Think Crafts Blog – Craft Ideas and Projects – CreateForLess

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

Because my two kids, a boy – 7 and a girl – 3, share a room, our decorating scheme walks a fine line between girl and boy, between little kid and big. I’ve been a little weary of hanging much art so far, finding everything too one way or the other. But I also get tired of blank walls very quickly, so this week I decided it was time to tackle the wall above their beds. We needed color and fun and something they each loved. And in the end, their favorite books seemed like a good place to start. I should also say that this decision also happened to come about after picking up the dustcovers from those favorite book off the floor one too many times.

If your kids are like mine, they have very little use for dust jackets, and since I try to buy hardback copies of books that I suspect will get a lot of use, we have a lot of them hanging around. Sometimes they stay on the books and gradually disintegrate, eventually being sucked up bit by bit through weekly vacuuming. Sometimes I pull them off right away and tuck them in a cupboard where they sit, taking up space. This is, I think, a better solution than either of the two.

Here’s what you need:

5-6 sheets of scrapbooking paper in coordinating colors (and coordinating with your dust jackets)
Book dust jackets of various sizes
Old frames in various sized
spray paint
foam
Mod Podge
Sewing machine
Ribbon
Paper cutter

Start by matching your dust jackets to frames, deciding which look best where. Paint the frames to match the color scheme of the paper you have chosen and/or the bedroom decor. You can either keep the glass in the frames or choose to leave it out all together. I choose to leave it out, just in case jumping on the bed led to pictures falling on the floor or heads!

Cut a piece of foam core to fit into the back of each frame snugly.

Trim the dust cover neatly so that you have an even rectangle or square of just the front. Reserve the scraps.

Cut and piece the scrapbooking paper so that it covers the edges of the foam core just slightly more than the gap between the dust jacket and the edge of the frame.

Using Mod Podge (I’ll refer you to our own Mod Podge Amy for her excellent tips) decoupage the paper and then the dust jacket onto the foam core.

Once dry, pop your new art into the frames, securing with a staple gun or tape.

With the remaining paper and the scraps of the dust jackets, help your children cut even triangles (or, if they dont feel like a geometry lesson, you could do it yourself). Cut two lengths of ribbon for the beginning and end of the bunting.

Help your children decide on an order for the triangles to fall in the bunting, stacking them from first to last in a pile.

At your sewing machine, place the end of one piece of ribbon under the starting edge of the first triangle and start stitching using a straight stitch and a 1/4 inch seam allowance. As each triangle is done, run the next through, leaving only a few stitches between each. Sew the second piece of ribbon to the back of the last triangle and back stitch to secure.

Using the ribbons as hangers and arranging the art and bunting across the wall, hang your new kids art and stand back to admire. When your kids fall out of love with one book and in with another, or you just need a change, you can decoupage a new dustjacket right on top of the old ones, creating an up to day display of their reading habits.

Our question for Free Stuff Friday was: It’s almost Valentine’s day, so tell us about your first Valentine!

Typically we choose the winner of Free Stuff Friday by randomly selecting a winner, but this week our winner was chosen by a nomination from Viktoria because her story was sweet and inspiring.

The winning comment was from:

Vie – The one that stands out in my mind goes back many years. My hubby and I were going through a very hard time in our marriage. I did not know if we would make it to our next anniversary. On valentines day, I got up early for work, he was still sleeping. I left a card for him. When I got to my truck he had decorated it with ribbons and hearts and a big card inside that said HONEY BE MY VALENTINE PLEASE  and then it said in tiny, little letters (FAKE IT TILL WE MAKE IT). I looked up and he was standing there with a smile on and nothing else !! Well we lasted 27 years more..

Vie will receive this Amber Bracelet Kit by Janlynn. Create the look of a high-priced collectible bracelet, for only a fraction of the cost! These designer inspired beads will fit on any charm bracelet, and you can arrange the beads anyway you like! The EZ-Bead clasp lets you change the beads at any time, with no tools necessary. Kit includes 7 handmade glass beads, 8 lead-free/nickel-free metal beads, 7.5″ bracelet featuring EZ-Bead clasp and one jewelry pouch.

TGIF! Celebrate Friday by entering to win! Enter to win this Amber Bracelet Kit by Janlynn. Create the look of a high-priced collectible bracelet, for only a fraction of the cost! These designer inspired beads will fit on any charm bracelet, and you can arrange the beads anyway you like! The EZ-Bead clasp lets you change the beads at any time, with no tools necessary. Kit includes 7 handmade glass beads, 8 lead-free/nickel-free metal beads, 7.5″ bracelet featuring EZ-Bead clasp and one jewelry pouch.

Every Friday we’re posting a giveaway on Think Crafts. All you have to do to enter is comment on the blog post answering the question of the week. We’ll pick the winners and contact them via email. One entry per person please.

Question of the Week: It’s almost Valentine’s day, so tell us about your first Valentine!

If the comment box is not below, scroll to the top and click “comments”.

