If you’re bothered by the garbage bag of gift wrap that becomes the centerpiece of many holiday parties, you might want to consider wrapping your packages with recycled paper  and topping them with recycled bows. (Newspaper and brown paper bags are great for this.) While some may think it’s extremely tacky to wrap gifts in [...]

The latest issue of Petite Purls went live today and includes a couple of my paper-pieced ornament projects. There’s still time to make the flower ornament pictured above, and a related festive wreath ornament, too. So head over to Petite Purls for the directions. This issue is packed with great patterns including fun crochet “Foamies” [...]

I LOVE snow days. There’s nothing like hunkering down in front of the fireplace and not going anywhere. So I was quite pleased yesterday when school was called off due to snow. It was a green light to pull out my sewing machine and get to work sewing a pile of circular cloth napkins for [...]

Hi folks! Check out my dragon boat video tutorial. This will hopefully demystify the project I’ve been blogging about and inspire you to whip up a batch of these fun holiday ornaments to display in your home and give as gifts. A special thanks to my husband, Jeff, for filming the video and our daughters [...]

‘Tis the season for handmade beauty. These dragon boat ornaments rank among my all-time favorite holiday adornments. Easy to whip up, they’re great for decorating for the holidays and lovely to display in your home all year round. I learned to make these lovely ornaments about a decade ago from Julie Anderson, owner of the [...]

We’re in handmade holiday decoration mode here at the CraftSanity headquarters. I made this little banner to hang from the mantel out of strips of fabric woven on the CraftSanity mini loom. As a banner enthusiast, I know I’ll be whipping up more festive squares before Christmas. I make cute little potholder ornaments on this [...]

Here’s a sneak peak of the tissue paper banner I will be using as a sample during tomorrow’s TV segment. I really love cut paper art and enjoyed creating my own design for the banner. However, I’m not enjoying the sugar skull-making as much. I keep adding too much water. Ugh. And it seems odd [...]

The 13-day countdown to Halloween starts Monday. Are you ready? Here’s a quick project to get you in the spirit. Transform an old clipboard into a spooky calendar with a coat of black craft paint. Then cover the clip with a witch hat made out of craft felt. Glue on 13 painted clothespins, then clip [...]

Happy Easter, everyone! I hope you’re all having a lovely day. I just snapped a photo of the last-minute gifts I crocheted for my daughters. If you’re interested in the pattern you can find it over at Roxiecraft. Easy to follow and super cute, this pattern is worth trying out. My next podcast is on [...]

From co-workers and readers, to kindred spirits I’ve never met, this week’s craft TV segment on Take Five & Company was inspired by several creative people. This great fabric egg tutorial by Retro Mama, Kim Kruzich, of Madison, Wisconsin caught my eye when I was surfing for Easter craft inspiration online. I whipped up a [...]

As a I child, I didn’t fully appreciate what a blessing it was to be related to Eleanor Case. She was my Great Grandmother and one of the most talented crafters I’ve ever known. I spent many Sunday nights learning to crochet at the weekly craft gatherings she hosted in her kitchen. Great Grandma Case [...]

Happy New Year! When the glitzy ball dropped in New York City and another slightly less glitzy ball dropped in downtown Grand Rapids, Mich., I was warm and toasty at home cutting out pattern pieces for doll clothes. With my daughters tucked in as snug as two little bugs, I sat across the kitchen table [...]

The doll pillows and quilts I made for my daughters and niece were very well received today. I didn’t use a pattern for the quilts and I adapted this pattern for the pillows and cases. I just love handmade holidays. Merry Christmas, everyone!

We’re snowed in here in West Michigan and I couldn’t be happier. I have loads of last-minute Christmas sewing to do, so I’m very grateful to Old Man Winter for buying me some more time. It’d be great if the plow truck would come down our street so we’d have the option to leave, but [...]

I’m prepping for tomorrow’s “Take 5 & Company” craft segment that airs live during the 9 a.m. broadcast on Channel 13 in Grand Rapids, Mich. Here’s the pdf tutorial. Enjoy!