Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities

Learn about quilting fabrics

Information on using discarded pieces of furniture in new ways, making pop-up cards and selecting fabrics for quilts will be the featured topics on “Creative Living” on Tuesday at 9:30 p.m. and on Thursday at noon. (All times are Mountain.)

Bruce Johnson is in Upper Saddle River, New Jersey. He says that funky and functional charm are the buzzwords today, and he’ll share a couple of ways to find new uses for discarded pieces, such as ladders and old drawers. He’ll show how to turn these items into towel racks, centerpieces and even a new wall display.

Atma Khalsa is a designer, and she’s going to show how to incorporate three lovepops together to tell a story. She’ll also show a large variety of pre-made lovepop cards that can be used in a keepsake book for special occasions. The company is located in Boston, Massachusetts.

For many people, selecting the right fabrics for quilts is the biggest hurdle. Marci Baker will show how to pick fabrics so you’ll know that it will look great when you are finished. She’ll go over values, a palette of colors and show how to use a color wheel with a viewing window to aid in the process. Baker’s company is in Fort Collins, Colorado.

Information on the importance of quilt labels, basic scrapbooking tips and card making ideas will be the featured topics on “Creative Living” on Tuesday at noon and on Saturday at 2 p.m.

Kathy Bowers is a quilter and an author, and she explains that a quilt label is necessary to preserve history, as well as record who made the quilt and the date. It is also a way for the quilter to make a statement by repeating an element of the quilt top, and she'll show how to do this. Bowers lives in Kelso, Washington.

Tyleen Caffrey, an independent scrapbooking consultant, will explain what the basic products, terminology and project ideas are in terms of scrapbooking, and tell how to get started without burning a hole in your pocket. Caffrey lives in Clovis.

Crafting expert Maria Nerius will show what’s hot in paper crafts and card making, including papers, card blanks, card styles, punches, stamps, inks and liquid laminates, just to name a few. She lives in Palm Bay, Florida.

Unexpected wood decor

Funky and functional charm is the buzzword today, so here are a couple of ways to find new uses for discarded pieces.

An old ladder = a new towel rack

1. Cut a section off an old wooden ladder to either hang on your bathroom or kitchen wall or to lean against it.

2. Clean and sand to remove any rough edges.

3. (optional) Drill holes in the tops for a heavy cord to hang it on the wall.

4. Apply two coats of a clear finish.

An old drawer = a new centerpiece

1. Clean all sides of the drawer.

2. Stain and finish any unfinished sides to match the front.

3. Fill with Mason jars to hold any assortment of items: flowers, napkins or candles on your dining room table, or cooking utensils on your kitchen counter.

An old drawer = a new wall display

1. Clean all sides of the drawer.

2. Stain and finish any unfinished sides to match the front.

3. Measure and cut narrow strips of wood to create shelves and dividers in whatever arrangement you desire. Attach thin strips of wood to the inside of the drawer to create shelf supports. Stain and finish the dividers and shelves to match the drawer.

4. Hang on your wall or stand on a piece of furniture, then fill with small items.

“Creative Living” is produced and hosted by Sheryl Borden. The show is carried by more than 118 PBS stations in the United States, Canada, Guam and Puerto Rico and is distributed by Westlink, Albuquerque.