Think Crafts Blog – Craft Ideas and Projects – CreateForLess

By DCWV Diary

We can’t forget about Valentines Day! It’s one of my favorite days to craft for. I created a darling decoration this weekend using our Be Mine Stack.

 It is gorgeous and a timeless, classic, gorgeous Valentines line.

 Look how pretty a plaque of wood can be! I found this new easel and have decided to craft something for it for each season. I had my husband cut me a scrap piece of wood leftover from a project. It is about 10 inches wide and 12 inches tall. I painted it and then sanded & stained it.

I used doilies and paper from the Be Mine Stack to make a 3D decoration. I folded the hearts in half and hot glued them down right on the folded part. I hand cut the hearts with pinking sheers because I didn’t want them to be perfect! I love how it turned out. I painted the “love” but you could also add alphabet stickers instead. Something about Valentines and handmade things just make me smile

By Guest Blogger Diane, from the blog Charmingly Creative.

Remember your sweetie for Valentine’s Day on February 14th!

Time to Complete: 10 minutes

What You’ll need:

• Any Cuttlebug 5″ X 7″ embossing folder ( I used Kassie’s Brocade)
• Any Martha Stewart Edge Punch – (I used Embossed Trefoil Hearts)
• Any Fiskars 4-in-1 or 3-in-1 corner punch
• Spellbinders Nestabilities Classic Scalloped Hearts Die (Use #4 & #3)
• Spellbinders Heartfelt Creations- Layered Elegant Swirl Die
• Dark Pink, Black, Polka Dot and White cardstock
• Cuttlebug machine
• Spellbinders Grand Calibur
• Bone folder
• Rotary cutter
• Judikins Diamond Glaze or Sakura 3-D Crystal Lacquer Glaze
• Art Institute Transparent Glitter ( I used Pink)
• Art Institute Glitter Designer Dries Clear Glue, Ranger Inkssentials Wonder Tape Roll 1/8 or glue dots
• 3D glue dots
• Wax paper

Instructions:

Trim white cardstock with Rotary cutter to 8″x10″. Score the cardstock in the middle at the 5″ line and use a bone folder to crease the edge of paper to form card 5″ x 8″.

Trim Dark Pink cardstock 4 ¾” x 7 ¾” and Trim Polka cardstock 4 ½” x 7 ½” then attach Polka on top of Dark Pink and attach to front of card with Wonder Tape. Run Black cardstock with Layered Elegant Swirl die through Grand Calibur machine according to manufactures directions. (I place a small piece of wax paper down first, then die and finally cardstock so it does not stick to intricate details).

Trim a piece of Dark Pink cardstock to 4 ¾” X 2 ½” use edge punch on one side only. Place punched cardstock in embossing folder and run through machine.

The Heart dies come in 6 sizes: You only need the following two:

• 3: 2⅛” x 2¼”
• 4: 2¾” x 3″

Use Black cardstock for the largest Scalloped Heart die and run through machine using the Spellbinders instructions to cut & emboss the detail into the die shape. Take Dark Pink cardstock and remaining heart die and run through machine. Place Pink heart into Cuttlebug embossing folder and run through machine. Coat Dark Pink heart with Sakura 3-D Crystal Lacquer Glaze and sprinkle on Pink glitter set aside to dry.

Trim a piece of Pink cardstock to about 2 ¼” x 1 ½” for label, use corner punch on edges. Run the words Happy Valentine’s Day through your printer and trim to fit Pink label, punch corners glue in place. Glue Elegant Swirl piece slightly under Dark Pink embossed cardstock, center and glue on card. Use 3 D dots to attach Pink heart to front of Black heart. Attach to card. To complete card attach label to bottom right corner.

By Guest Bloggers Melissa + Kellie, from the blog Icing Designs.

Here is a fun way to dress up your Valentine’s Day cupcakes! This is also a great treat for your little munchkins to help with! What could be better than getting to eat your cupcake and the topper!?!

Just make a regular batch of Rice Krispie treats. Then use a mini heart cookie cutter to cut out little hearts. Stick a lollipop stick into the center of them and leave the hearts out for a few hours to let them harden a bit. 

(If you dip them in the chocolate right away they will fall apart.) Melt some chocolate candy melts in the color of your choice and simply dip your mini hearts in and cover completely! Gently shake off the excess chocolate and set them on a piece of parchment paper…add some sprinkles to dress them up a bit. Let them dry and then stick them into your cupcakes!

By Craft Celebrity Mark Montano, from the blog Mark Montano’s Big Ass Blog.

