Think Crafts Blog – Craft Ideas and Projects – CreateForLess

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

I’m always looking for a good way to cover up a stain on a pillow. I finally found one. OK, I’m only half kidding! I just like gluing fabrics together because the bond is just amazing! Hot glue is an amazing fabric bond and did you know that E-6000 is washable? Either glue will work wonders on this project.

Any lace will do for a project like this and if you’re really adventurous, try doing it all over an old ottoman that needs some sprucing up. I think you might really like the results.

YOU’LL NEED:

• E-6000 or hot glue gun and glue sticks
• 1 yard lace that you can cut apart
• Pillow
• Scissors *Fiskars is my brand of choice
• Fray Check
• Straight pins

HERE’S HOW:

1. Cut your lace apart to separate the flowers and leaves.

2. If there is a rough edge or an edge that you think my fray, use Fray Check on it.

3. Carefully remove the stuffing from your pillow (or if you’re making a pillow, do this before you start stuffing it).

4. Lay your pillow flat and start arranging how you want your lace flowers.

5. Pin your lace pieces in place

6. Start gluing them with the hot glue until you’re satisfied.

7. Stuff your pillow and sew the hole closed and you’re done!

For this project and 100 more check out:

THE BIG ASS BOOK OF HOME DECOR!

Also, for 150 terrific projects using items you probably already have, check out

THE BIG ASS BOOK OF CRAFTS 2

By General Crafts Contributor Mina, from the blog Mina’s Journal.

Make these cardboard tube holders for your pens and pencils to organize your craft area or funky up your desk. An easy ‘rainy day’ activity or for when the kids say they are ‘bored’. Most houses will have the basic materials at hand.

These were made with help from a wee guy who just turned four. He had a lot of fun deciding what colors the arms and feet should be, applying the paint with a sponge and loves to stack them like a totem pole. Maybe I’ll make up some tribal tubes for just that purpose. His two year old brother likes to put them in different orders, sometimes color, sometimes according to the shapes on them. (I haven’t quite worked out his logic!)

Craft Supplies

• cardboard tubes
• card for the arms
• acrylic paints
• thick black marker
• wiggly eyes
• white glue
• craft knife
• scissors

Craft Technique

Base coat the cardboard tubes. I used cut pieces of kitchen sponge. It provides a quick and even coverage.

Decorate the tubes with a marker. Use simple shapes like stars, swirls, dots, stripes.

Glue on the eyes. Add faces. A few well placed lines to show expression is all you need.

Cut out base from card and glue to the bottom of the cardboard tube. You can download some base shapes to use.

Download Feet Template

Or download plain shapes to use as a template. Resize them if you need to.

Download Plain Feet Template

Cut a rectangle from matching card for the arms. Make a slot in each side of the Pen Pal with a craft knife to place the arms through. Bend the middle of the arms to the inside of the cardboard tube to make more room inside the tube.

Add pens to your pals, and you’re done.

Easy Craft Ideas

• Further embellish with ribbon or yarn bows for shoe laces
• Use glitter glue to add some sparkle to your drawn designs
• For small children, let them put stickers on the cardboard tubes instead of painting them
• Draw eyes instead

Have fun and Happy Crafting!

By Kid’s Crafts Contributor Stephanie, from the Blog Geek with Glasses.

My daughter is to the age where she has a couple of friends that she wants to exchange presents with. We are making our own cards and as an alternative to sugary treats we made little charms to give to her friends. I was wandering through the craft store and came across the Shrinkable plastic. A blast from the past, I had to make 100 swaps for a scouting event out of shrinkable plastic. The thrill of watching the large plastic cutout shrink down to mini size was fun for me then, it should be fun for the kiddo now. I was right, she was amazed at the process and enjoyed making these zipper pulls.

Supplies:

• Shrinkable Plastic Material
• Permanent Markers
• Color Pencils
• Image to Trace
• Lobster Clasp
• Jump Rings

Tools:

• Scissors
• Hole Punch
• Pliers
• Cookie Sheet
• Oven

If the plastic you are using is clear plastic and you want to use colored pencils, I suggest ruffing up the surface with a scotch brite pad or fine sandpaper. This gives the plastic a texture that will hold the color of the pencils. If you are using a permanent marker, then you don’t have to ruff it up.

To begin this project you need an image to trace or if you want to free hand draw the image that’s fine too. The image will shrink about 42%, if you design or print an image it will have to be about 3″ x 3″ to shrink down to a 1″ x 1″ finished piece. If you are using an image to trace, print it out and place it behind the shrinkable plastic. I trace the image with a permanent marker to create the outline for the little one to color in.

We used colored pencils for some and permanent markers for others. The thing with the markers are that they turn out so dark, so if you want something brown, try and use a tan.

