Think Crafts Blog – Craft Ideas and Projects – CreateForLess

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

G.E. Designs Fast & Furious Holiday Book!

The Fast & Furious Holiday Book has 16 projects that include table runners, placemats, wall quilts, stockings, a tree skirt, fun decorations, ornaments, and even candy/treat bags for any occasions. Seasons and holidays included Winter, Valentine’s Day, Easter, 4th of July, Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas.

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: Candy Cane

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

This is the time of year for special cards of all types.  A special card with a gift card to someone’s favorite store is always a big hit this time of year.  Why not make it even more special by creating the card by hand? 

Supplies Needed:

• Graphic 45 Christmas Emporium Paper Pad
• Green and Red Cardstock
• 3-d adhesive
• Favorite tape runner
• Glue
• Scoring Board
• Photo Corner Punch
• Paper Trimmer

Begin by cutting a 6″ x 12″ card base from the green cardstock, score in the center at 6″ and fold in half.  This will create a 6″ x 6″ card for you to use.  Next, cut a piece of green cardstock that measures 6 ½” long x 6″ wide.  Using the scoring board, score the length of the paper starting from left to right at ½”, ¾”, ½”, ½”, ¾”, 1 ½”, 1 ½”.  Now you need to fold that piece in a peaks and valleys manner.  The first flap, which is the ½” score on your left, is folded downward.  The ¾”” score is left flat, the next ½” score is folded downward to the valley and the next ½” finishes the valley fold.  The next score is the ¾” score and it is left flat.  The first 1 ½” is folded down which forms the front side of this piece that faces the opening of the card.  The last 1 ½” is folded underneath.  When you are finished your piece should look like this picture when it’s attached to the card. 

Run a small piece of tape from the tape runner on the inside of the valley fold area to close it up so the gift card will sit straight in the holder. 

Starting on the bottom of the card attach the 1 ½” piece which was the last section you scored to the card using the glue so it will hold when the card is opened and closed.  Attach the 1/2″ flap to the top of the card.  Refer to second picture for help if needed.

Once the card is completely assembled refold all the score lines to give them a crisp fold so the card closes easily.  This may have to be done more than once to get it to close. 

On the front of the card, cut a 5″ x 4 ¾” piece of Merry and Bright patterned paper from the Graphic 45 Christmas Emporium Paper Pad and adhere it to the card.  Trim the “Hearty Greeting” message from the Santa Express sheet in the paper pad and adhere it using the 3-d adhesive circles on each corner.  Using the photo corner punch, punch 4 pieces from the red cardstock and attach them to each corner. 

On the inside of the card, cut a 3 ¼” x 2″ piece of red cardstock and adhere it.  Cut the “Received From” tag from the Special Delivery sheet from the paper pad and adhere it to the cardstock.  Cut a 5 ½” x 2″ piece of red cardstock for the bottom of the card and place it on there.  Over the top of the cardstock leaving approximately ¾” of the red showing adhere a 5 ½” x 3″ piece of the Merry and Bright patterned paper. 

Place the gift card in the holder and it’s ready to give as a special gift.

Happy Holidays Everyone!

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

We typically get a tree to decorate our living room, but this year we added a little tree to our family room, which meant we needed another tree skirt! I had fabric, so I decided to make my own. Here’s how to make yours! Note: This is for a SMALL tree skirt. You will need more fabric for a larger skirt and will probably need to make a pattern to do so.

You need:

• 1 ¼ yd. fabric (I used corduroy)
• 1 Fat Quarter or other scrap fabric
• Grosgrain Ribbon
• Heat & Bond
• Thread
• Scissors
• Pinking Sheers

1. Cut your fabric 44″ x 44″. Fold into a square.

2. From the center corner, where all the corner is all folds, measure down 4″ marking in several places.  If you connect the dots, you should have a curved line.  Cut the curve.

3. Measuring from the curve down your fabric, mark 18″ down in several places. If you connect the dots, you should have a curved line. Cut the curve.

4. Make one cut all the way from the bottom to the top.

5. From your fat quarter, cut out a design or designs you want to appliqué.

6. Attach your design: Click HERE for a tutorial on how to appliqué.

7. Finish your edges. Normally, I would serge my edges or fold under and sew, but since I was in a hurry to put it under my new tree, I just used my pinking shears this time!

8. Add your ribbon: Cut 4—8″ pieces of ribbon. Place your ribbon 2″ and then another 6 ½” down from the center back along the “slit” and sew. Repeat on other side of slit.

Place under your tree!

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

House of White Birches Christmas In Crochet Book!

Celebrate the season with more than 50 beautiful and fun crochet designs. Christmas In Crochet includes projects from enchanting decorations for your tree and home’s decor to delightful gifts for loved ones young and old. This collection of festive designs will add warmth to your holiday festivities. 176 pages in a soft cover.

