Think Crafts Blog – Craft Ideas and Projects – CreateForLess

By Cardmaking & Scrapbook Layout Contributor, Peg from the blog Peg’s Crafting Corner.

There’s nothing more fun than to receive a flower on a special day and what better thing to have is a flower pot that you can keep.  This beautiful flower pot card was created using the new American Crafts Neapolitan Dear Lizzy Collection. This would be a great project for Mother’s Day, which is on the 13th.

Plus tomorrow for Free Stuff Friday enter to win a prize pack from the American Crafts Neapolitan Dear Lizzy Collection!

Products Used:

• Orange cardstock
• American Crafts Dear Lizzy Patterned Paper:  Hazy Horizons, Sweet Sundress and Warm Memories
• American Crafts Dear Lizzy Ribbon: Printed and Specialty
• Craft Stick
• Foam Sheets in Green
• Wet Glue
• Tape Runner
• Martha Stewart Scoring Board
• Martha Stewart Paper Trimmer
• Stylus
• Scissors
• Ruler and Pencil
• EK Retro Flower Punch
• EK Open Scallop Edger Punch

Begin by cutting a piece of orange cardstock to be 4 ½” x 12″ and score at the 2″ mark using the Martha Stewart Scoring Board.  Now move the 2″ score line over to the left so that it is at the zero mark on the scoring board and score at the 5″ mark.  This will give you 3 sections- one that is 2″ wide and two that are 5″ wide. 

Fold the last 5″ long section up over the other; leaving the 2″ section unfolded.  Measure 1 ¼” in from each side of the paper and make a mark. 

Using a ruler and pencil draw the lines from the marks you just made to the top corners of the 5″ flap as shown in the picture. 

Place the paper in the trimmer matching the pencil line to the trimmer’s cutting track and cut on the pencil line. 

Repeat this step with the other side again lining the pencil line up with the track. 

Using the EK Open Scallop Edger Punch, punch a scalloped edge on the top of the 2″ flap.

Trace 2 of the flower pot shapes using one of the flaps as a template onto the Hazy Horizon sheet and cut them out.  Adhere one sheet with the wavy stripes out onto the front of the flower pot that will be the front of the card.  Lay the second sheet aside for now. 

This is what your card will look like at this point.  Run a piece of tape from your favorite tape runner along the inside edge near the fold.  Tie the ribbon around the flap and fold the flap down to secure. 

Now, punch 8 flowers using the EK Retro Flowers punch and the Sweet Sundress and Warm Memories Patterned Paper from the new American Crafts Neapolitan Dear Lizzy line.  Glue them together using your favorite wet adhesive glue.  Taking the stylus and 2 foam sheets stacked on top of one another gently emboss the center of the flowers going in circles until you reach the center.  This will give each petal a little curl to add a little dimension. 

Take one of the foam sheets and trim 4 long strips off to make the flower stems.  Next, fold each strip in half and then open up and add some glue onto one of the halves.  Fold down again and hold until secure.  This will create a stem that is sturdy enough to hold the flowers up right. 

Once the stems are dry, glue them to the flowers using the wet glue and allow them to dry.  After they are dry, run a piece of tape along the edge of your flower pot and place the stems over the tape making sure the flowers are at different heights.  Trim off any excess stems that are below the tape using a pair of scissors.  This will help remove some of the bulkiness when the patterned paper is placed over them. 

Take a craft stick and trace around it onto the Sweet Sundress Patterned Paper, cut it out and adhere it to the craft stick using the tape runner. 

Attach the pinwheel from the American Crafts Dear Lizzy line to the top and put it in the middle of the flowers on the flower pot making sure it is the tallest of all the pieces.

Take the second flower pot shaped paper that you traced earlier and making sure the green side is up; adhere it over the flower stems and the bottom of the pinwheel as shown in the picture. 

Find the four small flower shapes shown in the picture from the Serendipity Thickers and place it in the center of each flower. 

Use one of the cute stamps or fun stickers that are in the new Dear Lizzy line to add a special sentiment to the card and plant some smiles in a person’s day!

