The Crafts Dept. » Guest

Intern Craft Challenge Reveal

Guest — Wed, 10 Aug 2011 11:00:22 +0000

"The results are in! And the winning school supply is...

All of them—well, almost all of them. We were so excited about the challenge that we decided to do more than just one revamp. Here are some ways to spice up back-to-school supplies!

Why search for the perfect notebook when you can make one on your own? With a few pieces of paper, a thin sheet of cardboard, and some colorful thread you can do it yourself in less than 15 minutes! Here's how to do a pamphlet stitched notebook.

Back Next

1 of 2

The blackboard doesn't always have to be in the classroom—it can also be in your locker! Reuse jar lids by painting the inside with chalkboard paint, sticking a magnet on the back, and adding a hint of paint on the rim. Use these magnetic lids for daily reminders, notes from friends, or doodles.

Back Next

1 of 2

For a spin on the backpack, we used canvas totes with a personal touch. Hand-stitch your name or a friendly phrase—no sewing machine needed!

Back Next

1 of 2

For our book cover, we used recycled bag paper, graph paper, and an envelope. Use the envelope to store your flash cards and the front to doodle. We suggest some tic-tac-toe tournaments."

Back Next

1 of 4

Thanks so much, Alessandra and Lindsay! Good luck with the new school year. We hope to see you around soon!

The Craft Interns!

Guest — Mon, 11 Jul 2011 11:05:29 +0000

Hello! Alessandra and Lindsay here. As new summer interns in the Crafts Department, we wanted to give you all a quick look behind the scenes.

And yes, we're still working on getting that glitter out of our shoes.

Beaches Craft Studio Press Trip

Guest — Mon, 24 Jan 2011 17:12:53 +0000

Hi. Lauren Murphy here, assistant to the crafts merchandising department at Martha Stewart. As many of you know, we recently launched the Martha Stewart Crafts Studio at Beaches Resorts. The crafts studio consists of five classes exclusively developed by the crafts geniuses at Martha Stewart for Beaches Resorts. Back in November Hannah Milman, Jodi Levine (two of the crafts geniuses behind the crafts studio), and I headed down to the Beaches Turks & Caicos Resort Villages & Spa and took some very enthusiastic bloggers with us. We were there to experience the crafts studio firsthand and introduce the bloggers to everything the program has to offer.

After all the introductions on the night we arrived, we headed to a beach welcome luau. The luau is a weekly feature at the resort and was a great way to kick off the trip. There were Caribbean dancers and performers, a dozen food stations featuring some local favorites, and great company. The next day we introduced the bloggers to the craft studio with a little behind-the-scenes information on how the classes came to be and where we find our inspiration. Before we jumped into the classes the bloggers got a guided tour of the Beaches Resort grounds so they could see all the resort's exciting programs and amenities. The next few days were all about crafting! The bloggers, as well as their children, attended private crafts studio classes, which Hannah, Jodi, and I personally taught. They got to experience the glitter class, punch and stencil fashion, fashion stencil, postcard making, and scrapbooking classes firsthand. Check out the pictures of us all crafting!

Back Next

1 of 33

3 Craft Studio at Beaches Turks and Caicos

6 Stacy Debroff from Mom Central working on her punch and stencil tote.

8 Sarah Moore and Dana Vitek from Craft Critique showing off their work

12 Melissa Gerstein from Moms and the City made an adorable glittered cupcake tee shirt.

13 Griffin Miller from NY Metro getting a little help from one of our beaches instructors.

18 Hannah sharing a few tricks of the trade.

19 scrapbooking

21 Simone Collins, from Craft Critique, is excited to start crafting.

25 Christine Fox from Everyday Mama made a beach inspired scrapbook page.

31 glittered shells

32 We learned a great tip from Barbara Lynn, one of our Turks and Caicos teachers, that hairspray makes a great sealer for glitter.

Even with all the crafting, there was still time to explore the resort. Jodi brought her two kids, and they made sure they got to see all the Sesame Street characters. Sesame Street is also a partner at Beaches Resort, and we were so excited to see how the characters have been integrated into our classes. Check out these awesome character shells that were created by the talented teachers at Beaches.

