Think Crafts Blog – Craft Ideas and Projects – CreateForLess

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

Jar candles are great, aren’t they? The flame is contained, as is the melted wax, and most of them are scented, which I love. Eventually, though, if you burn them often, you end up with a stash of the empty jars and their lids.

I was looking at just such a stash the other day, and got an idea.

If you stacked them, and glued them together, you’d have pretty cool candlesticks, which seemed poetically fitting, given their origins.

Here are your instructions:

If the lid has a plastic ring around it, slip the blade of a table knife under the edge and give the knife a twist. It may take a little working at, but the rings come off pretty easily.

Make sure the lids are clean. Stack them, experimenting to get a pleasing “structure”. I put my top lid on upside down so there’d be a cavity to put a candle in. You may prefer the flat side to be up, and use a larger, pillar candle. Another option is to insert colorful items in the lids before you glue the lids together. In the first photo shown, you can see the red beads I put in one lid.

Glue them together, using a good glue for glass. (E6000 is always my choice, and no, I don’t work for that company!) Check every now and then as the glue is setting up, to make sure the lids don’t slide out of position.

Put a candle in or on your stack, and light it.

Want something even simpler? Take several lids, put them down the center of your picnic table, place a tea light in each, and light.

By Sparkle Crafts Contributor, Sparkle E. Glitter from the blog “Sparkle Studio”.

If you have a scrap wood bin, this project is made for you. If you don’t, head over to the store and pick up a bag of scrap wood.  The pieces do not need to match, or even be cut straight.  The more differences your pieces have, the more charming your project will be.

Choose a word or a name that you would like to display. This project can be adapted to holidays: Noel, Love, Thanks.  Or make the blocks with your family name.  What a nice gift this is for anyone on any occasion.

You need:

• Big & Glitzy Glitter Glue: Peacock, Peridot,  Garnet (or colors to match what you are showcasing)
• Acrylic Paint: black,  turquoise, lime, hot pink  (also select your colors accordingly)
• 4 pieces of scrap wood (or as many as you need to spell your word or name)
• Wide flat brush 

Try this:

Basecoat wood pieces black.  Let dry.  Paint the edges of the blocks turquoise, lime and hot pink.  Let dry.

Using Big & Glitzy, print a letter on each block, with a frame around it in a different color.  Add stripes, dots, squares or whatever fits your project.

This is your chance to be creative with color and design.  Make this reflect you!

Glitter on!

Sparkle

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

I like things that are small, and that includes miniature canvases.  I happened upon these sweet little things and knew I had to Mod Podge them.  I’ve attached magnets to the back, so they are great for your home or office.  Add a little creative flair to your workspace!

To make it, you’ll need to gather these supplies:

2″ x 2″ canvases
FolkArt Acrylic colors – I used Sky Blue, Coffee Bean and Buttercup
Wood circle
Scrapbook paper in various patterns (you can use scraps)
Cardstock in various colors to match your scrapbook paper
Die cut machine, punch or scissors – whatever you have to make shapes
Mod Podge Gloss
Craft Magnets
Hot Glue Gun
Flat Paint Brush 

Here are the baby canvases – aren’t they cute?

I always measure and cut my paper first.  These are 2” x 2” canvases, so I cut three squares of decorative paper and set aside.  I actually trimmed them just slightly within the 2” mark so that I could leave a little color showing around the edges.

Paint the canvases.  This is very easy!  Just choose FolkArt paint colors that coordinate with your scrapbook papers.  Paint the edges of all three canvases.  Give a few coats until you have full coverage and allow to dry.

At this time also paint any embellishments you want to add to your mini canvases.  You’ll notice that I painted a small wood circle.  Make sure to paint enough coats to cover and allow to dry.

Note to self: move cell phone and TV remote control for tutorial pictures.

