Think Crafts Blog – Craft Ideas and Projects – CreateForLess

By Paper Crafts Contributor, Lauren Romano.

Having flowers in the home isn’t always possible, especially when there’s kids or animals who can easily get at them. In that case, a better option is to make paper flowers, which is an especially cute craft idea to do with kids. It requires only a handful of items, but you can end up with a small window box of adorable paper flowers that everyone will love.

What you’ll need:

• Rocks
• Colored paper
• Tissue box
• Mod Podge
• Green pipe cleaners
• Scissors
• Pencil

Step 1. Draw petals on various colors of paper, then cut them out. You can mix and match, do single colors or a combination of both.

Step 2. Cut out circles for the middle of the flowers.

Step 3. Glue the edges of the petals onto the back of the circles to form flowers, then give them ample opportunity to dry.

Step 4. Trim the top off a tissue box, then fill the box with rocks.

Step 5. Use Mod Podge to adhere a single green pipe cleaner onto the back of each flower. You can use the pipe cleaners to also make leaves or you can leave them without.

Step 6. Stick the flowers into the rocks. If they start to fall over, use the rocks to hold the stems in place. Make sure all of the flowers fully stick out from the box.

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

I have to admit that National Backyard Games Week was new to me when I first heard about it.  I searched the internet to find out that it is used to observe the unofficial start of summer and comes the week before Memorial Day every year.  This year it’s May 18^th – 25^th.  

The week is used to promote physical and social activity amongst family, neighbors and friends all while playing the games that we grew up on such as pillow case races, H-O-R-S-E and many others.  One idea to celebrate the week is by having a party or a carnival.  A good place to start for that is by creating invitations to send to friends and family telling them to come join the fun.  This is a quick and easy invitation that even your children can help you make. 

Begin by using items that will represent some of the games that you used to play and will be playing at the carnival.  It will add an element of excitement to the receiver of the invitation when they remember what games they used to play and for kids trying to guess what games will be there. 

Using a piece of green cardstock that measures 9 3/8″ long x 6 1/2″ wide and fold in half.  Next, punch the rope, using the EK Success Braid Punch, to represent the game of tug of war at the bottom of the front flap. 

I have been using the new American Crafts Dear Lizzy Neapolitan line and loving it.  The line had the perfect elements I was looking for to include on this invitation.  I began with using the Accents and Phrase Sticker Book and chose the bicycle to represent a bike parade, the arrow for a bow and arrow contest and of course you have to include some fun so I used the “fun” ticket sticker.  One of my favorite pieces is the 3 tickets stickers because on them they say, “Here’s the scoop” and I used a black marker to write on the lines, “You Are Invited.”   I, also, included a the measuring tape piece from the Sunny Skip patterned paper to represent a jumping contest and the ice cream cone from the First Date patterned paper to include an ice cream eating contest. 

Since the celebration is all about being outdoors I just had to use the Silver Lining Vellum for some clouds.  I didn’t just want to stick the entire sheet on because it just didn’t fit correctly into the design so I used my Xyron Create A Sticker Machine to make them into stickers after cutting them out.  This helped to adhere them onto the invitation without have the adhesive show. 

In order to make the clouds into stickers, simply run them through the Xyron Create A Sticker Machine, peel them off the adhesive and stick them to your project. 
Now that you have an idea for the party invitations, start inviting your family and friends to join you for the unofficial kick off to summer and have fun playing the games you played as kids with your children and their friends!

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

Q1. How do I create a vintage look on a layout or card?

A1. A good starting point to achieving a vintage look is by inking the edges of your projects in a brown or sepia ink. Another easy thing to do is to distress the edges of your paper. Once you have them distressed you can ink the distressed edges or leave them alone. If you are doing any stamping on the project you can stamp the image in the brown or sepia ink to give it an old look. Using tan, yellows or brown papers, too, is another great way to achieve a worn, vintage look.

 Q2. Do you have any organization tips?

