Someday Crafts: crafts

Tuesday, August 27, 2013

The Amazings Online Classes Review

Have you heard of The Amazings yet? I just recently learned about their classes and I'm in love with the idea!

The idea behind The Amazings is that there are some amazing elders out there who have perfected their craft - and we can learn so much from them! These expert elders (and others that aren't so elder) create their own video "classes" to teach their craft to others. It's kind of like attending a class at Michaels, Joann's, or any other craft store, but you're learning online! You have access to the class video forever - anytime or anywhere! If you're unsure of a step, you can watch the video again as many times as you need.

And these aren't just amateur videos like you would find on YouTube. These are professional videos with expert filmmakers!

The classes are split into chapters so you can go through the class at your own pace or easily access any specific section that you need to review. The sections are typically short. The longest section I saw was just over 10 minutes. The chapter lengths may vary in length in other classes, however.

They also offer the ability to comment on the class or have a conversation with the teacher. The class list is in the left sidebar, so you have access to it any time. There are also files included that you might need (like patterns) for the class.

The price for the classes are very reasonable, especially considering that you have access to the classes forever. If you take a class at a craft store, they're typically between $20-$40. You have the notes and books from the class, but no videos to refer to or teacher to contact after the class is over. With The Amazings, the classes range from $12-$28 - and you get the unlimited viewing and teacher availability forever!

The offers from The Amazings are also very unique. Most of them aren't the traditional craft store classes - like scrapbooking, beading, or cake decorating. Instead, they offer classes like:

-Make Home-Dyed Jewellery

-Machine Embroider a Textile Necklace

-Needle Felt a Furry Friend

-Big Knit a Weekend Bag

-Loom Knit Your Own Beanie and Bobble Hat

-Make a Butterfly Pendant from Silver Metal Clay

-How to Make an Altered Book

-Make Your Own Natural Beauty Products

-Make a Mosaic Flower Pot

And others, too! What's so great is that the skills you learn can be applied to other projects. In the Home-Dyed Jewellery class, you learn how to properly dye your own yarns, which can be used for other projects! You can learn how to needle felt and make your own dryer balls instead of a furry friend. Or, you can apply the mosaic making skills to making a stepping stone.

Another thing that I loved about this idea is that they have the classes set up so that you can start from any point. In the Make Home-Made Dyed Jewellery class, if you're not ready to start dying and spinning your own yarn, you can just start with store-bought yarn and create the jewelry. I also love all the insider tips that you gain from a video class like this. Things like how to remove air bubbles from the dye and to just collect (or keep) old spoons for mixing. In this video that I watched, the class was taught by Helen and Anna. I don't know if they were friends or not off screen, but watching them teaching and learning was like sitting with two of my dear friends. It was fun, lively, and entertaining, but I was also learning something new!

The one downside of the classes is that since this is a London-based company, the teachers in the videos all have an accent. It can be hard to understand some of the words they say or to know what the terms they're using mean. It's not a bad thing and I don't think they should try to change the way they speak, it's just something to be aware of. I was able to get used to listening to them and figure out the meanings of the words they used. For instance, "cling fill" is what we refer to as plastic wrap or saran wrap.

All in all, I loved the classes that I was able to review. It's such a fun concept and they have such unique class offerings. I love the idea of being able to review a video (from an expert) at any time or any place! What class are you most interested in taking?

(I was contacted by The Amazings and asked to review their website and classes. I was provided with access to 2 classes in exchange for giving my unbiased opinion. All opinions and thoughts expressed in this post are my own.)

Saturday, July 28, 2012

25 Olympic Crafts

In honor of the start of the Summer 2012 Olympics I thought it would be fun to share some Olympic themed crafts and foods today. First up today is Ali Lily Blog with a great list of 25 Olympic Crafts for Kids. She also shares the full tutorial for making your very own Olympic Torch.

See 25 Olympic Crafts for Kids.