Home and Garden

Ideas For DIY

Farewell Craft Gossip

by

Today is my last day as editor of the Home & Garden channel at Craft Gossip. My reasons for leaving are bittersweet. I have become so busy with freelance crafting work (which is a sweet thing!) that I have been unable to dedicate the time needed to this blog (unfortunately, a bitter thing). Therefore, I felt that I must hand the reins over to someone else that can give this blog the attention that it needs. Staying on would not have been fair to me, the owners of CG, or you.

I started the Home & Garden channel three years ago in July. Since then, I’ve been highlighting ideas for decorating your home, lighting up your garden and organizing your craft room. It has been so great finding all of those ideas and bringing them to the Craft Gossip family!

I just wanted to say thank you to Vikram and Shellie, the owners of CraftGossip.com, for the opportunity to bring this channel to life. They were willing to take a chance and try it out, and I’m thankful that they did. It has been such a pleasure getting to know the other Craft Gossip editors as well as you, the readers! Thank you for all of your submissions, your occasional comments, and for reading each day.

You can still find me at my personal craft blog Crafts by Amanda. Stop by and say hi sometime! Farewell, but not goodbye. 🙂

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Comments

  1. Amanda – So sorry to hear you are leaving CraftGossip. I’ve enjoyed reading your posts and appreciate your support in showcasing some of my projects. Good luck with your future endeavors. We will miss you!!

  4. Sorry to see you go.. but I’ll see you on your personal craft blog- Crafts by Amanda.

  9. No matter where you go, crafting will follow! We’ll miss you, but we all wish you many artistic adventures ahead. Happy crafting!

Have you read?

Setting Up a Beginner Craft Space? A Practical Shopping List

A new craft hobby does not require a room that looks like a craft store. In fact, I think beginners have a much nicer time when they start with one project, a few dependable tools and somewhere to put everything away afterwards.

Whether you are setting up a sewing corner for yourself or putting together a creative gift for someone else, buy for the hobby they want to try now. You can add the fancy equipment later, once you know what they enjoy using.

Start with one project and its basic tools

For beginner sewing, that might mean fabric, matching thread, pins or clips, scissors and a simple pattern. The easy lunch tote bag on CraftBits gives a new sewist a practical goal.

For paper crafts, begin with cardstock, adhesive, a ruler and a reliable pair of scissors. For crochet, choose a beginner pattern, the yarn it calls for and a suitable hook. Resist the urge to buy a giant mixed kit if half its contents will sit untouched.

Amazon can be useful when you want to compare starter supplies in one place. With Amazon Prime, eligible items may qualify for Prime delivery. (Free 30 Day Trial) Check each listing and the delivery estimate for your address rather than assuming everything in the cart will arrive together.

Give the supplies a place to live

A lidded box, a small rolling cart or a few clear containers can make a beginner craft space much easier to use. I would organise by project first: keep the pattern, tools and materials for the current make together. There is nothing more discouraging than finally finding an hour to craft and spending half of it hunting for the needle packet.

Before buying storage, look at what you already have. These upcycled storage ideas may solve the problem without another purchase. Once you know what genuinely needs a home, you can choose containers that fit the supplies and the space.

Check the small details before ordering

For every tool or kit, read the size, material, compatibility and included-items list. A cutting mat that is too small for the project or a refill that does not fit the tool is no bargain. Reviews can be useful for spotting practical issues, but I would still check the listing specifications myself.

If you are considering Prime as part of your regular craft shopping, look at the current membership details and decide whether its benefits suit how often you order. A good beginner setup is the one that makes it easy to sit down, start the project and find everything again next time.