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 Crafts-a lot Contributor, Mable who is an avid reader of craft blogs & magazines and has aspirations to improve her crafting skills. Join Mable on Facebook to socialize and share with other crafters!

May 13^th is Mother’s Day, and moms love handmade gifts. Moms deserve more than one day a year to know how much they are loved. Make your mom something special this year with these quick and easy DIY Mother’s Day gift ideas.

Looking for something to do with all of your Instagram photos? Size down your favorite photos and make Tiny Polaroid Magnets for your lovely mom.

Tiny Polaroid Magnets

Is your mom a coffee drinker? Make these yummy flavored syrups and your mom will think of you while making her morning cup of Joe. Find the instructions for this tutorial here.

Make Your Own Coffee Syrup

If jewelry is something your fashionable mom likes, try these Easy Button Rings. This tutorial only has 3 steps. The hardest part is picking out which buttons to use.  

Easy Button Rings

How about a spring flower pin? This quick tutorial makes a nice silk flower that will add color to any outfit.

Make your own Silk Flower Brooches

By Kid’s Crafts Contributor Stephanie, from the Blog Geek with Glasses.

It’s finally Spring and Earth Day is right around the corner. Introduce the kids to planting, beautifying their surroundings and helping the Earth by making these fun and easy Seed Bombs. We made these Seed Bombs in no time, the worst part is waiting for them to dry before we can share them with our friends and the environment.

The idea has been out there for decades, for gardening when one doesn’t have the time to do the prep work of the soil and of course beautifying the areas of vacancy. These Guerrilla Gardeners have been bombing for years, but all of a sudden the idea is mainstream with Seed Bomb vending machines!  By making these at home you can beautify the land for pennies!

We are going to make ours using air dry clay, potting soil/compost, water and native wild flower seeds. The bee population is in serious danger and without bees, fruits will not be pollinated and we will not have honey – a huge source of healing and sweetness in our home. It is important for us to share this with our daughter and try to help the bees in our area by planting lots of flowers.  But feel free to use veggie seeds, like lettuce and spinach if you want to try a garden without much work.

Supplies:

Air Dry Clay
Potting Soil or Compost – the key is to have clean dirt – so you don’t contaminate any area that you bomb.            
(You can purify dirt from your yard by baking it in the oven.)
Water
Seeds

The recipe is by parts so you can make more or less depending on your ambition.

                3 parts air dry clay
                2 parts potting soil           
                1 part seeds

Start by scooping the air dry clay out and placing it into a mixing bowl, next add the potting soil. Since we are using clay that already has moisture to it, start mixing the two together with your hands. Add water a little bit at a time, really no more than a tablespoon at a time. Too much water will make a runny mess so less is more. If you add too much water try to fix the consistency by adding equal parts of clay and soil. In the end it should be mushy enough to push through your fingers, but hold a ball shape when rolled in your hands.

Once you’ve gotten the mix to this consistency, open the seeds and pour them in. Mix the seeds in really well. Next start making your bombs by rolling little balls in your hands, about the size of marbles. Lay the balls out on a rack to dry. Let them dry completely. I recommend a cloth bag to store them in, that way if there is any moisture left the Bombs will be able to continue to dry out and they will not mold.

Now, what do you do with them? Go out into the world, find a vacant lot and bombs away! These are also great for people who don’t really have the time to garden. The potting soil gives the seeds a good base to root to and the clay will hold in moisture. The rain does most of the work. We are going to use them on our property where it is too hard to dig and tend to the garden like a steep sloping  hillside.

Here is a note on seed choice: Choose wisely. Look for native seeds to your area. One of the packs of wildflowers we found are annuals for our area. These are the Seed Bombs that we are going to give as gifts to our friends. These plants are not invasive and will not come back, they will be there for one season and not cause problems for the future. For ourselves we are using a mix of annual and perennial  wildflowers because we know we want the hillside to be covered year after year.

Go out and Beautify our Planet!!!

By Craft Trends Contributor, Gillian from the blog Dried Figs and Wooden Spools. Check out our Craft Trends board on Pinterest!