How many sweaters do you have in your drawer that you really should toss but don’t because you think you might wear them again? My guess is at least three. Well, I’ve got a way to make more room in your dresser and put those sweaters to use. I guarantee these Sweeter Sweater Gloves, when made with girly sweaters in pretty colors and matching knit gloves, will not only be warm, but also very glamorous.

YOU’LL NEED:

• Sweater you’re about to toss
• Scissors (Fiskars are the BEST!)
• One pair of knit gloves
• Straight pins
• Sewing machine with matching thread (I love my BERNINA)

HERE’S HOW

Evenly cut off the sleeves of the sweater in a length you like. If you want your gloves to end at the elbow, then cut them off at the elbow. Pull the cutoff sleeves up your arms by the cuffs. The cuffs of the sweater should be tight enough to keep them in place on your upper arms. But, if they’re not, pinch them and see how much you will need to take in. Also see how much, if any, you will have to take in the sweater sleeves at the wrist. If you do need to take in the sleeves, do so by gathering the extra material along the seam of the sweater and stitching, and then cut off the excess.

Turn the sleeves inside out and place the gloves in the end that you cut off, matching up the openings (the fingers of the gloves should be pointed toward the sweater cuff end).

Place a couple of straight pins in the openings to hold the gloves in place.

Sew the raw edge of the sleeve to the opening of the glove using a 1/2″ seam allowance.

IMPORTANT: Make sure you stretch the fabric while you’re sewing so that the glove opening stretches when you put them on. Turn the sleeves right side out.

By Guest Bloggers Melissa + Kellie, from the blog Icing Designs.

Not sure what it is, maybe it’s because Valentine’s Day is near, but we are loving all things wedding right now! Of course we love when brides incorporate DIY projects into their weddings, it makes things seem so personalized and special. We are just loving the idea of a fabric corsages! They are just as beautiful, if not more, than using real flowers. What a fashionable gift/keepsake to give your bridesmaids or flowergirl! If you are not a corsage person, wear it as a bracelet!

Here’s a tutorial to make your own Fabric Corsage!

By Dondi Richardson from the FloraCraft Make It: Fun Blog.

This Styrofoam glider is a fun weekend project to do with your kids. (Get them into crafting earlier!) Project includes a template for the glider. Easy to make and fun to decorate, plus you can see how far it will fly!

Supplies:

FloraCraft Foam: Four – Sheets, ½”x12″x12″

Other Materials:

• Acrylic Paint
• Dimensional Fabric Paint
• Toothpicks
• Glider Template

Tools:

• Design It: Foam Cutter or Serrated Knife
• Low-Temp Glue Gun and glue sticks
• Paint Brushes: wide flat brush and detailing brush
• Paper (for templates)
• Black Marker
• ½” Sequin Pins

Instructions

1. Print and enlarge the templates to size needed. Hint: You can use a photocopier to copy and enlarge templates.
2. Pin the templates to the sheets of foam and trace with black marker: one body, two wings, two tail wings and one tail fin.
3. Remove the templates and cut out the plane parts using the foam cutter.
4. Use the scrap pieces of foam like a sanding block to “sand” the square edges of the foam parts smooth, making it look more authentic.
5. Glue the parts together, inserting toothpicks between the parts for a more secure bond.
6. Paint desired colors and let dry completely.

By Guest Bloggers Melissa + Kellie, from the blog Icing Designs.

Oh how we love paper flowers, let us count the ways! Well at least 4 ways! We certainly do have a weakness for paper flowers, they are so versatile, beautiful and easy to make! Thanks to the lovely DIY corespondent Katie, we are going to show you how to create 4 different paper flowers…that can be used in a variety of ways!

Materials:

• Paper in any color you wish (paper should be easy to manipulate, rather than heavier cardstock)
• Flower Template: For this flower a template for a flower shape found on Martha Stewart that was originally meant for fabric flowers was used. (Go here for template)
• Scissors
• Glue gun & glue
• Ruler
• Bone Folder or Scoring Board

Directions:

1. Trace template onto paper and cut out 4 flower shapes.

2. On two of the flower shapes, score down the center of each petal and fold inward.

3. Glue one of the folded flower shapes on top of the other, staggering the petals.

3. Fold the other two flower shapes in quarters, hot gluing the at the tip to keep the fold secure.

4. Bend the tip of the fold and glue it into the center of the flower.

5. You can bend and open the petals if need be.

Visit Icings Designs for instructions on how to make these flowers!

Check out this AMAZING paper flower arch Katie made for her sister’s gorgeous wedding this summer!