Craft Day Archives - Creative Jubilee

Virtual Team Building: Terrarium Making Kits

By Christina Lee| September 29th, 2020|Craft Day, Creative Inspiration, Humbling Hobbies and Habits, Oh My Crafts!|

With over six months of shelter-in-place orders in effect, the Covid-19 pandemic has taken both an emotional and physical toll on our well-being. The extreme work-from-home measure has left us craving human connection, mental sanity and work/life balance. While we aren’t able to get together as a team, we try to keep things normal — even if it means doing our team offsite virtually through Zoom.

Over the last two days, we blocked off a total of six hours (three hours per day) on the calendar and did what we could to connect as a team. Introductions, planning sessions, work break-out sessions, guest speakers, and of course, ice breakers made up the two day agenda. Never had I imagined the possibility of conducting these team activities online. But we did and it was fun.

One of our team activities came in a box which contained everything you need to build your own terrarium. A glass bowl, soil, moss, charcoal, rocks, succulents and even trinkets like sea shells, glass jars, and dinosaurs came in this terrarium kit that my manager found online at Etsy.

We emptied all of that good stuff out of the box and began building it together. Does the soil go in first or the rocks? What do you do with the moss, and does it go above or below the soil? How do you insert the succulents? While everything came packaged up nicely, by the time we poured out all the contents, the table was covered in dirt and my hands were black.

It was fun talking through the process and interesting to see the unique spin that each of us took designing the terrarium with the exact same kit. I now have faith that we can have fun and do great things as a team even if it is online.

Now, to find a home for this little guy.

Little red rose

By Christina Lee| July 11th, 2020|Craft Day, Craft Paper Scissors, Creative Inspiration, Oh My Crafts!|

Handmade, homegrown or store bought? You tell me.

With my mom’s retirement and the pandemic keeping us mostly confined to our homes, we all have to find ways to motivate ourselves, cheer each other up and lift our spirits. For me, I tend to lose myself in yarn projects, soap-making and other DIY home decor projects. Since the SIP, I’ve made my first pair of slipper socks, explored punch needle embroidery and now, I’m crocheting a scrap blanket. I love that you can do so much with just one hook and a ball of yarn.

For my mom, she never really took much interest in these hobbies or any others. She just admired them from the sidelines and encouraged me to do what I love. It was only until she cleaned the garage and found stacks of paper and excess supplies that my sister and I left behind that she found her passion.

It started with one petal, then two petals and three, and then it transformed into this paper rose. In making this rose, my mom found a hobby, something that she’s passionate and proud of. Something that makes her smile. Something that brings her to life.

My mom found herself.

Organized Crafting Chaos

By Christina Lee| February 2nd, 2020|Craft Day, Fused Glass, Handmade, Oh My Crafts!|

Today, we’re in for some organized crafting chaos at the Alameda Art Lab Bling Bar. With our workstations filled with shards of decorative glass and our glass cutters handy, we’re ready to roll up our sleeves and make some fused-glass cactus plants. I’m mesmerized by all the shades of green glass and its texture. Olive, sage or pear? Transparent or opaque? Prickly pear, Cereus, or San Pedro cactus? Okay, it’s time to pull up Pinterest and get some ideas flowing.

While I’ve done a few mosaic glass projects, fused-glass is a first for me. It uses much of the same technique in developing the skills needed to cut and shape glass with the cutter. To really get the edges of the cactus rounded and smooth, I learned how to use the sanding tool, which is now my favorite tool. The sanding tool is like an electric nail filer and it rounds out the sharp edges after you cut your glass.

After you cut the glass into various shapes and layer them on top of each other, the fun part of this project is giving them all some character. Here’s where I got to experiment with spaghetti noodles and acrylic paint to create the spine of the cactus. Once we finished, we left the pieces of glass on the table and our instructor fused the glass together.

They turned out great!! Now I can put this on my desk at work. The best part is knowing that it doesn’t need sunlight and I don’t need to water it at all!

Crocheting down the Ljubljana Canal

By Christina Lee| June 30th, 2019|Craft Day, Crocheting, Yarn Addict|

By now, you must know that I hardly leave the house without throwing a knitting or crocheting project in my handbag — and you better believe that going on vacation is no exception. One thing I do know about traveling is that it’s long and tiring, and the last thing you need is a complicated crochet pattern. I decided to go with the Shell Stitch Pattern. It’s repeatable, easy on the eyes and a pattern that I’ve been wanting to try. Lucky for me, I’ve got a good hour going up and down the Ljubljana Canal, so it’s time to take out my crochet hook and get going.

If you can double crochet, then you can easily do the Shell Stitch.

Going along with the beach theme, I picked out Lily Sugar N’ Cream cotton yarn skeins in Coral, Cream, Beach Glass and Sea Breeze and switched colors every two rows. So far, I really like the color, texture and pattern. I am making a kitchen dish towel, but think this pattern would ultimately look better on a big long, plush blanket. Maybe that will be my next project. Who knows?!

Creative Musings

By Christina Lee| June 9th, 2019|Craft Day|

Do you have a special place in your home where you can just sit back, relax and let the ideas flow? With a busy work week, a congested commute and a social media outlet that’s always on, you’ve got to find some time for yourself to let loose and decompress. I created this space for myself in anticipation for moments where I just need to get away from it all. This is a place where the phone is tucked away, the television is turned off and I can sit with the company of my dog, a little Pandora and maybe even a book. It’s a place where I can be creative and let my mind wander. It’s a place where I can think freely of yesterday, today and tomorrow. It’s a place that is peaceful and safe. It’s a place of my own. I hope you have a place you love just as much because it’s kind of important for us creative folks. You know what I mean?