Paint Mod Podge onto your canvases, using a medium layer.  Add the paper on top and SMOOTH SMOOTH SMOOTH!  Wipe away any excess Mod Podge that comes out with a brush, and set aside your canvases to dry for 15 – 20 minutes.

Once dry, apply Mod Podge over the top of the paper.  Allow to dry and then coat all canvases with a few more layers of Mod Podge.  Allow to dry.

This is your chance to add embellishments!  You’ll notice that I used some die cut shapes and a few punches with some cardstock to make shapes and designs for the tops of my canvases.  Mod Podge them down and then allow the canvas to dry.

Your final step is to hot glue any embellishments (like my wood circle) onto the front of your canvases, and then hot glue the magnets onto the back.  Wait until the hot glue is dry for awhile to hang.

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

Do you ever buy something just because it’s cool, even though you don’t have (yet!) any use for it? I had this setting on my dresser for a long time for that very reason:

It’s a drapery tieback. Just one. Didn’t have a mate, and anyway, I didn’t need one, since the only draperies in the house were already quite adequately, and prettily, held back. I was dusting the other day, and picked it up, and as I did so, my eyes fell on the overflowing necklace rack.

Now, there’s another thing. I love necklaces, even though I almost never wear one. When I find one that’s really pretty, and really inexpensive, usually in a thrift shop or at a garage sale, I do the only reasonable thing: I buy it!

Suddenly, the tieback and the necklaces collided head-on in my mind. Of course! Hang the tieback vertically, and hang the necklaces on it!

There’s very little you need to know more than that, but here’s the bit you do need:

Screw or nail your drapery tieback into position on the wall. You’ll see that, probably, the part that does the hanging up shows above the pretty bit in front.

Options:

• Paint the nail/screw heads to match
• Cover with a pretty magnet
• Glue on an attractive button or piece of (preferably) broken jewelry

Now hang up your necklaces. Done, and Done!

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

This past weekend we celebrated our daughter’s fourth birthday with a Mad Hatter’s Tea Party. On top of the cake and the “Eat Me!” cookies and the croquet and the teapots, one of the things I knew we had to have to make it a very Wonderlandy party was, of course, hats! But how to make hats for a heard of three and four year olds? The answer came form one of my Aunties, who used to be an art teacher and is also the mother of a dress up loving girl. Wrapping paper hats! But don’t just think of these as party hats, this simple project is the perfect rainy day, or too hot and sunny day activities to keep the “I’m Bored’s” away.

You’ll need:

Wrapping paper cut into two foot lengths – any paper works here and a mixture of patterns makes it more fun, so this is a great opportunity to use of the last of the rolls you have tucked away in a closet somewhere
Masking tape 
Ribbons, flowers, streamers, stickers  – get creative here and raid your craft cupboard

Stack two or three sheets of wrapping paper so they are not quite aligned. Center them on top of your child’s head and shape it gently around the crown of their head. If you have an extra pair of hands available (older kids are great helpers here) have them hold the paper in place while you wrap the tape around the base of the crown.

Once the hat is formed, let the kids go crazy with decorating it. Roll up the edges of the brim, wrap ribbon around the crown, add bows or flowers or glitter or whatever they want to make the hats their own.

We’ve seen photo after photo of all your craft spaces, and it was hard to make the decision but it’s time to announce the BEST and WORST craft rooms! The winners will each receive a $100 CreateForLess gift certificate, so you can buy all the craft organizing supplies you like!

The BEST craft room Award goes to Shawna W. from Newport News, VA.

Thanks to my husband who has a knack for building things, I have a great room. He built my table, counter height, which I love since I’m a standing crafter. I feel really lucky to have my own space with lots of room and storage. I don’t know if you think so but I think it is the best! I have lots more photos also!

The WORST craft room Award goes to Janis M. from Texarkana, AR.

My craft room is very small with no room for storage. I have tried to use shelves and storage bins, but still am tripping over supplies on the floor and tucked away in inconvenient places. I don’t think anyone would want to work in my craft room. I do, somehow, manage to get some projects done. I still have a lot on the shelf that I just put away because I got frustrated looking for supplies I don’t have room to store.

