A little taste of everything…
Here is a little sample of our most popular crafts and categories. If you’re not sure where to start, here is a great sample of everything!
Crochet
Hello my friend! Sometimes being a crochet pattern designer no matter your experience (beginner or advanced) can be tough. For encouragement as well as to have some great recommendations by those who have been crocheting for a while, I’ve asked a number of crochet designers for not only how they got started and what they recommend for new pattern designers but what they wish they would have known when they first got started. :).
Have you seen some of the gorgeous and fun crochet patterns from By Katerina? To include two amazing CALs!! One that was a stunning Mandela crochet pattern blanket and the second one that is coming up soon!!! The new CAL is a beautiful mosaic Elements of Nature blanket that can be done in any color combination to include one for Air, Water, Fire, and Earth (Air is my favorite) :). I’ll be joining in this one too and can’t wait to see what everyone makes!!!
Jewelry making
Have you ever seen wonderful rings or jewelry and wanted to know the story behind it or learn where to find it? Have you ever wanted to use a crochet or knitting ring to help keep your yarn straight while crocheting or knitting but not liked the ones you’ve found? Lullas Jewelry has a TON of different yarn holder rings of all different designs and so much more!!! Read on to find out more about how she got started, what she would tell a new designer or entrepreneur and so much more!
Have you ever seen stunning stone bracelets and wondered what they were and where to find them? Or wanted to wear beautiful stones such as amethyst, jasper, moonstone, rose quartz or others? Read on for more about how Magic Stone Vibe’s crystals and stones are used to create wonderful bracelets for you. Also, see some of her recommendations for growing your business and being an entrepreneur. :).
Have you ever seen gorgeous, handmade jewelry and wanted to learn more about the person behind it or what inspired them to create each stunning piece? Maddie of BlanchardBeauties tells us not only what inspires her with each new piece but also gives first time entrepreneurs advice from when she first started as well as things she wish she would have known before starting her business.
pottery
Have you ever wanted to start creating pottery but wanted a good project to start with? Ever need some encouragement as you grow your business? :). Saundra talks you through how she creates some of her best selling products the sponge holders as well as discusses a couple of courses and grants that have helped her out. You’ve also got a wonderful, delicious treat at the end - a recipe that you can use with your handmade pottery. :)
Have you ever seen a wonderfully unique piece of pottery and wondered about who made it - their inspiration and how they designed it? Or are you looking for one of a kind pottery with different themes? Saundra of Poplar Branch Pottery has created beautiful pottery with her daughter. Together their shop has anything from ocean themed plates, farmhouse cups, maple leaf pottery, and so much more! You can find rain gauges shaped as mushrooms or a single mushroom for your garden. :). Saundra talks with us about her inspiration for her pottery pieces as well as her encouragement for new potters and entrepreneurs and much more.
Have you ever seen beautiful pottery like the plates above and wanted to know more about the person behind these stunning works of art that you can use around your home? This interview with VisiterIsrael does just that and more! You get to learn more about a potter who creates wonderful pieces of artwork from Israel but ships worldwide. She not only talks about her inspiration for her pottery but also shares entrepreneurial advice and encouragement for new potters.
WOOD WORKING
Have you ever met a wonderful person and then realized that she also had amazing handmade work that was perfect for a project you were working on? I recently had the privilege to meet and get to know the owner and maker of all things weaving looms and more, of Kiss Looms! Kelly creates beautiful looms, easels, string art and more! She’s amazing to talk with and has become an essential piece of my own artist journey (to be shared with you in later posts :). I hope you enjoy reading about KissLooms and seeing Kelly’s unique and wonderful looms as much as I have!
Have you ever wanted to create something magical, beautiful, and amazing out of wood? If you have been on Instagram and have looked at crochet pieces, chances are you have seen the gorgeous, sleek, light as air, crochet hooks that Kristina has hand carved from pieces of wood she and her family find around their house and in everyday life. In this 3rd Maker Feature, she shares with us some of her story and some of the resources that helped her in wood carving her fabulous crochet hooks and in growing her business.
Have you ever seen the sun stream through a window and reveal a stunning array of colors and designs? Or seen information about creating with wood and wanted to know more about it? Catch the Sun Design does all this and more! She creates stunning sun catchers in so many shapes and sizes with a ton of different designs from landscapes (magical and peaceful) to families walking to detailed flowers and trees. If she can imagine it, she’s created it to include underwater, music, nature, and so much more!!! In her interview below, you’ll find out what inspires her, some advice she has for new entrepreneurs and wood burners and much more.
holiday crafts
Happy Halloween!! Below you will find resources for Halloween crafts for kids, activities and events that they family can participate in together. These resources have been gathered with the goal of helping the family have fun during Halloween while also remaining safe, helping others, and learning some of the history of the holiday throughout the world as well.
While Christmas has come and gone, this article gives you resources to help set up and plan for Christmas in 2018. Whether it be games, starting family traditions, learning more about Christmas traditions around the world, or activities for Christmas Eve and Christmas, these resources help you save time and money by giving you a plethora of ideas for what you may need throughout the year for this coming Christmas, without the craziness that often accompany getting everything ready in December.
Thanksgiving is a time for family, celebration, being thankful for all of our blessings. With this time also comes the need to create family activities, family traditions (it is never too late to start a tradition), show gratitude for the blessings we have and knowing how others in the world share/celebrate a Thanksgiving type celebration as well. Whatever and however you and your family, friends or just you celebrate - Happy Thanksgiving from our family to yours and know that we are thankful for each and every one of you.
MOST POPULAR PICKS
Knitting Pattern Design, while similar to creating crochet patterns, is still different and as such will have different tips and recommendations by designers as well as different software to create it. We’ve gathered an ultimate list of some of the best of these tips to include video tutorials, step by step posts, tips from knitting designers that are sharing their journey and lessons learned so you don’t have to make the same mistakes as they have and much more.
Have you ever wondered how to start a website or create your own business online? Interested in hearing about what blog-flipping is or maybe want to start creating your own product? Chelsea of HerPaperRoute shares her ups and downs, successes and failures in her journey to becoming a multi-million dollar successful business owner, blog flipper, and niche content creator.
Hello my friend! Have you ever wanted to start teaching your child more about being creative or wish you had more ideas about how to start them on their creative journey? Knowing how hard it can be to find ways for your kids to be creative while being creative yourself, I’ve created a list below of some ideas as well as several articles that list out so many more fun crafts, arts, creative story telling and so much more your child can do to encourage their creativity.
From sunny coasters to a cabana shawl, here are 8 quick crochet projects that fit into a single summer weekend no advanced skills required.