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Sad to say, these are tough financial times for many.

If you don’t already make your own Halloween costumes and decorations, Christmas, Hanukah and other holiday presents and decorations, this would be a very good time to start. The Artful Crafter has tons of ideas to help you out.

Rather than going out and buying a whole bunch of new supplies, why not do a thorough clean out of your stash. I just did and found lots of neat things to inspire new projects. It was almost like Christmas itself!

My cleaning project sort of put the cart before the horse. Instead of making my gift list first and then deciding what to make for each person, I decided what I can make from what I have and then had fun matching up who goes with what.

When you make up your gift list, why not add a few people who are worse off than you this year. One nice thing about hard times is that they often bring out the best in people.

We have:
• 30 crafting days to Halloween
• 57 crafting days to Thanksgiving
• 82 crafting days to Hanukah and
• 85 crafting days to Christmas.

Let’s get crafting!

Eileen

Craft Supplies on a Budget

Crafting on a Budget - Here is some help for crafters looking for supplies during these difficult (or really any) times.

Cellophane Envelopes and Quality Cardstock - If you make cards to sell, here are some resources for you.

Paper Crafts

Coordinated Card & Gift Bag - If you make your own greeting cards, why not make your own gift bags as well? It’s so special to have everything coordinated.

Matchbook Favors are Hot - I recently started making Mint Matchbook Favors and, let me tell you, these things are hot! Everybody wants them. People are coming up with all kinds of occasions for the matchbooks and different things to enclose. Maybe you can use some of these ideas too.

Jewelry

How to String Multi-Strand Necklaces - What woman on your list wouldn’t love a unique multi-strand necklace?

Scrapbooking

Scrapbook Inspiration - You don’t need to look far to find scrapbooking ideas. There is a worldwide community of scrappers who are only to happy to help you. Better yet, much of this help is free, thanks to the Internet, free classes and scrapbooking clubs.

Scrapbook Your Holiday and More - Don’t let any more family gatherings or everyday special moments fade away because no one thought to bring a camera.

Capture the moments in photos. Then bring them back to life on a scrapbook page.

You’ll not only preserve precious memories for generations to come; but also share a bit of yourself with everyone who views your pages – your scrapbook art.

Quilting

Quilted Wall Hanging - Quilt projects don’t have to be huge and take months to make. If you’re a beginner, this is a good way to learn about quilting. If you’re more experienced, a project like this is perfect for gifting and a terrific way to use up some of the small fabric scraps you have been hoarding.

Homecoming Mums

Homecoming Mum Dilemma - What’s a mom to do when her daughter and boyfriend go to different schools but have their homecomings on the same day? Whose school colors should be used for the garter and mum?

Reader Letter of the Month

Since it’s Homecoming Season, I just had to feature this question about weaving love chains in case any more of my readers are searching for the directions.

"I have really enjoyed your articles on making homecoming mums. Your illustrations and instructions on making braids/chains are wonderful. I was wondering if you could provide instructions for making any of the braids/chains I’ve attached.

Thanks!!"

Michelle

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Hi Michelle,

Wow, that's a tall order! But you've given me a great resource with the photos. I'll see what I can do. Five of the nine patterns you sent are already on The Artful Crafter. In case you didn't find them all ...

What you call the Diamond Back Braid, I call Diamondback Garland.

What you call Round Braid, I have as Diamondback Braid.

What you call the Love Braid, I call the Love Chain (and I think you are correct on this one - oops).

Your Flat Braid is my Spirit Chain.

We agree on the name of the Military Braid.

I'll e-mail you when I get any of the others posted. I'm so glad you're enjoying my website.