Knitting, Crochet and Crafts

Author: amysolovay

  • Decorate a Heart in Red, White and Blue for Fourth of July

    Decorate a Heart in Red, White and Blue: This Version Features a Czech Glass Button as the Focal Point
    Decorate a Heart in Red, White and Blue: This Version Features a Czech Glass Button as the Focal Point
    Decorate a Heart in Red, White and Blue: This version of the heart incorporates crocheted lace trim with ribbon; faux flowers; and a sparkly dragonfly-shaped gem
    Decorate a Heart in Red, White and Blue: This version of the heart incorporates crocheted lace trim with ribbon; faux flowers; and a sparkly dragonfly-shaped gem

    There are zillions of different things you can do with crocheted heart shapes. A lot of times, people think of these as being Valentine’s Day craft projects; but the truth is, you can find suitable ways to use them for many other holidays — and for everyday, too.


    Lets try decorating a crocheted heart shape with red, white and blue accents for Fourth of July.

    Choose a Heart Shape to Crochet

    Your first step is to choose a heart shape and crochet it in the yarn, thread or other material of your choice.


    You can crochet a heart shape using this free crochet pattern; then decorate it in red, white and blue for Fourth of July (or in any colors, for any occasion).
    You can crochet a heart shape using this free crochet pattern; then decorate it in red, white and blue for Fourth of July (or in any colors, for any occasion).

    I’m starting with this heart shape crocheted in red yarn; but there’s nothing particularly special about this design. If you want more options, there are many different heart designs you could crochet.

    Choose Your Decorations

    After you’ve made your heart shape, it’s time to grab some things to use for decorating it. How you decorate your heart depends, to some degree, on what you want to do with it. You could turn it into a wall hanging. Alternately, you could crochet two hearts and put them together to make a pouch. One of my readers crocheted two hearts and a strap, and she used those to make a purse. Those are just a few ideas.


    I’ll probably use these hearts as wall hangings, so I still have some work to do to figure out how I want to hang them.


    I like to use lace, trims and edgings on my hearts; so when I am decorating hearts, I usually start off by stitching a bit of lace or trim to the heart and then building up layers of decorations from there. One of my favorite trims for this purpose is this easy scalloped trim with ribbon. If that one isn’t what you want to use, you can check out this page of (mostly free) patterns for edgings, borders and trims to find bunches more suitable options — or take a look at our recommendations on the best crochet edging pattern books for even more ideas.


    Decorate a Crocheted Heart Shape: Start by Embellishing With Lacy Trim
    Decorate a Crocheted Heart Shape: Start by Embellishing With Lacy Trim

    Next, you want to grab whatever other pretty baubles you have hanging around that could be used for heart decorations: crocheted flowers, silk flowers, buttons, beads and ribbons are all fair game. If you want to use crocheted flowers, check out these crochet flower patterns for some options for flowers you can make. If you want to use faux flowers, I recommend scrapbook.com as being a great source for pretty ones. Czech glass buttons are particularly pretty for this sort of project; Etsy is one of the best sources I know of for Czech glass buttons.


    Choose some Czech glass buttons for decorating your heart shapes.

    The last step is to do your finishing. How you approach that will depend on what your plans are for the project; but, in general, you’ll need to sew, glue or otherwise attach your embellishments to your heart. I like using a tapestry needle and thread to do this part, but you could also use a hot glue gun.


    So there you have it: Those are some ideas for decorating a crocheted heart in red, white and blue for Fourth of July.


    Happy Independence Day!

    Related Resources

  • April 21st Daily Planner Layout for Happy Planner or Other Discbound Planners

    Daily Happy Planner Layout for April 21, 2024 Featuring Stamped Images by Graphic 45, Echo Park, Lawn Fawn and Others
    Daily Happy Planner Layout for April 21, 2024 Featuring Stamped Images by Graphic 45, Echo Park, Lawn Fawn and Others

    Need ideas for daily planner layouts to use in the month of April? This page gives you an idea of a page layout you could make if you have a need for writing down multiple to-do-list items and reminders that can’t all easily just be lumped into one long list. If you want to break out your to-do list into different sections and label each of them with headers to keep you on track, this is one possible approach you could take for accomplishing that goal.


