Think Crafts Blog – Craft Ideas and Projects – CreateForLess

By Kid’s Craft Contributor, Gillian from the blog “Dried Figs and Wooden Spools”.

If your kids are like mine, you spend a lot of time in the fall looking at leaves. These days it takes us twice as long to walk anywhere because we have to stop at every leaf pile for a jump or a stomp, examine the red or orange or yellow leaves that have fallen to the ground since the day before, be awed by the color and the wonder of it all. Because fall is amazing, especially for kids but also for adults. So I’m willing to deal with extra long walks in order to get a chance to be a little amazed myself.

Although all the changing leaves in the neighbor hood fascinate my children, there is one standout that, fall or not, they will stop at every time. The Gingko tree.

I have to admit that I’m kind of fascinated by it too. The leathery leaves, the fan-like shape. The fact that, as my son never tires of pointing out, they were around in the time of the dinosaurs. Gingko leaves are just plain cool. And when they change in the fall, wow, do they put on a show.  Every walk produces pockets and handfuls of the buttery yellow leaves that MUST be brought home. SO last week I went with it and decided to make a gingko leaf wreath with my children’s (and my) favorite fall specimen.

My daughter and I took a bag out one morning after the dew had dried and gathered a pile of leaves from a long row of the trees a few blocks from our house. When we got home I started pulling out the biggest, most perfect leaves to set aside for the front and went to work on the sides of the wreath.

I covered the outside and inside edges of a foam wreath with overlapping, medium sized leaves and plenty of hot glue. The idea being that I wanted none of the green to show through but I also knew that the bigger leaves on the front would fan out to cover most of the sides anyway, so I didn’t worry too much about the pattern of style here.

Once the edges were covered I carefully glued the larger leaves to the front, alternating the direction and trimming the stems as needed to create the look I was after. In the end I got a beautifully colored, but not over the top wreath that sings fall every time I open my front door.

Just a few notes on the wreath: Because I start putting my winter decorations up at the end of November, I was not concerned about the longevity of the wreath. While gingko leaves hold their color well compared to most fall leaves, they will turn brown and brittle given time. If you want the wreath to last longer, I would suggest dipping the end of the stem (after they are trimmed to length) in glycerin before attaching them to the wreath.  Also, because this is a hot glue project be very careful if you plan on letting little fingers help out. My daughter was relegated to picking the leaves out of the bag and handing them to be to attached but older children who are capable of handling a low temp glue gun could do this project easily. Finally, it takes more leaves that you might think so make sure you get LOTS of leaves before you begin, because how irritating would it be to run out a few inches before your done. The same goes for glue sticks, as I found out attaching my next to last leaf. Grrr.

By Guest Blogger, Sparkle E. Glitter from the blog “Sparkle Studio”.

You might not think of glitter glue as a component of adult jewelry. I think I might change your mind with this beautiful falling leaves bracelet made with Big & Glitzy glitter glue. Big & Glitzy is the most amazing, sparkliest glitter glue available. It’s the big gun of glitter glue!

Just look at this leaf charm, the look is almost crystally….because Big & Glitzy is so chunky.

I made this bracelet in less than an hour, not including drying time. You can make this fast and easy bracelet too.

You need:

• 5 gold leaf charms (They are 1 1/4″ tall, but there were a lot of different leaf charms I could have used, I used these)
• Big & Glitzy Glitter Glue: Peridot, Nugget, Ruby, Coral
• gold chain link bracelet
• 5 gold jump rings
• 20-21 assorted size and shape crystal beads in fall colors
• gold craft wire
• round nose pliers
• chain nose pliers
• wire cutters

Try this:

1. Lay your charms on covered work surface. Cover the front of each charm with Big & Glitzy. Pile it on! Refer to Mother Nature’s work for ideas on how to color them in. Let charms dry.

2. Using two pair of pliers, hook the charms evenly across the bracelet with jump rings. Open the jump ring by twisting it open. String a charm on it, place it through the bracelet link, and twist it closed.

My five charms glittered up.

3. Wire wrap beads randomly to fill in the bracelet. If you have never done wire wrapping, google: wire wrapping a loop. There are many good tutorials available. You can also find instructions for wrapping a loop in the back of any jewelry magazine.

