DIY chicken wire jingle bell ornament

When I blogged about my wire mesh jewelry holders with beads, I mentioned that I planned to make a Christmas ornament out of wire. Here it is. But instead of ¼-inch hardware cloth, I went with chicken wire. Apparently, it’s called poultry netting these days, but my family raised chickens […]

2021-01-31T02:12:14-08:00December 7, 2011|

DIY recycled Christmas card advent calendar

Remember when I told you three years ago that I was going to make an advent calendar the same way I made my hanging postcard collage? Well, I finally did it! Apologies for posting so late in the season. You probably already made or bought an advent calendar this year. […]

2021-01-31T02:12:29-08:00November 30, 2011|

Maria’s DIY frosted glass jar

Maria Romvari, a former guest nester, returns for another tutorial! I mentioned glass etching in another post recently, and it reminded of these instructions that Maria sent me a while ago. This is the frosted glass spray paint method. You could also […]

2021-03-12T14:42:06-08:00November 16, 2011|

Carol’s DIY decoupage plates

Last week, I blogged about Carol Endler Sterbenz’s new book Homemade: The Heart and Science of Handcrafts. This week, I’m honored to welcome Carol as a guest nester! This decoupage plate tutorial is just one of the many fabulous projects in her book. Carol writes, “Of all the […]

2021-02-25T16:31:53-08:00November 9, 2011|

Book review: Homemade by Carol Endler Sterbenz + a giveaway

When I first picked up Homemade: The Heart and Science of Handcrafts, I was skeptical that a 773-page craft book with a retro cover and no color photographs would be worth my time. Then I started reading it. I’m happy to […]

2021-02-25T16:31:24-08:00November 4, 2011|

Craftiness with X-Acto knives + a giveaway

I have been using standard X-Acto knives for decades, but X-Acto sent me a few of their latest craft knives, and I like them even better. Especially the fat pink Designer Series #11 craft knife in the photo above. In exchange, they asked me to […]

2021-02-22T23:39:45-08:00October 29, 2011|

Book reviews: DIY Kitchens and 100+ Paint Projects + a giveaway

I have always been a fan of Better Homes & Gardens’ Do-It-Yourself magazine, so when I heard about two of their new books, I couldn’t wait to get my hands on them. Do It Yourself Kitchens: Stunning Spaces on a Shoestring Budget and

2021-03-24T10:41:57-07:00October 14, 2011|

Camp craft: DIY wire-mesh jewelry holders with beads

These jewelry holders were the one original camp craft idea I had this year. When I discovered the different types of hardware cloth and chicken wire stacked in the back of Home Depot, my mind started churning out all kinds of projects I could make with […]

2021-01-31T05:52:15-08:00October 9, 2011|

DIY bamboo orb pendant lights

Apologies for my long absence. A month ago I landed a full-time job (gotta pay the bills) along with a 3-hour round-trip commute. Ugh. It’s left little time for crafting. Not to worry, I’m still going to keep blogging, but it might be on a more infrequent basis. For now, it […]

2021-01-31T05:52:24-08:00September 25, 2011|

Camp craft: painting birdhouses

I learned my lesson last year at girls camp. I spent the entire week teaching step-by-step instructions for most of the crafts, which left me exhausted and sick of my own voice. So this year I chose a few crafts that didn’t require constant instruction from me. Birdhouses was one […]

2020-11-24T07:46:25-08:00August 18, 2011|

Camp craft: DIY fabric flower headbands & barrettes

As some of you may recall, I saved last year’s yo-yo crafts for this year’s girls camp. The girls with patience and determination loved making yo yos. For others, hand sewing was a bit arduous. So, I came up with an easier alternative: fabric flower […]

2021-01-31T05:53:07-08:00July 28, 2011|

Camp craft: DIY stitched leather bracelets

As a teenager, I was jealous of my brothers who got to do leather crafts at Boy Scout camp, while we at girls camp never did. So I was determined to teach these girls a leather project this year. We ended up doing two leather projects. This stitched leather bracelet is […]

2021-01-31T05:53:19-08:00July 8, 2011|

Isabela’s DIY leather coffee sleeves + a giveaway

I am happy to present our next guest nester: my new friend Isabela! Her husband and I met at Sportivo Coffee Bar (which is now closed) in Redwood City, Calif. (I don’t drink coffee, but my friend owned the place, so I visited often.) Isabela makes these leather coffee sleeves, which […]

