Easter Crafts

Sometimes the Best Craft Ideas Come as Gifts

I hope you had a lovely crafty Easter. We sure did. I'd like to share some of our crafts of the day.

No, that's not my masterpiece in the photo. It's from a YouTube video How to Assemble a Croquembouche. Mine wasn't quite this impressive.

While I crafted in the kitchen making dinner; it was our guests who provided the really special crafts.

This double frame holds two exquisite photo-etched brass foils by chemist, physicist, and photographer Wynn Hopkins created in the 1970s. On the back of the frame, is a "description of the photo-etching process used to produce plates to make etchings and to produce photo-etched foils" by the artist.

They're practically directions; but I will not be trying this complex chemical process at home! So don't expect a foil-etching tutorial on The Artful Crafter anytime soon.

However, Sue encouraged me to use the foils in some artistic or crafty way.

I love them displayed just as they are; but also would love to use them in mixed media as stencils and stamps. Might I be able to have my cake and eat it too?

Isn't this a striking wine bag idea: a bottle of Merlot in a bag with a merlot design? I can tell that it's handmade. If I could find similar wine-themed printed fabric, I've already got the Wine Gift Bag Pattern.

This heart-shaped basket is now a ribbon dispenser to hold stretchy cord (for Ponchos in Pouches and name card lanyards) as well as my stash of curling and gift bow ribbons.

The ribbon ends just snake out the side openings where I can quickly find and unroll just what I need.

When it was presented to us, the basket was filled with goodies - chocolates, ham-filled olives, a bag of sea salt from the west coast of Mexico - and was cleverly wrapped using bright spring colored dishcloths. Nothing goes to waste in this gift!