All posts tagged: DIY

market bag.

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I’ve had this 500-foot spool of gorgeous mustard rope hiding in my craft closet. I thought maybe I would get 3 or 4 projects out of the rope, but I ended up choosing a 400+ foot market bag project. Look at this beaut! This project was from Modern Macrame by Emily Katz.* I cut out all the lengths of rope*, attached to my feet, and got to knotting. I didn’t use the suggested rope (jute) so partway through I realized I had to adapt the pattern slightly and add an additional 8 strands to my project. It’s such a pain to undo knots, but it made sense for this project otherwise I would have had major gaps in the bag for more falling out potential. There were so many new-to-me macrame techniques in this project. I learned how to create a bag opening and strap, how to connect two panels (the front and the back of the bag), and a crossing technique to add dimension to two sinnets of square knots. My favorite part in …

hanging garden.

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On my crafty wish list: get better at macrame. So for March (National Craft Month!), I’m sharing all macrame projects, all the time. First up is a 4-plant pot hanger featuring a Modern Macrame pattern and rope. You will need: Shop supplies on Modern Macrame and get $10 off your order with my Modern Macrame affiliate link*. Macrame instructions are the only time I enjoy following a pattern. For any other craft I prefer to make it up as a I go. I hope to one day grow my macrame skills to design patterns more consistently and create more intuitively. Note: I won’t share the pattern here because it’s not mine to share, but I hope this project inspires you to support a small business or to be inspired to create your own hanging garden! The Modern Macrame pattern is fairly basic with a row of lark’s head knots and series of square knots throughout. I like the addition of the chunky ceramic beads for added texture. And these handmade beads from their shop are …

daisy chain.

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My friend and I met up for nachos and crafting – a winning combo! I picked up the daisy chain bracelet kit from Joann to share. Just add pliers and scissors – a bead tray and mat help, too – and you’re good to go. I’ve long been fascinated by bead weaving/sewing so to find a kit to walk me through a new-to-me technique was a fun find! The kit comes with cord, an assortment of beads, two needles, a lobster clasp, a jump ring, and instructions. You can make one full bracelet with enough cord and beads leftover to make 3-4 more bracelets or other projects. Or, you can add additional strands to the initial bracelet. My friend chose yellow, teal, and pink beads for her flowers; I went for more of a love day color palette – red, fuchsia, and pink; and I swapped the silver findings for gold. It took me a few daisies to get the hang of the project; by about daisy number five I was feeling a bit more …

name sweater.

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Eee, here’s a personalized project I can get behind: embroidered name sweaters for the littles! Perfect for gifting! For this project you will need: Start by sketching out your letters. I went with a semi cursive font. The marking pen rinses off under water so it’s ok if it’s not a perfect outline. Keep in mind the width of your yarn when spacing out your letters. A thicker yarn will need more space in between letters. I used a chain stitch throughout – See a quick tutorial by Cutesy Crafts. Start by knotting your yarn, then create a chain, stop whenever you would ‘pick up your pencil,’ and tie off your yarn on the reverse side. When I crossed the ‘T’ I created a chain stitch on top of the first chain stitch. Trim any excess yarn and rinse off the marking pen. So fun I couldn’t make just one! I created one for my friend’s Bebe, too, in this burnt orange color. This project works best for short names, though I imagine with a …

paper snowflakes.

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There’s no secret to the paper bag snowflake DIY; it seems to be all over the internet again this year. I’m adding a few tips and tricks here, plus sharing how we used this craft at my office winter party. Materials: Instructions: Tip: To make this craft last through the years or if you need it to travel well, assemble the snowflakes without sealing the final pieces together. Instead, secure with ribbon (and well-hidden paper clips) when in use; and then store flat. My office started to meet more regularly in person for work meetings, and this is the first time we’ve had a craftivity since Hearts and Crafts 2020. Excited to introduce more crafts to my coworkers! Have you tried this craft? Share below!

bookmark.

