The post This Family Bought a General Store and are Turning It Into Their Home appeared first on https://everydaymonkey.com.
]]>It all began when Jordan and Faith saw that a general store building went for sale in their town. They didn’t hesitate one minute and jumped at the opportunity to buy it.
The building had been empty for a few years and needed a lot of work, but the family was up for the challenge. They spent the next few months repairing and renovating the building, turning it into the home of their dreams.
“Renovating this 10k square foot building won’t be an overnight process. Especially since as of now we are doing the work in our spare time, out of pocket and… contrary to a lot of commenter’s opinions about us, we aren’t rich,” they say in a post on Instagram.
The family’s big, old-fashioned general store building may have started out as just a dream, but with a lot of hard work and a little bit of magic, they will be able to turn it into the home of their dreams.
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]]>The post Your Next DIY Project: Kiriki Press Embroidery Kits appeared first on https://everydaymonkey.com.
]]>Embroidery, in particular, has seen a surge in popularity this past year, being relatively cheap and easy to pick up. But why not add a playful twist to your new-found hobby? Michelle Galletta’s embroidery kits make for the ideal gift, teaching you how to make your very own toys from scratch.
According to Galletta, the kits are essentially embroidery samplers, meaning you learn the craft as you go. It also means that your work doesn’t—and shouldn’t—be perfect, but you’ll get lots of practice along the way.
“I guess the main intention was to give other people the opportunity to make something really special with their own hands,” Galletta explained in an interview with Meet the Makers. “I love the whole ‘do it yourself’ thing, so much of what we have is digital and automated so it’s really nice to be able to take a step back, relax with something, and have your own time to put a project together.”
Galletta’s brand Kiriki Press launched in December 2012 and includes a range of DIY products with an emphasis on DIY toys. The kits are screen-printed by hand and assembled in Toronto at Noble Crafthouse, making your purchase a more personal and sustainable one. Scroll down to see some examples of her products.
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]]>The post Rose Pearlman Will Teach You the Art of Modern Rug Hooking appeared first on https://everydaymonkey.com.
]]>Traditional rug hooking is made by pulling loops of yarn or fabric through a stiff woven base such as burlap, linen, rug warp, or monks cloth. In contrast, latch-hooking uses a hinged hook to form a knotted pile from short, pre-cut pieces of yarn. With time on our hands, we might as well give it a try.
Rug hooking expert Rose Pearlman is here to get you hooked (pun intended): “As an artist and teacher, it’s my goal to inspire and help others create,” she stated once in an interview with Sarah K. Benning. An artist, teacher, and textile designer, Pearlman teaches monthly rug hooking workshops in NYC, as well as online.
“For me, rug hooking is the fiber medium most like painting,” she expressed. “The punching technique is simple to master so your energy can be spent on composition and color.”
According to Pearlman, rug hooking is a forgiving medium as it allows you to change your mind and undo your work quite easily. “You can easily pull stitches out to reuse the same cloth backing and fiber without waste,” she stresses.
Follow her social media pages for more info and purchase her book, Modern Rug Hooking: 22 Punch Needle Projects for Crafting a Beautiful Home here. In it, you’ll find rug hooking instructions for beginners and innovative ideas for those wanting to go further.
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]]>The post Michael Is a Self-Taught Sewist Who Makes Outfits to Match With Daughter appeared first on https://everydaymonkey.com.
]]>The Philadelphian Michael Gardner, also known as “Ava’s Dad”, creates unique outfits for his daughter. But not just for herself—he also sews matching clothes for himself so he could be in tune with Ava.
The self-taught sewist, crafter, and DIY enthusiast began his outfit-creating journey back in 2014 because he wanted to bond with his daughter on another level. That is when his project titled Daddy Dressed Me by Michael Gardner was born.
“My mission is to help Ava build her self-esteem and establish confidence in herself and her abilities. I sew the clothes and Ava models,” Michael shared on his website. “It is a blessing to be able to combine my journey of fatherhood with my love of creativity while creating memories with my child.”
