This Crafting Life

New Art Gallery Shop for Steffens Photography

The last year seems to have gone by so quickly. My "day job" had me helping facilitate the opening of a brand new building, and even with all the restrictions due to covid, I just couldn't get to everything on my to-do list. But that's ok - part of life is balancing the things that need done with the things that you want to get done. What have I done over the last year?

I worked really hard on my crafting room - painted the walls, installed shelves, organized all my craft supplies and finally consolidated my gigantic yarn collection. Just a few weeks ago, I finished sorting all the items that I have that will be going up for sale very soon. I'm so excited that I finally feel like I have a nice space to create my art! (So is my husband because he thinks that means it won't appear in other parts of the house... ha!)

I added a few new patterns to my Etsy shop, Crafted By Life Designs. This is your one stop shop for all of my knit, crochet and graph patterns for all sorts of yarn crafting. Crafted By Life Designs

We re-did the kids rooms, made a giant Audrey II (more on her to be shared soon!), went totally Clark Griswold on the house for Christmas, and played a ton of Minecraft and board games as a family.

Lastly, I opened a brand new Art Gallery online which will be the new home for my photography. From here you can buy amazing prints and have them shipped directly to you. They'll even frame them if you want! Please check me out, and consider buying something if you're looking for a new piece for your home. I specialize in abstract and manipulated photography, but do also dabble in nature photography.

Steffens Photography Art Gallery

What else is in store for me this year?

Well, one thing that anyone who knows me knows, is that I love coffee. And now, you can buy me one!! Visit me at https://www.buymeacoffee.com/Craftedbylife and help me support all of my artistic endeavors. Right now, all you can do is buy me a coffee (not a real coffee, silly, I'll buy my own!), but in the very near future, I'll be offering recurring support memberships that will give you exclusive rewards, request commissions and more!

You'll be seeing one more new shop go live as I catalog and price out shipping on all of my yarn items, jewelry, resin work and more! I'm moving away from Etsy for all of my physical items, as my new platform doesn't charge me fees on anything that I ship myself, but provides me with a free platform to sell my art. This, in turn, saves me money, which I can then use to make more art!!!

My Pattern Experience: Roll Up Armadillo Crochet Pattern

Posted by Lori Steffens No comments:

Hello all!

Welcome to another edition of My Pattern Experience - where I write about a pattern that someone else designed and I tried it out. I always try to be completely honest about the pattern and how it worked up.

This week, I'm writing about a totally adorable amigurumi. My daughter has always been obsessed with small animals. Especially of the stuffie variety. I decided to make her this little armadillo because I thought she would love the way it rolled up.

The pattern is Roll Up Armadillo by Kati Galusz

To make this adorable little guy, I used Red Heart Super Soft in wine as well as Red Heart Super Soft in Cream. Let me start by saying that I am not an expert in amigurumi. I have made a few pieces, but nothing too crazy - and this guy was surprisingly easy! The body works up very quickly, and the shell even quicker. I think the only part that gave me a little difficulty was the feet, but even that wasn't too hard. I sewed on the eyes using embroidery thread to give it a little bit of texture and a nice blue pop. The most magical part of this pattern is after you get it all completed and can roll it up! It's amazing that the simple shell can do that!

Overall, this was a great pattern. I think it would be great for an advanced beginner or intermediate crocheter to give a try!

New Items in the Shop - This time it's not crochet, it's....

Posted by Lori Steffens No comments:

Hello all!

I have been crafting up a storm ever since I've been in the new house - for multiple reasons -

I have an actual designated craft storage area!!!
I have an actual designated craft working space!!!
I've been unpacking all of my wonderful crafting supplies into previously mentioned storage area and work space and it has sparked some crazy creativity streaks!

Needless to say, I've been my eclectic self and have been crafting in a ton of different mediums. Some have been successful and others.... we'll just say they're a work in progress.

I have had some great successes though and this means there's going to be a ton of new listings coming to my shop in the next month! The first things that I'm going to share with you that have just gone live in my shop are 5 new pairs of hand crafted earrings! They have been designed with the inner nerd in mind and I hope you love them as much as I do!!!

HP Inspired Mis-matched Glasses and Lightning Bolt Earrings

Pacman Earrings

Lemon and Lime Mis-Matched Earrings

Milk and Cookies Mis-Matched Earrings

Fez and Bowtie Mis-Matched Earrings

I hope you love my nerdy jewelry as much as I do! Please feel free to leave me a comment and let me know what you think!!!

Snowman Play Doh Gifts {Craft Tutorial}

Posted by Lori Steffens No comments:

My FAVORITE play doh recipe!

I'm not much a fan of the stuff that makes irreparable messes in my home, such as slime, gum, glitter and play doh, but this is seriously the best dough! It's super soft, smells amazing and will leave your hands feeling silky smooth! We enjoy making large batches and sharing it with family and friends, especially around the holidays!

