Our friend Mark Montano is full of amazing crafty ideas for your home and yourself. Recycle your cardboard in a new and beautiful way with this cardboard octopus bowl! You can create a bunch, each with a different underwater sea creature for practically nothing!  For more creative DIYs, check out the “Make Your Mark” videos on Mark’s YouTube Channel.

Last weekend, here in Portland, quilters and manufacturers from all over the country had the opportunity to meet up and share what they love. Here are some of the highlights:

Right when we walked in to the quilt market, there were so many beautiful quilts hanging up around the booths. I absolutely loved the watercolor appearance of this quilt, with the intricate floral stitching. It’s absolutely gorgeous!

We very quickly started to notice a theme with all of the lovely quilts hanging up, lots and lots of color! There were bright neons and rainbow quilts everywhere!

This quilt quickly caught my eye. It is so colorful and I love the pointillism effect used with the background. I also love the fact that quilts don’t necessarily have to be about piecing together blocks of fabric anymore. You can create a scene and really tell a story with them.

Once we got into the booths, we had a lot of fun trying out the Sizzix Big Shot  and AccuQuilt Go Die they make cutting your fabric so easy and precise!

A lot of the booths had more fun notions and products than imaginable. It was so fun to look through all of the ribbons and trims that Cheep Trims has to offer.

The award for booth creativity definitely goes to Fairfield Batting. All of the decorations are made entirely from quilt batting!

 They dyed, felted, crimped, and ironed everything together to create this beautiful forest scene. It was really inspiring to see a creative way to use batting outside of quilting. Fairfield carries natural cotton batting, which they said was the easiest to dye. It’s so hard to believe those flowers are made from felted and dyed batting.

After many hours spent looking at new products, playing with new tools, and chatting with quilters, I think this photo best sums up how we felt when we left:

This decal was too cute!

About the Author: Paisley Hansen is a freelance writer and expert in fleece fabric and beauty. When she isn’t writing she can usually be found reading a good book.

Be honest with yourself, how long has that basket of rags and fabric scraps been sitting with your craft and sewing stuff? If you are anything like me, you have probably been collecting enough fabric over the years to reupholster an entire mansion. That is, if you could do that using just scraps. Well, you may not be able reupholster your house, but there are plenty of things that you can create to make use of your leftover fabric scraps. Here are 10 neat ideas.

Rag Quilt

Image Source

If you have a lot of scraps, one way to use up just about all of them is to make a rag quilt. This might turn into quite the project, but you can watch tutorials such as this one online to help you out.

Blanket

Image Source

If you have a lot of leftover or cheap fleece fabric, you can easily make it into a blanket by cutting tassels around the edge. Tie a knot in each one to give it a more finished look.

Wreath

Image Source

If all you have are a lot of smaller scraps, you can make them into a wreath for your door. All you have to do is use a metal coat hanger, and bend it in whichever shape you desire. Then cut the fabric into smaller strips, and tie them around the hanger using a cow hitch knot for each.

Cleaning

It would be a shame to use nice fabric for cleaning, but if you have random scraps of old, useless material, or it is ruined for whatever reason, they make good cleaning rags.

USA map

Have you ever seen the maps of the United States, made from license plates? A cute idea for a family home can be to do the same thing, but with fabric scraps. You can either cut the states out and stick them on cardboard for your wall, or you can sew them together and mount them on a canvas.

Canning

If you want to try canning, scraps can be a cute way to brighten up jars. Secure a small square of fabric over the lid with a rubber band.

Flip Flop Redesign

A fun way to use old scraps can be to redesign old flip flops for a new season. Make sure that you use strong glue.

Bracelet

There are a lot of creative ways to weave bracelets using strips of fabric, for use as a friendship bracelet, or simply a fashion statement. One good way can be viewed here, along with a step-by-step.

Pincushion

For the avid sewer, a pincushion might just be the perfect way to use your scraps. There are a number of different ways to make one, in fact, here are just 10.

Dog Toy

For your dog that likes to destroy your furniture and clothes, why not give them something that they can destroy? Some fabric might be fine as it is, but here is a step-by-step guide to make a fun little toy for your canine friend.

