Free Little Makerspace Box - Unlocking Creativity

    I worked in school libraries for over 20 years.  The library is a place in the school where all are welcome.  Students came for different reasons and varying levels of enthusiasm.  Some came to find the perfect book, others came because they had to.  But one thing we did in the library all the students loved and were excited to participate in was - Makerspace Days!

    Makerspace Days were when we brought out different activities for the students to do.  We had stations with Legos, blocks, puzzles, snap circuits etc. We also had various kinds of arts-n-crafts.  I was always excited to see what creative items the kids would make.  Many were very comfortable with craft supplies and started right away on their creations.  A few were a little more reserved, thinking that their creation had to meet certain requirements.  Those were the kids who I would encourage to open up and let their creativity soar.

    I found it curious that some kids had very little exposure to arts-n-crafts.  When I was growing up we were always making something out of simple supplies like cardboard, tissue paper, glue, fabric etc.  But I guess that was our entertainment.  Today they have many other options to entertain themselves.  I believe all people have some kind of creativity at their core. Some people need to be encouraged and exposed to different ways to unlock that creativity.  My desire is to provide a way for the kids (and adults) in my community to unlock their creative soul.  So, I am putting a Free Little Makerspace Box in my front yard.

    A Free Little Makerspace Box is similar to a Free Little Library since it is a box on a post but instead of books inside there will be craft kits.  The craft kits will be simple projects kids (and adults) can make on their own or with a little bit of help.  Each kit will have most of the main supplies for the project.  They will need to supply the basic craft supplies like glue, crayons, markers, tape etc.  There is no charge for the kits they are free.  I am using simple, inexpensive items to create the kits.

    My hope is that the kids (and adults) will come get a kit from the box each month and spend some time allowing their creativity to soar.  Check out the video below about how we built and installed our "Free Little Makerspace Box".

Danna

Front Porch Redo

 During the pandemic quarantine I was looking for things to do that would make me feel good about my home and my life.  Since I now had a lot of time on my hands I started looking at what I had around that I could use.  

Because I am a big sewer, crafter and quilter I had lots of supplies.  I had been wanting to give my porch a little "redo" for a while so I gathered my supplies and dove into the project.

It was also a good project to put on my newly started YouTube channel - Sew-Learn-Create.  Making the videos gave me a deadline and the extra push I needed to get the project completed.

Watch the videos below to see the before and after of my porch redo.  It was fun to do and it did help give me a purpose during the difficult times of the pandemic.

I hope this will inspire you to go dig through your supplies and start that project you have wanted to do for a long time.  

Keep creating!

Danna

Flower Pin Tutorial

This project is quick and easy and makes a great gift.  It was the take home project for my Cross Body Bag class.  It only takes a small amount of fabric and a few other supplies.

You will need the following supplies:
     2 small pieces of coordinating fabric
     Button
     Needle and Thread
     The flower shape patterns -  Download them here Flower Pattern
     2 1/2" circle of felt
     Pin Back
     Glue

Start by selecting which fabric will be your large and small flowers and which fabric will be your medium flower.  Then trace around the patterns on the backside of the fabric and cut out the flowers.

The large and small flowers are cut from one fabric.
The medium flower is cut from the other fabric.

Then place your large flower face up on the counter.  Layer your medium flower next and then the small flower on top of the stack.

Large flower on bottom right side up.
Then layer the medium flower right side up on top of large flower

Finish stack by placing the small flower right side up on top of the others.

Next you will place your button in the center of the stack and sew it place through all the layers.

After your button is secure. Turn your flower over face down.  Place the felt circle in the middle of the back and glue in place.

Glue the felt piece in the center of the back of the flower stack.

Now you are ready to glue the pin back in place on top of the felt.  Be sure to put the pin back toward the top of the flower so it will hang better.

Glue your pin back toward the top of the flower.

Now your flower is complete and ready to add a fun embellishment to an outfit or the cross body bag.

Hope you enjoy making these flowers.  I would love to see your work, so post a picture of your flower in the comments for all to see.

Danna

Lunch Box Tag Tutorial

This project combines sewing and art and is a great for beginners.  I prepared a small kit for those attending my Lunch Box helpers sewing class in the summer.  We made reusable snack bags, small cloth napkins and lid grippers.  All great items to have in a lunch box for school or work.  If you would like to make those items go to my Etsy shop WebberWorks where I will have kits available with video instructions soon. 

