The live event takes place May 15, 1pm PT / 4pm ET - sign up here.
Join Courtney Cerruti and Twinkie Chan in celebrating Creativebug's 12th birthday. Courtney and Twinkie make faux celebration cakes full of fun colors, "frosted" bows, rosettes, and topped with faux fruit and sprinkles. These fun cakes can be made for any occasion and will last for many years to come. The live event takes place May 15, 1pm PT / 4pm ET - sign up here.

Join designer, technical editor, and author Tian Connaughton and crochet The Reignbow Vest, a versatile, fast-to-crochet, and playful project. Begin by creating a swatch to determine correct gauge and fit, then work the vest in corner-to-corner (C2C) crochet while following a chart. The combination of C2C and alternating yarn colors creates a vibrant and dynamic pattern, and the vest is constructed simply with two identical panels seamed together. Easily add a keyhole detail in the back for an extra fun design element. If you're familiar with crocheting stripes, you might assume you’d be dealing with many loose yarn ends, but Tian shows you her wink-wink secret for weaving in ends, along with some fun modifications in the pattern for a variety of looks

This content will be available to view May 22, 2024.
CbMixtapes are playlists made of specific bits taken from different classes and grouped together by a common theme. It's a fun way to learn how one topic is approached by a variety of artists with different techniques, all rounded up in one curated mixtape.​

It's time for tea! Lisa Congdon loves tea so much that she makes a page of teacups each with two different mediums - watercolor and pen. Brew up a contour teapot drawing with Molly Hatch, a painted tea set with Carolyn Gavin, and round off teatime with a sweet treat painted by Jen Orkin Lewis.

Inspired to keep creating? You can watch the full Daily Practice classes with each artist here:
Daily Painting Challenge: 31 Painted Patterns with Lisa Congdon
Daily Drawing Challenge: 29 Things to Draw with Molly Hatch and Heather Ross
Daily Painting Challenge: Flowers, Fruits and the Natural World with Carolyn Gavin
Daily Drawing Challenge with Lisa Congdon
Daily Painting Challenge: 30 Things to Paint with August Wren​

​PDF reference photos can be found on the full class pages

This class will be available to view May 29, 2024.  Purchase the sampler in advance here.
Celebrating pollinators and the magic of nature, Portland artist Rebecca Ringquist’s floral themed embroidery sampler bursts with vibrant hues and is adorned with beautiful butterflies. She works hers up using just a handful of stitches but in an array of colors that create a highly detailed and stunning bouquet. Once your embroidery is complete, Rebecca shares how to finish using a self-binding edge so that your completed project resembles a miniature quilt. Let your imagination soar as you bring nature's beauty to life, one stitch at a time.

From ancient Egypt to Buddhism and Hinduism, the lotus flower represents the cycle of life, rebirth, peace, and love. In this class, you'll learn how to make a beautiful folded paper version of the legendary lotus. It looks extremely intricate, but the folds are actually quite simple. Mia Semingson is an artist, book binder, and owner of Two Hands Paperie in Boulder, Colorado, and she is always looking for creative ways to use paper. With basic origami techniques, Mia will guide you through constructing a four-layered lotus blossom. You can use it as a gift wrap embellishment, ornament, or even include it as part of your own rituals and celebrations by writing messages inside the folds, like wishes for friends or thoughtful intentions.

The allure of traditional watercolor painting is undeniable but sometimes you need a creative change or simply cannot wait for paint to dry. This is where the digital watercolor painting process becomes invaluable. Sanae Ishida, an artist of many talents, has seamlessly integrated Procreate into her repertoire and developed a deep fondness for its capabilities. With her expert guidance, delve into the world of digital watercolor art, moving/resizing/erasing, employing clipping masks for precise painting within boundaries, and harnessing the power of layers to bypass the drying time. Additionally, she has designed a collection of distinctive brushes and templates for this Daily Practice, meticulously crafted to authentically replicate the watercolor aesthetic. 

