The Really Crafty Link Party #247 featured posts!

Hello and welcome! I usually post the link party features on Fridays, but since I want to enjoy time with my family on New Year's Eve and January first, I decided again to shorten the link party and post the features instead today. 

So here are the featured posts of the last link party of 2020:

Holidays stress-relief coloring page & more free printables

I totally meant to post this last week before Christmas, but with the kids at home I kind of lost track of time and only managed to get to it today...but we're still in 2020 and the holidays season hasn't ended yet, so there's still some room for another holidays post, right? 

The fact is that, despite the holidays being marketed as “the most wonderful time of the year," many of us experience heightened feelings of stress, sadness, and anxiousness during this time - and most especially this year. 

These holiday blues could be attributed to loneliness, end-of-year career stress, the financial strain that can come with gift-giving, or hosting family gatherings, health issues — just to name a few. Taking time to clear your mind, slow down, and temporarily remove yourself from the hustle and bustle of the holidays can be an effective way to manage stress and feelings of anxiousness. How, you ask? 

Upcycled: plastic bottle caps & cork coasters

Hello, and welcome to the last Monday of 2020! At the end of the year I usually tend to do some decluttering. While I was going through my crafts closet this past weekend, I found a bag of bottle caps I had saved for a few upcycling projects and a couple of mangled cork coasters and decided to use them. 

So these bottle cap coasters are the result of two other failed projects...

Welcome to The Really Crafty Link Party #247 - the last of 2020!

Hello and welcome back to The Really Crafty Link Party: I hope you've had a wonderful Christmas and I'm so glad you could join us! 

This week we will again have a shorter party than usual, and I will post the features on Wednesday the 30th, but we still want to see all you posts! 

Show us what you've been busy with lately - share all your wonderful crafts with us and try to visit at least a couple of other posts and leave a nice comment on other people's creations. 

Also if you can, help spread the word on social media - the more, the merrier!

This week exceptionally the party will be open only on Monday and Tuesday, and I will be posting the features on December 30th.

Merry Christmas!

 Merry Christmas, from our family to yours!

 

 

The Really Crafty Link Party #246 featured posts!

Hello and welcome! I usually post the link party features on Fridays, but since this week we're all too busy with Christmas I decided to shorten the link party and post the features instead today. 

So here are the featured posts of the Christmas 2020 edition of the Really Crafty Link Party: 

Color block square crochet coasters

Hello, and welcome! I hope you're all staying safe and getting ready for the holidays. These past few days have been way too short for all that I have left to do before Christmas, but one of the things I really wanted was to finish this pattern. 

This was a case of having in my head an image of what I wanted to make and then having to discover how I could crochet it (and in the easiest way possible too). 

Faux Weave Crochet Square Face Scrubbies - free pattern

Hello, and welcome! After the faux weave washcloth pattern I shared last week (and which was part of my Christmas self care gift basket) here is, as promised, the pattern for the square reusable face scrubbies (pattern for the round scrubbies to come soon too). 

Welcome to The Really Crafty Link Party #246 - Christmas 2020 Edition!

Hello and welcome back to The Really Crafty Link Party, I'm so glad you could join us! 

This week, due to Christmas, we will have a shorter party than usual, and I will post the features on Wednesday the 23rd, but we still want to see all you posts! 

Show us what you've been busy with lately - share all your wonderful crafts with us and try to visit at least a couple of other posts and leave a nice comment on other people's creations. 

Also if you can, help spread the word on social media - the more, the merrier!

This week exceptionally the party will be open only on Monday and Tuesday, and I will be posting the features on December 23rd.

The Really Crafty Link Party #245 featured posts!

Hello and welcome. I hope you've all had a wonderful week, and now it's finally Friday (yay!) so it's time to share the features of this week's link party. 

Scroll down to see them:

Free printable Christmas cards

Hello, and welcome!

As you know, I've always been a fan of making things at home, so this year I even designed our Christmas cards. And now I'm sharing them here as a free download.

Check them out below: 

Faux weave crochet washcloth - free pattern

Hello, and welcome! Yesterday I shared the self care gift basket I made for Christmas and I promised I would share the pattern for the washcloth and the scrubbies set. So today I'm starting with the washcloth. 

