Back in elementary school a wonderful teacher showed my class how to make scribbles into art. I can’t remember if the original demo involved a black marker or crayon, but what I do remember is watching that black line loop-d-loop all over the page and feeling so empowered as a little girl with with a [...]

The first day of school is always bittersweet. When this day arrives it marks the official end of summer as all children know it and simultaneously brings a gust of exciting expectation of everything that might be possible during the new academic year. Today I’m sending my girls off to a new school with some [...]

This is Willie James Jones, a man who spends his days drawing hot rods, surf boards, bongo drums and palm trees at Heartside Gallery and Studio, a free drop-in art studio located  in Grand Rapids, Michigan. The studio is frequented by people who have struggled with homelessness, addiction, mental illness and other challenges. I wrote [...]

Clipboards are fun without any enhancements, but they get even better when you paint them them with chalkboard paint, especially if you’re looking to keep the kids busy on the next long car trip. I priced out chalkboard paint (which is most readily available in green and black) and decided that using official chalkboard paint [...]

If I had all the time back that I’ve wasted looking for my keys, I’d have sooooo much extra time. Seriously. Thankfully I’ve found a handmade way to decrease the number of times I lose my keys. After a particularly annoying key misplacement, I bought a key fob like the one above as an impulse buy [...]

Hello! I’m back from a short and lovely vacation with the family and excited to catch up with all of you. I’ve been working on lots of creative projects and will be sharing those is posts sprinkled out over the course of the next several days. A new podcast is in the works, too. I [...]

The latest issue of Petite Purls is up and ready to inspire you. My daughters and I collaborated on the Sew Petite feature, a beginning stitching project for you to try with the budding crafters in your life. Ameila, 4, stitched the flower in the hoop above. Abby, 6, decided to go her own way [...]

Today I interviewed a lovely woman named Fran for an upcoming newspaper column. We had a great visit during which she showed me two paper bead necklaces her mother made “years and years” ago. Fran said her mother called them memory beads because she would often take wrapping paper home from family events and make [...]

The sky was looking iffy yesterday morning, but the girls and I headed out to the strawberry patch anyway, almost daring the clouds to rain on us. They did not. Chilly and overcast, the conditions turned out to be perfect for picking and photography. Within 30 minutes we had plucked 14 pounds of juicy berries [...]

As an apron enthusiast I’m very happy to see the results of the latest Spoonflower fabric design contest that asked designers to submit their best one-yard apron design. I didn’t have time to enter the contest, but I’m so enjoying the results as a spectator. Check it out! The deadline to vote on your favorite [...]

My oh my. I’m insanely busy and kind of loving it. I’m exhausted and I don’t really know what day it is, but, wow, am I having fun! I’m very excited to report that awesome apron designs have been submitted to the first-ever CraftSanity Apron Show to benefit Safe Haven Ministries. Thank you to those [...]

I’ve never been one to get caught up in the commercialism of Valentine’s Day, but I do LOVE making heart-themed craft projects for my kids all year round. Last night I stayed up insanely late to make a heart-themed bean bag toss game to entertain Abby’s kindergarten friends at the class Valentine’s Day party. I [...]

My little Amelia was my special guest at last month’s Craft Club meeting at the Y. She was having a rough day and not feeling like playing with the other children in the kids’ play area. She’s been having some separation issues lately and it rips my heart out every time I have to walk [...]

There’s something very satisfying about stitching with beads. I love the meticulous work of embellishing one little bead at time. And while many of my bead projects take considerable time, these little heart pins are small enough to whip up in one sitting. Read on to find out how to make some of your own.  Supplies:  Craft [...]

I love baked potatoes. But the potato setting on my microwave has failed me so many times, leaving me with shriveled and lifeless potatoes. Thanks to a fellow Michigan crafter I’ve stopped shriveling potatoes. Gerri Nielsen gave me one of her fabric potato bags and I swear it’s taken the frustration out of rapid potato [...]