One of the big mistakes I’ve made while trying to get my house in order is loading up on many unnecessary and/or unsuitable organizing supplies. I’m done with colored bins I can’t see into and I’m holding off on buying more of the clear kind until I weed out more of the stash. After many [...]

Learning to make German stars has been on my to-do list for a few years so I’m very happy to report that I have finally joined the ranks of those who know how to fold ‘em. I’m not going to lie, I swore a lot (a whole lot) while folding my first star. (Don’t worry, [...]

Hi! CraftSanity Magazine issue 4 is coming  soon. In the meantime, here are a couple quick paper projects for you to try. These projects were inspired by Whitney Korstange, a Fremont artist who operates a paper mill called Maple Street Paper Co. Her handmade paper is beautiful and available for purchase online and in person [...]

It would have made for a great family photo, but I was too busy participating in the Fourth of July craft time to run for my camera. We were at a family party hosted by Jeff’s parents when his Aunt Lou Ann Cruttenden showed all the ladies at the party how to make embellished flip [...]

Hi folks! I’m a guest on this week’s webisode of JTV, a fun floral design show hosted by my friend, J Schwanke, flower expert and CEO of uBloom. Tune in to watch us make wrapping paper using crayons and tropical foliage. This is an easy, all-ages project for everyone who loves crafting with nature and [...]

My daughters love to decorate for the holidays and Valentine’s Day is no different. My mom showed me how to weave paper heart baskets years ago, and I’ve been wanting to weave some out of felt ever since. Yesterday I pulled out my stash of craft felt and got to work. Here’s what you need [...]

I’d like to wish you all a belated Happy New Year. I’ve been so busy working on some exciting projects that I have not had time to blog. I’ll update you on all the activity here at the CraftSanity headquarters soon. But right now I want to focus on sweatbands and giving away a free [...]

My unplanned foray into crafting on TV has not brought me riches or fame (I don’t get paid to do my segments and Martha still hasn’t called.) but the adventure has payed off in many other ways. It’s forced me to learn how to craft on the fly in front of live audiences and allowed [...]

Today I showed “Take Five” viewers how to make paper ball ornaments out of punched paper circles. Read on to learn how to make some for your tree.

This craft tutorial is in honor of Veterans’ Day, the day we pause to remember and honor the men and women who have made great personal sacrifices to defend our freedom. In an effort to reflect on what it means to be free in America, I thought it was appropriate to make some beaded lapel [...]

Halloween is coming up, so I whipped up some easy superhero masks to add to our costume stash. The fun thing about these masks is that many kids like to pretend they’re superheros all year round. So, you can get quite a bit of millage out of these which is an added bonus. Read on [...]

Hi folks. I’m operating in an ArtPrize induced fog, so it’s not surprising that today’s live TV craft segment turned out to be one for the blooper reel. (See the clip below.) The “Take Five” segment features a bit of laughter and a demo on how to make a weaving loom out of an old [...]

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 [...]

Soon after launching my loom business last summer I started collecting colorful t-shirts to use in my weaving projects. But every now and then I like to change it up and do a t-shirt refashioning project or some other jersey knit craft. Yesterday I made some t-shirt necklaces with my daughters. This is a fun [...]

It’s been super humid here in West Michigan, so I was especially inspired to whip up a batch of neck coolers in an effort to cool off. Read on for instructions to sew one of your own and scroll down to watch my recent TV demo of this project. (Note: These are best made in [...]