How-To's Day: Upcycled Holiday Wreath Bases

One of the major staples of Holiday decorating is the WREATH! If you are a big holiday decorator I am sure a new wreath is something you get excited for every year.  Or maybe you know that person who goes koo-koo crazy for decorating and you want to bring them a new wreath for a hostess gift or holiday party. This is a simple and affordable way to create a wreath WITHOUT USING STYROFOAM!!!

While Styrofoam wreaths are the usual bases for crafted wreaths and are a very versatile base to create your own holiday decor, Styrofoam is majorly gnarly on the environment and I try to look for alternatives when personally making my crafts.

I am a huge fan of this method of creating a paper wreath form because it is basically free. Where as a Styrofoam wreath base will run you ~$5.

All you need to make the base is a brown paper shopping bag and a roll of masking tape!!!

After opening the bottom of the grocery bag - scrunch the top of the bag to the bottom, creating a scrunched paper circle. Make sure you take off the handles. The handles can be added to the scrunched shape while taping if there is an uneven surface that needs beefing up.

Using this bag method you will get approximately 11" diameter circle which is a pretty standard small wreath size. To get a larger diameter you can create the circle with paper packaging or tape the grocery bags together.

You can wrap the tape as tight or as loose as you'd like.  Try out a few different tightness-es and see what works for you :)

Normal taping will leave the wreath about 1" thick. If you want a thicker wreath you can add two scrunched shopping bags together, then wrap with tape. This will create a base that is ~ 2" - 2.5" with two and over 3" with three together. If you wrap multiple bases together you should tape everything extra tight and you will have a super strong wreath base sturdy enough for a holiday heirloom for years to come.

The best part of utilizing the paper base is when you want to have a different wreath next year you can recycle this wreath keeping harmful materials like Styrofoam out of our trash!!!

Last year we had a Holiday Making Party where we highlighted sewn fabric bows and we had these wreath forms so people could make their own holiday wreath. Hopefully we can host another party this year and share some ideas so you can host your own with friends too!

Here is a peek at one way to use the base and do a snow theme with old dryer sheets and junk-mail paper snowflakes:

We would love to see your wreaths if you try out this Eco-friendly paper base! Post a comment or leave a picture on Our Facebook to share your holiday decor :)

Happy Making!!! XOXO, KC

Etsy Craft Party at CRAFTED Wrap-up

Last Friday was a very successful Etsy & CRAFTED Craft Party.  The event had about 1,000 people attend and over 20 craft stations and demos areas.  Make. Shop. Live. is lucky to have a store right next to the main craft demo area, so we got to meet a lot of new crafters and visitors to CRAFTED.

Mark Montano, our celebrity Crafter and author of the Big Ass book of Crafts, had a busy table and was on hand to demo a beaded wristband and assist the many that got to make them. If you missed the in-person demo his zip tie bracelet project is in the Big-Ass Book of Bling available in November.

Did some one say Raffle?!?

Some of the make-n-takes for the evening:

Tie Dye

DIY Post Cards

KC broke away from the tie dye station to show folks how to make their own envelopes in our market stall.

Say wha-aaaaat?!? Photo Booth Fun!!!! Thanks to Lauren of Mitsymoto Designs and Andrew from Object Mfg. Co. made this sweet photo booth to capture the fun. Did you get your picture taken in the booth? Check out the amazing photo booth pictures here.

Thanks to all the artists that pitched in on the decor and decorating the warehouse!!! the decorations came out so amazing!!! It was totally transformed :)

For even more pictures of the fun you can check out the photos from CRAFTED here or on the Etsy Flickr page here for parties all over the globe.

Be on the watch for more events at CRAFTED as the holiday seasons approach!   And cheers to this being our 500th post!  We are just getting started with our upcycled and green community here at Make. Shop. Live.  Thanks for being a part of it.

XOXO, KC & Kevin

Etsy Craft Party at CRAFTED this Friday!

The creative makers of CRAFTED at the port of Los Angeles have been hard at work getting ready for the Craft Party and we hope you can come party with us! On Friday, August 24 we will be hosting an Etsy Craft Party as part of their worldwide craft party meetup. We’re hoping to make it the biggest and best in SoCal!

Etsy Craft Party: From 7-10pm we will craft party like it’s 1999! For more details and to RSVP go here.