When I was little (really little) my kindergarten teacher helped the kids in my class to make the requisite hand print and poem art for our parents and it hung in our house the whole time I was growing up. It’s there now, actually, right along side matching ones for my brother and now my own kids. And that classic handprint piece is always going to be a cherished childhood artifact. But handprints can be so much more than just handprints. So put on your apron, dig out the tempera paint and get ready to paint up some little fingers.

Would you like to have a fish?

Or maybe a lobster?

How about a whole rainbow of hands for a teacher? Butterflies, catterpillers, flowers, you can build a whole garden of handprint art.

Want more ideas? Check out our craft trends pinboard for more handprint art and send us some of your ideas!

By Guest Blogger Diane, from the blog Charmingly Creative.

 Here is a quick and easy Punch Art Bunny to make for Easter. I made this hippity hoppity bunny for an Easter card using various sizes of heart and oval paper punches. I have included an example of a card where I used the Bunny as the focal point.

What you’ll need:

• Martha Stewart Confetti Heart punch
• EK Success Paper Shapers 1″ Scallop Circle punch
• EK Success Paper Shapers ¾” X 1½” Oval punch
• EK Success Paper Shapers 1.25″ x 2″ Oval punch
• Fiskars XL Heart punch
• EK Paper Shapers Punch Medium Circle 3/4″
• Fiskars ¼” Circle punch
• Pink, Dark Brown and Tan cardstock
• Darice 10mm Wiggly eyes
• Scissors
• Self-healing cutting mat
• Art Institute clear Glitter glue and/or Glue Dots

Instructions:

Punch the following from:

Dark Brown Cardstock

• Four ¾” X 1½” Oval
• Two Hearts
• One 1″ Scallop Circle

Pink Cardstock

• Two ¾” X 1½” Oval
• Two 1.25″ x 2″ Oval
• Six ¼” Circles
• One Confetti Heart (use larger heart)

 Tan Cardstock

• Two ¾” Circles

To assembly glue Pink ¾” X 1½” Ovals slightly below brown ones for ears. Glue small Pink ovals to bottom of each foot and then glue three ¼” Circles to top of each foot. To create the Bunny head flip Heart upside down so the pointy end is facing the top and then glue Tan circles slightly overlapping each other on lower part of Heart and glue small Pink Heart in center for nose then attach eyes. Glue ears behind head.

To create body take second Heart right side up and glue head on top. Then trim 1″ Scallop Circle in half placing halves together and rounding the cut edge with scissors trimming off a little of the scallop to create two small hands, glue to body near bottom of head. To complete Bunny attach feet on either side.

I have included an example of a card where I used the Bunny as the focal point.

By Kid’s Crafts Contributor Stephanie, from the Blog Geek with Glasses.

If real eggs are not your speed for the upcoming spring hunts, and plastic eggs are just a little too synthetic give this alternative a try. This makes a nice hollow egg shape that can be filled with treats.

Supplies:

Wool Roving
Plastic Eggs
Water 
Soap
Tape

Optional:

Embroidery Floss
Needles

Start by taping the plastic egg together. (I suggest this because when I had my little one help, she rolled the egg too hard and the two pieces came apart inside the half felted wool mess.)  In a large bowl place a good squirt of liquid dish soap and the hottest water your hands can take. Because we are felting around a form, I make the wool tuffs wet in the water and lay a layer on the plastic egg, covering the whole thing. Then with damp wool pieces build onto the egg. Once the egg is covered and there is no plastic showing, start rolling the egg in your hands.  Drip more water on, roll, more water, roll, you get the idea. Roll until the wool is firm. When you’re ready, rinse the egg until the soapy water runs clear. Set the egg aside to dry.

Once the egg is dry there are a couple of things that can be done. The felted egg can be left as is for decoration. The felt can be cut with scissors, a little cut just to get the egg out can then be hand sewn shut with beans or rice inside to make an egg shaped ball. It can also be cut wide open and used just like a plastic egg to fill with treats. One suggestion for the treat filled eggs is to run a blanket stitch around the opening to create a finished edge. Also a small button or hook and eye could be used to close the egg.

However you finish them, just enjoy the wonderful textile of wool!