Louisville Bloggers Event!

I love crafting and meet-ups. It is an awesome thing to come together and meet new people. Along with the free craft I offered last night and the sewing workshop I am teaching tomorrow, I am excited about the Louisville Bloggers event being hosted by D.I.Y. Louisville, Em Dash Designs, and The Hanger this upcoming Thursday, June 13.

From 6-9pm at The Hanger store at 2005 Bonnycastle Avenue, Louisville bloggers will meet & greet face to face! There is a swag bag being offered to the first 20 people, so be sure to get there on time. 

To learn more, or to sign up, visit:

RSVP HERE or email at diylouisville@gmail.com.

Free Craft!

Tomorrow night is the first Friday Trolley Hop and to celebrate, Craft E Magee and Block Party Handmade are teaming up to offer a free craft for you to make and take. Just stop by 560 S. 4th Street tomorrow night (June 7, 2013) at 7:00pm and you can make your own cool string art. I will have KY state outlines and more.

It's absolutely free and I'd love to see you there! Hey, when's the last time you got something for free these days?!

Psst.. I've also got a (not-free, but only $20) sewing workshop on Sunday! Sign up today!

Father's Day Gift: Wood-burned Box

Can you believe that it is June already and Father's Day is coming up? As you've probably noticed, I love to mark special occasions with a handmade gift (like for Mother's Day), but I do find it somewhat harder to make gifts for the guys in my life. 
This time, I've come up with an excellent idea, and enlisted my nephew's help to make this wood-burned box for Father's Day!

You only need a few supplies to make this project: Woodburner (around $15 at any craft or hobby store) Pencil Plain wood box Sponge brush Wood stain and varnish

The great thing about this project is that you can save your child's artwork by letting them draw a picture on the box, and then using a wood-burner to go over the drawing and make it permanent!

The first step is to draw your picture or write your message on the plain wood box. Once you or your child has finished drawing on the box with a pencil, plug in the woodburner (I selected the fine point tip for this project) and let it heat up. This doesn't take very long, and the woodburner should have instructions on the package.
It is important that only adults or teens use the woodburning tool because it gets very hot!
Now you can begin burning the design on the box! I love this part. The burning wood smells like a campfire and my nephew wanted to bust out the marshmallows! When you have completed your design, you are ready to move on to the next step.

The final step is to stain and varnish your box, using the instructions on the package. I chose a duo of eco-friendly products called "Soy Stain" and "Soy Varnish." The stain was a cedar color, and the varnish was clear. 
I applied the stain first with a foam brush, let it dry for 6 hours, and then applied the varnish, or clear coat.

I love the finished look of this box, and think that this keepsake is one of the best gift ideas that I have ever had! I am so proud that my nephew helped me create this special box for his Dad. 
Let me know if you create one of my projects by leaving a comment or tagging me in a photo on facebook.

Don't forget to sign up for the sewing class that I am teaching on June 9 at Block Party Handmade Boutique!

Sewing Workshop

I am excited to announce that I will be teaching a sewing workshop on June 9 at Block Party Handmade Boutique! I hope that you will sign up because we will be making zipper pouches, and you get to take yours home!

As a co-op artist at Block Party Handmade Boutique in Louisville, I have the opportunity to teach classes in their workshop space. This will be my first workshop in the store at 560 S. 4th Street. 

During the zipper pouch workshop, each student will learn how to cut the pieces from a pattern and use the zipper foot attachment to make a fully lined zipper pouch. 

For more details and to sign up, go to the workshop page hosted by Block Party.

Ellie Doll

Meet Ellie! She is the newest Craft E Magee doll to hit the scene. She was a special request for a new baby! I hope they are fast friends.

Ellie has the sweetest blonde pigtails, and a cute pink outfit, complete with pockets!

One of her pockets even includes a special surprise, a froggy inside! I love custom dolls because there is so much opportunity for me to personalize the doll and make them even more meaningful. There is something so special about a handmade gift, and I just love being able to create that joy for others!

Summer Crafts: Video Tutorials

I always enjoy my gig teaching crafts on television for WDRB in the Morning. It is fun to come up with new crafts and demonstrate them on television. I always post my videos on the Craft E Magee YouTube channel afterwards. You can see my latest two crafts embedded below. 
Sterling helped me make the D.I.Y. matching game which was a lot of fun. It's a great craft to do with kids, and with Summer break coming up, you'll need all the craft ideas you can get to entertain them. Works for rainy days too!


Candyce helped me make the Pringles can kaleidoscope. This is a really easy craft that the kids will love. As always, I love to share my crafts with you, but want you to share your crafts with me too! If you make one of these crafts, send me a photo by tweeting @craftemagee or find me on Facebook.

Summer Crafts for Kids

Welcome, WDRB in the Morning viewers!  Today I am making two great summer projects that you can make too!

Here are the full directions for the Kaleidoscope and for the Matching Game (click the links).
Thanks for watching!