    I made this daily planner layout for April 21st, but there is no special reason for using it on that particular day. You can make a planner layout like this one for any day of any month.


    I try to spend about 15 minutes each day production stamping multiples of different images that I can use in my planner layouts and scrapbook pages. If I didn’t do that, putting together a stamping-intensive planner layout like this one would be really challenging. There is a LOT of stamping on this page!


    I stamped most of these images ink blended cardstock, then used a stencil to draw around them with a Gelly Roll or other colored pen, and then fussy cut them out straight or scalloped scissors.

    Craft Supplies You’ll Need for Creating a Similar Daily Planner Layout:

    So there you have it: That’s one possible way to make a daily planner layout for April 21st or whatever day your calendar says it is when you happen to find this page.


    Thanks so much for taking a look at my project! I really appreciate your interest. Happy planning!


    Posted By: Amy Solovay

  • Bead Crafts for Mother’s Day

    Mother’s Day is coming up soon. This year, in the USA, Mother’s Day will occur on Sunday, May 12, 2024. As of right now, you still have plenty of time to make or buy Mother’s Day cards and gifts for all the mother figures in your life.


    If you love and adore making pretty things for the people you love, there are zillions of possible things you could make for your mom, grandmas, mother-in-law and / or stepmom. If you aren’t sure what to make, bead crafts offer you a fantastic starting point to consider because beads are beautiful, popular, readily available, reasonably affordable and really easy to work with.


    If your mom and other gift recipients enjoy wearing jewelry, there are many pretty beaded baubles you could be making for them.


    Furthermore, if you wear beaded jewelry yourself, and you’re taking any of the moms in your life out to Mother’s Day breakfast, lunch, brunch or dinner, you might also want to make something pretty for yourself to wear when you go out. Why not?

    Beautiful Beaded Jewelry for Mother’s Day

    Beaded Lace Crochet Choker Necklace Pattern
    Beaded Lace Crochet Choker Necklace Pattern

    This pretty beaded choker is easy and inexpensive to make, but it turns out stunning if you do a careful job of crocheting it. It’s also really easy to personalize, because you can easily make it exactly the right length for its intended wearer. Beyond that, you can choose just about any color and shape of small beads for embellishing it, and pretty much any fine yarn or crochet thread for working it. The crochet pattern for making it is available on this website for free, and the materials for making it can be reasonably affordable if you choose inexpensive beads, crochet thread and findings; it’s also possible to splurge on precious metals and other exquisite materials to make the finished project truly, luxuriously spectacular. So if you’re thinking of making a choker-style necklace for your mom, this one gets my vote as one that’s ideal for most crafters to try. You can get the free crochet choker pattern HERE.


    The only exception: This really isn’t a fantastic choice if you’ve never crocheted anything before, ever; in that case, I recommend taking a look at this list of crochet projects for total beginners and choosing an item from that list to make first. Then after you’ve made an item or two to get comfortable with crocheting, you’d be better equipped to succeed at making this project. But if you’ve already made a few crochet projects before, I’m positive that you could handle making this beaded choker necklace easily.

    If you want to find more ideas for pretty beaded jewelry you could make for Mother’s Day, check out this list of jewelry making ideas and this list of crochet bracelets HERE.

    Beaded Gadget Cozy

    Beaded Crochet Gadget Cozy: Free Crochet Pattern
    Beaded Crochet Gadget Cozy: Free Crochet Pattern

    If your mom carries a cell phone, camera, or other similar small gadget, this pretty beaded gadget cozy might be a useful gift for her. Alternatively, this little pouch could be a pretty way to giftwrap a small gift.