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: Gingerbread House

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

I have made paper ball ornaments for years, but this year I decided we had to kick it up a notch and try something different. I created this project using items from CreateForLess.com and my home printer. You can use any image you want. I think photos would be a terrific option, too!

You’ll need:

• 1 sheet of cardstock with a printed image
• 8″ medium gauge wire
• Needle nose pliers
• Scissors or swing arm paper cutter
• Beads and sequins (2 of each for each ornament)
• 10″ of ribbon
• 1 drinking straw
• Large safety pin or needle
• Pin cushion (optional)

Here’s how:

1. Copy your image on your cardstock.

2. Cut your image in 6″ x 3/4″ wide strips as you see in the photo. Make sure to keep them in order!

3. You will need 16 6″x 3/4″ strips so use the excess paper to make plain strips if you don’t have enough strips with your printed image.

4. With your safety pin, poke a hole on each end of each strip 1/4″ up from the edge and right in the center (making sure you keep them in order).

5. Bend a loop on the end of your wire and string a bead and then a sequin.

6. With your printed strips facing down toward the loop and sequin, place one end of the strips in order on the wire and then thread on your straw.

7. This is the most important step! Starting from the bottom strip (the strip that is touching the sequin) and working your way up to the top strip, thread your strips over the straw.

8. When you’ve worked your way to the last strip, thread on your sequin and another bead and create another loop. Thread your ribbon through the loop and hang!

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

Bucilla Christmas Napkin Ring Holders Felt Kits!

Give your table a festive look with these napkin rings that include one each Santa, snowman, candy cane, wreath, snowflake and Christmas tree. They all have bead and sequins accents and are approximately 2.5″. This kit includes stamped felt, cotton floss, color separated sequins and beads, needles and trilingual instructions.

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: Christmas Lights

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

What’s more fun than receiving a card with a treat attached?  This cute little gift box is attached directly to the card and can be decorated for any occasion and filled with any kind of treat.  The ideas are limited only by your imagination. 

Supplies Used:

• Graphic 45 Christmas Emporium Paper Pad
• Merry Christmas Rub-Ons
• Red Cardstock
• Laminate
• 1″ Square Punch
• Tape Runner
• Scoring Board
• Paper Trimmer
• Scissors
• Glue
• 3-d Adhesive Dots

Begin by cutting a piece of red cardstock to 6 ½” x 11 ¾”.  Then, using your scoring board and the long side of the paper score at 3 ½”, 7″, 8 ½”, 9 ¼”, 10 ¾” and 11 ½”.  Rotate the paper so the short side is at the top of the scoring board and again score at ¾” and 5 ¾”.

Next, trim using the scissors the ¾” flap from the left of the cardstock on both the top and bottom up to the 7″ score line as seen in the picture.  This should leave you 5 tabbed areas at the end (far right) of your cardstock with the last tab measuring ¼”.

Now, cut the tabs on each score line just up to the score line that runs the length of the paper.  Cut off and remove the extra ¼” pieces on each end.  Repeat this step on the other end of the cardstock piece. 

Fold the box at the score lines to give them a good solid crease. It should look like this. 

Unfold the box and cut a strip of the, “Tis the Season” patterned paper from the Graphic 45 Paper Pad that measures the length and width (5″ x 1 ½”) of the front panel of the box and adhere it on.  Position the square punch where you want the window to begin at the top and start punching the window out; overlapping the next punch over the previous one to be sure to open the entire space.  I positioned the window 1″ from the top and bottom of the box, but you can choose how tall you want your window to be on it.    You may have to fold the ¼” flap at the bottom of the paper inward so the punch fits up to the center flap. 

At this point, your box will look like this.  Cut a piece of laminate to fit on the inside of the box behind the window making sure to cut it longer and wider than the window opening and adhere it using the glue. 

Using the tape runner, place a small amount of tape on the ¾” tabs and fasten them to the larger tab as shown in the pictures.  Make sure not to adhere the very top flap because that’s the one that will open and close the box as seen in the second picture below. 

Here is what your card treat box will look like at this point. 

Now cut a piece of the “Tis the Season” patterned paper from the Graphic 45 Christmas Emporium Paper Pad that measures 4 ½” x 3″ and tape it on the front of the card using the tape runner.  Cut a 3 ½” x 2 ½” piece of red cardstock and adhere it to the patterned paper. Trim around the “Right and Jolly Christmas Tag from the Santa Express” sheet in the Graphic 45 Paper Pad and using 3- adhesive dots glue it to the red cardstock.  Open the card up and on the inside place the “Merry Christmas” rub-on and rub to adhere it.  Trim 2 of the striped corners from an extra piece of the “Tis the Season” patterned paper and tape them to the left corners. 

Fill with a special treat and your card treat box is ready to share. 

Happy Holidays!