Jenn Of All Crafts

G ifts don't have to cost an inordinate amount of money and handma de gifts don't have to be intricate .  In fact, I find that the best gifts come from simple concepts that are just perfect for the occasion . As I've mentioned, I am a mem ber of my l ocal chapter of K iwanis International, a global community service organization that has clubs for just about every age group .   A friend of mine often jokes that no one is too young to be part of the K-family, even embryos.  So, when I learned that the first of our club was expecting his first chi ld, I used it as an opportunity to bring that concept into tangible fruition. Our club had just finished decorating onesies for the NY District First Lady's Proje ct, Warm Beginnings, which aims to send every n ew mother home with baby clothes .  I bought an extra and borrowed the fabric ma rke rs to create this personalized onesie . We all had a good laugh and the gift was a hit - a simple concept that...

I realize it's been a few weeks since my last post.  I've actually done quite a bit of crafting in that time, so I'm excited to finally start sharing them here, starting with: 2 styles of cage bracelets! I actually took a class at my local A.C. Moore to learn how to make these.  The one on the right is the one I learned in class: a classic caged-bead bracelet, made with iridescent crystal beads. I usually reverse engineer a lot of things, but I am really glad I took a class for this because it turns out that there is quite a bit of trial and error involved in the sizing; it's not just about the size of the bead and jump rings, but also about the wire gauge.  It turned out that the jump rings I bought were too small and thick and it  was really helpful to be able to test the sizing with the instructor's stock stash before exchanging . This was so much fun that I had to start another one.  That's the one you see on the left: a caged-pearl bracelet variat...

I learned to sew by clumsil y following along with my mother as she mended cloth es when I was all of around 5 y ea rs old .  My sewing im proved with age (and the fin e motor skills that come with it ) , but it was extremely time consuming and then just plain limiting , as I started looking at bigger projects . Researching sewing machines was overwhelming though... ladies in the store scoffed bec ause I had never used one before and didn't know what to look for.  I wouldn't have minded , except sewing machines have become so technologically advanced that I honestly think it's eas ier choosing a smartphone.   M y best friend took matters into her own hands a nd bought me a sim ple small starter sewing machine for Chris tmas last year.  In figuring out how to use it, I created this pink tropical print dress in time for my vacation in Toront o!    So , with my 1st sewing machine at the age of 32, i t's finally the start of a whole new chapter ...

I joined Pinter est when I started this blog so I could have a nother platform for sharing my crafts.  Boy was it a terrific and terrible idea... my Craft To Do List has grown infinitely since then.   ( I wish I was exaggerating.)    Since m y best friend got me a sewing machine last Christmas , I decided to start with a project that would help me break it in while creating something useful . I wanted to stay consistent with the playful underwater the me that I have going in the bathroom .   I came across this " Under the Sea" fabric  by Patty Reed and Laurie Cam pbell that I thought was stunning and whimsical. There you have it , my first Pinterest-inspired creation !

A little over a month ago, I provided a sneak peak to a basket that I decorated and also entered in a photo contest.  It didn't win, but I 'm happy with how it turned out and now that the contest is over I can finally post it . I put this basket together for my local Kiwanis club to raffle off for a charity fundraiser.  The challenge was that we had a limited budget , so I had to c reate something that draws attention but also contains goodies worth bidding on .  Accordingly, my goal was t o maximize funds for the fixin's by mini miz ing the cost of the decor . Ultimately, I handmade all the decorations with party supplies from Dollar Tree, including purple ribbon for a central bow and crepe paper streamers for roses that I tied into the brim of the basket.  I also made a fel t sleeve for one of the basket items with leftover fabric , which you see below.   T he total cost ?  U nder $5 !  With most of the budget in tact, we were a...