Using digital assets, you can supplement your craft efforts in a variety of ways from materials to swaps.
NOTE: All activities are done online or mobile devices.
Steps
Crafting Physical
1. Materials.
A materials search can begin online. You will find a greater variety of materials for your craft purpose. This might be because you are looking for something that is no longer available, due to lack of popularity where you live. The original materials intended for a project may not be available and you’ll need to find a substitute. You may even find that the materials you originally wanted have been improved by the supplier Don’t forget – when you change materials, you may need to make adjustments to your pattern or design.
2. Tools.
Tools for crafting come and go, based on popularity. You might want to purchase a tool you saw in a demo at a show or online. Perhaps you can’t find the tool you need and you’re looking for something similar. Recommendations from other crafters can be very beneficial. Look at the tools you have available and see how they are used by others beyond what they were originally intended.
3. Patterns.
For crafters, patterns are the instructions to make a final piece. It’s similar to a recipe in that you follow a specific set of directions to come to a final product . . . in this case a final crafted piece. There are many free patterns online you can download for personal use. This is a great way to try a craft to see if you like it before investing money in it. Look for patterns in a craft you are interested in trying.
4. Templates.
Templates are outlines of an item. A template may be of an envelope, box, card, etc. Some sites offer the next step with design items included with a template. These offerings are still called templates. Many magazines and materials suppliers provide free templates as a way to draw customers to their site. Explore templates online.
For more information on templates, check out the Enrichment Project badge program “Template Explorer.”
5. Sketches.
Cards and scrapbooking sites often have sketches. These are graphics showing a general idea of how an item might be arranged to be pleasing. Check out some sketches online. How might you use these in your crafting? Be sure to look beyond the craft they are for. How might you adapt a sketch into a different craft?
6. Printables.
Printables can be a source of supplies, templates or even graph paper to design your own patterns. Many online vendors also sell printables of magazines and newsletters with projects and more. Printables tend to be in PDF (Adobe Acrobat) format, though you may also find them in graphic formats such as JPG. Find free printables that speak to your creative self. Save or print those that you think you might want to use.
Crafting Digital
7. Apps.
You can find applications that allow you to do part or all of various crafts. For example, you can do photo crafting easily on a mobile digital device with a variety of apps. Check out what Jixipix offers as an example of what you might do with photos. Project Life allows you to scrapbook without printing. Look through the crafting applications available for your device and try one that interests you.
8. Digital tools.
Online you can find sites that allow you to do crafting, conversions, graphing, image manipulation and more. These tools help make your crafting experience easier. Explore the digital tools available.
9. What else?
The Internet constantly changes. We may find the amount of crafting we do online grows as more items are adapted to online usage. As you looked around at the possibilities of crafting online, did you find something else that piqued your interest? Do you see a possibility of a new way to craft that isn’t yet available that you might be willing to attempt?
Social Elements
10. Makes.
Not only will you want to share what you make, but you’ll want to see what others make. This will give you more ideas, inspiration, places to get information about a craft, and more. When you finish a project, look at the possibilities for sharing what you make online. How and where might you be able to share it?
11. Social crafting.
You can make crafting social. Quilting circles were groups of people who would get together to work on a quilt (or more than one). Today, you can use the Web for social crafting via exchanges, competitions and more. Explore how you can share your craft with others in an interactive, social setting.
12. Swaps.
Sites like swap-bot allow you to join other crafters to exchange things you make. If you have no one locally who does the same (or similar) crafts, this is a great way to meet like-minded individuals. Find if there are sites online that support swapping your crafted items.
Badge and Supplement Files
Member Level
- EP_Badge List_Craft Online_larajla — list of badge items
- EP_Supp_List_Craft Online_larajla — list of supplements for the badge
- SUPP_BPG_Craft Online_2in_12up_larajla — generic badge printable
- SUPP_Craft Online_Journal_larajla — badge journal
- SUPP_Craft Online_Planner_larajla — badge planner
Supplement Fun
- N/A
Sites to Explore
- www.pinterest.com
- makezine.com/category/craft
- www.favecrafts.com
- www.craftcreations.com/pages/free-craft-projects
- www.freepatterns.com
- stampington.com/tempting-templates
- jixipix.com/mobile/apps.html
- beckyhiggins.com/project-life-app
- www.swap-bot.com
- www.craftster.org
- www.pinterest.com/edie3/card-sketches
- www.pinterest.com/ificouldspy/free-printables-diy-craft
- www.pinterest.com/theexchange/free-printables
- www.pinterest.com/tjb8146/sewing-barbie-doll-clothes-patterns
Get the infographic here > larajla blog post
Get the PDFs of the badge program / supplements here