2021-02-17T08:52:03-08:00June 28, 2011|

DIY dining room makeover: the after + a giveaway

American Express asked me to make over a social space using merchandise available through Membership Rewards points. I chose to make over my dining room. Deciding what to buy with 150,000 Membership Rewards points and dozens of fabulous merchants to choose from was a challenge. […]

2021-03-24T10:57:21-07:00June 20, 2011|

Dining room makeover: the chandelier

I am happy to report that most of the work is done on my dining room makeover that American Express generously sponsored. Unfortunately, however, I ran into a few snags. The dishes I ordered using my Membership Rewards points arrived broken, and […]

2020-09-29T07:00:24-07:00June 8, 2011|

DIY dining room makeover: the plan

Wow. I should ask for your input more often. You gals shared some great ideas! I didn’t think it was possible, but you changed my mind about some of my original ideas for this dining room makeover sponsored by American Express. After […]

2021-03-23T20:12:19-07:00May 31, 2011|

DIY dining room makeover: the before + a giveaway

First, I know I still have three tutorials to go to finish off my office/guest/craft room makeover series. But they’re going to have to wait, for a couple reasons. I’m once again planning new camp crafts for a girls camp in mid-June. Rest assured that […]

2021-03-24T11:29:46-07:00May 20, 2011|

DIY studded tile mirror

I have a history with tile mirrors. The house in which I grew up had a rustic fireplace with 1970s tile mirrors glued to the wall above it. Painted in the center of the grouping of mirrors was a tall ship. It had a face. I swear I could see eyes […]

2021-02-21T22:53:26-08:00May 6, 2011|

DIY riveted sheet-metal magnet board

This giant riveted sheet-metal magnet board was the centerpiece of my office makeover that Sylvania sponsored. And now I’m going to show you how to make it. This is the first of a few tutorials from the Sylvania Blogger Makeover Challenge. Next week, I will show […]

2021-01-31T05:54:15-08:00April 26, 2011|

Home decor & lighting tips

My Sylvania room makeover taught me a few things about the difficulties of turning one small room into a multi-functional space that serves as a craft room, an office, and a guest room. I wanted to share what I learned with you. Here are my top five small-space […]

2021-03-22T22:04:48-07:00April 12, 2011|

Sylvania DIY room-makeover challenge: the after

This is the first whole-room makeover I have attempted on Crafty Nest. What an undertaking! I had been planning to make over my office/guest/craft room for some time. The makeover involved a ton of DIY — which is definitely why I had procrastinated the job. Then Sylvania […]

2021-02-18T23:15:22-08:00April 11, 2011|

Sylvania DIY room makeover challenge: the before

Several weeks ago Sylvania asked me to make over one room using a $500 Lowe’s gift card and Sylvania’s new ULTRA ALine LED light bulbs. I knew which room I wanted to make over before I even said yes: my office/craft room/guest room.

I already had […]

2021-03-22T21:56:23-07:00April 1, 2011|

Drywall T-squares aren’t just for drywall

This tip was one of those aha! inspirations for me. Ever need a straight edge to measure and cut a large piece of fabric, cardboard, or paper? Forget cheap yardsticks (you’ll only slice slivers of wood off when cutting) or expensive T-squares (that for some reason are never really square) or […]

2020-09-02T10:23:28-07:00March 12, 2011|

Book review and Q&A: ReSew by Jenny Wilding Cardon + a giveaway

I am pleased to offer my first book review and giveaway here at Crafty Nest! And what a worthy title to start with: ReSew: Turn Thrift-Store Finds into Fabulous Designs by Jenny Wilding Cardon. In her book, Jenny turns secondhand basics […]

2021-03-07T15:01:10-08:00February 25, 2011|

DIY handbag set: coin purse, tissue pouch, pen sleeve, eyeglasses case, business card pocket

Happy Valentine’s Day, everyone! This year I made myself my own Valentine’s gift. I loved the feel of this reversible fabric scrap that I got from FabMo. It’s woven but soft and thick like knit. The beauty of this craft project is it takes very little fabric. […]

2021-01-31T05:54:34-08:00February 14, 2011|

DIY red doily matchbox

When I discovered that my matchbooks fit perfectly into this old unfinished cigar box, I knew it was a DIY matchbox in the making. I wanted to step up the fancy in a subtle way, so I could leave the dingy box out in plain site. I like showing off doilies […]

2021-01-31T05:54:43-08:00January 24, 2011|
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