Few things are more rewarding to sketch than botanicals. Fine artist and art coach David Tenorio emphasizes the importance of observing and respecting your reference material, and also encourages leaving some aspects of the work in process. In this class, learn essential elements of sketching plants, including lending 3D quality to leaf and flower shapes, creating varied line quality, and exploring a range of botanical images to add interest to your work. This class starts with simple sketches before moving onto more detailed drawings and is designed to build confidence in your core drawing skills, increase your set of techniques, and encourage a relaxed time to create. David inspires a conversation between drawing and painting, adding richness to the work, always remembering that, as Emily Dickenson said, "Beauty is not caused, it is.

Use a macrame-type braid to construct a sturdy, eco-friendly dog toy. Crafter Faith Hale demonstrates this simple-yet-satisfying technique, and you can use purchased T-shirt yarn or yarn that you’ve made out of a T-shirt that has outlived its use as a garment. The toy shown is excellent for small-to-medium sized dogs but Faith instructs how to make simple swaps for a custom size

You have just entered a storybook land filled with colorful flowers, fairytale toadstools, sweet forest mice, and happy snails - all made with fluffy felt. Melissa of Hex House Crowns is a fiber artist and hand-work teacher, and she loves working with wool felt because it's soft and fuzzy and easy to transform into whatever you wish. In this class, learn how to make a felted woodland celebration crown. You'll get to know your needle felting tools by starting with a landscape for your woodland scene: wispy clouds in the sky and soft grass on the ground. Then Melissa shows how to create more three-dimensional shapes as you needle felt an amanita mushroom and a cute mouse. You can use these skills to add flowers, trees and any other friends that you can dream up. While assembling the crown, decide whether to make ribbon ties or a fabric-covered elastic band for your closure. Whoever wears this crown will look like forest royalty, friend to all animals, and you will feel like a maker of magic.

There's no need to visit a museum or fancy gallery to find beautiful art when there's a whole world of inspiring illustrations to be found inside children's picture books. This daily practice from artist, educator, and children's book illustrator Constance Moore pulls from these different facets of her life to bring you a unique art class for all ages. Each day, Constance shares a children's book, including a few she has illustrated herself, with a creative prompt inspired by the art in each book. Explore the elements of line, shape, and color while focusing on using accessible tools and materials found in most classrooms. Try playing with watercolor, tempera paint, oil pastels, or whatever materials inspire you. This class includes drawing, painting, collage, and even a three-dimensional piece. With years of experience teaching art to children, Constance embraces the joy of getting back to the basics, allowing you to discover and free your own creative spirit.

Introducing CbMixtapes: playlists made of specific bits from different classes and grouped together by a common theme.

Maker extraordinaire and Creativebug's Editor-in-Chief Courtney Cerruti considers the library a sacred space essential to her creative practice. In her hugely popular class, Living a More Creative Life, she details 30 different methods designed to enhance your perspective and engage with the beauty around you. Naturally, several of these days involve a trek to a library.

If these mini lessons inspire you to dig deeper, check out her full Daily Practice Living a More Creative Life: 30 Ways in 30 Days with Courtney Cerruti.

CbMixtapes are playlists made of specific bits taken from different classes and grouped together by a common theme. It's a fun way to learn how one topic is approached by a variety of artists with different techniques, all rounded up in one curated mixtape.​

Embark on a lunar-inspured adventure in this moon-themed mixtape. Across five chapters, each taught by a different artist, discover diverse techniques in painting, printing, and drawing in moons. Engage in short, accessible lessons tailored for all skill levels and ignite your creativity as you explore the celestial beauty of moons thorugh various artistic mediums and let your creativity shine.

Inspired to keep creating? You can watch the full classes with each artists here:
Artober: 31 Days of Inky Monoprints with Courtney Cerruti
Artober: 31 Days of Spooky Monoprints with Courtney Cerruti
Oil Painting Daily Challenge with Erika Lee Sears
Color Meditation Daily Practice with Lisa Solomon
Astro Origami with Faith Hale

​PDF reference photos can be found on the full class pages.