So far, Gardner has made more than 200 outfits and has reached almost 21,000 Instagram followers.
To see his beautiful creations, check out the gallery below. We picked our top favorites. Which one do you like the most? Tell us in the comments below.
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]]>The post From Robotics to Balloons: Terry Cook is a Tinkerer and a Doodler appeared first on https://everydaymonkey.com.
]]>His interests also include animals and insects, the sciences (particularly physics and biology), robotics, automatons, magic tricks, and experimentation in general. One of his more experimental projects incorporates balloons, with his recreations including birds as well as human heads.
According to Cook, each balloon sculpture takes a couple of hours to make and then more time on top of that to photograph. With his bird series, the idea came to him quite naturally. “I am obsessed with birds (Mostly British and European) and have been since I was a child,” explains Cook on his website. His balloon heads came afterward, having watched the bird balloons deflate. “I thought it would be cool to use the creases that form naturally on the balloon surface as the latex begins to degrade and lose its form,” he writes. “I made heads and then photographed them over a period of weeks as they began to deflate. Some went quicker than others.”
Cook notes that he only uses Qualatex balloons made from natural latex, which are biodegradable and break down easily. Scroll down to see some of his creative projects – balloon-made or otherwise.
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]]>The post This YouTuber Teaches All Things Creative appeared first on https://everydaymonkey.com.
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And for anyone wondering, the little blue flowers that I couldn't remember the name of are Glory-of-the-Snow!“I’ve tried my best to make my channel a calm, inspirational space where you can approach the basics of drawing, watercolour painting, journaling and many other crafts,” she explains on her personal website. “There are so many benefits to everyday creativity, so I hope you’ll grab a paint brush and join me. Because creativity is play, anyone can do it!”
Campbell’s website and YouTube page include basic tutorials on how to draw simple, beautiful illustrations using ink and watercolor, including an assortment of flowers, wreaths, foliage and more. Those can be used to decorate journals, create cards, or simply make other art you enjoy. It also includes an introduction to simple hand-lettering, and encouragement to daily art practice.
There are also entire posts dedicated to the art of illustrating flowers – a task you’d want to take on this spring. According to Campbell, you don’t need to worry about painting a perfect flower; instead, you can focus on the way the brush feels in your hand. In one moment you use only the lightest touch, just the delicate fine point of the brush; in another moment, you smoosh the belly of the brush across the page forming large leaves and petals.
Dip your toes into the art of creativity.
If you're in need of more videos to paint along with, head over to my YouTube homepage at youtube.com/shaydacampbell. I recently updated all of my playlists to help you find new content, old favourites and maybe even a few gems you might've missed! There are over 300 videos on my channel now. Like what?! When did that happen 
Link in my bio!
So once you've purchased it, you'll always have access, and you can do it at your own pace and in your own time. Stay busy, do something nice for yourself and get creative! Perfect for ages 12 and up! And remember, you don't have to buy a thing to get all artsy fartsy with moi– there are over 300 videos on my YouTube channel, so whether you want to try watercolor painting, drawing, or journaling, I've got you!!
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]]>The post This Company Has Helped DIY-ers With Their Beautiful Decorative Stencils appeared first on https://everydaymonkey.com.
]]>“Stencils are a tool that helps us to up-cycle and re-use things, thus helping to minimize our impact on the planet. Stencils also help us to create gifts and future family heirlooms and to embellish our homes in a way that brings us to a happier place,” their website reads.
They decided to form the company to empower and inspire the new DIY-ers by offering collection of their beautiful and user friendly stencils. The company also shared free stencil videos loaded with tips and tricks and every DIY-ers loved it.
Soon their popularity skyrocketed among the DIY community and they’ve been featured on TV, famous design magazines and thousands of DIY blogs. Today, they got more than 166k followers on Facebook and they continue to innovate with new stencils ideas.
The post This Company Has Helped DIY-ers With Their Beautiful Decorative Stencils appeared first on https://everydaymonkey.com.
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