Tutorials
Vintage Christmas Matchboxes! Holiday Papercrafting
Are you giving a candle as a gift this Christmas? How special would it be to include one of these Christmas matchboxes for the recipient! You can get a pack of 10 matchboxes at Dollar Tree, and e...
Read moreHow to Make Nostalgic Waxed Moravian Stars
If you long for a simple, old fashioned Christmas like the ones from long ago, this is a wonderfully nostalgic craft to learn. These traditional Moravian stars are made from strips of paper wov...
Read moreHow to Make a Pine Cone Snowman on Skis!
Today's craft is very much based on some wonderful 1950s skiing figurines! There were many types- some were elves, some were snowmen, some had spun cotton bodies, and some had pine cone bodies. ...
Read moreHow to Make Spun Cotton Angel Ornaments
It's the holiday season! I love making angels of all sorts. This variety is made using 20mm doll heads paired with 60x45mm spun cotton cones, and they have little loops added to the tops of the hea...
Read moreNew Craft Kit! Vintage Elf & Toadstool Decoration
It's the holiday season! I have a great new craft kit this year. If you like a holly jolly vintage Christmas you'll love making this elf with whimsical toadstools! You'll just need a low temp gl...
Read moreHow to Make a Foraged Witch Broom for Halloween
This is a super easy project, and nearly free! Treat yourself to an autumnal nature walk, and bring along a bucket or a box and some snippers to collect some items. The materials you collect wil...
Read moreVictorian Figural Ornament Made with Roving and Cotton Batting
Hi ho, and Merry Christmas! Earlier this year I shared a start-to-finish spun cotton snow baby figural ornament tutorial using cotton coil or medical cotton. Today, I'm doing a version using rovi...
Read moreSnow Cap Christmas Ornaments - Embellishing Mercury Glass Balls with Paint and Glitter
Today I am dressing up some thrifted glass ball ornaments with a festive snow pattern. I like the brushed-on snow design of Shiny Brite ornaments from the 1950s, so that is the look I am going for...
Read moreThis is a variation of a project from my book Spun Cotton Crafts. Get your copy here. In my book I share four different 'recipes' for crafting vintage elves. Today I'm making a bearded elf, but d...
Read moreHow to Preserve Fall Leaves with Glycerin
Through all my years of crafting, I'm surprised I never tried preserving fall leaves with glycerin before! So when the fall colors hit their peak here in the Pacific Northwest, I tried it out. The...
Read moreMaking a Halloween Doll with a Vintage Hanky!
In the last tutorial I shared how to make clay Kewpie doll faces from a vintage figurine. You can find that project here. Today, I'm using the face to make a little 1920s ghost doll for Halloween!...
Read moreMaking Clay Doll Faces from a Vintage Figurine
I recently found a really cute figurine, kind of Kewpie style, and I wanted to use the face for making some Halloween dolls! I share this technique for making craft faces in my book Spun Cotton Cr...
Read moreSnow Baby Project Demo - Making a Spun Cotton Doll from Scratch
Today I'm excited to share a video demonstration of one of the projects in my new book, Spun Cotton Crafts! The Snow Baby from page 106 is an easy-to-make spun cotton doll. The design is not com...
Read moreMake a Crepe Paper Flower Instead of a Bow! Vintage Style DIY Gift Topper
With Mother's Day coming up, and wedding season back this year, you might be wrapping some lovely gifts this spring! A few years ago I designed these giant crepe paper flowers for a friend's wedd...
Read moreMaking Vintage Style Clothespin Dolls! 1960s Kitsch Craft Project
Today I'm making these retro ladies, inspired by some clothespin dolls my mom picked up at a holiday bazaar in the 1970s. I like the quaint look of the long dresses and hand-drawn faces. For this...
Read moreVintage Christmas Pine Cone Pixies! Fun DIY Holiday Craft
Here's a fun project to use up those extra pine cones you've collected! These adorable little pixies can sit on the edge of the mantel or a windowsill, or can be arranged on the presents under th...
Read moreRetro Paper Christmas Candles made from Cardboard Tubes and Paper Rolls!
