Think Crafts Blog – Craft Ideas and Projects – CreateForLess

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!

Twice a year the Craft & Hobby Association Conference & Trade Show (CHA) is held to discuss, what else, crafts! During the conference we get to see the new products manufacturers have been developing and get a sneak peek of the new designs and ideas. Industry experts come together to discuss trends and promotion of the craft industry. I like seeing all the incredible booths and displays!

At CHA we met the Crochet Dude and Tim Holtz! And our CreateForLess team had dinner with Mark Montano! Mark Montano! He delighted us with us entertaining stories and awesome craft ideas! Can’t wait for your next book Mark!

The Best Booth Award went to the DieCuts with a View & Blue Moon Beads!

The peacock is made with DCWV paper, glitter and lots of glue!

This display was made completely out of Blue Moon Beads.

I want to make this beaded waterfall for my bathroom! Check out more of the DCWV & Blue Moon Beads booth here.

An exciting part was the appearance by Tori Spelling! She is working with Darice on her jewelry making line {Styled} by Tori Spelling. What I loved about this new product line is you can make your own custom jewelry without needing tools or pliers.

You can mix and match the chains, pendants and beads to create and re-create your own designs.

Check out this video to see more of Tori’s designs!

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

As design blog readers will no doubt know, the beginning of the year comes with not only resolutions and de-holidaying the house, it also comes with a color. A Pantone color of the year to be precise. Each year the art marker company declares a color or colors that will dominate, or at least show up regularly, in the years color schemes. 2012, it seems, it the year of Tangerine Tango, and it’s already everywhere.

Oranges have been making quite a comeback in the past few years, both in the design and the craft worlds and it’s the perfect color to help transition from winter to spring, especially in your crafting.

These citrus toned pom-poms scream warmer weather and look almost good enough to eat. String them into a bunting or gather them up like a bouquet to add a pop of color to your house.

This painted chandelier is nothing short of fantastic and as simple as a can of spray paint and a cast of light fixture. Check out the tutorial for the project.

Create your perfect shade of bright orange yarn with a summer staple! Kool Aid makes an excellent dye for natural fibers and mixing flavors results in a myriad of colors and shades.

Check out our Craft Trends Pinboard for some more Tangerine Tango ideas and tell us what you’ll be using the shade for this crafting year.

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!

A perfect Sunday morning for me would be a steaming cup of coffee and watching “Sewing with Nancy”. Another personal favorite of mine is “The Joy of Painting” with Bob Ross. I grew up with PBS. Watching their shows gets my creative ideas going and I always get inspired to create. So I was very excited when I was asked to participate in the Nancy Zieman Blog Tour!

I have used Trace N Create Templates before to make a purse, so I was super excited when Nancy designed a template to make tablet keepers. The Clover Trace N Create Tablet Keepers Template allows you to make the perfect size keeper for your tablet or paper pad. As you can tell from the photo below, the template allows you to customize your keeper for your perfect size. It also has markings so you can add the elastic pieces to hold the tablet and strap to close the keeper.

The instructions provided are clear and easy to read. Also provided are stiff plastic sheets for the front and back cover of the keeper. The sheets can be cut to be sized down. You can also buy the Pre Cut Tablet Keeper Shapers separately to make more tablet keepers.

 My finished Tablet Keeper for my MOTOROLA XOOM Android Tablet!

Blog Tour Details

Each weekday, for 20 days in January, be sure to visit the guest blogger’s site to see their Tablet Keeper creation.

January 3            Nancy Zieman                   http://www.nancyzieman.com/blog

January 4            Amy Ellis                            http://amyscreativeside.com/

January 5            Sharon Pernes                    http://craizeecorner.blogspot.com/

January 6            Vicki Christensen              http://www.sewinspiredblog.com/

January 9            Joan Hawley                       http://www.lazygirldesigns.com/blog/

January 10            Pat Sloan                           http://patsloan.typepad.com/

January 11            Eileen Roche                     http://dzgns.com/blog/

January 12            Liz Hicks                           http://blogerisms.blogspot.com/

January 13            Fran Ortmeyer                 http://cloverusa.wordpress.com/

January 16            Ilene Miller                       http://happyvalleyprimitives.blogspot.com/

January 17            Julie Herman                   http://www.jaybirdquilts.com/

January 18            Jenny Gabriel                  http://www.sewvacoutletblog.com/

January 19            Natalia Bonner                http://www.piecenquilt.blogspot.com/

January 20            Frieda Anderson             http://friestyle.blogspot.com/

January 23            Cindy Cloward                 http://www.rileyblakedesigns.com/blog/

January 24            Beckie Hansen                 http://www.nancyzieman.com/blog

January 25            Amy Webb                         http://www.amylouwhosews.com/

January 26            Allie Robertson                http://thinkcrafts.com/ (That’s us!)