Garden historian Mac Griswold poetically states that “Gardening is the slowest of the performing arts,” but this art moves swiftly once the growing season is underway. In this class, led by lifelong gardener and artist Lorene Edwards Forkner, learn how to make the most of every season by developing a personal garden journal that provides space for exploring garden dreams, stashing pertinent plant tags and seed packets, and diagraming planting ideas. Included is a practical garden log sheet: a place to record seasonal weather and keep track of bloom time and harvests, along with garden wins, losses, and discoveries. A well-used garden journal is a valuable reference when plotting for the future but you need not limit yourself to the realities of your growing region or resources; simply choose any plant that appeals to you and have some fun!

A pattern a day keeps boredom away! Join Austin, Texas based marbling artist Mercedez Rex and immerse yourself in the captivating world of marbling, mastering techniques that adorn paper with mesmerizing patterns. Throughout your month-long journey, delve into four distinct pattern categories: Stone, Gel-Git, Nonpareil, and Chevron. Embrace the interplay of colors, gradually advancing to more intricate designs. Grow your creativity through marbling and experience the enchanting art of swirling colors, unveiling breathtaking designs that will ignite your imagination.
Need an introduction to marbling? Check out Mercedez' first class, Creativity Through Marbling: An Introduction

To share your work on social media use the hashtag #MZRXdailyPractice.

Quilters of all experience levels learn something new in this class that emphasizes how to determine color value and how to artfully apply it to your quilts. Blair Stocker of Wise Craft Handmade is an author and modern quilter from Santa Fe. In a former life, she worked in the fashion industry and has a deep love for textiles and knowledge of design. Using a simple three-strip Roman Stripe quilt block, she shows you how to utilize many different fabrics from your stash as well as your favorite scraps to create what she calls "quilt sparkle," a dynamic effect that leads the eye all over the quilt by working with light and dark color values. She invented the Ruby Ruler as a helpful tool to quickly determine color value while at the fabric store, looking through your fabric piles, cutting your fabric, or putting your design together. Learn how to sew your blocks, arrange them into a gorgeous quilt top, hand tie a quilt, and bind a quilt with mitered corners. This is a start-to-finish project in which you'll learn quilting basics as well as how to develop your artistic eye.

Knit a timeless cabled sweater with designer, technical editor, and author Tian Connaughton. The beautiful Freeport Cardigan is worked from the bottom up, which is one of Tian's favorite sweater constructions because there is very little seaming. Begin knitting with the back piece, split for the front pieces, and then pick up stitches for the sleeves. Tian teaches you how to knit cables with a cable needle and without, as well as other essential techniques including a three-needle bind off, a twisted rib stitch, how to knit buttonholes, and how to work in short rows for shaping. You will love the Freeport's gorgeous textures along with its elongated collar that drapes behind you like a cozy capelet. 

Author, illustrator, and sewist Sanae Ishida is a maker of many things. In this class, she guides you through sewing a cozy heating pad with rice filling. This project is based on the heating pad from Sanae's book Sewing Happiness, and she designed this larger version to be able to wrap around your neck, shoulders, abdomen, and wherever you need some soothing warmth.  This is a quick and easy project - no pattern necessary. Learn how to measure and cut your fabric, sew straight lines with a sewing machine, create channels in the heating pad to ensure the filling remains evenly distributed, and finish the project with hand-sewing. Bear in mind that due to the amount of rice filling, this neck warmer is fairly weighty. It’s a comforting weightiness, though, and with a few drops of soothing essential oils and a minute or two in the microwave, you’ll create your own spa experience. Finished measurements are approximately 36" x 6".

Slumber is serious business when it comes to health and maximizing your beauty sleep. Artist, illustrator, and maker Sanae Ishida shows you how to whip up an easy and luxurious sleep mask. Learn how to use a template to cut your fabric pieces, work with fusible fleece, and sew the curves of your sleep mask with a sewing machine. A simple strip of foldover elastic provides a comfortable fit around your head. The best part of knowing how to DIY a sleep mask is how easy it is to tweak the shape to your liking, and you'll have so much fun making more in a variety of colors and fabrics, whether they're for special gifts or all for you.

