Think Crafts Blog – Craft Ideas and Projects – CreateForLess

Guest Blogger Typhanie, from the blog Shoebox Decor.

I’ve wanted to do this Tea Lamp project for awhile now, ever since I saw this lamp at Anthropology but I didn’t want to drill through anything. Then I remembered seeing a no drill option in one of my magazines. So I went through my magazine drawer and sure enough I found it in the April 2009 issue of Country Living. It’s an easy three step process that uses clay instead of drilling. I had lots of fun making this lamp and I hope you guys try it. Please email me if you have any questions and send me pictures of your lamp if you do try it….Happy Crafting Everyone!

Total Cost: $21

Materials needed: Tea pot, tea cups, saucers, lamp kit, Amaco self-hardening clay, Super Glue Gel.

Step One: Gather the materials you would like to use.

Step Two: Arrange the tea cups and dishware in the way you would like your lamp to look. I suggest using a steady heavy bowl for your base.

Step Three: Fill the top tea cup with clay and set the already assembled lamp kit about an inch deep inside. Leave room so you are able to remove the harp if you want to. Let it set for 24 hours.

Step Four: Glue the remaining elements together with a thin line of Super Glue Gel. This glue is no joke so make sure you have the placement right before you set the dishware down. Let the glue dry for a minute before gluing on the next one.

Step Five: Glue on the top tea cup in 24 hour then wait a day for the lamp to set before adding a lamp shade….That’s it…Enjoy!

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

When we were preparing for our “popsicle” week we came across this fantastic recipe for root beer float and cream sicle popsicles created by Jo from the sweetest blog, Smile Monsters! Root beer floats and creamsicles are some of the most delicous nostalgic treats, so what could be better than mixing them together to create one perfect popsicle!

Recipe by Smile Monsters!
For the root beer layer
1 12oz. root beer or 1 1/2 cups
1/2 cup sweetened condensed milk
For the cream sicle layer
1/3 cup whole milk
1 Tablespoon sweetened condensed milk
1/4 teaspoon vanilla

Mix root beer and sweetened condensed milk together with a whisk. If it gets to foamy set it in the fridge for a bit to settle down. Pour 1/3 of the way into popsicle molds (Or dixie cups and popsicle sticks.) Freeze for about an hour.

Mix creamsicle ingredients together. Pour that in even amounts into your molds and freeze another hour. Then top off with remaining root beer mixture. Freeze again but don’t forget to insert your sticks once that top layer has gotten firm. This takes a little more work but they look super.

Here are a few tips that Jo gave to make the perfect popsicle!

By DCWV Diary

School is almost out and I wanted to make something special for my Kindergartener’s teacher to wear on the last week of school! It thought that the Lemon Flower Stack would be the perfect “happy, spring” stack for this project!

I created a special badge that says “Best Teacher Ever” for Mrs. M to wear. It shows just how we feel about her!! The top was cut out with a Tim Holtz Sizzix Die….layered patterned paper and chipboard to make it a little sturdy.

Then I layered ribbon that matched the stack to jazz it up a little bit. This ribbon is sooo pretty!!

I hope she likes it! Troy is so excited to give it to her

By DCWV Diary

I knew just the thing to work on this afternoon to get me out of my manic Monday…the Mango Frost Stack & Embellishments!  The colors in this stack are gorgeous…tangerine, yellows, melon pink, greens and blues. A super versatile line of stuff if you ask me!!!

I really love this line because of all of the fun embellishments that coordinate with it!! It’s like candy in my scrappy candy store

Used a 1 3/4 circle punch to punch out circles to fill my 12×12 page. I punched 2 circles from each pattern and got a total of 49 circles.

A great way to get the adhesive on all of these little circles, my Xyron Creatopia Machine! LOVE THIS THING!!! Had no idea all of the things it could do!!

This is how it came out of the machine, just peeled back the clear top and all had a perfect layer of adhesive.

It’s just too pretty, had a hard time covering any of it up!! This is definitely a “happy stack”

And here is the finished page! Just added 3 pictures and 2 embellishments. Love how different this layout feels because of the circles. It’s like making your own patterned paper!

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

Washi tape….love it!! We are sure you have heard of this fabulous Japanese, decorative tape that has taken over the craft world! It comes in so many amazing patterns and colors…some is even glittered! There are so many ways that it can be used from cupcake flags, to cake buntings to making packages pretty!!

Have you used it, if so what have you done with it? We just ordered a bunch of it…can’t wait to start using it!

Washi Tape is made from Washi Paper. The word Washi literally means WA (Japanese) and SHI (paper), Japanese paper, and is used in many traditional Japanese arts, such as origami paper folding. Tougher than wood pulp paper, Washi is commonly made from the bark of the gampi tree, mitsumata shrub, or paper mulberry, but also can be made using bamboo, hemp, rice, and wheat. Washi was originally developed from the traditional Chinese paper-making process.

By DCWV Diary

Scrapbook paper can be used in all crafts, not just scrapbooking. Scrapbooking paper has fun designs and coordinating color sheets to use in your projects. In this project they used scrapbook paper for the front on a passport cover. Adorable!

I love this idea! Why shouldn’t your passport be so darling and personable?!

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

So, I have this cute little cookie book called, “The Essential Chocolate Chip Cookbook” by Elinor Klivans. It is filled with the cutest photos and recipes, all featuring the always popular…chocolate chip! Genius, right!?! I am such a sucker for meltaway cookies. So I decided to try the chocolate-chip filled melting moments recipe. They were so good, I had to share the recipe with you! And of course I had to share some cookies with Kellie!

 Cookies

1/2 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
1/2 cup cake flour
3/4 cup cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup unsalted butter at room temp
3/4 cup powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Filling

1/4 cup unsalted butter and room temp
3/4 cup powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup mini chocolate chips

Supplies

Cookie baking sheets
Parchment Paper
Electric Mixer
Wide Metal Spatula
Wire cooling rack
Wooden spoon
Thin Metal Spatula

Position rack in the middle of the oven. Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.

Sift both flours, cornstarch, baking powder and salt into a bowl and set aside.

In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, beat butter and powdered sugar until smooth and lightened slightly in color, about 1 minute. Scrap sides of bowl. Add vanilla. On low speed add the flour mixture, just mix until incorporated and a smooth dough ball forms.

Roll a level tablespoon of dough between palms to form a smooth ball. Place cookies on a prepared baking sheet, space 2 inches apart. Use a fork to flatten the cookies leaving an impression. (I rolled the dough and used a cookie cutter and pricked the cookies with a fork). Bake the cookies oven sheet at a time until the tops are firm and the cookie bottoms are just slightly browned, about 30 minutes. The tops of the cookies should not color. Cool cookies on baking sheet for 10 minutes, then use a wide metal spatula to transfer cookies to a wire rack to cool.

In medium bowl use a wooden spoon to stir the butter, powdered sugar and vanilla together. Add chocolate chips and stir.

Turn half of the cooled cookies bottom side up and use a thin metal spatula to spread a rounded teaspoon and filling evenly over each one. Place remaining cookies right side up on the filling and press gently.

*Cookies can be stored in an airtight container at room temp for up to 5 days*