4. Humbly accept accolades from friends and family when wearing.

The completed bracelet. You could add more charms or beads if you like. This would also make a very pretty necklace. The great thing about using glitter glue for jewelry is that the glitter does not shed. And with Big & Glitzy, it is just as sparkly as loose glitter.

As they say in Texas, Happy Fall Ya’ll!

Glitter on,
Sparkle

By Kid’s Craft Contributor, Gillian from the blog “Dried Figs and Wooden Spools”.

Once upon a time I wore jewelry. Long, beady necklaces, dangly earrings, funky retro brooches. Then I had kids. Kids who wanted to be carried all the time and who loved to pull on earring (yowser!) strangle me with my necklace (gasp) or jab themselves with my brooch (Band-Aids anyone?) So these days I stick to bracelets and flower pins. Because, really, it’s hard to poke anyone’s eye out with a corduroy flower. 

And flower pins are easy to make. Which means that if I get bored of the one I’m currently sporting, or, say, someone small decides to repurpose it into a dollhouse decoration, another one is just a few snips away. 

The newest addition to my flower pin collection accomplishes two things, both of which needed to happen in my house. First, it finally puts to good use one of the (many) wool sweaters that I have accidentally washed in hot water but can’t bring myself to throw away. And second, being made of wool, make a nice, wintry compliment to my wardrobe, just in time for the cool weather to hit. 

If you don’t have a felted sweater handy (lucky you!) grab one at your favorite thrift shop next time you are passing. The size, shape and really condition don’t matter as long as you like the color. Bring it home and wash it on the hottest setting your machine has a few times until you can’t see the individual stitches anymore. Once it’s dry, your ready to start.

First, cut out a cardstock circle roughly the size you want the finished flower to be. Sketch petals inside the circle until you have a pattern that you like and carefully cut them out. Using the paper flower as a guide cut three (or more!) layers from your sweater.

If the sweater has a pattern, make sure you take that into consideration. The sweater I used had stripes that gradually darkened so I chose to cut the flowers out along the gradient so I would have different hued layers.

Because of the nature of the felted wool, the fabric won’t fray so you can cut very fine petals without the need for hemming. It also means that, other than a few stitches to tie the whole thing together, this is a no-sew project, always great in my book.

Stack the layers, adjusting their position to your preference and tack them together at the center with a few stitches. You can also put a few stitches into the backs of the top layer of petals to give the flower some extra dimension. Add a button on the top and a pin on the back and your set for winter. 

By Recycled Craft Contributor, Anitra from the blog “Coffee Pot People”.

I’m told the average woman tries on sixteen pairs of jeans to find a single pair that fit properly. I’ve lived that, and a whole lot of other women I know have, too. So when my favorite jeans sprang an air leak across the knee, it was nothing short of a disaster.

I sat and looked at the raggedy tear, and sighed. Looks like a great big old mouth, I thought. And then I smiled. I couldn’t wait to get busy patching them.

Here’s what you’ll need to do the same:

• Buttons
• Beads
• Scrap of red fabric
• Thread

Do you see faces? I’ve been playing with my buttons and beads! Buttons with beads in their centers for eyes, a triangular bead for a nose, ring beads and metal spacers as another eye option–raid your sewing and bead boxes, use your imagination, and have fun!

Then you can get down to business. Measure the tear you’re going to patch.

Cut a piece of red fabric that’s about 1/2″ larger all around than the tear in the jeans. If it looks like the fabric will fray, finish the edge with a row of stitching, or use something like Fray-check on the raw edges. Then turn the jeans leg inside-out, and pin the patch in place.

Make sure you haven’t pinned through both layers of the jeans leg, and sew all the way around the patch. (Optional: Blow mental kisses and hugs in the general direction of whoever invented free-arm sewing machines!) Again, make sure you’re sewing through just the patch and the torn jeans layer.

Now, ordinarily, you’d want to sew as close to the tear as you could, and you’d want to make it as invisible as possible, but don’t do that this time. You’re creating a mouth, and you want the red to show, and even gape open a bit when the knee bends, so sew near the edge of the patch.

Turn the jeans right side out, and play some more. Lay them flat and arrange your selection of beads and buttons to create a monster face. When you’ve decided on one you look, lightly mark the placement with a pencil, and sew in place by hand, using sturdy thread.