Spring is officially in full swing, and the well known expression “April Showers brings in May Flowers” is certainly starting to show in our part of the country! The sunny weather and colorful blooms outside my window have been an inspiration to bring the beautiful spring weather into my crafting. I’ve collected a few of my favorite floral inspired crafts over the years to help you celebrate May Flowers too!

Pick a few of your most colorful flowers from the garden and preserve them into these beautiful bookmarks. This way in the wintertime when you’re stuck inside reading, you’ll have something beautiful to get you through the cold weather.

Keep the flowers in your garden and create these beautiful fabric flowers instead. This way, you won’t feel as bad about wearing some beautiful floral accessories.

Make your own colorful bouquet from scrapbook paper with this easy tutorial. You don’t have to worry about it dying, so you can keep it as long as you would like!

Let your children tend to their own playhouse window box this summer. Teach them to plant and care for flowers and dress up their playhouse!

Here’s another floral accessory made from fabric scraps. It’s a great way to repurpose and add a feminine touch to your outfit.

These planters are so fun! You could even find a goofy mask and add a plant that looks like hair!

Peg Rounds from:

Peg’s Crafting Corner

I was excited when I was asked to review the new Imperial Gold Nestabilites Dies by Spellbinders.  These dies add even more fun elements to any of your projects whether they are cards, scrapbook pages or even altered art items.  For $19.49 you get 4 to 12 dies depending on which set you choose.  This is a great price for the amount of things that can be created using them.  These dies will cut, emboss, deboss, stencil and letterpress.  You can do one layer or several.  The dies can be used in most die cut machines, too.  All you need is to follow the stack instructions for your machine that is provided with the instructions.

On this layout, I wanted to create a frame for the pictures.  The top picture I used just one of the dies to create an embossed mat for it and the bottom 2 pictures I made the embossed mats for both of them and then added a die cut and embossed frame over the top of each picture.  See how quickly it is to now create a beautiful frame for all of your pictures?

I experimented with several types and weights of paper to see how well they worked.  On the packaging it is suggested that the paper weight be 65 pounds.  That doesn’t mean that is what you have to use.  Here I tried lighter weight papers and found that most worked.  The foil (the red piece) didn’t cut, but did emboss.  It was too thin using in a regular stack and as I ran it through my die cut machine (Spellbinders Grand Calibur) I could feel the difference as it seemed to easily roll through without pressure.  A shim may have helped with this problem and I will experiment more on this to see if I can get it to work.  It will make a nice mat for a smaller picture, though.

I mentioned earlier about the correct stack to use these dies, but you will also have to purchase the Junior Magnetic Placement Mat to add to the stack or the dies will not work.  I was a little disappointed when I first received the dies and went to use them and couldn’t because I didn’t have this mat.  Nowhere on the packaging does it mention that it is required.  It was only when I opened up the dies and read the instructions was it mentioned. It is the only way to achieve the correct thickness for the stack and helps hold the dies in place when layering them.  Luckily, Create For Less has them and they ship quickly.  You will get 2 mats in a package for $8.49.  The mats are thin so when they are used they become etched as shown in the right picture.  This doesn’t affect the use of them, but after a while they will require replacing.  This was a big con for me is that it is not mentioned on the packaging that it is a required item in order to use these dies.

Overall, I would definitely suggest this product to everyone.  I love the different looks that can be achieved by just a few dies and that the price for them is reasonable.  They are great to use for frames around pictures or for embellishments on cards. There are several different designs to choose from which is a great idea, too.   One drawback is that the Junior Mat is required for use and there is no mention of it on the packaging.  Now head on over to check the dies out for yourself and start a new layer of fun on your projects.

]]> http://thinkcrafts.com/blog/2013/05/21/spellbinders-nestabilities-imperial-gold-dies-scrapbook-layout/feed/ 0 http://thinkcrafts.com/blog/2013/05/20/rocks/ http://thinkcrafts.com/blog/2013/05/20/rocks/#comments Mon, 20 May 2013 20:08:14 +0000 Gillian http://thinkcrafts.com/?p=29306 By Craft Trends Contributor, Gillian from the blog Dried Figs and Wooden Spools. Check out our Craft Trends board on Pinterest!

