Think Crafts Blog - Craft Ideas and Projects - CreateForLess

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

My husband and I recently had the pleasure (not to mention mild shock!) of attending his son’s 50^th birthday party. It was a family celebration, and the attendees ranged in age from four years to 74 years.

What do you do at a party with that wide an age span, encompassing both sexes, other than eat ice cream and cake and watch the birthday gifts being opened?

Our son, Jeff, had the perfect solution, and I’m only sorry I didn’t get the camera out earlier, because once we got started on our activity, all I could think was, I’ve got to share this! It’s great!

We had all settled in and were standing or sitting around the family room when Jeff got our attention and told us to team up in groups of two or three, choosing a partner or partners we thought we’d like to create something with. We were soon laughing, wondering aloud just what we’d be doing, and standing in little clusters before being led out to the garage.

There, Jeff had set up a large table, with small, identical, piles of materials places all around the edge. In the center of the table were jars of nails, hammers, and a big glue gun. As each team chose a station and examined the assortment of wooden pieces, Jeff explained the “game”.

Each team was to build whatever they wanted out of the pieces they’d been given. The only stipulation was that we had to use every piece, although we were free to cut or break any piece, or alter them, as we wished.

We had each been given two wooden circles with a hole drilled through the center, a piece that appeared to be the corner of a square piece of wood where a circle had been cut from, a couple of sticks roughly ½” X ½” X 4″, scrap of a 2X4, and a largish piece of very thin wood, which Jeff told me later was a door skin, cut into rectangles. You, of course, could use any scraps you had lying around, or cut scraps into interesting shapes, just making sure everyone got the same things.

After we’d made our “sculpture”, and named it, we were to visit all the other ones that had been made, and vote for the one we thought was the best.

There was so much whispering, chatter, and laughter, with every single person a happy participant, from youngest to oldest.

Here are pictures of three more projects, and while you might not be able to tell from looking which team had the 4-yr-old, which teams had cabinet maker partners, or which were comprised of a woman and child, I’ll bet you can tell we all had fun!

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

Years ago, when my husband and I were first married, we had a little verbal routine. I would say, “I love you,” and he would say, “Well, I sure don’t know why.”  And then I’d list several reasons I loved him.

One day, I decided to clear things up for him, once and for all. It took an afternoon, but the book I created that day still sits on his nightstand, and every now and then he goes through it again. It was undoubtedly the best Valentine I ever gave him.

Here’s how you can make your own “Book of Love”:

• Get one of those photo albums that holds just one photo per page in a clear sleeve.
• Gather a stack of magazines and other picture-rich papers, a pair of scissors, a pen or pencil, and something to write on. (I used a scrap of wallpaper that was printed with narrow blue and white stripes.)
• Look through your magazines to find pictures that illustrate things you love about your dear one, and cut them out, sliding each one into a sleeve of the album.
• Write a caption for each picture and put it in the corresponding sleeve.

My first picture, a favorite Mary Engelbreit card, I taped to the inside cover of the book, using packing tape that completely covered it.

The first sleeve held only this:

Then I started filling sleeves:

What was fun and interesting was that I often let a picture inspire me. I might not have thought of it otherwise, but I adore the way my sweetie looks in a tuxedo, something that came to me when I saw this:

A spur put me in mind of the way he “spurred me on” to try harder, do more, and believe in myself. People bouncing around at a dining table reminded me of his playfulness. There were a number of pages praising his physical attributes and romantic skills, including a few that made the book something I wouldn’t share with just anybody, but which certainly pleased him.

And there were occasional small jokes, like the way he’d follow a compliment about my cooking with, “but then, I was REALLY hungry!” (You’d have to be there. It really was funny, the way he said it.)

I didn’t decorate the outside at all. It never even occurred to me, but it was already pretty. Still that might be something you’d want to do.

The book, when it was finished, held 36 pictures and captions, and ended with a quote, “Loving you is knowing dreams can come true.”

Oh, and I left empty sleeves. It’s a lovely little surprise to add another reason to love.

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

We all know what day is coming soon - Valentine’s Day!  You don’t need a spouse or significant other to show your love for someone.  In fact, I made this recycled gift box for my mom!  She’s always supported and been there for me, and to show my love I got her a gift card for a pedicure.  To make the presentation delightful, I took a candy box from Christmas and dressed it up a bit.  You won’t believe how easy this to make, and it just takes a few minutes.

