Knitting 101: Everything you need to know in an 11 minute video!

Seriously folks, knitting is that easy. I’ve been teaching children to knit at the local library for over a year now and I have really learned to simplify the process. If you are new this video is for you. If you are rusty have a look and be reminded of the techniques. If you think you are unteachable and could never get the hang of it try it again. You can pause the video whenever you like and rewind it until you get it right.  This video shows you how to cast on (CO), knit (k), purl (p), and (BO) bind off.  Not bad for 11 minutes eh? I have noted what times each technique is covered below the video so you can skip around if you need to.  So, are you ready to get knitty with it?

See, I told you it was easy! For quick reference here is when each technique is demonstrated:

• Slip Knot 1:04
• Cast On 1:30
• Knit Stitch 2:50
• Purl Stitch 5:10
• Bind Off 7:00

If you get stuck on a project you can just refer to the part of the video you need. You’re welcome! I hope you have some time this weekend to do a bit of knitting. If you have any questions just let me know. Did you know all of those fancy stitch patterns you see in knit wear is just a combinations of knits and purls, who’d a thunk it? Happy knitting and til next time happy crafting!

Stamping with Watercolor Paint {use what you’ve got!}

Howdy friends! Today I have a quick, fun technique project for you that will have you making cards in minutes. Feel free to substitute supplies I used for ones you have on hand. You can use ANY watercolor paint for this. I use Gel Sticks on the card base but if you don’t have them try watercolor crayons, oil pastels or even kid’s crayons. It’s not about having the most resources at your disposal, it’s about being the most resourceful! Here is the video!

Here are a couple close ups of the quick cards from the video.

You can do this! You don’t need hours to create something worthwhile. Use those little snippets of time and make something wonderful! Thanks for stopping by and til next time happy crafting!

Save Money, Cut Your Own Picture Mats!

Happy Monday Folks! Just a quick reminder that today is the last day to enter to win a free stamp from About Art Accents, you just need to leave a comment on last Tuesday’s post for a chance to win and I will pick a name tomorrow! Now on to today’s tutorial! Have you ever purchased a mat for a picture at a craft store and wish you could have had a more custom size or paid a framer an ungodly amount to cut one custom for you? If so watch my 5 minute video to see how easy it is to cut your own picture frame mats:

All you need is mat board, it comes in 20″x32″ or 32″x40 sheets, you can buy it at a art/craft sore or order in online and save a couple of bucks per sheet. A Logan 2000 push style cutter (about $20, buy a pack of blades while you are at it), a craft knife for strait cuts, a metal yard stick ($2 at the hardware store),a pencil and a scrap of cardboard to cut on.

The best thing about cutting your own mats is that you get just the size you want. Also you can cut smaller mats from the scraps! If you are selling your paintings or photographs or storing them for a long tome you can slip them into clear acid free bags like I did here, then they go right into my print rack for art/craft fair sales. cha-ching!

Thanks for stopping by and til next time happy crafting!

Sew a 10 minute Skirt {and accessories!) Crafty Video!

Howdy folks! I was going to wait until tomorrow to post this but I thought you just might feel the need to sew after watching me make a skirt in 10 minutes, actually it takes less time if you get right to it! You need 1 yard of fabric for this project. I got the idea from the Grosgrain Fabulous blog, and it is, well, fabulous! I was so excited that I wore my new skirt to a baseball game Thursday night (and practically  froze my behiney off!) but darn it I looked cute! I’m going to pick up a couple more yards of fabric and elastic when I am in town today because I see many more 10 minutes skirts in my future!

The important thing to remember when you buy your material is to make sure the salvage (finished) edges look good and the pattern extended all the way to the edge, that way you won’t have to hem this puppy! Here is the video to show you how to make this easy and I daresay cute skirt!

And because I know you want to be extra fabulous here is how to make some cool hair goodies:

Fun huh? So now you see why I didn’t make you wait, you will want to sew something new to wear today right? Thanks for stopping by and til next time happy crafting!

Easy Sewing Project: Shopping Bag Caddy

Good morning! Today I am going to share a very easy sewing project. It is a great one for kids to make too as gifts. It is a bag to wrangle all of those plastic shopping bags we get when we forget to take our cloth ones to the store. I like to have these plastic bags around for lining trash cans, collecting road-trip rubbish in the car and of course when I walk the dog.

You will need:

1 fat quarter of fabric (or fabric left over from another project)

1/4″ sewing elastic

sew-on Velcro

grosgrain ribbon

sewing machine, thread, strait pins and a safety pin. You will also need scissors and something round to trace such as a plate.

Watch the video to see how it is done!

Well, how easy was that! I love it when a project can teach new skills such as making a casing for an elastic (hey, now you can make a skirt or pair of pajama pants) or sewing on Velcro witch is a great thing to know your all of you home decor divas out there! If you enjoyed this project and want to try yourself please check out the wonderful ribbons and other craft supplies available from our sponsor Papermart! Thanks for stopping by and til next time happy crafting!

DIY Frame Embossing Templates {video!}

Happy Friday friends! Boy, have I got a fun project for you to try this weekend! Making Your own embossing frames! These are cardboard frames you can cut and use with your embossing folders so you only emboss a section of your card and leave the rest flat for stamping like I did on this card:

Check out this video to see how it is done!

Here are some more examples:

I’m going to keep it short and sweet today, I made up a couple more batches of earrings yesterday and I need to package them up then load up the van with my craft fair stuff. I am feeling the panic I always do before a show ”Did I make enough stuff? Will anyone buy it?!?”  But in the end I know I will be fine, even if I sell nothing I’m only out the $15 for the table and I will have lots of new inventory for next time. Wish me luck! Thanks for stopping by and til next time happy crafting!

