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 [...]

Father’s Day is coming up and my daughters are very excited. Abby has been squirreling away little handmade gifts for weeks and Amelia is on a magnets-for-every-occasion kick, so I thought it would be great to team up with my daughters for this week’s Father’s Day craft TV segment on “Take Five.” First off, we [...]

After a couple weeks of watching my husband, Jeff Haywood, transporting his new iPad around in a recycled bubble wrap envelope, it was high time for a crafty intervention. The iPad is a slick device designed to make consuming electronic media an easy and enjoyable experience, so I decided to sew a simple and soft [...]

Dandelions rank among my favorite flowers. I used to pick them for my mom when I was a kid and now I get to watch my daughters pick them for me. Because most people consider them weeds, no one ever gets on your case for picking them and I love that, too. I wrote a [...]

Happy Spring, everyone! It’s snowing here in West Michigan. And waking up to a blanket of white was a crushing blow after we were spoiled by nearly a week of sunny, spring weather. Ah, well, those of us who live in Michigan are used to this kind of teasing by Mother Nature. We often complain [...]

This week has been totally insane and it’s only Thursday. My grandfather is in the hospital several states away. Some jerk stole our credit card number and went on a shopping spree. We picked up and organized 1,300 Girl Scout cookies  for the troop. And that’s in addition to the usual craziness. On the bright [...]

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 [...]

If you haven’t noticed, I’m on a major beading binge. And after treating myself to some new colors at a 40 percent off sale at my local craft store, my need to bead seems to have kicked into overdrive. I just can’t seem to get enough of those pretty little beads. This week I whipped [...]

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 [...]

‘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 [...]

Oh, how I despise cold and flu season. And this year it’s even nastier than ever. After spending several days feeling ill and several days before that caring for a sick child, I decided it was high time to craft myself some feel-better comfort. (A special thanks to Amelia for being my cheerful model.) I’m [...]

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 [...]

Calling all quilters! Margaret’s Hope Chest, a Grand Rapids-based quilt charity, needs your help to make 400 quilts to give homeless children living in shelters over the Christmas holiday. Today my art & craft column is about Carin Vogelzang, and her mother, Carol Peters, the women who turned a family tragedy into an inspiring cause. [...]

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 [...]

I’ve been completely obsessed with hooping lately. So today on Take Five & Company I showed viewers how to make their own hoops. Read my Grand Rapids Press hoop fitness story that was published Tuesday for more hooping resources and see a demonstration video by a local hooping performance artist. Hoop Making 101 The beauty [...]