Lady Pens » Crafts and Hobbies

Boredom and Frustration - A Knitter’s Friend

Lisa Akers — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 23:13:48 +0000

It seems a bit unusual to consider boredom and frustration to be a knitter’s best friend. I know that it wasn’t my friend when I began to knit. It’s that feeling that makes you want to give up in the middle of a project or makes you want to stab your needles in your leg. After you knit for a while and learn to enjoy the process of making stitch after stitch into beautiful fabric, you’ll come to see why boredom and frustration can be your friends.

Knitting isn’t Skydiving

Lisa Akers — Sat, 20 Sep 2008 23:13:23 +0000

You know, one of the most wonderful things I’ve heard lately is that knitting isn’t like skydiving. There’s very little that you can do when you’re knitting that you can’t take back or even accept as a flaw and move on. Skydiving, on the other hand, has some very grave consequences for mistakes. For those of you who skydive (or those who’ve watched it on TV), you know that every move is critical. That’s why you practice so much. Knitting has some critical moves, too. Fortunately, each mistake you make is an opportunity to learn a new skill and to learn something new about yourself.

How do you know if you need to take time to be still?

Lisa Akers — Sat, 20 Sep 2008 23:12:57 +0000

We’re living in an outcome-based society. If what you’re doing isn’t producing a result, chances are you’re going to quit doing it. We’re just too busy to keep doing things that don’t make something happen. When you started pruning your to-do list, I would bet that one of the first things you quit doing was taking time for you. It could be that you quit reading for fun or that you quit a hobby that you enjoyed. You may have quit spending time alone and watching the sunrise over a cup of coffee. You may have quit taking a long bubble bath. Looking back on that choice, has it served you well? What have you lost as a result of not pampering yourself for a few minutes each day? You may not know, but you should think about it.

The Benefits of Knitting Circles

Lisa Akers — Sat, 20 Sep 2008 23:12:28 +0000

I was reading Stephen Covey’s The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People and was struck by something very powerful. He said that our growing fear and insecurity about work, finances, the future, and the vulnerability that comes with that fear is really paralyzing our society. Our response to fear is to focus inward - to focus on our own performance and our own concerns with the hope that we will be ok. That was a real scary thought for me, as I see more and more of that in myself and others. Can you imagine what happens to society if we all become hermits?

Patience is a Great Teacher

Lisa Akers — Sat, 20 Sep 2008 23:11:51 +0000

I had an interesting experience last month. I was invited to teach a Girl Scout troop how to knit. I’ve taught kids before and had great success with it, but this was the first time I’ve taught a large group of kids at once. I was humbled by the experience and am giving thanks to all those fifth grade teachers out there who do this every day.

Prayer Shawls

Lisa Akers — Sat, 20 Sep 2008 23:11:20 +0000

Knitters and crocheters all over the world are hard at work making prayer shawls. Have you heard of them? These are the most amazing garments I have ever seen. It’s not because they are complex or because they use fantastic colors or stitches. It is because they are so simple, yet so powerful.

Building A Successful Craft Show Booth

Lisa Akers — Sat, 20 Sep 2008 23:10:15 +0000

If you attend craft shows as a vendor, you’ve probably experienced this: people walk by your booth, take a peek inside, and then walk on. Even if you do your best to greet them and invite them to browse, they smile politely and keep moving. How frustrating! I know that I’ve been there myself. I know I have great products, if people would just take a moment to come in, I know I could make a sale!

Easy Cookie Bouquets

Rachel Paxton — Sat, 20 Sep 2008 22:00:18 +0000

Surprise a friend (or your mom) with an easy-to-make cookie bouquet. Use your imagination to create a gift that special someone will really enjoy.

Vellum Birth Announcement

Rachel Paxton — Sat, 20 Sep 2008 22:00:00 +0000

Making your own birth announcements can be very easy and rewarding. By using vellum, you can announce the birth of your baby while also personalizing the announcements with a picture of your new bundle of joy. Here’s what you need to make your own vellum birth announcement:

How to Make a Girl’s Journal

Rachel Paxton — Sat, 20 Sep 2008 21:59:37 +0000

If you’re looking for the perfect gift for a teen or pre-teen girl or female friend, then you might want to consider a handmade journal. Use these tips to get started, then use your own creativity to create a personalized work of art. These journals also make great birthday or graduation gifts.

