Living a More Thankful Life is about much more than saying thanks. In this 30-day creativity series, the staff at Creativebug shares favorite ways of expressing gratitude, helping our community, loving our neighbors, and honoring past, present and future family traditions – all through crafting! Each day, we’ll provide you with a new project idea or exercise that is easy, fast, fun, and will leave those around you feeling warm and fuzzy. Leave inspiring messages on Post-It notes for strangers to find, knit afghan squares for the homeless, stitch cozy beds for shelter animals, and so much more. These are our favorite ways to use creativity to shine a positive light in the world – we hope these ideas inspire you to make something for the power of good and shine your own light.

 

Let your creativity take shape as you learn how to hand-build unique vases out of air dry clay. Texas-based painter and potter Cindy Willingham will guide you through creating 3 different styles of vessels. To begin, you'll learn how to condition air-dry clay and form a slab, which is the foundation of many clay projects, and then hand-build a basic, cylindrical vase shape. Cindy will then show you how to form a spout and add a handle to make a beautiful pitcher. For a third vase style, you'll add small features and details for a fun and quirky vase with a face. To finish with a little flare, she guides you through painting and sealing your projects. Cindy always encourages personality over perfection when working with clay, and you'll complete this class with the building blocks to add color and attitude to all of your future clay pieces.

Note: Air-dry clay has come a long way, and all the hand-building techniques she'll share in this class can also be applied to kiln-fired clay. Keep in mind that air-dry clay is not food-safe or waterproof, so you'll be building your vessels around a recycled jar or can.

Artist, illustrator, and instructor Jon Stich spent years developing his signature style. In this class, cover the fundamentals of acrylic painting before moving on to more advanced techniques in order to find your own. First, make representational paintings by finding midtones, light tones, and dark tones. You’ll work with a limited palette and mix colors to paint a still life, a monochromatic portrait, and finally, a color portrait. By following Jon’s clear and concise methods, along with his friendly insight and patient instruction, you’ll find a new way to both see and craft color, leading to thoughtfully-assembled portraits.

Turn Victorian clip art into dimensional spooky and sassy paper witches. Courtney will show you how to create a witch form, make a costume from patterned papers and add volume and depth using some simple costuming techniques. Make a few witches, hang them in a coven for instant Halloween decor.

If you can trace an image, you can make a blotted line monoprint. Artist Extraordinaire Courtney Cerruti has spent years incorporating this technique into her art practice and shows you everything she’s learned in this daily practice class series. First made popular by Andy Warhol, this technique utilizes just a few unique materials that create inky outlines that can then be colored in and embellished. In addition to perfecting your monoprinting technique, learn how to make composite images, work on black paper, and paint with metallics. Inkblots and turn-of-the-century ghost signatures round out the month. Whether you color (or paint) in the lines or outside of them, you’ll be inspired by Courtney’s eclectic influences and thoughtful instruction.

Artist Suzy Ultman is an illustrator, toy maker, story teller, and an avid birder. One of her favorite activities is bird watching in her backyard and connecting to nature. Now you can turn into your favorite bird as Suzy teaches you how to upcycle everyday paper grocery bags into a full-fledged, fabulous bird costume. You'll learn how to print and assemble a paper template, cut paper bags to create a mask as well as a cape for wings, add paint and color to bring your bird to life, and make and attach paper feathers. Not only is this costume fun for little ones to play in, but they will delight in the painting and gluing process, too. The next time you go shopping, remember to hang on to your paper bags, because there is still an entire world of make-believe in there.

Learn how to make this spooky-sweet black cat with crochet designer, Twinkie Chan. You’ll learn how to work in the round using basic stitches, whipstitch everything together, and most importantly, embroider the face. This black cat is perfect for Halloween décor – or switch up the yarn colors and make it look just like your favorite kitty!  