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Here’s a handmade gift idea for all your book (or magazine) lovers, and in my case – craft book enthusiast! For this project I used two colors of 4mm cord. I cut 4 strands 4-feet long with one color and 1 strand 8 inches long in the second color. You can mix and match however you like. I used basic macrame knots for this project, starting with 4 Lark’s head knots to attach the longer cords to the shorter cord. Then a series of square knots alternating between a square knot for strands 1-4 and 5-8, and then a square knot for strands 3-6, until you have about 8 inches of cord left. Finish off with a double half hitch knot for strands 1-4 and 5-8 going diagonally down and inward, then tie the two inner most strands together to create the pointed bottom. Trim and fray as you wish. Add a cute tag for funsies. Pair with a book of choice. What’s on your reading list this winter? Me: Modern Macrame by Emily Katz.

paper bag.

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It’s the easiest Halloween treat bag ever! If you’re pressed for time or need something foolproof for Halloween crafting, look no further. All you need to create these treat bags are Paper bags – Size will depend on what you plan to use for filling. I found these smaller bags at Daiso. A black marker Treats – I picked a few types of candy and stickers. Optional materials: Brown or green felt for the stem (You can also use paper.) Fabric scissors (or paper scissors if using paper) A stapler Work on a flat surface. Fold ~1 inch of the top of the paper bag to the backside. This helps with centering your jack-o-lantern drawing. Next, draw a jack-o-lantern face with marker. If you’re using a permanent marker (or thin paper bag), consider using a piece of paper or cardboard inside the paper bag to prevent the marker from bleeding through. You can write a note on the backside of the paper bag, too. Then fill with treats. If you’re adding a stem, cut out …

macrame basics.

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Use these knots and techniques to create unique designs for your macrame pieces. Lark’s Head Knot The lark’s head knot is often used as an anchoring knot to start your piece. Fold rope cord in half. Place the midpoint underneath the dowel in a U fashion. Bring the top loose rope strands over the dowel and through the U. Pull loose rope strands all the way through to tighten the knot. Square Knot To create a square knot, work four cords at a time. Using the first four rope cords, place rope cord 1 over cords 2 and 3. Place rope cord 4 over rope cord 1, under rope cords 3 and 2, and through the loop made by rope cord 1. Pull rope cords 1 and 4 out and up to create the first half of the square knot. To complete the square knot, perform a similar but opposite pattern. Place the now rope cord 4 over cords 3 and 2. Place rope cord 1 over rope cord 4, under rope cord 2 and 3, and through the loop …

sriracha.

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Halloween may look a little different this year, but you can totally still dress up! Here’s a Halloween Throwback (just two years…) because I never got to post about our Sriracha costumes. I cut the roosters out of felt and attached them onto a red dress and red tee (inside out so you couldn’t see the design) with double sided tape. I made the green caps out of La Croix boxes and felt. I attached mine to a headband and Hubby’s to a hair clip. I like designing costumes that are comfortable / easy to maneuver in so I try to use what I already have in my outfit repertoire as the base of my costumes. That makes it easier to wear to work if Halloween falls on a workday, and do normal things like go to Starbucks and tell them my name is Sriracha (Yes, they spelled it incorrectly.). I thought the comically tiny and comically large caps would be a nice touch. When we went to Chipotle for our annual boo-rito run, the …

cardboard loom.

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I taught a weaving class with Craft Buzz back in May and we created cardboard looms. Since I haven’t restocked my acrylic looms in a while I thought I’d share the how-to for this simple, find-materials-at-home DIY, plus some weaving reference videos, so you can get weaving, too. All you need to create a cardboard loom: A piece of sturdy cardboard. The larger the cardboard, the larger you can make your weaving. The one I used is about 9 inches x 10 inches. A ruler Pencil/pen Scissors I like to leave 1-inch margins on the left and right sides of the cardboard (so I have cardboard to hold as I weave). Between the margins, mark every 1/4 inch at the top and bottom of the cardboard. Cut ~1/2 inch slits at each mark, at the top and bottom of your cardboard. That’s it! Prep and weave as you would on a wooden/acrylic/bamboo loom. For a quick weaving tutorial, view my short videos: Setting up your loom Tabby (basic) stitch Rya (tassels) Tabby stitch variations Finishing …