Think Crafts Blog – Craft Ideas and Projects – CreateForLess

By Paper Crafts Contributor, Lauren Romano.

Gingerbread houses are one of my favorite things about Christmas. However, one problem with them is that they’re typically on the larger side, so they usually have to sit on a table where they take up a lot of space – they then become a danger to pets or to the waistlines of their owners who pick and nibble at it. Although not a typical gingerbread house, I made a similar small version out of paper, a few types of candy and various other elements. It’s small enough that it can sit high up on a shelf without taking up a lot of space.

What you’ll need:

• Beige or brown paper
• Chipboard
• Cotton balls
• Tic Tacs or other small candy
• Peppermint hard candy
• Small paper bow or bow punch
• Two candy cane stickers
• Four sticks of gum
• Three colors of scrapbook paper
• Sugar
• Mod Podge
• Tape
• Scissors
• Ruler
• Pencil

Step 1. Sketch the pieces of the house onto the chipboard. You’ll need four pieces – the roof, the back wall of the house, the base, and the front/sides of the house. To give you an idea of the measurements, these are the ones I used:

• Front/sides of the house: I did this in one combined piece so it’s easier to work with. The front rectangle is 2.5 x 4; the triangle height is 2 and the base is 4. The sides, which are attached to the front rectangle of the house, are 2 x 2.5.
• Roof: The entire strip is 7 inches long and 2 inches wide; when it’s bent, each half is 3.5 inches.
• Back wall of the house: Trace the front rectangle and the triangle to get the back wall of the house. This piece doesn’t have the sides attached.
• Base: The length is 6 inches total; one inch of space, the house, then another inch of space. The width is about 4 inches; .75 inches, the house, then another .75 inches.

Step 2. Cut all the pieces out of the chipboard, then use Mod Podge to attach them to the back of brown or beige paper. Cut the pieces out once they dry.

Step 3. Lay the front piece of the house face down, then carefully bend the sides upward. Press the sides back down, then lay the back wall of the house face down next to it. Tape the edge of the front part of the house to the edge of the back wall piece. No one will see the tape, it’s going to be on the inside of the house. Stand up the now-combined piece, pinch together the still open corner, and tape it from the inside. When you have the frame of the house together, glue it to the base and let it dry thoroughly before moving onto the next step.

Step 4. Glue the roof of the house onto the frame. I made mine long enough so the edges hang over the sides of the house, but trim it before gluing it if you would like it shorter.

Step 5. Glue one type of scrapbook paper onto the edges of the roof and two triangular sections of the house. I used red and white striped paper for a bit of a candy cane look.

Step 6. Trim down four pieces of gum so they bend on each corner of the house. I didn’t even have to glue mine on – all I did was put a little water on each one and they stuck to the house without a problem.

Step 7. Attach a candy cane sticker to the two sides of the house.

Step 8. Cut two small windows out of one color scrapbook paper, then cut a door and the widow frames out of another color paper. Glue them on using the Mod Podge, then attach a small paper bow above the door.

Step 9. Lay the house on its back, then glue the tic tacs on in a row going across the front of the house and the peppermint hard candy in the center of the front triangle. Let it dry flat, and give it about an hour to dry unless all the tic tacs will fall off and go everywhere – I know from experience.

Step 10. Stand the house back up, then pull apart cotton balls and glue them on the base all around the house.

Step 11. Mix Mod Podge with sugar to create a thick, gooey paste, then drip it onto the roof of the house, especially on the edges. I let some drip off into the cotton “snow” so the cotton looked like it had typical snow lumps in it.

I wanted to keep this little house fairly simple, but you can add any other candies or embellishments you’d like – gum drops, paper Christmas trees, and even more peppermint candies. The only thing I wouldn’t recommend using is unwrapped chocolate. When using candy, please make sure to keep it far out of reach of your curious little pets when you’re making it or putting it on display – my dog was quite interested during the construction process. Also, I highly recommend nibbling on the candy yourself while you’re making your own adorable little house.

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

A lot of adults have as much fun on Halloween as the kids do. And why not? Why shouldn’t we get to play dress up, and watch scary movies, and enjoy the decorations?

Of course, not many grown-ups get to go Trick-or-Treating! So let’s make up for that a little and put together Altered Treat Jars for our fun-loving friends.

Here’s what you’ll need:

• Halloween papers and stickers—black cats, skeletons, Jack-o’-Lanterns, etc.
• Ribbons and trims in Fall and Halloween colors
•  A small jar with a lid
• Treats to fill the jar
• Glue

Now, this is such a simple project, I don’t think directions are really necessary. Just take a look at the photos, the one above of the front, and the one below of the back.

