These are the only resolutions I like to make. Losing weight I no longer bother with, and anything else like trying to keep my car clean or saving money…well those are great in theory but too hard to do on a daily basis. But my main resolution this year has to do with crafting and that is learning to sew.

This past year I’ve really wanted to learn, but in the last few weeks the itch has gotten bad. I had asked my mom to show me the basics on her machine, and she saw an opportunity for a great Christmas gift and I was blessed with a new sewing machine. Now I just need to learn how to use it…

My list of projects isn’t very long (or difficult) – a skirt, handbag, curtains for the dinning room – but I’ll be documenting them here, all the good, the bad, and the ugly. And for those of you who sew I’m really hoping you’ll chime in for some feedback and any tips you may have. I’m counting on you to help me not fail this resolution.

So with the oncoming year and new ideas that have inspired you, what are your new years craft resolutions?

As I was frantically finishing up all of my Christmas projects I got the brilliant idea to make a onesie for Lucy, for my husband Brian. He is a big Mac fan so I wanted to make it special. I’ve been addicted recently to freezer paper stenciling. It is so easy and fast that you can make a special gift in a pinch. First I had to find letters to trace. I wanted my onesie to say “Daddys Girl” I actually found all the letters I needed on the book – Womanly Art of Breastfeeding – funny!! Since I made this, I discovered a way to get any font I want on Word and print just the outline of the letters so I’m not wasting ink.

Then I found a package that had the apple symbol on it and traced everything on my freezer paper. An exacto knife on a cutting mat works best for cutting your stencil. Then I ironed it on using a dry iron, no steam, and ironed another piece on the the back of the stencil so the paint doesn’t bleed thru.

My favorite part is painting. You can use any kind of fabric paint or even acrylic paint works too. I mix in some fabric paint when I’m using acrylic. I’m obsessed with sparkles lately so i have the glitter fabric paint that i add to pretty much every color. You have to peal the stencil off very carefully as soon as you are done so it dries evenly.

It turned out soo cute. I love it!

Why not start working on gifts for next Christmas now? A few ideas to keep in mind are:

1. Blank scrapbooking calendars - Date a blank calendar for 2008, and at the end of each month create a themed scrapbook layout for the top of the calendar page. For example, February could be a Valentine’s theme, and July could be all about summer fun. This would be a great gift for anyone who would love a year full of memories to keep forever!

2. A themed card gift set – Make a 2008 dated calendar and fill in all the birthdays / anniversaries / celebrations that you think will be celebrated. Throughout the year, make a card for each of the dates recorded (for example, if you have 6 anniversaries, then you’ll need 6 anniversary cards). Give both the calendar and cards together with a nice pen, and you have a great gift for someone who is super busy or tends to forget those important dates.

3. A square a month afghan – sew, knit or crochet a different square for each month of the year. They can be themed or not, but I would suggest making each month different. In December, attach all the squares together for a unique throw that will surely be a conversational piece.

These are just a few ideas to get you started on next year’s Christmas gifts, which will be easy on both the pocketbook and stress level by being completed throughout the year.

Before you decide to toss all those Christmas cards sent to you, save them and use them as gift tags for next year. It doesn’t require a crafty-hand, just a pair of scissors and a hole punch.

Cut around specific shapes, or take a decorative backdrop and cut shapes in it. Punch a hole in the top for tying them on and cover any writing on the back by gluing a piece of paper over it. You can even embellish them with glitter, sequins or ribbon.

It doesn’t take any time at all, and you’ve turned those beautiful Christmas cards into beautiful gift tags for next holiday season.

From our home to yours, we want to wish you all Happy Holidays and a fantastic New Year.

Have you ever wanted to make a needlepoint project with a particular picture on it, or perhaps incorporate some words into your knitting or crochet?
Check out this great free resource, knitPro 2.0. This is a great site that allows you to upload a picture into the program, and it generates a chart for your use as a pdf file, allowing you to follow it and make any personalized project you desire.

This program will generate charts for needlepoint, cross stitch, crochet and knitting. A great way to make a special personalized gift and expand your techniques!

I’ve been learning a lot lately about Montessori for infants. I am excited to make my daughter’s room a fun place for her to grow and learn. In the book Montessori from the start, you are encouraged to begin with mobiles to help babies learn focus in their eyes. I have been wanting to make one for Lucy for a while. I used a floral design ring of some sort, I found it at Michaels. It is a flat ring of particle board with holes drilled in it. I decided I wanted to use ribbon and beads to hang the objects so I made my own beads using fimo and hung christmas balls from the ribbon. In the book it recomends using metalic objects to begin then moving to other ones she can bat at once she learns that she can hit things with her hands. Lucy loves looking at it for now. We mounted it on the wall with a hook for hanging plants so i can change the mobiles as she gets older.

