Think Crafts Blog – Craft Ideas and Projects – CreateForLess

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!”

Do you have a little princess that likes to play dress up?  I highly suggest a magic wand!  This is actually an inexpensive yard decoration that I found.  With supplies that I already had on hand, I was able to make a wand fit for a princess on a budget.  Keep in mind that because this is wood, it’s for older princesses only!  Always make sure to use with adult supervision.

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

“Magic” Wand – decorative wood stick
FolkArt Acrylic Paint – Ocean Cruise, Wicker White, Perfect Purple, Kelly Green or the colors of your choice
Art Institute Glitter – Blue Hawaii (Ultrafine Opaque), Celery (Ultrafine Opaque), Angel Dust (Ultrafine Transparent)�
Mod Podge Gloss�
Flat Paint Brush and Liner Brush
Ribbon – 6 feet of your choice, I used white chiffon

Using your flat paint brush, paint your flower first.

Paint the handle and the leaves next.  If your wand has black print on it like mine, it will take several coats.  I used the smaller liner brush on the petals and to get around the edges of my flower.  Allow to dry.

Using the end of your brush handle, dot white polka dots on the main body of the flower.  Allow to dry.

It’s time to apply glitter in the areas of interest – I’ll show you an example with the center of the flower.  Paint Mod Podge in the area that you want glittered.

Using your glitter (I have one of these cool dispensers), spread the glitter all over the Mod Podge.  Allow to dry and then tap on the side of something (like a table) to get ride of the excess.  You can see that I did it on the leaves as well – I also went back and added some on the white polka dots.  It’s very sparkly!

Allow your wand to dry completely overnight before giving it to your princess.  I highly recommend adding some ribbon tied around the handle for some extra flair.

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

My parents re-did their backyard, so I decided to make them a birdhouse in celebration.  They aren’t as kitschy as I am, but I still think they will appreciate this gnome and mushroom birdhouse.  If they don’t love the gnome or the mushrooms, they will surely love the woodgrain roof.  It’s magical! 

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

Wood Birdhouse
Mod Podge Outdoor
FolkArt Paint – Fresh Foliage, Burnt Umber, Pure Orange
Martha Stewart Woodland Collection – 12” x 12” paper pad, stickers and letters
Cardstock scraps
Craft Glue
Flat Paint Brush
Scissors or Craft Knife
Ruler
Pencil
Outdoor Sealer  

Choose a few sheets of paper to cover the sides of your birdhouse (except for the front).  Using your ruler, measure the size paper you’ll need and then cut it down to fit with the craft knife.  Set aside. 

Paint your birdhouse.  I chose to paint the roof with Burnt Umber and the sides with Fresh Foliage.  The only side you’ll have to completely cover is the front – all of the other sides are going to be covered with paper. 

You can’t see it here, but later I went back and covered the perch with some Pure Orange.  It needed a special touch! 

This is the fun part.  Keep in mind that Outdoor Mod Podge is thick, but that is intentional.  Working one side at a time, spread a medium layer of Mod Podge on your birdhouse. 

Immediately smooth your paper down thoroughly.  Use an old credit or gift card to get underneath the roof, and make sure to smooth *really* well.  Complete the other two sides and the roof.  Allow to dry for 15 – 20 minutes. 

You are now ready to coat the entire birdhouse.  Give it a medium layer of Mod Podge, allow to dry for 15 – 20 minutes and then repeat.  Allow to dry. 

When it comes to the front, that is your embellishment area, so decorate it how you like!  I added my parents’ last name, the gnome and then some mushrooms I cut out with my die cutter.  I had some extra cardstock lying around.  This is the time to decorate to your heart’s content.  Seal everything with the Outdoor Mod Podge and allow to dry overnight. 

Once your birdhouse is dry, it will be slightly tacky – to remedy this and to give the birdhouse an extra protective layer, I highly recommend using a clear outdoor sealer so that your project will last for years to come.

By Sparkle E. Glitter from the blog “Sparkle Studio”.

I am obsessed with pretty spring birds, I admit it!  I had such fun making these today out of Shrinky Dinks, and you will too!  Here is what you need:

• White shrink plastic
• Colored pencils 
• Big & Glitzy Glitter Glue  (I used Aquamarine and Ruby)
• Scissors 
• Hole punch 
• Ribbon 
• Your oven

Try this:

1.  Print bird pattern.  Lay it under shrink plastic.  Trace with pencil.  You should get two birds out of a sheet of plastic.

2.  Color birds with colored pencils.  Put the kids to work, have them color! Cut out the birds.  Use hole punch to punch a hole in the top wing.

3.  Bake in the oven on a cookie sheet following the instructions on the shrink plastic package.  See how much they shrink?

The color intensifies when they shrink.  Pretty!

4.  Squeeze a little glitter glue on the bird.  Spread with a small brush or with your finger.  Let glitter dry.  Even prettier!

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

I have a boatload of books and not enough bookshelves.  I also have a craft book selection that I like to have easy access to on my desk, but the stack wasn’t working out.  So I decided to make these bookends.