A2. CreateForLess carries a large selection of organizational and storage items for all of your craft supplies. Some of them are created to fit into your craft space to store things like small tools, ink pads, embellishments and other things in. There are some storage pieces that are designed to help you store your paper especially those 12 x 12 sheets. Don’t forget that sometimes you will want to take your supplies with you so those made with handles and divided sections are good for on the go.

 Q3. What can I use to temporarily mount unmounted stamps?

A3. Tack ‘N Peel are reusable sheets that help your rubber stamps cling to the acrylic or wood block and are the perfect answer to using those unmounted stamps. The adhesive side creates a bond between the sheet and the block which helps keep the sheet from moving and when the stamp is applied you don’t have to worry about it falling off or moving while you stamp the image.

 Q4. How do I keep the intricate pieces from sticking in my dies?

A4. The answer to this is an easy one.  Blue Painter’s Tape.  Since it’s made not to permanently stick and won’t harm surfaces it’s a great choice to use on your dies.  Simply cover the intricate areas on your dies before placing the paper over the top.  Run it through your die cut machine and once you’re done pull the tape off.  Those little pieces pop right out!

Q5. I like to use my distress inks and spritz them with water to use on things, but my paper curls up.  What can I do about that?

A5. The first thing is to make sure that you are not oversaturating the paper.  Watercolor paper is good to use for this technique as it is made to hold water without becoming too wet.  It is made so that when water is placed on it the water sits on the surface and doesn’t bleed the color into the fibers making them less intense and since all the liquids aren’t absorbing into the paper it doesn’t have the chance to saturate and cause the paper to curl.

By Paper Crafts Contributor, Lauren Romano.

Many girls love the color pink, so what better way to decorate the packaging of a special gift than to use a handmade girly gift tag. It takes only a few items, but before long, you can have a perfect gift tag the recipient will adore.

What you’ll need:

• Pink cardstock
• Gift Tag
• Pink scrapbook paper
• Pink ribbon
• Hole punch
• Mod Podge
• Silver glitter glue
• Puffy sticker

Step 1. Use the Mod Podge to adhere a section of the pink scrapbook paper to the pink cardstock.

Step 2. Cut the piece into the shape of a gift tag.

Step 3. Cut a piece of ribbon that fits horizontally across the top part of the gift tag, then cut another piece large enough to make a bow. Attach the horizontal piece first, then follow it up by attaching the bow on top of it.

Step 4. Punch a small hole just above the bow.

Step 5. Use glitter glue to go over any designs that are on the scrapbook paper to make it pop.

Step 6. Attach a puffy sticker in the center of the gift tag.

By Paper Crafts Contributor, Lauren Romano.

When you’re giving a gift to someone who loves birds and/or the outdoors, a bird gift tag can be a beautiful addition to the wrapping. The best part is that you can personalize it for the recipient, right down to the color ribbon you use.

What you’ll need:

• Plain gift tag
• Book page
• Mod Podge
• Scissors
• Hole punch
• Tissue
• Ink pads in two colors
• Bird stamp

Step 1. Choose a book page to adhere to the front of the tag. I chose a page from an antique french dictionary, but you can choose any you think the recipient would love.

Step 2. Trim the excess paper from the tag.

Step 3. Rub the tag along an ink pad until there’s color along the edges.

Step 4. Stamp the image of a bird into the center of the tag.

Step 5. Dab a tissue into the same color ink you used along the edges of the tag, then blot it all over the front of the tag.

Step 6. Take a second tissue, blot it in a second complementary color of ink, then blot it all over the front of the tag.

Step 7. Punch a hole into the top of the tag

Step 8. Put a ribbon through the hole.

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

There’s nothing more fun than to receive a flower on a special day and what better thing to have is a flower pot that you can keep.  This beautiful flower pot card was created using the new American Crafts Neapolitan Dear Lizzy Collection. This would be a great project for Mother’s Day, which is on the 13th.