I call this the faux weave stitch. Truth be told, I have no idea what it's really called, but I think the end result does resemble a weave and I find it much simpler (and quicker to make) than the real crochet weave stitches. 

DIY Self Care Gift Basket

Hello, and welcome! Today I'm sharing an easy (and pretty inexpensive) gift idea that everyone will love. 

I put together this self care gift basket using a lot of things I already had at home, so it was win-win all the way! 

Watercolor flowers 2021 monthly calendar - free printable

 Hello, and welcome! This year I decided to start early designing our 2021 calendar. Every year I think I'm going to change themes but somehow always end up with flowers...maybe because I'm totally unable to keep any sort of plants alive at our house for longer than a couple of days and having flowers hanging on our kitchen wall throughout the year does bring in some cheer.

Scroll down if you want to download the 2021 calendar too.

Welcome to The Really Crafty Link Party #245!

Hello and welcome back to The Really Crafty Link Party, I'm so glad you could join us! 

Show us what you've been busy with lately - share all your wonderful crafts with us and try to visit at least a couple of other posts and leave a nice comment on other people's creations. 

Also if you can, help spread the word on social media - the more, the merrier!

As usual, the party will be open until next Thursday and I will be posting the features on December 18th.

The Really Crafty Link Party #244 featured posts!

Hello and welcome. I hope you've all had a wonderful week, and now it's finally Friday (yay!) so it's time to share the features of this week's link party. 

Scroll down to see them:

6 homemade eco-friendly gifts to make this Christmas

Hello, and welcome! Today I'm rounding up a series of eco-friendly gift ideas that you can easily make this Christmas. 

These are all tutorials that I have posted here before in the blog but that are great to make useful gifts everyone will love. 

How to Have a Fun Christmas Game Night at Home - with free printables

The feeling of hanging out with loved ones during the holidays is second to none. From the busy kitchen where adults are cooking and eating to the play area where the kids are having a blast, Christmas is such a magical time for the whole family. But this year, many people are choosing to have a socially distanced Christmas at home. 

Although a small Christmas is something new for many people, you can still make it a fun experience for your whole family with these fun Christmas games. 

Cross stitched wooden Christmas gift ornament - with free pattern

Hello, and welcome! Today I'm sharing with you another of my cross stitched ornaments. After the Christmas tree and the wreath I now made one with a Christmas gift, complete with bow.

Find out how to make it below.

How to: Christmas drawstring gift bag

Hello, and welcome! This Christmas will be mostly handmade at our house. And this includes of course the gift packages. A long time ago I posted here a tutorial for reusable gift bags that are very easy to make. This time, however, I decided to raise the stakes a bit and make a drawstring bag instead.

It takes a bit longer to make than the other, simpler gift bags, but it's still easy. Here's the how to:

Welcome to The Really Crafty Link Party #244!

Hello and welcome back to The Really Crafty Link Party, I'm so glad you could join us! 

Show us what you've been busy with lately - share all your wonderful crafts with us and try to visit at least a couple of other posts and leave a nice comment on other people's creations. 

Also if you can, help spread the word on social media - the more, the merrier!

As usual, the party will be open until next Thursday and I will be posting the features on December 11th.

The Really Crafty Link Party #243 featured posts!

Hello and welcome. I hope you've all had a wonderful week, and now it's finally Friday (yay!) so it's time to share the features of this week's link party. 

Scroll down to see them:

Finances for Kids: Activities to Teach Important Credit Basics (with free printables)

Of all the topics taught in school, financial literacy isn’t typically one of them, and yet it's very important to survive today's world. So how do you instill smart money habits in your children? 

You might think they’re too young to grasp money-minded concepts, but familiarizing them with the world of finances early on can help set them up for success down the line. There are plenty of fun, digestible activities you can use to teach your kids foundational money basics. 

Double sided crochet pot holders

Hello, and welcome! Today I'm back here to share one of the latest additions to my Etsy shop - and a pattern I've been using a lot to make Christmas gifts for friends and family: double sided crochet pot holders.