Next cut out the image, I leave an 1/8″ to 1/4″ boarder then at the top where I want the hole I leave more space. Once the image is cut out I punch a hole using a scrapbooking punch it’s 1/4″ hole.

Now we’re off to the oven. Preheat the oven according to the instructions on the package and place the cutouts on a piece of parchment paper on the cookie sheet. Place in the oven and keep an eye on them, this is the fun part! They will shrink down, they may curl up a little if that happens use a toothpick to make them flat. In the instructions of the plastic it will advise you on all troubleshooting.

Once the cutouts have cooled, take a pair of pliers open a jump ring and insert it into the hole of the cutout. Then into the hole of the lobster clasp. Close the jump ring and you’re done.

This is neat project that the little ones can help with, by coloring them. Then they get the enjoyment of watching them shrink up. A useful gift, instead of sugary treats, and they can be clipped to book bags, jackets or even shoelaces. Have fun creating yours!

By Guest Blogger, from the blog Serenity’s Musings.

 

Here’s something you could DIY as a Gift for anyone.

Material Needed:

• Fabric Paint
• A brush for painting ( I used a fine tipped brush)
• A T-shirt
• Cup of water for washing brush between colors

Time: About 20 minutes

Difficulty Level :Easy

Step 1: Place a sheet of paper or book inside the T shirt right beneath where you wish to draw. This helps prevent seeping of colors.

Step 2: Start with white paint. You can always add other colors on top of white, this gives a purer color. Or you could leave it as white.

Step 3: Draw freehand swirls and curved lines. Or you could try for straight lines, but these are harder to do at the start.

 Step 4: Wash your brush. Best to paint on a piece of paper or tissue to get rid of excess water.

Step 5: Choose a darker color similar to the T shirt color. I chose red.

Step 6: Paint some swirls or dots in red.

Inverted colors of the original for a different color combination.

Reminder:

Iron on reverse before washing.

I have used normal detergents and washed in normal machine wash(cold water) and the colors seem to last for quite a while.

For best colors, apply more than one coat of acrylic/fabric paint.

By General Crafts Contributor Mina, from the blog Mina’s Journal.

Make yourself a Postbox to stash your change in! When I was small, Wednesday was banking day at school. You took your wee passbook and banking money. The saying on the passbook was something like:

Save your pennies, they grow into dollars!

Great advice and still valid for today.

These cute Postboxes are quick and easy to make.

Craft Supplies:

• cardboard tube
• black marker
• red and black paint
• craft knife
• white glue
• foam supermarket tray or thick cardboard
• a bead for each postbox

How to make the Postbox

Draw your design on the cardboard tube with the black marker.

Paint the bottom in black and the rest in red. You might want to leave a space for a message or your name. Something like: ‘Darcy’s Money Box’. You might want to put a message on like: ‘Don’t Touch’, or ‘Christmas Fund’ or something else.

Draw around the end of the cardboard tube onto cardboard or foam supermarket tray. Cut out two circles just a little larger than your circles to make the base and top of the Postbox.

Stick a bead onto the top of one of the circles to make the top of the Postbox.

Get an adult to cut out the money slot with the craft knife.

You’re done! Now put your post your change in them!

Ideas for the Postboxes

Messages to write in the blank space of the Postbox could be:

Have some cents!

I have cents!

Let’s be cents-able!

In-cent-ive!

Open in case of emergency!

Make a Postbox as a gift with a few coins or dollars put in to start the recipient off.

These would be great as gifts for:

• A New Baby
• Housewarming
• Bon Voyage – it would also be a subtle reminder for the gift-ee to write!
• Have fun with these, Happy Crafting!

By Paper Crafts Contributor, Lauren Romano.

There are so many uses for clothes pins from displaying greeting cards and Valentines to hanging up clothes. The only problem is that they’re boring. Decorating them is a great way to bring a little more pizazz into the home and you can even make them themed depending on what you’re using them for. It only takes a few materials and a little time to make any type of themed clothes pins you wish.

What you’ll need:

• Clothes pins
• Decorative paper
• Mod Podge
• Scissors
• Embellishments

Step 1. Cut two strips of paper that are slightly larger than each side of the clothes pin.

Step 2. Put Mod Podge on one side of the clothes pin, then press it down to the paper. Do the same for the other side. Let it dry for at least a couple of hours before moving onto the next step.

Step 3. Use the scissors to carefully trim off the excess paper. Make sure not to cut the clothespin itself.

Step 4. Choose embellishments that match the paper you used. I chose red bows because I loved how it looked combined with the black and white polka dot paper.

Step 5. Use Mod Podge to attach each embellishment to one or both sides. Don’t attach it near the ends of the clothes pin; opt for the center. Press each embellishment down for a few seconds to ensure it sticks, then let it dry for a few hours without moving it.

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.