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This first book Knitting Without Needles is perfect for the beginner - the author even has a video to match the book. It is her video that helped me to learn how to finger knit. Look in the video section of this article for the video.
If you just want some patterns as you already know how to finger knit - take a look at this book for some extra ideas.
Finger Knitting Fun: 28 Cute, Clever, and Creative Projects for Kids
And, finally, there is a kit you can purchase to get it all going. This book gives your instructions as well as a kit full of ideas and materials.
This first video is how I learned the two methods of finger knitting. The instructions are clear and simple - it will have you finger knitting within 10 minutes or less. This video goes with the Knitting Without Needles Book.
Taking your skill to the next level, you will enjoy making a few minions!
This final video gives simple and clear instructions on how to make a Bear Beanie Hat. You will really enjoy working on this one.
My project was not so ambitious, I just wanted to be able to make something simple. Here are my two test strips! This is so much fun, I can hardly wait to try it with the rest of the family. The top part of the image is a four finger knit and the bottom one a two finger knit (I know they look like worms). Have fun with this!
Until tomorrow...
Painting for the Absolute and Utter Beginner
It is always best to find a great course locally through a community center or local studio. These resources will also help you along the way!
I always love to search YouTube for great courses and tutorials as well. The videos I picked from the vast sea of tutorials are popular and have great reviews. Watch them and pick up some great oil painting knowledge.
Time to break out the oils! My tutor is going to be my daughter and I can hardly wait to get started. I did oil painting in the past with a portrait of my brother with the encouragement of my mother who was an oil painting artist. My mother sold her paintings to make a living so I guess our family comes by it naturally.
I recently found out that my grandmother was also an artist (I was too young to realize it at the time). It does not mean the talent hit me but I am certainly pumped and want to give it another try.
Until tomorrow...
Bette
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]]>I first fell in love with Polymer Clay when my daughter starting working with it a number of years ago. Her children (my Granddaughters) started making little animals and jewelry for presents for the whole family. I treasure every fridge magnet and every bracelet they have made for me.
Polymer clay can lead to some amazing sculptures from simple for kids to the amazingly complete - my daughter made a dragon or two that blew me away. I am sorry I do not have photos of them but WOW!
]]>I first fell in love with Polymer Clay when my daughter starting working with it a number of years ago. Her children (my Granddaughters) started making little animals and jewelry for presents for the whole family. I treasure every fridge magnet and every bracelet they have made for me.
Polymer clay can lead to some amazing sculptures from simple for kids to the amazingly complete - my daughter made a dragon or two that blew me away. I am sorry I do not have photos of them but WOW!
Kids can get into clay the easy way using these polymer clays - you can get starter kits or samplers of the clay to get them started. Amazon has a really inexpensive one - Oven Bake Polymer Clay Sampler
You can even buy a Clay Press for flattening out pieces - keeps the rolling pin clean for baking!
You may be able to find these at your local library and they are well worth taking a look for ideas and how to handle polymer clay.
The Polymer Clay Techniques Book - a great starting guide
and another book for the artist who wants to take polymer clay to a whole new level - I mean sculpting incredible pieces of art!
The Polymer Clay Artists Guide
It is obvious, I know, that you will need Polymer Clay and you will also need a tray and oven (you can use a toaster oven).
Last but not least, you will need your imagination to come up with some ideas. So to help you along, I found some crafting tutorials to help you along the way.
I hope you have a chance to try some Polymer Clay art - it is fun and does not take long to cure in the oven.
Until tomorrow...
Bette
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]]>Crocheting is a passion for some of us but even if you don't do a lot of crochet work, these baskets are simple to make. You will not need to know a lot of stitches to put one of these together and that is a bonus. As for materials, I often use some of my scrap wool to make the basket even more appealing, however, it is entirely up to you on what you want to use.
]]>Crocheting is a passion for some of us but even if you don't do a lot of crochet work, these baskets are simple to make. You will not need to know a lot of stitches to put one of these together and that is a bonus. As for materials, I often use some of my scrap wool to make the basket even more appealing, however, it is entirely up to you on what you want to use.
Minimum of 1 skein of a thicker wool - you will want your basket to be sturdy and the softer, thinner wools will not hold up as well.
Size L (or smaller if you wish) crochet hook.
Here are a couple of variations of the crochet basket from YouTube!
Both of these designs are so cute! I wish I had more of them on my desk.
Until tomorrow...
Bette
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I know a sweater does not seem that easy - so here are a couple of videos which include patterns to get you going:
I hope you are able to complete a sweater - I know I am still working on mine!
Until tomorrow...
