The Library Is Your Friend

Craft books are a great resource for ideas and information and techniques. They usually contain color pages optimized to appeal to your attraction to bright and colorful things. But this also makes them expensive.

Which is why the library is your friend. I love my free public libraries. They will probably have a bigger variety of crafting books than you think. And if your library is part of a community of local libraries, you can request others that may not be near you. They might even have some newer books.

If they don't have the variety of crafting books you're looking for, you can always check out your local bookstores. The big chains Barnes & Noble and Borders have hobbies sections with all sorts of recent craft books. I enjoy flipping through its colorful pages and getting new ideas and twists on old ones.

And don't forget to carry a notebook around to jot down those ideas and inspirations. It's also good to just generally carry a notebook around because you never know when you'll see something you like in other stores, on TV, even on other people.

Cardmaking: An Intro

I love making cards. Paper is such a simple but wonderful medium. And I find it quite easy to be creative with paper. And there are so many pretty colors and designs on stock paper these days, you can slap it on a card and it looks as though you put more effort into its making than you actually did. In other words, even a little can go a long way.

You can make your own card stock by cutting paper - a little thickness usually feels like better quality, or you can buy cards already cut and folded with envelopes. There are ones that don't cost too much money and are easy and convenient to decorate. Paper stock with all sorts of designs can be bought in single sheets and in books. Find a pretty pattern, cut to the design or to the card size, and you've made yourself a simple card. Now, this is where the creativity can come in. Layering with more cut out paper, heat embossing, gluing gems, adding paper flowers and buttons, punching brads, the possibilities are endless.

Experimenting can be fun. And keep an eye and mind out for ideas, from things on TV to cards at stores to the ultimate research tool the internet. And I like to keep scrap paper around because you never know when you can use those pretty, little leftover pieces.

Jewelry Making: An Intro

Making jewelry can seem intimidating. After all, you can't still be wearing macaroni necklaces you made in kindergarten. But, as with all crafts there are different levels of difficulty. You just have to work your way up.

Now, jewelry making happens to be one of those crafts where you probably do have to spend on some supplies if you are starting from scratch. Unless you really do want to make a macaroni necklace (although pasta does tend to crumble with some wear and tear). You will probably need things like hooks and wire, beads to decorate, and of course tools like pliers and cutters, which you might have around the house. It can seem daunting especially if you want to jump right into the advanced jewelry making techniques for elaborate pieces, but there's something satisfying about being able to make and wear your own work even if it's simple.

Though the pink and purple earrings shown in the picture on top look like there's a lot of pieces to it, the actual construction was very simple and took only a few minutes.
The gold and bronze earrings on the bottom required some more construction because it deals with long wire pieces, but it too was not too complicated, just required some more time.

If you want to get even more basic, you can buy beads you like (the colors and varities available will make your eyes pop) and string a long necklace. If it's long enough, you don't even have to incorporate a clasp. I've made impromptu necklaces to match an outfit this way.

Sometimes it is just easier to buy cheap jewelry, although some can be obnoxiously expensive for the quality (I refuse to pay $15 for a piece of string with beads on it that I know I can make for less than half that). But then again, you can't show it off and say you made it. And they do make great gifts. But remember when you are gifting, that some people are allergic to certain metals so be careful. You can purchase gold, silver, and gold/silver plated hooks for earrings for example if that's a problem.

So those are some things to think about if you're interested in producing art you can wear. And don't forget the ghetto crafts spirit of improvising and experimenting. Like, try ribbon instead of string or wire if the beads are big enough to thread. Mix different mediums to make unique and funky pieces.

Ghetto Crafting: An Intro

tissue paper flower/corsage

Crafting is about improvising. How do I make something out of something else? It's a great way to express oneself in an artistic way, whether one is particularly creative or not. It's so easy a kid can do it. And crafts is such a general, all encompassing term that can include gluing a bunch of popsicle sticks together to building a dollhouse. You can sew a loose button on your shirt or make yourself a prom dress.

And because crafts is really an art and includes such a wide variety of fields, there's a million variations on cross mediums. For example, cardmaking doesn't have to be just paper and ink, sew a piece of fabric and buttons and you've just incorporated dimension and texture. There's countless different ways to assert your individuality. And the best part is it's handmade and unique.

Handmade gifts are so much more special and charming. That's why handmade things can also cost a lot. I, too at first was surprised at the sometimes exorbitant costs of a handmade product. I still think some things are. But there is a reason for this, as anyone who has painstakingly attached details to a work of art. I feel sometimes that the cost of my eyesight is not worth the extra work. And of course, I don't think homemade products can replace all of the things that can easily be purchased.

So, where does the "ghetto" come into crafts? Ghetto crafts is the epitome of improvisation. Substitution, making do, that's what it's all about. I know the cost of those pre-packaged embellishments. And being able to work without those extra expenses is possible.

We all accumulate physical "junk" in our lives. And usually that junk is just that, junk. But sometimes we find hidden treasures, sentiments long forgotten. I admit I am a bit of a packrat. I get a nagging feeling that someday somehow I just might quite possibly in some unknown way maybe perhaps will need this object again. This usually isn't the case, and I'll have sheltered this thing for years, needlessly as I will eventually throw it out in a fit of cleansing rage. But once in a while, I'll find something I'll incorporate into a project.

So is it all worth it? The time, the effort, the hoarding? Well, it's really up to you.
I'm a bit of a collector of hobbies. I find interest in a lot of different areas. Sometimes this is a negative, as I get intense about one artistic endeavor only to lose that inspiration and move onto another field, and end up with even more supplies and that ever-growing junk. It's kind of a schizophrenic approach, but maybe that's just my artistic temperament.
But the answer is simple, if it interests you, you can't help but to pursue it and make something out of nothing, as they say.
And if crafts isn't for you, well, then you probably won't be reading this anyway. Continue on with your life as usual.