Incorporating Change Into Crafts

When my kids were teens, the only craft I did was needlepoint. Later, after my sister introduced me to scrapbooking, working with photos was my obsession. Nowadays, my craft of choice is graphic design.

I’ve enjoyed three completely different crafts over the last 10 years, two of which I rarely work on now. What has happened to all those years of knowlege and experience? Are they now worthless?

The answer is a definite NO. While it’s true I might never go back to enjoying needlepoint or scrapbooking, the remnants of my past interest show up on frequent occasions.

How?

There may be several subtle answers to that question, like influence on style (scrapbooking) or willingness to progress slowly on a project (needlepoint). But I like a less subtle answer. More often than not, when I work on graphic designs, they are usually printable for scrapbooks or patterns for needlepoint project. Those old hobbies haven’t disappeared from my life, they just manifest themselves differently now.

Another example. When I was younger I used to eat only margarine or butter. Later, for health reasons I switched to olive oil. Now I use a mix of olive oil and yogurt as a fat on potatoes, pasta, rice and vegetables. It’s delicious, but I would never have started this new practice, if I didn’t already have a love of creamy (from the butter) and olive oil (from my low-fat days).

Here are my questions to you:

How have your interests changed over the years? And, how have you current interests been improved by the remnants of your past?

To merge your new interests with your old, consider the following questions…

…Can you use the skills learned from a previous hobby in a new endeavor? A lover of sewing and cross-stitching can combine previously mastered skills to create handsewn baby outfits with cross-stitched collars.

…Can you use the subject matter from an old interest as the motif for a new? A sewing and golfing enthusiast can use golf themed fabric to make sofa pillows and awning for a porch swing.

…Can you combine two or more interests to make a third completely new interest? A hardcore fabric dyer and rubber stamper can experiment with using fabric dyes to stamp on cotton.

I’d love to hear your answers to these questions. Please write a comment to let me know what new and exciting projects you came up with!

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These Are A Few Of My Favorite Things

Each morning I check the hundreds of sites on my Google Reader, looking for new and innovative posts to use for Craft Stew.

What do I love to find on my feed?

These Are A Few Of My Favorite Things….

Quirky craft projects

Tutorials that help me to design my own project

Link Compilation Posts

Clothes Patterns that can be adjusted for all sizes

Instructions for creating my own tools

Design ideas with clean, fresh lines

DIY’s that teach me completely new skills

Delicious recipes with gorgeous photos

Tutorials that make something fabulous from throwaways

Completely new concepts in crafting

Think pieces that really have something important to say

Fabulous book reviews featuring tons of photos

Extremely Practical Posts

Posts that teach skills that can be applied again and again

Projects that can be personalized to my needs

Articles that save me money

Quick and easy crafts that look like they were hard to do

Very, very scary projects

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Quick & Frugal Ideas For Summer Fun

Looking for some cheap and educational activities this summer? Need something to occupy your kids before they destroy your house? Here a couple of quick and easy ways to keep both you and them satisfied.

Start with your library.

Libraries often have wonderful music, nature and reading programs running from June through August. Most of the programs are free but they do require you to reserve a place ahead of time, so call early to avoid a last minute disappointment.

Next, work your way over to the book section. Try to see if you can revive your children’s interest in Harry Potter. If not, dig into some good mysteries, historical fiction and how-to books instead.

Then, see what’s available in the crafts section. Our local library has half a dozen books on making “treasure from trash.” Also search for titles on dough crafts, paper crafts and scrap fabric crafts.

Before you leave, be sure to read the “what’s happening” section of your local newspaper. Most big cities have free outdoor concerts, puppet shows and art fairs throughout the summer months. See what’s in your neck of the woods.