Bette
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Anyone can wreath - here is a fun project for you to try...
]]>Wreathing all started in the 16th century when the Lutherans in Germany when a priest made a wreath from a cartwheel to educate children about Christmas. Other history buffs claim that the Greeks and Romans also used wreaths using fresh tree branches and leaves. What it all comes down to is the fact that wreaths are used to celebrate almost everything you can image.
I have seen wreaths for Easter, Christmas, St. Patrick's Day, Anniversaries, and definitely weddings! You can make a wreath just because you want to make one! There is a whole segment of people who make wreaths as a hobby. You should check out Facebook for some of the groups that are listed there.
Getting started is truly easy. All you need is something that will make a round circle so you can attach items to it. Sounds ridiculous but you can cut a hole in a paper plate and use the outer rim, or you can rumple newspaper and create a right that way. You can also use wire, twigs, or almost anything you can bend.
I am going to walk you through the process of making a very simple wreath. I took photos along the way to show you what I did. As usual, please feel free to improve on anything I do.
Here are the items I used for my project.
So here is my step-by-step with images to help you along the way. Let's start with the end result so that you will know what you are working toward.
And you are done!
I do hope you had fun trying this project. There are so many different styles of wreaths you can make. Here are a couple of YouTube videos to help you out.
Until Tomorrow...
Bette
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]]>Haven't you felt like you could create your own stickers or vinyl sayings for your home? I see so many stickers in packages and find one or two I like and the rest will be stored until I can find some use for them. It is much easier to make your own even if you are not an artist, you just need the right materials and a design you can use.
Stickers have been used on jars for years and putting your mark on mugs and cups has also been around for a long time. Did you know that most sticker paper is not all that suitable for more permanent designs? Although some are dishwasher safe, you are far likely to keep your work intact if you wash by hand. Just keep that in mind when we go through this journey of creating a vinyl sticker.
As I have a personal thermos cup that I take to my favorite coffee shop, I wanted to put my name and a design on it so that it is identifiable as mine and there will be no mix-up and put coffee in my tea mug! Here is what I did to make my design.
I choose 2 text blocks. Text Block 1 simple states "Bette's"
Test Block 2 states "Tea Cup"
I wanted to curve each clock around an image that showed a tea bag or other design. I found some free clip art to take care of the design. It was very easy to put this together. Now for the more difficult part of the process.
BTW you can find some great videos on Vinyl Stickers - my favorites are Melody Lane and Jennifer Maker Marx.
This project was fun and easy! I am sure to do many more in the near future. Are you willing to try a vinyl sticker project? Here is one done by another maker!
Until tomorrow...
Bette
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]]>Of course, you will need to know how to finish off the ends so they do not show -
Making a bracelet will not take a lot of time, finding the right beads is the most time-consuming! For my projects, I really try to find the best beads that fit the project and the person I am making that bracelet for.
Until tomorrow...
Bette
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]]>These are the recommendations for a beginner. You can spend anywhere from $20 to $1000 on tools for this craft. I only have the beginner set - you can make a lot of projects with just the simple tools.
Here are a couple of links in Amazon for the basic sets:
Leather Craft Basic Stitching Set $20
Rather than having you follow my directions for making your first project, all you need to do is start with a bag of leather remnants and start creating.
My favorite video is this one:
So what are you waiting for?
I am still not finished my project, it is one of those items that will take more than just an hour to put together. If you follow the video, you will be making leather crafts in no time at all!.
Until Tomorrow
Bette
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]]>Here are some Washi Tapes that I have in my store (most of these items will be bulk buy so the price is cheaper - just click here.
BTW Be AWARE - a note to mention that I have tried so many Washi Tapes and I have a big bin full of various sizes and shapes - not all Washi Tapes are created equal and many I purchased cheaply did not stick for very long - what a disappointment! My dollar store purchases were the worst!
I hope you have fun with the Washi Tape project, I know a few of you have completed this project when we did the challenge in 2017. At any rate, you should have lots of fun testing Washi Tape!
Here are some more design ideas you might want to think about:
Don't forget to ask questions and post your project.
Until tomorrow...
Bette
I like the template style books as copying others for my first project is often easier than trying to think up something new and find I still need to hone my skills for the craft. I am sure the rest of you may just dive right in - I do but I still want to know the basics.
Today I am displaying a couple of the stained glass projects in my home - you will absolutely love these.
Have you tried creating stained glass (or using paper)?
I love the results absolutely every time.
Until tomorrow...
Bette
These two books will keep you going for a month or so! They are great places to get started and also great for those of us that have done macrame before.
