Many years ago—over 16, to be exact—I launched a zine subscription called Craft Leftovers Monthly. Each issue came with a fun little bundle of craft leftovers, often bundled into a mini kit to try out a new project. It was a blast to make and share! Some of the tutorials […]
howto - journal - patterns & tutorials - zines
Mini Zine: Step-by-Step How to Make a Basic Zine
My newest mini book shows you my favorite techniques for mini book making. Learn how to pronounce “zine”, make a zine, and why I love them!
Craftea - howto - journal - knitting - Mend it Better - patterns & tutorials - wips
Re-Knitting Dropped Stitches in Realtime Live
Join me for 40 minutes of relaxed mending and afternoon tea. Today I reknit the top of my daughter’s hat that “exploded” at school. I also show off a few other projects in my mending basket and the socks I’m knitting up just for fun. Show Notes Sign up for the […]
fabric - Home Redress - howto - journal - patterns & tutorials
Repair a Vintage Project Basket
Special thanks to a Facebook message that let me know the pattern link was broken for the Vintage Project Basket. Now that it’s fixed, let me share with you this project that still has a home in my studio.
howto - patterns & tutorials
Lawn Mower Repair and Maintenance
I just got a new homemaker merit badge — lawn mower repair! Our lawn mower was working just fine and then, poof, it wasn’t. Jason and I went back and forth over the last month about whether to take it to get repaired, try to fix it ourselves, buy a […]
howto - nosew - patterns & tutorials
DIY Plant Markers – Stick it up!
My friend Michelle has been helping me in the garden this year in exchange for a share of the bounty. It has been a boon! We dug the garden, corralled chickens, planted all the plants and seeds (on time, even early) — which I’ve never managed to do before. She […]
howto - little woods homestead
Woodworking Craft Leftovers: Building a quick gate!
They want out. He wants in so he can do to them what he’s doing to this bucket. Chewing the crap out of it. Since we got Bob in March we’ve been doing this shuffling act of letting him out, putting him in, letting the chicken out, putting them up, […]
howto - little woods homestead - patterns & tutorials
How to Dig a Weed Free Garden Bed
This year I decided move a few things around in my yard. The coop is in the corner and the chickens get their own space (so Bob doesn’t terrorize them) and instead of having the garden in a square, I’m moving it along the fence. The hope is that this […]
howto - little woods homestead - nosew - patterns & tutorials - thrift kitchen
How to: Meal Plan Chalk Board
Just about every day Jason asks “so what’s for dinner?” to which I reply: “umm, I’m not sure, let me look it up”. And then I rifle around until I get distracted, and then 2 hours later when it’s about dinner time and I’ve forgotten to take out the chicken […]
diy wedding - howto - patterns & tutorials
DIY Wedding: How I made my own invitations
There’s a common misconception that you have to have good drawing skills to make your own amazing invitations, but that’s not necessarily true. I *sheepishly* did absolutely no drawing for these invites. First I’ll take you on a little tour around my invites, then I’ll tell you how I got […]
howto - patterns & tutorials
Cardboard Box Looms: DIY Weaving at it’s finest!
Weaving is one of the best ways to use up buckets of yarn scraps. And, it turns out, cardboard boxes too! This is a super fun project to take up a few hours and end up with a mountable little tapestry at the end of the day. You can make it with your kids and have them take turns weaving.
howto - nosew - patterns & tutorials
How to: Paper Cranes!
For my wedding, we are making a back drop of paper cranes to take pictures with. I was really inspired by this photo, which I now have no idea where I collected it: and this: (A Walk in the Closet posted this wonderful photo) So I have about 200 of […]
howto - patterns & tutorials
How to: Mat your work!
Getting your work matted and framed adds a level of professionalism to your work. It gives small intimate pieces a more dynamic presence in a large room. But… it’s expensive! Last month I showed you how to take an old beat up frame and really make it shine through fixing […]
howto - patterns & tutorials
Using Oil Paints Responsibly: Tips, ideas, and how to filter paint thinner so you can use it again.
We are detouring to the other side of my studio this week. Today, I’m going to take a look at how my craft leftovers sensibility applies to the artwork for my upcoming show. Next post, I’ll show you how I mat my prints and how you can to. It does […]
howto - patterns & tutorials
DIY FiloFax Planner
I saw these sweet little filofax planner pages for free on MyGirlThursday and just had to have my own filofax planner. But, being me, didn’t want to pay much for one. My sister gave me the notebook on the right, a very nice leather journal filled with graph paper (love!). […]
howto - patterns & tutorials
How to: Build a Pea Teepee
I actually planted my peas according to my planting schedule for the first time ever and they have done great. So great that they are in some need of support before they turn into a tangle and smother each other right out of production.
howto - patterns & tutorials
How to: DIY Laundry Detergent Batch #2
I’m start to stretch my DIY wings again and I’m excited to make batch #2 and share it with you. I’m also happy to have some better pictures to make the process look a little more sexy than the last time. Well, would you look at that, my photo skills have improved over the last two years. Go me.
I want to thank Trent of the Simple Dollar for blowing my mind with this simple process over two years ago. I’m still in awe of it’s simple money saving power.
howto - nosew - patterns & tutorials
How To: Craft Stamped Thank you Cards
The littlest of leftovers are often the hardest to work with. What do you do with one foot of yarn? A single lone button? Well, I came across these two fun ideas and decided to join them together to make my own leftovers project that uses up those littlest of bits.
I still owe some family members thank you cards from my birthday in April so these will be going into the mail as soon as this post is up!
howto - patterns & tutorials
Framing up: How to restore old beat up frames
Sourcing vintage wood frames and repairing them and finishing them costs under $10. Plus, there’s the added bonus that I love of using something that might end up in the trash AND of making it better than it was when I found it.
fabric - howto - journal - patterns & tutorials
How to: Make a Replacement Pet Bed Filler
When we got Jak last month, I thought I was being oh so smart by getting a dog bed with a removable cover. The theory was that I could just take off the cover, give it a wash, and be good to go again. Well, that’s true except in the case of accidents where the whole thing gets soaked through. Next time I’ll make sure to get a cover that’s water proof as well as removable. Ah well. Hopefully we have dealt with the last of the pee issues.
Time to pull out the sewing machine and make my own. It was surprisingly easy, so I thought I would share this with you, just in case you have a pet with a bed that needs a new inside.