I haven’t actually finished my jeans yet. I can’t decide which face to use!

Yesterday we sat down and looked over all the entries for this year’s Handmade Halloween Costume Contest by CreateForLess. We had so many creative entries that it was very difficult to choose the winners!

1st Place Winner of $150 CreateForLess gift card goes to:

Alexandria H. from Centerville, TN

I made this costume for my niece who loves to wear dresses. There are six parts to it. The chemise is made of cotton broadcloth with white lace around the neckline that had the scalloped edge dyed bright pink. The stays are made from a heavy cotton fabric with a dark burgundy jacobean print on it, trimmed with green ribbon and gold binding. The paniers are made from pink taffeta. The dress is made of ivory antique satin with an embroidered stomacher, and ruching edged with green ribbon. The stomacher is beaded with pearls and decorated with gold buckles through which ribbon was passed. The sleeves are trimmed with a wide lace which had the scalloped edge dyed pink. Hand made embroidered appliques are scattered along the ruching and the sleeves. The necklace is made from the matching embroidered satin and edged in green ribbon with a pink bow and buckle in the center. The mask was made to match the dress and was constructed of paper mache, covered in ivory satin, decorated with white and silver glitter, edged with handbraided silver trim and finished off with white feathers and an embroidered applique flower.

2nd Place Winner of $100 CreateForLess gift card goes to:

Anthony L. from Northglenn, CO

I created this custom from plastic and rivets. It is Ironman from the movie and comic series. I used a lot of hot glue, and LED lights.

3rd Place Winner of $50 CreateForLess gift card goes to:

Melinda D. from Coralville, IA

My 3 year old daughter decided that she wanted to be Hello Kitty for Halloween and I decided to go for “Mom of the Year”! I started by sculpting the head shape out of high density foam. I used an electric knife to cut the foam. Next I sewed a fuzzy white cover to fit. I used a small amount of doll/toy stuffing to fill in the ears and round out the cover to give it a very smooth face. I made a “breathing and vision” section out of sheer white fabric to show a finished look. I attached the eyes, nose and whiskers next. The final step was to sew and attach the green bow to match Hello Kitty’s dress. Her outfit is a white pair of tights, a white turtleneck, a simple green dress and a pair of white gloves. My daughter is so excited to go trick or treating and show it off at her preschool Halloween party!

Honorable Mentions:  

I’m Expecting Barbie, it was hard to find maternity Halloween costumes so I decided to make this one.
Supplies:
Cardboard Box, front panel & arm holes cut out
Hot Pink Wrapping Paper
Shrink Wrap (just up to neck)
Ink Jet Printed Logos & Text
Pink Dress
Blond Wig
Pink Accessories

Submitted by: Christina F. from Burnsville, MN

What costume could be “Sweeter” than everyone’s favorite childhood treat?? That would have to be a BIG HOMEMADE Chocolate CUPCAKE!! Our sweet daughter, Rachel, dreamed only of being a fluffy white Cupcake for Halloween this year. So we Frosted her with fluffy white fabric, covered her in sparkly RAINBOW SPRINKLES and topped it off with a HOT PINK CHERRY! The only thing missing from this picture is the delicious Cupcake body lotion she is wearing to even make her smell of the sweet goodness! With lots of creative thought and hard work we made her sweet dream, of being a Yummy Cupcake, come true!

Submitted by: Jennifer P. from Northville, MI

This is a Civil War era dress I created from two fashion times, one 1863 and the other, 1866. I drafted my own pattern in order to capture the exact look I was going for, and I used iridescent green taffeta, creamy striped organza, and matching satin taffeta for the pleated trim. I finished it off with hand-looped pearl beads centered in the gathers of the skirt, and pearl jewelry appropriate to the time.

Submitted by: Jacqueline H. from Centerville, TN

Click here to view more of our favorite entries on our Facebook Page!

Please welcome guest blogger Tracey from “Imagine That Quilts” and the blog “Peppermint Patcher”.

Have you ever considered using photographs as a means to personalize a quilt?

There are products on the market that allow you to use your own home printer to print directly onto special fabric sheets. You can print any photograph from your computer onto these fabric sheets. Once you’ve done that you can use the fabric like any other and cut it, stitch it into or appliqué it onto a quilt.

