The gardening bug has hit me earlier than usual this year. Last year I mapped out all the gardening plans in the February Craft Leftovers Monthly. Well, right now it’s too early to start seeds or even purchase them. The compost pile is frozen solid. And it’s too late to
Read MoreHerbalism is a lovely medicine-making tradition that can be done right in my kitchen, using things I collect in my own backyard, and with minimal amounts of equipment. I’ve read about herbs–grown herbs, collected wild herbs “weeds”–and have even played around with making my own green medicines from my finds.
Read MoreHi all! I just wanted to pop in today and wish every one a very Merry Christmas! I’m sitting at my folks right now, snuggled up in a blanket, sipping coffee and listening to a chorus of sparrows chirping their heads off in my parent’s bushes. I actually thought my
Read MoreI’m not sure if you’ve ever heard of Pay With a Tweet before, but, read on and you will! This great service let’s you set up a tweet, a gift to download, and then generate the code for you (or in this case me). It allows us to swap nice and even steven. :) You tweet (or post on Facebook) about my holiday related eBook Card.Paper.Ribbon. and in exchange, I give you this sweet little tutorial for using greeting cards by making them into sturdy, woven coasters!
Read MoreThis past week I received a really nice email from a woman wanting to get her friend a subscription to Craft Leftovers Monthly. She was wondering if that’s something I offered. Well, no and yes at the same time. You see a few months back I made the choice to
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While the ironing board is a great craft room tool, it’s often a bit big and cumbersome. Sometimes I just need to press a little something while sewing–all nice and quick. I keep my cutting mat on my sewing table, so I wanted to make an ironing mat that would fit right over it and protect its rubbery surface.
Okay family and friends out there reading this post, avert your eyes. This is a complete spoiler alert, so go away, skip to a different post. Starting last year I opted to make gift baskets up for my family and friends instead of trying to puzzle out individual gifts for
Read MoreThere is so much holiday cheer and happy crafting going on right now I can hardly stand it. I do love it all so much. Here are a few of my favorites that I’m hoping to make in the next 10 days: Dollhouse Sized Aluminum Christmas Tree on Zakka Life
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With the new addition to our home (kitten Gregory) I got a bug in my bonnet to commemorate our little citizens with their very own ornaments, but how?
Then a memory from long since past hit me: handprints! But in this case: paw prints!
Each little critter gets their own disk. And then I decided that Jason and I get one too. To load up on the cheese, it’s Jason and I’s first Christmas in our house and it seems like something to make note of too.
Read MoreJason and I are spending our first holiday season in our first house. It’s not terribly different from the apartment but there’s just something different. Maybe I’m a little different. Maybe it’s being able to have a real Christmas tree for the first time that’s actually REAL and over 4
Read MoreHi ya folks. I just wanted to do a really quick post today explaining the lack of posting yesterday. It all started on Wednesday when I became overwhelmed with a severe migraine – yuck. Thursday and Friday I was pretty much useless to the world in some kind of strange
Read MoreI’ve always emphasized color theory as a great tool for using up leftovers. I was so excited to see this book on Amazon and even more delighted when I realized my local library had it on its shelves. I picked it up last Thursday and read the whole section on
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Sewing a cycling cap together, five times finally got it just right! Here’s how I did it.
First published in the March Volume 2 issue of Craft Leftovers Monthly, this little Tiger Kitty has spread its sweetness to Craftzine.com! Be careful though, he may be a little sweety when sleepy, but this Tiger kitty is as fierce as any full grown tiger cat out there! You can
Read MoreThe final issue of Volume 2, the December issue of Craft Leftovers Monthly is packed with projects to make in a mad dash for your holiday crafting. These little projects can be whipped up en masse in a night using little bits of this and that laying around the craft
Read MoreEvery winter I have a nice pile of handmade items to keep me warm when I head outside. With that pile comes a dilemma: Where to put them? Originally, I put them all in a basket and put it on the shelf. Being so high up they usually just ended
Read MoreToday’s post has been completely circumvented by an adventure down to Des Moines to look at and purchase a pair of really sweet vintage French bikes. This post has not gone through the wonderful hands of Karen, the silent steady force of corrected grammar and spelling. Any misspellings and grammar
Read MoreDrying bundles of herbs is a great way to both use up leftover herbs and use up little scraps of wire and ribbon. And they are really pretty around the house, smell wonderful, and can be wonderfully delicious in any meal. Did you try out a few new recipes this
Read MoreHere are some things to look at, to enjoy, to make, to think about and to get you through the holiday weekend. 1. Giving Thanks 10 Great Ways to Show You’re Grateful & Why Living a Life of Gratitude Can Make You Happy on Zen Habits 2. Cranberries I love
Read MoreWith every sale of Craft Leftovers Monthly, I get 10 paper strips – each measuring 3/4×11″ long. Being the way I am, I have a pretty hard time just dumping them into the recycling bin. They are just so full of potential: potential for weaving, breaking it down into paper
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