diy
Do it Yourself; Tips and ideas for DIY projects to create your next family heirloom, personalize your photo album and more.
Family Crafts
When I was six I started sewing. My Mom bought precious moments doll panels for me to practice with. A boy and girl angel. My sister was sick off and on. My parents thought it would be a good distraction from all the questions I had. I didn't know they were waiting for answers to the same questions. While my Mom was at the hospital with my sister I tried to figure out what I was supposed to do. My Dad surprised me and taught me how to hand sew. Dad learned to sew when he was younger. It came in handy for Dad when he was in boot camp. Most the men could not sew. They paid him to sew their badges and tags. He taught me to sew on a couple practice pieces and showed me how to cut the dolls out. He gave me a pair of bright orange scissors to use. Dad said that good scissors were very important to sewing. I today know they were Fiskar scissors. I then hand stitched each one carefully. By the time my sister came home she had two precious moments angels waiting on her bed.
By Renee Sharkey5 years ago in Families
Stitch by Stitch
Our lives are a series of firsts. There are “big” firsts. There's the first breath, first birthday, first steps, first word, first day of school, first time driving, first kiss, and first dance at your wedding, for example. But there are so many other firsts that make up the fabric of our lives. One fond “first” memory for me surrounds the first time I ever used a sewing machine.
By Annabelle Kisky5 years ago in Families
The Shear Joy of It
I am sixteen. It’s my birthday and my mother hands me a wrapped package. I tug at the curled ribbon, coaxing it to a corner so I can slide it off, but the knot is too tight, unwilling to budge. She hands me a knife and I release it, the ribbon falling to the floor. I pull away the wrapping paper to reveal a 12 x 9 inch gray box with the name Fiskar plastered across the front in white.
By Pam Laughlin5 years ago in Families
From Trash to Tote
I have always had a passion for creating, and sewing has been my main creative outlet for several years now. I occasionally make gifts for friends, hem my clothes, and create projects I randomly come up with. Another passion of mine is all things Disney. I especially love the theme parks and find myself totally immersed and inspired while I’m there. I’m constantly looking at the construction, theming, colors, and layout of all the lands. Lucky for me, my most recent project has been a combination of my two passions.
By Grant Fukui5 years ago in Families
The Birthday Dress
“See you when the germs have gone” shouted my daughter from the car window as we waved goodbye to her Grandparents. We were heading home after our last Sunday dinner before the first lockdown and at three years old she had little understanding of what it was actually going to entail. Really, almost all of us were naïve as to how long this was actually going to last.
By Natasha Foley5 years ago in Families
Veronica's Eyes
I could not tell you the color of my Veronica’s eyes; they are green, they are grey, they are brown, they are blue… they change with the time of day and how happy or sleepy she is. They sparkle with laughter and grow stormy with agitation; they are greenest when she is fighting to stay awake. But on that day last November, they were grey-blue and pensive under her furrowed brow.
By Carolyn M Palm5 years ago in Families
Art In An Emergency
We called her Mutti Oma. German words that mean "Mom Grandma." As a war refugee, a widow twice over, and a woman who buried her infant son - my great-grandmother knew how to survive hard things. She persevered all the way to her 99th birthday, when she passed away in a nursing home bed.
By Carmyn Effa5 years ago in Families
A Boxful of Traditions
It isn’t much to look at. The large, plywood box has a hinged lid and rope handles on the sides. It creaks loudly when it’s opened. My dad made the box when I was a little girl, intending it should hold toys. When my sister and I had outgrown “toyboxes” the box then became a place to hold our camping stuff. That’s when the rope handles were added, so it could be easily carried. Later, my Mom used the box to hold fabric.
By Caryn Turrel5 years ago in Families
The Element of Craft
In my view anyone can be creative, it's only when you include the element of craft that creativity becomes elevated to art And whereas creativity merely requires materials such as glue, paper and paint, performing a craft requires tools such scissors, knives and rulers.
By Aaron Needle5 years ago in Families
Scissor Thief
The scissors disappeared soon after I’d bought them, I just hadn’t realized they were gone…until it was too late. I was deep in the reeds with raising small children and with little money to spare and the holidays approaching, I scoured my craft magazines and found a project I knew would be treasured. I picked up the supplies and began working late into the evening as I cut various colours of felt into intricate pieces…soon realizing I needed a much better pair of scissors than the ones that had been tossed around my cutlery drawer for years.
By Colleen O'Dea5 years ago in Families
