Think Crafts Blog – Craft Ideas and Projects – CreateForLess

By Home Decor Contributor Typhanie, from the blog Shoebox Decor.

During the holidays there are a number of parties to attend. As a personal rule, I try not to show up empty handed. Wine is my favorite go-to hostess gift because it’s easy to personalize and who wouldn’t like a bottle of wine. Here is a simple DIY project that’s sure to get rave reviews at your next holiday shindig…Happy Gifting Everyone!

Materials needed:

1. Bottle of wine

2. Printable labels {I used Avery Arched Labels 3”x2 1/4”}

Step one:

Use template 22809 to design your labels in Microsoft Word.

Step Two:

Print your design

Step Three:

Peel the label on your wine bottle and replace it with your new label design. Enjoy!

By Home Decor Contributor Typhanie, from the blog Shoebox Decor.

Every year my husband and I host a cookie exchange. I’m always looking for great gifts to hand out to everyone who participates as a way of saying thank you for making such tasty treats. One year I gave everyone personalized aprons that they can wear while making their cookies. The aprons were a big hit so I thought I would share them with you…Happy Hosting Everyone!

Materials needed:

• Apron
• Scissors
• Fabric Transfer Paper
• Iron

What to Do:  Read the rest…

By Crafts for Learning Contributor, Danielle from the blog Crayonbox Learning.

Materials Needed:

• Cardstock
• Scrapbook Paper (optional)
• Binder Rings
• Black (or colored) Permanent Pens
• Tree Template
• Ribbons (optional)
• Glue
• Scissors
• Hole punch
• Laminator

Directions:   This activity was designed with young learners in mind.  My example incorporated tracing numbers, number words and corresponding dots adding up to the number on each tree.  The template for this project includes a blank set for adding your own text, and embellishments, and a numbered set 1-10.  The numbered set includes a tracing number, number word, and dot corresponding to the number written on the card.

1. Print out tree template onto cardstock.
2. If using a blank template, write on the trees as desired with a non-bleed, permanent ink pen.
3. Color, or decorate the tree cover.  You can use scrapbook paper scraps, colored pens or crayons to make the tree stand out.  Be sure to let any glue dry before laminatnig.
4. Cut out the individual trees and laminate for durability. Hint:  Cutting out the trees before laminating helps create a better seal around the pieces. They will last longer with average use.
5. Punch a hole where indicated at the top of the tree.
6. Secure the pages at the top with a binder ring.
7. Add colorful, festive ribbon to the binder rings as shown in the example.

This activity takes 30-45 minutes to assemble.  It would make a cute gift for a teacher, child care provider, or stocking stuffer for children.

By Crafts for Learning Contributor, Danielle from the blog Crayonbox Learning.

Materials Needed:

• Cardstock
• Scissors
• Laminator
• Permanent Ink Marker
• Ziplock Bag
• Candy Cane Puzzle Template

This activity is a quick and inexpensive item that you can make ahead of time for classroom parties, gift bags, stocking stuffers or for a cute teacher gift.  All of the materials needed can be found at CreateforLess.com!

The Candy Cane Puzzle template has been left blank to provide you with options.  In my example, I used opposite words.  You can use the Candy Cane Puzzles to match upper and lower case alphabet letters, numbers and number words, homonyms, synonyms, word families, and much more!

Directions:

1. Print out the desired number of candy cane puzzle templates.  (The template can be resized to fit smaller on a page using your printer settings.)
2. Using a non-bleed, permanent ink pen (Sharpie), write the text on the Candy Cane Puzzles. A red pen can be used to color in the candy canes.
3. Cut out the Candy Cane Puzzles.  Hint:  Cutting out the Candy Cane Puzzles prior to lamination helps create a better seal around the edges.  It helps the lamination film from lifting after the pieces have been cut.
4. Laminate the Puzzles.
5. Store in a cute cello bag, with a bag topper for gift giving (optional) or a ziplock bag for classroom use.

 By Crafts for Learning Contributor, Danielle from the blog Crayonbox Learning.

Materials Needed:

• Cardstock
• Scissors
• Lamination
• Crayons/Colored Pencils
• Ghost Card Game Template

Directions: 

This game was created with a Halloween theme.  It can be made up ahead of time for Halloween parties, or given away as treats. The template provided includes ghost cards that are numbered 1- 12, with a Frankie Wild Card, and a Black Cat Miss a Turn.

1. Print 2-3 sets of the card game depending on how many players you will have.
2. Cut out the individual cards, and laminate for durability.
3. Store in a ziplock bag or small container.

Rules for play:

1. Shuffle the sets of cards and deal out all of the cards evenly to each player.
2. Each player will turn their cards face down, taking turns turning one card over at a time.
3. The player with the highest numbered card winds the hand.
4. If a player turns over a “Wild Card” the player wins the “hand.”
5. If a player turns over a “Miss a Turn” card, the player misses the turn and doesn’t get to turn over their next card.
6. If in the event each player turns over the same card, they will continue the process until one of the players wins the hand having the highest number card.

By Crafts for Learning Contributor, Danielle from the blog Crayonbox Learning. 

Materials Needed:

• Cardstock or heavy construction paper
• Scissors
• Black Permanent Marker
• Lamination
• Glue Stick
• Ghost Matching Game Template (Blackline)
• Pumpkin Box Template (Blackline)

Directions:

This cute game is perfect for classroom or family Halloween parties!    All of the materials needed for this activity can be found at CreateforLess.com!

1. Print template pieces off onto white cardstock.  The template comes with both numbered pieces (1-12) and blank.
2. Cut out the individual game pieces.
3. Laminate the game pieces for durability.  Hint: If you use the pre-numbered template you won’t need to write anything on the game pieces.  If you choose to write your own words or numbers, you will need to use a permanent ink pen to write on before you laminate.
4. Print the pumpkin box template onto cardstock.
5. Cut out the pumpkin box on the lines.  Fold on the lines where indicated and glue the flaps down.  Once the pumpkin box is dry, the playing cards can be put inside.

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

This type of word art is everywhere. It started as copies of subway sign from NYC and Paris with the black background and white letters. Now it has morphed into a decorative type design for homes. When creating your Subway Art here are a couple of pointers to help get you started.

1. Start by only using 1 to 3 different fonts for the whole design. Sometimes mixing too many font faces makes the design confusing and difficult to read. The traditional signs use one font that is San Serif (without serifs or flares on the letters), plain and blocky, like Arial or Helvetica. For Holiday art pick one or two fancier fonts and hold the design together with one plain font.

2. Try and keep all of the words in one row on the same base line. Which means that all the words sit on an invisible line. This keeps the design clean and prevents words from looking like they are floating.

3. Use Full Justification. This aligns the text to both the left and right sides of the page adding space between the words to create a nice clean line on both the left and right side of the design. This might also add space between the letters of a single word to spread it out across the page.

4. This is just my personal spin – but I like all my words to read from left to right. I do not turn words on their side. By keeping the words upright it stays truer to Subway Signs.

Here is my Halloween Subway Art. If you don’t want to make your own – use this printable. I found fonts that have a Halloween feel to them and work together to create a whole. I stretched some of the words side to side to create the full justification, then I pulled some of the words top to bottom to fill the spaces between the lines. This really fills the page and makes the words as big as possible so the sign can be read across the room.

I printed this one on Bright Orange Cardstock. Afterwards, I picked the words I wanted to stand out and glued black glitter to them.