When my mother was a young woman sitting around her Uncle Henry’s kitchen table, he taught her how to make hairpin lace. Every time I think of my great uncle, with his short, stubby aging fingers, handling a crochet hook, and patiently teaching his young protege, I smile. I would love to know how he learned, but alas, I never will. But …
Materials: Polymer Clay 1] To make 4 plates and cups, begin by cutting 8 pieces of polymer clay. (Note: If you are using clay that has the ridges prestamped in them, I cut off 2 strips, then cut each strip into 4 equal pieces. I used one little square of clay for each piece.) 2] To make …
We have had our gnome house for almost 2 years now, and just like my own house, I am always adding a little here and there, changing this and that, and allowing our environment to reflect the seasons. When preparing our gnome house for Valentines Day, I decided we needed plates and cups. There are …
To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven. Ecclesiastes 3:1 I think God can relate to crafters. I think he can understand our desire to create something beautiful and useful. I think he can also relate to our tendency to jump from craft to craft… a time to …
Use our basic Cooked Playdough Recipe to make your very own, wonderful playdough. Add different extracts to add a scent element to your homemade playdough. After 30 years of parenthood, 6 years of gammyhood, and over 10 years of being a preschool teacher, I have collected over a hundred different “Make Your Own” recipes. From …
This has been a great week for us. We’ve gotten many emails and links from friends sharing the projects they’ve made using our patterns. When people post one of our patterns on a blog, we link to it on Facebook. But many of readers do not have blogs, so we get emails and photos instead. …
We are still very busy crafting Valentines Day decorations for the gnome house. Thought a festive rug or two would be a nice touch. Whenever I make my Rip and Tear Napkins, I always have a long, narrow strip of fabric left. One of the great ways to make use of this fabric, is to …
What a busy time in the Thicket. Britta is bustling around readying the house for a Valentines Party she is throwing for some friends. She just finished this lovely banner with flowering vines meandering over a Valentine’s heart. Although cold weather is still evident throughout the Thicket, hearts are warm with Valentine Cheer. There is no doubt that love is …
This banner was designed to fit a branch in our Gnome Home. You may wish to customize the banner to fit a preexisting branch in your Gnome Home or add an angled twig to hang the banner as is. Materials: Pattern 9″ x 12″ piece of wool felt wool felt scraps 6 strand embroidery floss …
We are always encouraging our readers to use our applique patterns to meet your own needs. I have a little wall with shaker pegs where I hang my Easy Cotton Shawls. I wanted a little something above the pegs… something that added a little color and a lot of fun. I crafted a banner using …
Do you have a wide but shallow spot in your house that needs a little "something"? Try making a long, skinny banner to fill the spot with some playful happiness. For this banner, we combined our Running Kitty and Running Mouse Appliques, but use your imagination and our applique blocks to create your own banner! The finished …
Last week we received this email from a reader and having received her permission, wanted to share her email and pics. Kimara and Michelle, I found your blog a few weeks back. At the time I was bored and I knew I wanted to craft and sew but just had no inspiration. Looking through your …
