The Quaint Crafter

If you were to stop by my house during the holidays, you would quickly realize my favorite holiday theme is Santa Claus. From my mantel filled with my mother’s ceramic Santas to my holiday countdown calendar and welcome sign, Santa is everywhere in my house.

It’s no surprise that when I went to my local Savers and saw this sad pair of earrings hanging by the checkout lane, I grabbed them without a second thought. The big Santa heads instantly caught my eye, and the price wasn’t bad.

But despite my love for Santa, these earrings had seen better days. They also had two things I absolutely can’t stand: jingle bells and french hooks. Sure, they were also pretty tacky, but when it comes to Christmas fashion, tacky doesn’t stop me. So, I went to Michael’s to buy a pair of pliers and then got to work.

In addition to jewelry pliers, I also picked up a bag of gold-plated jewelry findings to replace the French hooks. I got them very inexpensively from Walmart. I liked that they had an attached jump ring for the Santa.

To jazz up the earring finding, I added a flatback pearl to the front of it. I used Liquid Fusion glue to adhere it securely. I find this glue works best for attaching rhinestones and pearls to my projects.

Flatback pearls come in a range of sizes and colors, and I love having them on hand for my various crafting. I also added a small red flatback rhinestone to Santa’s hat for some added sparkle.

After that, it was surprisingly easy to attach the Santa charm to the new earring findings. The pliers really came in handy, and made the project go quickly.

I love my new earrings. It’s a little something old with a little new. The best part was how quickly I was able to do it. There’s something satisfying about wearing an item you had a hand in crafting. With all the leftover jewelry findings I’m planning on looking for more charms to make for other holidays like Valentine’s Day and Easter. Who knows, maybe I’ll become a jewelry maker!

I’ve been working on a pretty big project this past year. The exterior of my house needed a makeover, so after a little debate, we opted to vinyl-side the house. It looks great, and now I finally feel like decorating the outside of my house for the holidays. Enter two very large wooden nutcrackers.

As I usually do, I went to Michael’s Craft Store in search of some Christmas clearance crafts just after holidays. When I found these two guys hanging by the 70% off clearance sign, I knew exactly what I wanted to do.

First up was paint. I used inexpensive craft paint in basic holiday colors. I wanted the nutcrackers to be coordinated since I am planning on hanging them on either side of my front door. Once I was done painting, I decided to name my new guys Mario and Luigi after their likeness to Super Mario Bros.

When it came to the scepter they both hold, I decided to paint them to look like cherry candy canes. They’re my favorite type of candy cane, and I thought it would add some fun color to my nutcrackers. I even kept the colors in the same order as the candy canes.

After I was finished painting, I went in with a white paint pen and outlined the details of the nutcracker to give the project some definition.

Since the nutcrackers will be hung outside, I wanted to make sure I protected them from the elements. To ensure the wood doesn’t bow, I bought white exterior paint at Home Depot for the backside of the nutcrackers and a sealing spray for the front. I sprayed two coats of the sealer on the front of the nutcrackers.

I painted two coats of the exterior white paint on the backside of the nutcrackers. I will do a polyurethane seal on the backs of the nutcrackers, but for the front I sprayed them with two coats of waterproofer. I didn’t want the wood too glossy for the next step in this project.

With the nutcrackers painted and sealed, it’s time to start the really fun part: the sparkle. Yes, I plan to cover these two guys with thousands of tiny flatback rhinestones. So far, I’ve had a lot of fun painting these guys, but I’m hoping adding the rhinestones is going to elevate this craft to the next level. Stay tuned for part two and keep crafting!

Last month I lost my mother, Peg, just after Christmas. She had been struggling with dementia for the last years of her life. It was a horrible end to a life filled with creativity. I got my crafting bug from her. My mother painted, crocheted, and even created art with chocolate molds. It makes me sad to think of all the things she could have created if dementia hadn’t cut her life short.

There will never be another woman like her, and I want to try to keep her legacy alive. I’m hoping to compile a photo collage of some of her paintings and other creations in the coming months with other blog posts. Her talent was immense, and I want the world to know.

While I take a bit to grieve her loss, I want to share with you some poems I wrote years ago. Writing is a craft, after all. I found them buried under years of other memories. I wrote them just after my grandmother passed away over twenty-five years ago.