Have fun with a couple of these projects!
Have you had experience doing macrame?
Here is a link to the rings and cord I am selling in my store (Copious Crafts) - MACRAME SUPPLIES
Until tomorrow...
Bette
We have all seen the display of products in stores and those beautiful scenes depicted in Etsy. Those mockups quite often make the difference between a sale of a craft and just a passing interest. Now I know not all of you want to sell your makes, but just in case, you might be interested in the world of mockups.
The shirt you see displayed here is a shirt I designed for St. Patrick's Day - The regular display was dismal and did not inspire anyone to buy it. Seeing it on someone in a scene really makes the difference. Here are more images of the same design - the bottom one is the original.
It can be quite easy to do a mockup if you purchase services from one of the mockup vendors that are out there. I like a few of them but often then charge a monthly fee - which can be good if you do a lot of mockups and they have what you are looking for. Most often it is t-shirts and apparel. When I design, I often want to have mockups that do not currently exist, so that is another story in itself.
If you want to have mockups just for your own crafts, then taking a photo that is pleasing to post with your product in it is the easiest way to go. Sometimes, however, you may not be able to take a photo. That is when you need to find a free photo (or pay for one) you can use to "place" your craft item.
This means you should become familiar with Photoshop or other photo editing software to allow you to make the changes to an existing photo. There are many excellent courses on how to do this in Skillshare. I keep pushing this but everything I have needed to know regarding graphics seems to be provided.
Now on to the mockups I created today, just playing around with my new Photoshop skills. I did a table cloth and a bedspread mockup.
Here are two different designs using the same background photo:
I even tried a tablecloth
These 3 were done with a couple of photos from a free site and using Photoshop and a few Smart Object tools.
Will you give it a try?
Until tomorrow...
Bette
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Here are a couple of recipe books to pique your taste buds:
Have fun with these books.
As for today's make, I have a new floral pattern that was fun to manipulate the size and shape of the images to make the pattern. I will post these to Patreon for those who want the full file.
What did you make today?
Until tomorrow...
Bette
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Image Photography by Anthony Garand
Did you ever put up your hand to take a turn to write on the White Board (or BlackBoard) at school? Most of us shied away from being anywhere near the front of the room facing our classmates but in the back of our mind, we always wanted to be picked!
Writing on a large board often takes a little more skill than you usually figure you need. The only thing that can save you is a lot of practice. Even then, it has taken me years to perfect my board writing so everyone could read it. Board writing and writing on a pad on an easel are pretty much the same things. Practicing your printing and handwriting is the real key to success unless you have a template to use.
Amazon offers 30 colors of chalk
The Art of Chalk is a great book to read if you want to learn more.
Today I made 3 small templates to use on a chalkboard (I use the chalk poster board for my creations). The templates were fun to create and it gave me some ideas about how I could use these for other projects such as wood burning or stenciling on furniture. I have uploaded the template to Patreon so you can download it for FREE (subscribers only).
Now for the fun part of this project, you can use any type of chalk, I prefer to use the liquid chalk as it dries and is more likely not to smudge. You can always spray over your design to make it more permanent.
Here is a chalkboard using a template or two plus a freehand flourish. You can see how the templates are so much better than my hand-drawn flourish!
Have you tried chalking?
Until tomorrow...
Bette
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As February nears its end, I am thinking about St. Patrick's Day and what kind of party I am going to attend. Last year a friend of ours arranged for everyone to meet at the "Shamrock" pub located near downtown. The Shamrock is a very popular place at any time as it is near the beach and on St. Patrick's Day it is particularly busy. We had to be there at 9 am to get a seat - and of course, we had to order a green beer. I am afraid that 9 am is not a very good time for beer for me but I placed the order and let it sit.
Everyone in our group had hats, shirts, sunglasses and more adorning their smiling and cheerful bodies. I had not planned enough to make anything to fit in so it was a trip to the dollar store to find a green boa, a hat, and even green nail polish. So be it...
This year I want to be a bit better prepared for the day. I thought I would create something special just for the occasion such a shamrock socks or even a big cloverleaf on a green t-shirt (takes a few days to get the product printed but what the heck).
My design will be very simple and just an emblem as I feel that is the best way to display the fun you can have on that special day.
Here is what I designed -
I will be pushing this design up to Patreon so you can download it for FREE. I am someone who loves to design and loves to share those designs. If you can support my art on Patreon, you will be well rewarded with so many designs that you may not have time to use them all in your own work. I would ask that you share my Patreon link so others join in.
