Amelia Brooks
Amelia grew up surrounded by antique shops and forgotten heirlooms, which explains her obsession with giving old things new life. After years in graphic design, she left the corporate world to focus on slow living and handmade projects with character.
She transforms discarded tin cans into wall art and thrift-store linens into something beautiful. Her projects celebrate the beauty of reclaimed materials and the stories they carry.
When she is not crafting, Amelia restores furniture, visits flea markets, or fills a journal with scraps and stories from her adventures.
Articles by Amelia Brooks
English Paper Piecing: Hand-Sewn Quilt Blocks
Slow down and stitch by hand. English paper piecing turns fabric scraps into crisp hexagon blocks you can carry anywhere.
Slip Trailing for Beginners: Pottery Decoration
Slip trailing is the oldest decoration in pottery — and the most forgiving. Learn to pipe liquid clay into dots and lines on leather-hard pots.
Mosaic for Beginners: Broken Tile Projects
Broken tiles, a bag of grout, and a free afternoon — that is all a beginner mosaic needs. Here is how to sort, set, and seal your first tile project.
Underglaze Painting: Add Color to Your Pottery
Bring color to your pottery before the glaze goes on. A calm, beginner-friendly guide to painting greenware and bisque with underglaze.
Pinch Pots for Beginners: Your First Clay Projects
Turn a ball of clay into a bowl, a cup, or a tiny dish with your own two hands. Pinch pots are the gentlest way to start pottery.
Nerikomi Pottery for Beginners: Colored Clay Art
Stack colored clay like layers of cake, slice through it, and reveal a pattern you built yourself. Nerikomi makes every piece a small surprise.
Bead Loom Weaving: Seed Bead Bracelets
A simple wooden loom, a handful of seed beads, and an hour of quiet rhythm. That is all it takes to weave a bracelet that looks store-bought.
Sgraffito Pottery: Carved Designs for Beginners
Carve through a layer of colored slip to reveal the clay beneath, and a plain pot suddenly has a story to tell in two colors.
Chain Maille Jewelry: Weave Your First Bracelet
Learn the European 4-in-1 weave step by step and finish a wearable chain maille bracelet in an afternoon, with two pliers and a handful of jump rings.
Slab Pottery for Beginners: Build a Serving Tray
Roll, shape and slow-dry a handmade ceramic serving tray in one weekend, a beginner slab project that needs no wheel and no special equipment.
Hand-Stamped Jewelry: Hammered Metal Pendants
Hand-stamped pendants turn a few dollars of metal blanks into gifts people keep. Learn the tools, the letter placement, and how to get a clean impression.
Japanese Stab Binding: Four-Hole Journal Tutorial
Learn Japanese stab binding, the four-hole technique that turns loose sheets into a handmade book with just needle, thread, and steady hands. No glue, no press.
DIY Paper Beads: Recycled Jewelry From Paper
Turn old magazines and scrapbook paper into colorful handmade beads, then string them into lightweight jewelry you can wear the same afternoon.
DIY Clay Halloween Decor: Ceramic Pumpkins
Sculpt charming ceramic pumpkins by hand, no wheel required. A calm, beginner-friendly guide to clay, texture, and a warm Halloween display.
DIY Charm Bracelets: Personalize Your Jewelry
Design a charm bracelet that tells your story — mix beads, meaningful charms, and colorful cords into jewelry that is uniquely, wonderfully yours.
Kooky Pottery: Whimsical Hand-Built Ceramics
Embrace the joy of imperfect, character-filled ceramics. This beginner-friendly guide to kooky pottery covers pinch pots, coils, and playful faces.
Textured Pottery: Stamping and Carving Basics
Add beautiful texture to handmade pottery with simple stamping and carving techniques. Learn which tools to choose and how to avoid common beginner mistakes.
How to Glaze Pottery at Home: A Beginner's Guide
Glazing transforms plain clay into luminous art. Learn the beginner-friendly techniques for brushing, dipping, and firing pottery with confidence at home.
Cable Knitting for Beginners: Braided Stitches
Braided cables look like they take years to master, but one simple technique creates them all. Learn to knit rope and braid cables this weekend.
Book Repair Basics: Mend Spines, Hinges and Pages
Give beloved paperbacks and hardcovers a second life. Learn the gentle art of mending loose spines, split hinges, and torn pages with simple supplies from your kitchen and craft box.
Kintsugi for Beginners: Repair Pottery with Gold
Discover kintsugi, the Japanese art of repairing pottery with gold. A gentle beginner's guide to mending broken ceramics and finding beauty in imperfection.
Hand-Building Dinnerware: Plates, Bowls and Mugs
No wheel required — just your hands, a little clay, and a quiet weekend. Make plates, bowls, and mugs you'll reach for every single day.
Resin Jewelry for Beginners: Earrings and Pendants
Cast luminous resin earrings and pendants at home with this gentle, beginner-friendly guide to mixing, pouring, and finishing jewelry that looks straight from a boutique.
Foraging Wild Clay: Find and Process Your Own
Dig, clean, and shape clay straight from the earth. A beginner-friendly guide to foraging wild clay, testing it, and turning it into simple pottery with your own hands.
Bookbinding for Beginners: Make Your Own Journals
Make your own handmade journals with simple bookbinding techniques. A gentle, beginner-friendly guide to stitching, folding, and finishing notebooks you will love to use.
Coil Pots: Hand-Building Pottery for Beginners
Shape your first coil pot with your own hands and a lump of clay. A calm, complete beginner's guide to rolling, joining, and finishing coiled pottery.
Beaded Jewelry: Stringing and Design Basics
Turn a handful of loose beads into jewelry you will love to wear. This gentle guide makes your first handmade piece feel possible.