Susanna’s Surprise Birthday!

By Christina Lee| May 6th, 2019|Craft Day, DIY Home, Humbling Hobbies and Habits, Oh My Crafts!, Scrapbooking|

If you haven’t already heard, I’ve accepted a part-time job as an event planner! With my sister’s 40th Birthday this year, my parents and I decided that we had to make it extra special. We were a little late to the game planning her surprise because initially a trip to Hawaii was going to be her big celebration, but we realized celebrating such a milestone without her friends by her side just wouldn’t cut it, so we’re now in crunch time for picking a theme and getting all the logistics into place. Since riding a cable car has always been on Susanna’s to-do list, we made that our theme and planned this ‘Susanna Style’ meaning every detail from the invitation to the party favors to the food and overall experience needed to be thought through carefully. In our family, Susanna is usually the one to plan all the family reunions and get togethers, so having to fill her shoes is a tall order. But I’m ready for the challenge (!)

My Mom and I divvied up all the tasks. While she did the research on cable car and thought through the decorations, I made the reservations and became the point of contact for all the guests. Her close friends and family dug through old albums to find photos representing ages 1-39 as I began putting together her birthday album. Her best friends Audrey and Lisa found ways to clear her schedule and come up with a story to keep her occupied on the big day. I made reservations for the cable car, food and cupcakes. My parents and I made running lists of all the food, drinks and decorations. Needless to say, there were plenty of trips to Michaels and the grocery store. Keeping in mind the small things such as the ice box, basket to carry the party favors and wine opener was a task in itself and one that my Dad happily tracked. There were many nights we spent talking about all the logistics and the fine details, and I think just about all of us — including her friends — nearly slipped when talking to Susanna and planning for her big surprise party. But we kept going. Susanna had her suspicions but couldn’t connect all the dots.

Much of the planning unfolded one to two weeks before her celebration. For party favors, we worked with Felix the Cook to custom paint cable cars on sugar cookies. Aren’t they cute?! They are so Susanna! Pairing them with mini cable cars and custom made birthday tags makes for a great memento and keepsake. And yes, I went to every Walgreens in downtown SF to sweep the shelves for 30+ SF cable cars.

With all the logistics in place, a plan to pick up Susanna, and her friends and family at the door 20-30 minutes ahead of schedule (repeat, ahead of schedule!), the day went off without a hitch and we took to the streets of San Francisco in style.

A big thank you to all her friends and family for being part of her big day and making her epic celebration a complete surprise!

Happy Birthday Susanna!! We love you so much and wish all of your dreams come true!!

Coral Crocheted Hand Towel

By Christina Lee| February 18th, 2019|Craft Day, Crocheting, DIY Home, Handmade, Oh My Crafts!, Yarn Addict|

This crocheted hand towel is just so fun that I was inspired to make another one. It’s an easy project to bring with you when you’re on the go because the white portion of the towel is just single crochet all the way through to about 90 to 100 lines (depending how long you want to make it). I tried other patterns such as double or half double, but it just made this hand towel seem too ornate — especially with the decorative edging at the bottom.

Having made this before, I decided to buy the cotton yarn in bulk instead of two to three separate balls. It made for less clean up in the middle of the pattern — and sewing in loose ends is not one of my favorite things to do. However, the fun part of this project was choosing the accent color and just about any color goes with white. I previously made this with purple edging, so this time I went for coral, a color I thought would really pop in my bathroom.

The edging itself while it might look complicated is really simple. In fact I just made up this pattern using a combination of single and double crochet, and threw in some loops. You can really do as you please and customize the length. I thought two to three inches worked well for the overall length of this towel. If you’re unsure, you can just eye ball it to a store bought towel.

Well, how does it look? I think it makes a great addition to any bathroom. When I wash my hands, I secretly prefer to use this handmade towel over the others because it just feels luxurious.

Happy Crocheting!

The Gift-Making Holiday Rush

By Christina Lee| December 3rd, 2018|Craft Day, Crocheting, Handmade, Humbling Hobbies and Habits, Oh My Crafts!, Yarn Addict|

Well, I thought I’d get ahead of the gift-making ‘holiday rush’ when I packed several skeins of yarn and my crochet hook, and took it halfway around the world with me during the Fall season. However, when the skeins of yarn were still intact in my suitcase on my way home, I knew I was in trouble and I was in for a rude awakening during the holiday season.

Despite a busy work and travel schedule, I was able to come up with a few projects that would be creative and fun, doable in a short timeframe, and make warm and “cozy” Christmas gifts. One trip to Michaels left me grabbing skeins of yarn left and right. Since I had recently made a couple of hand towels, I stuck with yarn that was 100% cotton for its durability and absorbance. Plus, I kind of like the organic look and feel of the blue gradient and olive green blend.

Over on the left, I decided to go with the classic double crochet and on the right, I went with the Moss Stitch. While both make for great patterns, I’m going to have to say that I prefer the moss stitch because of its tension and density. The double crochet pattern is a bit too springy and I may just need to throw it into the wash, so that it shrinks down in size. Either way, they are both made with 100% love and they’re ready to be wrapped well before Christmas.

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