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Novice crafter? There’s a project for that!

By WTOP Staff

ANNE D’INNOCENZIO
AP Retail Writer

NEW YORK (AP) — Inspired by that colorful homemade gingerbread on Instagram or the hand-painted coasters on Pinterest, but worried about your skills?

Don’t fret. Craft stores and websites are targeting novice crafters this holiday season and beyond with how-to online videos and projects that don’t take hours to make.

Part of the push is an attempt to cater to millennials, those who were born between the early 1980s and the late 1990s. Many in this generation feel inspired by what they see online but don’t have the time, skills or money for complicated projects.

Take Michaels, the nation’s largest arts and crafts chain. It’s changed its online video strategy to better appeal to beginners and is offering tips to make holiday decorating easy.

It’s also expanding its class offering to include such areas as holiday decor and cake decorating.

Jo-Ann Fabric and Craft Stores Inc. created a new page last month called www.joann.com/holiday-gifts , to make it easier to shop for projects. It’s also highlighting projects that take less than an hour.

“People want to be creative. We just have to help them realize their dream,” said Steve Carlotti, Michaels’ executive vice president of marketing.

Meanwhile, Nicole Farb, a former investment banker, launched Darby Smart in January 2013 to create kits that take Pinterest dreams and make them an attainable reality.

Darby Smart finds craft creators on Pinterest and elsewhere on the Web and then packages their ideas into kits so anyone can make the projects. The designers get a cut of the sale.

For the holidays, you can order a gingerbread house kit for $29 or stocking kits for $19. Projects range in price from $19 to $49.

Farb says her biggest customers are those in the 29-to-35 age group.

Here are some tips to get you started:

GET INSPIRATION: To get into the holiday craft spirit, seek ideas at stores, on social sites such as Pinterest and YouTube, and in magazines.

On Nov. 20, Jo-Ann is launching a holiday hub called share.joann.com that will feature projects from some of the most influential bloggers, a social media feed of projects its customers have created, and inspiration developed by its internal team based on the season’s trends.

To share your projects, just hashtag them with #makeitgiveit on Instagram, says Nicole Long, manager of inspiration at Jo-Ann.

For more inspiration, click on Cre8time.org, which was started by the CHA Foundation, an arm of the Craft & Hobby Association trade group. It provides a forum to share crafting experiences.

STICK TO THE LIST: Make a list of supplies and buy just those, says Nadine Schwartz, director of sales at the Craft & Hobby Association, because impulse items can be tempting.

Another good rule: Buy tools you’ll use on more than one project.

Darby Smart’s Farb says she has learned that the more popular do-it-yourself kits have been those that offered tools that can be used again. This season, Darby Smart has a $29 rust wood ornament kit that includes a wood burning hot pen.

ENROLL IN CLASS: Check out classes on the websites of Michaels and Jo-Ann.

Jo-Ann’s beginner classes cost $35 and last 2 1/2 hours. Michaels’ Carlotti says that its classes at the stores are increasingly catering to the entire family. Classes feature such topics as paper crafting and crocheting. The cost ranges from $5 to $50 for select fine arts classes.

Michaels is also starting to offer classes online and making its YouTube videos more instructive.

“We are a big believer in education,” Chuck Rubin, Michaels CEO told investors in September. “It’s good for the enthusiast. It’s critical for the novice customer.”

SEARCH FOR BARGAINS ONLINE: This year, you have more options to compare prices online. Michaels expanded into e-commerce this year for the first time. It has about 15,000 items available online. Meanwhile, Amazon.com has increased its craft selection by more than 25 percent.

TURN CRAFTING INTO FAMILY TIME: Kiwi Crate, usually a subscription service, offers craft projects for the kids. For the holidays, it sells kits you can buy without a subscription, ranging from $9.95 to $17.95. Holiday kits include a cardboard gingerbread house that comes with such materials as felt sheets, glue, pipe cleaners and tissue paper squares.

RECYCLE WHAT YOU HAVE: Michael Londrigan, dean of academic affairs at LIM College, a fashion college in New York, says to look around your house and garage for scraps of wood, yarn or other items to come up with materials for projects. Or go to flea markets.