We received many impressive entries, as well as many messy entries! Check out some of our favorites.

I could say that my crafting space is the worst, since it’s in our cold, unfinished basement, but I think it’s the best because of what went into it. I designed the shelf/peg board system, and my wonderful man built it all for me for Mother’s Day. It’s organized just how I want it, and I have plenty of space to spread out with my sewing machine, ironing board, etc. And the best part about it being in the basement? No one else ever goes down there, so I only have to clean up if I want to!

Submitted By Jill D. from Brandon, VT

My craft area is a complete disaster! I have stuff in cardboard boxes and shoe boxes because I don’t have a good storage system. There is barely any room to sit at my sewing machine. The hardest part of doing any kind of craft project is usually finding the things I need and clearing space to do it. My craft area needs help!

Submitted By Wendy S. from Hagerstown, MD.

I used to be frustrated leaving most of my supplies behind when I went to a friend’s house to scrap. I turned a travel trailer into a mobile scrapbooking studio. Now when I want to go to a friend’s house to scrap I take it all with me.

Submitted By Terri M from Kennewick, WA.

Click here to see more!

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

There’s not a lot to like about smoking, given its effect on a person’s health, but when my friend Buddy gifted me with his empty cigar boxes, I was selfish enough to be glad he’d been a cigar smoker! They’ve been so much fun to work with I thought I’d share my techniques and ideas for turning a cigar box into a purse.

Here’s what you’ll need:

• A cigar box, either the oval or rectangular kind
• Scraps of fabric
• Braid, lace, bits of trim, ribbon, old jewelry, etc.
• 4 washers (mine are black plastic, but metal is fine)
• About a yard of heavy cord 
• Adhesives, glue gun, etc.

The first thing you’ll want to do is take off any labels that won’t be covered by fabric. Take a blow dryer, and blast that stream of hot air at the label, then gently peel the label off. It’s pretty easy to do, but be careful not to burn your fingers!

Measure the circumference and width of the cigar box and cut a piece of fabric about 1” (2.5cm) longer than the circumference and about 1/4” (.6cm) narrower than the width. Turn a very narrow hem on each end, and either glue or sew it. No need to hem the sides, as they’re going to be covered by trim. Wrap the box, gluing along the edges, and across the indentation where the lid is hinged, and turning the ends of the fabric piece to the inside of the box.

Cut two pieces of trim just the length of the box’s circumference. (You’ll want something like braid or velvet ribbon so that no glue shows through.) If you’re using a trim that will fray, run a line of glue across the underside of each end.

Glue the trim to the edges of the box, covering the edges of the fabric wrap completely.

It’s time now to do the handles. With the oval boxes, the lid hinge will be at the top of the purse; with the rectangular style, the hinge is at the bottom. Measure about an inch down from the top of the purse on each uncovered side, and drill or punch a hole large enough for the handle cord to pass through.

Cut a piece of cord about 36” (1m) long, and tape each end to keep it from unraveling while you work. Tie a knot as close to one end as you can, and thread on the first washer. From the inside of the cigar box, push the unknotted end through the hole you made, and pull through. Put a bit of glue all around the edges of the hole, inside and out, and thread on another washer, pulling the knot and both washers tight against the box. Thread on another washer, and run the other end of the cord through the other hole. Thread on the last washer. Knot the cord, put glue around the edges of the hole, and pull the knot and both washers flush. Trim off the taped ends of the cord close to the knots. Wipe off any excess glue, and hang the bag from a doorknob, to keep pressure on the knots and washers while the glue dries.

When the glue is dry, decorate your purse with lace, old jewelry, etc., covering any glue boo-boos. The oval boxes have a magnetic clasp built in; for a “regular” box, affix the clasp of your choice—a button and elastic loop will work well.

Front of the cigar purses

...and the back!