Library of Crafts I Made

I was cleaning out boxes of Christmas decorations and organizing one of the closets in the hallway. I found a bunch of stuff that I actually made years ago.

Before I gave them away, I decided that it might be fun to make a gallery page with pics of them. There isn’t a lot, but here is some of the stuff I made a long time ago.

Let’s see what I have to show you.

Rug Hooking Kit

This is the hooked rug clown I mentioned on my About Me page. It was a kit I received as a Christmas gift and it was quite relaxing to do when I needed some downtime at university!

PS – the photo was taken with an old camera so really blurry, but you get the idea.

Believe it or not no cells or tablets back then! You can still see how bright, vibrant, and colorful the wall hanging was.

Beautiful to hang in a child’s room or even a crafting studio.

Crocheted Toilet Paper Holder Doll

For this craft, I didn’t do it. My elderly Aunt made this one Christmas for all her nieces in the family. I loved mine and kept it on display in my bedroom for years. I didn’t want it in the bathroom … LOL. It was too nice!

Typically, you would place a roll of toilet paper under the dress to keep it wide like a ball gown. I just set mine on a big pillow with the dress pulled out around the body of the doll.

Here’s a description of the crocheted toilet paper holder doll:
“This lovely photo captures a special doll dressed in a handmade crocheted angel dress. The craft shown is crocheting, which involves using a crochet hook to skillfully loop together yarn, thread, or other materials. The complexity and finesse of the dress indicate the use of advanced crochet techniques to achieve the beautiful, lace-like details and voluminous layers reminiscent of angelic or fairy-tale attire. This type of project is a joy for those who delight in crafting ornate and charming garments for dolls.“

My Aunt was so pleased with our responses and Thank You cards. She surely did beautiful work! Sorry, I have no pattern. I do not know exactly how she did the intricate crochet.

Knitted and Stuffed Doll

This is another cute masterpiece of my Aunt’s. When a baby was born in the family, each one got this as a gift. She made the girl version with a dress and the boy version with short trousers. She even made two for her Pekingese dogs!

All of them, no matter the color or style were absolutely adorable. They lasted forever, too. Even the ones the dogs played with were still in excellent condition years later.

Here’s a description of the knitted stuffed doll:
“This is a knitted doll, crafted with care using knitting techniques to create both the doll and its clothing. The doll features a distinctive color scheme of brown and yellow, with details like facial features and a dress incorporated directly into the knitting. This type of craft is often made as a homemade toy, gift, or decorative piece, reflecting the knitter’s skill in shaping and detailing to bring character and charm to the yarn. The use of multiple colors in the knitting highlights the ability to blend different yarns seamlessly for a vibrant and appealing finish.”

Braided Coasters

I must admit these rolled coasters are a bit time consuming and not something I have the energy or willpower to do now. It is kind of tedious and I don’t really need coasters at this point, plus, when I do, I have fancier ones that I like better.

But, still, this is one of those things I made way back when, and I wanted to show you. To be honest, the craft is something that would be good for a family to do together. N+More fun and less work that way!

Basically, you use old materials such as torn bed sheets and pillow cases, raggy t-shirts and undershirts, or scraps of fabric that were left behind from sewing projects.

Whatever you have around to recycle needs to be torn or cut into strips. Then you take those strips and tightly braid them together. It needs to be really tight or else the coaster will just flatten when used and it won’t last very long.

Mix and match colors and shapes to get something fun to look at. Or if you have a particular decor, try to match it with solid colors.

I used some old sheets that had flowers on them to give them a psychedelic look. But it would be pretty to make them in all pink and white, for example. Another idea is deep blue or green with gold. Whatever you have around the house, I am sure you can make something that will meet your tastes.

Once the strips are braided, you roll them so that they are a circle shape. It might be helpful to use a clear glue to keep the roll together. Once you are done rolling, make sure the end is secure so the whole thing doesn’t come undone. And now, you have one coaster and continue to make your whole set.

Plastic Canvas Crosses

I loved doing these crosses and I think they are absolutely beautiful. They look lovely hanging from the mantelpiece or on the Christmas free as a decoration.

They serve many purposes and are not necessarily religious in nature, but everyone can enjoy them.

Some of the ways I have used them are:

• as gifts for a new-born’s christening
• Easter gifts for children
• gifts for Sunday School class at any time of the year
• Christmas stocking stuffers {check here for lots of ideas}
• And, wedding favors. My friend was having a small intimate wedding dinner and she asked me to make thirty of the crosses in her favorite color of lilac. She then wrapped them in clear cellophane with a lovely white ribbon.

Basically, you just buy the white backing or plastic canvas at the craft store.

Then, you buy thick thread or wool depending on what color suits your purpose.

Use a really big solid needle and you fill in all the cut-outs of the canvas.

Add some embellishments and you will have a beautiful item to be cherished by the recipient.

Christmas Corn Broom

This craft was so much fun and unbelievably easy. As I mentioned on the About Me page, we did a whole bunch of Christmas crafts for the gift shop at the hospital to sell to invest in patient equipment and toiletries. Not only did we do corn brooms, but we also used metal sleighs, and oasis for flower arrangements.

The corn broom is the only photo I have out of all the crafts we did that year.

All you have to do is buy the miniature corn brooms from the craft store or maybe even the dollar store. Then get some green or red ribbon, either plain, or fancy like in the pic. Then get some of the plastic holly and poinsettia flowers and attach all your pieces like the picture.

To finish it off, I used a little white flying dove. You can see it on the left hand side in the middle.

These are so simple you could do them for any season, really, and any occasion. Just modify the colors and the embellishments you use.

Christmas Tree Door Knob Hanger

This was another craft that was a lot of fun to do. It was addictive like the rug hooking, but because these are so much smaller, they are quick to make.

They were nice to do since they were relaxing and smaller children can manage them, as well.

I bought the kits so they had the wool with the right colors, plus the canvas already had the outline of the tree. Plus, it was color coordinated.

The canvas was the exact same colors so super simple to follow. I think it even came with the great big needle to pull the wool through.

You can see there is also a felt backing. I think I put that on extra, but it is easy. Just cut out the same shape and glue it on. But be careful not to use so much glue that you ruin the front with the pretty Christmas Tree. To be honest, the backing might have been in the kit. Not sure.

Check out our gorgeous crocheted Christmas trees here!

Snowman Door Handle Hanging Decoration

This was also a kit like the Christmas Tree. For someone that is good at hand drawing and sketching, you could buy the plain canvas and draw out whatever design you choose.

It would be neat to write or print out the child’s name and say “Susie’s Room” with a little symbol of something the child likes!

Another design would be for different seasons and any purpose.

But I am not that talented when it comes to drawing, so I buy kits. Keeps it simple, quick and easy for me!

PS – on both the tree and the snowman, and in fact, any design you choose, it is useful to add the felt backing. This prevents the hanger from scratching up the finish on your doors!

Click here to see all our delightful snowman crafts.