Enough of that. This year I will attend the same party but will be prepared with my own style to make me an unstoppable force - I still will not drink the beer at 9 am but the company is sure worth the effort to attend.
What are you planning for St. Patrick's Day? Have you thought about dressing for the occasion or just wearing anything green?
Until tomorrow...
Bette
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]]>Someone asked me if preparing a new recipe for dinner counted as a daily make. I wasn't exactly sure how to answer the question but I started to think about it and making food is a craft in itself. I was more concerned that adding food to the mix would dilute my original intention of having a "craft" a day but calling them makes.
I think perhaps the presentation of the food on handmade dinnerware probably fits this question the best. Ceramics definitely qualifies as a craft. Still, ceramics is out of my ability for now. I will have to settle for making the napkins at the table.
I do a bit of the cooking at home but my husband does all the experimental cooking. He did a pasta carbonara last evening, a new dish for him and it was delicious. Thank you, Francois! My job is to set the table and then later wash the dishes (no dishwasher in our apartment). Easy enough for the two of us.
So my part is to decorate the table. Even though I have made candles in the past, I needed to find something I could do for the Challenge at the same time and napkins did fill the bill. I also redid the flower from yesterday to make a nice centerpiece.
Heartfelt Napkin designed by Bette
My flower looked much better than my previous one, thanks to practicing a bit more on that project.
My question to you is, "Do you decorate your dinner table"?
I ran across some ideas that may be of interest:
This first one is on YouTube and quite an in-depth look at table decorating: Home Decoration - The Dining Table
As usual, I found a couple of books on the subject. I thought the simpler ones made more sense for those of us who do not often decorate our dining tables.
The Napkin folding book certainly will open your eyes to all types of folds! So great to learn new tricks.
Share your craft today on our Facebook Group
We will also have more on Instagram: http://instagram.com/CopiousCrafts
Until tomorrow...
Bette
Bon Appetite!
]]>Wow, I can't believe how busy the weekends are! There are so many sales on right now plus people are thinking that Spring is around the corner so they are all out and walking downtown! It seems that spring projects are starting to be the norm at home, with new shelving going up, reorganization of my office, and sights on dinner with friends.
Those excuses never get in my way when it comes to crafting, there is always a lull in the constant activity to sit in my craft space and try something new. Today I decided that I wanted to try and make one of the flowers shown in a video I shared in our Facebook Group. Now the video I watched was moving at a pretty fast pace, so I had to slow it down to pick up the steps. It seemed to take forever to get the folds correct.
In the video, they glued pieces and it seemed to dry instantly. Not so for me as I used my E6000 - my favorite glue for sure! It is not something we sell in the store and I always find a good price for it on Amazon. It is not expensive - around $6.45 or so for a tube that will last a very long time.
If you want to try some of those flowers - here is the link to the video: How to Make Flowers
I also found a couple of books that were useful -
I think I will try another couple of the flowers from the video, my first one was a bit of a challenge because I used paper that was only patterned on one side and it was a bit thicker than what I could tell from the images. A double-sided paper that is fairly thin will probably work better. Once I got the hang of it, the rest was easy. Now all I need to do is clean up the glue mess on my desk.
So here is my flower: I will do better on the next try with better paper!
Did you have time to create something today?
Until tomorrow...
Bette
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Facebook Group: http://facebook.com/groups/CopiousCrafts
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Winter always seems to take longer than we would like. As I walked around our city today, there were daffodils showing their yellow glory, Croci displaying their beautiful man of purples and yellows, and even Hyacinth popping through the earth. I know in most parts of the country the snow is still around or still falling, but here on the West Coast, we are enjoying our winter in the mid-30s to mid-'40s. The snow here lasted barely a week and now is gone. There are tennis zealots out on the courts and the brave golfers are wading through the much on the greens in hope of perfecting that golf stroke before the season truly begins.
In anticipation of the spring, it is time to take a vacation to warmer places on your continent. If you are in North America, then Mexico becomes your playground. In Europe, you may be thinking about Gibraltar or even Lisbon. For those of us from Australia, it is not time to think about spring and summer, you are already there!
With the thought of travel, I imagine being on a cruise ship (I am a cruise ship speaker and speak on 3 or so cruises each year) or being on the ocean with its azure blue color and playful waves on a pebble free sandy beach. Ah...sounds perfect. In reality, I am here at my desk thinking about what to craft today. With travel on my mind, I decided to create a series of Nautical patterns to use on clothing, home decor, and even shoes. I had a lot of fun creating these and will create even more when the time permits.
Have you created anything with a travel theme? I would truly love to know!
I will be posting these creations on Patreon for those who love to get my FREE downloads. All Patreon supporters have access to these.
