10 Tips For Being Crafty On A Budget

For me, craftiness is not optional. I enjoy making things myself but it's not just a hobby, it's my lifestyle. There isn't a day that goes by where I'm not creating something or trying to figure out how to create something. I go to sleep and wake up plotting and planning my next project. The majority of my projects stem from one simple idea...I want to save money! If I see something I like and I can make it cheaper myself, that's what I'm doing. Like most families, mine is on a tight budget, which has gotten even tighter this year. Since we have to prioritize our spending, if I want to be crafty, it has to cost little to no money or I can't do it. Period.

No worries, I have ideas! Most of my projects I post are done on the cheap. Here are my tips for being crafty on a budget:

1. Finish those old projects: You know what I'm talking about, those projects that you got all the supplies for, maybe even started and never finished. If it's because you chickened out, got lazy or plain old just forgot...do it now! 
2. Upcycle or Restore: Before you throw something away see if maybe you can re-purpose or restore it! It kills me to throw things away that might be used for something else, especially fabric. Don't worry I won't be on an episode of Hoarders anytime soon, but I do have a small stash of potential future project supplies and I have no problem picking stuff up off the curb that can be fixed up.
   
   

   

   Curbside window turned decorative frame for pressed flowers

3. Shop smart with coupons! The big craft stores like Michael's and Joann's always have coupons. You can cut them out from the paper, print from their website or have the cashier scan it directly from the store's app on your smartphone! The coupons are usually good for % off one regular priced item or % off your entire purchase. I have literally bought one thing at a time to get the 40% or 50% off each item at Michael's! Sounds crazy and maybe it is, but sometimes it's well worth it. Remember to check online for supplies as well, you can find amazing deals on eBay. If you buy online, shop around and always check for coupon codes before you purchase. You could be missing out on great deals or free shipping if you don't. 
4. Shop discount: Dollar stores carry a variety of cool things you can use for crafting and their inventory changes all the time. Thrift stores, garage sales, Habitat For Humanity and Craigslist are great places to find supplies and cool stuff to refurbish or upcycle. Never underestimate the power of spray paint...instant makeover! 
   
   

   

   Thrift store framed art turned chalkboard

5. Online tutorials: You want to learn how to crochet, knit, sew, decorate a cake? Instead of paying for a class, just look on YouTube! Just about anything you might want to do or make, someone out there has made a video for it. 
6. Use your scraps: When doing any project, there are almost always leftovers. Pull 'em out and see what you can do with them. Not enough fabric scraps for a whole quilt? Quilt a pillow instead. Have a ton of different color yarn? Make a multi-color blanket. Summer vacation is upon us and within days or maybe even hours you are going to hear the dreaded, "I'm bored!" Beads, glue, paint...give it to the kids and let them go crazy! Check Pinterest for kid's crafts. 

   
   

   Using scrap fabric I made a fun monster patch to repair jeans

7. Library books: Not everything has to be found online, you remember books right? It is well known that I love my library(you can read about it here) and there is a huge section dedicated to crafting. You can find books full of ideas and patterns...for free! That Martha Stewart magazine subscription isn't in the budget anymore? They have magazines at the library you can check out too!
8. Buying in bulk is not always smart: Yes, that 2 lb bag of buttons for $4.99 is a good deal but if you only need two buttons, pay the $.99 for the two! Unless you know for a fact that you are going to use them in the future, you just wasted $4, it's just not worth it. A great thing they have now are the sample sizes of paint at the hardware stores. It is completely unnecessary to buy a whole pint of paint if you don't need that much, It will only end up in the trash.
   
   

   

   Princess mirror makeover with sample size paint from Home Depot

9. Stock up when it's on sale: Ok, I just got done saying don't buy it if you don't need it BUT when I got into extreme couponing I learned that you buy when it's on sale not just when you need it. For items that you use regularly or know you are going to need in the future, stock up when it's priced crazy cheap! 
10. Sell your finished products: When I started crocheting again I wanted to try so many new things but let's face it, my family doesn't need a different hat for every day of the week and I couldn't justify spending the money on the supplies. An Etsy store was my solution. I can have fun crocheting anything I want, sell it online and make a few bucks to buy more stuff to make! 

I would love to hear about how you get your craft on while staying under budget!

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Blueberry Basil Scones

Since my return from an epic West Coast road trip, I've been dreaming of the Blueberry bourbon basil donut I ate at Blue Star Donuts in Portland, OR. Most would say it's a stretch to mix basil and blueberry. Maybe that's why you don't see it that often in the culinary world. But Blue Star is on to something. The aromatic, earthy flavor of basil perfectly compliments the juicy, semisweet berry when combined.

Not adventurous enough to tackle homemade donuts, I turned to something I can handle in the kitchen, scones. The scone is a beginner level pastry that is perfect for the baker who needs instant gratification. No cooling the dough or letting it rise, just mix and throw in the oven for a few minutes for an instant but made from scratch pastry. Once you have a reliable basic scone recipe, like my inspiration from Smitten Kitchen, the potential flavor additions are endless.

Blueberry Basil Scones
Recipe adapted from Dreamy Cream Scones
Smitten Kitchen

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 10-15 minutes
Temp: 425 degrees

2 cups all purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
3 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
5 tablespoons unsalted cold butter, cut into small cubes
1 cup heavy cream
1/3 cup fresh blueberries
1/4 cup minced basil, split in two portions
Dash of sugar for blueberries
Splash of vanilla for blueberries

1. In a small bowl toss the blueberries, half of the basil, and a dash of sugar and vanilla. Set aside for later.

2. Add flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt to a medium bowl and mix well.

3. Add the cold butter cubes and the remaining basil to the dry ingredients and using your clean hands or a handheld pastry mixer, work the butter cubes into the flour mixture until a crumbly dough forms. 
(Large chunks of butter is ok in the mixture, they will melt when baked and add to the lightness of the scones.)