Collect household paper tubes to make these whimsical vintage style candle decorations for Christmas! In this paper craft project I am upcycling tubes from paper towels, toilet paper, aluminum foil...
Read moreWinter Cottage Snow Globe Ornament - Sweet Christmas Craft
In this project I am creating a snowy winter wonderland inside a glass snow globe ornament to hang on a Christmas tree. The empty glass ornaments come in round globes, bell shapes, and domes. To m...
Read moreVintage Craft: Pine Cone and Felt Victorian Carolers
These pine cone and felt carolers are part of my vintage craft series: wonderful projects found in vintage craft books brought to life! I collect vintage craft books, and flipping through them I a...
Read moreBraided Bread Dolls with Hard Boiled Egg Faces
Today I am creating a pair of lovely braided bread dolls inspired by a baking project I did with my mother when I was small. I can't remember now what kind of bread we used then, but I do remember...
Read moreVintage Craft: Tissue Paper Festooning! DIY Easter Garland Tutorial
This tissue paper festooning is part of my vintage craft series: wonderful projects found in vintage craft books brought to life! I collect vintage craft books, and flipping through them I always ...
Read moreSnow Day Ski Friends - Vintage Style Spun Cotton Figures
These whimsical figures are made from spun cotton shapes and colorful crépe paper, and are the perfect indoor activity for a cozy snow day. In this project, crépe paper is used as clothing for ...
Read moreBeautiful Acorn Ornaments with Pine Cones and Glitter - DIY Christmas Craft
To welcome the fall season I thought it would be fun to share my technique for making these sparkling and gorgeous acorn ornaments! I made and sold these in my shop for years, and they were a bes...
Read moreMaking a Retro Glam Agate Slice Epoxy Resin Table
Every summer I try to learn a new creative skill, or make something with materials I've never used before. Making this agate slice table with epoxy resin was an ambitious project, and I wasn't rea...
Read moreSpun Cotton Spring Birds with Coffee Filter Bonnets and Ruffs
I love combining spun cotton with pipe cleaners. It immediately makes a decoration look vintage! For these happy spring birds I picked out paint colors that matched some pastel pipe cleaners, and...
Read moreVintage Style Spun Cotton and Paper Lantern Ornaments
I have always loved the vintage lantern ornaments that were made in Japan for export in the 1950s. There were several different types made of paper, as well as the heavy painted glass bulbs for...
Read moreFall Pumpkin Crafts: Turn a Pumpkin into an Autumn Fairy!
In the spring I made crepe paper flower fairies to welcome the season, and so with fall approaching I thought I would do a variation using pumpkins! I think they would make such a darling centerp...
Read moreHow to Make a Sugared Orange Spun Cotton Ornament
In this tutorial, I am sharing my process for turning a plain spun cotton ball into a beautiful orange ornament. Spun cotton ornaments of this type were popular in the 1920s and 30s, and fruit t...
Read moreMake a Crepe Paper Flower Fairy - DIY Craft Tutorial
These whimsical flower fairies are made of some of my favorite materials: spun cotton, crepe paper, and pipe cleaners! I had some extra-skinny pipe cleaners that I used for the arms and legs, but...
Read moreDIY Paper Shamrock Corsage for St. Patrick's Day
Here is a shamrock pin for St. Patrick's Day that's so pretty, you'll wear it every year. It's simple to make with just paper and pipe cleaners, but the result is very elegant. You can use any gr...
Read moreHow to Dye Pipe Cleaners for Crafts - DIY Tutorial
Extreme crafters rejoice: you can dye your own pipe cleaners! I was wanting some pipe cleaners in various pastel shades for my spring craft projects, but I was disappointed by the limited selecti...
Read moreDIY Celestial Lighted Witch Hat Headband
This is a variation on the Easy Witch Hat Headband I did a couple years ago. It's my go-to for a simple Halloween party costume. This year, I decided to add some lights, and make it sparkle like ...
Read moreMacrame Plant Hanger - Craft Tutorial with Easy Macrame Knots
This macrame plant hanger uses simple knots to create, and makes a great statement piece! The finished plant hanger is just under 5 feet long. It has some cool chunky wooden macrame beads, and a...
