Cool Craft Kits

One of my favorite things to look for on Etsy are craft kits. Just about any kind of craft you’re interested in, but don’t know where to start has a kit put together by another maker. I like them much better than the kits you find at art stores. Mostly those kits are geared towards kids and have shoddy supplies. These kits are for the most part put together from whatever supplies that maker would want to use. Plus you get their first hand knowledge in a project or two with it.

This screen printing kit is actually in my etsy shop. A lot of the free stencils I offer on my blog work well with it too.

This Frame Loom Weaving Kit from Hello Chiqui is an amazing starter kit. It comes with everything you need, and each piece is made beautifully.

If you’ve ever wanted to try your hand at the urban homesteading skill of soap making, this Cold Process Soap Kit from Wild Herb Soap Co looks great.

The Embroidered Doll Kits from Kiriki Press are adorable and would be a great way to practice your embroidery.

JPants has so many terrarium supplies, but my favorite are the complete kits. Everything is packaged beautifully and comes with tiny amounts of everything you need. This Desktop Terrarium Kit looks really fun.

All photos in this post belong to their respective and linked owners, except the first, which belongs to me.

Making Words

One of the people I follow on Instagram (Cookoorikoo) has inspired me to be a bit wordy. She has this amazing wall of embroidered words, with black fabric hung in embroidery hoops. As a lover of weird words, I’m completely smitten. So I’m building my own word wall. Though I don’t plan to stick to just embroidery.

I started with the word erinaceous: n. of or pertaining to hedgehogs. It’s a word I never would have heard of if not for a fabulous TED Talk by Erin McKean about the point of lexicography and the flexibility of language. The word itself has become synonymous in my mind with that TED talk. So it seems fitting to start a collection of words with it.

I’m including the pattern I made for this, in case you’d like to embroider this as well. Download here.

Class: Embroidering Wall Art on Jan 23rd

Red Circle Crafts classes are starting in January! Check out the Classes Page to see more information. You can register online and all supplies are included! Gift Certificates are available as well.

Embroidering Wall Art with Cate Anevski on January 23rd

Embroider your own wall art in an embroidery hoop. No experience necessary. You will learn two basic embroidery stitches and get a lot of hands on experience to start your own embroidery projects.

Using designs from Cate Anevski (http://cateanevski.com/), a local fiber artists and illustrator, you will finish a simple project that will be ready to hang on your wall.

This class will be held on January 23, 2014 from 1pm to 3pm.
All Red Circle Crafts Classes are located at 1720 NW Lovejoy Street, Suite 304, Portland, OR.

Price: $40
Materials Fee: $20
Total Cost: $60

Click Here to Register Online