There are several points you should consider before printing your photos onto these fabric sheets.

1. Check the size of your photographs. The fabric sheets generally come in the same sizes as paper that can be fed through a printer. Make sure that your photograph is not bigger than this size. You may need to take the photo file into some photo manipulation software to do this.
2. Look at the contrast levels in your photo. If your photo is very dark or very light you may not be able to see it well once it prints onto the fabric sheet. Again using photo manipulation software can help with this. It may also help to make the photograph black and white. This allows you to easily see the contrast.
3. If you plan to stitch the photograph into a patchwork make sure you leave plenty of seam allowance around the photograph. Don’t just leave the traditional quarter inch as this doesn’t leave any room for error. Give yourself at least half an inch, just to be sure.
4. If you are using a fussy, patterned fabric around the photo consider adding a border around your photograph before printing. Most photo manipulation software will allow you to add a border around your photos. You can add a narrow border before printing to give the outline of the photograph definition. It’s easier to do this before printing than it is to stitch a narrow strip of fabric around the photo.

Now don’t just assume that because cameras take rectangular photos that you have to put rectangles into your quilt. Why not think outside the square and unleash your creativity? You can fussy cut around a photo printed onto fabric.  In the same way that you might fussy cut around a print on a quilting fabric to create an appliquéd scene you can create an appliquéd scene around a photo.

I take photos of children’s faces and print those onto fabric. At Imagine That Quilts you can see how I use appliqué those faces onto bodies and create imaginary scenes around them. My nephew becomes a pirate, my niece a fairy. This makes a highly personalized quilt. These quilts are loved and adored by their recipients!

So why not give it a try? Follow the directions provided with the fabric sheets and make some quilts that are truly unique!

General Crafts Contributor Amy, from the Blog “Mod Podge Rocks!”

The gifty time of year is here – fall has begun, and your presence is required at many a cookie exchange, autumn get together or holiday bash.  It was only in my twenties that I discovered the delight of hostess gifts, and now I give them religiously.  When I can, I prefer to give handmade hostess gifts, and so I created these mini canvases to give to my friends.  A lot of my pals have craft rooms or just good taste (hee!) and like to receive little surprises from me that they can decorate their spaces with.  I aim to please.

These gift canvases are my style, but please adopt them to fit your own (or the hostess’s).  All you need is two hours before you have to be somewhere, and you’ll have enough time to whip up a fantastic little treasure for the hostess.  She’ll love it.

First you’ll need to gather these supplies:

• Canvases – I used 4″ x 4″
• FolkArt Acrylic Paint, coordinating colors
• Mod Podge Gloss, 8 oz.
• Scrapbook paper, 1 sheet per canvas – I used K & Company’s Berry Sweet papers
• Embellishments – I used K & Company’s Berry Sweet collection, as well as a few buttons and rhinestones from my stash
• Craft Glue
• Flat Paint Brush
• Craft Knife and Mat
• Ruler

Start by trimming your paper to fit the canvases.  My craft mat had a ruler guide so I was able to quickly measure and cut a 4″ x 4″ square.  If your mat doesn’t, simply measure with a ruler.  This is the easiest cutting you’ll ever do – I whipped out three 4″ x 4″ squares from three different pieces of paper in about five minutes!  Set the paper squares aside.

Paint your canvases with the acrylic paint and flat paint brush.  You don’t have to paint the entire top of the canvas since you’ll be applying paper over it.  Get the sides well and don’t forget the back.  I applied three coats to each canvas.  Allow them to dry.

Now that each canvas is dry, apply the Mod Podge.  Use a medium layer and coat the entire top – don’t forget to cover the corners well. 

Apply the paper and smooth it down thoroughly with your fingers or a brayer.  I even turned the canvas over and smoothed it down that way.  If Mod Podge comes out the sides, that is fine – simply wipe it away with your brush.  Apply the papers to all canvases and allow to dry for 15 – 20 minutes.

Now add the embellishments with craft glue.  Get creative!  You probably have about an hour left before your party, so get together some buttons and random embellishments from your stash.  Attach them with the glue and allow to dry while you continue to get ready.  Right before you leave, throw everything in a bag and have a great time!