My Favorite Crafts So Far: A Little Bit of Sparkle, Yarn, and Glass

I have always loved making things with my hands. There is just something satisfying about starting with a pile of supplies that looks like a complete mess and somehow turning it into something beautiful. Along the way, I’ve discovered a few crafts that have really captured my attention—and, admittedly, taken over a little bit of my space.

So far, three of my favorites are wire-wrapped jewelry, crochet, and stained glass. They are completely different from one another, but each one has its own kind of magic.

Wire-Wrapped Jewelry: Stones, Wire, and a Little Patience

Wire wrapping was one of those crafts that looked so beautiful when other people did it that I thought, Surely I can do that.

Well… yes. Eventually.

There is definitely a learning curve when it comes to bending, twisting, wrapping, and convincing a piece of wire to go exactly where you want it to go. Sometimes the wire cooperates beautifully. Other times, it seems to have developed its own personality—and that personality is apparently chaos.

But once you get the hang of it, working with stones is so much fun.

This is something that took me 15 years to really get the hang of.

I love choosing a stone based on its color, shape, and little imperfections and then figuring out how to showcase it. No two stones are exactly alike, which means every piece of jewelry ends up feeling like its own little creation.

There is something especially satisfying about taking a simple stone and turning it into a pendant, bracelet, or other piece of wearable art. And if the wrapping isn't perfectly symmetrical? I have decided that is called character.

Here is one of my favorite pieces:

Crochet: Where One Ball of Yarn Becomes… Everything

Crochet is another favorite, mostly because there seems to be no limit to what you can make.

You start with yarn.

Just yarn.

Then somehow, after enough loops, stitches, counting (so much counting), and occasionally losing track of where you are in the pattern, you have an actual thing.

I've made—and absolutely love the idea of making—everything from practical items to the most wonderfully unnecessary little creations. But one of the most fun parts of crochet has to be dolls and little figures.

There is something about crocheting a tiny person, animal, or character that is ridiculously entertaining. Suddenly you find yourself thinking about tiny arms, tiny feet, hairstyles, clothes, and facial expressions. You can make them sweet, silly, whimsical, or completely unique.

And crochet has taught me an important lesson: never underestimate the amount of yarn required for a project.

You think you have plenty.

You do not.

Somehow you always need more yarn.

Still, I love the creativity of crochet. You can follow a pattern exactly, change the colors, make something bigger or smaller, or completely wander off into your own idea. It is a craft that gives you plenty of room to experiment.

Here are some of the dolls I've made with CraftyIntentions patterns! I absolutely love her work: 

Stained Glass: Turning Light Into Art

Then there is stained glass—my newest obsession. 

Stained glass feels a little different from my other crafts. There is something almost magical about watching pieces of colored glass come together and then seeing light shine through the finished piece.

One of my favorite things to play with is creating 3D flowers and plants.

Flowers are especially fun because they don't have to look perfectly realistic. You can play with colors, shapes, layers, and textures and create something that looks like a flower but also feels like a little piece of fantasy.

And when the sunlight hits the glass?

That's when it really comes alive.

A piece can look completely different depending on the time of day and where the light hits it. Colors glow, shadows change, and suddenly something I spent hours putting together looks completely different than it did on the worktable.

There is definitely some patience involved with stained glass. Cutting and shaping glass is not exactly a "throw it together and see what happens" kind of craft. But that makes the finished piece even more rewarding.

Here are 2 pieces I've made that got me hooked: