Hello! Here’s the edited video slide show we played for the elementary students who worked on the woven house project at their school assembly last Friday. Enjoy!

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, [...]

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 [...]

While prepping for today’s TV segment on paper casting I ran into a little snag. I was planning to use cotton linters to make paper  pulp for casting, but couldn’t find the product on the fly at the local art supply stores here in West Michigan. I didn’t have time to order online, so I [...]

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 [...]

Ready for Thanksgiving? Don’t worry, I’m not either. Not even close. Since time is short, this year’s decorating ideas have to be fast. So we decided to use balls of yarn, pipe cleaner and colored feathers to whip up some cute turkeys on the fly. To make your own, roll a small ball for the [...]

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 [...]

I’m a dreamer, canner and collector of bits, bobs and trinkets, so I was delighted to happen upon Heather Holloman’s “Dream Collection” on exhibit at The Grand Rapids Public Museum here in West Michigan. To create her ArtPrize entry, she asked people what they dream about at night then she searched for artifacts to illustrate [...]

It’s time to send the kids back to school and I can’t quite believe it. This is the fastest summer I’ve ever experienced as a mom. I LOVED being home with my kids this summer – my first summer as a work-at-home mom. This year both my daughters will be eating lunch at school for [...]

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 [...]

Here’s a quick video of some the sights and people we found at Maker Faire Detroit.

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 [...]