Polymer Clay Necklace Posted by Autumn

Jewelry is practically a no-brainer Mother's Day gift, but what if the jewelry was handmade by you? Now that's something special! With a few tools and a few hours, you can make a gorgeous polymer clay necklace to give to the World's Best Mom--yours! To keep the pieces looking modern, choose contemporary colors and stick to graphic designs with geometric shapes.Polymer Clay Jewelryfrom MarthaStewart.com What You NeedPolymer clayClay conditioning machine*Alternatives: pasta machine NOT used for [Read More...]

Tags: craft crafts holiday jewelrymaking

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Living Inspired: Jolene Roehlkepartain Posted by Autumn

Jolene Roehlkepartain is a writer and speaker on family, parenting children and teenagers, and spirituality. Jolene has written 32 books, including Doing Good Together, Parenting Preschoolers with a Purpose, and What Young Children Need to Succeed. Jolene is also an avid Phalaneopsis orchid grower. She shared with us how she came to love growing orchids and a few useful tips about keeping these beautiful plants happy and healthy indoors.When did you first start growing orchids?I started growing [Read More...]

Tags: craft crafts gardening inspiration interests

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Glass Jar Terrarium Posted by Autumn

Delight children--and grown-ups--with these easy-to-make terrariums. Making one can be a great Earth Day activity, and the lovely greenery will continue to please all year long. For best results, stop by your local garden center or florist shop to pick up the charcoal, moss, soil, and tiny plants.Glass Jar Terrariumfrom MarthaStewart.comWhat You Need:Glass jars (You can recycle glass jars from your kitchen goods.)Horticultural charcoalPotting soilClump MossOther tiny plants, like orchids or [Read More...]

Tags: craft crafts gardening holiday interest

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Soup Can Herb Garden Posted by Autumn

Did you celebrate Earth Day this Sunday? If not, or if you just want to keep the celebration of our precious planet going a little longer, here is a fun gardening craft project! We liked this one because it involved recycling soup cans (or any tin can) and also growing plants indoors, which we know a thing or two about. Soup Can Herb GardenWhat you'll need:Empty aluminum canScrewdriver and hammerSmall rocks, marbles, or pebblesPotting soil (about 1-1/2 cups)Small potted herbHow to make it:1. [Read More...]

Tags: craft crafts gardening holiday recycle

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My 1st Week with My New Die Cut Machine Posted by Jennifer

Excited just barely describes how I felt while I waited for UPS to deliver my new die cutting machine. I had seen infomercials on TV and passed various machines in the craft stores. I thought they looked like a lot of fun but I didn't buy one for years. I finally bought one after I started seeing so many beautifully designed handmade cards that were elevated to a whole new level by the cleanness of their construction thanks to die cutting machines.Being an artist and a natural with computers and [Read More...]

Tags: butterfly card making die cut DIY handmade paper craft

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Upcycled Soda Can Jewelry Posted by Autumn

In honor of Earth Day (April 22nd), we wanted to find a fun upcycling craft project. Upcycling is the process of taking a recyclable item and turning it into something new and fabulous. This soda can jewelry project from Polwig.com fit the bill perfectly!Upcycled Soda Can Jewelryfrom polwig.comWhat You Need:aluminum soda canpaper puncher in fun shapepush-pincutting matbeading wire or fishing linefastener1. Cut the top and bottom from a washed aluminum can.2. Use a paper puncher to cut out fun [Read More...]

Tags: craft crafts jewelrymaking recycle

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Egg Shell Seedling Cup Posted by Autumn

You've probably heard the story of how Dr. Ott created the first natural daylight illumination when he was trying to grow pumpkin plants indoors? (If not, check out the full story here.) Our lamps still have that natural daylight formula, and you can still grow plants indoors with an OttLite. To prove it, I did this totally unscientific--but fun--project.Egg Shell Seedling Cup You can grow just about any kind of seed in an egg shell cup. It's easy to do, and when you're ready to put your plant [Read More...]

Tags: crafts eco gardening plants

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Living Inspired: Gayla Trail Posted by Autumn

Gayla Trail is a writer, photographer, and graphic designer with a background in the Fine Arts, cultural criticism, and ecology. She is the creator of the popular gardening project, You Grow Girl and the author of “You Grow Girl: The Groundbreaking Guide to Gardening” and “Grow Great Grub: Organic Food from Small Spaces”. Gayla is also a frequent speaker, and spokesperson on the topics of urban gardening, ecology, and community. Gayla’s third book, “Easy Growing: Organic Herbs and Edible Flowers [Read More...]

Tags: craft crafts DIY gardening inspiration interest

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What We're Reading: I Knew You'd Be Lovely Posted by Autumn

I Knew You'd Be LovelyAlethea Black Broadway Books I Knew You'd Be Lovely is a brilliant collection of short stories. The true power of a short story is in its economy. You might give a novel a few chapters before you decide, I’m taking this back to the library, but short story has to grab you in the first few sentences. And it has to hold you the entire time. There is no room for chaff in a short story. Alethea Black has finely separated the chaff, spun the straw into gold, and then woven that [Read More...]

Tags: books interests reading

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What We're Working On: Baby Blanket Posted by Autumn

At OttLite, we don't just make great crafting lamps. We are crafters and artists, too, and we love to share what we're working on with you!I'm currently working on this baby blanket. It's actually one of three baby blankets I have to finish before August. Seems like everyone I know right now is expecting this Fall!I used Lion Brand Yarn's "Pound of Love" yarn in crisp white. The pattern is a modified version of Lion Brand's "Recycled Cotton Earth Baby Afghan." The original pattern called for 5 [Read More...]

Tags: craft crafts crochet interest

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