Who knew you could use Kool-Aid® for more than a sweet drink? Dying yarn with Kool-Aid® can be a economical way to get your wool to be bright and vibrant without a lot of mess. The process is simple and can be completed in a couple of hours.

This method only works with animal fibres, such as wool, mohair, and alpaca. You’ll want to use a 100% product, rather than one blended with artificial fibres.

You’ll need a glass jar, a skein of wool in a light color (I chose a beige merino wool), a package of Kool-Aid® in the flavour / color of your choice, a spoon for stirring and a pot. Be sure that you only use the unsweetened drink crystals, or the color wont adhere as well.

Begin by adding warm water to the glass jar, and add the drink crystals. The amount of water is irrelevant, you simply want to make sure that your wool is completely submerged. If you want a vibrant color, use the entire package of crystals. If you desire a lighter color, add less Kool-Aid®. Submerge your wool in the mixture (I use half a skein per drink mix package to get the brightest colors), using a spoon to release any air bubbles and to ensure that the wool is completely submerged.

Place the glass jar into a pot filled halfway with water and set on the stove burner at medium temperature.

Leave on the heat until the water becomes clear or cloudy (some colors) and the wool has absorbed the dye.

Remove from heat and let the jar and water cool to room temperature. Rinse with the same temperature water. Extreme temperature differences between the rinsing water and yarn may cause the yarn to felt, so take caution!

The result is a brightly dyed wool yarn that can be used for any project, even felting. The color wont run in the wash, which is a bonus.

Another option is to submerge only half the wool to be dyed, resulting in a striped yarn.

Happy dyeing!!

Natalie posted about this on her blog and I felt this was a great place to let others know. An auction of fine art and crafts to benefit the family of James Kim will be held from January 3 through the 7th, 2007. It is organized by sisters Lisa Congdon and Stephanie Barnes and their mother Gerrie Congdon. 100% of the auction proceeds will go to the Kim Family Fund. To check out the goods that will be auctioned off, click here.

This will be my son’s first Christmas, and I wanted to make him something special. I’m not really into stuffed animals, so I haven’t bought any for him. But since he’s taken an interest in the ones he already has, I decided to make him one using a fabric that’s inexpensive, washable, and easy to work with: felt.

You can make any animal you choose, I just chose a penguin since I’m really into birds right now, and I wanted his to be cute but also boyish. So first you’ll want to pick an animal, draw it out and then get it blow up using a copy machine, to however big you want it. Cut out the shapes and trace them onto cardboard, then cut those shapes out. When you’re cutting feet, arms, or anything that’s to go on the edge of the animal, you’ll want to add a little extra, maybe a quarter to a half-inch, to the place where you’ll adhere the piece to the edge.

Place your shapes on the pieces of felt you’ve chosen and secure them with a needle or pin. Cut around the shapes. Since you’ll need a front and a back, and you have sharp enough scissors, you may want to double up the felt to cut the pieces so the pieces match up perfectly.

Next you’ll want to stitch your top pieces onto the body of the animal. Place pieces in desire places and secure with a pin or needle. Here I put the belly on first, then the beak. I also added a little polyfil to the belly and beak to give the pieces a little more dimension. I used a blanket stitch for all the pieces but you can use any stitch you’re comfortable with. I then stitched the eyes on using a seed stitch.

Next you’ll want to stitch together the feet, adding a little polyfill to them before closing. Stitch the feet onto the piece that will be the backside of your stuffed animal.

After all your pieces are placed, then you can stitch the front and back side together, stopping when you’re almost done to add the polyfil. Add as much fill as you want. You don’t want to overstuff your animal, but you also don’t want it really flat either. If your animals has tight corners, use the end of a pencil or pen to push the fill into them. Place a pin or needle close to the edge of where you’ll stitch to keep it close together so you’re final stitches will be straight. Finish up the seam and voila! A finished (and adorable) stuffed animal.

From start to finish this project took about 3 hours so it’s something you can do while watching TV or if you have some spare time. And as always, have fun with it. Don’t worry if your animal isn’t perfect or even a little choppy (like mine). I think imperfections add to it’s character and cuteness, and I’m sure who ever you’re making it for won’t mind at all.