Commandments of Crafting

I hear many people say that they'd love to createsomething with their hands, but they don't knowwhat to make. People seem to sit on a lot of pent-upcreativity that never gets a chance to comeout. I think this is a shame, and so I've gatheredmy best advice to anyone wanting to get crafting.

• Hoard materials. It's hard to be creative whenyou have nothing to work with, so it's a goodidea to have materials ready and on handwhen inspiration comes. Actually, it's requiredfor inspiration to come at all. Personally,I hoard fabric pieces, picture frames, boxes,and ribbons from the flea market, even thoughinitially I may not know what to use them for.

• Collect scraps. Cans, gift wrap, ribbons, oldshawls, newspaper clippings, and brokenbrooches ... Old becomes new once you fix itup a bit.

• Begin with something existing. It's much easierto start with something you already haveinstead of creating something completely newfrom scratch. Alter an existing skirt instead ofmaking an entirely new one. Or why not makea miniskirt from a pillowcase? This way you'lllearn to create step by step, and nothing willbecome excessively difficult.

• Shorten the distance to the start. Keep yourcrafting supplies nearby as often as possible.When I see a pile of thread spools, my imaginationstarts racing. And if the sewing machine isset up already, it's much easier to get started.

• Don't be too obsessed with how you "ought"to do it. I have no idea how I "should" sew apillow case or repaint a chair. I try and see—itcan't get worse than going wrong! If I followinstructions too strictly, I get so anxious thatI don't dare do anything and the creative processbecomes a chore rather than a joy.

• Avoid craft stores. Or rather, go to beinspired—but don't buy everything there. Craftstores are often too darn expensive. A dozenfabric flowers for scrapbooking can cost you fifteenbucks, but at the flea market you can findmore unique options for less than a dollar.

• New perspectives give new ideas. Try turninga lampshade upside down and see whathappens. Drape a fun fabric on a chair youhaven't thought about dressing. Stack objectson top of one other and see if you can't findnew uses for them. Put things in new places.Stand on your head and take a look at yourhome.

• Accept that nothing will be as you imagined.The final result is not worse—just different.

• And remember—creativity is a muscle thatstrengthens when you exercise it. Don't waitfor a flash of genius; that will come whenyou're in the midst of creation.

Good to Have at Home

To create and be creative you need some toolsand materials, so I put together a list of thingsthat I think are good to have in the home. Thereare a lot of things—but you don't need to buyeverything at once. Just like your wardrobe, youcan build your inventory gradually. All of theseitems tend to be available for cheap at the localhome improvement store. Or you could just borrowfrom a friend's toolbox.

For Paper Crafts

Paper scissors, paper, glue, tape, wallpaper glue,applicators, brushes of different thicknesses,wallpaper remnants, scrapbook paper, bookmarks,and clippings from old newspapers.

For Textile Crafts

Pins, sewing needles, fabric scissors, thread inthe most common colors, measuring tape, fabricglue, staple gun (a powerful model capableof stapling into wood—to upholster a piece offurniture or headboard, for example), fabricremnants, fun ribbons, elastics, and buttons(remove these from old garments before youdiscard them).

Other Things that Are Good to Have

Wire cutters, flat pliers, hammers, nails in twosizes, Phillips head screwdriver, slotted screwdriver,screws in two sizes, ruler, wire in twothicknesses (for jewelry and wreath making, forexample).

Bedroom

The bedroom should be a quiet and peaceful place, a haven for beautysleep. Yet, too often it's strewn with dirty laundry, strange-looking earplugs,and books scattered in messy piles. This is when you'll need tohave a good amount of storage space to tuck away the mess; that way youwon't have to look at it.

I love cozy fabrics and love to have pretty rugs to put under my feet.I'll make the bed with lots of blankets and pillows; a bed can never havetoo many pillows! Number one goes under the head, number two on top,number three goes to the bedmate, and number four gets lost by thefeet. Number five is to throw when the dog wakes up in the morning andbarks. (I always miss, though.) Hence pillow number two—reliable protectionagainst noise.

