A spring craft for the decidedly UN-crafty

March 18, 2008 – 7:00 am

Funny thing about being a stay-at-home mom; suddenly people start assuming that you sit around and do things like knit precious booties or quilt a 12×12 foot family tree to hang proudly in your living room.

I tried knitting once but discovered that I’m too Type A for it. Seriously… I knitted so manically that I gave myself carpal tunnel and had to give up mid-scarf and let my wrists heal. And once those knitting needles were set down I never even thought about picking ‘em up again.

When it comes right down to it, I’m just not so crafty.

(Unless you mean like a fox. because I’m TOTALLY crafty like a fox.)

Mostly I’m proud of my NON-crafter status. But once in a while I feel a maternal urge (hormones, no doubt) to do something crafty and seasonal with CJ.

So the other day I was sitting in the dentist’s office flipping through a woman’s magazine when I came across this how-to article that looked like something I could do. And so I rounded up CJ to give it a try it. And… voila! it worked! Mother and child crafting and bonding as one family unit! It makes my heart swell just thinking about it.

And so now I’m sharing it with YOU. If you’re the sort of person who IS crafty and DOES enjoy things like cross-stitch and reupholstering furniture, you might want to move right along. But if you hear the word loom and think it’s something a BAD GUY does in the DARKEST OF NIGHT, then this guide is for you!

Today I’ll be demonstrating the proper crafting of a Gluey-Yarn Baskety-bowl type thing.

(I’ll ALSO be demonstrating my ineptitude with a camera.)

The Gluey-Yarn Baskety-bowl type thing has many practical and decorative uses IN ADDITION TO its innate beauty.

For example,

1) A pen holder (you can never have too many of those!)


(I CANNOT figure out how to make my blasted camera focus on the thing I am taking a picture of. AAARRRGGGHHHH!!!)

2) A jar warmer (”why?” you ask, but the question you should be asking is, WHY NOT?)


See how nicely I’ve focused on the paperwork BEHIND the jar? BLEH!

3) Phone holder (obviously a must-have for any household although sadly it doesn’t actually recharge the phone’s battery. It does, however, keep it all snuggly and warm.)


And again, don’t you love how crisply those crumbs are in focus! (ripping hair out in clumps)

4) Hat and/or balancing object (someone famous once said, “if you can’t figure out what to do with it, put it on your head!” Ok, so I made that up. But it’s good, right?)


I’m good at artsy angled shots, turns out…

HOW TO MAKE THE Gluey-Yarn Baskety-bowl type thing

Supplies:
1) elmer’s glue
2) yarn
3) bowl or jar
4) saran wrap
5) cookie sheet
6) scissors
7) a sense of humor

Directions:

1) cover cookie sheet in saran wrap. This will be your child’s “working area.” Threaten death/dismemberment if they go outside this area.

2) cover a bowl or jar with saran wrap. Completely. Turn it upside down on the “working area.” This will be your mold. (Note: “Mold” in this context does not refer to the stuff growing in your fridge.)

3) cut several pieces of yarn about the length of your wrist to your elbow (I’m bad with measurements, ok?)

4) pour elmer’s glue into a bowl.

5) dip the pieces of yarn in the glue until they’re thoroughly soaked.

6) drape the gluey yarn over the plastic-covered bowl until it’s almost totally covered. (as you pull the yarn out of the bowl of glue, run it between your fingers to ensure that the excess glue is removed)

7) set the whole messy mess somewhere high up and let it dry for 48 hours. The gluey-yarn pieces will harden to form a stiff baskety-bowl type thing.

8) carefully remove the jar and plastic.

9) Admire your handiwork. My, aren’t we crafty?!

Ok and here’s the REALLY FUN PART. If you are brave enough to try it, take a picture of your end-result, preferably put to some creative use (or on your head). Email me the photo and I’ll publish it with a link to your blog here!

Happy crafting…

***
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20 Responses to “A spring craft for the decidedly UN-crafty”

  1. By Trenches of Mommyhood on Mar 18, 2008 | Reply

    Does it make me a bad mother that that exhausted me just reading how to make that?

    This Mommy declares that craftiness in the Trenches will consist of COLORING with crayons.