Encaustic, an ancient artistic technique, involves painting with hot wax to create tremendous textural possibilities. Lisa Solomon, a multi-disciplinary artist and educator, guides you through an exploration of this unique medium. The wax, sometimes infused with colored pigments, is applied to surfaces, typically wooden panels, and manipulated using various tools. During the process, experiment with techniques such as embedding, mark making, layering, carving, and incorporating natural and 3D elements. The resulting encaustic paintings often exhibit a lustrous and translucent quality, providing a means for creative expression through the fusion of wax, pigments, and heat. 

Ribbon quilts are a traditional quilt form that stack up layers upon layers of fabric strips. Each quilt evolves on its own, and no two are the same. Join award-winning quilter Sarah Bond as she guides you through her process of composing a vibrant and dynamic ribbon quilt, which is not about following a pattern but about playing with color and composition. One of the most frequent questions that Sarah gets from students is "How do you know how to combine colors and fabrics?" Part of the answer is instinct, part of it is experience, and Sarah talks you through value, hue, saturation, contrast, and auditioning fabrics side by side. Strip piece fabric strips to create new fabric constructions, then cut them up and reassemble to make your quilt top. In this class, Sarah encourages you to focus on using solid fabrics without the distraction of print or texture. You may assume that solids are too boring or too simple to make a vibrant quilt, but you'll discover how truly exciting a ribbon quilt can be.

Knitwear designer Faith Hale demonstrates how baby knits are particularly rewarding (and cute!). Work with a washable, hand-dyed yarn to make three projects, arranged in order of difficulty: a triangular bandana, tall booties, and a hat with optional kitty ears. This contemporary layette is knit entirely in garter stitch and you'll learn to increase and decrease, pick up stitches, work yarn-over eyelets and knit an I-cord. With these quick-to-stitch projects that are adorably giftable – what’s not to love?

Learn how to make a quiet adventure book with Sanae Ishida, author, illustrator, and maker of many things. The book cover, interior pages, and the characters that inhabit the book are all made of fabric and felt. Sanae loves to encourage quiet, thoughtful play time, and the soft, colorful, movable shapes provide endless hours of creativity and story making for little ones. This is a wonderful project for practicing basic sewing machine skills as well as hand embroidery. You can choose an elastic or button closure for the book, and there is also a hidden pocket to store all the felt shapes. Sanae provides templates for storybook animals, trees, and flowers, but you can also create any characters you dream up. 

Whether you're a quilter who loves slow stitching or zipping through a project, there’s something deeply satisfying about maximizing efficiency when cutting your fabric. In this class, crafter and quilter Faith Hale demonstrates how to batch cut half square triangles in a range of quantities. You’ll use a ruler and fabric marker to map your cuts, a rotary cutter and mat to make them, and an iron to set everything into place. Master this essential technique and you’ll open the door to faster, more flexible piecing—and a whole world of quilt block possibilities.

Napkin rings may be small, but they make a big impact on the table. Once a practical way for families to keep track of their cloth napkins, they’ve evolved into sweet little details that instantly elevate any meal. They’re perfect for dinner parties, host gifts, or even just adding a bit of everyday charm to weeknight dinners. In this class, Cobrina shares nine fun designs you can make your own. Go with genuine leather for a timeless look, or try a faux option for something lighter—either way, you’ll have lots of room to play. Personalize them with names or initials to double as place cards, or size them to fit cloth or paper napkins. With these easy, customizable projects, you’ll bring a handmade touch of style and personality to your table.

Keep your hands busy and your heart full during this year's Festival of Lights. Artist Faith Hale demonstrates how to make two iconic Hanukkah motifs: the Star of David and a driedel. Use simple folds and paper specific to origami paper (or any text-weight paper in the color palette of your chosing), these projects take only a few simple steps that are easy to complete and memorize. Use the resulting projects to adorn gifts, string on garlands, or mark seating placements at the holiday table.

Party crackers are pure celebration magic — a satisfying snap, a tiny treasure, a cheesy joke, and a paper crown that instantly makes everything more festive. While they’re a British Christmas classic, we say they belong at every festive occasion. In this class, Cobrina shows you how to make three versions: a traditional paper cracker, a quick tissue-paper one for last-minute party favors, and a reusable fabric version you can refill year after year. You’ll even craft your own tiny prizes to tuck inside, making each cracker completely one-of-a-kind. Perfect for birthdays, baby showers, or just-because parties, each cracker is unique and delightful as the celebration itself! 

