Making holiday gifts can be a wonderful experience. A lot of people think of fuzzy pink bunny suits when they hear homemade gifts, but that’s far from the reality of it all. Giving a handmade gift can show how much you appreciate a person. Better yet, every time they see your gift it’s like you’re reaching out to give them a great big hug.

Here are some ideas of things you can make this holiday season:

Crocheting – Scarves, hats, gloves, and mittens are good gifts to make using this craft. If you start soon enough, you may also be able to crochet an afghan or sweater. These would be much appreciated due to the colder weather.

Knitting – Similar to crocheting, if you’re adept at knitting, you can create almost anything by knitting that you could make from crocheting.

Scrapbooking – Perhaps your family and friends would like a small scrapbook of pictures and journal entries of your family and the recipients. Scrapbooks are a great way to share photographs and heart-felt thoughts about the people in the pictures. You wouldn’t have to create a large scrapbook to give as gifts. You could create smaller scrapbooks that commemorate a certain event or holiday from the year.

Woodworking – This craft would most likely be used to create larger gifts. Of course, if you have a lathe and use it quite often, you may choose to make gifts like wooden candle holders, pens, or small bowls. If you’re really interested in woodworking, you may make recipe boxes, jewelry boxes, or something else along those lines.

Beading – Necklaces, bracelets, key chains, and earrings can all be made by various methods of beading. Look online to find patterns or create your own patterns.

Painting – Take some time to paint a picture that would fit in the recipient’s home. Maybe it could be a picture to remind them of summer trips you shared when you were younger. Use your imagination and what you know about the person the gift is for to determine the best subject matter.

Obviously the crafts listed above aren’t the only ones. Looking through craft books or online for other things. Maybe you’re interested in learning an older craft like tatting. You may be able to create one-of-a-kind shirts by embroidering on them.

Try to find something that you can do and enjoy. You’ll have a much better chance of actually completing the gifts you want to make and won’t have to run out the week before Christmas to find gifts to give.

This is not your mama’s snowflake! No way – this is the bomb diggity snowflake! Check it out:

Aren’t those just awesome? I’ve got to try to make some this weekend with the kids!

The video is by Chris Gardner for his very cool, DIY Chrisjob Curbly blog. You can find his post with some more cool snowflake-making information here: Curbly Video Podcast: How To Make Picture Perfect Paper Snowflakes.

Thanksgiving is a holiday that brings families together around the dinner table. Since turkey is the traditional main course, it’s no wonder that so many Thanksgiving decorations are designed around a turkey theme. This pine cone turkey makes a lovely centerpiece. And if you’re so inclined, you could even make one for each guest and use them as place card holders!

Take an afternoon walk with the family and bring along a basket or a bag for picking up pine cones along the way!

What You Need

* Large, plump, dry pine cone
* Acorn
* Craft feathers in various colors
* Red and yellow craft foam
* Pencil
* Scissors
* Glue
* Hot glue
* Googly eyes
* Clay

Big Value Feathers

Assorted Multi-Color Craft Feathers

Instructions

1. Place a small amount of clay on the side of the pine cone that will sit on the table. This will prevent the turkey from rolling around.

2. Remove feathers from bag. You will probably have to fluff them before using. To do this, gently run your fingers down the length from end to tip.

3. Dip ends of feathers in glue. Arrange them in a fan pattern on the top of the wide side of the pine cone to form the turkey’s tail.

4. Use hot glue to attach the acorn to the top of the narrow side of the pine cone. This will be the turkey’s head. Let glue set.

5. Glue googly eyes onto the acorn.

6. Draw a triangle on the yellow craft foam, and a teardrop shape on the red craft foam. Cut both out. Glue the yellow piece onto the acorn for the beak, and the red piece for the wattle.

7. Draw feet on the yellow craft foam. Glue them onto the turkey in front of the clay. Let glue and clay dry.

Tips

* To use as a place card holder, glue the end of a craft stick into the center of the back. Write the guest’s name on a blank address label, and stick it to the front of the stick. Stick another address label to the back of the first one to keep it from sticking to anything else.

* If you don’t have any craft feathers handy, there are a few things you could substitute. You could cut feather shapes out of different colors of construction paper or craft foam. Or you could bend colorful chenille stems into feather shapes.

* If you want to make a miniature version of this craft, just use a smaller pine cone, cut small feathers out of construction paper, and substitute a brown circle of construction paper for the acorn.

* You may need to place a piece of card stock on the bottom of the clay to keep it from staining your tablecloth. Or better yet, glue it on when the clay dries so that guests can take their turkey home and display it with no worries.