Instead of a blanket, you can have a flea market bargain-quilt. In yearspast, companies made fun quilts—floral, polka dot, and plaid in absolutelyhysterical color combinations. Today, they're always white. Stylish perhaps,but certainly boring. I've often heard people say that it's disgustingto re-use other people's linens. So it amuses me to no end to think thatthese same people, with good appetite, eat vegetables that are grown incow shit.

The Bed

Our bed is a lovely thing. Mostly I love the gorgeousheadboard. When we moved in, there weresome old mirror doors left behind in our attic,and I used these to build a headboard. Threemirror doors create a really magnificent headboard,but two fit well with a standard 70-inchwide bed. I simply leaned them against the walland slid the bed against them. The bed works asa stopper and prevents the doors from tippingover. If you only have one door, you can lay itdown long-ways and use it as a slightly lowerheadboard. Consoles on the bottom and twoscrews hold the end cap to the wall.

Champagne in Bed

As a side table, I use an auction find: an oldChampagne box from Moët & Chandon. I boughtwheels from the auto shop and fixed them onwith screws, so the side table's easy to move. Ontop I've stacked two old chests that I inheritedfrom a relative. I like that the paint is abradedand a little drab. And I love that the side table isso tall! I put my alarm clock at the very top so Ican't turn it off in my sleep.

Decorative Sugar Boxes

The side table in our guest bedroom consists of asugar box standing on its side, filled with books.Side tables in particular are often cluttered withbooks anyway, so why not give them the leadrole? This side table can fit a large number ofbooks.

Bed Cover of Kitchen Towels

Old towels are simultaneously pieces of art andartifacts of women's history. Here, I have madea patchwork of my grandmother's old towels.It's a bit fiddly and requires a bit of care to make.It's also important that the lining is washed andshrunken. It's better to use polyester threadas it doesn't shrink the same way that cottonthread does, and sew with a stitch length of one-tenthof an inch.

Instructions: Place the towels on the floor to getan idea of the best composition. Since the towelsare of different sizes, I chose to sew them so thatthey overlapped; in this way, the outer edgesof the quilt form straight lines. Pin a few of thetowels at a time and sew them together with astraight stitch (it's easier if you start from a corner).Place three layers of padding on the floor.Place the lining on top of it with the right sidefacing the right side of the quilt top. Pin the threelayers of padding to the lining and quilt top andsew around all the edges, keeping a 3/5-inchseam allowance. Leave an opening of about16 inches, so that you can turn the blanket theright way out. Press the seam allowance withan iron. Then, turn the cover right side out sothe padding is now inside the quilt. Hand-sewthe opening closed. In order to keep the paddingfrom lumping in the laundry, you may want tosew through all three layers in some places. Followthe seams in the towels and sew together thequilt, padding, and lining fabric.

WHAT YOU NEED:

• 16 towels (for a twin bed)

• padding

• lining

• sewing machine

• tape

• polyester thread

• needles and pins

• iron

Waffles in Bed

A waffle breakfast is really luxurious. This recipefor crisp waffles comes from my Grandma. I loveto eat them with whipped cream and a dollop ofsour blackcurrant jam.

For about 10 Waffles:

1 2/3 cups (400 ml) flour
1 1/3 cups (300 ml) water
1 2/3 cups (400 ml) heavy whipping cream
a pinch of salt
butter
whipped cream and jam for serving

Instructions: Whisk flour, water, and salt to asmooth batter. Allow the mixture to swell atroom temperature for one to two hours. Whip thecream until really fluffy and pour it into the batter.Brush the waffle iron with a little butter andcook the waffles.

TIP:

Candle wax stains on textiles are a real nightmare. Thebest way to get rid of them is to break away the wax, andthen cover the stain with paper towels. Iron over the paperon low heat. Keep replacing the waxy paper towels withclean ones, until the wax is sucked up. Then apply stainremover and wash as usual.