As I lifted a perfect loaf of bread out from the oven, I couldn’t help but be appalled by my potholders. On top of being worn through, I couldn’t even identify what food lined the crusty edges! At times like this, I’d usually remember to pick up a few during my weekly shopping trip….but fortunately, that habit has changed! Yearning to be more self-sufficient, I learned to knit my own potholders.

Grabbing some yarn from the hall, I sat down in front of my stone fireplace and got to work. Scared by the thought of “knitting,” I was shocked when I discovered the ease of it. A year ago, I had bravely purchased a knitting loom and a bundle of colored yarn from my local fabric store. Not having a friend who knits, I went online and found some great beginner tips (things only a true knitter could teach you). Potholders were my first project. Locating a free knitting pattern online that was easy to read and actually made sense, I went to work!

Within a few hours I had my first potholder! Ecstatic, I began to turn out potholders in no time. I became quicker at my new art, and started giving them out as gifts to everyone I knew. Christmas colored potholders are a favorite to give out with my famous oatmeal raisin cookies each December. That way, my loved ones are each getting something I put my time and love into. Not something I bought on a whim at the local super store.

Not only have I acquired a new skill, I have taught several of my friends how to knit as well! Using a free knitting pattern, it doesn’t take much money to make a homemade treasure. Getting back to the basics is something I have wanted for my family. As I sat in front of the fireplace with my yarn in hand, I was grateful for being brave enough to try something new!

Working for almost 10 years straight, I was a bit shocked after the birth of my first son.  I had always yearned to be a stay at home mom and raise my kids.  However, going from talking to adults all day to little babies, was a major transition.  Two kids and 4 years later, I have learned that I still need that grown-up social interaction. That’s when I formed a crafting club.

Running a tight household, I relied on myself to come up with creative ways to save a penny.  My love of decorating combined with some good online crafting ideas, gave me all the ammunition I needed to start a crafting club.  With a quick call to some of my close friends and a few neighbors I wished to know better, we set up a weekly time to meet.

Our process is quite simple.  Every week one of us is in charge of coming up with a crafting idea.  Using a decorating or crafting website, we always find things that we want to make.  Whether for holidays, entertaining, or everyday items, it’s always fun to make something with your own two hands.  The projects are cheap, and the payoff, rewarding.

Being indoors the majority of the day, we relish getting a few moments outside.  With the help from a sturdy monitor, we put our sleeping babies down to rest and head out to the back patio.  With only a glass pitcher of lemonade and a few snacks, we jump into our project.  I have been amazed at the things we can accomplish when we are together.  We laugh, share stories and have a glorious time.

I used to think that being a stay at home mom meant becoming somewhat of a hermit.  Learning to respect my needs for friendship and socializing was a major help to the rest of my family.  I have become a much happier mom and quite the accomplished crafter.

Spring is one of the most anticipated times of year…especially if you live in a colder climate. The winter snow has melted away and cherry blossoms are blooming on that backyard tree. It’s time to brighten up your house with the signs of Easter! Whenever you’re in need for an instant craft, always look to the brown paper bag. These bags are dirt cheap and have several uses ranging from decorative lanterns to holiday centerpieces. Grab the kids and get ready for a fun and crafty afternoon.With holidays such as Thanksgiving and Christmas, decorating for Easter seems to get overlooked. If you want to spruce up your Easter collection, a good place to start is with Easter Bunny Sacks. Finding online instructions, the only things you will need to purchase are the sacks, tracing paper and whatever painting colors you desire. Having a good supply of some basic paint colors will allow you to mix and create a broad range of other colors. Accessing an online crafting website, print off an Easter Bunny template designated for this particular project. Carefully place your tracing paper right on top and copy the full design. After you are completed with the tracing process, it’s time to mix up your paints. There should be instructions online for what paint colors would look best with the project, but ultimately the decision is yours! Use your favorite Easter colors and watch the Easter Bunny Sacks come to life. After the bags have dried, stuff them with brightly colored Easter paper. You now have a beautiful and unique gift bag, or a household decoration. If you’d like, forget the tissue paper and use them as lantern bags to illuminate the front porch. You can even loan these fabulous little sacks to the Easter Bunny for his annual “delivery.” Whatever you decide, you now have a fun and quick Easter Bunny template to look forward to every spring!

I’ve idolized my grandmother for about as long as my memory serves. She has taught me how to load a mean dishwasher, place crisp sheets on a bed just right, organize a household, cook, etc. There was one Christmas, however, that she has stood out in my memories. It was the Christmas my Grandma patiently taught me to make crafts. Grandma does some serious senior scrapbooking, but her crafting is legendary.

Traveling over the river and through the woods accurately describes going to my Grandma’s house this particular year. I was 9 years old and Christmas held every promise in the world for me. After 10 hours in the car with 3 other siblings, I was ready to get out and enjoy the wintry scene laid before me at my Grandparents house.

As I entered the house, the smell of cookies and bread met my nose. Nothing beats the aroma of homemade goods…especially Grandma’s. The dining room table is what caught my eye though that day. Set up for us kids were ruby red, emerald green and crystal beads. Grandma explained that she wanted to teach us how to make Christmas ornaments for the tree. Any time with Grandma was deeply “treasured” time, and I desperately wanted to get started.

For hours Grandma sat with me and my siblings and helped us thread beads onto our wire. We made candy canes, stars, bells, etc. Every single ornament was uniquely designed by our own hand. When we finally finished our task, we placed the ornaments on the Christmas tree and hit the lights. I still can picture those little ornaments to this day. The colored light that burst through the beads was nothing short of magical.

We didn’t have many material possessions that Christmas, but it didn’t matter. We had a Grandma who cared enough to spend quality time with us. As I sit with my own two sons now and reflect on that winter day so long ago, I can’t help but want to try a little harder. Taking time for crafting with kids, teaching them to use their hands and imaginations is invaluable. Showing them how to invent and create different crafts and projects will help in their development. Life has seemed to speed up a bit and it’s hard to get away from those every day distractions that face us. For me, it’s time to get back to the basics. It’s time to give my kids their own memories to smile fondly upon in years to come.

There are some things that you can’t put a price on in life; like the light in a child’s eyes during the holidays. Feelings of anticipation, love, and hope grace the air as Christmas creeps closer and closer. Anything we can do as parents to amplify those feelings in our children, will help spread that priceless Christmas cheer all around us.Creating a countdown calendar for Christmas packed with goodies and a mini sized surprise is just the thing to celebrate the season. As adored as Christmas crafts already are, this one in particular is loved by all ages of the family. Starting in November, get your supplies ready for making this project. Kids can definitely help, but it’s also fun keeping it a secret and watching their little faces when you reveal the calendar.With a poster board, fabric, small envelopes, Christmas paper, and a good set of instructions you are ready to start your project. Finding just the right paper, ribbon and other supplies is the fun part. There are so many options available at Christmas to choose from! You can design the calendar to coordinate with your home decorations, or aim it more towards pleasing the wee ones of your family. Once the calendar is complete, you can start stocking it with surprises of all sorts. Most stores carry small Christmas chocolates, mints, candy canes, or other goodies. You can also write up fun activities, service projects, other Christmas crafts, movie nights, etc. to fill the days up. Kids love one on one time spent with their parents. To top off the perfect Christmas calendar, type up a story, poem or quote to share with your family, each day. Right before the kids are tucked in for the night, have them open an envelope and see what’s inside. Most years, the Christmas rush seems to consume us. Taking a few precious moments to enjoy Christmas each evening will help our kids feel the full effect of the “holiday spirit!” Christmas will be that much sweeter when it finally arrives.

There is always one teacher from your youth that sticks out in your mind. One person who went that extra mile and not only taught…but touched. This teacher for me was Mrs. Allen. Gray hair and a pointy chin, Mrs. Allen was loved the moment she was met.She taught us everything we needed to know educationally… and then she showed us how to do all sorts of fun crafts; Christmas crafts to Easter crafts to just-for-fun crafts. We made things from popsicle sticks, glitter, glue and crayons. We learned that we could invent at 9 years old! The sky was the limit, and every day held another adventure. I remember one such craft that I still have in my possession over 20 years later.The morning was particularly cold, even for northern Utah. The snow was high and Christmas was on its way! My mom had sent me to school that day with a miniature sized picture of myself. A freckled little girl, I had never thought myself as beautiful. As I held that picture though, I remember the feeling of pride at how well my school pictures had turned out that year. I was anxious to take it to school for whatever project we were attacking next.After completing our daily work, Mrs. Allen handed us a white foam ball the size of a softball. She then asked us our favorite Christmas colors. Mine were most definitely red and silver that year. Two neat little baggies of red and silver sequins were then placed on my desk. At that age, anything that shined captured my attention fully! Mrs. Allen then told us we would be making a Christmas ornament that would take several days to complete.Each day I would come to school, so eager to continue working on my craft. Using little silver pins, I remember carefully sticking each sequin into my foam ball. I had come up with a terrific idea for a pattern and couldn’t wait to see it completed. When I came to the middle of the ball, Mrs. Allen gently helped me pin my miniature school picture onto the front. After that final sequin was put in place, we wrapped them in tissue paper to present to our parents. There was never a prouder little girl than I, that day.Mrs. Allen loved crating with kids and the kids loved Mrs. Allen because of it. My ornament, roughed up with time still holds my little school picture neatly pinned on the front. I don’t remember much of what was taught that year, but I do remember Mrs. Allen teaching us to make crafts. Her passion for art and using imagination rubbed off on a young girl and has stuck with her through the years.