Here, you’ll find a collection of projects designed to help you embrace the beauty of handmade living, from creating heartfelt gifts to tackling easy DIY projects for your home.
Discover step-by-step tutorials and tips to craft meaningful items that bring joy to both the maker and the recipient. Whether you’re a seasoned crafter or just getting started, these articles are filled with approachable projects that celebrate sustainability, creativity, and the personal touch of handmade treasures.
Ready to get crafty? Explore our resources and discover how simple living and creativity go hand in hand!
There is a way to be be frugal but not cheap this holiday season. Want to know the difference between being frugal and being cheap? Attitude. Frugal says, “I want this Christmas to be handmade in order to give of myself to those around me.; Handmade is beautiful and a good use of my resources. …
For the past few weeks there have been a lot whisperings and shutting doors in our home. It happens every year as we realize that if we’re going to make the handmade gifts we’ve been “thinking” about all year, we’d better get on it. Every year we say we’re going to start our gift making during …
Inexpensive gifts CAN be meaningful, in fact, they are often more meaningful since they are often made by the giver. I’ve rounded up some of my favorite inexpensive Christmas gifts that cost a dollar or less to make. For many years our family lived at or below the poverty level. Carl, my husband, was in …
Welcome to week four of our nine weeks of getting ready to have a handmade Christmas. Several people have asked me about why I’m doing this series in October instead of close to Christmas. I’m normally a “one holiday at a time” person. When one holiday is over, then I can think about the next …
Note: Once a week I share a popular post from the archives. This post was originally published in June 2014. When my big kids were little we used to get matching flag shirts every year. I loved matching shirts. In fact, my children would match anytime we left the house. People thought it was cute. It was …
Twice a year (at Christmas and at the end of the year) parents everywhere are wondering what to give their child’s teacher as a thank you gift. Sometimes it can be hard, especially if money is tight or we have a quite a few teachers we want to give gifts to. Also, we want our …
There are so many uses for beeswax that go beyond beeswax candles and salves – those are fun but so are lotions, growing mushrooms and wood polish. Let’s explore what beeswax is, where to get beeswax, and how to use it in your home and for your body. We have beeswax…and a lot of it. …
For several years I’ve wanted to have new Christmas stockings for our family. The stockings we have are totally fine, but they are a mix and match and are more mix than match, plus I’ve never really LOVED them. But y’all, stockings are expensive, multiplied by 8 (and now 10) and we just cannot do it. So, I think …
We were first introduced to pipe cleaners and borax crystal ornaments when my older children were in elementary school. We made borax snowflakes for a science experiment and had so much fun. In fact, they made so many snowflakes and other crystal ornaments that they sold them for .25 each at a craft fair …
A few years ago I started making fabric gift bags to use for Christmas. I love making these bags, they are so simple and just take a few minutes to whip up. We mainly use these within our family so we can use them year after year, but I also make some each year to …
I know it’s a little early to be sharing pumpkin crafts but it was 105 degrees here today and thinking of fall is one of my survival techniques. Plus this thumb print pumpkin patch t-shirt is such a fun and easy craft I just couldn’t wait for a more “appropiate” time to share it. Esther …
If you’ve been a reader of SchneiderPeeps for very long you probably know that we like to make things and we also like to play games. Josiah combined both of those likes into one gift for Christmas last year. He made each family a game of Finger Twister. Never heard of Finger Twister? I hadn’t …
We had to get new tires for our 12 passenger van. Normally, I’m not real excited about that but I’ve been hoping we’d need to soon so we could make a tire swing. We had one of these in another house and it was much loved – by kids of all ages. Wanna see how …
One of the fun things about having older children and a younger child is that I’m getting to revisit all those fun preschool crafts that I did with my older ones. For Christmas my children make their gifts to give to extended family and this year Esther made bug magnets. To make the bug magnets you …
Every year for Christmas we encourage our children to make gifts for their gift giving needs. It’s really fun to see what each one comes up with. This year Gabriel made cribbage boards for each family in our extended family – and us, of course. I’m going to share how he made the boards in …
This is our second to last week of Handmade Christmas, it’s hard to believe, isn’t it? We’ve had some great ideas posted, so make sure and look over the last few weeks. We are a game loving family. We love hanging out and playing cards or board games, especially during the longer winter nights. Last …
As I flipped the calendar over to November last week, I felt it….pressure. Pressure to make the next 8 weeks amazing. Pressure to find just the right gift for everyone on my Christmas list. Pressure to make sure that all my I’s are dotted and my T’s are crossed for all of the events that …
If you’ve been hanging around our little spot on the internet for very long, you’ve probably guessed that I love all things old, vintage and thrifted. I love giving new life to someone else’s cast off items. Monogrammed coffee cups are just the craft to give new life to all those lovely .50 cups at your …
The beauty of decoupage is that you can quickly and cheaply turn old things into new things with just paper and glue. Decoupaged Christmas ornaments are a great example. You can always find old Christmas ball ornaments at garage sale and thrift stores and give them new life. To make decoupaged Christmas ornaments you just …
I’m going to let you in on a little secret, althought I love making gifts, I’m not always the best at wrapping them so that they look pretty. I try but it’s just a gene that has missed me. So, I’m super excited to have Angel from Angel Navy Wife here to show us some …