Easy Fabric-Covered Gift Box

Rachel Paxton — Sat, 20 Sep 2008 21:59:01 +0000

Patchwork fabric-covered gift boxes are an easy, affordable way to dress up any gift package. They’re also great for storage. Total preparation and assembly time for this project is approximately 2-3 hours, depending on the size of the shoe box.

Butterfly Candle Holders

Rachel Paxton — Sat, 20 Sep 2008 21:58:22 +0000

Butterfly candle holders are easy to make and a great gift idea. The materials are very inexpensive, and you can use your imagination for a variety of designs. To get started, you will need:

Friendship Albums

Rachel Paxton — Sat, 20 Sep 2008 21:56:49 +0000

I’m new to scrapbooking, and I still can’t believe all the possibilities there are for scrapbook layouts.

Easy Fabric-Covered Photo Album

Rachel Paxton — Sat, 20 Sep 2008 21:56:26 +0000

These thoughtful, inexpensive keepsakes are easy to make and personalize for any friend or family member.

Fall Leaf Collage

Rachel Paxton — Sat, 20 Sep 2008 21:56:05 +0000

Fall is a great time for kids to do fall crafts. Leaf collages
are easy to make and can provide hours of fall fun. Kids enjoy
looking for the leaves as well as using the leaves to create
their creative collages.

Easy Pumpkin Centerpiece

Rachel Paxton — Sat, 20 Sep 2008 21:55:03 +0000

Need an easy, inexpensive centerpiece for your autumn table? All
you need is a pumpkin and a handful of fall flowers. You can
complete this project in less than an hour!

Recycling Christmas Cards

Rachel Paxton — Sat, 20 Sep 2008 21:54:35 +0000

No one wants to throw away Christmas cards after Christmas. It
seems like such a waste! I have a few creative ideas for
recycling Christmas cards from visitors to my web site, as well
as a few crafty ideas of my own:

Kids Craft: Fall Leaf Placemats

Rachel Paxton — Sat, 20 Sep 2008 21:52:00 +0000

Making placemats from fall leaves is a fun activity for kids of
all ages. Even toddlers will have fun collecting leaves and
creating their own placemat. For this craft you will need:

Dyeing Pasta for Craft Projects

Rachel Paxton — Sat, 20 Sep 2008 21:51:24 +0000

Kids love to play with pasta! Who knew something so simple and
inexpensive could be so interesting to young children.

Christmas Cookies Scrapbooking Layout

Rachel Paxton — Sat, 20 Sep 2008 07:06:47 +0000

One of my favorite family holiday traditions has always been making Christmas cookies. It is a tradition that has been passed down through our family, and I am continuing it on today with my daughter. This year my daughter decided she wanted to try to make them herself, and they turned out great! I was the official documenter, taking pictures and recording the decorative results for our family scrapbook.

Christmas Tree Holiday Scrapbooking Layout

Rachel Paxton — Sat, 20 Sep 2008 07:06:22 +0000

A Christmas tree is a fun focal point for your holiday scrapbooking layouts. Here’s what you need to get started:

Christmas Present Holiday Scrapbooking Layout

Rachel Paxton — Sat, 20 Sep 2008 07:05:50 +0000

Accessorize your holiday scrapbooking layout this year with a brightly wrapped Christmas present. Here’s what you need to get started:

Preserving Thanksgiving Memories for Scrapbooking

Rachel Paxton — Sat, 20 Sep 2008 07:05:21 +0000

Last year our family tried out a new way to preserve Thanksgiving memories, and the result was truly a treasured keepsake.

Scrapbooking Teen Memories

Rachel Paxton — Sat, 20 Sep 2008 07:04:44 +0000

By the time your teen is in high school, you probably aren’t taking as many pictures of them as you used to. I have to keep reminding myself that I only have a couple of years left and no time to waste trying to capture fleeing teenage memories.

Easter Scrapbooking Ideas

Rachel Paxton — Sat, 20 Sep 2008 07:02:08 +0000

Easter is a great time to capture family photographs for scrapbooking. Even if you don’t scrapbook, planning your picture taking ahead of time ensures you won’t miss any of these great family memories. No family traditions? Then this is a great time to start!