Read moreBasic Macrame Knots: Simple Square Knot Tutorial + Adding Beads
If you lived through the 1970s, you might remember this! One of the most basic macrame knots is the square knot, and it's actually very versatile. This tutorial shows how to tie square knot in ...
Read moreGiant Paper Flower for a DIY Wedding Backdrop - Craft Tutorial
I recently had the chance to make some wonderful large crepe paper flowers for a friend's wedding. They were to be part of a backdrop installation, so we needed to make a lot of flowers that fil...
Read morePlants on Pink Easter Eggs - Painted Spun Cotton Eggs
Today I'm making some handpainted Plants on Pink Easter eggs! These fun eggs are inspired by the @plantsonpink Instagram sensation. There truly is something irresistible about that combinatio...
Read moreChristmas Craft Tutorial: Make a Retro Cake Pan Diorama!
These cake pan dioramas are a fun way to display small ornaments or figurines. I have some little wooden ornaments, pine cone elves, and putz houses that are sometimes hard to see if I put them w...
Read moreTutorial: Retro Spun Cotton Sugar Bell Ornaments
These retro sugar bell ornaments look almost *exactly* like the ones made in the 1940s! Before styrofoam entered the Christmas market, spun cotton was a go-to material for imported Christmas orna...
Read moreMake Minty Bleached Bottle Brush Trees for Christmas!
In this tutorial I am sharing my technique for bleaching bottle brush trees. You will need to use craft trees made of sisal, which can be harder to find than plastic or pvc trees. I use simple ho...
Read moreDIY Snow Globe Ornaments - Fun Christmas Crafts
Published November 2, 2016 These DIY Snow Globe Ornaments have a great vintage style, and are so fun to make! There are three style of glass ornaments: a globe, dome, and bell-shaped cloche. Y...
Read moreHow to Make Spun Cotton Pumpkins! DIY Fall Craft Tutorial
This is such a fun fall craft project! In this tutorial I'm using 45mm spun cotton balls to make adorable little pumpkins. It's quite simple, and they are so pretty. I think they would make lov...
Read moreMossy Fairy House DIY Tutorial
This is a darling cottage-style mossy fairy house. It's simple to make using a paper mache house as a base. After wrapping it in sheet moss, I'm putting on a rustic roof made out of corrugated c...
Read moreTechnique: How to Make HOLLOW Polymer Clay Beads Using Spun Cotton Balls
Ever wondered how to make HOLLOW polymer clay beads? With this technique I'm making some fun marbled beads to string up on a ribbon. They are perfectly round and smooth, and it's great to be abl...
Read moreSpeckled Spun Cotton Easter Eggs DIY Tutorial
In this tutorial I'm making speckled spun cotton Easter eggs. These are so darling. I did a similar project last year, but this time I've added a coat of clear glass glitter. You can paint them ...
Read moreAssembling a Wax Flower Hair Comb Tutorial
In this tutorial I'm assembling a wax flower hair comb with the pretty picks I made in the last tutorial. This romantic hair comb would make a beautiful bridal hairpiece. Instructions for making...
Read moreMaking a Wax Flower Pick DIY Tutorial
In this tutorial I'm taking the wax flowers and buds I made in the last tutorial, and wrapping them together to make a pick for a hair comb. You can use embroidery floss or wire to do this bindin...
Read moreIn this tutorial I'm making DIY wax flowers with a romantic Victorian look to them. The buds are made of spun cotton, and the wax-dipped flowers are crepe paper. You need to make the paper flowe...
Read moreSimple Paper Flowers DIY Tutorial
These simple paper flowers are made out of one-size petals applied to spun cotton eggs. They look like little wild roses or spring blossoms. These are the type of blossoms that I use to make my ...
Read moreLast year I decorated one of my Christmas trees with some vintage paper mache bells that were made in Japan in the 40s-50s, and I just loved how they looked hanging off the tips of the branches. ...
Read morePipe Cleaner Craft: Christmas Garland Tutorial
Here's a great pipe cleaner craft for Christmas! This retro Christmas garland was inspired by a real one from the 1950s that I once had in the vintage Christmas collection in the shop. What I lov...
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