Craft Site Directory Newsletter January 2005

Craft Site Directory Newsletter: January 2005 Theme: Warm Up with Winter Crafts!
http://www.CraftSiteDirectory.com

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SECTION 1):*~*: What's New at CraftSiteDirectory.com?

SECTION 2):*~*: Quilting Resources on the Internet:
We've hand picked some of the best quilting web sites out there. Warm up this winter with a handmade quilt!

SECTION 3):*~*: Free Winter Craft Projects for Kids:
Parents, teachers, and grandparents, keep those little hands busy during these cold winter days and evenings.

SECTION 4):*~*: A Creative Outlet for Moms
An article about how one mother got started scrapbooking.

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SECTION 1):*~*: What's New at CraftSiteDirectory.com?

In plenty of time for Valentine's Day on February 14th, we've added many Valentine's Day craft links to our search engine. Use our search tool to look for Valentine's Day Crafts. One of the things you can find in our updated search engine is Valentine's Day free printables. Although most are intended for kid's crafts, quilters can use the printables for an applique project, embroidery aficionados can easily adapt the printables for an embroidery project, woodworkers can cut the patterns from wood and use it as a painting surface, the possibilities are endless!

If it's been over a month since your last visit, check your favorite category to see what's new. We've added hundred of new listings in the past 30 days, many of them based on visitor requests.

What do you think? Email us at craftdirectory@nettally.com and let us know what you think about the new set up in our Bath & Body category. Instead of just star icons next to each listing, we've added icons to denote what type of website it is; instructional, craft supplier, or a retail craft shop. Do you think this would make it easier to find what you are looking for, if we applied it to your favorite category?

Free Dog Coat Sewing Pattern! Keep your puppy or small breed dog cozy and warm with this free and very easy sewing pattern. The coat can be made in less than an hour(a little longer if you hand sew it). If you decide to make the coat, send in a photo of your pet wearing it to have him or her displayed in the new photo gallery, coming soon! Visit:
http://sewing.circleofcrafters.com/freepetvestpattern.html

SECTION 2):*~*: Quilting Resources on the Internet
We've hand picked some of the best quilting web sites out there. Warm up this winter with a handmade quilt!

Quilters these days have a world of information at their fingertips. The Internet contains endless resources; information for beginners on how to get started quilting, free patterns galore, new gadgets to make quilting faster and easier, and helpful tips for even the most experienced quilters.

With so many resources out there, it's impossible to visit them all! So we've hand picked some of the best:

Quilter's Haven is a great site for both beginner and novice quilters. It is chock full of easy to navigate information. You can find patterns and instructions for more than 100 quilt blocks / patches, along with lots of tips, techniques and ideas.
Visit: http://www.quilters-haven.com/

EZ Quilting's website is a another great resource for quilters. It offers high quality, free quilting patterns along with easy to follow, fully illustrated, tutorials and helpful tips for experienced quilters.
Visit: http://www.ezquilt.com/

If you are just looking for free quilt block patterns, McCall's Quilting is one of the best places to find them. Instead of just giving you a block to print, they offer detailed instructions on how to piece it together.
Visit: http://www.mccallsquilting.com/qb/

EQuiltBlocks.com probably has the largest selection of free quilt blocks on the Internet. They show examples of each block in different color schemes and provide instructions for beginners.
Visit: http://equiltblocks.com/

Quilt-Town USA offers an extensive amount of information for beginners. Below is a link to the main how-to page. The lastest lesson is listed first on this page, scroll past it to get to the other lessons. If you've never made a quilt before, click on 'General Instructions'(among the links near the bottom of the page).
Visit: http://www.quilttownusa.com/Chitra/beginners.htm

For more quilting links, visit:
http://www.freecraftstuff.com/quilting/ or
http://www.craftsitedirectory.com/quilting/

SECTION 3):*~*: Free Winter Craft Projects for Kids:
Parents, teachers, and grandparents, keep those little hands busy during these cold winter days and evenings.

