Think Crafts Blog – Craft Ideas and Projects – CreateForLess

By Kid’s Crafts Contributor Stephanie, 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.

By General Crafts Contributor Melissa, from the blog MeloMomma.

Did you have any New Years Resolutions? I know I did! I wanted to get organized! To begin my organizing, I went through my dresser. If I had not worn it in 6 months, I tossed it. Then a big red light went off in my head! DON’T THROW AWAY those old shirts! That is perfectly good material!

Oh… the brain of a crafter!

So, I bring to you the T-Shirt Wreath! It is so simple! No sewing anything and it takes under 15 minutes! I bet you have a few shirts you’d be more than happy to sacrifice, right?

What you will need:

• 12″ Wreath mold ( I used a flat wood one, but foam works as well.)
• 2-3 t shirts or pants (soft fabrics work best)
• Scissors
• Clear craft glue
• Decorative beads or flowers

Directions:

Cut old shirts or pants into long strips. The strips should be approx. 2 inches wide and 12 inches long.

You do not need to cut the strips nice and neat. It will not matter!

Fold the strip into half and tie it around the wreath mold as shown in the photo.

Continue to tie all the fabric around the mold. I made a pattern with mine, but you can do anything. It all looks neat! Trim the edges so that all the tied pieces are about the same size. Decorate with beads or flowers.

Use a clear tacky glue to secure the beads. Tie one more piece of fabric around the top to hang it. (I used a draw string from the pajama pants I cut up.)

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

Be honest, when you spot a bunting hanging on the wall, doesn’t it make you just a little bit happier? It’s like having a little bit of party around all the time, and who doesn’t want that?

Buntings come in all shapes and sizes these days, and more importantly, they are made in all sorts of crafty ways. Get your craft supplies out and get ready to make one because here are some of our favorite festive buntings.

Traditional

You can’t really top a good old fashion string of triangles. These buntings can be as simple as paper with holes punched in the corner for stringing up or as complicated as a hand embroidered, double sided piece of sewing mastery. Make it monotone, color coordinated or just use up your scraps. Anything goes!

Unusual Shapes and Materials

You can, of course, veer from the traditional route and make a bunting in almost any shape.

Hearts

Circles

Hexagons

Or how about pom-poms?

These crocheted buntings couldn’t be any cuter, could they?

Mini

Mini buntings are the perfect thing to top a cake, finish off a plate of brownies or decorate the front of a card. Perhaps the simplest of buntings to make, these can be created quickly and easily out of scrapbook paper, ribbon or fabric scraps.

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

When I was eighteen years old, a family friend gave me a hand crocheted doily as a graduation gift. And I didn’t get it. It was beautiful, of course, but a doily? What would I use a doily for? Well, I get it now. The humble and old-fashion doily has made a big comeback, both in the craft world and in the realms of fashion and interior design, which is good news for you, my little crafters, because you can whip those doilies that great Aunt Agnes made you out of the closet at last and put them to good use.

The Doily Lamp

I’d like to think that this is where doilies made their initial comeback since this project has been cropping up on craft blogs for a while now. With a myriad of tutorials and examples out there, you’re sure to find one you like.

The Doily Lamp

The Doily Table Runner

Romantic and yet, at the same time, very modern, this table runner is made up of a jumble of different doilies. So simple. So dramatic. So doable!

The Doily Table Runner

The GIANT doily

I would learn to crochet just to make this for my bedroom floor. Comfy and cozy, this oversized doily is a fun play on the original barely there lace creation.

The GIANT Doily

The Paper Doily

Let’s not forget the mass produced version of our lace friend, the paper doily. Oh so cheap and oh so versatile, paper doilies should be a staple in any crafters cupboard. Wrap them around gifts, use them as envelopes, pretty up a card, hang them as a banner, or fold them as a snowflake. So many craftertunities, so little time.

Altered Paper DoiliesDoily Invitations

 Press them in, glue them up, sew them on.

Some of the best doily related crafts have them displayed in unusual places. Roll a doily into dough, Mod Podge it onto a plate, paint it onto a canvas or sew it onto a sweater. Think outside the doily here and you never know what you might come up with!

Decoupaging with doilies

Doily Wall Art