4. Stir in the cold heavy cream into the mixture and combine with a spatula. Take care not to over mix. The dough might be sticky, it's ok to sprinkle a little more flour in it, but don't go crazy.

5. Turn out the dough onto a floured surface. I use the parchment paper I am going to bake them on for ease of transferring to the pan. Split the dough in half, and form into two mounds.

6. Starting with one half, quickly pat the dough into a circle about 1in thick. Layer your blueberry basil mixture on top of the first circle. Pat the other half into a circle of the same thickness and lay it on top of the blueberries, sealing the edges with your fingers around the circle.

7. Using a floured knife, make 4 cuts through the dough to form 8 slices, but do not separate the dough yet.

8. Place on a baking sheet with parchment paper and bake for 12-15 minutes, or until golden on top.
I like to start with 10 minutes and then check every two until done. 

The results are a creamy delicate scone with hints of basil and bursts of blueberry throughout.

Written by contributor Tara

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Matryoshka Wood Burning

My new Matryoshka project!

I've been working on this on and off for a while and finally sat down and actually finished it! I have tons of scrap wood in the garage and I have been thinking about trying a wood burning design for a while. Since I'm going crazy with Matryoshka dolls right now...why not!

First thing's first, decide on a design...
There are so many options for these dolls, it was really hard to pick how I wanted this to look. In the end, the simplest design to burn won. I'm not a wood burning master, so I figured why make it harder than it's already going to be.

Transfer your design...
After I decided on the design I cut it out and then traced with pencil on the back. I flipped it over and traced again, transferring the pencil mark to the wood.

Before I started to burn the wood, I used the wood burner tip(not turned on) to score my pencil marks. Since my wood was so bumpy, this made it easier to stay in the lines and gave me less opportunity to mess up when the wood burner was on.

Burn the design...

Turn on your wood burner and go for it! I've used mine a few times for other projects, but if you haven't used a one before, practice on some scrap wood first. This way you can get a feel for how fast to move and the pressure to use.

My original plan was to just burn the design and stain the wood, but then I wondered what would happen if I put some watercolor on there. It gave it color without covering the wood grain, which I love.

Seal with polyurethane...

When I was done I added one coat of matte polyurethane to protect the watercolor. I'm thinking I'm going to add a hook on the back so I can put this up on the wall. 

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Crochet Rocks For Unique Teacher Gift

I found another excuse to crochet some rocks! I did this the first time for wedding favors and thought it could also work for an inexpensive end of year gift to our favorite teachers.

You can find patterns for doilies all over the internet, and after you've done a few it's pretty easy to make it up as you go. A lot of people have asked how I actually get the doily on to the rock. I literally crochet it on. When the doily is the size you want it, start making loops of chains connected to the previous row with single crochets. position it on to the rock and continue with chains and single crochets, reducing the number of chains to make it tighter.

My personalized tags 
I created an image on Picmonkey then inserted the image into a word document. First arrange three of the images in the first row. After it's spaced how you want, just select the entire first row, copy, press enter to skip down to the next row and paste. Repeat this until you have the number of tags you need, print on card stock and cut out.

 The pattern for this rock can be found at PIE: Pieces I Enjoy

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Frozen Chicken and Rice Burritos

I have a teenage son. He hasn't stopped eating for six months! No lie. This child has eaten a whole box of cereal for breakfast, the whole box...by himself! I started buying packages of frozen burritos specifically for him to eat when he needs a snack or for after he's eaten all the rest of the food in the house. Those pre-made frozen burritos aren't terribly expensive but he was going through the 8 ct. packages pretty fast and lets face it, they can't be that healthy. I'm not even sure exactly what's in there. I figured I should make my own. I can do a large batch, it has to be cheaper than buying and best of all, I know what's inside it.

I'm not the first to blog about frozen burritos, I've seen them on Pinterest. We all do them a little differently though, so I figured I'd share mine too. This recipe is for chicken but you could use any other meat. The first batch I ever made was with leftover roast pork. They turned out amazing and finding new ways to use leftovers is always great. The best thing about making these burritos is that this recipe is very flexible, use it as a guideline. You like peppers, potatoes? throw 'em in there!

Ingredients: 

• 3 chicken breasts(cooked and diced)
• 1/2 onion diced
• 1 can refried beans
• 1-2 servings cooked rice(instant Minute Rice is perfect for this)
• 1 envelope taco seasoning
• 1 1/4 cup water
• grated cheddar cheese
• 2 packages tortillas

OK, here I'm talking about knowing what my kids are eating and I put in taco seasoning from an envelope! Gasp! I know, I know...if you make your own taco seasoning, you're awesome, use it! 

First, cook and dice/shred up your meat. Prepare your rice. If you don't regularly eat rice, instant Minute Rice is fast, and works great for this recipe. In a large pot place chicken, onions, refried beans, taco seasoning and water*. Warm up and stir all indredients just until combined over medium heat. Stir in the rice.

*Depending on your taste, you might not want to add the entire package of taco seasoning. Start with half and see how it tastes. If you cut back on taco seasoning, you might also want to cut back a little on the water as well. 

Remove from heat. I warm up tortillas a few at a time in microwave before I start wrapping because I think it makes them easier to work with and less likely to rip. Spoon your filling in center of tortilla, add some cheese and wrap. Place finished burritos in ziploc bags and freeze! To heat, microwave for 2 minutes, flipping over after 1 minute.

How many burritos you get will depend on how much filling you use in each. I end up using a little more than the one package of tortillas, which is why I say get two. You can always place your leftover tortillas in the freezer and save for the next time you make burritos.

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