Let your own imagination and creativity carry you along. Cover the jar with scrapbooking paper, or an old Halloween card front, decorate it and the lid with stickers, etc., and you’re ready to fill the jar and give it away.

Need help on what to put inside? There’s always candy, of course, including such yummy adult goodies as chocolate-covered coffee beans, but you don’t have to limit yourself to edibles. My friend just happens to love Halloween, and also does collage and card-making, so I packed her jar with black, orange, and purple buttons, beads, and flat marbles, a bunch of stickers, some purple ribbon, some ostrich feather, and another black feather I found outside, and two small paper punches of a cat and a bat. Get the idea?

Now that you’ve done a Halloween jar, I’ll bet you’re getting all kinds of ideas for others. Me, too! Here’s one I made this week for a friend who loves pink:

My jar had two flat sides, so it ended up having two “fronts”:

Oh, and one last thing: When you’re filling the jar, if you’re careful you can get the contents to show through nicely, and almost become part of the decoration:

You know, I can hardly wait to empty another jelly jar!

By Kid’s Craft Contributor, Gillian from the blog “Dried Figs and Wooden Spools”.

Sensory bins or tables are a great project for those with small children. Letting your little ones pour, scoop and play with different textured grains or pebbles has many educational benefits (plus, it’s just plain fun!) and this rainbow rice takes it up a notch by adding color play into the game.

Here’s what you’ll need:

• White rice
• Food coloring
• Rubbing alcohol
• Zip-close baggies

1. Divide your rice evenly between the bags, For small batches, 1/2 cup fits well into snack sized baggies.

2. Fill each baggie with enough rubbing alcohol to make each grain wet without flooding the rice.

3. Add several drops of food color to each bag, try different combinations of colors to achieve different shades (this is an excellent chance to do a color blending lesson!)

4. Zip each bag closed, pushing as much air as possible out as you go. Massage the bags to blend the color and evenly distribute it through the rice.

5. Let the rice sit in the colored alcohol for 10-15 minutes.

6. One at a time, drain the baggies of rice through a colander or screen and spread out onto paper towels to dry.

By FloraCraft Designers from the Blog “Make It: Fun”.

STYROFOAM Brand Foam:

• Wreath: 16″ Green
• Desert Foam Brick: 4″x4″x3″

Other Materials:

• Glass Cylinder Vase: 8″x4″
• Marble Accents ¾ lb: (2) Amber and (2) Green
• Four – Yellow Forsythia Branches
• Three – Yellow Confetti Rose Spray
• Five – Yellow Hydrangea Spray
• Three – Yellow Wildflower Spray
• Two – Yellow Straw Flower Spray
• Four – Green Grape Bunches
• Coordinating Sheer Ribbon
• 4.5 Yards Satin Ribbon: Moss Green (wreath)

Tools:

• Low-Temp Glue Gun
• Floral Pins
• Scissors

Instructions:

Centerpiece

1. Glue the Desert Foam brick into the center of the vase. Combine green and amber gems then pour into the vase to hide the sides of the foam.
2. Use floral pins to attach the grapes to the side of the foam brick allowing them to hang over the edge of the vase. Use low-temp glue to secure the pins in place.
3. Push in a yellow forsythia branch into the center of the foam, standing about 14″ tall. Cut three shorter branches and push them in around the first and secure with low-temp glue.
4. Cut 3 hydrangea stems to about 5″ and push them in evenly spaced around the branches. Cut the stems of the roses to 5″ and push them in between the hydrangeas and one into the center among the branches.
5. Cut the wildflower and straw flower sprays apart and insert them to fill in around the entire arrangement.
6. Cut lengths of ribbon and use a discarded flower stem as a tool to push loops of ribbon into the foam to add interest to the arrangement.

Wreath

1. Pin the end of the ribbon to the back of the wreath. Wrap the wreath completely by overlapping each wrap as you go. Pin again at the back.
2. Pin the two hydrangea blossoms to the center left side of the wreath. Pin three roses in a triangle around the hydrangea. Pin a bunch of grapes hanging from the bottom of the hydrangea and a bunch peeking out from above the
3. Pin the two hydrangea blossoms to the center left side of the wreath. Pin three roses in a triangle around the hydrangea.
4. Pin a bunch of grapes hanging from the bottom of the hydrangea and a bunch peeking out from above the hydrangea.
5. Pin a tall branch running up the left side of the wreath from the top of the hydrangea, pin another shorter branch coming out from the bottom of the hydrangea.
6. Pin stems of the yellow forsythia branch, straw flower and wildflower sprays to fill in around the hydrangea and roses.
7. Cut leftover leaves and glue around the wreath to fill in.