Our theme is “Wish You Were Here” and we certainly wish you were here for this event! Activities will include:
★ Loads of craft projects with the expert makers of CRAFTED! (a small materials fee may apply for some booths)
★ Demos by talented artists
★ Shopping and browsing CRAFTED market stalls
★ Food trucks and a wine bar
★ Live DJ and photobooth
★ Nail bar
★ Tie-dye station
★ Message in a bottle make-n-take
★ FREE PARKING! FREE ADMISSION!

Also, any posts you may share about the event, please feel free to send my way or tweet us at @makeshoplive and @CRAFTEDport_la or hash tag #craftparty  so we can share with our community.

We look forward to having a good time with you that evening! Hope to see you there!!!

XOXO, KC

E-C-P-C Etsy Craft Party at CRAFTED

When Kevin looked at this flier he said "oh look, it is E-C-P-C!" how cool!!! Y'all should have marketed the party like this.

The creative makers of CRAFTED at the port of Los Angeles have been hard at work getting ready for the Craft Party and we hope you can come party with us! On Friday, August 24 we will be hosting an Etsy Craft Party as part of their worldwide craft party meetup. We’re hoping to make it the biggest and best in SoCal! 

Etsy Craft Party: From 7-10pm we will craft party like it’s 1999! For more details and to RSVP go here.

Our theme is “Wish You Were Here” and we certainly wish you were here for this event! Activities will include:
★ Loads of craft projects with the expert makers of CRAFTED! (a small materials fee may apply for some booths)
★ Demos by talented artists
★ Shopping and browsing CRAFTED market stalls
★ Food trucks and a wine bar
★ Live DJ and photobooth
★ Nail bar
★ Tie-dye station
★ Message in a bottle make-n-take
★ FREE PARKING! FREE ADMISSION!

Also, any posts you may share about the event, please feel free to send my way or tweet us at @makeshoplive and @CRAFTEDport_la or hash tag #craftparty  so we can share with our community.

We look forward to having a good time with you that evening! Hope to see you there!!!

XOXO, KC

4th Annual Renegade Craft Fair LA - Recap and Haul

The Renegade Craft Fair returned to the Los Angeles State Historic Park last weekend (7/28-7/29) and I took a break from my market stall at CRAFTED to head to Chinatown to check out this years festival. As always it is free to attend with no parking or other fees proving to make this an event to put on your list of cool free things to do on the weekend.

I jokingly tell everyone that SHOP. is in our name for a reason! I LOVE, love, love supporting handmade artists and crafters. Lots of times I buy things for gifts but sometimes I can't help to buy stuff to indulge in myself.  I scooped up my fair share of great stuff this year, here are my highlights:

Major Haul! Everything from a new dress pattern to sew myself something awesome to rubber stamps that are hand-carved for me to stamp TERRIBLE! (humorously) on things. Items from Christine Haynes, Lets Be Friends, Yes & Yes Designs, Clean Getaway Soap Co., We Love Citrus, i wish i had a penguin friend, Enchanted Leaves, Cheltenham Road, and Paper Pastries.

Looks like I wasn't the only one to break away from CRAFTED...

SalvageShop

Kelso Doesn't Dance

I first met Jennifer of Merrily Yours last Summer at the 3rd Annual Renegade show.  I couldn't resist her Narwhal Herd and purchased it from her on the spot! Every night and every morning I get to look on it and smile when I look across my bedroom from my bed.  I got blessed with the pleasure of showing next to her at this past Patchwork Culver City show and I am just obsessed with her work. SERIOUSLY, I am obsessed! Check her work out!!! Merrily Yours here.

If you sew and haven't come across anything by Christine Haynes then you are missing out on something awesome! I met Christine at the Craftcation Conference in Ventura this past spring and we made jam together ;) Gush! Anyway, back to why she is a seamstresses dream is she is one of a handful of independent pattern makers. Along with her patterns and online classes for Craftsy she has a fabulous book with patterns for 20 projects that make sewing tangible and easy for even the beginning sewer.  

Christine Haynes

Also one of my new pals from the Craftcation Conference who traveled all the way from Tucson, AZ for both the conference and Renegade is Lindsey from Clean Getaway Soap Co. I really like their product line.  There is humor, the names are awesome, and the scents are delicious!

Clean Getaway Soap Co.