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

Bookends – any will do.  I got these from a friend

K & Company scrapbook paper  – 1 sheet (you might need 2 if your bookends are larger)

FolkArt Acrylic Paint   (whatever coordinates with your paper).  I used:

•             Light Periwinkle  
•             Pumpkin  
•            Turner’s Yellow  
•             Wicker White  

Mod Podge Gloss  

Flat Paint Brush  

Scissors  or Craft Knife  and Mat  

Ruler  

Pencil

First trace your bookends onto the BACK of your sheet of paper.  Cut out.

Trim the sheets of paper down to fit your bookends exactly.

Paint your bookends using the orange paint.  For complete coverage, you’ll need about three or four coats.  Set aside to dry.

While you are waiting for the bookends to dry, put a coat of Mod Podge on your paper sheets.  Coat the front, allow to dry, coat the back.  Set aside.

Tip: If you don’t have a cutout in your bookends like I do, you can skip this step.

Coat the back of the bookend with a medium layer of Mod Podge.  Apply evenly.

Place your paper down on the back of the bookend and smooth thoroughly.  You’ll notice that I used a brayer, and then to get down into the crack I used an old Starbucks card.  These are my favorite tools for smoothing!  Make sure you get the air bubbles out and then set aside to dry for 15 – 20 minutes.

Once the bookends are dry, coat both of them with Mod Podge.  Cover the fronts, backs and bottoms.  Give a first coat, allow to dry and then apply at least two more coats.  Allow to dry.

Once your bookends are dry, use the end of a paintbrush and the other coordinating paint colors to create polka dots around the cutout.  Allow to dry.

Tip: If your bookends don’t have a cutout, add a decorative shape cut out of paper to the front of your bookends for an accent.  Then you can use the polka dot method just like I did!

Here they are, holding my books and magazines!  Aren’t they great?  Quick, easy and perfect for some fun home décor.

By Sparkle E. Glitter from the blog “Sparkle Studio”.

Why not?  My niece just got a car. It is not cute. When you are 17, it is hard to drive a big old ugly car.  I told her that one day she will look back and brag on how she had the world’s ugliest car.  But for now, life is a journey, just go along for the ride.  So, we both made car signs for our cars.  They turned out way cuter than our cars. 

Make one for your car.  People will honk and wave or give you the thumbs up.  Here is what you need:

• 9×12 sheet of magnet canvas
• Sparkle 21: Choose colors you like and that will stand out against the color of your car.  You will want Night Sparkle and Silver Sparkle for the tires and three other colors of your choice
• #2 pencil
• Scissors
• Big oval crystal gem

Try this:

1.  Print patterns.  Turn paper over and trace pattern lines on back with a heavy line of pencil.  Place patterns right side up, on magnet sheet.  Retrace lines.

2.  Fill in pattern areas with Sparkle 21. The thicker you apply Sparkle 21, the more it will glitter in the sun.  Let the glitter dry.  It will take up to 48 hours.

3.  While the glitter is wet, set the gem at the front of the car to make a headlight.

4.  When the glitter is dry, use scissors to cut out the car and cut around words with a wavy line.

Stick to the car.  Cute!

Glitter on!

Sparkle

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

Does this frame look bright?  That’s because it is!  Bright colors are a big trend right now, so I wanted to embrace them for the upcoming Mother’s Day.  I distressed the frame (which is very easy, and I wish showed up better in photography) and then added some felt flowers – so simple!  I know my mom, and she is going to love it.  She is going to love it even more with the picture of me in it!

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

Square wood frame

FolkArt Acrylic colors – I used Lime Green, Bright Pink and Deep Ocean Blue

Felts in different colors to coordinate with your frame color choices

Foam stamps to spell the saying of your choice – I used “MOM”

Mod Podge Gloss

Buttons – 12 coordinating

Die cut machine, punch or scissors – whatever you have to make shapes

Sandpaper

Craft Glue

Flat Paint Brush

Start by base coating your frame with Pink.  Completely cover, but just on the front of the frame.  Give about two coats and allow to dry.

Paint over the pink with Lime Green.  Wow, it looks like an 80′s party threw up on my project!  Paint enough coats to completely cover the pink.

This is the toughest part of the project – you need to sand the frame in select areas to allow the pink to show through the green.  Sand as much or as little as you want; the amount of distressing is up to you.  Wipe any extra dust away after you are done.  And yes, that is my robed arm.  I get out of bed and craft.

Cut your shapes from your felt pieces.  You can do this with a die cutter, but you can also do it with regular punches or with your scissors.  If you would like a nice flower template, I recommend searching Google for clip art.  There are so many free patterns to be had!  Set your shapes aside.

Mod Podge your frame.  Completely coat the front and back, allowing to dry between coats.

Time to add your saying!  I used foam stamps, and it was easier for me to paint the backs rather than dipping in the paint.  You can control the amount of paint that goes onto the stamp if you use a brush.

Press the stamps with paint firmly onto your frame.  Allow to dry and then touch up with your brush.  Once the paint is completely dry, Mod Podge over the words to seal.

The final step is to glue down your flowers into a nice pattern and then add buttons in the centers.  Now add a picture of yourself and give to that special mom in your life.  She’s going to love it!