The California Strawberry Festival was this past weekend. I couldn't go, so I made felties instead. ;) Grab your scissors and some scraps and let's get strawberry making!

Materials and supplies:

• 6"x4" red felt
• 2"x2" green felt
• 2- 2' red embroidery floss
• 2' green embroidery floss
• 2' black embroidery floss
• handful of polyfill
• scissors
• needle

Make and share your creations on the Facebook fanpage. 

And enter to win a basket of berries OR supplies to make your very own strawberry bunch. Like/Share/Pin/Re-post and WIN! Make sure to tag @feedthefishco and #strawberryfelties. Entries are due on May 31st; winner announced on June 1st. Happy making!

If wearing green doesn't work, maybe a cute lil button will help. Learn to make this quick DIY below.

Materials and supplies:

• Hot glue
• Scissors
• Marker/pen
• 1 - 1"x12" strip of paper (go green for St. Patrick's Day!)
• 2 - 2"x2" squares of paper (use a light color for contrast)
• Pin with sticky back or clothespin
• Double sided tape

This pin is versatile! Mix up the colors and sayings and BOOM, you have name tags, a baby shower game, Easter gift tags, contest awards...so many things! Make and share on the Facebook fanpage. 

And enter to win a custom set of 8 pins for your next gathering. Like and share this post on Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram, or Twitter (make sure to tag @feedthefishco). Entries are due on March 31st; winner announced on April 1st. Happy making!

Makers gonna make, playas gonna play.
Impress your friends with your hot glue skills; learn to make this easy felt tab banner below!

Supply list:

• Cardboard, cereal boxes, or cardstock
• Felt (1 - 8.5"x11" sheet for every two letters)
• Ribbon or string
• Hot glue
• Scissors (or paper cutter machine)
• Hole punch
• Needle (size depends on type of ribbon/string used)

BONUS: Enter to win this banner (or a banner kit with your choice of saying) by liking and sharing this DIY on Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram, or Twitter. Make sure to tag @feedthefishco. Entries are due March 31st; winner will be announced April 1st.

DIY kits are popping up everywhere...and I love it! They are perfect for the occasional crafter and/or to try a new craft without committing to purchasing tons of materials and tools. Here are some of my recent kit finds!

FELT DINOSAUR
Purchased from: Gift shop near Ranch 99 in El Cerrito, CA
Cost: $7.99 + tax
Time: 4-5 hours

Instructions were not in English, but there were lots of pictures. :)
The kit came with reusable molds should you want to make more than one dinosaur. Extra felt can be purchased from your local craft store.

EMBROIDERY HOOP ART
By: NerdJerk
Purchased from: Urban Bazaar in San Francisco, CA
Cost: $18 + tax
Time: 3-4 hours
NerdJerk has adorable kits and ready made goods. My fave kit is definitely the poop kit! I ran out of embroidery floss (maybe because I was making "X"s instead of "/"s) so I recommend either buying extra floss or splitting the floss into strands of two instead of three like the instructions say.

This is perfect for bathrooms and anyone who may be down in the dumps (kekeke).

WOVEN BASKET
Purchased from: Daiso Japan, San Francisco, CA
Cost: $1.50 + tax
Time: 1 hour (maybe more if you do it correctly)
Something I thought I would never do...basket weaving!
Every Daiso location has different goods; I always check the crafty aisle (of course!). 

This was...well, let's just say I have no interest in doing it again, but it was fun when I was making my basket. Basket weaving is no joke, guys! My basket didn't look like the picture on the front, but at least it still can hold things. 

LIGHT MARQUEE
Purchased from: Darby Smart (online)
Cost: $19
Darby Smart's has new DIY kits every month (a surprise subscription box and various other non-surprise boxes you can purchase any time). The December 2013 subscription box came with materials and tools to make up to two light marquees (or one practice and one "real" marquee). I saw one of these in a store before (it was heart shaped) and I told my boyfriend that I wanted him to make me one. Well, that hasn't happened, but now I have Darby Smart to teach me how to make my own!

This kit came with stencils so you could choose any word to light up. My final result is to the right; all ready for Valentine's!

What happens on the other side of the craft table? Here's what!! 

Thank you to all my family, friends, and fans for the support; my crew (my bf!) for being my muscle and funspiration; the organizers of all these great events; and new & old crafty friends for making these shows so exciting!!

2013 was an awesome year for Feed the Fish co! What will 2014 have in store??? :)

I got my very first LIVE Christmas tree this year (wahoo!) and yes, I got it to fit in my tiny studio apartment (winning!). I had no idea how to decorate it since I didn't own any ornaments, and honestly, I don't think I've ever decorated a tree on my own before. So...I did what made sense to me and got some supplies to make my own ornaments. Also, I bought a string of lights (I'll definitely opt for more next year) and my Mom gave me some strung beads (a nice touch!).

<--Here's a little peak at my Christmas tree complete with craft shelf backdrop and flat sheet turned tree skirt. ;)

And below, find a super quick, easy, cheap, and fun way to make unique ornaments.

Materials:
Clear ornaments -- you can purchase these at any crafts store; many are on super-sale now (we're talking 75% or more off retail)
Something to fill your ornaments -- I used sequence I had laying around. You can also use paper scraps in any color, confetti, those circles you collect when you hole punch, jingle bells, tiny buttons or beads. Just think "light"; you don't want the ornament to be too heavy.
Ribbon -- any color

Here's a closer look at my plushie ornaments. I sold these at my holiday shows this year. I get to keep the extras! :D How do you deck the halls for Christmas? Share below! 

On Saturday I hung out at Sticky Art Lab in Berkeley and demoed three paper ornaments. Paper and creativity flew and these artists left with some pretty cool holiday decor!

I saw a wrapped hanger in a clothing store and thought it was such a great idea!! So I decided to give some new life to an old shirt I stopped wearing and the often ignored wire hanger.

All you need is:

• a hanger
• fabric cut into 1" strips

Greetings and Happy HalloWEEK everyone!

♫It's the most craftiest time of the year.♫ I'm sure you're all busy planning your costumes, making jack-o-lanterns, and prepping ghoulish treats. We got started a little early at the Creation Station -- Check out these fun pumpkin magnets made by FtF fans at the October First Friday event!

To make your own, gather some wood pieces (any shape!), orange and black paint, magnets (preferably with a sticky back), and paint brushes (I recommend using a foam brush to paint the entire piece orange and a regular paint brush to paint on the fine details).

Happy Haunting!

I wanted make something for my Daddy on his birthday. He loves to cook and eat (yup, that's where I get it from!) so hence my first real sewing project: an apron! I didn't have a pattern, but I picked fabric with stripes which helped tremendously in cutting straight lines and getting creases just right. With very basic sewing knowledge, this project took about 4 hours.

This isn't an official tutorial, but I hope my experience inspires you to create!

Materials & tools:

1. 2 yards of fabric - This will make one apron and two kitchen towels.
   
2. matching thread (I like Gutermann thread)
3. 4 D-rings
4. scissors
5. iron
6. sewing machine