Remember rock pets? I LOVED rock pets. I think I had a whole collection of them and looking back, it’s kind of silly to remember how much fun I had with them. Because… they are rocks. But there’s something to it because my kids seem to love them as much as I did. In fact, they love all sorts of rock art. And boy is there a lot of it out there. With summer vacation just around the corner I’ve been building up my supply of rock art ideas, and of rocks, of course. They’ll love them, I know, and I bet your kids will too. Here are some of the best of the best out there.

Being Crafty with Rocks - Lori-Lee Thomas

My daughter has a fondness for foxes. She loves them and has a whole collection of fox friends (all named foxy, by the way) So I KNOW this will be at the top of her list of rock art projects. A fox she can keep in her pocket? Perfect. And I have to admit, I think I need one too, it’s so sweet!

Painted Rocks – Inspire Bohemia

So Many Owls – Lori-Lee Thomas

These wildly different but equally cool rock owls are also at the top of our list. I love them both. The more abstract heart shaped owls have such a fun, modern look while the more realistic owls have a woodsy, folksy look. It’s the detail and color combinations in both that make them so dazzling I think. I can’t wait to try my hand at creating something similar.

Pierres Graphiques by Yoran Morvant - Available for purchase at Ashes and Milk

And talking of abstract, this rock is stunning with it’s abstract circles and lines. It reminds me of zentangles, except on a rock. I think these might be just the thing for some late summer birthday gifts from kids to the grownups in their lives.

Have you tackled any rock art? Show off your projects! We love to see them! Check out these and other ideas for rock art projects on our Craft Trends Pinboard!

This prize pack has 10 different Blue Moon Beads elements including 5 Pendants, 1 Bead Strand, 3 packs of Findings, and Metal Bails!

The winning answer to “If you had one extra hour of free time a day, how would you use it?” is…

“quilt… or sleep. zzzzzzz.”

Every Friday we’ll post a giveaway on Think Crafts and all you have to do is comment on the blog post answering the question of the week.  Check back on Friday for your chance to win!!

Paper Phenomenon is full of in-depth tutorials and kits for your next scrapbooking project. Be sure to check out Kathy’s YouTube channel for step-by-step page making instructions and how-to’s for different scrapbooking tools and attend her scrapbooking classes online at her UStream Channel every Monday at 2 PM Central Time and Friday at 7 PM Central Time!

To celebrate National Scrapbook Day all month long, Kathy will be sharing her tutorial for a Retro Fitted Mini Album Layout every Saturday in May! If you love this layout, be sure to click the links above for even more tutorials and scrapbooking tips and check back next week for parts 6 and 7!

Part 4:

Part 5:

Did you miss parts 1, 2 and 3? Check out last weeks videos!

Do you have a layout you’d love to share? Enter our Scrapbook Layout Contest and you could win a $150 CreateForLess Gift Card!

DIY fashion has become more and more popular over the years, and we’re so glad! The latest trend in fashion now seems to be the creative use of craft supplies to make your own fashion statements. From basic supplies like fabric paint, to surprising uses of zippers, we’ve found some of our favorite craft supplies used in unexpected ways. Make a statement with these DIY projects!

P.S. I Made This proves that you don’t need to sew a color block blouse, you can paint it with some fabric paint!

Glamour Magazine says that the next big hair trend is yarn in your hair. It looks beautiful and bohemian.

Lovely Indeed brings yarn from your head to your feet with these pom pom shoe clips.

The Experimental Home uses zippers in a unique way. Show off your craft skills this summer!

Or, check out another creative way to use zippers. Plan B Anna Evers adds them to a blazer to give your outfit a pop of color, and you can lengthen or shorten your jacket!

Use buttons to create a colorful design on a cardigan like Lana Red. It’s a great way to use up your leftover buttons!

It’s Friday again, and we’re giving away another great prize! One lucky winner will be receiving a Blue Moon Beads Prize Pack!