Here is a quick how to for the best play doh ever and these adorable snowman play doh gifts you will want to share with all the favorite children in your life!

Materials Needed:

For the dough:

Hair Conditioner - if making snowmen, you will want to make sure it is white.
Corn Starch

For the containers:

Directions:

To make the dough:

Mix 1 part Conditioner to 2 parts corn starch until you have a smooth doughy consistency.

That's it!

Marvel at your wonderful two ingredient, barely any effort dough! It is literally that easy!

Next, make your jars:

Paint the lids of the jars black and set aside.

Use the acrylic paint to paint one side of the jar to look like a snowman - just a few dots and you'll be done!

Note: Acrylic paint will scratch off over time. If you would like to protect your craft, I would recommend using a spray sealant like the one listed above.

Now you can optionally dress up your snowman with a bit of ribbon and a cookie cutter if you want to provide one as a gift.

Now gift and enjoy!

Scouting Sunday: New Year, New You!!!

Posted by Lori Steffens No comments:

Welcome to this New Year's edition of Scouting Sunday, where we scout out the best items, websites and more following a particular theme. The theme for this week fits with the times -

Scouting Sunday - New Year, New You!!!

We have scouted the internet to bring you the best items around to help you with your New Year's resolutions! We started by looking at the top New Year's resolutions and then tried to find things that would help you keep to those resolutions. We hope you enjoy this list!!!

New Year's Resolution- Drink More Water, with this Water Bottle

One of the top New Year's resolutions every year, year over year is to drink more water! Why not try a new trick to get your water consumption in? With this special water bottle, you'll be motivated every few hours, and reminded to drink that water! With one handed operation and a leak proof top, what more do you need???

New Year, Save More Money with this ATM Savings Bank

Another top New Year's Resolution year over year is to save more money. A lot of you probably have savings accounts and penny jars, but why not try something a little more fun to inspire you into saving money! With this little mini ATM, you'll feel like you have your very own bank at your house!

Get in some Exercise, with this Exercise set

Another top New Year's resolution that everyone likes to make is to get fit. Unfortunately, this is also one of the most commonly broken New Year's resolutions too! This year, try an in home activity that doesn't require much commitment to get yourself eased into a new routine. Something like this ball and resistance bands would be a great start - simple activities that you can do whenever you have time. Set a small goal, like 10 minutes every day and once you get in the habit, start increasing it. Also, bonus if you put it somewhere that you will spend a lot of time - out of sight also tends to be out of mind, so by putting it where you have to look at it will increase your motivation to complete your goal for the day.

Eat better with this portion control plate

Much of the problem with the way we eat today is our portion sizes. Ever gone to a restaurant and been served so much food you could probably make three meals out of it, but then you eat it and feel miserable?? Here's a quick trick for that - ask the waiter to bring you a to-go container WITH your meal. When it arrives, split up the meal and put half of it away for you to take home. If you're at home, try this sleek portion control plate - the vegetables go in the largest spot and meat and starches go in the other two (refer to the calories/fats in each before deciding which goes where). This not only helps you consume more of the good healthy greens, but keeps you from loading up on too much of those not so healthy options.

Learn a new hobby, calligraphy

Oddly enough, research shows that people who are bored are more likely to succumb to things like heart disease. Don't let that be you and try a new hobby this year! There are many local stores or community colleges that allow you to try things like painting, ceramics, woodworking and more. If classes aren't your thing, you can easily find kits like this Calligraphy set on the internet to give it a go! Of course, you can also just peruse this blog to find more crafts and fun stuff to try. :)

Meditate and center yourself with this headband...

The benefits of meditation are many, such as better sleep, less stress and more focus. However, this can be hard for many of us in this digital age. We are constantly distracted by stimulus. However, there is this headband that helps guide your through your meditation practice and keep you focused. Time to use that technology to help make you healthier!!!

Sanitize your phone more often!

Start sanitizing your phone, at least weekly. Consider this - your phone generally goes everywhere with you, including the bathroom!!! It only makes sense to clean it, but how often do you, really? Find some electronic safe disinfectant wipes, bleach free, and consider yourself just a little bit healthier.

To help lower your stress, Grow some houseplants

Research has shown that people who have live plants inside of their home have lower stress levels. They are natural humidifiers, boost creativity, aid in concentration, help reduce allergies and clean the air! Bring a little nature in to your home today!

Try a new dish each week, with this cookbook:

Everyone gets stuck in the rut of eating the same things over and over again - so this year, try a new tactic! Pick one new meal to try each week, and try to eat some more new, diverse foods!

New Year, New You, With This Planner System:

Be a better you by planning out your life, your way!!! With this printable planner, you're able to make mistakes, tear it out, add a new page, mix and match and only choose the pages that work for you! Your purchase comes with A4 and A5 size files so you can also put them in whatever containment format you choose! I use mine as a discbound planner, so it makes swapping pages in and out super easy!!!

Aztec Dreams Core Pack