Think Crafts Blog – Craft Ideas and Projects – CreateForLess

By Guest Blogger Corinne Dean of Small World Land Blog

Bloggers Corinne and Sarah create beautiful miniatures and their blog Small World Land will teach you to bring their magical style into your own home (or your doll’s).

I have always wanted a greenhouse of my own. Until that day comes, this miniature greenhouse is keeping me pretty happy. I finally found a good use for all these old thimbles, they make perfect planters for tiny succulent plants.

I used a glass terrarium for the greenhouse. Look around forterrariums and glass domes. There are lots of options out there for creating a small greenhouse. In addition to thimbles I used plastic bottle lids for planters. You also can locate very tiny little terracotta pots at dollhouse supply stores. Be creative. Any small waterproof container that can hold dirt will work. I planted tiny plant snips from my yard and from houseplants in the containers.  I used some old wooden bobbins and wood block for tables. The kids helped to build the rock table in the back. They loved stacking the rocks. Throw in some tiny tools (your kids may have some from Playmobil or Lego sets) and your greenhouse is ready!

Set it outside, and if you’re lucky, you may have some little visitors!

By Kid’s Crafts Contributor Stephanie, from the blog A Geek In Glasses.

The Holiday Season is closing in on us quick. That means another year of assorted tins full of popcorn and cookies. I have a collection of these tins, they have different cartoon characters in holiday outfits, Dogs in front of the Christmas Tree or snow scenes. You know these tins, I know you do. I keep them because someday I’ll use them, but I don’t because I don’t really want a huge tin with a Golden Retriever in front of a decorated tree in my living room year round, (not to mention that we don’t even have Golden Retrievers).

My new dilemma is my daughter and her collection of tiny little animal toys. There has to be a thousand of them and they do not fit into one carrier.

I came up with the idea of using these tins to store her things. We are just going to make them fit our house a little better.

Supplies:

• Old Tin
• Primer or White Spray Paint
• Color Spray Paint 
• Vinyl Stickers or pieces for decoupage / Mod Podge

Such a nice storage unit for tiny pieces and it recycles something destined for the trash.

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

We had so much fun making these. We painted these while we painted our nails, a great big girls day!!

Supplies:

Nail Polish
Paper clips
Ribbon
Yarn
Buttons

Grab some boring plain paper clips from the office supply store and your favorite color of nail polish to make this simple project.

Place the clips on a piece of cardboard and paint the one side of the clip with the polish. Let it dry completely. Flip the cardboard over and paint the other side. Let it dry again. Once it is dry completely, remove the clip from the cardboard and clip it on the board the other way so you can paint the other parts of the clip. The reason I suggest this is so the clip gets an even coat of polish without the polish gluing the clip together.

Once the entire clip is covered, it’s time to add decorations. We added a button to one, to do this find a button with a loop back. Thread the clip through the loop and move it to the top of the clip. Then hot glue the button in place. For another one we added ribbon or rick rack. The last one we used some novelty yarn. 

Now the kids can be reading in style.

By Paper Crafts Contributor, Lauren Romano.

Flowers don’t have to just be for spring. They make fabulous decor for fall as well, especially if they come in the colors of the season. Creating a fall flower ball is a great way to incorporate those flowers and colors into your decor without going the traditional route with a vase. All you need is a few items to create the beautiful hanging decoration and the best part is, no glue is necessary.

What you’ll need:

• Small Styrofoam ball
• Wire cutters
• Tack
• Small silk flowers in fall colors
• Ribbon

1. Choose small silk flowers that come in fall colors such as orange and maroon.
2. Use wire cutters to cut the stems about an inch below the flowers.
3. Stick the flowers into the Styrofoam ball. They go in surprisingly easy and will stay stuck in with no problem. Keep attaching the flowers until they cover the entire ball.
4. Cut a long string of ribbon, fold it in half, then tack it down from the middle of the ribbon onto the ball. Hide the tack under the flowers so it can’t be seen.
5. Tie the ribbon into a loop with a bow at the end.

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

They’re hard to resist, sweet and magical, whimsical and fun – Fairy Gardens are popping up everywhere these days. From tiny, saucer sized examples to child- scaled gardens, fairy gardens, along with the crafty, clever accouterments that go in them, are trendy in a big way. Whether you are building a fairy garden with your kids for the porch or patio, creating a whimsical place for your own enjoyment or, like me, fashioning a surprise garden in the wild for the young ones in your life to happen upon in wonder, you really can’t go wrong with these charmers. I had a fabulous time making my own and it’s hard not to want to make more (and more, and more, but that would ruin the surprise I think).

Examples of fairy gardens abound. I love this child sized garden especially, what a wonderful space to grow and play. 

From a crafting standpoint, though, I’m loving finding inspiration for creating all the little bits and bobs that help to create the magic. 

Champagne wire seats and stone toad stools! So cute!  This series on Fairy Garden furniture making is particularly good. 

Looking for some fun elements to add into your own fairy garden? Paintable birdhouses make a great starting point for a cozy home for your fairies, and be sure to check out the miniatures in our garden and floral department to add details like moss, animals and stepping stones. 

Be sure to hop over to our Craft Trends Pinboard on Pinterest for some more Fairy Garden inspiration! Have a great Fairy Garden that you’ve created? Send us a photo! We love to see what you were inspired to do!

By Paper Crafts Contributor, Lauren Romano.

Purchase comic book heels and they’re going to cost you $50 and up, but when you make them yourself, it’ll cost you a fraction of the price. I’m a fan of Batman, so I picked up a few vintage Batman comics and used them to create a pair of comic heels. They take awhile to make, but they’re worth it to have a custom piece of fashion that no one else has.

What you need:

• High Heels
• Mod Podge
• Varnish
• Comics
• Newspaper
• Sandpaper
• Scissors

Step 1. Ball up the newspaper and stuff it in your shoes so you don’t get the insides messy from the glue.

Step 2. Cut up the comics to the pieces you want. Large pieces won’t work well as they’ll crease easier than smaller pieces.

Step 3. Choose a pair of heels you want to use. I opted for a pair that were scuffed beyond repair in the front, so this project is a great way to revamp shoes that would otherwise go in the trash.

Step 4. Put Mod Podge on a small section of shoe at a time, then start attaching your comic book pieces. As you’re applying the glue, make the paper slightly soggy so it can bend easier, just be careful not to rip it as you’re smoothing it down.

Step 5. When you have the entire shoe covered in comics, put a coat of Mod Podge over it and let it sit to dry over night.

Step 6. Trim off the excess paper, then attach more Mod Podge especially around the edges.

Step 7. Sand down the shoes to create a more even surface. Don’t press too hard or you’ll wear down the paper.

Step 7. Put a coat of varnish over the shoes and let them sit to dry overnight before wearing them. I recommend putting a second or even third coat on as well.

Even though they are protected by the varnish, I don’t recommend wearing these anywhere near water. It’s also a good idea just to wipe them down with a damp cloth after walking in them outside just to remove dirt before it builds up too much.

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

Treat your new teacher to some homemade cuteness.

Supplies:

• Note cards or cardstock
• an apple – cut in half
• Red paint
• Fine tip pen

I love the tiny bite sized apples that our local store has because they work so well for these note cards, but any apple will do. We cut the apple in half and used red acrylic paint to make prints on heavy stock note cards, or 8.5″ x 11″ sheet of cardstock cut in half, then folded. Once the red apple prints are dry, add in the seeds and stem with a fine tip black marker.

A gift can be made by packaging a group of 4 note cards and 4 envelopes tied with a cute ribbon.

It’s so simple and so elegant, who wouldn’t give you an A+ for awesomeness!!!!