* 12 Days of Art Therapy: DAY SEVEN *

a crafty post

* In the Bow Zone *

I am participating in an upcoming Craft Fair on December 12th for Rivier College in Nashua, NH. In preparation, I have been making a bunch more bows. Needless to say, I'm in the "Bow Zone". Here's a sneak peek at some of the bows in process (over 100 so far!).

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* Mini Cards *

My mom recently went on a vacation to Vermont and brought me back these three adorable mini cards. What a cute idea for the holiday!

I think this would make a great DIY for your own little cards. I might have to try one myself!

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* Handmade Bags and Lessons Learned *

I have been spending a lot of my time teaching myself patience through sewing. The patience thing is difficult, but the sewing is fun, and the final product always makes me happy.

I have been developing prototypes of different bags. This most recent bag came out pretty well for a prototype. It is certainly not perfect, but at least I know how to make the next one even better.

In our society, instant gratification is the norm. Spending the many hours to learn how to make a bag, rather than just running over to Target to pick up a brand new one, is hard for me.

Although I understand the benefit of handmade, I am struggling with the time involved and am constantly making mistakes. If nothing else, this has been a great lesson to learn in patience and problem-solving.

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* DIY necklaces on the cheap *

If you've never been to Promise Tangeman's blog, check it out. She has some really cool ideas for all sorts of artsy things. This DIY blog post in particular caught my attention. It's a simple way to create sculptural and unique necklaces out of shower curtain rings.

I used this tutorial to make some of my own. You can mix and match the materials to make all sorts of different styles. I made one using earth tones for a more subtle look. The other is a bold black and white graphic print with a bright pink accent for a louder statement.

I love projects that are quick and inexpensive, but that you can do multiple times in different ways. This one was a lot of fun to make. I hope you can try it yourself!

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