    These ideas only just scratch the surface of what is possible to make for Mother’s Day using beads. Want even more ideas? Check these out:

    Posted By: Amy Solovay

  • Craft Ideas for the Month of April

    Happy April, crafty friends!


    Are you interested in finding creative, fun, useful, unique, interesting and engaging craft ideas for the month of April?


    Whether you enjoy needlecrafts, paper crafts, or some other sorts of crafts, you’ll find many possibilities for lovely things you could be creating. I’ve rounded up a bunch of project ideas and suggestions for April craft ideas you can use this month. If you have other suggestions to add to this list, I invite you to post a comment at the end letting me and the other readers here know about them.

    April Holiday Crafts

    Earth Day Crafts

    Fabric Crochet Tote Bag: Free Crochet Pattern
    Fabric Crochet Tote Bag: Free Crochet Pattern

    Earth Day is coming up soon. This year, Earth Day will happen on Tuesday, April 22, 2025.


    I have a huge list of recycled crafts and upcycled crafts you might want to check out if you’re interested in making crafting a part of your Earth Day (or everyday!) celebrations.


    One possible idea is to upcycle old sheets or garments and transform them into useful projects like the fabric crochet tote bag pictured above. If you’d like to make a bag like this one for yourself, you’re welcome to use the free pattern posted here at this website. I also have bunches of other rag crochet patterns available for you to use.

    See Also: How to Upcycle Clothes for Use in Quilts, Sewing Projects or Crochet Projects: 3 Methods

    April Planner Crafts

    April Garden Journal Pages
    April Garden Journal Pages

    If you maintain a physical planner, junk journal, scrapbook, or art journal, you might want to decorate your April calendar pages, journal pages or scrapbooking layouts with seasonal stamped images or embellishments. I invite you to check out the following pages for ideas:

    Spring Craft Ideas

    Get Your Spring Cleaning On! You Can Make Yourself a Puff Lace Crochet Dishcloth or Washcloth With This Free Crochet Pattern.
    Get Your Spring Cleaning On! You Can Make Yourself a Puff Lace Crochet Dishcloth or Washcloth With This Free Crochet Pattern.

    Spring has already sprung; the first day of spring this year was Thursday, March 20, 2025. I hope your spring got off to an enjoyable start.


    Are you ready to get your spring cleaning on? If so, I offer you bunches of free patterns to use for making your cleaning supplies. Check out earth-friendly upcycled scrubbies HERE, and make yourself some irresistibly pretty spring dishcloths with these crochet dishcloth patterns.


    The projects posted above are just a small sampling of the ideas posted on this website. I’ve put together a list of spring crafts that are seasonally appropriate for April crafting in many regions of the Western hemisphere. Of course, if the weather in your neighborhood is still wintery, please feel free to continue using this list of winter craft ideas instead.


    For even more ideas, you’re invited to check out our main index of craft project ideas. Happy crafting!!

    If you found this page helpful, I invite you to return to this site often for more craft tutorials, project ideas and inspiration! You can make sure you keep this site on your radar by signing up for my newsletter and community at Substack. .



    Basic subscriptions are free; I send out regular newsletters to let my subscribers know about new craft articles and tutorials as they are posted. I also share details about the craft projects I’m working on, and invite my readers to share their projects, too. So there is no need to feel like it’s just you, crafting all alone at home. I’d love to have you join us! You’re invited!!

    By Amy Solovay

    Please Visit My Ko-Fi Shop HERE to Find My Sample Sale, Destash Sale and Digital PDF Pattern Downloads for Sale.

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    About the Author:

    Amy Solovay
    Amy Solovay

    Amy Solovay is a real, live, human content creator and educator who holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in mathematics from Sweet Briar College; she has also earned a separate Associate of Arts degree in textile design from FIDM LA (The Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising, Los Angeles). She is NOT a robot and does not use artificial intelligence (AI) to write book reviews or articles for this website.


