Photo: Melissa Massello/Shoestring Magazine

A July 4th holiday invitation to a friend or colleague's vacation home is probably one of the best — and most coveted — of all weekend getaways in New England, and it's important to be a good houseguest so you get invited back. (And don't lose a friendship).

Show your hosts your gratitude with this thoughtfully prepared basket of handmade items, including some homemade cranberry cordial (perfect for the Cape) and red, white & blue "Scandinavian Love Spoons," pulled together in an inexpensive nautical themed basket — along with a handwritten thank-you note.

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Photo: Cupcake Camp Boston/Party Favors

Summer is for camp, and this Sunday in Somerville kids and grownups alike get to participate in the most decadent day camp of all: Cupcake Camp.

Now in its fourth year, Cupcake Camp Boston is part of a worldwide movement to create open community events where people can share their love for cupcakes. Founded in 2008 by San Franciscan Ariel Waldman and brought to Boston by Anita Patel, this year's event is expected to have more than 1,000 cupcake fans in attendance while raising funds for the Somerville Winter Farmer's Market.

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By Tara Bellucci

A new local business has sprouted on Tremont Street in the South End. Lindsey Swett opened Niche Urban Garden Supply a few months ago, and it is quickly becoming the go-to resource for horiculturists in the 'hood. A landscape architect by trade, Lindsey offered up 5 steps for starting an urban garden, whether you're naturally green-thumbed or not. FULL ENTRY

Holiday weekends are a fabulous time to try out a new simple crafting or DIY project and a great way to get kids and adults spending quality time together. With July 4th fast approaching, and most people taking the entire week off, I thought I'd share this wonderful segment about the "upcycling" trend within the DIY movement that I taped with Leslie Gaydos of NECN just before Memorial Day.

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Just as children of the 1980s we were making poodle skirts from felt and throwing 1950s "sock hop" themed parties, everything Gen X is all the rage right now with hipsters and event hosts. This week, we had the honor of helping to decorate (and create upcycled decor for) the window display at Goodwill in Davis Square, promoting tonight's "In the Air Tonight" 80s prom-themed fundraiser for Somerville Local First.

If you're hosting your own 80s-themed party this summer, here are three simple 5-minute DIY decor projects you can make to set the mood and make any space totally radical.

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Photo: Dune Jewelry Design

It's hard to think about anything today other than Game 4 in the Stanley Cup playoffs tonight — and for one local jewelry designer based in Hyde Park, our collective hockey obsession has inspired a new "Black & Gold" collection that's selling like hotcakes.

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By Tara Bellucci

This weather, am I right? If your weekend plans get rained out and you've exhausted your Netflix queue, gather friends and kids for a fun crafternoon. On a recent gray Saturday, I met some pals at the Porter Square Michaels where we picked up some extra supplies, then walked to a friend's apartment, and got crafty! FULL ENTRY

Photo: North Bennet St. School

Man made takes on a whole new meaning these days, with even dapper city-dwelling dudes now excited to learn everything from urban beekeeping and making their own honey to building a tiny house from reclaimed materials for under $20K.

If your dad (or husband) is among that throng of postmodern men dominating the DIY movement, the traditional "weekend warrior" type of guy who likes to spend his free time tackling new skills and projects, then these Father's Day gifts are for you — er, him.

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Rosewater "Loras" Lemonade and Tyroshi Honeyfingers.

Sunday was the season finale of HBO's fantasy hit, Game of Thrones. For the few hours beforehand, I was in my friend Rebecca's kitchen, frying up Roman-style fried dough balls as she mixed rosewater lemonade. We may not have dressed in Lannister golds or Stark greys, but we had our own sort of role playing going on — through the menu. Kitchen LARPing (live action role playing) doesn't take place on a field with wooden swords or with a 12-sided die, but reimagines your favorite shows onto the plate.

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By Tara Bellucci

Tumbleweed Tiny Houses

Have you ever dreamt building your own tiny home from the ground up, but have no idea where to begin? Take a page from Jay Shafer's book, and learn how to build a small space all your own for under $20,000! Presented by actual Tumbleweed Tiny House owner/builders, the 2-day workshop comes to Boston this weekend. FULL ENTRY

By Tara Bellucci

CHI & Partners/Thirteen

It was only a matter of time before crazy shows like The Dillionaire made it to cable — Or is it? These shows are fakes, thought up for ads for New York's PBS affiliate, Thirteen, to highlight the current state of television. We love us some PBS, and we think Thirteen's subway poster campaign is clever, but we also kind of want to watch Knitting Wars... FULL ENTRY

By Tara Bellucci

With the release of Converse's new Boston All-Star today, we're feeling a renewed sense of shopping to benefit our fair city. Here are some of the local makers donating proceeds from product sales to The One Fund. FULL ENTRY

Photo: Melissa Massello/Shoestring

Since 2008, around the time Necklush arrived on the Etsy scene, multi-strand necklaces made from upcycled T-shirts have been all the rage in hipster fashion. The big secret is: these grunge-chic accessories take all of 5-minutes (and little to no crafting skill) to make.