This fun and flirty Love Note Zine begins with a single sheet of beautifully marbled paper made using shaving cream and food coloring. Bel Mills, the artist behind Scrap Paper Circus, walks you through the process and shows you how a few simple folds turns a single sheet of paper into a pretty booklet ready to fill with a heartfelt message. Open to book artists of all skill levels, this project is a wonderful way share creativity with loved ones.  

Cherry blossom season is fast and fleeting; the peak bloom period, when the blossoms are open, lasts only a few days. Capture that springtime wonder by making ever-blooming paper cherry blossoms with Mia Semingson. Mia is an artist, book binder, and owner of Two Hands Paperie in Boulder Colorado. In this class she teaches you how to use basic origami folds, simple cutting techniques, and a fun dip dye process to transform paper into beautiful flowers. How each one turns out is a mystery until you unfold them, and the surprise is part of the magic. You can use your cherry blossoms to adorn the tops of gifts and Mia also shows you how to attach them to a branch for a beautiful decor piece.

Embrace the magic of make believe and bring your own mythical creature to life with Creativebug's Creative Director, Katrina Wheeler. She guides you through a fantastical adventure of transforming everyday materials like cereal boxes and packing paper into a majestic dragon head. Dive into a sticky river of paper maché paste and emerge in a vibrant land where creativity knows no bounds. 

Author, illustrator, and maker Sanae Ishida designs useful items brimming with personality. She crafted this adorable bear stopper to prevent that chilly winter air from seeping under your door and not only is this project a fantastic scrap buster, but it's beginner-friendly and a fun introduction to very easy patchwork, basic hand-embroidery, and appliqué with a sewing machine. For a more streamlined look, simply omit the bear elements. This is a super fast and satisfying project that makes a wonderful cold-weather gift. Approximately 36” wide x 5” high.

Modular in design, the Harrison Sweater is an ideal on-the-go crochet project. A basketweave stitch creates the coziest texture and is an easy stitch pattern to memorize. Designer, author, and technical editor Tian Connaughton guides you through crocheting your own comfy sweater from start to finish. You'll begin with vertical ribbing, then work in front and back post stitches with the basketweave, crochet front and back cardigan pieces plus sleeves, and seam everything together. Finish your sweater with a ribbed collar and also button and buttonhole bands. This class is packed with many techniques that you'll be able to use for future cardigan projects.

Introducing CbMixtapes: playlists made of specific bits from different classes and grouped together by a common theme. It's a fun way to learn how one topic is approached by a variety of artists with different techniques, all rounded up in one curated mixtape.​

Start your practice with with "opening stats" from Get Messy's Art Journaling Daily Practice. 
Learn your go-to doodle shapes and begin to add ink and pencil with Dawn D. Sokol from her Art Journaling series. 
Create a word map with e bond from her Personal Mapmaking class. 
Appreciate the kindness of strangers Mou Saha's Gratitude Journaling Daily Practice.
Work with e bond again in a word progression writing exercise from her Words Inform Images class. 
An example of a family journal from Amy Karol's Journal of Family Life.

 

Whether you call it a puff quilt or a biscuit quilt, this particular patchwork method provides maximum coziness and charm. Artist and quilter Faith Hale has explored the myriad methods of piecing, stuffing, quilting and binding this vintage-inspired quilt, and she walks you through her favorite methods, along with a few variations. First learn how to sew the puffs and assemble them together into a top, then decide whether you want to use bar tacks, machine-sewn lines, or hand ties to quilt it all together. In this class Faith demonstrates how to make a 14" square that can easily be enlarged to make lap or even bed-sized quilts right out of a story book. 

How you make marks on the page is completely unique to you and is an essential part of what makes up your visual vocabulary. Your visual vocabulary includes the amount of pressure you put on your pencil, your color palette, and the shapes and elements you use over and over that altogether create your artistic style. Join artist, illustrator, author, and longtime Creativebug instructor Lisa Congdon for this month-long mark making daily practice. You’ll explore the basics of mark making, build your own repertoire of marks, and learn how to use those marks to create drawings and collages in different media like colored pencil, watercolor, and collage. Lisa will guide you through drawing everything from leaves to birds to landscapes, as well as one large final project where you can combine and play with everything you learned in class as you continue to refine your drawing toolkit. Find Day 31’s recorded live conversation with Lisa HERE.