    Amy learned to craft, and she still enjoys crafting techniques all these years later.


    I'm excited about this book, Delicate Crochet by Sharon Hernes Silverman! I am super proud of the 2 patterns I contributed to this pattern collection. I hope you'll check out the fingerless gloves and the beaded necklace I designed for this book. Thanks for taking a look at them!
    I’m excited about this book, Delicate Crochet by Sharon Hernes Silverman! ! I am super proud of the 2 patterns I contributed to this pattern collection. I hope you’ll check out the fingerless gloves and the beaded necklace I designed for this book. Thanks for taking a look at them!

    As an educator, Amy Solovay used to teach in-person college courses in trend forecasting, marketing and surface design at California Design College in Los Angeles. Nowadays she uses online platforms for sharing her knowledge about textiles, crafts, current color trends and current design trends.

  • April Monthly Happy Planner Layout Featuring Graphic 45 Papers from the “Time to Flourish” Collection

    Here’s a Low-Tech Idea for Creating Your Own Planner Layout for Discbound Planners Such as the Happy Planner, Maggie Holmes Freestyle Planner, Martha Stewart Planner, Arc Planner, Tul Planner, ETC. No Die Cutter Is Needed for Creating This Page Layout.

    April Happy Planner Layout Featuring Graphic 45 Papers From the Time to Flourish Paper Pad
    April Happy Planner Layout Featuring Graphic 45 Papers From the Time to Flourish Paper Pad

    Hello crafty friends!


    I originally made this April planner layout in 2022, but I still think it’s pretty and relevant in April of 2025. You can also feel free to use this idea for any month; it’s a totally versatile design.

    I took what was supposed to be a daily planner page layout and hacked it to use for monthly tracking.


    If you use a Happy Planner, and you want to make a page similar to this one for your own planning and tracking purposes, the logical spot to place it would be right before the tab for April, beside the April monthly overview page that comes stock with most dated Happy Planners.


    I made pages like these for multiple months in 2022 and loved them, but found that they didn’t really work as intended for me. This is actually more a problem with Happy Planner’s overall setup than it is with the page itself. This is because I suffer from “Out of sight, out of mind” syndrome, and having this page before the month’s tab meant I forgot to use it. I would also forget to use them monthly overview page, too.


    When I was actively using these pages, I found that they worked better if tracked the things I wanted to using weekly pages and then used this page at the end of the month to summarize. This was time consuming to do but gave me a really clear picture of how I did and what I needed to work on.


    Although I love Happy Planner, I haven’t found a way to fix the things about it that aren’t working for me. So I’m trying out some different planners right now to see if I can find an option that will work even better for me than Happy Planner did. But if the Happy Planner layout generally works for you, please feel free to adapt this habit tracker layout for your own planner.

    Craft Supplies You’ll Need for Making This Planner Layout

    • Graphic 45 Time to Flourish 8×8 Pad — For this particular planner layout, I used the papers for the month of April. The papers in this pad follow the same basic format, so you can make a similar planner layout for any month of the year using the current month’s patterned papers from the Time to Flourish pad.
    • The tracker stamps are from the P13 Tracker Stamp Set.
    • I stamped “2022” using number stamps by Hampton Arts, but you can use any number stamps you happen to have stashed.
    • Page from the classic sized Papillon undated planner or from the Papillon undated extension pack
    • The round sticker is from a Happy Planner sticker book.
    • I have my planner pages on gold metal expander discs, because I really hate the smaller plastic discs that most Happy Planners come with. I think the gold metal discs are a lot prettier, and they are also much sturdier.
    • You can use the paper-friendly adhesive of your choice to put this planner layout together. I used Cherry Tape adhesive, but there are zillions of possible choices that would work well for this project.
    • You’ll also need scissors and a paper cutter, but not a die cutter; you can easily cut everything you’ll need for this layout using either your scissors or a paper cutter.

    Thanks for looking!