    Because the combo of glue + 3 little boyz scares me.

  2. By Auds on Mar 18, 2008 | Reply

    I *think* this is something I can manage.

    Of course, I have a HISTORY (this will be fodder for next week’s MMLM) with glue…of any kind, so perhaps I should have Hazmat on speed dial when undertaking this, just incase.

  3. By Sunshine on Mar 18, 2008 | Reply

    Dude, I smell an Etsy store full of gluey stuff in your future.

  4. By PufferfishMommy on Mar 18, 2008 | Reply

    We did something like this one time, and it was crazy! And messy! But fun. :)

    I’ll see if we can squeeze a crafting session in sometime soon… I mean, as soon as we finish reupholstering our sofa with the homemade fabric we wove last week. *wink, wink*

    ~Bev~

  5. By Queen of Shake-Shake on Mar 18, 2008 | Reply

    I’m crafty, but I’m not. I don’t like kids’ craft. The only thing I like about doing a kid craft is sniffing the glue and/or markers.

  6. By Day Dreamer on Mar 18, 2008 | Reply

    I have the sense of humor, I’ll have to buy the yarn and glue, tho!

    Looks like fun. We will have to try this! I don’t know how well the Menace will do…but the other two will probably love this!!!

  7. By Charity Donovan on Mar 18, 2008 | Reply

    Now THAT is some funny stuff! Try to give me some more shots out your windows (it’s all about me! lol!)…I used to live in Olympia and miss it so much! I was so checking out the foliage out your window! Now I’ll just go back to my sad little life in the Midwest…

  8. By moosh in indy. on Mar 18, 2008 | Reply

    And that is why the moosh is in preschool.

  9. By Rayven on Mar 18, 2008 | Reply

    Finally, a craft I can do!

    I am like you, utterly hopeless when it comes to crafts, and, of course, my little munchkin wants nothing more than to do crafts all day!

    Thank heavens for Wikki Stix.

  10. By JJ on Mar 18, 2008 | Reply

    How Martha Stewart of you! I’m impressed.

  11. By Gustogirl on Mar 18, 2008 | Reply

    Looks like a fun project. You are craftier than you think, I don’t know that I would ever attempt that.

  12. By Rosie on Mar 18, 2008 | Reply

    I don’t think I’d be able to manage it. Recently we made a poor attempt at baking. Not only did the buns get over-cooked (ok I burnt them) but we used a packet mix, we only needed to add an egg. How difficult can that be?!!

  13. By HRH on Mar 18, 2008 | Reply

    Wow. That makes Martha look so yesterday. You rock. You are now officially crafty. Crafty like a fox.

  14. By Erin on Mar 18, 2008 | Reply

    Definitely like a fox! That was great! Next time do the yarn around a balloon–you could make hats!

  15. By ReesePie on Mar 18, 2008 | Reply

    Nice!

  16. By Jenni on Mar 18, 2008 | Reply

    That sounds like a great project. For one mommy with one boy. Somehow I can just see me and my crew. The yarn would be dipped and I would get called to go nurse or change a butt. I’d come back and glue, hair, fingers, mouths.

    Better pass on that one.

    But it’s pretty cute!

  17. By MommyTime on Mar 18, 2008 | Reply

    I totally SUCK at knitting, so I like this project a lot. As long as I can figure out how a pirate would have used this thing, I’m sure we’ll be making it in our house (out of all the yarn I still have leftover from the scarf I failed miserably to knit 15 years ago).

    Re your camera focus, you need to put it on the “macro” or “close up” or “artsy nature shot” setting. On my camera, it turns out to be a little logo that looks like a flower. And when you point the cursor to that spot, PRESTO! the camera suddenly has the ability to focus on small objects close up. It only took me five years to figure this out, so don’t feel at all bad. Good luck!

  18. By All Adither on Mar 18, 2008 | Reply

    Hey, good basket. But I really like your super nice hair.

    Angie
    http://www.AllAdither.com

  19. By amanda on Mar 18, 2008 | Reply

    I’ve always needed something to warm my jars with…I must cook one of these up. Pronto.

  20. By selfmademom on Mar 26, 2008 | Reply

    LOL this is soooo me!! I am the uncraftiest of them all.

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