Whatever you do, have fun and watch out for flying feathers

Holiday decorations are favorite projects of crafters everywhere.  Whether you love to sew, decoupage, woodwork, or crochet, there are plenty of projects out there for any holiday you celebrate.  You can decorate your own house, then make more projects to give as gifts.

Figurines are the first things that most people think of when one mentions ceramics, and they’re also one of the most popular.  But there are lots of other things you can create for the holidays.  Here are some ideas:

* Christmas ornaments – Ceramics make lovely Christmas ornaments.  Porcelain is especially nice.  Why not decorate your entire tree in coordinating porcelain ornaments?  You could make simple ball ornaments and paint them using the same colors in various patterns, or you might make snowmen, reindeer or elves with different accessories.

* Holiday-themed coasters – Coasters are useful and easy to make, and they can be decorated for any holiday.  They could feature jack-o-lanterns for Halloween, turkey or cornucopia motifs for Thanksgiving, or Santa and his reindeer for Christmas.

* Flowerpots - Fall and winter flowers make beautiful decorations by themselves, but they look even better in handmade flowerpots.  Painting them in the colors of the season will complement the flowers and create a beautiful centerpiece.

* Stocking hooks – Ceramic is the perfect medium for stocking mantel hooks.  Porcelain and stoneware are heavy and sturdy enough to support a stocking full of goodies.  You can make them just like you would any figurine, but add a base and press a hook into the center of it.

* Gingerbread houses – A gingerbread house makes a whimsical addition to your holiday décor.  Leaving the center hollow and adding a small light bulb creates a lovely effect.

* Plaques - Ceramic plaques are wonderful for any occasion.  For Thanksgiving, you could add a verse about being thankful.  For Christmas, you could add a fun poem or a few words about the meaning of the holiday.

* Holiday scenes – Grouping figurines together to create elaborate holiday scenes makes a great holiday conversation piece.  For Halloween, you could create a group of trick or treaters.  For Thanksgiving, you could make a scene with pilgrims and American Indians.  And for Christmas, a nativity scene or grouping of elves would be nice.

* Holiday candy dishes – Candy is a staple during the holidays, so why not make a ceramic holiday-themed candy dish to hold it?  You could make a plain dish and paint it with a holiday motif, or you could mold embellishments such as leaves for Thanksgiving or bows for Christmas to go around the edges.

There’s no limit to the decorations you could make for the holidays with ceramics.  From the purely decorative to the beautiful and useful, there are plenty of projects to choose from.

You may also wish to read our post on the Basics of Ceramics

Ceramics the Whole Family Will Enjoy

Ready to learn more about ceramics? Check out this informative book: Ceramic Design Course: Principles, Practice, and Techniques: A Complete Course for Ceramics

When painting, having the right kinds of brushes makes a world of difference. This is especially true for silk painting. Silk is a delicate fabric, and using the wrong brushes could have devastating effects. Besides that, the paints and dyes used on silk are very different from the paints used on canvas and other materials.

Experienced and frequent silk painters often have a veritable arsenal of brushes. They have rounded brushes, flat brushes, thin brushes and flat brushes. Many are dedicated to a specific brand, and they often prefer those with animal hair as opposed to synthetic bristles. The brushes they use tend to be quite expensive.

It’s true that animal hair brushes offer certain advantages over synthetic ones. They have a softness that simply can’t be reproduced with man-made materials. This allows them to soak up much more dye, making it easier to fill in areas large and small. It also makes them safer to use on fragile silk and silk blends.

Many professional silk painters use sumi brushes with bamboo handles and goat hair bristles, which become stiffer in the center and soak up more liquid than regular brushes. Sumi brushes have been used by Chinese silk painters for centuries.

But for beginners, it may not make sense to spend a lot of money on high-end silk painting brushes. Until you decide whether or not you want to do silk painting on a regular basis, it’s probably best to use less expensive brushes. Synthetic watercolor brushes work reasonably well for silk painting. They may not hold as much paint or dye as natural ones, but they will not harm the silk. They should do fine for your first few projects.

No silk painting brush collection is complete without some foam brushes. The larger ones work very nicely for coloring in large areas, and they’re especially useful when applying fixatives and primers. You can also purchase smaller ones (which look similar to eye shadow applicators or cotton swabs) that are great for applying resist and creating details with silk paint.

Foam brushes are usually very inexpensive. However, most of them must be replaced frequently. If you find them useful, it might be best to buy them in bulk.

The sizes and types of brushes used by one silk painter might be completely different from those used by another. The brushes you’ll need depend largely on your preferences and the techniques you use. Just remember that there is no one brush that will do everything you need to do. In order to be successful at silk painting, you’ll need at least a few different sizes of brushes, and probably a couple of different types.

Foam Paint Brushes

Sumi brushes

Happy painting!