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

These days, it seems as though everyone is carrying some high-tech gadget that does eighteen different things at once, including taking down spur-of-the-moment notes. I’ve got no quarrel with that, but you know, there are times you just can’t beat actual pen and paper.

If you’re a woman, toting a small scratch pad is a simple matter of tucking one in your purse. For a man, though, it’s a bit more problematic. Here’s a tiny scratch pad, small enough to slip into a shirt or pants pocket, or even his wallet, not so precious a guy would need to worry about ruining it, and simple enough for a child to make as a Father’s Day gift.

You’ll need:

• Several playing cards with simple graphics on the non-playing side
• Writing paper, lined or unlined
• Stickers
• Stapler and staples

You can make a number of these little pads very quickly. I had two sets in mind as I was working—a five pad set with a single letter or symbol on the cover of each spelling out “I-<3-D-A-D” (I HEART Dad), and a four-pad set spelling out “#1-D-A-D”. You might also make sets with stickers featuring your guy’s favorite hobbies or interests, which I also ended up doing.

Begin by folding your playing cards in half, crossways, to create the scratch pad cover. I chose to make the four-pad set using all the kings from one deck, so that would be what my honey would see when he opened the pad, but you can use any card. The non-playing side is the outside.

Now cut the writing paper into squares just a little smaller than the square you’ve made from the card. Ten sheets per pad is about right. Stack the sheets tidily, put the top edges right next to the fold of the playing card, and staple as near that edge as you can.

Decorate the cover with a sticker, if you like. You can make the orientation either horizontal or vertical, whichever you prefer. Do stay away from 3-D or thick embellishments—you don’t want Dad sitting on buttons!

You’re all done. Wrap in a long, slender, box so the message on the front is seen when the box is opened. Is Dad far away? These will mail right along with his Father’s Day card!

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

One of the most delightful traditions I know of is the May basket. It’s such a simple and pretty way to spread a little joy—just hang a basket of flowers on someone’s front door, ring the bell, and disappear before they can answer it and find the lovely surprise. You may want to enlist the kids to do the “hang and disappear” part, but we get to make the baskets! It’s past May Day, but why can’t we do this all month long?

You’ll need:

Pretty papers

Ribbon

Embellishments—stickers, buttons, lace, etc.

Glue, scissors, hole punch

For each basket, you’ll need to cut two identical hearts from coordinating papers, either freehand, or using a pattern or template. Play with paper ideas—music paper, scrapbooking paper, maps, etc. I used a page from a book in a foreign language, which added both a sense of mystery and a pleasant surprise:

It’s easiest to get them the same if you cut them both at the same time. Before you separate them, punch a hole near the center top for the basket handle.

Take the folded hearts, overlap the sides and glue them together to form the basket’s body. You might want to try overlapping the papers both ways. It’s surprising the difference it makes:

Now cut a piece of ribbon or cord for the handle, knot one end and push through one set of holes, and then through the other, and knot again. You can put the knots in front as part of your embellishment, as I did below, or in back, if you want a plainer front, as I did in the first picture.

Decorate with stickers and embellishments as you like,  you can tuck in a little bouquet and brighten a friend or neighbor’s spring morning.

By Paper Crafts Contributor, Lauren Romano.

I like keeping paper and a pen on the fridge, but I’m not a fan of the paper just hanging there by a magnet. I wanted something that would hold the paper and not take up a lot of space. The plastic packaging from recently finished Tic Tac’s provided the perfect size container considering I like writing notes on small pieces of paper instead of large pieces. It’s an easy project that takes less than half an hour to complete.

What I used:

• Plastic Tic Tac Container with the white top removed
• Pencil and Scissors
• Patterned scrapbook paper
• Mod Podge for paper
• EK Jolee’s Boutique Vellum Cupcake
• Self-Adhesive Rhinestones
• Self-Adhesive Business card sized magnet

Start by tracing the front, back and sides of the Tic Tac container onto the back of the scrapbook paper. While you’re tracing the front of the container, stand it up to trace the bottom as well.

Cut the shape out, then use Mod Podge for paper to attach patterned paper to the container – the open part should face up. Apply the glue one side at a time and smooth down along the way to make sure it lines up correctly and doesn’t wrinkle. If the bottom piece doesn’t fit exactly, cut it off and glue on an extra piece of the paper, then wait until it dries to trim the excess.

Choose one adorable vellum cupcake for the front of the container, peel it off and stick it on. I have a fondness for cupcakes, but you can always opt for another food related embellishment as well.

Place one self-adhesive rhinestone on each front corner.

Trim the magnet to fit most of the back, then peel off and stick on.

Trim note paper to fit into the container and include a pen for quick use.