Sculptural Pottery: Making Funky, Imperfect Ceramics
Let go of perfect and make pottery with personality. Learn hand-building techniques for sculptural ceramics that are funky, imperfect, and completely lovable.
Enamel Pin DIY: Design and Make Custom Pins at Home
Turn your doodles into wearable art! This beginner-friendly enamel pin DIY walks you through designing, shrinking, and finishing custom pins at home with simple supplies.
Beaded Earrings: Summer Statement Jewelry
Turn simple beads into summer statement jewelry you will actually wear. These easy beaded earrings projects are beginner-friendly, forgiving, and guaranteed to make you smile.
Ceramic Bead Jewelry: Porcelain and Polymer Clay
Shape, texture, and finish your own ceramic beads from porcelain and polymer clay. A gentle beginner's path to handmade jewelry you will love to wear.
Jewelry Gift Guide: Handmade Presents Under $50
Seven handmade jewelry gifts that cost under $50 in supplies — and look far more expensive than they are. Perfect for birthdays, holidays, and thank-you moments.
Wire Wrapped Pendants: Gemstone Setting Guide
Elevate your jewelry with advanced wire wrapping — secure gemstone settings, elegant bails, and finishes that turn handmade pendants into heirloom pieces.
Air Dry Clay Decor: Simple Summer Home Projects
Discover the joy of air dry clay with easy summer home decor projects that transform simple materials into stunning handmade treasures.
DIY Pottery Barn Style Ceramic Vases on a Budget
Create elegant ceramic vases inspired by Pottery Barn for a fraction of the cost. Amelia Brooks shares budget techniques using air-dry clay and simple tools.
Ceramic Beads: Handmade Porcelain Jewelry Guide
Create stunning handmade ceramic beads for jewelry with this beginner-friendly guide. Learn rolling, shaping, piercing, glazing, and firing techniques for unique porcelain bead designs.
DIY Pearl Jewelry: Beginner Beaded Necklace Guide
Learn to create elegant pearl jewelry at home with this comprehensive beginner's guide. From selecting the right pearls and tools to mastering stringing, knotting, and clasp attachment, discover everything you …
Beaded Bracelet Patterns: Friendship Bracelet Guide
Discover how to create stunning beaded friendship bracelets with easy-to-follow patterns. This beginner-friendly tutorial covers essential materials, foundational techniques like war knot and spiral stitch, and three complete projects including …
Polymer Clay Earrings and Pendants for Beginners
Learn to make beautiful polymer clay earrings and pendants from scratch. This beginner-friendly guide covers conditioning, shaping, baking, and finishing techniques for professional-looking jewelry.
Pottery Wheel for Beginners: How to Throw Your First Pot
Discover the joy of throwing pottery on a wheel. A gentle guide to centering, shaping, and creating your first pot with confidence.
Wire Wrapped Jewelry for Beginners: Easy Beaded and Wire Techniques
Learn wire wrapping basics to create beautiful beaded pendants, earrings, and rings at home — no soldering or expensive tools needed.
How to Age Terracotta Pots: Easy DIY Garden Guide
Transform new terracotta into weathered garden treasures with simple aging techniques using household ingredients.
Why the Slow, Mindful Craft of Pottery Is Booming Worldwide in 2026
Discover why pottery is experiencing an unprecedented revival in 2026 - from hand-building to wheel throwing, this mindful craft offers calm, community, and creativity.
Beaded Coral Reef Decor: Ocean-Inspired Jewelry and Art
Transform simple beads into stunning coral-inspired jewelry and decor that brings the ocean's beauty home.
Wire Wrapped Jewelry: Simple Pendants and Rings for Beginners
Learn the art of wire wrapping with simple pendant and ring projects. No soldering or expensive tools required, just wire, stones, and patience.
Pottery Glazing at Home: Guide to Ceramic Finishes
Transform your handmade pottery with beautiful glazes — learn the essential techniques, tools, and safety tips for stunning ceramic finishes at home.
Home Pottery Glazing: Simple Beginner Techniques
Transform plain bisque-ware into glossy, professional-looking pottery at home with these simple, beginner-friendly glazing techniques.
Your First Naked Raku: A Beginner's Guide to Ancient Firing
Discover the magic of naked raku — an ancient firing technique that reveals the clay's natural beauty through smoke, flame, and a little daring.
Piped Acrylic Paint Art: Create Gorgeous Dimensional Designs
Discover the mesmerizing art of piped acrylic paint — a low-cost technique that turns simple tubes of paint into stunning raised dimensional artwork on canvas.
Mastering Texture and Tone with Charcoal
Discover how to create rich texture and luminous tone in your charcoal drawings with techniques that work beautifully even when you only have twenty minutes.
4 Bold Jewelry Trends for 2026 That'll Make Any Outfit Fashionable
Discover the four most exciting jewelry trends of 2026 that are set to transform your accessories game—perfect for adding an instant high-fashion edge to any outfit, even if you’re a …
Polymer Clay Earrings: Beginners Guide to Trendy Jewelry
Learn polymer clay earring making from start to finish. Materials list, clay types, conditioning, shaping, baking, sanding, hardware, three project styles, and troubleshooting.
DIY Bag Charms with Beads: Make Custom Keychain Accessories
Learn to make beautiful DIY beaded bag charms with seed beads, crystals, and findings. Step-by-step tutorial with three designs: monogram initial, charm cluster, and tassel style.
Fabric Flowers: Turn Vintage Linens Into Blooming Works of Art
Transform vintage linens and worn-out denim into beautiful fabric flowers. Amelia Brooks shares her techniques, tips, and real stories from selling them at city art festivals.
Tin Can Treasures: Vintage-Inspired Aluminum Can Crafts
Turn everyday aluminum cans into charming vintage-style crafts with simple techniques—just a little creativity, a quiet moment, and mindful care for sharp edges.