The word 'obsessed' comes to mind when I think about how much I love Martha Stewart's Encyclopedia of Crafts. Being a fan of silly crafts and knitting was kicked into high gear when I started going through this book. I intend to craft my way through the entire book, but I am not making it a year-long challenge because in order to really do all of the crafts in this massive encyclopedia, it's going to take much longer than a year - especially with all of the other projects on the go around here. There are 32 techniques/projects covered in this inspiring book, so I will just touch on my favourites and if you keep your eye on my handmade gallery, you'll see them all come to life.
I am hopelessly nostalgic, and everyone knows it. Hopelessly. However, I really dislike random objects cluttering up my house and the idea of treasured photos packed away in a box in a closet breaks my little heart. The first craft Martha highlights in this collection is Albums, Scrapbooks and Memory Boxes - but not just in albums!
The image here from Martha's site is of accordian pages. In the book, she suggests using a guidebook from a place you've visited as the backdrop to a mini album about your experience there. I love it. They could be used as a way for you to remember a quick day trip with the kids to a loacl attraction or even a special weekend with your husband. Especially if you have young children, grandparents are always asking for photos of trips, so making a few of these would make thoughtful little gifts as well!
This is just one of many ideas from one of my absolute favourite sections in this collection. Other ideas in this section include little felt-covered brag books, a school themed pocket scrapbook and using folders and workbooks from school as scrapbooks. There is also my favourite kind of scrapbook - a generations album. I am most excited about that because both sides of my family have wonderful black and white photos and old documents from my grandparents.
Another memory keeping idea I treasure is a recipe tin. You either collect recipes from one person or each person's favoruite with a photo of them. There is also instructions on making a souvenir binder so you can keep little gems for posterity but still access them, a very sweet postcards scrapbook that shows off the messages on the postcards and baby book ideas that solve the issues of 'how do I keep this, like the first spoon or coming home outfit.
Beading is next up in the long list of crafts in this book. Beaded flowers in this collection are used to embelish everything from ribbons (for corsages) to baby slippers and bobby pins! So pretty and while they are a pretty serious time investment, they will never wither or fade. There are also beaded letters used as a way to personalize a gift and sweet little beaded bugs!
My sister has been making beaded jewelry for years, and as much as I love the beads and how lovely the earring and bracelets are, it wasn't until I realized I could make flowers for hair pins or other little creatures to decorate gifts and add a touch of modern whismy just about anywhere that I really fell in love with the craft.
I'm inspired by all the little treasures that can be made up for holidays. Wee bunnies for Easter? Little bats or pumpkins for Halloween? Cute flags for Canada Day/4th of July?! Just imagine teeny little stars and trees attached to all my outgoing Christmas packaging this year.
Moving on...block printing is up next. Techniques like soft-carve blocks and linoleum cutters and blades like I used in high school are focused on first. These are great for cards and various posters, but Martha of course uses them to jazz up wrapping paper too! Potato stamping is even talked about - which really warms my heart because I adore potato printing with the kids.
There are also sections on botanical pressing, botanical printing, and botanical rubbings - all are beautiful and I have yet to try any of her ideas on this craft!
There is a chapter on calligraphy which hits home for me because my mother's everyday handwriting comes very close to this craft mine? Does not. I started writing letters as practice this year, and I think trying some calligraphy when addressing the envelopes would be a nice touch and a fun place to start.
There is no shortage of inspiration in this chapter - it not only gives you a basic how-to, but ideas you may not have thought of, like labeling storage boxes, making cards and invitations or using these writing techniques in baby books and in a family tree.
Candlemaking follows and is another of those crafts I enjoyed on my childhood but have not tried the grown up version of. Just like all the other crafts featured here, there are detailed instructions and step by step photos to guide you. There is a really neat tutorial on making sand candles - so neat that now I want to make about a hundred candles from sand molds. Plus container candles, teacup candles, floating candles and even seashell and eggshell candles. There is a section on rolled and cutout candles too which is way more interesting than I originally gave it credit.
The next few topics in the book are clay (including adorable polymer-clay trinkets and air-dry clay flowers), decoupage (great ideas for furniture), etching glass (yet another I have never tried but has been on my list for years), fabric flowers, gilding, glittering (I could write about glitter for pages so I felt it best to skip), jewelry making, marbleizing (I think it's genius to embellish just the edges of notebook paper), matting and framing, and mosaics. Then? Then comes nature crafts. Truthfully, I may have totally skimmed this section a year ago, but I now live, as many of you already know, in the middle of the woods. Living in the woods has made me notice and appreciate a whole lot more about nature than I ever thought possible for a city kid like me.
