About Craft Joy DIY
Simple crafts, made together
Craft Joy DIY is a cozy place for simple handmade projects, nature-inspired crafts, affordable DIY ideas, recycled creations, and seasonal projects designed to bring families together. Our projects are made for ordinary craft tables, everyday supplies, and real homes, not perfect studios.
The story behind Craft Joy
Craft Joy DIY started the way most family projects do: at a kitchen table, with a shoebox of supplies and two kids who wanted something to do. I had grown up crafting with my grandmother every weekend, and it turned out those simple projects were the ones worth passing on. What began as a place to keep track of our weekend ideas grew into a home for families looking for the same thing: something easy, something inexpensive, and an hour spent making it together.
I started this blog as a simple archive of my weekend projects, a way to reclaim my creative voice. Slowly, it grew into a community of women who, like me, were seeking a slower, more intentional way of living. What started as a whisper has grown into a conversation about how we build our lives, one project at a time.
Our Philosophy
“Our projects aren’t about perfection. They’re about making memories.”
What You’ll Find Here
Nature & Garden
Pinecones, painted rocks, pressed leaves, flowers and garden finds. The kind of materials you gather on a walk instead of buying.
Kids & Family
Weekend projects, sensory activities and handmade keepsakes to make together with children and grandchildren.
Dollar Store & Recycled
Dollar-store finds, household materials and upcycled odds and ends. Big ideas that cost very little.
Easy DIY Projects
Broad, evergreen handmade projects that anyone can make at the kitchen table with everyday supplies.
Seasonal & Holiday
Christmas ornaments, fall crafts, Easter projects and the seasonal traditions families come back to every year.
Our Approach to Crafting
We keep things simple on purpose. Every project starts with materials that are easy to find and inexpensive, often things already sitting in a drawer or waiting outside on a walk. Instructions are written in plain steps so a child can help, and the photos show what a project really looks like when it is made at a kitchen table. We reuse and repurpose wherever we can, we favour natural materials when the season offers them, and we never expect a handmade result to look factory-made. If it is a little uneven and it was made together, it worked.
Meet Our Contributors
Craft Joy DIY is written by three people who each bring a different corner of family crafting to the site.
Sarah Brooks
I grew up making things with my grandmother every weekend: pinecone wreaths in the fall, painted rocks in the summer, paper chains at Christmas. Years later, as a mom and a part-time elementary school art teacher in Ohio, I found that same joy again at my own kitchen table with my own children.
Craft Joy DIY is where I share those projects: nature crafts, dollar-store finds, recycled odds and ends and the seasonal traditions we come back to every year. Nothing here needs special tools or a craft room. A kitchen table is plenty.
Mary Collins
Mary Collins is the Nature Craft Contributor at Craft Joy DIY, where she shares approachable projects inspired by the outdoors and the simple materials found around home and garden. Her favorite projects begin with everyday natural finds such as pinecones, leaves, smooth stones, twigs, flowers, and small garden materials.
She turns them into painted rocks, seasonal decorations, garden crafts and nature-inspired keepsakes that families can enjoy together. Her tutorials focus on practical materials, clear steps, and realistic results rather than perfection.
Jennifer Brooks
Jennifer Brooks is the Kids & Family Activity Writer at Craft Joy DIY, where she shares simple creative projects designed for families to make together. Her work focuses on sensory crafts, recycled projects, easy weekend activities, inexpensive kids DIY ideas, and handmade keepsakes made with accessible everyday materials.
Jennifer believes family crafting should feel enjoyable and achievable, not complicated or perfect. Her tutorials are written with clear, beginner-friendly steps and practical tips for parents, grandparents, teachers, and caregivers.
A Note About Our Tutorials
Craft projects can involve scissors, craft knives, hot glue, heat, paints, adhesives, small parts, borax and other craft chemicals, glass, tools, or materials gathered outdoors. Please read the instructions and safety information supplied with any product you use, and decide for yourself whether a project suits the age and ability of the child doing it. Use adult supervision whenever it is appropriate. You can read more on our disclaimer page.
Come and make something with us
Whether you came here for a rainy-afternoon project with the kids or just to browse for a few quiet minutes, thank you for spending your time with us. Browse the latest projects, pick something simple, and gather what you already have. If you make one, we would love to hear about it.
Say hello