Do you have some free time this summer?
If so, it’s the perfect opportunity to work on summer crafts. I’ve rounded up links to ideas, instructions and patterns for bunches of summer craft projects that are ideal to make when the weather is warm and you don’t want to work on anything too heavy. Check ’em out:
Document Your Lake, Pool or Beach Trips: Make a Summer Vacation Scrapbook
If you’re like most people, the chances are good that you’ll spend some time at the lake, swimming pool or beach cooling off this summer. Perhaps you’ll opt for a weekend getaway, or you’ll take a sun-filled week-long vacation. In any case, remember to take plenty of pictures so you’ll be able to look through them in the future and relive the vacation fun!
If you have a little down time on your hands, and you already have a collection of photos from past vacations to work with, you can organize them into a scrapbook.
Need some inspiration or ideas for how to approach that type of project? If any of these sound interesting to you, you’re invited to check ‘em out:
- Find vacation scrapbooking ideas HERE;
- Find step-by-step instructions on how to make a scrapbook, for total beginners, HERE;
- Find Hawaii scrapbooking ideas HERE;
If you don’t already have some photos to work with, but you’re looking forward to an upcoming trip of vacation, here’s another idea: You can read up on the topic of keeping a travel journal, and that way you’ll be prepared if you want to make a travel scrapbook or journal while your trip is underway.
Document Your Summer Fun at the Fair: Make a Carnival Themed Mini Scrapbook Album
People of all ages enjoy spending part of their summer attending local carnivals and state fairs.
For many people, the state fair is a focal point of their summer vacation. They’re willing to take road trips in a car or RV, and they find a nearby campground or hotel to stay at. Then they maximize the time they spend at the fair:
- Perhaps they ride the ferris wheel, carousel, roller coasters or other rides;
- They check out the craft and agricultural exhibits to see the projects that won ribbons and prizes;
- They play games like whack-a-mole and ring toss;
- They sample the cotton candy, funnel cakes and other tasty treats;
- They watch a rodeo or live music act;
- They meet up with friends and family for a picnic;
- And, hopefully, they take zillions of selfies, ferris wheel photos and other pictures.
If you spent any portion of your summer at the fair, either this year or in years past, this would be a fantastic time to print out the best of the best pictures and gather them into a mini album to preserve the memories.
If you need inspiration for what to do with your photos, I have a couple of different carnival-themed pocket page scrapbooking layouts you might like to take a look at:
- You can find the first carnival-themed layout HERE;
- And find the second one HERE.
I recommend the following scrapbooking supplies for carnival and fair-themed paper crafting projects:
- Mintay’s Playtime collection – this just could not be any cuter, and it’s the perfect collection to use if you went to the fair with toddlers or little kids who would appreciate the adorable characters featured in these paper designs. Scrapbook.com has most of the collection, HERE.
- Echo Park’s ”Cowboys” Collection” – A “Wild West”-themed paper collection: A lot of fairs have pony rides, rodeos, equine exhibits and the like, so this collection is fantastic to use for documenting your rodeo or pony-themed photos, if you end up with any of those after your visit to the fair, or if you spend your summer at a dude ranch or camp that offers riding lessons.
- Graphic 45’s Come One, Come All collection
Fourth of July Crafts
Click or tap HERE to check out our list of summer crafts for Fourth of July.
Summer Crochet Jewelry Patterns
Summer-Friendly DIY Gadget Cozies
Click or tap here to get the free crochet pattern for this beaded gadget cozy.
Summer-Friendly Kitchen Craft Projects
Christmas in July?
Christmas might be the last thing on your mind during the summertime months. However, it makes sense to give holiday projects some thought if you want to make Christmas gifts for numerous people on your gift list. You can’t expect to make truly unique, useful, exquisite handmade gifts for everyone if you put it all off until the last minute.
Most years, I typically spend all summer making Christmas cards and Christmas gifts so I don’t have to stress about getting it all done later in the year. For that reason, many of the Christmas patterns I’ve shared give you the information you need to create small, gift-worthy projects made using summer-friendly materials; they’re perfect for working on in summertime. The following are a few favorites you might be interested in trying:
Christmas Jewelry to Make in Summertime:
So there you have it: Summer crafts. Happy crafting!
Over to You:
Which are your favorite summer crafts to work on? Have you made any truly outstanding projects yet this summer? Tell us about them in the comments section below. Thanks in advance for sharing your thoughts.
By Amy Solovay
About the Author: Amy Solovay is a professional designer and educator who has a background in textile design. She holds a bachelor’s degree with a studio art minor from Sweet Briar College, and she has also earned an additional, separate degree in textile design from FIDM LA (The Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising in Los Angeles).
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, Amy uses online platforms to teach digital courses to craft pattern designers, content creators and influencers all over the world. If you’re an artist, crafter or DIY enthusiast who is interested in earning income from your creative work, you’re invited to visit Crafterprise.com to learn more about monetizing the arts, craft(s) and / or DIY projects you do.
Thanks for dropping by KnittingCrochetCrafts today! We appreciate your presence here.
This page was last updated on 8-7-2024.