In this section, the pieces of nature used are acorns, pinecones and shells - and we happen to have heaps of all of those around us. The acorns were used as everything from inspiration for a pincushion to acorn-topped boxes where the acorn and wooden box lid have a tiny hole drilled through them so a single small screw holds the acorn in place. It is fairly easy to find a varnish similar in colour to an acron so aking the box and topper look seamless isn't as hard as it seems. There is also an acorn garland to use as a swag over a fireplace and - my personal fave - acorn napkin rings, the ones featured in the book also have and oak leaf attached! A lot of these ideas were done a little differently with pine cones instead, changing the look of them entirely - and also adding new ideas like placecards and matchboxes. The shell crafts though, they took it to a whole new level and being so close to a lake, shells are not hard to come by for us. I would not have thought to cover a terra cotta planter with shells, because why? Now that I've seen it done well though, it's clear why - because it looks amazing! The shell salt and pepper holders and the shell lights (yes lights) are perfect touches to a beachy theme party or even just a BBQ with friends after swimming in the lake all day.
Origami was the next section and we are so big on that as a family it will get it's own post in the very near future. The book outlines how to make paper light shades, fortune tellers (aka cootie catchers), a teeny candy dish, boxes, bags and envelopes. Before even seeing this book we'd made the cootie catchers, the candy dishes and all the boxes, bags and envelopes already! Once you get the hang of it, origami is pretty simple.
Painting china and glass came after the paper folding and I fear I am not steady enough to even attempt this at this point, but it is so beautiful! Thankfully though, paper cutting and punching was next and that is something I know I can do! These flowery favor boxes are featured in the book, made using flower punches in four different shapes and sizes (and rubber stamps and pinking shears and glue dots, of course). They are so simple, just punches flowers glued to plain favor boxes - but with a little extra effort (using the glue dots so there is no glue anywhere but where it should be), the boxes look really clean and professional and with a few extra touches, like adding the rubber stamped flower centers and the pinking sheer trim, the punches go from standard to special. I adore these boxes.
Also in this section were dot-edged stationary and cute gift toppers.
One of my best friends' family owns a flower shop and they constantly produce some absolutely beautiful flower arrangements. The next chapter is paper flowers and birds, with flowers so pretty, you could easily make an arrangement to leave on your kitchen table. The difference of course is that after a week, the flowers are just as lovely as they were the day you put them there. Much like with beading and origami, these projects take a little practice but once you get it down, they're simple.
In the encyclopedia, these creations go from typical, like a pretty bridal bouquet, to a more creative cake topper than most would venture to make, to over the top festive tissue paper pom poms for a dinner party.
From here, the book dives into photo crafts like household objects like main organizers are decorated with photos, photo-flag cake toppers (love this idea for a birthday or anniversary), picture tins, and bottle cap frames! There is a chapter on pom pom animals (I must make the lamb to sit with my yarn stash), quilling, rope crafts (honestly, I had no idea rope creations could be so lovely), rubber stamping, silkscreening, soap making, tin punching, wirework, and wreaths. I am going totally gloss over the majority of these final chapters to praddle on a little about the ones I'm the most excited to try - quilling, rubber stamping, silkscreening and soap making.
The step by step instructions for the 10 basic shapes of quilling are really well photographed and easy to follow, and the designs on the following pages use all the different shapes on cards, and made into little bugs, and sweet flowers! When the quills are used to top off small gifts and tags they bring a playful feeling to the packaging. The flowers, when pulled together in a bunch are unexpectidly beautiful.
I love rubber stamping because depending on what you're stamping, what colours you use and what the image of the stamp itself is, you can ake very silly creations for children or you can make clean, crisp stationary for yourself! This chapter goes into the proper care for rubber stamps to make them last and is full of inspiring ideas for what to stamp! Everything from cards for thank you notes to eggs and shells for place settings - I especially love the idea of stamping the edge of a book so you can only make out the image when the book is closed, what a great way to keep tabs on a home library!
Silkscreening is explained in great detail and soapmaking is also very well outlined. Instead of going on and on about these projects (though the silkscreened notebooks and coasters are nothing short of amazing and the oatmeal soaps are calling out to be made and placed in my bathroom) I am going to brainstorm and try these ideas in the coming months and show them to you.
I used the word obsessed at the top of this article and I meant it. If you own this book, I'd love you to dive in with me, and if you're feeling inspired - pick it up and play along.
. Being a fan of silly crafts and knitting was kicked into high gear when I started going through this book. I intend to craft my way through the entire book, but I am not making it a year-long challenge because in order to really do all of the crafts in this massive encyclopedia, it's going to take much longer than a year - especially with all of the other projects on the go around here. There are 32 techniques/projects covered in this inspiring book, so I will just touch on my favourites and if you keep your eye on my 
