The more we wish for winter to be over, the longer it will feel. So instead of complaining about the snow and rain and cold – why not be productive this winter? See the beauty in all the snowflakes that hit your window panes. Snuggle up by the fire with a cup of hot cocoa, escaping the crisp cold air. There’s plenty to find joyous about the winter, and sometimes we forget that.

If you’re crafting this week, try a few winter crafts that I love:

Pretty Snowflake Vase

Winter Joy Scrapbook Page

Snowflake Window Card

His & Hers Winter Hats

Pearl Snowflake Shoe Topper

If you like these craft ideas, check out more free projects in the Winter Craft Section of FaveCrafts.com

This is a post from: FaveCraftsBlog

New Pattern Monday: Winter Wonderland

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By Frequently Wrong But Never in Doubt for DivineCaroline.com

Looking out the window this morning I saw snow! This year has seemed unseasonably warm, and it was nice waking up to the harbinger of things to come. Most of us dread the white stuff that covers our cars, but my kids were squealing with delight watching the flakes fall from the sky.

One of my favorite crafts of the season is snow sculpture. I thought my snowy state of mind was a good time to share some of the techniques, places to go see them and ideas for doing it at home. Snow sculptures are usually carved out of a single block of snow about 6 to 15 feet on each side and weighing about 20 to 30 tons. The snow is densely packed into a form after having been produced by artificial means or collected from the ground after a snowfall.

In January in Breckenridge Colorado (as well as many other snowy cities across the globe), they have the International Snow Sculpture Championships. The results are spectacular and on this site you can see many more sculptures and information about how they are created.

At the Ice and Snow Festival, held annually in the northeastern city of Harbin, China this past January a Sculpture called Romantic Feelings, is a staggering 115ft high and 656ft long—the largest snow sculpture ever created. It was made by joining together 15ft square blocks of natural ice and snow, taken from the nearby Songhua River, which have been compressed to withstand blows from hatchets, saws and shovels.

And if that’s not enough of the snowy goodness, you can browse the photos on a flickr group created just for the art.

If you would love to get in on the action with the the kids, then Family Education.com has a great article on how to do snow sculptures at home.

So, the next time you grumble while shoveling snow or gasp when you see a huge storm move toward you, think of the possibilities!

Read the original article at DivineCaroline.

This is a post from: FaveCraftsBlog

Guest Post: The Art of Sculpting Snow

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Even though we’ve seen gorgeous weather this week in Chicago (sunny and 60 on Tuesday!), the groundhog recently predicted six more weeks of winter, and we’ve been in the Midwest long enough to know spring never comes early. So while we’re gearing up for the five inches of snow predicted for Valentine’s weekend, cozy up and check out the round-up of our favorite winter crafts.

Caley’s Picks

If we have to endure the cold weather, we might as well enjoy the sight of snow. While we don’t get much snow in Ireland, I’d love to have this snowstorm mobile created by the ever-brilliant Jeffrey Rudell hanging above a bed. I love that dental floss is used to hang.

This pick definitely stretches the Wintery topic of this round-up, but this technique for embroidering around small circular objects definitely reminds me of snowflakes. Annie’s example is called a ShiSha Mirror.  How pretty!

For something to keep you warm, I have to mention the New York Noro Plaid Scarf from Crafty Pants. She uses a very clever technique of weaving the yarn through the double crochet to show off the colors of the yarn.

Mindy’s Picks

Infant mittens inspired by the sphere-handed avatars of Wii bowling. Whatever. They are just so cute on the baby!

In the same technology-inspired vein, these gloves are made with conductive thread so you can control your ipod without having to take off your gloves and risk frostbite. Now that is a cool idea.

Kelly’s Picks

Not only do these slippers look incredibly comfy but they’re made from recycled materials as well – go green and stay warm!

This is a really great gift to give in the winter – a homemade hot cocoa mix in a cute decorative jar – or just make it for yourself to enjoy.

I love the idea to make a circle scarf out of an extra large t-shirt.  Sure beats paying $28 at American Apparel for one!

This is a post from: FaveCraftsBlog

Winter Crafts Round-Up

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Brrrrrr it’s cold here in Chicago!  So I’m in the mood for some warm winter crafts!  I found these adorable fruit and veggie hats on HGTV.com.  Here’s a step-by-step guide to create your own!

This is a post from: FaveCraftsBlog

Fun Hats

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