Think Crafts Blog – Craft Ideas and Projects – CreateForLess

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

If there’s one thing obvious about fashion, it’s that nothing stays in or out forever. For example, I haven’t seen so many ruffles at the necks of blouses and shirts since the 1970′s, and what looked dated and stale a year or two ago, now looks fresh and new. (Funny how that works.)

Here’s the easiest way I know of to grab the new style, while simultaneously using something else you may not think of as stylish—a doily.

All you need is a doily and a shirt or blouse, in matching or coordinating colors.

Put on your blouse, buttoning it all the way to the neck. Now find a hole your shirt button will fit through on the doily. The hole should be a little above the center point of the doily. Button the doily on through the hole.

Let it drape in graceful ruffles.

That’s it, and aren’t you just the picture of fashion?

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

I was shown a napkin fold card recently which made me want to make one, too. I had just gotten the Echo Park Apothecary paper line and thought that it would make a cool Halloween napkin fold card. After making it I just knew that I had to share it with everyone so I decided to write this tutorial on how to make the card so you can make one, too. One thing that is fun with this is that you can use them for your party invitations, a spooky birthday card or give to a friend who enjoys Halloween. I haven’t decided what I’ll use mine for yet ,so I decided to leave the message blank for now. But a couple of neat ideas would be to use the Apothecary Alphabet to create your own message or use a message stamp to stamp your message on.

Supplies Used:

• Echo Park Apothecary Collection Kit
• American Crafts Textured Cardstock
• Orange Bazzill Cardstock
• Smooth White Cardstock
• Aleene’s Tacky Glue
• Adhesive Squares
• Orange Ribbon
• Drippy Goo Punch
• Mini Candelabra Stamp
• Mini Magic Potion Stamp
• Scoring Board
• Paper Trimmer
• Circle Cutter
• Stamp block
• Black Ink Pad
• Favorite markers
• Favorite Tape Runner

1. To create the napkin fold card start with a 12 x 12 piece of black cardstock and score at 3″ and 9″, rotate a half turn and score again at these measurements. Fold the paper at the score lines making sure to get a crisp fold.

2. Mark the center of the square that is in the middle of the paper. The center mark should be at 3″.

3. Fold the corners into the center mark making sure the sides in between the corners meet as closely as possible.

4. Now unfold the paper and you will see a triangle in each of the sections that looks like this on both sides of the paper. With the paper open flat, fold the point of the triangle up to the center mark and crease the fold well. Do this on all 4 sides.

By folding the point of the triangle upward, it will cause the corners to fold as shown in the second picture. The next thing will be to fold the corners down so they lay flat and form a square which will look like this picture.

Your card should now look like this when you release it.

5. Now fold each of the corner pieces in half down towards the edge of the paper like this.

6. Using 2 sheets of patterned paper cut:

Two 2 ¾” x 2 ¾” squares. (This is the skull paper on the corners of this card.)

Two 5 ½” x 5 ½” squares (This is the orange patterned paper on this card.)

One 3 ¾” x 3 ¾” square (This is the black stripe patterned paper on this card.)

One 3 ¾” x 3 ¾” square (This is the orange grid patterned paper on this card.)

For the next few steps use this picture as a reference while you work.

7. Cut the 5 ½” squares (orange patterned paper) in half and then half again to get 4 triangles. Adhere them, using the tape runner, around the center square of the black card stock.

8. Cut the 3 ¾” square (black striped patterned paper) into 8 triangles and adhere to card. Repeat this step with the orange grid patterned paper until you have 4 triangles.

9. Cut the 2 ¾” square (the skulls) into triangles until you 4 of them to adhere to the corners.

10. Cut a square of cardstock 5 ¾” x 5 ¾” to put in the center square. I wanted some of the black cardstock to show so I cut the skulls patterned paper to 5 ½” x 5″ and then cut a 4″ x 4″ piece of white paper that I stamped the potion bottle on over the top of the patterned paper.

11. Cut a strip of orange cardstock to 2 ¼” x 12″ and punch the edges using the Drippy Goo punch.

12. Find the center of the cardstock piece and make a small mark at the center point. Cut a 30″ piece of ribbon and find the center of it. Using Aleene’s Tacky Glue run a small line of glue across the middle of the orange cardstock. After finding the center on both the cardstock and ribbon glue them together and work your way to the edges of the 1″ x 12″ strip. You will have some ribbon that hangs over at each end of the cardstock that will be used to tie the card closed.

13. Cut a piece of patterned paper (the stripe was used here) to 1″ x 12″. Using the tape runner, run a strip of tape down the back of the striped paper and adhere it over the top of the ribbon.

14. Turn card over so that the back is showing and using the tape runner adhere the strip to the back starting at the edge and going to the opposite edge of the black cardstock. Do not tape the entire length of the strip.