Enchanted Leaves

Here are some of my new favorite Artists who showed this year:

Yes & Yes Designs

Lets Be Friends

I will be going through my pictures so if I snapped some pictures with you and you don't see them here, I will hopefully be rounding them up soon.  Some of my pictures came out weird because it was so bright and then dark inside the tents in the shade - My amateur photography skills are still a work-in-progress ;)  I had a wonderful time at the Renegade Craft Fair and can't wait until the Holidays when the show returns to Los Angeles

XOXO, KC

How-To's Day: Make Your Own Hairpin Lace Loom

I have never been much of a crocheter. I learned to knit first and never took to crocheting the same. I have heard you are strongest at whichever method you learn first. Who knows! With that being said, learning to crochet is totally on the top of my must list mostly because I so badly wish I was better at it.  Crochet patterns are so cute and it goes so quickly it kills me that I suck at it. My first attempt is going to be trying my hand at Hairpin Lace because, why not?!

Usually my favorite way to blow all of my money is to buy craft tools that I think will change my life and make all my crafty dreams come true... Does that sound like your weakness too? Now, I am actively trying to curb my spending PLUS I usually try out my tools one time and then I am on to the next project which means I am in a never ending cycle of tool buying. This is an acceptable habit if it is yours as well, there are worst things to be addicted to for sure.  My main reason for wanting to curb my enthusiasm for buying tools is that I am realizing I have enough stuff in my life and I should save my money.  For instance, this Hairpin Lace Loom looks amazing, but at $28 before shipping buying a loom could be more of an investment that I need to indulge in for just trying it out.

Here is my simple solution to trying out a hairpin lace loom for under $3!!

I was able to find a pack of 4 BBQ Skewers at Albertson's for $1.99 on sale. You may be able to find a bigger pack that would drop the cost of the finished tool even lower. All you need is (2) handles cut off the top of a 6-pack and two metal BBQ skewers to create the upcycled hairpin lace tool. This is a simple example of upcycling which is utilizing and re purposing materials that could be recycled or discarded as the useful material in a project.  If you are interested in more details on upcycling check this out.

Take one handle and push both BBQ skewers down through the top to create the bottom of the loom.

The handles from the 6-pack may need a good push to accommodate the skewers but one of the great aspects of using the cardboard handles is the structure is very sturdy and holds the skewers without having to do much to secure them.  You can try out the loom without gluing the skewer into the handle - this way you can make the loom adjustable and change up the sizes if you'd like.  Or if you like the size of the loom place some hot glue by the skewers to hold everything in place and create a surprisingly durable loom.

Some similar looms to make using bamboo skewers and hot glue sticks can be found on Little Projects Blog here or a more substantial loom made from knitting needles, dowel rods and rubber bands from eHow here.

Once you have a loom starting the lace can be tricky. I found this video tutorial from JenkinsWoodworking on YouTube here that is super helpful when trying to learn making hairpin lace.

 Now let's all make some lace!!


XOXO, KC

Day Trip - Keys Creek Lavender Farm

Last year around this time I found out about Keys Creek Lavender Farm but was unable to make it down before the season ended. Sharon and I made a pact that we would go this year for sure!

They have more than two dozen varieties of lavender on the farm. Each variety typically blooms at different times from May into July, however the largest field blooms mid June. The weather plays a part in timing so they say any time during May and June is a great time to visit. With a few more weekends left where the lavender is is bloom this is a great weekend adventure to add to the mix if you are looking for something to do.

They offer free "Walk 'n Talk" tours in May and June on Friday, Saturday and Sunday only at 10:30 and 1:30. Also, they have an English High Tea on the weekend. We went on a week day so I can't express how yummy the tea must be, but on my next visit I am trying out the tea for sure!

They have distillery on site and a wonderful gift shop where you can buy all kinds of lavender goodies.  I made sure to bring home a half-pound bag of lavender bulbs for upcoming craft projects :)

The farm has a TON of pollinators, but not to worry they are way more interested in the lavender and don't seem to notice anything but the flowers.

We made sure to get their specific directions on how to get to the farm from their website here. The grounds don't get the best cell phone service and GPS directions tend to not be the best at navigating to the farm.

Make sure to wear some sunscreen and a hat. Also a suggestion - save your appetite to re-fuel at the Yellow Deli just down the road from the farm. We had lunch there (and no embellishment needed) we had the most amazing meal at the Yellow Deli. Seriously they have this sourdough bread that I am still thinking about...
Yummy!

Enjoy and have a fun trip!!!
XOXO, KC