Think Crafts Blog – Craft Ideas and Projects – CreateForLess

By DCWV Diary

We can’t forget about Valentines Day! It’s one of my favorite days to craft for. I created a darling decoration this weekend using our Be Mine Stack.

 It is gorgeous and a timeless, classic, gorgeous Valentines line.

 Look how pretty a plaque of wood can be! I found this new easel and have decided to craft something for it for each season. I had my husband cut me a scrap piece of wood leftover from a project. It is about 10 inches wide and 12 inches tall. I painted it and then sanded & stained it.

I used doilies and paper from the Be Mine Stack to make a 3D decoration. I folded the hearts in half and hot glued them down right on the folded part. I hand cut the hearts with pinking sheers because I didn’t want them to be perfect! I love how it turned out. I painted the “love” but you could also add alphabet stickers instead. Something about Valentines and handmade things just make me smile

By Paper Crafts Contributor, Lauren Romano.

Valentine’s Day flowers are lovely, but they’re also expensive and they die shortly after you buy them. A better option is to make paper flowers for yourself or to give as a gift. However, make small centerpieces instead of making a bouquet. It may sound complicated, but all you need is a little patience and a handful of inexpensive items.

What you’ll need:

• Tissue paper
• Mod Podge
• Scissors
• Ruler
• Short glass jar candle

Step 1. Cut tissue paper into squares. The smaller the squares the smaller the flowers. I cut each square into 5 inch pieces and alternated between using red tissue paper and one that’s heart-patterned.

Step 2. Take each square and fold it into a triangle. Follow that up by folding each triangle in half, then in half again.

Step 3. Hold each triangle so the fold faces to the left, then cut off the top of the triangle so you form a curve at the top.

Step 4. Next, cut off the lower point at a curve.

Step 5. Open up the triangles; each piece should look like a flower that’s missing the center.

Step 6. Make a cut in each piece from the top of the petal to the center so they are no longer solid pieces.

Step 7. You’ll notice the pieces have creased sections which is going to help with gluing the flowers together. Take one section and overlap the two ends until it’s the size you want for the outer layer. Don’t glue the ends down; instead, glue down the second or third section in.

Step 8. Repeat Step 7 for each layer until you get to the center. As you go along, make the layers smaller and put a small drop of glue on the bottom of each layer so they stick together.

Step 9. To make the center piece, roll one of the layers into a cone shape. Put a small drop of glue on the sides of the point, then stick it through the center of the flower layers. Pinch the layers around the point so they curve in.

Step 10. After the flower dries, place it on top of a glass candle holder. Opt for a candle whose coloring complements the colors of the flower.

By Paper Crafts Contributor, Lauren Romano.

Valentine’s Day turns out so many pretty decorations. If you’d like to create some of your own, make hanging heart garland to hang on your walls or in your windows. The great thing about them is that they add decor without taking up too much space or blocking your view if you’re hanging them in windows.

What you’ll need:

• Scissors
• Patterned paper
• Bows
• Mod Podge
• Ruler
• Ribbon
• Large heart punch

Step 1. Decide how long you want each strand of garland, then cut a ribbon for each strand you want to make.

Step 2. Punch out one large heart for every three inches of space on the ribbon.

Step 3. Place the heart about 3″ down from the top of the ribbon, place it over the ribbon, then use a dot of Mod Podge to attach the two together. Keep attaching hearts every three inches until you get to the end.

Step 4. Put one small bow in between each heart. Use a dot of Mod Podge to attach it to the ribbon, then press it down to ensure it sticks.

Step 5. Tie a loop at the very top of the ribbon so it can easily hang from a hook or tack.

Step 6. Continue to repeat Steps 1-5 until you have all the garland pieces you need.

By General Crafts Contributor Melissa, from the blog MeloMomma.

Did you have any New Years Resolutions? I know I did! I wanted to get organized! To begin my organizing, I went through my dresser. If I had not worn it in 6 months, I tossed it. Then a big red light went off in my head! DON’T THROW AWAY those old shirts! That is perfectly good material!

Oh… the brain of a crafter!

So, I bring to you the T-Shirt Wreath! It is so simple! No sewing anything and it takes under 15 minutes! I bet you have a few shirts you’d be more than happy to sacrifice, right?

What you will need:

• 12″ Wreath mold ( I used a flat wood one, but foam works as well.)
• 2-3 t shirts or pants (soft fabrics work best)
• Scissors
• Clear craft glue
• Decorative beads or flowers

Directions:

Cut old shirts or pants into long strips. The strips should be approx. 2 inches wide and 12 inches long.

