Think Crafts Blog – Craft Ideas and Projects – CreateForLess

By General Crafts Contributor Melissa, from the blog MeloMomma.

The holidays may be over, but winter is not! Making it still totally OK and adorable to make snowman crafts.

What you will need:

• Jar (I used a Ragu Pizza Sauce Jar)
• Felt
• Lace
• Fabric for a scarf
• Googly eyes
• Rocks
• Tissue paper
• Construction paper
• Clear Gel tacky glue
• Paint brush
• Scissors
• Glass bowl

 Directions:

1. Wash and dry the jar.
2. Using the tissue paper, cut out several squares of tissue paper. Cut a variety of sizes.
3. Put about a 1/4 cup of glue in a bowl. Add a tbsp water and mix well. The glue will be a little easier to work with now.
4. Paint the entire outside of the jar.
5. Cover with the tissue paper.
6. Secure any lose edges by painting glue over it.
7. Allow to dry.
8. Using construction paper, make a cone shape.
9. Glue on googly eyes.
10. Glue on the cone nose.
11. Take a walk outside and gathers some small pebbles.
12. Wash and dry the pebbles.
13. Glue the pebbles onto the jar to make the snowman’s mouth.
14. Cover the lid in felt. Be sure to cut off all the excess felt so the lid will still fit.
15. Add lace to the edge of the lid.
16. Tie a piece of plaid fabric around the snowman’s body for a scarf. (I actually used a prop from another craft, but fabric looks just as awesome).
17. You could place a flameless candle inside for a special glow!

Congratulations to Dianna H. from Quincy, IL who was randomly selected as our “Dear Santa Sweepstakes” Winner! Dianna will receive a $100 gift card to CreateForLess to get everything on her wish list!

Dianna’s letter to Santa was…

Dear Santa,

I’m so excited, I have finally got my oldest daughter started in scrapbooking. It is so cool to see her enjoying it. We have been on two retreats together and will soon be going on another one. She could use so  much storage items to take her stuff along. If I could wish for her I would ask for the XXL storage travel bag which is $100. and a few cents of which I would be glad to chip in and help. Thank you.

Merry Christmas to you and all of your elves there at CreateForLess!

Dianna H.

By Paper Crafts Contributor, Lauren Romano.

Spending time with family and friends is one of the best things about the holidays. Although it’s important to always tell loved ones how grateful you are for them, during Christmas is an especially great time to do so. This year, consider making personal note party favors for each guest at your dinner party. They take little time to create and are incredibly inexpensive.

What you’ll need:

• Any Christmas book
• White paper
• Glitter glue
• Ribbon
• Mod Podge
• Flat back rhinestones (optional)

Step 1. Choose your background material. I used a broken and worn down book of vintage Christmas music, but other options include Christmas story books or cookbooks. Each page you use should be double-sided.

Step 2. Cut the white paper into rectangles that are proportionate to the background paper. Write your personal notes on each one, then use Mod Podge to glue it to the center of the background paper.

Step 3. Use glitter glue to decorate the outer edges of the party favor. I did a red bow on the top, small red dot on the bottom and green wavy lines along the edges. You can also attach flat back rhinestones depending on how heavy the paper is. Let the party favors dry overnight before moving onto the next step. Test the glue by lightly tapping it with your finger to make sure it’s completely dry.

Step 4. Roll up the party favors and secure each one with a ribbon.

To distribute them to guests, place the party favors on the plates at the table or put them in a decorative basket and give them out as the guests arrive or leave.

On the twelve day of Christmas my crafty friends gave to me…

$50 CreateForLess Gift Certificate!

Looking for a gift, but don’t know exactly what to get your favorite crafter? You can’t go wrong with a CreateForLess gift card! Send them on a CreateForLess shopping spree with our convenient email gift certificates. With over 60,000 craft, scrapbooking, sewing supplies and more, CreateForLess has something for everyone.

Every day until Christmas, we’ll post a new giveaway on Think Crafts.  To enter to win, simply comment on the blog post with the word of the day. We’ll pick the winner randomly and contact them via email. Deadline is midnight tonight and the winner will be announced the next day on Facebook. One entry per person please.

Word of the Day: Merry Christmas!

If the comment box is not below, scroll to the top and click “comments”.

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

Rag wreaths have been done since…well, I don’t know how long. Here’s one I couldn’t resist though! After seeing one similar on Etsy last year, I had to try making my own. It’s simple, quick and inexpensive.

You’ll need:

• ½ to ¾ yd. fleece (your choice of color—I used cream)
• Scrap of coordinating colored fleece
• Wire hanger
• Scissors
• Measuring tape/ruler

Cut fleece into 2″ x 4″ pieces. Stretch your hanger into a circle, then twist the top into a loop so you have a way to hang it.

Begin tying your pieces of fleece onto your hanger.

Make sure to push pieces close together. You want to tie as many on as possible so you get a full looking wreath.

Take your coordinating piece of fleece and make a bow around the top, or be creative and decorate however you wish! This could be part of great table centerpiece.

On the eleventh day of Christmas my crafty friends gave to me…

Martha Stewart Punches All Over Aspen Flurry Pattern!

Use the Martha Stewart All Over Aspen Flurry Pattern punch in the center, edge or anywhere on the page. Punch multiple times in a row or grid to achieve a patterned effect. Each punched image is a scattering of snowflake of different sizes with small stars. Base has printed pattern that allows you to line up the punches for perfect placement. Image measures about 1.5″ square.

Every day until Christmas, we’ll post a new giveaway on Think Crafts.  To enter to win, simply comment on the blog post with the word of the day. We’ll pick the winner randomly and contact them via email. Deadline is midnight tonight and the winner will be announced the next day on Facebook. One entry per person please.

Word of the Day: Mistletoe

If the comment box is not below, scroll to the top and click “comments”.

By Paper Crafts Contributor, Lauren Romano.

I love homemade ornaments; I think they really add personality to a Christmas tree. This year, make use of vintage paper materials by making ornaments out of them. You’ll save a huge amount of money, prevent paper from going into the landfill, and make sparkly personalized items for yourself or loved ones.

What you’ll need:

• Vintage music sheet
• Snowflake template
• Colored cardstock
• Scissors or craft knife
• Small hole punch
• Mod Podge
• Ribbon
• Glitter glue

Step 1. Choose a snowflake template. Cookie cutters work well. There are a variety to choose from whether you want something simple or one a little more elaborate.

Step 2. Use Mod Podge to adhere the sheet of vintage Christmas music onto cardstock. Depending on the size of the ornaments you’d like to make and the size of the sheet music, you’ll likely be able to make at least two ornaments out of each sheet of music. Give it at least an hour to dry before moving onto the next step.

Step 3. Print the snowflake template on the cardstock side, not on the paper side. Ink sometimes has a tendency to blur or bleed a bit on vintage paper, which typically doesn’t happen on cardstock.

Step 3. Either using scissors or a craft knife, cut out the snowflake shape. For the more elaborate designs, I recommend you use a craft knife as it’s much easier to maneuver than scissors.

Step 4. Punch a hole into a top section of the snowflake, then cover the ornament with glitter glue. I used green because of the green music print on the paper. Give the ornaments at least two hours to dry.

Step 5. Tie a matching ribbon through the hole.