Planet Nice Crafts

There are flowers blooming, birds chirping, and quite a bit of craft time.  Each of the snowmen and the battle gnome had their wash paint completed and glaze (Woodland Scenics’ Scenic Cement ™ ) and glitter applied. Here are the final project photos, no more words required. Another project has been re-started. This purple linen top was originally sewn by me to go with the purple linen pants that were altered in Consistency! (November 12, 2021 – I can’t believe it has been that long).  The Before Photo The pants went from unused to being a wardrobe staple. I was trying to do a repeat with this top. I don’t remember the origin of the idea to try to make it into a wrap top (the bad thing about infrequent blog posts) – perhaps the voluminous material available? This New Look pattern, N6700, has been my inspiration.  The color is a challenge, its not the best for me and my pale skin but the pants have been a great neutral. Because I wanted a top that is less blah, I have used...

Looking back at the blog’s archives, I discovered that a January post has occurred EVERY year since Planet Nice Crafts' inception in 2018 and now 2025 with the 8 th is no different. The holiday season is wrapping up with Lunar New Year in a couple weeks and of course Valentine’s Day next month. We have had a wonderfully cold winter here in the Chicago area. I am completely serious, I much more prefer 20 degrees than 45 but I do have limits, single and negative digits are pushing it. It just feels right to be a little chilly and hopefully with experience and wisdom, I know how to handle it better and better. The sunlight has been spectacular and even now, the longer days are noticeable. On the other end of the emotional spectrum, the pictures of the wildfires in the Los Angeles area give a feeling of horror – thinking a lot about the people who have been affected. In January posts of the past, baking is a major topic and is no different in 2025. There were six fruitcakes, three t...

The holiday season is at a close. The holiday lights are depleted to non-existent and we are left with really dark mornings…this is so depressing sounding for Planet Nice. So, what do we need – SNOW. That’s right we need it and be careful what you wish for because for us in the Chicago area at least..we are getting it RIGHT NOW. How was your holiday season? Mine felt like a whirlwind. Soon after Halloween 2023, I took a vacation to Washington DC. What a great trip, I hadn’t been a tourist there in a very long time. The weather was warm and it wasn’t crowded. I was completely unprepared for all the walking, I had some very sore legs starting on Day 3 sightseeing. There are a few trip pictures AND my final drawing project posted on Planet Nice Odyssey  (I know, relentless branding). Here are additional trip photos: Tadeusz Kościuszko statue near the White House The Lincoln Memorial - how could one not be moved by this hallowed place? First thing in the morning at the National Museum ...

Hello Everyone! Well, it has happened – “Planet Nice Odyssey” was available on Etsy so it was officially registered and the shop became “live” on October 2 nd . Please use this link: https://planetniceodyssey.etsy.com when visiting the shop from here on the blog because I get extra credit points when I drive traffic to Etsy and it is traceable back to me. Ahhh, the world of social media. I haven’t kept you that much in the dark – it has taken about a month to make progress on listings, policies, and shipping strategy. There was a mini-meltdown amid the effort when I realized that I will need to additionally store packing materials to hopefully, find homes for the items and then a long-term decrease of Planet Nice Craft’s storage footprint will occur. To put my account and the shop together, I followed “Starting an Etsy Business for dummies®” by Kate Shoup and Kate Gatski. Throughout the years, I have found the for dummies® series helpful in establishing beginner level knowledge on...

Hello Everyone! I hope you have thrived in at least one way during this hot summer. The summer that had kick in it until yesterday?  Now on to Fall or Autumn. All is well here; some extra self-care was required because allergies were worse than in previous years. But there is nothing wrong with more self-care. Not much free time devoted to crafts except for a session on repair work that had been stacking up. What has been happening and this is the big REVEAL is the development of PLANET NICE ODYSSEY (PNO) on Etsy. YES! Okay this is not official yet as I haven't signed up, but I'm getting there. What is this new adventure? I haven’t exactly drafted a mission statement but in macro terms I would say it is a presentation of craft materials, goods, and experiences/services by the practitioner of Planet Nice Crafts, me. The purpose of this blog and PNO is to share my adventures in crafts with some baking, gardening, jigsaw puzzles, reading, and other hobbies of necessity (plumbi...