DIY Dress Form Display & 50% Off!

Howdy folks! First up I want to let you know that Everything at Lindsay’s Stamp Stuff is 50% off today only, yay!  Next up I want to share a dress from display I made:

Guess what, I made it from an empty dish soap bottle. When I saw this tutorial on Beansie Babbles blog I knew I had to try it! Of course with my housekeeping {or lack there-of} style I don’t empty a bottle of dish soap that often (everything, I mean EVERYTHING gets crammed in the dishwasher so I rarely use the wash-by-hand soap) but when I did happen to empty a bottle this week I had to try it!

I think if I make another one I will use a bottle of JOY or AJAX because the bottles are slimmer. My Nature’s Place all natural bottle is a bit full-figured…well, I guess the old adage about every piece of art being a self-portrait is true LOL!

After covering the bottle with tape I painted it:

I used up my matte decopague glue on my jewelry display board last week so all I had left was glossy Mod-Podge, I’m not crazy about the shine, I should have used watered down glue I think…

The decorating is the fun part, I used some papermart tulle and elastic to make a removable tu-tu, and added scraps of lace and plastic bead strands. I think I will use it on my craft fair table to hold a sign or hand jewelry off, I’m not sure.  I decided not to have a pedestal under it because I did not want it to be tipsy but I bet an old candle stick would work if you wanted one.

Tacky or classy? What do you think? Thanks for stopping by and til next time happy crafting!

On the Road to Shambala!

Ooooweeeooohhhoooo…ya ya ya ya ya …we’re on the road to Shambala today as we make some fun Shambala style macrame bracelets!

This bracelet is constructed of square knots and beads using cord. You will need:

6 feet of 2mm rat-tail cord (or cord of your choice)
2 feet of hemp cord (or any fairly stiff cord that you can slide your beads on to)
7 large hole beads (lampwork glass or furnace glass beads are perfect but see what you have, the holes need to be big enough to slip on the hemp cord)
A clip board (or scrap of wood/cardboard) and binder clips
super glue (or clear nail polish)
A lighter (or lit candle) for melting the cord ends (grown-ups only!)

Watch the video for complete instructions!

Once you get the hang of it you can make these bracelets in 15-20 minutes. This is the same technique (minus the beads) that are used to make the popular parachute cord (paracord) bracelets too! I think these bracelets can be worn by a man, woman or child however when I asked my husband if he wanted one he said they were too girly, I said that her must be thinking of the wrong one, I was talking about the knotted one with the beads and adjustable dangles on the end and he said “anything with a ‘dangle’ is girly” Well, folks, there you have it;) Other than a wedding ring my hubby is not a jewelry wearer

That does it for me today, we have a busy school break planned with lots of fun so if I don’t manage to get a blog post up every day this week it is because I am having too much fun with the kids! If I do manage a daily post it will be because I have convinced them to craft with me! Thanks for stopping by and til next time happy crafting!

Let’s color! (A quick demo of Intense pencils)

Happy Tuesday! First off I am so very happy to report that I cleaned all day yesterday (yuck) and my house is still clean today (yay!) No thanks to my dog who thinks all of the rainy ditches along the side of the road are her personal wading pools. I can go to my studio today feeling virtuous as I play with paper, beads, paint or whatever else strikes my fancy. That is If I don’t pull something with all of this patting myself on the back, ha ha! Today I am going to share a card I sent to a friend of mine who had her appendix out last week, I thought the colors would cheer her up

I stamped the image with Stampin Up Basic Black (because I happen to be one of the rare birds who like that ink) and colored it with inktense pencils. If you have never used them before they are wonderful, they are a watercolor pencils but super vivid and once you wash over them with water they become semi permanent meaning you can paint over them (gently) and the color won’t lift…watch out for the reds though, they can smear a bit if you are not careful. These are my favorite pencils and they cost about the same as other artist quality pencils. That said you can do the same techniques with any colored pencils just be careful when you go to wash over the colors that you don’t smear everything underneath. Watch the video to see them in action:

With markers being all the rage right now many stampers forget about the humble watercolor pencil but I urge you to try them again (or for the first time!) They are inexpensive vs. markers. One watercolor pencil has 100 times the ink/color as a marker and a pencils costs $1.50 or less vs. $3-$7 for a marker. They blend easier so you don’t need as many colors and they are great for kids too! If you are looking for a less expensive, but quality watercolor pencil set the Karat brand is good and I think you can get a 24 pack at staples for under $20. You can find the Inktence at the big craft stores as well and use a coupon but I think if you want the big set you  are better off checking Blick Art Materials, Cheap Joe’s or ASW Express and see what deals they have going;)

 

To simply finish this card I layered pattern papers from the Floral Fair stack (DCWV) onto a kraft card base and threaded a length of baker’s twine (papermart) through a bunch of buttons and used glue dots to adhere it to the prepared card base. Thanks for stopping by and til next time happy crafting!

Easy Paper Easter Baskets!

Happy Saturday folks! Tomorrow is Easter and if you have 3 minutes I’ll show you how to make these cute paper Easter baskets:

I used 6″x6″ double sided paper from My Mind’s Eye for these baskets but you can use any size square you like. If you want a big basket use a 12″x12″ piece of heavy cardstock and score it in 3rds just like I did here. Watch the quick video to see how easy it is:

Fun huh? I think these would be cute with some crayons inside perched atop a paper place-mat to entertain little ones waiting for Easter dinner! Thanks for stopping by and til next time happy crafting!