1. Stitch n Bitch, by Debbie Stoller

I consider myself a pretty crafty lady, so when the whole knitting craze hit a couple years ago (remember – Gwyneth Paltrow and Kate Hudson started and it just took off?), I had to get in on it too! I tried watching videos online and I bought several knitting magazines, but I just couldn’t master the whole casting-on thing. I was down in the dumps about my inability to master this new craft, when along came a little gem called “Stitch n Bitch.” Now, I figured that any knitting book that had the word “bitch” in the title had to be good (and sassy!), so I picked myself up a copy. And guess what? The genius that is Debbie Stoller finally taught me to cast-on! Debbie is so down to earth and makes knitting so fun and hip! This book is great for beginners, but also has pattens that keep seasoned knitters intrigued and on their toes.

2. 99 Ways to Cut, Sew & Deck-out your Denim, by Faith Blakeney

If you’ve kept up with celebrity fashion (again, another pursuit that falls by the wayside during sweatpant season, aka the school year), you’ll know that denim is hitting the runway HARD. Denim vests, acid-washed jeans, chambray shirts – everyone is loving denim for summer. And, if you’re frugal like me, you have issues forking over $60 for a trendy, denim piece that you may only get a couple wears out of. The solution? A little DIY! “99 Ways…” is full of great ways to re-use those decade-old pair of jeans that you’ve hung on to. Even if you don’t have any old denim, you can just run to a thrift store and get a pair from the dollar bin for these projects. They range from simple to advanced and with 99 of them, you’re bound to be occupied all summer long.

3. Sew U, by Wendy Mullin

Better known as the fashion genius behind home-grown label “Built by Wendy,” Wendy Mullin has decided to share her wisdom with the world! “Sew U” is touted as “The Guide to Making Your Own Wardrobe,” which is a great summer project. Imagine coming back to campus sporting homemade duds that look like they’re expensive, one-of-a-kind designer pieces! This book is really great because it not only teaches you how to sew your own clothes, but also really educates you about the art of clothing design. It’s great to see a fashion designer take the time to write a book that is so informative and inspirational for young crafters. She makes sure that have a full understanding of the garments before you dig-in and create. You’ll find yourself looking at clothes you purchase in a different light, so not only will you be a creator, but also a better consumer!

4. Generation T, by Megan Nicolay

Similar to “99 Ways…”, this one shows you 108 different projects that range from very easy to very difficult and allow you to re-use your old tees. I don’t know about you, but I’ve got an unhealthy-sized collection of old t-shirts just waiting to be made into something beautiful and wearable. You can choose to refurbish the tees into new shirts, skirts, ipod cases or even a wedding dress (yes, insane, but I totally admired their zaniness!). The instructions are great and simple and make sure that they keep the supplies to a minimum, so you can use what you have around the house. This book is a great backbone and encourages experimentation, like tie dyeing the shirts after you re-create them.

Have fun!

In my travels across cyberspace I come upon a lot of new sites. From fashion blogs, to a new collection of funny videos, to online magazines with entertaining stories about college life.

But my most recent discovery has quickly developed into a must visit. It’s psimadethis.com and it’s amazing.

It’s a do-it-yourself website, giving readers ideas for DIY projects and inspiration boards for coming up with your own ideas. It even has links to the best places to get materials for specific projects!

This doesn’t seem at first to be anything ground breaking; there are a million DIY websites. So why am I obsessed with it?

1. Erica, the girl behind this site, is just awesome. She’s creative, trendy, and cool. Ok, so I don’t know if she’s cool, but the stuff she’s making is cool and I want to be her BFF.

2. These projects are super easy. You don’t have to be a fashion design student or even really crafty to pull them off. And the instructions are specific and accompanied by pictures, so it’s like having an art teacher right there guiding you so you don’t mess up and end up with another paper weight (yeah, I’m scarred from 4th grade art class…).

3. The things you’re making are incredibly chic.  We’re not talking birdhouses that will fall apart in your front yard or tacky purses made out of old jeans. These projects are all trendy, fashionable pieces that give you a cheap way to incorporate trends into your wardrobe. Faux fur vest, anyone?

4. It’s an easy and affordable way to give all your friends and family something personal and unique for the holidays.

Plus, how good will it feel when you friend says, “Omg! I love your bracelet, where’d you get it?”, and you can smile and say “Oh this? I made it. No big deal.”

Thanks to this internet find, I’ve officially changed “Hangover Saturdays” to “Craft Saturdays.”
I can’t wait to make this.

Let’s be honest: we college girls do most of our drinking out of red plastic cups. It might get the job done (and it’s usually free), but it’s far from classy. And sometimes we all need to be a little classy.

If you’re looking to add some class to your weekly routine, consider having the girls over for some wine and cheese. And add a little something special with these adorable, unique and classy wine glass rings!

While they aren’t a necessary addition to a wine glass (because wine is the only necessary addition, am I right?), I really love the extra fun these rings bring to the table. They are super classy and elegant, and they definitely look as if you bought them at Pier 1.

Plus, you can put them on anything. Since I don’t drink, I hang mine on the handles of my coffee mugs, but you can also clip them to kitchen-cabinet handles, keychains . . . the list goes on.

Each ring takes about five minutes to make, and it will only cost you about $5 in supplies to make a bundle of ‘em.

Here’s What You Need:

• Thick jewelry wire
• Thin craft wire
• Pliers (to bend the thick wire)
• Collection of small, colorful beads
• Some bigger, prettier glass beads

Here’s What You Do:

• Use the end of the pliers to bend one end of the piece into a tiny loop to keep the beads from sliding off.