Using thrift store tees from the Goodwill Outlet and Garment District's Buck-a-Pound, we created this little 3-minute video tutorial showing how to make a unique, personalized, and totally eco-friendly necklace in exactly as much time.

Hello, easy (last-minute) Mother's Day present!

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Photo: Melissa Massello

Each year on Mother's Day, kids and spouses the world over decide to spoil Mom early in the morning with a good, old-fashioned, home-cooked breakfast in bed. And then, hearts full, those same moms get out of bed to face their special day…and the kitchen wreck left behind.

Spoil mom completely this Mother's Day with a delicious (100 calorie!) recipe that's not only fail-proof for kids of all ages and spouses of all culinary talent, it requires only the minimal cleanup of two muffin tins and a mixing bowl. (And no messy flour!)

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By Tara Bellucci

Background & flourishes courtesy of Shutterstock.

When you're a DIYer, sometimes Hallmark just doesn't cut it. If you're looking to remove the pre-made cards this Mother's Day, here are our 11 favorite free fonts available for sharing your sweet sentiments with Mom. FULL ENTRY

Photo: Melissa Massello

If your mom is truly your best bud, then there's no better Mother's Day gift than a trendy friendship bracelet (or three), made by you — just for her. In about the same amount of time it will take you to catch up on one of your favorite shows (Mad Men or Game of Thrones, anyone?) you could have a fabulous from-the-heart gift in her favorite colors (or other sentimental hues shared by you two).

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By Tara Bellucci

Urbanic via Pinterest

You love it because they made it, but let's be honest: not all kiddo craft projects are destined for display. Though Mother's Day is often prime time for receiving masterpieces made of macaroni and popsicle sticks, here are 5 Pinterest projects for moms and kids to make together, with nary an elbow in sight.

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Photo: SheKnows

Last year, the week before Cinco de Mayo, I decided it would be cool to try making a popular Pinterest project that had been circulating like wildfire, pinned and repinned by seemingly every user on the visual bookmarking site:

Pinata sugar cookies, originally created by SheKnows.com.

Now, I'm no baker, but I do love to cook and am pretty damn good in the kitchen, thank-you-very-much. Sure, the recipe looked like a lot of work and had a lot of steps, but I thought to myself: "No sweat, I got this."

Nope, I didn't have it. Like, at all.

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In preparation for next weekend's Art of Craft, Cantabrigian crocheters and knitters are raising their needles to whip up flowers, leaves, and birds of all shapes, sizes, and colors. Their hope is that a garden of grandma graffiti will take over Concord Ave.

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By Tara Bellucci

Mom deserves more than a sad supermarket bouquet. Here's your chance to pick her up something original: students and alumni of Massachusetts College of Art and Design are displaying their craft for the school's annual Spring Sale, starting this Sunday and running all week.

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By Tara Bellucci

When it comes to crowdfunding, there's no shortage of online options these days. But Crowd Supply, started by MIT alums, is about more than just raising capital. From proposal to purchase, this platform takes makers through the process and delivers them real customers. FULL ENTRY

By Tara Bellucci

Photo: Mark Craig

As a hearty New Englander, Andrea Williams grew up learning the names of plants and animals native to the Maine shores. Her inlaid stone and metalwork jewelry is grounded and breathtaking, like that Atlantic coast. Her line, Bound Earth, is based in her belief that jewelry isn't just a status symbol to raise us up, but can instead bring us closer to nature, the place where the materials come from. Check it out in person at CraftBoston today and tomorrow.

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Covered with bright colors, playful patterns, and images of fauna of all types, you can't help but feel happy when looking at Hannah Niswonger's pottery. Born into a family of printmakers, quilters, knitters, and painters, it's no wonder the joy of craft comes through in Hannah's work. We caught up with the Winchester resident for an interview before today's CraftBoston show opens:

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By Tara Bellucci

Teresa Crowninshield's collection of elegant coats and jackets are confections of cashmere and silk, just begging to be touched. A craft born from visiting China's silk markets, Teresa's pieces impress — even in presidential company. Before you try them on at CraftBoston this weekend, read up about Crown Coats: FULL ENTRY

By Tara Bellucci

Mass Art grad Lauren Passenti has a bit of a dark side. At least her jewelry does. Striking a balance between industrial decay and the natural world, Lauren's pieces are crafted of materials some might call strange, like coral, horse hair, and fur, and antlers. Even the jewel-like quartz is rough. Her pieces are tough yet elegant — you can check them out in person at CraftBoston this weekend:

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