Lunch Box Tag

Now on to the project.  You will need the following supplies:

2 pieces of muslin fabric 2.5" x 4"
1 piece of batting or felt 2.5" x 4"
1 piece of ribbon or fabric strip for loop - approximately 4" long
Crayons
Wax paper
Needle and Thread or a sewing machine

Follow these steps:

1.  Take 1 piece of muslin and lay out flat.
2.  Place the batting or felt piece on top of the muslin piece.
3.  Line up the edges so they are straight.

1 piece of muslin with batting on top

4.  Fold the ribbon or fabric strip in half and place on top of the muslin with the loop at the top above the pieces of fabric.

Be sure the loop is at the top and the ribbon sticks
 up above the fabric and batting.

5.  Place the other piece of muslin on top of the stack and line up the edges.  Clip or pin to secure for sewing.

Make sure you pin or clip your ribbon loop so it does not slip
while you are sewing.

6.  With either a needle and thread or a sewing machine sew all the way around the outside edge using a 1/4" seam allowance.  Back stitch the ribbon loop to secure.

7.  Now the fun begins.  Using the crayons color a design on the fabric.  You can color just one side or both sides.  I used the Neon crayons and a black Metalic crayon from Dollar Tree.

Color any design you want.  Have fun with it!

 8.  Once you are finished coloring your design you will use the wax paper and iron to "set" the colors.  I slipped my tag inside a folded piece of wax paper so it would set the front and back at the same time and not mess up my ironing board.

If you colored on the back be sure to put
wax paper on both the top and bottom.

9.  Iron the wax paper using a pressing motion not side to side.  If you move the iron around it may smear the crayon.  Use a medium setting on the iron.

Use a pressing motion not moving side to side.

10.  Let the tag cool and you are done!  Attach it to your lunch box and show off  your creative talents to your friends.

This is a great summer project for kids and grand kids.  They will have fun making these tags and putting on their new lunch boxes for school.  Remember if you want to make the reusable snack bags and other lunch box helpers check my Etsy page WebberWorks for kits.

Enjoy!
Danna

Scrap Challenge of a different type

In a previous post Scrap Bag Challenge No. 1,  I explained the challenge I have set for myself to help deal with all of the delightful scraps my friends give me.  Well this challenge came from the donation of a fabric sample book. 

My friend found it in her sewing room as she was cleaning out and the bright colorful packaging made her think of me.  She brought it to me and said "I can't wait to see what you make with these."
Well, I couldn't turn down that challenge. 

Opening the sample pack I became more and more excited with the colors from each section.  It was full of bright, bold, warm and rich tones. 

The fabric sample pack.

Look at all of those colors!

Each page had a fabric swatch in that color range.

As I began to drool, I mean look at each color range the creative wheels were spinning out of control. There were so many possibilities of items that could be made from such a wonderful selection.  I finally settled on creating note cards and gift tags.  Since each page contained a small piece in a color array it was the perfect choice for a large collection of cards and tags.

I took each colorful page loose from the book. 

One page pulled off the book page.

Then I cut that strip in half.  This allowed me to use that color selection on a set of cards and tags.

The full page cut in half.

The pieces from one page pulled apart.  I had a great size
and amount of fabric to work with.

Then I began creating cards and tags using the fabric swatches as the background or base piece.  I added scrapbook papers, doilies, and book page flowers to create a stunning group of cards and tags.

This card is solid green card stock, scrapbook paper with a doilie in the center.
Then I layered the fabric and topped it with a book page circle and flower.

The center of the flower is a sequin.

This heart is cut from a discarded book.

Each bag contains 4 gift tags.

I was able to share my creation with my friends and still have leftovers.  If you allow your creative wheels to run wild you might be surprised with the results.  All of the cards and tags were embellished with discarded items such as book pages, paper scraps, sequins, and the fabric swatches. The only new stock I used was the card stock to make the card and tag base. 

A basket full of cards and tags ready to share with my friends.

The next time you are cleaning out and come across an item that is just too pretty to toss.  Get those creative wheels turning and let the ride begin.

Danna

Face-lift for the Dishwasher

This was the easiest DIY project I have ever done.  I was standing in my kitchen recently and looked at all of my appliances.  Yes, they are functional tools we use very day but let's face it they are boring to the eyesight.