You do not need to cut the strips nice and neat. It will not matter!

Fold the strip into half and tie it around the wreath mold as shown in the photo.

Continue to tie all the fabric around the mold. I made a pattern with mine, but you can do anything. It all looks neat! Trim the edges so that all the tied pieces are about the same size. Decorate with beads or flowers.

Use a clear tacky glue to secure the beads. Tie one more piece of fabric around the top to hang it. (I used a draw string from the pajama pants I cut up.)

By Paper Crafts Contributor, Lauren Romano.

Unfortunately, we can’t always live near our significant other, but that doesn’t mean the love for each other diminishes. It’s important for your partner to know that no matter how far you are from each other, the love is still there. One cute way to provide a reminder on a constant basis is to make and give a “Love Knows No Distance” Magnet. It’s easy to make, involves using materials that would have ended up in the trash, and costs very little to make.

What you’ll need:

• Colored cardstock
• Mod Podge
• Marker
• Scissors
• Red felt
• Pencil
• Map
• Magnet sheet

Step 1. Choose the map you’d like to use as the background. One option is to use any map you have, another is to choose a map that’s specific to your location. If doing the latter, make sure your city is visible.

Step 2. Pick any colored cardstock you wish, then use the Mod Podge to adhere it to the back of the section of map you’d like to use. Give it some time to dry before moving onto the next step.

Step 3. Use a pencil to draw a heart shape on the back of the cardstock. I’m horrible at drawing hearts (one side always looks lopsided), so I printed out a template and traced it onto the back. Cut out the shape once it’s drawn perfectly.

Step 4. Peel the paper backing off the magnet sheet and stick it onto the back of the heart, then cut off the excess so the magnet covers the entire back.

Step 5. Use a black marker to write “Love Knows No Distance” across the heart.

Step 6. For a final touch, cut out a small heart shape from a piece of red felt, then use the Mod Podge to adhere it underneath the wording.

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

Be honest, when you spot a bunting hanging on the wall, doesn’t it make you just a little bit happier? It’s like having a little bit of party around all the time, and who doesn’t want that?

Buntings come in all shapes and sizes these days, and more importantly, they are made in all sorts of crafty ways. Get your craft supplies out and get ready to make one because here are some of our favorite festive buntings.

Traditional

You can’t really top a good old fashion string of triangles. These buntings can be as simple as paper with holes punched in the corner for stringing up or as complicated as a hand embroidered, double sided piece of sewing mastery. Make it monotone, color coordinated or just use up your scraps. Anything goes!

Unusual Shapes and Materials

You can, of course, veer from the traditional route and make a bunting in almost any shape.

Hearts

Circles

Hexagons

Or how about pom-poms?

These crocheted buntings couldn’t be any cuter, could they?

Mini

Mini buntings are the perfect thing to top a cake, finish off a plate of brownies or decorate the front of a card. Perhaps the simplest of buntings to make, these can be created quickly and easily out of scrapbook paper, ribbon or fabric scraps.

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

When I was eighteen years old, a family friend gave me a hand crocheted doily as a graduation gift. And I didn’t get it. It was beautiful, of course, but a doily? What would I use a doily for? Well, I get it now. The humble and old-fashion doily has made a big comeback, both in the craft world and in the realms of fashion and interior design, which is good news for you, my little crafters, because you can whip those doilies that great Aunt Agnes made you out of the closet at last and put them to good use.

The Doily Lamp

I’d like to think that this is where doilies made their initial comeback since this project has been cropping up on craft blogs for a while now. With a myriad of tutorials and examples out there, you’re sure to find one you like.

The Doily Lamp

The Doily Table Runner

Romantic and yet, at the same time, very modern, this table runner is made up of a jumble of different doilies. So simple. So dramatic. So doable!

The Doily Table Runner

The GIANT doily

I would learn to crochet just to make this for my bedroom floor. Comfy and cozy, this oversized doily is a fun play on the original barely there lace creation.

The GIANT Doily

The Paper Doily

Let’s not forget the mass produced version of our lace friend, the paper doily. Oh so cheap and oh so versatile, paper doilies should be a staple in any crafters cupboard. Wrap them around gifts, use them as envelopes, pretty up a card, hang them as a banner, or fold them as a snowflake. So many craftertunities, so little time.

Altered Paper DoiliesDoily Invitations

 Press them in, glue them up, sew them on.

Some of the best doily related crafts have them displayed in unusual places. Roll a doily into dough, Mod Podge it onto a plate, paint it onto a canvas or sew it onto a sweater. Think outside the doily here and you never know what you might come up with!

Decoupaging with doilies

Doily Wall Art