My mission today is to help a family member pay their past due electric bill before it gets shut off. It was slated to be shut off on Monday, but we somehow managed to convince the electric company to extend this until the 25th of November. I wish they had come to me sooner so that I would have been to help then.

The current past due amount is $802. That’s in addition to the current month’s charges of $120. ($802 + $120 = $922 total bill, but we’re just going to focus on the $802 past due balance to avoid shut off of service!)

Over 800 people subscribe to the feed for this craft blog. If each of those people were to donate just one dollar, we would be able to completely divert and eliminate this crisis. Use the donation button above to contribute 1 dollar, or any amount at all. Every penny truly helps in situations like these.

>> Upon a successful donation of any amount you will be redirected to a page to download a special gift as my thank you for helping me with this mission today. <<

I have called all their local organizations, including those recommended by the power company for Energy Share, local churches, Salvation Army etc… most are out of funds for November. I checked out the Energy Assistance program only to be told after about 5 questions that they will not qualify … they have income and they’re not over 65, if they were unemployed and/or over 65 I guess they would be shoe ins for the program.

All this calling and researching today has brought me to wonder what about the working poor? Is it a crime to try to make ends meet? Here in Newport News where I live we have a lot of working poor and even working homeless. People that work at decent jobs, but cannot afford to pay their utilities or keep a roof over their head. There are people that live in campgrounds, people that live on the streets, and the number of homeless in the area is going up every day. I just wish that I could help everyone.

Silk painting has much in common with painting on paper or canvas, but there are also some important differences. Painting on silk requires different techniques and supplies. Since we’ve been talking a little bit about this, here are some of the things you’ll need if you want to try your hand at this beautiful art form.

* Silk – There are many different types of silk. It comes in many different weights and textures. Silk may also be blended with other types of fibers to create an even greater variety of fabrics.

* Stretching frame – You can buy stretching frames made specifically for silk at many art supply stores. Canvas stretching bars also work just fine, however, and they may be easier to find. It’s also possible to make your own frame out of wood or cardboard if you’re so inclined. For some projects, you can even use a picture frame.

* Silk clips – You’ll need these to keep your silk in place on the stretching frame. In a pinch, you could substitute rubber bands and/or safety pins. Pins or tacks may also be used, but it’s important to get the kinds that are designed for use with silk to avoid damaging the fabric.

* Prewash – Most silks are designed so that they may be painted without prewashing. But if you plan to dye your silk a solid color, prewashing is advised. Synthrapol is one of the most commonly used prewashes for silk.

* Vanishing marker – Before you start painting, you’ll need to sketch out your design. A vanishing marker makes it easy to do so without leaving any permanent traces.

* Resist – Resist is a chemical that acts as a barrier for dyes (and sometimes paints) when used on silk. It is applied with a fine-tipped applicator and left to dry. This allows for the creation of well-defined borders.

* Dyes and paints – There are many different types of dyes and paints that may be used on silk. Some dyes are fixed with steam, while others require separate chemicals for fixing. Powdered dyes may also be used for silk painting, but this is less common. Silk paints are very thin, but they leave some degree of feel on the silk, so they are best suited to home décor projects rather than wearable ones.

* Brushes and sponges – Watercolor brushes are quite suitable for silk painting. Sponge brushes also work well for many projects.

Silk painting is a bit different from painting on canvas and other surfaces. But for the artistically inclined, it’s not difficult to get started. A few simple supplies are all you need to create your first silk masterpiece.

Silk painting is a wonderful art form that allows you to experiment with vibrant colors on a piece of beautiful soft silk. Before you start painting, you should stretch your material. Badly stretched silk leads to uneven silk painting. The Silk Stretcher Frame is ideal for stretching your piece of silk before starting painting or batik waxing.

The Silk Stretcher Frame is made of wood, comes in four 24” long pieces that have notches for easy adjustment and perfect fitting. The frame can be adjusted to a maximum square size of 17 ¼ “.

Happy painting!

The Jacquard Silk Hoop Painting Fun Bag is a great way for beginners to experience the enjoyment of silk painting. Included is all the necessary equipment to get started.

The Fun Bag contains:
* 3 x 9 ½ “ diameter silk hoops stretched with Chinese silk
* 3 Dye-Na-Flow colors
* Gold water-based resist
* 2 brushes
* Silk salt

The equipment allows you to try various silk painting techniques. Silk painting brings to life the silk with beautiful vibrant colors and your own personal style. The finished silk will make attractive gifts for someone special.

Don’t worry, we’re not quite done with this topic yet. I’m just starting to discover the world that is silk painting, and there’s a lot of different aspects for us to look at still. Of course, nothing will ever win my heart like cross stitch has, but it’s still fun to play with other mediums now and then.