I got the idea to write these poems when my mother and I went to a religious store to get some memorial cards printed for my grandmother. Though not as popular now, memorial cards were a popular thing at wakes or to insert in thank you cards. Together we poured through the book of images and poems, hoping to find the perfect words to sum up my grandmother’s life. We finally found one we liked, but I was struck by how few memorial poems there were. Everywhere I looked were the same poems and images. I wanted to change that, so I decided to try my hand at writing some poems.

I’m no poet, but I came up with a few passable poems. I thought about starting a small business to make my own memorial cards, but life took me in other directions. Family and work never allowed me the time, and I had no idea how to start such a business. The poems got tucked away into an old box of photos and forgotten. I found them when I was looking for pictures to display at my mother’s wake. I think that is her way to telling me to share them with you now.

I hope in sharing these poems is that someone might find comfort in them. Take care and keep crafting.

A couple of Novembers ago I was at Michael’s Craft store and stumbled upon a bin of 90% off Halloween items. Mixed into the bin was a small orange tree. Normally, I’m not into mixing holiday decor. A tree means Christmas to me, but at under $5, I saw the possibilities of this little tree. So off it went with me.

I’ve been slowly accumulating Halloween ornaments to adorn my tree. Some are real ornaments, others are floral picks I converted into ornaments. I even strung a set of purple lights on it. It turned into a really fun project, but I couldn’t figure out what to use as the topper to this tiny tree. A witch? Dracula? I was stumped until it hit me one night: a traditional Christmas tree is topped with a star. Why don’t I make a moon for the top of my Halloween tree?

I bought a four-inch wooden crescent moon online. I thought this shape was the most recognizable for a moon. For the color, I used yellow acrylic paint I already had on hand.

But I felt like paint wasn’t enough. So back to the craft store I went. I found some sparkly flat-backed rhinestones at Michael’s. Bead landing rhinestones come in a variety of colors and sizes and are a nice alternative to my beloved Diamond Dotz.

Like with Diamond Dotz, the rhinestone’s color shows better with a similar color painted as a base underneath. I opted to get an assortment of sizes of stones instead of just one size. I think the different sizes of the rhinestones give the moon some depth and texture – just like the real moon.

To attach the rhinestones, I used Liquid Fusion Heavy Duty glue. I used a craft stick to spread a thin layer of the glue onto the piece. To make handling the rhinestones easier, I simply used my Diamond Dotz applicator and some wax.

To attach the moon to my tree, I straightened a small paper clip and glued it to the back.

This project only took a couple of nights after work to complete. I love how sparkly the rhinestones look. When the tree is lit, the moon literally glows. I’m glad I was able to make this beautiful topper to complete my tree. It reminded me that when you can’t find what you’re looking for, just craft it.

This summer is flying by, but I wanted to share an easy craft I did to spruce up my kitchen. I’ve been busy with a new job and dealing with my mother’s illness, so finding time to craft has been hard. The awful New England humidity hasn’t helped. Any craft that involves the outside has been hard for me to finish, so some of my larger projects are on standby. But a chance trip to JoAnn Fabrics gave me an idea to create some colorful magnets for my fridge.

I found some wooden cutouts at the front of the store on clearance. I picked up a set of four fruit-slice coasters, a strawberry and a watermelon shape . Then I went straight to the paint and Diamond Dotz section. I was sad to discover that JoAnn’s is getting rid of their Diamond Dotz Freestyle section, but I was able to pick up a lot of colors in the clearance bin.

After finding coordinating paint and Diamond Dotz, I got to painting. The pieces were small, so it didn’t take long to paint them all. Luckily, I was able to use the same colors for a few of the fruits, so that helped with the cost of this craft. For the watermelon I used a small piece of sponge to create white on the rind.

When it came to adding the Diamond Dotz, I took my time. Every night after work I would do a small section. I find my Diamond Dotz crafts bring me the most peace. I love how I can forget all my stresses and concentrate on placing each gem. I used LiquidFusion glue to ensure the Diamond Dotz stayed in place. My tip is to pour out a little at a time then spread the glue with a craft stick to a thin layer.

When I was done, I added a small magnet to the back with the same LiquidFusion glue I used to apply the Diamond Dotz. I let it dry overnight before attaching them to my fridge.

