Stitches and Thrills

As a self-confessed workshopaholic I have often met them. The non-creatives. Or at least that is who they think they are. They usually are at a workshop as a gift or in a group activity (like a baby-shower or a birthday). With slight panic in their eyes they enter the craft studio. Apologising beforehand that they are incapable of making anything nice, because they "are not creative at all". Well here's the news: there is no such thing as a non-creative! "Oh, but I am not creative at all!" The first misconception: "I have no imagination." Really? In childhood you made dozens of drawings, paper planes and clay models. Your imagination does not disappear. You are just using it in a different way now. Maybe you are fantasising about your travel plans, home décor, diner or a revolution. When you cherish and challenge your imagination your ideas will become fresher and bolder. Clear your mind and something will appear in your head. Ask people...

At the Etsy Craft Party in June we worked with 3 origami DIYs. I had promised to share them all 3 on this blog. But after the first one I went to Italy, then we got 2 cats...and now it is December. Still: the perfect time to make a Christmassy Paper Fröbel Star ! Here's how it is done: You need 4 strips of paper, each at least 25 times as long as it is wide. Mine were 1" (2.5 cm) wide and at least 25" (62.5 cm) long. Vouw 4 stroken in elkaar. Interlocking, dus bijvoorbeeld beide gele einden door de rode heen steken. Fold the 4 strips interlocking together. So both yellow ends are weaved in the red strip. Vouw de bovenste stroken 1 voor 1 dubbel over het vierkantje heen. Fold the upper strips 1 by 1 over the square. Steek de 4e strook onder de eerste door. Stick the 4th strip under de first one. Vouw een strook in een puntje. (Maakt niet uit met welke je begint.) Fold a strip into a point. (It doesn't matter with which you start.) Kl...

Papieren diamantjes hanger. Hier is de eerste beschrijving van de Etsy #CraftParty 2015 in Leiden. Materiaal:  Papieren stroken . Voor een diamantje heb je een strook nodig waarvan de lengte 8x de breedte is. Dus bv als de strook 2.5 cm breed is, dan is de lengte minstens 20 cm. Of als de lengte 32 cm is (bv een atlas pagina), dan knip je hem op 1/8 dus 4 cm breed. Dun touw en een lange naald . Stokje / takje / grote sateprikker. Je kan ook een mobile maken door bv een oude borduurring te gebruiken. Paper diamond hanging decoration. Here's the first tutorial from the Etsy #Craftparty 2015 workshop Leiden! Material:  Paper strips : For 1 diamond  you need a paper strip of which the length 8 times the width. So if your width is 1 inch, than the length is at least 8 inch. Thin thread and a long needle. A stick or little branch. Or you can go circular with an old embroiderie ring. Draai de strook om en vouw een hoekje van 45 g...

Here are the 3 workshops we will be doing at the #craftparty in Leiden! You can register for free through Eventbrite . Workshop 1: Landscape Book Workshop 2: Origami Dress and Sakura Workshop 3: Geometric shapes Workshop 1 : Landschapboekje Deze workshop wordt georganiseerd door Caro de Bruin van Honoriginal. Naast haar Etsy winkel geeft Caro ook workshops in o.a. Japanse boekbindtechnieken. Bij Handwerk Studio Leiden verzorgt ze de haakcursus. Bij een landschapboekje wordt er van dikker papier door middel van scheurtechniek een boek gemaakt dat openstaand   de illusie van een (berg)landschap geeft. Hiervoor worden onder andere afgeschreven atlassen gebruikt, maar ook steviger materiaal als behangpapier is er heel geschikt voor. Workshop 2 : Origami jurkje en sakura Deze workshop wordt door Simone van Sako&Jaci en Ama de Jong gecoördineerd. Simone richt zich bij de Handwerk Studio o.a. op het   upcyclen van kleding. In deze tweede...

It is Etsy #CraftParty time again! For the first time this year we are hosting a Craft Party in our very own home town of Leiden! Two years ago I had attended a party in Amsterdam hosted by the Ka-Ching Collectief and had enjoyed myself very much. With our growing and active Leiden team we decided to join in with this annual event. During the Etsy Craft Party people are organizing creative events worldwide! Find out if there is a party in your neighbourhood here . The theme for 2015 is: " Kaleidoscope: Paper Taking Shape ". We have translated the theme in 3 small workshops which we are currently preparing. 1: Making a landscape booklet 2: Using discarded books as material 3: 3D folding Go and check our inspiration board on Pinterest . We found some great projects, albeit some way too ambitious for one afternoon. We are taking into account that a lot of non-Dutch speaking people are also very fond of crafting so we are prepared on giving instructions in E...