On this web site, you can find links to many illustrated winter craft project ideas, free printables, winter activities and more.
Visit: http://www.gpschools.org/ci/ce/elem/holidays/winter.htm

Rebecca's Soap Delicatessen features creative, winter themed ideas for crafting with your kids.
Visit: http://www.soapdelicatessen.com/crafts/kids/winter

The Gerber website contains instructions to make a paper mache snowman and explains how to make paper snowflakes.
Visit: http://www.gerberlife.com/newsletter/dec_03/news2.html

At the Enchanted Learning web site, there are many illustated craft projects and free winter printables listed.
Visit: http://www.enchantedlearning.com/crafts/winter/

There are no illustations included, but you can find a long list of winter craft ideas at PreschoolEducation.com.
Visit: http://www.preschooleducation.com/awinter.shtml

DLTK Kids offers a variety winter crafts and activities for kids.
Visit: http://www.dltk-kids.com/crafts/winter/

At KidsDomain.com you can find fun and easy winter crafts for kids. The snowman fence, made from popsicle sticks, is especially cute!
Visit: http://www.kidsdomain.com/craft/_winter.html

The FamilyFun.com website has some great craft ideas to beat the cold weather blues. You can also find snowed-in games for the entire family.
Visit: http://familyfun.go.com/arts-and-crafts/season/hottopic/snowin_crafts_ip/

At the Craft for Kids web site, you'll find enough craft project ideas to keep any child busy all winter long.
Visit: http://www.craftsforkids.com/projects.htm

SECTION 4):*~*: A Creative Outlet for Moms
By Susie Cortright, http://www.momscape.com/scrapbooking

I remember, not so long ago, looking at the boxes and boxes of my babies' photographs and becoming so overwhelmed by the notion that I had better get them organized and labeled before I lost track of which kid was which.

And then one day, I picked up a particularly poignant photo of my oldest daughter, and I had an urge to create a scrapbooking page around it. I didn't know what I was doing. I just knew I wanted a finished product that would evoke the same emotion I felt when I took the photo.

I took far too much time on this page (and had so much fun creating for the simple sake of creating), and when my scrapbooking layout was finished, I showed it to my daughter. The look on her face told me I had succeeded in doing what I set out to do. She was touched, and so was I.

From that day on, I was hooked. But I had to promise myself that his hobby would never turn into another "should," "ought," or "must." My scrapbook became my precious lifeline to my artistic and emotional center, and I had to promise myself that I would never rush it. That I would never cheapen the experience with the notion that I had to finish "x" amount of pages in one day. That my photographs and memories would never be something to simply process - but something always to honor and revere.

Fast forward. I am now a scrapbooking instructor for a company that reveres this creative process as much as I do.

Scrapbooking is unlike almost everything else in my life as a mother of small children. The layouts and cards that I make stay finished, unlike the dishes and the diaper changes. When I'm done with a piece, I'll put it up where I can see it as I walk past, and I feel a small but sure sense of accomplishment.

And that is one of the reasons I scrapbook. There are others:

- Scrapbooking offers a connection to the community. Classes and crops are serving the same social function that quilting bees once did. This is a time to get together with friends, to share precious memories, to exercise your artistic expression, and to get something accomplished.

- When your children leave home, and if they are ever feeling down, they will look through the scrapbook you've created for them. They will hear your words and feel your love span across time and space. And, beyond that, when you are gone, your voice, your memories, and the written and visual record of your philosophy and your values will live on.

- Scrapbooking helps us to remember that our life is our art. The time I spend scrapbooking helps me to remember that every single moment I spend being a good mom - as well as a good human being - is time spent in positive, artistic creation. And I have no doubt that if we all spent more of our time in positive, artistic creation, the world would be a better place.

Whenever I spend time cropping, I relish the present moment with my family more fully as the very moments I seek to capture and celebrate on my pages play out in my living room.

Time spent scrapbooking is time spent in open, ardent appreciation of your family and the experiences that you have had. It's a way of honoring the experiences and people in your life with your time and reflection.

A scrapbook is a treasured gift. It is a piece of the real you, the real artistic, emotional you, which encourages others to show their artistic, emotional, real selves, too. And you can start today!

About the author:
Susie Cortright is a scrapbooking instructor and designer who publishes a free weekly scrapbooking newsletter, featuring layout ideas, free fonts and other money-saving resources, innovative designs, and simple instructions for advanced techniques. Subscribe by sending an email to scrapbooking@demandmail.com or visit http://www.momscape.com/scrapbooking

Happy Crafting from CraftSiteDirectory.com!

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