Back Next

1 of 3

3 Barbara Lynn came up with this great technique using masking tape to create Sesame Street inspired glittered shells.

One of Hannah's favorite parts of the trip would have to be the excursion to the conch farm just minutes from the resort. The Turks and Caicos conch farm is the only one in the world of its kind. You will experience firsthand the life cycle of the Queen Conch and see how they are bred and grown. An interesting thing I learned about the Queen Conch is that it produces a pearl. I never knew that. After you tour the farm and see the two million conch that are raised there, don't forget to drop by Da Conch Shack for lunch.

Back Next

1 of 17

When we weren't crafting, you could find me by one of the resort's six pools. The resort also has 16 restaurants, including beach-side dining with your feet in the sand, a character breakfast for kids, and an adults-only French restaurant. There is surely something for everyone at Beaches Resort.

Back Next

1 of 6

To see more from our Turks and Caicos trip, check out a few of the bloggers posts.

Craft Critique

Mom Central

Mom's and the City

We all had such a great time and can't wait to go back.

Santa Fe International Folk Art Market

Guest — Mon, 27 Sep 2010 13:57:33 +0000

Hi - I am Kate, an employee who loves folk art and recently went to the amazing Santa Fe International Folk Art Market. This annual event is the largest market in the world. This year, more than 170 master folk artists representing 52 countries were selected to participate in this colorful, creative event attended by over 25,000 people.

Empowering Women – Artisan Cooperatives that Transform Communities.

This year the Market featured a new exhibition, Empowering Women: Artisan Cooperatives that Transform Communities. This exhibition showed the great impact of women cooperatives, throughout the world, is giving women an opportunity to get out of poverty and have a market for their crafts. Their stories in the exhibit were inspiring.

Did you know that 2012 has been proclaimed by the United Nations as the International Year of Cooperatives?

Let me show you this amazing event with the photographs that I took. I am sure next year you will want to experience this event.

Back Next

1 of 32

2 On Sunday children who attended the market picked up their own passport book and map so they could collect country stamps as they visited the artists with their families.

3 Carmen showed me her passport book .

4 Janet Nkubana and her sister founded the Gahaya Links Cooperatives to turn Rwanda’s basket weaving tradition into a source of livelihood for rural women.

5 They have been successful in generating a livable income for over 4,000 women and enabling them to get out of poverty to feed and educate their children. The baskets are available on macys.com.

6 Rebecca Lolosoli founded the women’s organization, Umoja (meaning unity) in Kenya. They make beautiful traditional hand-strung, colorful beaded necklaces. www.umojabeadedjewelry.com

7 The Saraguro women of highland southern Ecuador have been creating beautiful beaded collars for many years.

8 Ana Victoria learned bead weaving from an older woman in her village.

9 Amina Yabis showed my good friend, Willa Shalit and I the jewelry which is made with hand –woven buttons.

10 Amina formed a women’s craft association called Golden Buttons to market this traditional craft with 400 women from her province.

11 So good to see the Haitian artists affected by the earthquake at the Market to sell their art. Pierre Edgard makes colorful papier-mâché masks and animals.

12 Pierre is president of a cooperative of over 300 Haitian artists. His roosters were so colorful.

13 Serge Jolimeau is a master artist who makes metal art out of steel drums.

14 He was inspired by blacksmiths in his neighborhood in Haiti. He has trained many of the best metal artisans in Haiti.

15 I continuously return to the booth of one artisan, Bertha Medina to be in awe of the hand carved details of her designs on gourds.

16 Bertha is from a small village high in the Andes of Peru and learned her craft from her father.

17 She showed me the tools she uses to carve the finely detailed design of each piece.

18 Ramu Devraj Harijan lives in the Banni region of northern India. This region is know for quilt making and embroidery.

20 The men source and sew the cloth and the women complete the products with beautiful embroidery. I purchased a beautiful handbag and cloth doll.

21 It was so wonderful to be greeted by the friendly face of David Cajo from Chijnaya, Peru.

22 The hand –dyed, Alpaca yarn embroideries called Bordados are scenes from the daily life in the villages.

23 Somporn Intaraprayong works with women from Thailand to make hand sewn garments. The cotton clothing is coated with egg whites for a shiny finish.