15. Turn the card back over and fold the rest of the strip to the front of the card and tie closed.

16. Cut 2 circles- one at 3″ out of the white paper and one at 3 ½” out of the orange cardstock. Adhere them together.

17. Stamp the Candelabra stamp on the white and color it. Place it on the strip using adhesive squares.

You now have a spooky card that will surely creep out anyone who receives it!

I saw this paper chandelier at the Winter Craft & Hobby Association conference and have been waiting (not very patiently, I’M EXICTED) for DCWV to post a tutorial. It’s Here!

Allie @ CreateForLess

By DCWV Diary

Immortal Love Stack Chandelier

I realized that I have never given you a template or tutorial for one of our most talked about projects at CHA in January! The 3D Chandelier! I think it would be SO fun to make one of these for Halloween, Thanksgiving or Christmas to hang in the entry of your house or above the table! Don’t you think??

Dots, Stripes & Plaids Stack Chandelier

Here are the instructions and THIS is where you can download the template. It is a little more intense of a project but as you can see, the results are incredible! Let me know if you tackle it! I want to see pictures!

Products:

• DCWV: Immortal Love Stack or The Dots, Plaids and Stripes 12×12 Premium Stack
• DCWV Chandelier Template PDF
• 24″x36″ Black foam board with black foam core
• Ribbon or rope to hang chandelier in desired length (at least 24” long)
• 1″x12″ piece of pipe
• Drill (needed to put hole through pipe)
• Bolt and nut set
• Assorted beads
• Assorted fibers
• Scissors
• Papercrafting adhesive
• Craft knife
• Glue Gun
• Pencil

Instructions:

Cut out template. Adhere 6 different prints to foam board and turn over. Trace template pattern onto back of foam board 6 different times, making sure that each print is used only once, and cut out.

Before adhering foam core pieces to the pipe, drill a small hole in the center of the pipe through one side, and directly across to the other. Insert a bolt through the 2 holes, and secure it in place with a nut.

Adhere foam board shapes directly to the piece of pipe with hot glue.

Embellish chandelier by adding ribbons, fibers, beads and bows.

By Guest Blogger Elias Cortez. He currently runs a site on Dallas wedding photography and Dallas wedding venues at TheDallasWeddingPhotographers.net.

Scrapbooking is something that a lot of people really do not think about doing however it is something that can be extremely important due to the fact that a scrapbook allow families to reminisce on those precious moments. Also, there are multiple ways that a scrapbook can be completed. Below you can find some of the different ways that people begin creating their scrapbooks.

• Create an online scrapbook: This way is one of the easier and newer ways to create a scrapbook. All one has to do is search the internet for scrapbook templates and then add their pictures in. However, this way is not as much fun and meaningful as some of the other ways that people go about creating scrapbooks yet still it is an option.
• Buy a premade scrapbook: What is meant by the term “premade” is you are purchasing a scrapbook that has already been set up to tell you where everything should go. Some scrapbooks will have sections for your child’s first day of school or their first hair cut. However, they may not include all of the sections that you feel are important moments for you and your family to cherish so it may be better to look at an alternative option when you are thinking of creating a scrapbook.
• Make a scrapbook from scratch: This is one of the more fun ways that you and your family can start your beautiful scrapbook. You will just have to go to the arts and crafts section in the store of your choice and get paper and other decorating materials. This way your scrapbook will have meaning behind it from the beginning to the end and you can make sure that you can fit all of the precious moments in it that you will never want to forget.

How to Create the Actual Scrapbook

1. Once you figure out what type of scrapbook you want to use (internet, store bought or homemade) you can then start deciding what should go in the scrapbook. Since this is a family scrapbook you may want to have events that the family attended together and also if small children you will want to include milestones from their childhood.

2. After you have gathered all of the photos that you want to put into the scrapbook then it is time to decorate the pages to fit the theme of the picture so you will be able to remember the moment vividly every time you look through the scrapbook. The children may be able to do the decorating of the pages while the adults are the ones who put in the pictures and things of that nature.

3. After the pages have been decorated and the pictures have been put in think about whether or not you would like to have the different awards that have been achieved in the scrapbook as well. Also, it would not hurt to write in some things to help the moments be remembered also.

After you have followed those first three steps you will have a good head start on your scrapbook. The next thing you will have to just go with the flow and see where your imaginations take you and your scrapbook will just fall into place piece by piece.

By Sewing Contributor Jessica, from the blog Life Sew Good. 