This prize pack has 10 different Blue Moon Beads elements including 5 Pendants, 1 Bead Strand, 3 packs of Findings, and Metal Bails!

Every Friday we’ll post a giveaway on Think Crafts and all you have to do is comment on the blog post answering the question of the week. We’ll pick the winners and contact them via email. Deadline is midnight tonight and the winner will be announced Monday. One entry per person please.

Question of the week: If you had one extra hour of free time a day, how would you use it?

If the comment box is not below, scroll to the top and click “comments”.

We’re always showing you what we’re making at Think Crafts, but now it’s your turn to show us what you’ve been up to! Head over to Crafty Show-offs to submit your crafts and you could win a $100 Gift Certificate to CreateForLess. You can also submit straight from Instagram. Just add #craftyshowoffs to the caption of your photo to enter.

We’ll share them right on the Tumblr page for everyone to get inspired and share!

Don’t forget to link up to your blog or Etsy shop when posting to the Tumblr page, just click the link sign in the upper right hand corner to add a click-through link to your photo, or mention it in your caption!

I hate shopping for wedding wrapping paper. Finding great wedding wrapping means handing over a lot of money for fancy glitter or foil accents and I can never settle for not-so-great wedding wrapping. When I was getting ready for my friends Mike and Laura’s wedding, I knew that I wanted to do something special and personal. I love the idea of monogrammed wrapping paper so that you don’t have to use gift tags, and I wanted to add a little something extra for Mike and Laura’s big day. This idea would be great for Christmas too. A little monogrammed letter in the corner in lieu of gift tags will add a special personal touch to all of your gifts!

Here’s What You Need:

• Craft Paper or Thick Wrapping Paper
• Embroidery Floss 
• Tapestry Needle
• Printed Template or a Pencil and Good Handwriting
• Painter’s Tape
• Optional: A Piece of Styrofoam or Corrugated Cardboard the size of your template (It makes a much better, sturdier base when poking holes through the template, but carpet works okay as well and is what I used)

First, find a font that you like, or an outline of a design and print it out. You can also draw it on your own, straight onto the wrapping paper with a pencil. The embroidery should cover it up. I would suggest making the size a little bit on the large side so that you don’t risk ripping your paper. My letters were about an inch and a half tall and I didn’t have any problems, but my first try had 1 inch tall letters spelling out their names and that was trouble. I had to start from scratch.

I pre-folded my wrapping and made a pencil mark where the corner would be before adding the stencil. This way I had a better idea of where the design needed to be. Next, very lightly tape the stencil to your paper with your painter’s tape. Painter’s tape works best because the adhesive is made to tear away cleanly so you’ll be a lot less likely to rip your paper. I didn’t have any residue or torn paper at all.

Flip your paper over and tape over the area that your stencil covers. I found this to be essential because it really reinforced the paper so that it didn’t tear as I punched my holes and strung the thread through.

Start poking holes along the outlines of your stencil about 1/4 inch apart.

Once you’ve poked all of the holes, carefully remove your stencil to reveal your holes. String your tapestry needle halfway through two long pieces of embroidery thread. I used two different colors. Tie a knot at the end. Now you should have four strands. String the needle through the back of the wrapping and the first hole on one letter. Pull it through the right side to the back of the next hole.

Pull the thread back to front through the third hole you poked and then back through the second hole. Do the same with the fourth and third holes. This will give you consistent stitches without any breaks. Continue on with the most stitches you can make. You won’t be able to make one continuous line of stitches with letters like the “M”. Just tie a knot to finish your stitches and start a new one the same way. Once all of your holes have been stitched, tie your last knot and flip the wrapping over.

Put a couple of pieces of tape across the back side of your stitching to keep everything sturdy and in place. It’s not the prettiest from the back, but no one will look twice at it! (Except maybe to figure out how you did it.)

Wrap up your gift and enjoy your personal and beautiful wrapping job!

Summer time is a great time to decorate indoors while all the flowers are decorating the outdoors. We made this bee skep to decorate our house for the summer. The skep was used as a bee hive for centuries, but now they are more for garden decorations. Our project uses a recycled soda bottle and glue, so there is no need for weaving. This is a perfect craft for children, camps or addition to a bee lesson!