Cross stitched wooden Christmas wreath ornament - with free pattern

Hello, and welcome! After last week's Christmas tree cross stitch ornament, today I'm sharing with you another design, this time a wreath. 

Find out how to make it below.

Simple and Elegant Christmas Gift Tags - free printable

Hello, and welcome. Today I'm sharing here some simple and elegant gift tags that you can print in the comfort of your home and use for your Christmas gifts. 

Check them out below: 

Welcome to The Really Crafty Link Party #243!

Hello and welcome back to The Really Crafty Link Party, I'm so glad you could join us! 

Show us what you've been busy with lately - share all your wonderful crafts with us and try to visit at least a couple of other posts and leave a nice comment on other people's creations. 

Also if you can, help spread the word on social media - the more, the merrier!

As usual, the party will be open until next Thursday and I will be posting the features on December 4th (how can it be December already?).

The Really Crafty Link Party #242 featured posts!

Hello and welcome. I hope you've all had a wonderful week, a wonderful Thanksgiving for those of you who celebrate it, and now it's finally Friday so it's time to share the features of this week's link party. 

And because December is right around the corner, this week's features are all about Christmas. Scroll down to see them:

25 Days of Self-Care To Treat Yourself During The Holidays - with free printables

Many people struggle with self-care - we're always too busy with work, family, etc. And this year, as stress and uncertainty have taken over a majority of our lives, it has become even harder to stop for a bit and think about ourselves. Nonetheless, self-care is extremely important as it helps encourage maintaining a healthy relationship with yourself and others. 

With the holidays coming up, stress seems to consume us even more due to the pressures that accompany the holiday season — travel plans, hosting relatives and finding the perfect gifts for all your friends and family - and wondering if we'll be able to pull all that through in the current situation. So this year, gift yourself by filling your December calendar with some holiday self-care! 

Below is a list of self-care ideas to get you started so you can nourish yourself for the holidays. Who knows, you may end up getting your New Year's Resolutions off to an early start! 

Cross stitched wooden Christmas tree ornament - with free pattern

Hello, and welcome! Today I'm sharing with you a pretty Christmas tree cross stitched on a wooden circle, to be used as an ornament or as a gift tag. 

Find out how to make it below.

Easy DIY Christmas gift tags

After yesterday's upcycled felt gift bag, today I'm bringing you another easy Christmas craft: gift tags. 

Because this year Christmas will be mostly homemade around here, I'm trying to get a lot of the work done early. Though, really, these gift tags can be put together really quickly. 

DIY Christmas gift bag from upcycled felt

Hello, and welcome to a new week! It's almost December so I've been woking on...yes, Christmas crafts. And because this year I will be ordering almost everything online or making it myself, I'm going to need creative ways to wrap gifts using materials I already have at home.

So today I'm showing off the gift bag I made upcycling an old felt puzzle mat. Check it out below:

Welcome to The Really Crafty Link Party #242!

Hello and welcome back to The Really Crafty Link Party, I'm so glad you could join us! 

Show us what you've been busy with lately - share all your wonderful crafts with us and try to visit at least a couple of other posts and leave a nice comment on other people's creations. 

Also if you can, help spread the word on social media - the more, the merrier!

As usual, the party will be open until next Thursday and I will be posting the features on November 27th.

DIY Meets Movie Night: How to Recreate the Theater at Home

With the current world events, people have had to become more creative - from work to entertainment. So all of us DIYers are able to let loose and let our creativity soar like never before. 

But even if you’re not a DIY guru, you can still make an incredible DIY movie night from home. Here’s how. 

The Really Crafty #241 featured posts!

Hello and welcome. I hope you've all had a wonderful week - now it's finally Friday so it's time to share the features of this week's link party. 

Scroll down to check the amazing featured posts:

5 Foods that Whiten Teeth

Ok, so this is not one of my usual crafts posts but...at this point in time when most of us want to avoid necessary visits to the dentist (I know I do), I found this information from Auraglow very interesting and had to share it here. 