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.

Bring back the nostalgic joy of making the paper snowflakes from your childhood and elevate them with a shibori-inspired dip dye. Mia Semingson is an artist, book binder, and owner of Two Hands Paperie in Boulder, Colorado. She is always looking for creative new ways to express her love of paper, so she combined a familiar snowflake project with a dyeing technique reminiscent of indigo patterns on Japanese resist-dyed fabric. Learn how to fold and cut Japanese washi paper as well as basket-style coffee filters and then play with dye to make decorative, sophisticated snowflakes that are truly one of a kind and a surprise to reveal. Hang individiually as ornaments or hang them together as a beautiful garland.

Introducing CbMixtapes: playlists made of specific bits from different classes and grouped together by a common theme. It's a fun way to learn how one topic is approached by a variety of artists with different techniques, all rounded up in one curated mixtape.​

Reflect on the creativity of 2023 with these 10 lessons from classes we released this year. These fun and varied prompts, recipes, techniques and art projects are a lovely way to spark creativity as we close this year and enter the new one. 

Make rose petal salt with Cobrina from her Daily Practice From My Kitchen to Yours. 
Learn the essential skill of how to sew on a button with Faith Hale. 
Learn how to make a versatile accordion book structure with e bond from the class Accordion Book as Art Form.
Learn the meditative power of slow stitching with Heidi Parkes from her Daily Practice Love Letter Quilt Top.
Enjoy the freedom of drawing with Abby Houston and Violet from the Daily Practice Little Artists. 
Create a vocabulary of color with Lorene Edwards Forkner from her Daily Practice Color In and Out of the Garden.
Wrangle your ideas for art making with this Ideation excerise from Maria Carluccio's class Make an Inspirational Art Poster.
Dive deeper into the legacy of Sarah Bond and her family of quilter makers. 
Make a fun and easy collage with Faith Hale in this exercise from Altered Books: The Sequel. 
Map a poem with e bond from this poetry appreciation Mixtape.
Transform garments with a crocheted edge using Cal Patch's technique from her Crochet Edges for Garments class. 




 

Make every day feel like a celebration by adorning your home with garlands. They add instant color, joy, and festive vibes to your space, and the best part is that you can make them out of almost anything. Artist Twinkie Chan shows you how to create three different styles of garlands: a cheerful pom pom garland that's also a great craft for kids, a beautiful crepe paper leaf garland that introduces you to some basics of floral design and paper flower construction, and a crocheted popcorn garland that you can use year after year. There's something fun for everyone in this class, and garland-making is a fabulous reason to throw a craft party with your friends and family.

On the first day of Christmas, give yourself the gift of crafting a beautiful heirloom stocking. Constructed by cutting out and layering wool felt shapes, Portland-based artist Rebecca Ringquist brings to life a collection of charming little holiday motifs that add color and sparkle to your holiday gift giving. From candy canes to sugar cookies, infuse personal touches by adding embroidery, sequins and beads, and then top your stocking with a custom name tag and ribbon for hanging. Creating an heirloom is not a fast project but one you and your family will cherish for generations.

Introducing CbMixtapes: playlists made of specific bits from different classes and grouped together by a common theme. It's a fun way to learn how one topic is approached by a variety of artists with different techniques, all rounded up in one curated mixtape.​

Unleash a flurry of creativity while exploring snowy motifs as you make quirky package toppers and whimsical ornaments, enchanting hand-crafted cards and magical snowflakes. You'll have snow much fun perusing expert instruction from some of Creativebug's top instructors as you get ready for the holidays.

Want to see more painting tips and tricks from these instructors? Check out their full classes here:
Holiday Craft-Along: 30 Days of Cards, Tags, and Packaging Ideas with Courtney Cerruti
Celebrate the Season: A Daily Holiday Painting Practice with Maria Carluccio
Daily Ornament Challenge: 25 Crafts to Trim Your Tree with Creativebug
Holiday Cricut Crafts: 30 Festive Projects with Amber of Damask Love
A Card a Day with Hero Arts

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.