I love the way these magnets dressed up my otherwise dull refrigerator. The Diamond Dotz add sparkle, but they also help to bring out the color of the paint. Crafts like this prove that no matter how small a craft project is, if it makes you happy it is worth doing. I’m hoping once the humidity is gone to work on some furniture projects I’ve got stacking up in my basement. Happy crafting!

Spring is finally here in New England. Where I live, that means the dogwoods are in bloom and the daffodils are out in full force. With the tulips just starting to burst, I wanted to share a wooden wreath craft I just finished.

I bought this wreath last Spring at Michael’s craft store, but wooden crafts like this are available at most craft stores. It caught my eye right away, but like I always do, I decided not to buy it. Why can’t I make a decision on the spot? Well, I have a million half-done crafts taking up a good chunk of my craft area. Do I really need another one? But, this one stuck in my head. So, the next time I stopped at the store, I bought it. Lucky for me it was on sale.

The first order of business was figuring out how I wanted to paint it. After some research on the different colors of tulips, I picked out my colors. Then I marked the tulips with a pencil to help me spread out the different colors evenly.

I used acrylic paint for the tulips and leaves. Since my plan was to cover the tulips and stems in Diamond Dotz, I bought the paint and gems together to ensure I got a close match. I used darker and lighter colors to give depth to the flowers.

The toughest part of this project was selecting the background color. My original plan was to stain the background light oak. But once I did it, I quickly realized that I didn’t like it. The brown took away the pop of colors I was looking to achieve.

A quick change to a light blue was the answer. Then it was on to the Diamond Dotz. This took the longest, but the sparkle and vibrancy of color it added was worth it.

I love the way this project turned out, and it was super easy. It’s given me the bug to buy more projects like this for different holidays and seasons. Happy Spring!

About twenty-five years ago I bought my first plaster Christmas Village piece from Michael’s Craft Store. When I went to the store that day, I wasn’t looking to start painting a Christmas Village. But when I spotted a small plaster Bookstore on the shelf, I was in. I’ve always had a love of books and creative writing, and I had to add this piece to my Christmas decor. Little did I know it would be the first of nearly thirty pieces I would eventually paint.

In the last couple of years, I’ve added lighted stands to help illuminate my collection. My plaster Christmas Village has become something I’m proud to display. I keep it up well after Christmas most years. But I still have many that I haven’t finished, and some that I haven’t even started. Sometimes when I come up with a color-scheme on paper, it doesn’t translate well on a village piece. That is the case for my Boutique. So, it stayed hidden in my basement for years.

Where do I begin? There were many reasons why I gave up on the Boutique. The dark maroon and purple made it look haunted, and it looked odd alongside my other village pieces. But the biggest reason was that after spending many hours painting, and then being disappointed in the way it turned out, I didn’t want to waste any more time with it. I didn’t know how to fix it, or if it could be salvaged.

The first thing I needed to do was dust off the piece. Then I decided on cream with a sage and dark green trim. It took several coats to get rid of the purple and maroon, but once it started disappearing, I was finally able to see what the Boutique could become. I left the roof and awnings the same, but I do still need to touch up that paint as well.

I’m not quite done with it, but I wanted to share how it’s turning out. I’m a little bit of a perfectionist when it comes to my Christmas Village, so I’m not ready to seal the paint just yet. I love how the Boutique has transformed from a gawdy, dark mess into a fresh, lighter piece. It made me realize that just about any craft project can be changed to give it a whole new look. I can’t wait for it to join my Christmas village this year.

Every January I feel a sense of sadness come over me as all the Christmas decorations get put away and we prepare for the cold months ahead. To help quell this feeling, I like to have some decorations to make the house feel warm again. Last year I made a lighted Winter Box for my hearth that gave my living room some much needed light and warmth. This year, I got an idea for something to sparkle-up my front door.

If you love to paint, I highly suggest you get to the craft store and check out the wood section. Years ago, I painted a plaster Christmas village from California Creations. But plaster items are hard to find these days, so instead I got into painting laser wooden pieces and embellishing them with rhinestones, freestyle Diamond Dotz and pearls.

The great thing about these pieces is that you can find just about any shape you can imagine in a multitude of sizes. The best part – they’re inexpensive and you can get them at craft stores or online. I found a package of 11-inch wooden wreath forms online. Next I bought an assortment of 3-inch wooden snowflakes, along with a bundle of 1-inch snowflakes to help fill in the gaps. Then it was time to start painting.