Here are my 4 designs with the nautical theme:
Please post your daily make under this blog article or on our Facebook group: http://Facebook.com/groups/CopiousCrafts
Remember we are also just starting our Instagram Account - so follow us here: http://Instagram.com/CopiousCrafts
Our YouTube channel is also being built right now - very few items there but the first subscribers will be given an amazing gift so be sure to subscribe to our channel.
Until tomorrow...
Bette
]]>We all spend time on the web looking at videos and learning from them as well. As a matter of fact, most of us are very visual but I still, and often, need to see the written word. I love the color, motion, and interesting topics but if I am learning something new, I truly need to see the transcript in order to really digest everything.
It could be that when we learn to read, we are learning to use text as the basis of understanding the world around us. The text, itself, if written well, can create a new world around us. I know when I want to learn something I first need to see it, be shown how it works or how it is put together, and then see the steps it took to make that creation. That is likely why we all love YouTube and the stuff we can learn from there.
I have heard that people have learned to knit, crochet, quill, and even quilt by just watching YouTube videos. I used YouTube to learn how to fix things, work on painting a project, and even how to fold paper to make an envelope. All of these are amazing ways to learn more and more. I not only use YouTube, but I am also a fan of Skillshare and other online courses. This is where you learn more than just a few steps in any process. My fav teacher, of course, is Helen Bradley - she is amazing and her courses include Illustrator for Lunch and Photoshop for Lunch.
If you are really into designs, then you can really get a good handle on both Illustrator and Photoshop through Skillshare.
Now on to creating videos. I brought up Illustrator and Photoshop because they are two tools you need to understand so that you can make your backgrounds and other effects. The other piece of software you will need is something such as Camtasia Studio (this has been my favorite program for many, many years).
I have used another video application called VideoMakerFX - a really great fast and quick way to make animated videos. This one is just a little difficult to use for instructions. It would be used more for promotional animated streams.
Here is a short video I did for Patreon:
We have just started our YouTube channel so it should be fun putting together some great videos on the projects we are working on. Hopefully, you will be able to learn a great deal from us - one of the items I want on this channel is to add the transcripts so it is much easier to follow along.
Today's recommended reading on making videos:
I hope you try and make your own crafting video - even our 10 year olds are making videos these days.
Until tomorrow...
Bette
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I have always said that I am not an artist, yet I have been able to add art to almost all the things that I make. Today, I want to explore the world of watercolor. I have been inspired by my good friend Wendy Dewar Hughes and her work on SummerBay Studio. She has put together an article that teaches you how to watercolor and to not be intimidated with it. I still am but will try in a way without the actual paintbrush.
Image by Artist Wendy Dewar Hughes
As I use Illustrator for much of my arts and crafts, the watercolor I use is through paint brushes I create or find inside the program. The results are often not as perfect as I would like (there goes that perfect word again) but I am happy with the results. I found things like a blob brush to give a drawing an unusual spin. Roses with leaves not having to paint inside the lines. I guess we could call this artistic license. I can use this for my excuse at any rate.
I have been inspired by all the colors that have been made available and also found that I needed to see them grouped in a way. I created some palettes inside of Pinterest to give me even more ways to see colors as they related to each other.
Palette Colors from a Photograph
Watercolor is a forgiving medium and allows for broad strokes of the brush to gain an effect. I love the results I have seen from Wendy and from my daughter Carina. I am sharing their work here along with my attempts. I know this is going to take a lot of practice to get where I want to be with watercolor and I know I can use this in other places for my designs.
Rose - Watercolor in Illustrator
Have you ever tried watercolor?
Here are a couple of books that may inspire you:
1. Everyday Watercolor: Learn to Paint Watercolor in 30 Days
2. Painting in Watercolor: The Indispensable Guide
3. Paint Yourself Calm: Colourful, Creative Mindfulness Through Watercolour
As you can probably imagine my bookshelf is weighted down with a lot of reading material. I am not sure if I mentioned that I am also an Internationally published author so my love of reading and collecting books comes by naturally! I particularly love the Paint Yourself Calm book - somehow it renews the soul and helps me to be more creative!
I am going to see if I can incorporate watercolor into paper engineering. That definitely sounds like a challenge but somehow I can see the two working together quite nicely. It will be one of those projects that will take a few days to do and I am happy to experiment and play around with it.
If you have any ideas about merging two or more "arts", let me know, I always love to learn new things!
BTW You can also go to Skillshare and find a few classes on watercolor, and, of course, there is always YouTube.
Until tomorrow...
Bette
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