I had seen people (on Pinterest of course) putting large vinyl decals on their refrigerators. I think this is really cool but just a little too much of a change all at once.  I like to  "ease" into things.  So I decided I would make the change to my dishwasher.

During my next trip to the Dollar Tree I dove into the wall decal section looking for something to "liven up" my boring dishwasher.  Since the front of my dishwasher is black I could not use all of the fun sayings they have at Dollar Tree.  My purpose was to spruce up the dishwasher without making it the focal point of the room.  This left out all of the bright colorful decals.  I kept digging and found exactly what I was looking for and here it is.

Wall Decal from Dollar Tree

 This project took five minutes to complete.  The color is a silvery grey and my placement is very close to the way they had it on the package picture.  There is probably several variations of the layout you could do. 

One of my concerns was the decal would peel up when the dishwasher got hot.  This has been on there for several months with no problems.  I only run my dishwasher on air dry so it may not get as hot as some others.

I was extremely pleased with the final result.  It was super quick, inexpensive and easy to transform from boring to fabulous.

Final product!

Are your appliances are making you yawn and need a quick and easy update that won't break the bank?  Run to the dollar store and find your favorite wall decal.  Just peel, stick and enjoy!

Danna

A New Glass - Ozark Trail

Being from Texas where summer temperatures can run from February - December we like our drinks to have lots of ice.

Working in a school I need a glass that will keep my drink cold all day.  I have used all kinds of cups in the past and they would keep the drink cold until about lunch time.  Finding ice can sometimes be an adventure so I would bring some in a bag and try to put it in my cup at lunch time.  Most of the time the ice was frozen into a large brick and would not fit into my glass.  What a pain.

This year I have a new glass. Hearing wonderful things about the Yeti cups but not wanting to spend that much on a glass I began a search for an alternative  My choice was the Walmart Ozark Trail glass. I have been thrilled that I can fill it with ice in the morning and still have ice left at bedtime. These glasses are amazing.

Now with my new glass in hand I began to seek out ideas on personalizing my glass.  I love owls so using my Cricut I cut an owl pattern in turquoise blue vinyl and put it on my cup.  Since I have an unusual name it is almost impossible to find an item with my name spelled correctly.  Once again using my Cricut I cut my name in pink vinyl and placed it over the owl.  The design turned out really cute and now my cup is complete.

A personalized cup that keeps my drink cold all day!

Here a a couple of tips about adding vinyl to a cup that I have learned along the way.

1. I use sheet vinyl rather than the Cricut rolled vinyl.  In my craft store the sheet vinyl is with the scrapbook paper and is significantly less expensive.  It has worked well for the projects I have done.  The cost savings allows me to buy more colors.  To learn more about how to use this vinyl check out Vinyl Cups a Gift to Share.
2. I use clear contact paper to aid in positioning my design.  There are several YouTube videos that show this method of design placement.  Just search positioning vinyl using clear contact paper.
3. Hand wash your glass to ensure the vinyl does not peel off.

This was a fun and extremely useful project.  I encourage you to try using vinyl to personalize your favorite glass.

Danna

Tennis Lovers Wreath

My neighbor loves to play tennis.  She plays several times a week and enjoys every moment. Therefore she has an abundance of used tennis balls.

She decided she wanted to make a wreath using some of the old tennis balls.  This is where I enter the picture.  While describing what she wanted I ask the question, "Does the wreath have to be round?" Her reply was "no". We decided that we could get an old wooden tennis racket and use that as a base for the wreath.

So the hunt began.  I soon found a wooden racket at a garage sale for only $1.00.  I glued the tennis balls to the edge of the racket and made a big burlap bow for the bottom. Here is the finished wreath.

My neighbor was thrilled with the result.  So if you have a tennis lover in your house and don't know what to do with all those used tennis balls, grab an old racket, hot glue gun and get creative.

Danna

Badge Covers with a Twist

It seems like everyone who works has to have a badge of some kind.  From the fast food worker, teacher, to the top executive we all have a badge.  You can find a variety of lanyard type badge holders in almost every store.

I personally do not like a badge hanging around my neck.  It always gets caught in my long hair or gets in the way of my necklace.  So I prefer a clip badge holder that clips to my shirt.  There was just one problem.  Those badge holders are ugly.