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

Years ago, when my husband and I were first married, we had a little verbal routine. I would say, “I love you,” and he would say, “Well, I sure don’t know why.”  And then I’d list several reasons I loved him.

One day, I decided to clear things up for him, once and for all. It took an afternoon, but the book I created that day still sits on his nightstand, and every now and then he goes through it again. It was undoubtedly the best Valentine I ever gave him.

Here’s how you can make your own “Book of Love”:

• Get one of those photo albums that holds just one photo per page in a clear sleeve.
• Gather a stack of magazines and other picture-rich papers, a pair of scissors, a pen or pencil, and something to write on. (I used a scrap of wallpaper that was printed with narrow blue and white stripes.)
• Look through your magazines to find pictures that illustrate things you love about your dear one, and cut them out, sliding each one into a sleeve of the album.
• Write a caption for each picture and put it in the corresponding sleeve.

My first picture, a favorite Mary Engelbreit card, I taped to the inside cover of the book, using packing tape that completely covered it.

The first sleeve held only this:

Then I started filling sleeves:

What was fun and interesting was that I often let a picture inspire me. I might not have thought of it otherwise, but I adore the way my sweetie looks in a tuxedo, something that came to me when I saw this:

A spur put me in mind of the way he “spurred me on” to try harder, do more, and believe in myself. People bouncing around at a dining table reminded me of his playfulness. There were a number of pages praising his physical attributes and romantic skills, including a few that made the book something I wouldn’t share with just anybody, but which certainly pleased him.

And there were occasional small jokes, like the way he’d follow a compliment about my cooking with, “but then, I was REALLY hungry!” (You’d have to be there. It really was funny, the way he said it.)

I didn’t decorate the outside at all. It never even occurred to me, but it was already pretty. Still that might be something you’d want to do.

The book, when it was finished, held 36 pictures and captions, and ended with a quote, “Loving you is knowing dreams can come true.”

Oh, and I left empty sleeves. It’s a lovely little surprise to add another reason to love.

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

If your child, well let’s be frank, you son, is REALLY opposed to gushy valentines, try this little project. This can actually be done with any old image and is a fabulous last minute Valentine or last minute ANYTIME gift bag. Although I used smaller white bags here, I’ve also done this with plain old lunch bags for a quick wrapping idea and try to hang onto any paper bags that come my way to reuse this way as wrapping.

Here’s what you need:

Paper bags small enough to fit in your printer – here I used 4 5/8 x8 5/8
Paper
Markers
Printer
Something to stuff in the bag (candy is always a good choice!)

Have your child draw their image. For this valentine I had my son draw a series of monsters from a “How to Draw Monsters” book. After looking through his drawings we picked the one he liked best and I scanned in into my computer.

Open a new word document  on your computer and adjust the page size to the size of your bag. Measure the lower end of the bag when it is folded flat up to where the bottom folds up. This will be your bottom margin. If you print over where the bottom folds up it tends to blur the ink.  Insert the image from your scan, resizing as needed by dragging the corner in and up. Add your text in a fun font. Abstract Fonts is a great source for fun, free fonts.

Insert the bag into your printer fed, right side down and with the end of the bag away from the printer. Adjust the paper feed to fit the bag and print away. These are super cute straight out of the printer but even more special colored in by your little artist.

What kind of Valentines will your kids be making this year?

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

We all know what day is coming soon – Valentine’s Day!  You don’t need a spouse or significant other to show your love for someone.  In fact, I made this recycled gift box for my mom!  She’s always supported and been there for me, and to show my love I got her a gift card for a pedicure.  To make the presentation delightful, I took a candy box from Christmas and dressed it up a bit.  You won’t believe how easy this to make, and it just takes a few minutes.

To make it, gather these supplies:

Old gift/candy/other box

K&Company Paper Pad 12×12 Designer Lovely

K&Company Grand Adhesions Kazoo Animals & Words

EK Jolee’s 3D Stickers Bling Large Gems Red

Glue Dots Craft Clear 1/2″ 200 pc Box

Glitter silver foam letters

Scalloped Scissors

Pen or Pencil

Here’s the box before I started.  I was lucky that it was already red and cute.  If you aren’t as lucky, add some acrylic craft paint into the mix (FolkArt).  Paint your box before you move onto the next step.

Place the top of the box face down on the backside of the paper (select a piece that matches your box) and trace.  Set the box aside.

Cut inside the line with the scalloped scissors – make sure you have even edges, even if you have to trim a little extra off.

Use your Glue Dots to line the backside of the paper.  I probably used about 10 – 15 Glue Dots and got around the edges.  I didn’t put one on every scallop, just about every inch.  I also put a few in the middle.  Place the paper down on the top of the box in the center, and make sure to press down well.

This is the most fun part!  Stick down the embellishments, including the letters and the red gems.  Pick whatever you like and looks good!

I can’t wait to give this to my mom – she’s going to love it.  The best part?  When she’s done with the box, she can redecorate it and give it again.  I love recycled crafts!  Happy Valentine’s Day!