24 Elhadji Koumama is from a family of famous Tuareg silversmiths in Niger.

25 His father was one of the most famous silversmiths www.tuaregjewelry.com and jewelry is an important art in their culture.

26 Kholiddin Alieu is a master chess maker from Uzbekistan and learned his craft from his father.

27 The details of the chess pieces were exquisite.

28 Memet Cetinkaya works with Armenian women to produce embroidered textiles that have been past down through generations.

29 Rustan Usmanou produces blue ceramics from the village of Rishtan in Uzbekistan. Rishtan is the oldest center of ceramic art in Central Asia.

30 The designs are hand painted in beautiful shades of turquoise, dark blue and brown.

31 Addul Khatri and his brothers continue Bandhani craft, traditional textiles art that involves intricate tying design to create beautiful patterns.

32 The fabric is completely tied and then dyed

Sticker Wreaths

Guest — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 14:31:04 +0000

Hi,

I’m Lenore Welby, a producer at The Martha Stewart Show. When I was recently assigned to produce a segment on making sticker wreaths for our TV show, I was really excited because I thought…

This is like a craft and party favor all in one! It’s PERFECT for Charlotte’s 7^th birthday party! (Or, for that matter, for a playdate, a crafts night with girlfriends, or a sweet handmade birthday present.) The wreaths were a huge hit, and the setup couldn’t have been easier.

We looped ribbon around paper rings. (Cut them from card stock using our Martha Stewart Crafts circle cutter or trace around the rim of a drinking glass or can, then cut.) Then, we laid out an assortment of our nature stickers.

Back Next

1 of 4

1 Guess who made this adorable woodland wreath?

2 A bird landed on Lily's colorful wreath!

3 The butterflies were a big hit.

4 Charlotte, the birthday girl!

By the way, we also did a segment on making that great craft table. We left the table on our front porch after the party. My kids love crafting—and eating—alfresco!

Brooch Necklace

Guest — Thu, 26 Aug 2010 13:50:22 +0000

Today’s post is written by Ashley Little, a web producer for marthastewart.com.

My favorite projects from Martha Stewart Living are always the jewelry crafts. When I browse a new issue, I immediately put the jewelry projects on my list of things to make, and this brooch and ribbon necklace from last February's issue has been on my list for months! Luckily, it took very little time to make.

Take a look at my how-to photos and make one of your own!

Sources

Ribbon: M&J Trimming

Wire cutters, needle-nose pliers, and spray paint: Michaels

Jump rings: Union Max

Brooches and earrings: ClassicStyleSupplies on Etsy

Back Next

1 of 18

1 First, I gathered all my supplies. I will be using a combination of brooches and earrings for my necklace.

2 I bought the jump rings at Union Max, one of my favorite Brooklyn findings stores.

3 I was distracted by all the pretty beads, buttons…

4 …and necklaces. I left the store with a lot more than just jump rings!

5 M&J Trimming in the Garment District is my go-to for ribbon.

6 I stood in front of the ribbon for at least a half-hour deciding on a color.

7 I used wire cutters to remove the backs from the brooches and earrings. Be sure the smooth side is down so the bits don’t hit your face!

8 I filed away the sharp leftovers with a file…

9 …then used sandpaper to finish it.

10 I spray-painted only two of the earrings because I didn’t want a lot of copper in my necklace.

11 Most of the spray paint was dabbed off the earrings with a paper towel, wiping the rhinestones clean.

12 Jump rings were attached to both sides of every piece using the needle-nose pliers.

13 When opening and closing jump rings, pull the opening away from you. Hinging the opening could cause the ring to weaken or break.

14 I continued linking the pieces with the jump rings.

15 It’s coming together very quickly!

16 After I linked everything together, I threaded the ribbon through the end rings…

17 …and tied a knot at the end of the ribbon.

18 Within minutes, the necklace was finished!

Get more jewelry projects from our Handmade Jewelry and Accessories gallery.

