Tuesday, May 27, 2014

The Week of Handmade Gifts

I wanted to share some recents gifts for the family.

I saw these adorable polymer clay pots made by Say Yes.  I added some gold accents and gave them to my wonderful Mom for Mother's day.

Project Price: Under $20
Skill: Intermediate
Time Frame: 3 Days-1 Week

This was one of my first times working with polymer clay.  I have recently become fascinated with the stuff after seeing the array of crafts which can be crafted from it.  I have to admit there were some frustrated groins and the occasional expletive when working on this project.  Polymer clay is not as easily coaxed into a tiny house as it looks on Say Yes.  But, here are some tips:

-Cover your work surface in a light coating of cornstarch to prevent sticking.
-Knead by compression, but try to avoid folding the dough on itself...you will create unwanted air pockets.
-Knead until pliable, but a stiff pliability holds up to baking and cutting better.
-Each piece of the house should be at least 1/4inch in thickness to prevent wilting while baking.
-Support the house with aluminum foil to retain its shape during the baking process.





I had a rag doll when I was younger and I loved running my fingers through all the recycled fabric.  I was reminded of it over the winter when my brother-in-law's mom had a yarn angel displayed with her Christmas Decorations.  Finally I got around to trying a yarn doll out myself.

Project Price: Under $20
Skill: Beginner
Time Frame: 1 Day

I will get around to creating a tutorial for this little cutie I now call Dolly, who will be a gift for my 6 month old niece.  I came across t-shirt yarn at Michael's which had a glorious soft texture.  I remembered a tutorial for t-shirt yarn by CraftPassion if you wanted to go the extra mile for this project.


What gifts have you crafted recently? Send me links!