Supplies:

• 2 liter plastic soda bottle
• Tacky Glue
• Jute Twine
• Scissors
• Black Paint
• Brush

Start by cutting the soda bottle. Cut the bottom off. The less you cut off, the taller the bee skep will be.  Next, cut off the top neck of the soda bottle.

I started at the bottom placing a line of glue around the bottom and placed the twine on it.

I continued to wrap the twine around the plastic dome shape, applying more glue and wrapping more.

Once at the top apply the glue to the twine and coil around to finish. Once the glue is dry, paint a black arch at the bottom to represent the opening the bees would use to get in.

Decorate as desired, I found a cute little lampwork bee bead to glue to the top. Create for Less has these adorable bees that can be used too!

Follow along with Jennifer as she embarks on the overwhelming journey of transforming her current house into a dream home. Jennifer hopes to inspire and motivate everyone who reads her blog to create their dream spaces no matter the size or budget.

When I came across this bright and intriguing wreath on Pinterest, I had to do a double take.  A wreath made of egg cartons?  Genius!  After heading over to the corresponding blogfor directions, I thought, What an easy project and one that my son will enjoy creating, too.  Sound the buzzer.  Wrong!  But in the end, it was such a cute wreath and a present I’m sure oma (grandma) will enjoy : ]

As for materials, you probably have all of them on hand already (aren’t those just the best projects ever?).  I used four egg cartons, some leftover cardboard, acrylic paints and hot glue.

Tear the egg cartons apart using your hands.  You will have plenty of time to get creative with your scissors.  Plenty. of. time.  Two blisters in I sorta realized this was one of those projects that was deceptively time consuming.  And the shapes of the egg cartons are difficult to maneuver around so all my flowers were basically wavy egg cartons.  Oh, and save the lids to cut petals out of.

After nights of cutting flower shapes, I was totally stoked to let Anak loose on em.  I pictured us painting together and me giving him little lessons on mixing paint.

This was about as much interest as he could feign.  You win some you lose some and those couch cushion fortresses will not build themselves.

I picked up where he left off so I could incorporate his creations.

And then I painted and painted and painted the rest of the flowers.  I watered down my acrylics just a bit but I don’t recommend diluting them too much as the cardboard is so absorbent and will get soggy easily.

I cut out a cardboard “o” and painted it green.  After the flowers had dried I hot glue gunned them onto the wreath.

Midway through washing dishes Anak’s interest in flowers suddenly returned

Here’s our finished wreath.

And a side view.

Since the wreath is just cardboard, I recommend hanging it inside.

I live way out in a house tucked deep into the woods. Because of this I’ve got wild animals all around. Some (like the bears! Oh my!) we try to discourage from coming too close to the house. But others we love having around. Like the birds. Having birds flittering around the house is such a joy, especially after a long quite winter. So we like to make sure our birds have plenty of food to keep them happy and hanging around. And if you are going to feed the birds, you might as well have fun doing it. These projects are some of the most crafty ways I’ve seen to feed the birds. I think I might have to give one or two a try. Or maybe all of them!

DIY Suet Feeders – The Garden-Roof Coop

I love the use of grapevine balls for this feeder. Not only are they reusable, they will also naturally decompose when you are done with them. And of course, they are beautiful. Simple, natural, and very, very pretty.

Bird Seed Feeders – Plain Vanilla Mom

These little shaped bird feeders are made using cookie cutters as forms and they are so cute! These would be a fantastic project to do with kids and could be made easily in large quantities (they’d make great gifts!)

Wine Bottle Bird Feeder - The Chicken Street

These recycled wine bottle bird feeders are a little more complex than the other, but I think they are worth it. Beautiful, elegant, and functional.

Have you made any homemade bird feeders? We’d love to see your ideas! Check out these and other crafty birth feeders on our Craft Trends Pinboard!

By General Crafts Contributor Tasya from My House and Home

It’s that time of year again, when our kid’s school puts on their annual fundraising auction. Each year there are unique and interesting projects that each class puts together for the community to bid on. This year I am in charge of the first grade auction project, yikes!