To make it, gather these supplies:

Old gift/candy/other box

K&Company Paper Pad 12×12 Designer Lovely

K&Company Grand Adhesions Kazoo Animals & Words

EK Jolee’s 3D Stickers Bling Large Gems Red

Glue Dots Craft Clear 1/2″ 200 pc Box

Glitter silver foam letters

Scalloped Scissors

Pen or Pencil

Here’s the box before I started.  I was lucky that it was already red and cute.  If you aren’t as lucky, add some acrylic craft paint into the mix (FolkArt).  Paint your box before you move onto the next step.

Place the top of the box face down on the backside of the paper (select a piece that matches your box) and trace.  Set the box aside.

Cut inside the line with the scalloped scissors - make sure you have even edges, even if you have to trim a little extra off.

Use your Glue Dots to line the backside of the paper.  I probably used about 10 - 15 Glue Dots and got around the edges.  I didn’t put one on every scallop, just about every inch.  I also put a few in the middle.  Place the paper down on the top of the box in the center, and make sure to press down well.

This is the most fun part!  Stick down the embellishments, including the letters and the red gems.  Pick whatever you like and looks good!

I can’t wait to give this to my mom - she’s going to love it.  The best part?  When she’s done with the box, she can redecorate it and give it again.  I love recycled crafts!  Happy Valentine’s Day!

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

Remember back to the Valentines days of our youth? All those little Scooby Doo and Barbie Valentines cards with their perforated edges and strangely sweet envelope glue? Yeah, they were cute, I’ll admit it. But somehow now that my kids are school aged, I find myself shying away from the cards that my classmates and I stuffed into shoebox “mailboxes” each year. Maybe it’s the fact that most of them are covered with kind of scary looking cartoon characters or maybe it’s the fact that I know all that paper will just end up in the landfill. Or maybe it’s just the crafter in me that hates the idea of sending my son off with something store bought (he’s going to hate me when he’s a teenager -What? No I will not buy you that shirt! I’m sure we can MAKE it for less honey!)

The problem is that now that he is seven and almost a half, the cutsie valentines that we’ve made in years past ARE NOT COOL MOM. No more puffball hearts or hand drawn red and white cards. No more talk of love or be mine. Sigh. So how on earth do you do a non lovey-dovey, boy approved, kid make-able valentine? Well, I’ll tell you, it took some serious thinking.

Actually, I’ll be honest; my son inspired the idea when we were eating lunch at our favorite Chinese restaurant last weekend.

“Fortune Cookies! I love Fortune Cookies!” He said “Hey mom, can we make fortune cookies this week?”

Humm, well, yes, I think we can.

These are really simple and very kid friendly and let’s face it, who doesn’t love a fortune cookie?

Here’s what you need:

Felt - 1 sheet will make three large fortune cookies

Tacky Glue

Small treats (Hershey Kisses work great!)

Paper and pen

Fabric and paper scissors

Trace a five-inch diameter circle onto your felt. You can either cut a template from cardstock or find a bowl or lid that’s around five inches. You can also go bigger or smaller but I found that a five inch circle was the best size for holding a few treats and being handleable for little fingers.

Cut, or if your child is old enough, allow them to cut the circle out carefully. Try to keep the edges as smooth as possible.

Cut a strip of paper 1 inch long by 1/4 inch wide and write a message on it, leaving one third of the strip blank. Run a bead of tacky glue around the circle and lay the strip of paper just above the halfway point on one side. If you want to insert treats, put two kisses end to end (or other small candies) in the middle.

Fold the circle over and press to close, keep pressing the edges down until the glue has a good hold on it. Allow the glue to dry completely.

Using your thumb, push the center of the flat edge (between the two candies) toward the seam.

Dab a dot of glue where the two halves of the “cookie” meet and hold it closed for a minute to allow the glue to set.

And you’re done! How cute is that? My son is gung-ho to make these for all of his friends this year, which is good because I really don’t think I could have given in to the Power Rangers Valentines, no matter how anti-lovey dovey his seven-year-old self is!

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

There’s a chill in the air, but there’s fun on my hands!  We’re talking darling fleece wrist warmers here, and a quick-as-a-wink gift to make.  Here’s what you’ll need:

• A scrap of fleece, about 12″ X 18″
• Buttons, bows, or other low-profile furbelows
• Thread

Begin by cutting two rectangles from the fleece, each 6″ X 8″. Before you cut, check for stretch. You want to have stretch across the 8″ side, which will wrap around your hand.