January 27            Mary Mulari                       http://www.nancyzieman.com/blog

January 30            Laura Wasilowski            http://artfabrik.blogspot.com/

January 31            Carol Porter                        http://www.nancyzieman.com/blog

 In addition to the blog tour, Clover is giving away an AMAZING prize package! Check out their site for details!

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

The colder weather brings out all the mittens, gloves, scarves and hats. The little ones look so cute in hand knit mittens, but have you ever had to save a falling child while they were wearing them? My big fear is mitten to mitten, there is not a solid grip on the tiny one as you walk across the busy street or icy parking lot. Kids squirm and slip out so quick, next thing you’re left holding an empty mitten. Without some kind of hand covering, both momma and kiddo complain about the cold. I once saw an ad from the late 40′s or early 50′s about a shared mitten for hand holding. It was marketed for couples, but I think it works great for parents and children. A sure grip while being warm and snug, how wonderful.

Material:

• Momma Mitten Pattern - printable pattern
• 1/2 yard of fleece
• sewing machine
• all purpose thread
• Pins

I am not a terrific seamstress so if I can do this you can too. Print out the pattern provided and cut 2 out of fleece fabric. Pin the 2 together with right sides facing. Sew together using a 1/4″ seam allowance. Turn right-side out. I like a little cuff so I folded them down. It really couldn’t be easier.

The fleece has a nice stretch to it, so it can fit a variety of hand sizes. My little girl is 3 and we have been using this a lot. She loves it! My husband’s hand also fits because of the stretch, so he can wear it with her too. I can’t really say that he and I would wear it, but we could, I guess.

Stay warm and safe this winter.

By General Crafts Contributor Mina, from the blog Mina’s Journal.

Home is where the heart is! Why not make these Heart Houses this Valentine’s Day? All you need is paper or cardstock, scissors and glue. A quick, cute and funky project for Valentine cheer.

How to make the Heart House:

Trim around the outer lines of the house and the roof. Fold the roof in half widthwise to make the peak. Fold along the tab ends and sides of house as shown in the template.

Glue where indicated on the model. I found it better to glue the house together first, before putting on the roof. Line up the peak fold to match the top of the triangular top of the house.

Glue the roof to the tabs of one side of the Heart House. Glue the other side of the roof to the remaining side of the Heart House.

You’re done!

Ideas for Heart Houses

Make a few houses for a table centerpiece, or a shelf display.

Cut out windows, cover the inside window spaces with lunch paper. Pop the finished house over a LED light source, for night time illumination.

Download Blue Heart House

To use as a gift box glue the house onto a card base. Make it a little larger than the house and paint it green or use green card. Pop a gift inside the house before joining the roof.

Download Pink Heart House

To use the house to play with, cut along the top and bottom lines of the windows and down the middle. Fold open for shutter type windows.Cut along the top and down one side of the door. Fold door open and make paper dolls for your Heart House.

To make your own house, trace the template and design your own windows and doors, then make them up.

Have Fun! Happy Crafting!

*Design by Mina Keenan

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

Once upon a time, having personalized china took either a lot of money or some serious painting skills. Now a days, however, anyone with a steady hand can decorate their dishes at home with pretty amazing results with Porcelain Pens. Whether you want a simple pattern or something a little more complicated, these draw and bake projects are a great place to look for inspiration!

By Craft Celebrity Mark Montano, from the blog Mark Montano’s Big Ass Blog.

How many sweaters do you have in your drawer that you really should toss but don’t because you think you might wear them again? My guess is at least three. Well, I’ve got a way to make more room in your dresser and put those sweaters to use. I guarantee these Sweeter Sweater Gloves, when made with girly sweaters in pretty colors and matching knit gloves, will not only be warm, but also very glamorous.

YOU’LL NEED:

• Sweater you’re about to toss
• Scissors (Fiskars are the BEST!)
• One pair of knit gloves
• Straight pins
• Sewing machine with matching thread (I love my BERNINA)

HERE’S HOW

Evenly cut off the sleeves of the sweater in a length you like. If you want your gloves to end at the elbow, then cut them off at the elbow. Pull the cutoff sleeves up your arms by the cuffs. The cuffs of the sweater should be tight enough to keep them in place on your upper arms. But, if they’re not, pinch them and see how much you will need to take in. Also see how much, if any, you will have to take in the sweater sleeves at the wrist. If you do need to take in the sleeves, do so by gathering the extra material along the seam of the sweater and stitching, and then cut off the excess.

Turn the sleeves inside out and place the gloves in the end that you cut off, matching up the openings (the fingers of the gloves should be pointed toward the sweater cuff end).

Place a couple of straight pins in the openings to hold the gloves in place.

Sew the raw edge of the sleeve to the opening of the glove using a 1/2″ seam allowance.

IMPORTANT: Make sure you stretch the fabric while you’re sewing so that the glove opening stretches when you put them on. Turn the sleeves right side out.