A Craft-Inspired Baby Shower

Guest — Mon, 23 Aug 2010 13:46:26 +0000

This is Stephanie Roberts, the executive assistant to Charles Koppelman, our Chairman and Principal Executive Officer. I am always surrounded by the creativity that abounds MSO, so I jump at any chance to apply what I have learned. When my close friend Melissa announced she was expecting her first child, I wanted the baby shower to be fun and creative. My inspiration came from old-fashioned lemonade and gingham prints, which I just adore! For the favors I purchased 2.5 oz canning jars, filled them with lemon drop candies, and then topped them with parchment paper and raffia. The tags for both the favors and the decanters were custom printed by Jennifer Cassara on white paper and then trimmed using a creative-edge crafting scissor you can find at any local Michaels. I then used spray adhesive to glue them to card stock, which I also trimmed with the edged scissors.

Back Next

1 of 10

1 Prepared baby clothes ready to decorate

2 Guests’ busy applying paint

3 Showing off their work!

4 Lots of colors on this one

5 Personalizing with a fabric marker

6 Adorable!

7 Drying time…

8 One of mine!

9 The finished product

10 The happy mom and grandmother to be!

Then it was time to let everyone get creative and decorate baby clothes. I prepared the outfits the night before by pre-punching the stencils from freezer paper using our line of punches. Look here for the full instructions. The stencils were then ironed onto the various sized outfits, making note at what age the baby would celebrate holidays such as Halloween and Saint Patrick’s Day. Cardboard was placed inside each bodysuit to keep the paint from bleeding through to the other side. Providing a nontoxic fabric paint and spouncers, I let the guests get busy. A special thanks to my summer intern Hannah for her help. This baby will certainly score fashion points!

Martha's Birthday

Guest — Thu, 05 Aug 2010 13:27:02 +0000

Hi, it's Tracy, the crafts intern. Tuesday was Martha's birthday, so Carrie, our international editorial intern, organized a thoughtful gift for Martha from all the summer interns.

Everyone was given a card to write and decorate in any way they liked. All the cards were then compiled into a box we constructed using chipboard, ribbon, and Martha Stewart Living decorated papers. The results were beautiful! Cards were crafted, etched, stitched, printed, illustrated—you name it.

Back Next

1 of 11

1 My card had two layers. The top layer masked the bottom layer with cut out birthday candle shapes so the pattern underneath would show through.

2 When you open the card…

3 It reveals the embroidered birthday message for Martha.

4 Renées card was an intricately illustrated all-over pattern using black ink.

5 Detail of the hand-drawn curls

6 Type illustration in process

7 Here are a couple close-ups of the rest of the cards.

9 And the handmade box we put the cards in.

Shopping for Supplies

Guest — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 15:24:20 +0000

Hi. I’m Renée, the crafts intern, and a few weeks ago I visited some really great places in the city to pick up a few things for the Crafts Dept. The first place was the flower market on 28th Street, between 6th and 7th Avenues, in Chelsea. It's a street lined with florists and floral supplies. Next, I stopped by Elegant Fabric at 222 West 40th Street in the Garment District. This two-story fabric store is a treat for fashion and craft enthusiasts.

Back Next

1 of 9

1 The flower market is a great source for flowers.

3 Foliage

4 Floral supplies

5 I loved walking into stores and being greeted by the fresh smell and vibrant colors of the flowers.

6 I couldn't leave empty handed, so I bought a bouquet of sunflowers to brighten up the crafts dept.

7 Elegant carries a huge selection of fabrics, from ultra suede to faux fur to brocades.

8 My favorite part of Elegant is their precut fabric samples. I collected some beautiful swatches for a future craft project.

Craft Challenge Reveal

Guest — Thu, 22 Jul 2010 11:05:22 +0000

Results are in from the craft challenge, and the winning material is…..mismatched socks!
We decided to reconstruct mismatched socks into something you could wear, but in a totally different way…as sock bangles!

Here's how to make it:

Back Next

1 of 4

1 Start with a spare sock.

2 Cut sock in half at heel.

3 Invert the sock and start rolling it down.

4 Roll it all the way down and if it doesn’t hold glue or sew it shut.

It’s easy to make and anyone can transform their lonely sock into a fun sock bangle!

Extra Craft Tip:

You can also use your sock to cover your water bottle. Remember to invert the sock first, slip it through the bottle and then fold the extra fabric down. Now you’ve got a cute water bottle cover than prevents condensation water from dripping everywhere."