Monday, June 2, 2025

Sew, You Want to Have a Tea Party? ~ #AmbersCreations #SewYouWantToHaveATeaParty

 

Warm weather is fast approaching and for us in the Midwest that’s a welcome relief from the cold and snow. During the cold months, us Midwesterners rely on never ending quantities of warm beverages including coffee in more variations than I have room to list, tea, and other soothing drinks. When spring finally makes itself known, the tradition of “spring cleaning” occurs all over the country. As you’re cleaning out your cupboards and sorting what to keep and what to put in your annual summer garage sale (yard sale, rummage sale, or whatever you call it in your area), keep in mind that many of the ordinary objects you come across can be used in crafts.

My mother loves making crafty things and has been doing so for many years. She can take an item and turn into something unique and not at all what the object was intended for originally. When she and I started a small craft business, we displayed our wares at a local antique and craft mall. We rented a booth that we paid for monthly and here we brought all types of crafts we’d made. When the craft mall closed its doors, we were left with a lot of stock and nothing to do with it. We then began the craft show circuit. 

Some of the items that she made for the craft mall and the craft shows were pin cushions made out of various items. Today, I’m featuring a pincushion that my mother made out of a vintage teacup and saucer she purchased at a garage sale. Making a pin cushion from a teacup is the perfect gift for the person in your life that sews or does any type of needlework. The transformation of the teacup and saucer from its well-known and intended use into an item contrary to its nature is rather easy to do and makes a very unique gift sure to please anyone on a special day or for no particular reason.

You can use any type of cup and saucer. The cup can even be chipped at the top since, as you design and create your masterpiece, the chip can be covered with material, beads, or your choice of decorative items. I would recommend that you only use an opaque cup since you will be gluing a foam ball into the cup and it would then be seen if the cup is clear.

Your list of supplies include:

1. The teacup and saucer of your choosing

2. Glue gun & possibly a spray adhesive

3. Foam ball in a size that nests in the cup – cut in half – that way you can make two if you would like

4. Fabric to cover the foam ball

4. Matching beads, material, or other decorative items to trim the covered foam ball in the cup

The first thing to do is to cover the top half (visible part) of the foam ball with the fabric you’ve chosen, using glue or other type of spray adhesive (make sure to follow the directions regarding use/ventilation/spraying methods). After the material is securely fastened to the ball, set it in the cup to make sure that it sits right and that you have completely covered the visible parts of the foam. After you determine that the fabric covered Styrofoam ball is the way you want it, use the hot glue gun (be careful not to melt the foam) and secure the ball, fabric side up, in the cup. The final step is to decorate the inside edges of the cup (to help hide any imperfections in the material or foam) and cover any chips that the cup may have around the top edges.

~ Amber


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Monday, May 26, 2025

Partylite 40% off Mini Jar Candles ~ #Partylite #JarCandles #Sale ~ Stock Up Today!!


Save up to 40% off #Partylite Mini Jar Candles.

Sale is through June 1 - Stock up today!

#AmbersCreationsFavoriteCandles
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Making a Simple Pair of Earrings ~ #AmbersCreations #MakingASimplePairOfEarrings

 

An easy and fun activity to do with your children, other children, or even by yourself, is to make a simple pair of earrings featuring a metal charm of your favorite bug, animal, or other design. You’ll need to purchase earring findings, the charms you want to use, and tools; needle nose pliers or flat pliers. I’m fortunate to have a couple of different craft stores close by so whenever I need anything it is just a short drive to gather what I need for a project. Otherwise, I do buy supplies from Amazon or other online jewelry supply and bead shops.

Earring findings are the type of post that goes through the ear. There are ear studs, hoops, ear wires, or leverbacks. Make sure to get ones with loops that open on the bottom of them so you can add your desired charm. Charms are the next items you will need. Pick the type you would like for each earring. The charms can match, be asymmetrical, symmetrical, or mismatch – whatever style you are going for works for this project. Check the weight of what you choose; some charms are heavier than others. My earlobes are slightly torn so I have to avoid heavy earrings.

Assembling the earrings from the components listed is easy. Just take the pair of pliers and open the loop at the bottom of the earring. You can open the loop by pulling straight out a little bit (not too far) or opening it to the side. Then, slide your charm on (make sure it’s facing the correct way), and close the loop. If the charm falls off when you pick the earring up, the loop needs to be closed just a bit more. These fun earrings are perfect for you to wear or to give as a gift.

~ Amber

Where to find me:







This post contains affiliate links.
If you make a purchase using my links, I will receive a small commission from the sale at no cost to you.
Thank you for supporting Sapphyria’s Books.

Monday, May 19, 2025

How I Got Into Jewelry Making #AmbersCreations #Jewelry #HowIGotIntoMakingJewelry

 

One of my favorite crafty hobbies is making jewelry. Designing and handcrafting jewelry was not something I did as a kid, unless you count stringing the large plastic beads on elastic cord. My desire to start making jewelry stemmed from a couple of things dating back to 2004. Fresh out of a divorce, I really didn’t know what to do with my time. At that time, my sister worked in a bead and jewelry supply shop owned by her then-boyfriend-now husband’s family. I went to visit her one day and that’s all she wrote.

My creations include earrings, bracelets, and zipper pulls. My sister was my teacher in all things beads and jewelry. She taught me how to create patterns with different shapes, colors, and styles of beads. After I picked a pattern, she then went on and showed me how to turn my design into a pair of fashion earrings, a bracelet, or even a necklace. I was hooked from that moment, and still create jewelry pieces today.

~ Amber

Where to find me:


This post contains affiliate links.
If you make a purchase using my links, I will receive a small commission from the sale at no cost to you.
Thank you for supporting Sapphyria’s Books.

Monday, May 12, 2025

Growing Up Crafting ~ #AmbersCreations #GrowingUpCrafting

 

Many of my favorite childhood memories involve making things with my mom and sister. My mom always encouraged our creativity so instead of watching television or playing videogames, we did crafty things. Even as an adult I still have some of those creations safely packed away. Some of the things we made were simple – like mixing plain applesauce and ground cinnamon and making ornaments or making ornaments out of unflavored dough. Other things were more complex and required paint, glue guns, or yarn. Regardless of the ability level, spending time being creative was always fun.

My mother taught me how to do needlepoint or embroidery like candlewicking and cross stitch. When I was younger, I made a pillow and did a candlewick pattern on the top and entered it into a county fair.  I still have the pillow packed away….somewhere. Each cross stitch pattern I completed would be framed for hanging. I even made cute cross stitch designs for the tops of old-fashioned spice jars. I recently was able to locate my bag of cross stitching supplies and hope to get back into my needlepoint at some point.

Learning how to make various craft items runs in my family. My paternal grandmother inspired me to learn how to be creative using plastic canvas and yarn. I would make coasters, tissue boxes, items for a baby’s room, or cute butterflies and ladybugs that I would attach a magnet to for the refrigerator. I also passed that craft to my stepdaughter who used to love making plastic canvas items when she was younger. When she was in a play at Christmastime and she would take a plastic canvas project with her to work on during down times between scenes and performances.

~ Amber

Where to find me:


This post contains affiliate links.
If you make a purchase using my links, I will receive a small commission from the sale at no cost to you.
Thank you for supporting Sapphyria’s Books.

Wednesday, March 12, 2025

Sew, You Want to Have a Tea Party? ~ #AmbersCreations #SewYouWantToHaveATeaParty

  Warm weather is fast approaching and for us in the Midwest that’s a welcome relief from the cold and snow. During the cold months, us Midw...