I love using the last bit of paint in the bottle before it dries up. Getting every stitch I can out of a ball of yarn. Reading a book and passing it on to a friend, giving it away, taking it to a Little Free Library or to my public library to shelve or to […]
How to Survive a Creative Slump
This year has been hard for me creatively. I just haven’t felt like making anything. I’ve been doing a little knitting here and there, maybe a tiny bit of sewing and some mending. But I haven’t felt inspired or really fired up to make anything. Or to write much. Creative slumps happen to everyone, but […]
How to Organize a Child’s Bookshelf
I don’t think it’s possible for a child’s bookshelf to stay well organized for long. And that’s probably a good thing. We want our kids to use their books, to pull them off the shelves and spend time with them. We wish they would put them away properly, but at least they’re reading, right? Part […]
What to Do When You Have No Energy
I was the last person in the house to get sick this winter. I waited until it barely felt like winter anymore, but it’s been a doozy of an illness, with sinus headaches and fever and all that no-good stuff. Being sick is the worst, because we still have to work (at least I’m lucky […]
A Cobbled-Together DIY Mount for “Overhead” Videos Using an iPhone
Yesterday I really wanted to do a knitting video. To shoot knitting properly to be able to show how its done, you really need to shoot from behind or above, so you can see what the hands are doing in the same orientation you would see if you were knitting. Only problem is, I don’t […]
More Softies to Sew for Valentine’s Day and Beyond
Sewn softies are a great Valentine’s gift for a little one in your life, and they don’t usually take a lot of time or supplies, which is great when you’ve got a deadline, right? I recently shared my tutorial for X and O softies, but there are lots of other options some of my blogger […]
How to Set Creative Goals and Actually Make Them Happen
Was this supposed to be the year you finally learned to sew, finished knitting that blanket, or took the time to write poetry every week? How are those creative goals coming along? Creativity is so important for our mental health and, frankly, just for being human. Having creative goals ensures we’ll make progress on those […]