I’ve written before on this blog about simple gifts and “The Sanctity of Giving.” I love gifts, and I don’t believe opting out of holiday commercialism has to mean a moratorium on giving. This week I’m sharing a few suggestions from the Tangled Nest archives: craft projects that can bring a handmade simplicity to your […]
Category: craft
How to Make a Giant Magical Paper Flower Poppy Garden
A Giant Magical Paper Poppy Garden? I know–what a strange Tangled Nest post. But somehow I volunteered to make the poppies for the set of Claire’s school production of The Magical Land of Oz. Remember the poppies in service to the Wicked Witch (played by my daughter!) that lulled Dorothy and friends into a preternatural […]
Travel Knitting: Tiny Projects to Take Along
We spent last week in New York City, and had a fabulous time. While packing for the trip, I knew I wanted to take a little knitting project to keep my mind and hands busy during the in-betweens of airports and cafes–it had to be something I could carry easily, that would tuck into a […]
Create an Inspiring, Low-Budget Craft Room
Ever since we moved into this house SEVEN years ago, I have intended to make a corner of the basement into a craft room, where I could keep all my supplies, spread out projects, and find inspiration. But instead it turned into–well, if you have a basement you know exactly what it turned into–a Subterranean […]
A Mending Morning: Set up Your Sewing Basket
I love hand-sewing, and I always have–ever since I was a little girl. I also love mending. It makes such good sense, imparts calm, gives you a pleasant sense of accomplishment, and is something nice to do for your family. That said, it’s been a mystery why, these past few months, the family “to-mend” pile […]
Knit Graffiti, Yarn Bombing, And Other Dangerous Hobbies
A yarn bombed parking meter in Vancouver, from yarnbombing.com. And now, surprise surprise, a guest post from Tom about knitting! What is it about yarn bombing that’s so compelling? “Knit graffiti” — it brings a smile to my face just to think about it! Guerrilla crafters wrapping yarn creations around objects in the streetscape under […]
Cardboard Box Gingerbread House Gift Box: A Super-fun Upcycle
Last night I was wrapping a present for Claire, and I don’t know what came over me. The ugly old box ended up as a cardboard gingerbread house. When Claire woke up this morning, she thought the box itself was her present. Now we are plotting a whole upcycled cardboard box village, but I thought […]
Homemade Knitting Needles, Knitting Evangelism, and a Pretty Scarf Pattern
For my seventh birthday, my mom gave me a pair of light blue knitting needles and a ball of white yarn. She didn’t know how to knit, but sent me across the backyard to our neighbor’s house, where the retired librarian Marion Milligan took me under her wing. Marion taught me to knit and purl. […]
Six Simple Homemade Ornaments You Can Make
One day this week we unanimously decided that Claire was looking much too pale to go to school. Clearly, she had to stay home, sip hot chocolate, listen to Vince Guaraldi, and decorate the Christmas tree with me (I don’t homeschool, but I do try to keep my priorities straight–if something like, say, a very […]
Simple Winter Sewing Project: Hot Rice Bags
Warm face, warm ‘ands, warm feet Aow, wouldn’t it be loverly? –Eliza Doolittle Cloth bags of heated grain are great for warming the bed or soothing sore muscles–much cozier than hot water bottles, and a nicer quality of heat. I kept seeing them in boutique shops with shocking price tags, and whenever I asked what […]
Hats Indoors, Nightcaps, and a Simple Gift Project–My Favorite Easy Knitted Hat
My dad always said, “Leaper, if your toes are cold, put your hat on.” And all of us have heard that we lose 50% of our body heat through our heads. This last was recently debunked, sort of, by the scientific community. Evidently the heat loss “myth” is based on murky science from the 1950s […]
DIY Autumn Leaf Chandelier
When we moved into this house, I was overjoyed to finally have a dining room (I’d never had one), big enough for a long table. I dreamed of an old craftsman hanging lamp to replace the new ceiling fixture that had been installed, which looks a bit like a leftover from the set of Twin […]
DIY Rubber Stamp Jam Labels
Folks have been asking about the labels on our jam jars. We made them from Speedy Carve–an eraser-like art medium for creating your own rubber stamps. Our friend Audrey showed us how, and this was one of our first efforts. We think they’re pretty darn cute. If you don’t have a crafty friend to teach […]
Simple Drawstring Gift Bag, and Sewing Encouragement
Tom was raised in a little tiny town called Sackville, in the eastern maritime province of New Brunswick, Canada, where his father taught English at a small liberal arts college. His mother frequented a shop there called “The Craft Gallery,” that featured local, handmade goods. She’s given me several gifts from the shop over the […]
Transforming Refuse: Sister Monika’s Amazing Market Bag
St. Placid Priory is a women’s Benedictine monastery in Lacey, about an hour south of Seattle. The hallmark of Benedictine communities is a radical hospitality that extends to all people, and even beyond–to the more-than-human world of nature, and wildness. St. Placid’s has a lovely, quiet guest house, where I sometimes spend a few days […]