During my search for the perfect badge holder I became very frustrated.  So I decided I would make my own.  I also had the idea that it would be nice if I could change the front of the badge holder.  That would allow for a different look during holidays or with a special outfit.  So here is what I created.

A variety allows for many unique looks.

The covers and the badge holder have Velcro dots.  This allows for easy switching of the cover without removing my badge each time.  Now when the mood strikes to support my favorite team, show some school spirit or celebrate a holiday it is an easy switch.  I also created some that were more like a piece of jewelry.

To see more designs check out my Etsy shop WebberWorks.   Don't be limited to just one style of your badge holder.

Danna

Crayons, Crayons & More Crayons!

At the end of the last school year I ask teachers to save their broken crayons for a project I was doing over the summer.  I was expecting to receive a bag of crayons instead I ended up with a box full of crayons. WOW! Who knew elementary school kids had so many broken crayons.

My copy paper box full of crayons.

The project I had envisioned was for the students in my Sewing Camps to make heart shaped crayons and then sew a bag to carry the crayons.  They could sew one for themselves and one to give to a friend.  At both of my sewing camps we made crayons and bags and the girls loved the project.

The two purple bags tied with ribbon are the crayon bags.

But, I still had a whole box of broken crayons left.  What to do? What to do? After spending hours peeling the paper off the crayons I had several ideas.

Peeling the paper off the crayons was in a strange way

kind of therapeutic. It was mindless work that was much needed

after a long school year.

First I made "crazy crayons" to pass out at my churches Trunk or Treat party.  I figured the kids would get enough candy so why not make something a little different.  This was a big hit!

Crazy crayons are made by putting a small piece of

various colors in the mold.  Each one comes out different.

Next I packaged in paper cupcake holders a small set of solid color crayons and a "crazy crayon" for my family and friends children and grandchildren for Thanksgiving and Christmas.

These paper cupcake holders hold 5 crayons perfectly.

I found my holders at the dollar store in a package of 24.

Each cupcake holder had 4 solid crayons and one "crazy crayon"

The remaining 500+ crayons I made will be used for student prizes in my husbands school classes and our daughters after school program.  It just goes to show that when you ask people to save some items that are destined for the trash can you need to be prepared for more than you thought you would receive.

The question now remains will I be able to distribute all of the crayons I made before the end of the school year, and will I ask for more?  Check back in June to see the result.

Danna

A Small Gift for a Large Crowd

I did not do the Christmas Countdown this year because of some health issues in my family.  I was able to make some unique and fun gifts for family and friends so over the next few posts I will share those with you.

As you know I am a very thrifty crafter.  I like to create new items out of old pieces.  One aspect of thrifty crafting is the challenge of making the same item for a large group.

At our annual quilters Christmas party I like to give each lady a small gift that has something of a quilting or sewing element in the design. Last year I gave each quilter a Christmas ornament made from an old wooden thread spool.  The ornaments were quick and easy to make and turned out quite nice.

To learn how this ornament was made check out

Wooden Spool Ornaments

Since we have about 25 ladies in our group I try to design a gift that uses supplies I can get in bulk that only cost a few dollars.  This years gift uses Jenga blocks as the base.  They come 50+ to a box and if you have to buty them new only cost about $3.00 per box.  But if you can find them at a garage sale they cost much less.  I paid $1.00 for my box so each block costs about $0.02 each.  Here is the fun gift I made this year.

A small reminder of how our friendships grow in our group.

Using the Jenga block as my base I wrapped lace around the center of each block and glued it in place.  I then added a small piece of paper I stamped with the phrase "Friendships are sewn one stitch at a time."  I inked the edges of the paper in a coordinating color to soften them.  To finish the block I glued a small fabric yo-yo with a button in the center.  The yo-yos were made from scraps of previous projects.  

To make the hanger for my small sign I coiled some lightweight wire around a pencil and added a bead to each end and hot glued the hanger to the back.

Another example.

Now each quilter has a small sign to hang in their sewing area to remind them of the friendships they have in our group.

A basket full of gifts.  I wrapped each sign in a small baggie

with a few pieces of shredded paper in the bottom and a curly ribbon tie.

The saying still holds true that it is not the price of the gift that gives it value it is the love that goes into the gift that adds the true value.  So don't be afraid to be a thrifty crafter and add lots of love to each gift you give this year.

Danna