, from anywhere in Africa, Central and South America, through India and Russia. The recipients are children between the ages of 2 and 14, often living in orphanages. Some of the ones who live in small and remote villages are the main caretakers of their families. For many of these children it will be the only gift they will ever receive in their lives, the only not hand-me-down items but brand new and picked out just for them.
By HEIKE ODAY5 years ago in Lifehack