Other Suggestions To Share With Your Kids:

Write to an email pen pal

Keep a nature journal of your own backyard

Make nature crafts – painted rock, wreathes, dried flowers

Design a quiz-type game show on history

Study cartooning

Build from cardboard

Cook an authentic Chinese dinner

Keep a diary

Create a historically accurate diorama from scrap materials

Read, read, read

Arrange a neighborhood yard sale

Get a job walking dogs, cleaning or doing errands for a neighbor

Make a food pyramid from old magazines

Learn to comparison shop for groceries

Plant a vegetable garden

Draw original mazes

Create a birthday card

Design a web page

Make a quilt from recycled materials

Volunteer at the library

Invent something

Observe your pet and record your findings

Grow an indoor terrarium

Learn origami

Learn a foreign language

Build with scrap materials

Make your own holiday presents

Compose new, science-based lyrics for popular tunes

Participate in online projects

Write a script for a puppet show

Learn to use a word processor

Attend local museums on free days

Learn to sew

Design a variation on the game checkers

Borrow educational videos off the internet.

Participate in a nature scavenger hunt

Learn to paint with watercolors

Practice cake decorating

Obedience train your dog

Create paper mache bowls from old newspapers

Make handmade paper

Buy and learn to play the recorder or harmonica

Enter all kinds of contests

Solve word problems

Make and observe a bird feeder

Play scrabble and other board games

Do low cost science projects

Give several of these activities a try. If your child doesn’t enjoy one activity, suggest another one instead. But, if you find that all your child wants to do is sit and veg out, let him make that choice. He may need the time to relax and, after all, it is summer.

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Free Creativity Ebook

Description : This Free Creativity Ebook is 18 pages long and requires you to fill in your name and email address. However, the content is quite nice.

Craft Link : Free Creativity Ebook

Source : Guideposts

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10 Ways To Boost Creativity

10 ways to boost creativity

source: dolmansaxlil

Most creative types have an abundance of ideas…but what happens when they suddenly desert you?

The need to create is a shared desire among artists, writers, musicians and even bloggers. But, sometimes we creatives hit a mental block and often find ourselves stressed, overwhelmed and unable to produce original ideas.

This happens to me from time to time, so I compiled a list of my proven ways to overcome mental blocks & boost creativity.

Go to 10 Ways To Overcome Mental Blocks & Boost Creativity to read more.

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Favorite Blogs And Sites

Several years ago, I wrote a post listing my favorite online reads. I love to hear about what my favorite bloggers read online, so I assumed such an article would be of interest to my readers, also.

Since that time, my choices for reading have changed a lot. In general, my reading has been pruned down, but there are a couple of additions. So, here is my new, updated list. Hope you enjoy!

Crafts

Crafty Pod - Why? Wonderful podcasts on a wide variety of crafty topics.
How About Orange - Why? Super classy blog with lots of very doable projects and great resources.
Little Grey Bungalow - Why? Lots of posts on retro living, vintage sewing patterns and forgotten crafting styles.

Homemaking

Unclutterer – Why? Lots of good advise and links on living a simple life in a small space. Not just a rehash of the same old advise.

Frugality

The Simple Dollar - Why? Because he doesn’t just recycle the usual trite money saving suggestions. He actually thinks things through before writing about them.

Board Games

Print And Play Podcast Blog - Why? Reviews of print and play games. (Only updates a few times a month)
Board Game Geek - Why? Anything and everything you could possibly want to know about buying, making and playing board games.

Cooking

Cheap Healthy Good - Why? I read this blog primarily for the constant stream of great links.
Jewish Food List - Why? Simple, down-to-earth recipes for folks short on time.

Blogging

ProBlogger - Why? Darren is the cream of online blogging resources.

Other

TED - Why? Hundreds of stimulating lectures and videos on a wide range of topics.

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10 Tips To Avoid A Creative Block

Almost every project I do has some creative part of myself in it. Even on a needlepoint from a kit, I change the colors, the stitches and sometimes the size. On a scrapbook or cardmaking project, I make sure every aspect of the project is unique.

But what happens when creativity just won’t come?

In 10 Tips To Avoid A Creative Block, Jacques van Heerden deals with this problem. Though the methods written about in the article are for graphic designers, anyway can benefit from the ideas. For instance…..

Looking through designs that were created by other people is usually a great inspiration too. People around the world has gone about setting up Inspirational Galleries for us to visit and view masses of art on the same website, saving us time and effort. I recommend visiting Inspirational Design Galleries as a hobby day to day too, keeping you up to date with the design trends.

Take a look at this interesting article. It’s a quick read, and it may come in handy one day.

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