Before I started painting, I arranged the snowflakes around the wreath form until I was pleased with the way it looked. For the paint, I used blues, white and purples to give it an icy feel. I painted a few of the smaller snowflakes in darker shades to add some contrast.

To give the piece a different texture, I used flat-backed pearl beads on a few of the snowflakes. The pearls are iridescent and come in a bunch of different sizes, making them perfect for this project. The pearls make the snowflakes look like jewelry. I applied them using my Diamond Dotz pen, but you can also you a tweezer.

The glue I used to adhere the snowflakes and the gems was LiquidFusion Adhesive. This is by far my favorite glue to keep gems and pearls in place.

I painted the wreath ring a dove gray, then I assembled the snowflakes around it, moving them around until they were spaced just right.

I attached the large snowflakes first. Then I arranged the smaller ones. To finish, I attached some cord to the back for hanging.

Hope you are inspired to think about gems and pearls other than just for diamond painting. There are so many uses, and you can customize any piece to the colors and shapes you want. Happy crafting!

For the last couple of months, I’ve been working on knitting spooky squares in different colors of cotton yarn. My plan was to assemble all the squares to make into a table runner. The first square was a Bat, the second was a Skull & Crossbones, the third was a Spider, the fourth was a Ghost and the final square was a Jack-O-Lantern. I was hoping to create a fun and unique Halloween accent for my dinner table. Now that I’ve finally finished knitting, it’s time to make them into the table runner I imagined.

The first task was to assemble the squares in the order I wanted. I moved them around a couple of times before I found the arrangement of colors I liked best.

To attach them, I wanted to use cotton yarn since the squares were also knitted from cotton yarn. I made a quick trip to Michael’s, but I couldn’t find black yarn in the Sugar’n Cream yarn I used to make all the squares. So, I bought black yarn from Loops & Threads instead.

To attach the squares, I lined up the edges, then placed the squares on top of each other, right-side facing each other. Next, using a tapestry needle, I whip-stitched the edges together.

I repeated the method above until all five squares were attached. It actually did not take as long as I thought it would. I’m so happy with the way it turned out. The images on the squares are subtle, but the colors definitely add a festive touch to my table. You can use it alone, or layer it on top of a tablecloth. I used my runner to put hot plates on since the cotton yarn absorbs the heat and protects my wood table. I love how it livens up my dining room. Happy Halloween!

It’s finally done! After knitting for most of the summer, I completed my last square in my Halloween table runner: a jack-o-lantern. Between work and other commitments, it took me a while to finish this one, but I’m glad I did.

Like the other squares, I used Sugar’n Cream cotton yarn. The color I used for this piece is hot orange.

Size US 7 knitting needles

1 skein Sugar’n Cream yarn in hot orange

Begin by casting on forty stitches.

Rows 1-2 k across row.

Row 3: k18, p4, k18

Row 4 and all even rows: k across row.

Row 5: k11, p6, k1, p4, k1, p6, k11

Row 7: k10, p20, k10

Row 9: k9, p22, k9

Row 11: k9, p22, k9

Row 13: k8, p6, k1, p10, k1, p6, k8

Row 15: k7, p6, k3, p8, k3, p6, k7

Row 17: k7, p5, k5, p6, k5, p5, k7

Row 19: k7, p26, k7

Row 21: k7, p12, k2, p12, k7

Row 23: k7, p11, k4, p11, k7

Row 25: k7, p4, k1, p5, k6, p5, k1, p4, k7

Row 27: k7, p4, k2, p14, k2, p4, k7

Row 29: k7, p4, k3, p12, k3, p4, k7

Row 31: k7, p5, k3, p3, k5, p3, k2, p5, k7

Row 33: k7, p5, k16, p5, k7

Row 35: k8, p6, k5, p3, k4, p6, k8

Row 37: k8, p24, k8

Row 39: k9, p22, k9

Row 41: k11, p18, k11

Row 43: k12, p7, k1, p8, k12

Rows 45-48: k across row.

Bind off and sew ends into piece.

I sprayed the piece with a little water until it was damp and then pinned the piece to a blocking board until it was dried so that it would be the same size as the other squares in my Halloween series.

Now that all five squares are done, all that’s left is to sew them together. It was a lot of work, but I think it’s going to be a whimsical and fun table runner. I will post the completed runner soon.