We all know that certain foods and drinks can stain your teeth (hello, red wine!); however, there are also foods that can whiten teeth. 

Heart shaped zipper purses - pattern and tutorial

Hello, and welcome! Today I'm back here to share my latest zipper purses, this time shaped like hearts.

Crochet holidays napkin rings - free pattern

These shorter fall days (especially with the rain we've had around) have made me turn more to crochet than to sewing projects. So today I'm sharing here the pattern for the napkin rings I came up with during last weekend.

Because the only thing I dislike about crochet is the need to weave in ends, I decided to make the green part (the ring itself) in just one piece, not cutting the yarn in between - find out how below.

Welcome to The Really Crafty Link Party #241!

Hello and welcome back to The Really Crafty Link Party, I'm so glad you could join us! 

Show us what you've been busy with lately - share all your wonderful crafts with us and try to visit at least a couple of other posts and leave a nice comment on other people's creations. 

Also if you can, help spread the word on social media - the more, the merrier!

As usual, the party will be open until next Thursday and I will be posting the features on November 20th.

The Really Crafty Link Party #240 featured posts!

Hello and welcome. I hope you've all had a wonderful week - now it's finally Friday so it's time to share the features of this week's link party. 

Scroll down to check the amazing featured posts:

6 great DIY craft room storage ideas

Hello, and welcome! Today I'm bringing you a very useful round up of ideas to help store and organise craft supplies. I don't know about you, but I always tend to buy more craft supplies than I need - and then bring home some more just in case...

So organising my crafts closet is a challenge, and no matter what I do, it always tends to look messy. So I have started to research better options to keep my supplies organised and that are (1) fairly inexpensive and (2) easy to make. Here are are a few of my favorites: 

Holiday Gifts Crochet Coasters

Hello, and welcome! After sharing here my pine trees pattern, today I'm back with another Christmas-y crochet project, this time one I recently added to my Etsy shop: coasters shaped like wrapped Christmas gifts, complete with bows!

Crochet triangle pine trees - free pattern

Hello, and welcome! I know I'm not the best when it comes to decorating for each season, but this year I've been on a roll trying to get rid of all my yarn scraps - these pine trees where just perfect for that. Not to mention, of course, that they will make cute winter decor. 

I still haven't decided if I'm going to make a garland or if I will be using them as ornaments (or maybe both, but here's the free pattern in case you want to make some yourself

Welcome to The Really Crafty Link Party #240!

Hello and welcome back to The Really Crafty Link Party, I'm so glad you could join us! 

Show us what you've been busy with lately - share all your wonderful crafts with us and try to visit at least a couple of other posts and leave a nice comment on other people's creations. 

Also if you can, help spread the word on social media - the more, the merrier!

As usual, the party will be open until next Thursday and I will be posting the features on November 13th.

The Really Crafty Link Party #239 featured posts!

Hello and welcome. I hope you've all had a wonderful week - now it's finally Friday so it's time to share the features of this week's link party. 

Scroll down to check the amazing featured posts:

Fish shaped felt zipper purses

Hello, and welcome! If you've been visiting a while you already know I love sewing zipper purses. In all shapes and sizes. These fish shaped zipper purses are my latest project. 

Virtual Thanksgiving activities

In Portugal we don't celebrate Halloween as a holiday, but I've always been of the opinion that on a regular basis we should all stop for a moment and give thanks for all the great things we have in our lives. 

This year, if we're safe and healthy we have even more to be thankful for. However, celebrations will all be different. 

DIY doll diapers

Hello, and welcome! Today I'm sharing here a very important project, at least from my daughter's perspective: new diapers for her baby dolls. 

A while ago I wrote a doll diaper tutorial. For these new diapers I used the same pattern, but changed a few things. 

Welcome to The Really Crafty Link Party #239!

Hello and welcome back to The Really Crafty Link Party, I'm so glad you could join us! 

Show us what you've been busy with lately - share all your wonderful crafts with us and try to visit at least a couple of other posts and leave a nice comment on other people's creations. 

Also if you can, help spread the word on social media - the more, the merrier!

As usual, the party will be open until next Thursday and I will be posting the features on October 30th.