Craft imPulse

Crafting is a gift. Behind the gift is a driving force to create something lovely or something useful from a spool of thread, a skein of yarn, yards and yards of fabric, a container of paint, a bag of batting or fiberfil, a blank canvas, a block of wood or whatever craft mediums we have chosen to use. Many who do not craft also do not understand that crafting isn't just a hobby. A crafter's brain is equipped to crave and to hone crafting skills. I have taken my skill a step further by teaching others how to create different types of crafts. Crafting generates peace and tranquility that so many non-crafters may never recognize. It's my opinion that most non-crafters simply haven't discovered and unlocked their skills.

The crafter has a desire (and the power) to change seemingly nothingness into something magnificent. For example, a spool of thread is no longer a spool of thread if it is used to hold the pieces of a quilt together. Quilts keep us warm. People enjoy receiving quilts as gifts. As a crafter we have the power to create homemade quilts to match any color theme. And we can make the right size for the desired use - perhaps a wheelchair quilt that is short enough to avoid being caught under the wheels of a mobile wheelchair or a full size bedspread for those who do not like comforters. Quilts also look great hanging on a wall.

Of course there is more to crafting besides quilting. Because that is my honed skill, that seemed like a logical example. Make a doll outfit or pillows to match the quilt! You can also make the doll. Consider cross stitching a pretty picture. There are numerous other embroidery stitches besides cross stitch so look into those options. The list is too long to elaborate on everything. All I'm saying is that once you find your niche, don't stop there. You will want to be sure to "snoop' for all of your "gifts".

I've been busy looking around Squidoo today searching for great places that offer simple free craft tutorials, tips and more so you can get started on your craft impulse right away. It's easier and less expensive to begin with simple small projects. And free is always good, right? I also have a few extra links to free patterns and tutorials that I will also share with you. You'll find those links below.

You may find yourself wanting to give up after your first project. Why? It's likely that you either selected a project that was too big to begin with, or you tried to complete it too quickly or during a hectic time. Try again but select a smaller project. Often purchasing a kit that contains most or all of the supplies you'll need to complete the project is helpful because you don't have to bother with trying to find the supplies yourself.

Next remember that learning takes time. Don't expect to finish a new technique quickly. Don't begin a new project if you're expecting to have a few hectic days ahead of you. Wait until everything calms down instead. This will allow you to concentrate on the instructions better.

If you're having difficulty understanding what the instructions are saying, you may find it helpful to purchase an item similar to what you're trying to create so you can study the details on it. Also, the internet is full of helpful information so use it to research anything you don't understand. YouTube offers many helpful videos on a variety of craft subjects. Also websites like www.ecraftclasses.com offers the visual learning that so many of us crave.

These are things that helped me when I wanted to give up. Hopefully they'll help you gain experience and skills needed for your chosen crafts.

If you haven't noticed yet, you'll soon discover that once you have the hang of one craft, then it won't be long before you want to learn another craft. Then another after that. It's a domino effect for your brain cells when you provide them with new things to learn.

After you learn how to use different mediums, you will want to use them together. That's when your work becomes unique. Knit socks for a doll, cross stitch a message onto a quilt, crochet flowers for the pottery you make. The ideas are endless.

Once your skills are honed and perfected, you will likely want to sell your crafts. Ebay is still the top online market place despite their fees. They actually allow free pictures (up to 12) for some of the craft listings in order to keep a competitive edge. Etsy and ArtFire are favored sites for may crafters to sell from. FuzzB.com is growing in popularity. Even Amazon has an area for crafters to sell from.

DIY website builders are user friendly but many can be pricey. Most people opt for using their blogs to sell from. Paypal, Google, Yahoo and more offer shopping carts and buy now options. Paypal's is free and it's fairly simple to create the code then paste it into the html editor of the blog post. I'm not sure about others but I'm sure they're similar. You can also use a unique URL as you would with any other website. We use GoDaddy because they give instructions about how to mask the blog URL.

Of course, you also have local bazaars and craft fairs if you're interested in selling locally. Try consignment selling at individually owned craft stores (not stores like Hobby Lobby, Joann's or Michael's), local grocery stores, florists, gift stores, and other similar types of stores depending on your craft. Think of items that might sell well at these locations if you don't already make them. Such as plant pokes for the florist, plastic bag holders for the grocery store, personalized candles for the craft or gift stores.

This isn't the easiest thing to do. I find that it's easier to do the other things in life first such as the cleaning and laundry, then your mind will be clear to concentrate on the crafting. A schedule is helpful. Depending on your schedule, you may decide on a couple of hours a day before or after the other work is scheduled or a couple of days a week when you have no other work scheduled.

The biggest headache about crafting is the expense. To save money, I sign up for emails from my favorite craft stores. Often you'll receive special offers that the general public won't receive. Also sign up for snail mail sales flyers. Many of the weekly or monthly specials from these flyers are located online however, some of the coupons are often missing.

One of my favorite ways to save is to use the 40% off coupon from Hobby Lobby to purchase my whole bolts of flannel that I use for rag quilt backing and on 5 lb. boxes of fiberfil. These are available to print online. If I need multiple items, I print hubby off one too so he can go through a different line. Often, they'll have 30% off many of their fabrics that I like.

Hancock Fabric usually has special days for really good savings on items throughout the month. I stock up on my quilt batting when they have those for 40% to more than 50% off. They have great online sales on fabric. The emailed newsletters remind me to go check those out.

If you need small bulk items like bead spacers, crochet doilies, wooden figures, etc., Sunshine Discount Crafts is a great place to save on this stuff. Sign up for their emailings to get even more savings. Also sign up to receive their catalog that they mail out once a year. These are just fun to look through.

I listed the three main stores I use for most of my purchases. Don't forget about Michael's, Joanne's, Ben Franklin's and other chain craft stores.

My craft efforts are very slow right now. There isn't much time to search for or complete projects. So when this happens, I sneak in a few minutes a day as I can. After all ten minutes here and there is better than accomplishing nothing.

I seem to be on a quilting frenzy lately. I'm working on two quilts currently. About two weeks ago I was working on four! I know you're wondering how I do it. First of all, I limit my computer time. You may be aware of that if you've been following this lens. Sorry for the delay between posts. Next, I decide how much time each day I will spend on each project. About an hour per project works out well for me since I have other domestic stuff like cooking and home schooling going on in my daily life. Of course when that other stuff is caught up, I can dedicate more time to my quilting that day.

Upcycling is the newest trend in crafting. Old items around the house or inexpensive garage sale and roadside finds are great and affordable ways to craft. Stained sheets, tablecloths and clothing can be used in sewing projects. Cut out the stained sections and throw away. The rest is reusable. Paint old lamp shades to breathe new life into them. Old woolens can become new penny rugs. Gut a glass lamp and you will have a new vase for flower arrangements. The ideas are endless.

Have fun with your new ideas.