This week’s Craft Corner will be dedicated to helping whittle away at that holiday shopping list.
Here are a few suggestions for useful gifts that are sure to bring a smile to crafters of all ages and tastes.
Regardless of your crafter’s specific interest, craft books abound. Check out the book section at your local craft or book store to see the actual publication, or go to your favorite online book source for almost limitless options.
Large craft chains, such as Michael’s and JoAnne’s, publish large books that contain excellent overviews of multiple crafts, and there’s enough detail per craft to get you started and even into intermediate and advanced projects.
Books for specific interests include sewing and needle arts, painting and drawing, scrapbooking, woodworking, ceramics and glass, and just about anything else you can think of, as well as all of the subcategories in each group.
One of our favorite books this year – one that regular Craft Corner readers will remember – is “Hippie Crafts: Creating a Hip New Look Using Groovy ’60s Crafts,” by Joanne O’Sullivan (Lark Books, $12.95, paperback). It contains suggestions and instructions for such Summer of Love skills as macrame, leather work, tie-dye, weaving, candle making and crocheting.
Most area craft stores offer classes for a wide range of interests, and specialty shops – such as knitting, quilting, stained glass, ceramics, painting and scrapbooking – offer classes and workshops for their specific crafts.
Signing a friend up for a class or workshop makes a great gift, as do gift certificates for merchandise at shops of interest to crafters on your gift list.
As our regular readers know, we love the idea of craft kits as a way to try out something new.
Most kits contain clear, basic instructions for the craft in question, as well as the basic tools and materials needed to complete at least one project.
Kits can be found in stores or online and cover everything from scrapbook pages to candle making and fabric crafts to woodworking, and even more exotic projects, such as soap stone carving and watch making.
Children’s kits are also available in a wide array of interests and skill levels.
And another plus for the kits is that most are reasonably priced, so that you can try the craft out without making a huge investment for something you may not enjoy.
Magazine subscriptions make an excellent gift for those who are interested in specific crafts and, as with books, the topics available are almost limitless.
Browse through the magazine section at your favorite craft store and you’ll find examples of publications for jewelry making, rubber stamping, scrapbooking, woodworking, tole painting, paper crafts and pretty much anything you’re looking for.
If you can’t find it in the store, do an online search and something will probably turn up.
Again, as with books, some of the larger craft chains publish quarterly or monthly magazines featuring a variety of crafts and supply resources.
Most crafts require specific tools, and if you know the particular interest of the crafter on your list, a tool or gift basket full of supplies is sure to delight.
A good basic tool for most crafting is a Dremel drill – either the regular or cordless version – as it can be used for a wide variety of projects, is well made and has models to fit most pocketbooks.
If you’re unsure about the craft preference of a specific person, you can always fall back on the old faithful gift certificate.
A few suggestions for supply giving might be:
* A selection of paints and brushes for painters, pencils or pastels for sketchers and crayons and specialty coloring books for kids.
* Small tool kits containing items for scrapbookers, jewelry makers, sculptors, wood carvers and quilters.
* Sets of knitting needles, crochet hooks and specialty items – such as the Knifty Knitter we featured in a column last year – for yarn aficionados.
* A selection of decorative-edged scissors that can be used for scrapbooking, card and gift tag making, and all kinds of children’s projects.
* Bags of buttons, beads, findings and other items that can be used for a variety of crafts.
* And, of course, storage containers for all of the above are always a very welcome gift.
The selection of paper punches shown in our photo can be used to decorate scrapbook pages and homemade greeting cards, provide an attractive alternative to the plain old round hole on gift tags, or – as our photo shows – to make custom confetti for special friends or occasions.
Contact Jonetta Coffin at jrocoffin@aol.com.
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