Who doesn’t love Ms. Amy Butler? She’s a crafter and seamstress, pattern-maker extraordinaire, fabric designer and inspiration to us all. Yes, she is brilliant. Maybe we could think of the things that she does, but the brilliance of it all is that we don’t have to. The hard work has already been done. For a relatively reasonable price, a trip to the fabric store (oh, darn . . . ), and a few hours cutting and sewing, we reap the fruit of her labor. And love it.

My first Amy Butler “product” was given to me by another craft junkie (who, sometimes, perhaps goes by the alias “Mable Crafts-A-Lot”). It was a diaper bag she made based on Amy Butler’s: ”Nappy Bag” pattern. I fell in love with this bag—HUGE, in a good way, with room for lots of baby stuff (and mommy stuff too)—and best of all, it was made out of beautiful fabric. I liked that it is relatively shallow, so things don’t get lost as easily. The downside: Because it’s “easy-access”, there is no button, snap, or other closure.

I became pregnant with my 2nd daughter and decided to try my hand at making my own diaper bag, only this time, it was going to be Amy Butler’s “Birdie Sling”. I made two, actually. The first was out of amazing Michael Miller fabric, and the second I finished out of Amy Butler fabric that my friend had given me as a gift. I love the bag because it looks good, feels good on the shoulder and stores lots of stuff. The downside: it’s a deeper bag, so sometimes things could get lost in the depths.

When I was looking for links to the patterns mentioned above, I saw that Amy Butler has several FREE patterns on her site. It’s so worth checking out!

By Paper Crafts Contributor, Lauren Romano.

As fall approaches, the brightly colored orange, red and yellow autumn-themed decorations are going to start making an appearance. Not to be outdone by real pumpkins, mini paper pumpkins can look just as cute and decorative and take surprisingly little time to make. With a few materials, you can make single pumpkins to put around your home or even make a vine of them for a single area.

What you’ll need:

• Orange, brown and green cardstock
• Gold glitter glue pen
• Scissors
• Mod Podge
• Tissue paper

Step 1. Ball up the tissue paper and compact it as much as possible. Use as many sheets as it takes to make a single ball that’s the size of the pumpkin you want.

Step 2. Cut the orange cardstock into strips. The width of each strip depends on the size pumpkin you’re making, however, the length of each strip should measure exactly from the top center of the tissue paper ball to the bottom center.

Step 3. Put a thin layer of Mod Podge on one side of each strip, then place them over the tissue paper ball. Start each one at the top center and end each one at the bottom center. Work in a clockwise direction slightly overlapping the side of one piece over the one before it until you get all the way around. When you finished putting the orange cardstock on the pumpkin, press the ball in between your hands to compact everything.

Step 4. If the top and bottom center areas of the pumpkin are too thick from the paper, trim them down a bit.

Step 5. Use the gold glitter glue over each paper line on the pumpkin. Put the pumpkin on a plastic surface to dry so you can easily wash off any glitter that transfers.

Step 6. Roll a piece of brown cardstock into the shape of a stem, then glue the end of the paper down to the top center of the pumpkin. The size should correspond to the size of the pumpkin. Roll the brown paper in between your hands until the stem becomes a bit more compact.

Step 7. Cut the green cardstock into thin strips to create the vines, then use scissors and your fingers to twist and curl the pieces. Don’t worry if some of the green comes off, pumpkin vines have varying shades of green with some parts that look white. Dot some of the gold glitter glue on them if you prefer.

Step 8. Glue the ends of the vines to the top center of the pumpkin, then glue the stem directly to the top center.

Step 9. Let everything sit in place until it is fully dry.

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!

I love the homey feel of my throw pillows in my living room, almost as much as I enjoy using them. And as you can see, I’m not the only one who does! This is my dog Belle’s favorite nap spot.

I wanted pillows that were comfortable but not too soft that they looked sloppy on the couch. The Fairfield Pillow Forms are 100% polyester, making it soft and also hypoallergenic. Since I have down allergies, this is what sold me!

Since the pillow form has a zippered cover, you just have you add your decorative fabric, trims, buttons and any other pretty embellishments. I choose some Amy Butler printed fabrics that were bold, and a soft suede and a burlap material for my throw pillows.

After I cut out the material, and sewed 3 sides together, (with wrong sides together, but you probably know that) I pressed each of the 4th side seams in twice and used iron-on adhesive to finish the seam without any stitches. I added sticky back velcro to these inside flaps so I can take off the pillow case if I need to wash it. Since Belle uses the pillows so much, its really nice to be able to take off the pillow case to spot clean or use the lint roller on.

I made these a few months ago and wished I would have taken step by step pictures. This project started off simple, but once I found hypoallergenic pillow forms and sticky back velcro, it become much more than pillow cases. I added some large, Blumenthal buttons to the side of two of them, and then added a fabric flower to the other pillow. If you want some other ideas check out Pinterest. If you’re new to Pinterest, read this!