diy

Do it Yourself; Tips and ideas for DIY projects to create your next family heirloom, personalize your photo album and more.

The Shear Joy of It
I am sixteen. It’s my birthday and my mother hands me a wrapped package. I tug at the curled ribbon, coaxing it to a corner so I can slide it off, but the knot is too tight, unwilling to budge. She hands me a knife and I release it, the ribbon falling to the floor. I pull away the wrapping paper to reveal a 12 x 9 inch gray box with the name Fiskar plastered across the front in white.
By Pam Laughlin5 years ago in Families
From Trash to Tote
I have always had a passion for creating, and sewing has been my main creative outlet for several years now. I occasionally make gifts for friends, hem my clothes, and create projects I randomly come up with. Another passion of mine is all things Disney. I especially love the theme parks and find myself totally immersed and inspired while I’m there. I’m constantly looking at the construction, theming, colors, and layout of all the lands. Lucky for me, my most recent project has been a combination of my two passions.
By Grant Fukui5 years ago in Families
The Birthday Dress
“See you when the germs have gone” shouted my daughter from the car window as we waved goodbye to her Grandparents. We were heading home after our last Sunday dinner before the first lockdown and at three years old she had little understanding of what it was actually going to entail. Really, almost all of us were naïve as to how long this was actually going to last.
By Natasha Foley5 years ago in Families
Veronica's Eyes
I could not tell you the color of my Veronica’s eyes; they are green, they are grey, they are brown, they are blue… they change with the time of day and how happy or sleepy she is. They sparkle with laughter and grow stormy with agitation; they are greenest when she is fighting to stay awake. But on that day last November, they were grey-blue and pensive under her furrowed brow.
By Carolyn M Palm5 years ago in Families
Art In An Emergency
We called her Mutti Oma. German words that mean "Mom Grandma." As a war refugee, a widow twice over, and a woman who buried her infant son - my great-grandmother knew how to survive hard things. She persevered all the way to her 99th birthday, when she passed away in a nursing home bed.
By Carmyn Effa5 years ago in Families
A Boxful of Traditions
It isn’t much to look at. The large, plywood box has a hinged lid and rope handles on the sides. It creaks loudly when it’s opened. My dad made the box when I was a little girl, intending it should hold toys. When my sister and I had outgrown “toyboxes” the box then became a place to hold our camping stuff. That’s when the rope handles were added, so it could be easily carried. Later, my Mom used the box to hold fabric.
By Caryn Turrel5 years ago in Families
Catch 22
I am a war veteran and I will courageously go anywhere with confidence. I will go into the store to buy feminine products for the ladies in my life. I will walk around the mall holding purses. There is one place I fear to go alone. The fabric store.
By David Lee Black5 years ago in Families
Gener-cre-ations
Snip, snag, snag, snip, snag, thump! “Ugh! These scissors won’t cut,” I’d complain. My sister would whisper, “Let’s go get the ones that work.”
By Viltinga Rasytoja5 years ago in Families
The Element of Craft
In my view anyone can be creative, it's only when you include the element of craft that creativity becomes elevated to art And whereas creativity merely requires materials such as glue, paper and paint, performing a craft requires tools such scissors, knives and rulers.
By Aaron Needle5 years ago in Families
Scissor Thief
The scissors disappeared soon after I’d bought them, I just hadn’t realized they were gone…until it was too late. I was deep in the reeds with raising small children and with little money to spare and the holidays approaching, I scoured my craft magazines and found a project I knew would be treasured. I picked up the supplies and began working late into the evening as I cut various colours of felt into intricate pieces…soon realizing I needed a much better pair of scissors than the ones that had been tossed around my cutlery drawer for years.
By Colleen O'Dea5 years ago in Families
A Story From Bernie's Mitten Maker
Most people know who I am because I made Bernie Sanders’s mittens; you know, the ones from the memes? Yes, I made those iconic mittens for Sanders four years ago because he’s my favorite senator. I used my Fiskars to cut up an old moth-eaten sweater and the Singer sewing machine my mother gave to me on my twelfth birthday to sew the pieces together in the shape of a mitten. But this story isn’t going to be about the mittens. Everyone has already heard that story. Long before I made those mittens, I made something far more important to me. This is the story of my grandmother’s quilt.
By Jen Ellis5 years ago in Families
Red Fiskars
When I was young, probably around 3 or 4 years old, I started watching my mom and dad do all sorts of creative projects. At the time, my dad was taking an entomology class in college and it fascinated me when he would pin beautiful insects to boards for assignments. Later, he would frame them as gifts for our family members. My mother refurbished old furniture and I was always I awe of how she could turn something she pulled from the trash, and turn it into a gorgeous piece of furniture that would sell for hundreds of dollars.
By Corrin Hayes5 years ago in Families