Featured Crafter: Amy from ThePinkCamellia

In this Featured Crafter, we hear from Amy from ThePinkCamellia. Read on to hear how Amy’s Mother’s creations opened her eyes to the wonderful creative world. Amy is also offering a discount to all FreeCraftFair readers so be sure to check out her shop!

Tell me a little bit about yourself.
I am a thirty-something career girl, born and raised here in the San Francisco Bay Area. Though I have a full time, very fulfilling job, I often have the need to create something. I think all of us need to find hobbies and interests outside of work, and The Pink Camellia has quickly become mine! My brother and I were raised by our Mom, a hardworking (and very talented) single Mom that always encouraged our creative pursuits. As a little girl I used to watch her sew. She was a very talented seamstress, and used to make us things to wear that would bring such lovely comments. I think that is where all of my creative juices really started flowing, sorting through my Moms “button tin”, helping cut patterns and ironing fabrics. I can remember getting sent home from school with notes from my teachers, thinking I was somehow in trouble, and wondering what I had done. When my Mom would open the letter however, it would be a compliment on a cute outfit she had made for me, my teacher wondering where she could get something similar for her own daughter! I still remember being so proud of that. My inspirations for items really all stem from things I have made for friends and family in the past. Or I might just see something sparkly one day and decide I HAVE to make something from it!
Read more

Craft Fair Displays

Read more

Handmade Nation Documentary and Book

First-time director Faythe Levine traveled across the U.S. in 2006 to document what she calls “the new wave of art, craft, and design” in America. What resulted from this journey is Handmade Nation, the much anticipated documentary and it’s accompanying book available through Amazon.
Read more

Easter Craft Ideas

<

Parents Magazine has a few Easter craft ideas to entertain and delight your children.

Spiral Bead Ring

Wire rings are hot this year! This is one of my favorites and is sure to attract attention. Bead Studio has a step-by-step picture tutorial for creating your own wire wrapped ring.

Click here to go to Bead Studio’s Spiral Bead Ring tutorial!

Sock Monkey

Craftbits has put together a wonderful tutorial on how to create a Sock Monkey. It has very clear pictures showing each step clearly. Click here to go to CraftBits Sock Monkey tutorial!

Pam from NewLifeDesigns

My name is Pam & I live in Tyler, Texas. I’m a mother, wife, & a granny. I’ve been making jewelry about 4 years now, & I absolutely love it. I’ve been creative all my life, but I’ve never connected with anything like I have with making jewelry. My inspiration comes from life, culture,& nature. I love everything about it, from going to the bead store, being surrounded by all those gorgeous, shiny beads & finding that perfect bead or stone, to sitting down & creating something that’s a little part of me. I’ve finally found my bliss! I can really get lost in the process & time seems to just disappear. It’s also a wonderful way of sharing myself with others, as well as financing my habit! Read more

Yarnbombing

Hundreds of knitters around the world have begun wrapping their huge woolly creations around public property like trees, street signs and lampposts.

They then take photos of their colourful “art” and post them on internet sites for fellow knitters to view and comment on.

One of the most ambitious pieces of work saw a woman spend an entire week covering a disused single decker bus in colourful swatches.

The phenomenon, called Yarnbombing, is thought to have originated in the US but knitters are now beginning to cover British streets in woollen ‘tags’.
Read more

Screen-printing and You

Welcome to another Etsy how-to! Stinchcomb Matthews, Etsy Screenprinter and Historian, shows you how to set up a screen-printing press in your very own home using simple, inexpensive materials. Watch as Stinchcomb Matthews and his trusty assistant reveals the secrets of silk-screening.

How to Make a Ribbon Rose

This Valentine’s Day Special Show teaches you how to make a pretty Ribbon Rose. All you need are some nice wide ribbons, some metal wire, some green sticky tapes and a pair of scissors.

Next Page »