Salt dough ornaments have a rustic elegance and can easily be made with common kitchen ingredients. Courtney Cerruti teaches you her favorite recipe for this perfect holiday home activity. These simple "cookie" ornaments can be hung on the tree, strung together with greens for a mantle display, used on a wreath or placed atop a package. Leave them plain for a homespun look, or decorate with paint for a customized palette.
Seasonal variations:
Create salt dough ornaments in any season, all year 'round. Make variety of shapes by working with differntly shaped cookie cutters. Make rabbits and flowers for Spring, rainbows for Summer and leaves and pumpkins for Fall. You can also make celebratory ornaments for birthday, package toppers or mobiles. Change your painted decorations accordingly. 

Deck your home, hearth and table for the holidays with 30 days of Cricut projects taught by Amber of Damask Love. The possibilities of Cricut machines are nearly endless, making this month-long series an inspirational jumping off point for cutting-machine enthusiasts. Learn from the ever-fabulous Amber who introduces you to a new material and project every single day this month. This class covers the basics of cutting on a Cricut machine, swapping out blades, customizing projects, adhering materials with the Cricut Easy Press, plus instructions on assembling each project. While Amber uses a Cricut Maker in the demonstrations for this class, most of the projects can be done on a Cricut Explore and provide ample inspiration for year ‘round crafting.

Crochet designer Twinkie Chan loves making crocheted stockings around the holidays. They evoke such warm and nostalgic feelings, and they truly seem like something her Grandma Wendelton would have made. Join Twinkie and learn how to crochet an heirloom granny hexagon stocking. This classic granny hexagon motif is perfect for the season because it resembles a giant snowflake, and Twinkie teaches you the basic granny stitch, which is made of double crochet stitches and chains. You’ll also learn how to work in the round to create a six-sided shape. Choose your own color scheme and how many colors to use, and easily adjust the size of your motifs to change the size of the stocking. To assemble the hexagons into a stocking shape, Twinkie provides several diagrams and guides you through her preferred method of putting it all together with a hand-sewn fabric lining and a hanging loop. Imagine how sweet your home will look with a line of cozy, handmade stockings, waiting to be filled with special treats and holiday magic.

Get into the holiday spirit with this classic knitted Christmas stocking.  Knitwear designer Marly Bird shows you how to construct this oversized stocking, which features a gorgeous centered cable flanked by seed stitch. The stocking is created in two pieces, and then the edges are crocheted together to create a tube. Add decorative tassels and pompoms for an extra dose of holiday cheer.

Learn basic and advanced card making techniques with longtime Hero Arts educator, Libby Hickson. Over the course of a month, learn how to stamp, emboss, die cut, and embellish like a pro. Make a project every day, beginning with Holiday cards that use methods and materials that can be adapted to cards for every occasion. Libby will guide you through common troubleshooting tips, innovative ways to use materials, and a variety of artistic effects to use on cards and paper projects. All of this inspiration and instruction will give you a jumpstart on making cards for the whole year.

With decades of experience as a professional sewist, there’s still nothing Michele Muska loves more than sewing for the home. Use an 18 degree template to make a Dresden Plate, then quilt using both hand and machine. You’ll use heat-resistant batting to make the runner table-safe and will finish by making your own fabric bias tape. Choose your favorite fabrics to customize your runner for any season.

You don't have to be a drawing or painting expert to create a beautiful watercolor pet portrait. Artist and illustrator, Christine Aria, shares her fail-proof technique for painting furry friends. Learn how to select a photo of your pet that will translate into a successful final painting, and then transfer the image to your paper to create a framework for painting. Christine shares copious tips for creating a custom palette and painting realistic details with layers of color. This class is an ideal deep-dive for anyone who wants a fearless introduction to painting animal forms.