Last year, Londrigan said he made 12 birdhouses for friends featuring roofs made of folded license plates that transformed into roofs when folded. Each license plate he used was from a state where his friends lived.

“It’s about personalizing the gift so there’s a memory attached to it,” he said.

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Follow Anne D’Innocenzio at –http://www.Twitter.com/adinnocenzio

Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Don’t Settle for Student Loans to Pay for Online Education

By WTOP Staff
Online college programs are becoming a more popular choice for prospective students, with one study finding that more than 6 million students enrolled in at least one online course in fall 2015. The popularity of these courses can be attributed in part to their flexibility with working adults' schedules, students' ability to progress more quickly through online programs and, oftentimes, cheaper tuition. [See 10 low-cost online bachelor's programs for out-of-state students.]Online degrees can be beneficial to many college students, but some studies have shown online learners complete their programs at lower rates than students at traditional brick-and-mortar campuses. Individuals with student loans but no degree comprise two-thirds of defaulted borrowers. Though these numbers are not encouraging, just like for traditional programs, there are ways to reduce how much you'll need to borrow for an online program to ensure you won't become one of these statistics. Don't just settle on borrowing student loans to cover the whole cost of your program and living expenses. Instead, start thinking about how to cut costs and cover your balance in different ways, such as the following. -- Grants and scholarships: Even though you are taking an online course, you can still apply and receive grants and scholarships. But your first step should be to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, commonly referred to as the FAFSA, which will allow you to receive a Pell Grant if your expected family contribution is low enough. The EFC criteria and award amounts are adjusted annually, but the 2017-2018 academic year awards range from $606 to $5,920, which could significantly lower the amount you borrow annually. Your next step is to apply for scholarships. You can start by checking online scholarship search engines, such as the Salt Scholarship Search, College Board's BigFuture and Peterson's. But don't forget to take advantage of local organizations and your school's financial aid office. Both may offer scholarships that you can't find with a national scholarship search. [Review these 10 sites to kick off your scholarship search.]For instance, organizations like the Elks Club, Knights of Columbus or the Rotary Club typically offer scholarships annually to local students. Just because you're going to school online doesn't mean you're ineligible. Visit your local library for scholarship listings, and ask around town. You might be surprised how many local organizations offer scholarships. While these scholarships typically aren't large, every little bit counts. Each dollar you receive in a scholarship is a dollar you don't have to borrow and pay interest on. -- Work-study: Another option for online students may be work-study awards. Not all students enrolled in online programs are eligible, but students at some schools -- including, for example, SUNY Empire State College and Liberty University -- are. Work-study awards are not given upfront like scholarships and grants. In most cases, they are an offer to earn up to the awarded amount if you secure an eligible work-study job. While there is a misconception that all work-study jobs must be on campus, students can work for off-campus, nonprofit or public employers as long as the work is in the public's interest. You may be able to work for a for-profit employer if the job is relevant to your course of study. No matter who the outside employer is, it will need to have an established agreement with your college for you to receive work-study funds. Remember, to be eligible for federal financial aid, you must be enrolled and pursuing a degree or certificate. If you're not working toward a credential, Pell Grants and work-study won't be option, but you may still be able to take advantage of private scholarships -- just be sure to read the eligibility criteria carefully. [Explore what to know about financial aid in online programs.]-- Pay as you go: One of the great benefits to enrolling online is the flexible schedule, which can allow you to complete your college coursework around your responsibilities. But prospective students often overlook using their part- or full-time job earnings as an option for paying for college. Almost 80 percent of college students in 2015 worked at least part time while attending classes, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. By budgeting and thinking strategically about your college costs, you can likely reduce your dependence on student loans by paying a portion out of pocket. Many -- but not all -- online programs are less expensive than traditional programs and often have shorter payment periods. Six, eight or 10 weeks are common course durations. Because of the frequency of payments in an online setting, you may be well-placed to pay as you go and possibly avoid borrowing altogether. Attending college online and avoiding student loans may be challenging, but if you are willing to put in the effort, you can limit the amount you need to borrow. More from U.S. News Q&A: Understanding Student Loan Discharge Eligibility Student Loan Refinancing Isn't Right for All Borrowers
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