• Start putting the beads on, forming a pattern or just loading on one solid color, filling the wire half way.

• When you’re done with that, use the loop you made on the thin wire to thread the glass bead onto the thick wire.

• Finish it off by filling the rest of the wire with beads, then bend the end of the thick wire forward to fasten through the first loop you made, and twist the whole thing into a circle shape.

• Clip it onto your wine glass stem, and you’re ready to roll. Bust out that chardonnay!

You can easily fritter away three or four hours just browsing through dresses or scarves or jewelry, not to mention shoes, crafts and other delicious goodies.

. . . Ok,  I’m back now. Got a little side-tracked.

Anyway, Etsy can be a little overwhelming if you’re just starting to look. It’s like walking into Ikea for the first time, or popping into Costco without a list. Basically, you need some guidance (that is easier to follow than those Spanish maps at Ikea…).

That’s why I’m here! Try dipping your toe in the Etsy pool by browsing products from these 10 fab sellers. And then spend another 6 hours getting to know the rest.

1. aorta
Aorta does not currently have anything up for sale, but hopefully she will soon. What does she make? The most awesome shark skirts and squid ties around, for starters.

2. momoma
This seller makes incredibly creative artwork and really unique jewelry.

3. Recession
Look at this dress; just look at it. Are you kidding me? How amazing is that?!

4. emandsprout
This person makes the coolest Mary Jane shoes in the history of Earth.

5. TheSavageCabbage
Utterly beautiful hair clips.

6. EfiaFair
These legwarmers are just about the most elegant and lovely I’ve seen.

7. fonth and michiganhemp
These two sellers have some of the most gorgeous pieces of jewelry out there.

8. GetReadySetGO and stevester
Excellent vintage luggage and messenger bags.

9. VivaLaViolette
The cutest stationery ever? Yes, I think so.

10. SilverDrake
Yes, this person makes dragons out of clay. Why would you need one? Um . . . why not?

Every college girl has moments of extreme stress/anxiety/feeling a little crazy. Rather than take it out on a poor, defenseless friend (or door), I have the perfect project to ease your mind:The Dammit Doll.

These little dolls make great targets for taking out your frustration when you’re stressed about school, when you have guy troubles, and just in general when you need something to throw, jab, squeeze, or stomp on (not that I promote violence).

They also make great gifts for your angst-filled friends as well, and are much cuter than your average bland stress ball, not to mention cheaper than anger management classes.

Materials:

- Felt

- Stuffing (cotton balls, beans, pine straw, rice, etc.)

- Needle & thread or sewing machine

- Decorations (cut-out felt pieces for clothing, sequins for eyes, pins for jewelry, etc.)

Steps:

1) Cut out 2 identical pieces of felt based on whatever size and shape you want your doll’s body to be: human, animal, ex boyfriend?

2) Sew around the edges, leaving a hole open at the top of the head large enough that you can stuff your organs in. (Note: in order to make the doll look good, after sewing you will turn the doll inside-out, so keep that in mind when sewing.)

3) Turn the doll right-side-out and push out any limbs that need to be formed into a complete 3-D shape (unless deformed is the look you’re going for).

4) Stuff the doll with your choice of filling. Personally, cotton balls are my #1 choice because no matter how hard I throw it, it doesn’t spill out… or put dents in the wall. (Tip: Don’t use rocks. Just trust me.)

5) When you reach the head, use a couple stiches to close it up and prevent leakage. Sew that sucker up tight! Spilled rice could be used to feed hungry children, but is also a major pain to clean up.

6) Add detail! Use markers to draw facial features, cut out more felt pieces for a cute wardrobe selection, paste some beads or sequins on, add some colored string for hair, whatever you want!

7) Voila! Dunzo. You can hug it and designate it as your new best friend when you are upset, or stick little pins in it and throw it against the wall when you are angry. Pass it off to a friend going through a bad breakup, or make a whole slew of them to keep in case of “so stressed and I need to strangle something” emergencies.  The possibilities are endless.

Have no fear my decorating minions, get your hot glue guns ready and lets get crafty!

Let’s Make… Picture frames! Posters are so…mainstream. Everyone has them. Why not hang your own pictures in personalized frames?

 This is an easy craft. You can find ready-made frames for cheap at any dollar store, walmart, or craft store. All you need to do is decorate with fabric, sequins, or little plastic accents…things you can again find at walmart or a craft store. Just apply them with your hot glue gun…and there you have it!

Let’s Make… Beaded curtains!  This project will take a little more time to finish, but it allows your mind to go to a zen-like place while you do it.

You will need: Beads! Fishing line and a tension curtain rod.

First measure your door frame and decide how thick you want your curtain to be. Thicker curtains call for more beads. Cut your fishing line to fit, and then start stringing your beads (this part takes awhile).

Once you’re done stringing all your beads,  apply them to the rod and hang. Put a dab of hot glue over the part where the beads are tied over the rod to keep the steady. There you have it!

Let’s Make… A bulletin board! Tired of all that random paper that you acquire but are to pack-raty to throw out? Make a bulletin board! You can do one of two things for this: buy a pre-made board and just paint the frame, attach some beads, or glue fabric to the edge with your hot glue gun — or, you can cover a piece of plywood with fabric (hot glue the fabric down) then crisscross ribbon over the fabric to stick notes and pictures inside.

The most important thing is to have fun doing these projects!  College can be stressful, crafting shouldn’t be.

[Crafty photo from craftzine.com]