I say hats off to anyone who has ever accepted the challenge of overseeing a class-made auction item! Especially for the younger grades who aren’t exactly fine tuned in their artistic skill set yet! So, what is a parent to do?? Just go for it, it won’t be perfect, but it will be meaningful and something parents will want to bid on and that is what it is all about, right?!?!?

This year our theme is the Love Boat, so we went with a nautically inspired project.

And, what garden wouldn’t love to have this painted rain barrel in its corner?

The ombre effect was done with 3 different colors of blue spray paint. We basically visually divided the barrel into thirds and spray painted each section while lightly fading the paint into the next section….a learning process, but not too difficult at all! You can always paint over any mishaps! Here is a look at how my talented hubby helped me create the look, he freehanded the sailboats, sorry wish I had a stencil to share with the class!! Remember, you can use chalk and erase over and over and over till you get it just how you like it!!

The little sailboats are named after the students who then painted their very own flag. Once that was complete we finished the rain barrel with 2 coats of polycrylic, so that it can withstand all the outdoor elements.

I think it turned out really cute! Rain barrel success! If you would like the same rain barrel we used you can find it here!

I hate rainy days, especially when they fall on a weekend.  Why you ask?  Because it means the kids are going to get bored because we are stuck inside.  And I get bored, I want to get out and do stuff on the weekends and when it is rainy and cold that just is not going to happen.

This past weekend was one of those weekends when we were stuck inside all day, but I decided to be proactive (since I watched the news and knew this was going to happen) and get my supplies ready for a fun project for the kids.  We made Magic Star Wands that turned out to be Magic princess Star Wands (that is what the girls told me they were).

My oldest helped me make the wands while my little one was playing with her dad.  Once they were done I could not believe how much fun the girls had with them.  I think this was the best craft we have ever made.  They played with these for hours and are still playing with them.  They created a whole fantasy world this weekend all around these wands.  What a great rainy day project they turned out to be.  After the tutorial below on how to make the wands, check out the pictures of all the fun the girls had with them.

Supplies

• Star Pattern
• Felt
• Ribbon (we used 3 to 4 different colors of ribbon per wand)
• Wooden Dowel
• Fiber fill
• Glue Gun
• Glue Stick
• Pencil
• Scissors

Directions

Print out your Star Pattern, and then cut it out.

Trace the star onto your felt.

You will need two starts one for the front and one for the back.

For the wand, run your glue stick along the wooden dowel in thin line (this will help keep the ribbon in place)

Wrap your ribbon around your wooden dowel

Continue to wrap each color of ribbon around till the wood is covered.

Use your glue gun to hold the ribbon ends in place.

Now glue your two star pieces together, but leave a hole so you can stuff it and insert the wooden dowel

You can use your pencil to get the fill in the ends of the star

Once the star is stuffed insert your wooden dowel and use your glue gun to seal the star.

Now they are ready for play time!

My girls decided they were princess wands and my oldest was the princess of blue and my youngest was the princess of pink!

We love Mondays because we get to choose a brand new winner! Congratulations to…Kathy! You’ve won our “blank canvas” prize pack!

This prize pack includes unfinished wood and canvas pieces that are just waiting for some paint and embellishment! Our winner will be receiving 3 blank mini canvases, an easel, a 45 pack of jumbo craft sticks, 3 birdhouses, a jewelry box, and a wooden fence piece!

The winning answer to “What is your favorite outdoor activity?” is…

“Decorating my yard and watching my grandchildren play.”

Every Friday we’ll post a giveaway on Think Crafts and all you have to do is comment on the blog post answering the question of the week.  Check back on Friday for your chance to win!!

Who knew toilet paper could be so beautiful? The kids will have so much fun creating these magical designs.

Create a miniature crystal ball for a fairy garden or doll house

Make a special gift with butterfly footprints that you can frame or post.

Make some jewelry with a washer and some nail polish.

Let the young ones play with this edible and fantastic smelling play-doh!

Let the kids go crazy with their own butterfly collages.

Kick back, relax and enjoy being a mom today!