Homemade Paper

Handmade paper is so beautiful and fairly easy to make. You just need the right tools. I love the fact that every handmade piece has its own individual character and you can recycle all of your old scraps of paper. My craft box is full of tons of bits and pieces of paper leftover from projects that I can't bear to get rid of. There is a great step by step tutorial on making your own paper at craftdaisies.com. During college, my class visited the workshop of someone who printed their own books and made their own paper. I was able to test out the materials and try making my own paper. I am somewhat familiar with how this works and with the terminology you find in the tutorial; so let me know if I can help you try this out!

Crafty Kits

There are lots of cool kits out there that put the pieces together for you and then let you make your creation. Having all the ingredients and directions prepared for you allows you to enjoy the process of creating and knowing the end result (well, hopefully it will turn out!) Paper Source offers some cool kits like their fortune cookie kit or pretty butterfly kit. Etsy is also a great source to find fun craft kits to purchase, like Betz White's Cup O Joe pincushion kit or Morgan Moore's ABC Block kit.

The Scoop on Etsy

Etsy is the place online to buy and sell all things handmade. Categories range from jewelry and bags to toys and housewares. You can search for items based on your color preference, or let Etsy suggest items to you based on your current favorites. The best part is, it is free to sign up for an account with Etsy and costs are only $0.20 to post an item for sale, and 3.5% for items sold.

Some of the best finds at Etsy include the Amigurumi pattern for crocheting a smiling hamburger, drink, popcorn, and bag of peanuts; the Sweet Treat Gift Set for Girls by Nana Company: an adorable gift set including a child sized apron, wooden spoon and soft felt cookies; and the lovely children's artwork created by Lulu Designs, including the "Princess and the Pea".

Vintage hankie pillows

Martha Stewart recommends using vintage handkerchiefs to create whimsical nursery pillows. The simplicity of this project makes it appealing to those of us who can only sew a straight line. I love the beautiful fabrics shown here. It is easy to find inexpensive handkerchiefs and tea towels at local antique shops and every pillow would have individual charm.

Changes underway

A new site design is in progress... look for more changes to come.

Designers worth checking out

Designer Heather Bailey introduces her first line of fabrics named "Freshcut" at HELLO my name is Heather, and discusses her daily life as a mother of two. I love the colorful florals and patterns in her hip new line. Her blog also offers free patterns for sewing baby booties and fun fabric headbands. Heather includes several tutorials on her blog as well, including helpful directions for binding a quilt.

Amy Butler Design is home to fabric designer, Amy Butler, who creates beautiful pastel fabrics and hip sewing patterns. She has tons of cool patterns for bags and clothing as well as home decor projects including the big nap pillow I love. Her website offers lots of free patterns for quilts, pillows, skirts and bags!

Inspired

I am feeling so inspired. Today, I have added lots of wonderful links to my page to entice you to get crafty. I am realizing there are so many women out there who share the same interests and somehow find time to devote to completing creative projects, blogging about them, and often taking care of kids at the same time. So I know it can be done. Here are a few of my favorite new discoveries to check out:



http://angrychicken.typepad.com/angry_chicken/2007/04/quick_gifts_for.html
These are the cutest baby onesies. I want to make them for everyone now!
http://rosylittlethings.typepad.com/posie_gets_cozy/
Mmm.. pretzels…
http://morganmoore.typepad.com/one_more_moore/
Love it!
http://losabia.wordpress.com/
She made the Purl frog (check out the pattern in my PROJECT IDEAS)!
http://needlebook.blogspot.com/
I want to do the coaster project
http://allbuttonedup.typepad.com/
Isn’t that the most beautiful quilt on her page?

Ok, that should keep you busy for awhile.

New products at Michaels

I know we all have a love-hate relationship with Martha Stewart, but I have to admit, I love her website, her magazines, and all of her products. I often use MarthaStewart.com as a resource to get inspiration for birthday party themes, and other entertaining ideas. I discovered recently that Michaels craft stores now caries a line of Martha Stewart products that are really stylish and fun. The Michaels website gives a glimpse of the products as well as some ideas for how to use them. For Jane's second birthday, I used ideas from a Martha Stewart Kids cookbook to come up with the butterfly cupcakes and cookie-cutter sandwiches. The retro birthday banner is part of the new line from Michaels and looks very stylish if I do say so myself.

Retro fabrics we love

One thing we all have in common is a love for reproductions of vintage fabrics, especially from the 30's. But where to find cool fabric outside of our favorite shop in Orem, Utah has proven problematic. I wanted to share an article featured on the CRAFT magazine blog about how to pick fabric online and which sites are best.

http://treefalldesign.typepad.com/tree_fall/2007/06/fabric_and_how_.html

I did find a good shop near me (in Orting, WA) that carries a lot of vintage and other beautiful fabrics. Here is there site as well http://www.thewildrosequiltshop.com/.

Hope this is helpful to you. Please share any other local shops you guys have found around Seattle, Portland and Provo.

Here I go...

Wow, who knew quilting and knitting and other old lady hobbies would become so hip? I discovered CRAFT magazine and have been checking out their blog and many other funky craft blogs and websites. I have a plethera of cool websites and blogs I want to share with you and figured my own blog would be the best way to do that. My intention is to start a forum for us to share crafty ideas, get tips and tricks from one another and show off our latest projects. So if you have quilting questions, want to find a cool local fabric shop or whatever, you can turn here. See where I'm going with this?