Fold each rectangle in half the long way, right sides together, using a ½” seam allowance. You should have two tubes now, each 3″ X 6″.

Slip one of the tubes over your hand so that one edge of it just covers your knuckles, and the seam is at the outside edge of your hand. Feel for the bone at the base of your thumb, and for the first knuckle of that thumb, and draw a line between the one and the other.

Slip the wrist warmer off and flatten it so that the line you’ve drawn is right on the edge of the fold. Notice that the seam will NOT be on the other edge, but will be turned to the underside. This is important, because it allows for the thickness of your hand. After you’ve cut the thumbhole and put the warmer on, the seam will have magically moved to the edge of the warmer.

Cut a sliver of fabric out where you’ve drawn the line. Don’t worry about making the cut too narrow. You can always enlarge it if you need to.

Cool! Now you can decorate them! Use buttons, or little appliqués, or a bit of embroidery, near the knuckles, roughly centered.

When you know what you want to use, slip the warmers on, lay the adornments in place, and mark. Doing it that way is important, because I promise you, when you take the wrist warmer off and look at where the mark is, you’re going to think you’ve got it wrong! Centered will not look centered, but that’s an illusion.

Sew your trims on, and you’re done.

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

I don’t know about you, but this is the coldest winter I can remember. I mean, seriously, I live in the south and we have piles of snow sitting, unmelted, in yards, on street corners and pushed up against buildings two weeks after our big winter storm. Brrrrr. And because I seem to be freezing all the time, most of my thoughts these days seem to lean toward all things cozy and warm, which is how this scarf came to be.

There are three things about this scarflette that make it fantastic. First, it’s really warm, and warm without being bulky so you can wear it in the house or under a coat without it getting in the way. Second, you don’t need a sewing machine, you don’t really even need to be a great sewer, as long as you can do a basic whip stitch and attach a button. And third (and this is the best part) you probably have everything you need sitting in the bottom of your closet or donations bag.

Here’s what you’ll need:

• 1 out grown, too small, moths got at it, husband shrank it or otherwise unwearable, wool sweater
• Scissors (they need to be sharp!)
• Pencil and straight edge
• Thread and needle
• 2 buttons (shank buttons off an old blazer work great but look through your old sweaters and spare button stash - chunky buttons work best)

If your sweater isn’t already felted (that is, washed in hot water until you cant see the stitching anymore) go ahead and felt it then allow it to dry. Cut it off just under the armpits and parallel to the bottom so that you have a rectangle of sweater. Next, split one of the side seams so that you have a very long rectangle. A women’s medium sweater, felted and cut open, should yield a rectangle about 28 inches long and 12 inches wide. If yours is larger you may want to cut it down to this size but you can always leave it and have a slightly longer scarflette.

Lay the wool out on a flat surface with the remaining seam up. Measure and mark 5 inches in from each in and four inches up from each long edge. Using your ruler draw vertical lines inside the marked rectangle every 1/2 inch, just like you did back in elementary school making paper lanterns.

Carefully cut along each line, making sure the cuts are even and begin and end evenly.

Fold the short ends of the scarf over 1/2 inch and whip stitch closed to create a smooth edge

Now, with the right side out, bring the long edges together, overlapping about 1/2 inch so that the original knitted hem of the sweater is on top and stitch closed. If you use thread close to the color of the scarf the stitches will virtually disappear, but try to use a fairly even whip stitch, just in case.

At this point you will have a long tube with slits along the middle of one side. All thats left is the fasteners.

Drape the scarf around your neck to find the best location for the buttons. I chose to have the ends meet in a perpendicular, but even fashion. You could have them overlap or have an overhang, depending on the finished length, the size of your neck and the style you want. Sew buttons on the end that will go underneath and mark for button hole slits. You have two choices here. If you want to see the buttons, cut the button hole slits (no need to sew, the wool wont unravel) through both layers of the top piece so that the buttons pull all the way through. If you want the buttons not to be seen, cut the slits only through the bottom layer so that the buttons will sit inside the scarf when you are wearing it.

Now that we’re all nice and cozy in our new scarflette, tell me, what cozy projects are you working on these days?