When you're brand new to knitting and only know the knit stitch, larger projects can feel daunting. Knitter and crafter Faith Hale shows you how to make bite-sized, joy-filled projects using just a few simple stitches. Learn to create a sweet garter-stitch butterfly, a wiggly I-cord worm, a coiled snail, and a charming dragonfly that combines both garter stitch and I-cord techniques. These teeny creatures are perfect for beginners of any age - whether you're teaching a child or are a kid at heart - and they’re sure to bring a smile to your face as they come together. Best of all, each one uses only a small amount of yarn, making them ideal stash-busters.

Homemade pies are beloved by all, but they can be particularly challenging to do well. Whether you're baking for a holiday, a barbecue, or just because, Devlin Mannle will show you how to make a killer pie you'll be proud to share on Instagram. Devlin shares his mother’s recipe for perfectly flaky pie crust, walking you through every step just like he’s in the kitchen beside you. You’ll learn tips and tricks for handling and rolling out the dough, as well as several traditional and decorative pie crust designs that will impress your guests, like lattice crust, cut outs and pretty crimped edges. 

Nothing says Christmas like gingerbread cookies and a candy-covered gingerbread house. In this class, Emily shares the classic Wilton recipe for making gingerbread from scratch, and then demonstrates how to make adorable gingerbread boys and girls. She then moves on to the crowning achievement of any holiday bake-a-thon – the gingerbread house – showing how to expertly construct and decorate a charming little holiday abode.

Wrap yourself in cozy, stretchy goodness with this relaxed cardigan - so comfy, you might just find yourself reaching for it every day. Join Sanae Ishida, illustrator, author of Sewing Love, and all-around creative, as she teaches you how to draft and sew this versatile wardrobe staple. You'll learn how to modify the torso and sleeve slopers constructed in her sloper classes to create a cardigan pattern tailored just for you. Sanae also shares her go-to techniques for sewing with stretchy fabrics, helping you build both your skills and your confidence. By the end, you’ll be well on your way to growing your pattern drafting know-how and your cozy cardigan collection.

It's a puzzle! It's a toy! It's a fabulously fun object to sew! In this sweet little class, professional crafter Faith Hale shows how to design, sew, and construct a puzzle ball. Originally intended as a toy for her baby daughter, Faith became intrigued with the simple geometry of the form. While some puzzle balls are assembled with a solid core, this method relies on three interlocking rings to make the finished object. Once you make one, you'll be hooked.

Learning to sew clothes can be intimidating, especially if you’re working with a multi-size pattern. Joy Macdonell of Simplicity Patterns breaks it down for you in this comprehensive course. Learn everything from how to set up your sewing machine and read a pattern to how to create darts, facings and hems—basically, all of the must-know sewing techniques that you'll use over and over again to create your own clothing. This class is the perfect introduction to garment sewing for newbies, and a great way to brush up on your skills if it’s been awhile since you last sewed.
 

Learn the basics of knitting with Carla Scott, the editor of Knit Simple and Vogue Knitting magazines. Carla will teach all of the essential skills a beginner needs to know, from casting on to binding off and troubleshooting mistakes. Best of all, you’ll learn how to read knitting patterns, so you can take the information you’ve learned here and try it out on any beginner’s project you please. Everything included in this information-packed class is used by the Craft Yarn Council to educate new knitters, providing a perfect foundation for anyone who wants to learn how to knit, or simply needs a refresher.

Learn the basics of crochet with hook-and-needle expert, Carla Scott. In Part 1, Carla will teach you everything you need to know to get started, from fundamental stitches to the importance of understanding gauge. Then, in Part 2, Carla will walk you through more advanced techniques, like changing colors and decreasing and increasing. You’ll even learn how to read basic crochet patterns, so you can take these skills and follow any beginner pattern you like. These techniques are all endorsed and used by the Craft Yarn Council to educate new crocheters, making it a great course for newbies or anyone who needs a refresher.
 