Plus tomorrow for Free Stuff Friday enter to win a prize pack from the American Crafts Neapolitan Dear Lizzy Collection!

Products Used:

• Orange cardstock
• American Crafts Dear Lizzy Patterned Paper:  Hazy Horizons, Sweet Sundress and Warm Memories
• American Crafts Dear Lizzy Ribbon: Printed and Specialty
• Craft Stick
• Foam Sheets in Green
• Wet Glue
• Tape Runner
• Martha Stewart Scoring Board
• Martha Stewart Paper Trimmer
• Stylus
• Scissors
• Ruler and Pencil
• EK Retro Flower Punch
• EK Open Scallop Edger Punch

Begin by cutting a piece of orange cardstock to be 4 ½” x 12″ and score at the 2″ mark using the Martha Stewart Scoring Board.  Now move the 2″ score line over to the left so that it is at the zero mark on the scoring board and score at the 5″ mark.  This will give you 3 sections- one that is 2″ wide and two that are 5″ wide. 

Fold the last 5″ long section up over the other; leaving the 2″ section unfolded.  Measure 1 ¼” in from each side of the paper and make a mark. 

Using a ruler and pencil draw the lines from the marks you just made to the top corners of the 5″ flap as shown in the picture. 

Place the paper in the trimmer matching the pencil line to the trimmer’s cutting track and cut on the pencil line. 

Repeat this step with the other side again lining the pencil line up with the track. 

Using the EK Open Scallop Edger Punch, punch a scalloped edge on the top of the 2″ flap.

Trace 2 of the flower pot shapes using one of the flaps as a template onto the Hazy Horizon sheet and cut them out.  Adhere one sheet with the wavy stripes out onto the front of the flower pot that will be the front of the card.  Lay the second sheet aside for now. 

This is what your card will look like at this point.  Run a piece of tape from your favorite tape runner along the inside edge near the fold.  Tie the ribbon around the flap and fold the flap down to secure. 

Now, punch 8 flowers using the EK Retro Flowers punch and the Sweet Sundress and Warm Memories Patterned Paper from the new American Crafts Neapolitan Dear Lizzy line.  Glue them together using your favorite wet adhesive glue.  Taking the stylus and 2 foam sheets stacked on top of one another gently emboss the center of the flowers going in circles until you reach the center.  This will give each petal a little curl to add a little dimension. 

Take one of the foam sheets and trim 4 long strips off to make the flower stems.  Next, fold each strip in half and then open up and add some glue onto one of the halves.  Fold down again and hold until secure.  This will create a stem that is sturdy enough to hold the flowers up right. 

Once the stems are dry, glue them to the flowers using the wet glue and allow them to dry.  After they are dry, run a piece of tape along the edge of your flower pot and place the stems over the tape making sure the flowers are at different heights.  Trim off any excess stems that are below the tape using a pair of scissors.  This will help remove some of the bulkiness when the patterned paper is placed over them. 

Take a craft stick and trace around it onto the Sweet Sundress Patterned Paper, cut it out and adhere it to the craft stick using the tape runner. 

Attach the pinwheel from the American Crafts Dear Lizzy line to the top and put it in the middle of the flowers on the flower pot making sure it is the tallest of all the pieces.

Take the second flower pot shaped paper that you traced earlier and making sure the green side is up; adhere it over the flower stems and the bottom of the pinwheel as shown in the picture. 

Find the four small flower shapes shown in the picture from the Serendipity Thickers and place it in the center of each flower. 

Use one of the cute stamps or fun stickers that are in the new Dear Lizzy line to add a special sentiment to the card and plant some smiles in a person’s day!

By DCWV Diary

Scrapbook paper can be used in all crafts, not just scrapbooking. Scrapbooking paper has fun designs and coordinating color sheets to use in your projects. In this project they used scrapbook paper for the front on a passport cover. Adorable!

I love this idea! Why shouldn’t your passport be so darling and personable?!