There's a uniquely good feeling that accompanies making something to give away. Whether you're a knitter, crocheter, or general crafter, there are many places that could use your generous donations. In this class, staff artists from Creativebug talk through some of their very favorite projects they personally make for charitable crafting. Faith Hale talks you through three knit hat patterns and her favorite charities for gifting these toasty toppers. Crocheter Twinkie Chan shows how to make a rectangle that can be incorporated into a larger, group blanket, and Courtney Cerruti demonstrates a no-sew fleece tie blanket project that's so simple, you can even get the kids involved.

This workshop offers a mother lode of information about patchwork and piecing. Liza covers tips and advice from her decades of experience – starting with selecting, prepping and cutting fabric all the way through machine piecing for blocks, triangles, diamonds and the dreaded Y-seam. She also covers chain piecing and different kinds of foundation piecing. Consider this a master class in all aspects of patchwork and piecing.

 

With the Cricut Explore Air 2 Wild Rose bundle, there’s no such thing as starting from scratch. Your first projects – empowerment hashtags – are ready to make right out of the box. Artist, designer, and avid Cricut user Natalie Malan shows you everything that comes with the bundle and three ways to connect your machine. Use transfer tape and the scraper to attach a vinyl hashtag to your machine, then learn to cut, weed and transfer a design of your choice. After completing this class, you’ll have the skills and confidence to begin working independently on your Cricut machine.

This workshop is a perfect introduction for those interested in book making. An accomplished book artist, Jody takes you through the terminology used in book making and introduces the many tools used. She talks about different paper types, paper grain, cover vs. text paper and also shows how to tear paper three different ways. She covers multi-signature preparation, bookbinding knots and a variety of glues.

 

Quilting has a vocabulary unto itself. In this workshop, Liza deconstructs quilt construction and its vernacular – explaining patches, blocks, batting, sashing, binding, borders, quilting and more. This is a beautiful show and tell of different quilt traditions and techniques – from antique log cabin and crazy quilts to applique, string piecing and paper piecing quilts. Throughout, Liza emphasizes the “make-do” tradition of quilting with a warmth and reverence that inspires.

 

Crochet is an endlessly versatile technique for making hats, scarves and sweaters, not to mention sculpture and rugs. And all you need is some yarn and a crochet hook. In this workshop Cal will explain and demonstrate the foundation crochet stitches and finishing off. You can create reference swatches of each stitch, or alternate them to create a stitch sampler.

Want some help when it comes to learning your way around a machine? Liesl points out the main components of a sewing machine as well as how to thread the machine and wind a bobbin so you will be ready to dive into the sewing process with confidence.

Bring the night sky into your home with hand-embroidered zodiac constellations. Crafter Faith Hale demonstrates two methods of transferring the patterns included in the class PDF, then how to work the star stitch and the straight stitch using metallic thread. 
 

In this class, Liana Allday shares three different ways to make and finish cloth napkins. Learn how to make playful fringed-edge napkins, faux rolled-hem farmhouse napkins, and classic mitered corner napkins. Whether you’re throwing an extravagant dinner party or making a batch to give as a gift, Liana shares how easy it is to select fabrics that will cater to your occasion. These napkins require minimal sewing, making them the perfect skill-building project for beginners.
 

For beginning artists, nothing is more elusive than learning how to use simple lines to create dimensional artwork. In this class, artist and illustrator Molly Hatch starts at the very beginning, covering all of the elemental tools and materials you’ll need to get started, and demonstrating how simple lines can be used to create contoured shapes. From there, you’ll learn fundamental exercises for adding depth and dimension to line work. This course is designed to give you a basic understanding of line drawing that will serve as a foundation for all of your artistic endeavors.

There’s no better gift to give at the holidays than a cozy, oversized cowl. In this class, Anne Weil shows how to make a simple arm-knit cowl using nothing more than super-bulky yarn and your arms. She even shares a fun variation, perfect for the holidays – a bulky scarf with festive pompom adornments. In about an hour, you can whip up this luxe accessory for the ultimate in handmade gift-giving.