Think Crafts Blog - Craft Ideas and Projects - CreateForLess

This kit is just too too cute! You can’t help but smile when you open the box up and find all the precious surprises inside! The projects are on beautifully done cards with a photo on front, open to the instructions, and some project’s instructions conclude on the back of the card.  You are given most of the supplies needed to create each of the 15 little projects!  You will need to gather some basic crafting tools from your own stash: embroidery needle, hand sewing needle, fabric scissors, fabric marking pen, tape measure, ruler, pencil, straight pins, and fiberfill.  Patterns are included full size.  Once the kit’s supplies are done, you can just add your own scraps of fabric and felt and continue to make the cool projects!

Small plush creatures and minatures are so hot right now in all crafting categories!  And who doesn’t fall in love with tiny little treasures?  This kit is just plain fun!  It can also travel well and makes a great gift. My favorite project was the Party Cake.  I made several to give to my sewing friends as a pin cushion!  

The Party Cake front card cover is inspiring.

I give The Softies Kit the CreateForLess 5 Star Glue Gun Award! 

Would you like to win this kit?

Be the first person to e-mail me at Maria@thinkcrafts.com and this kit will be yours.  Please put the name of the kit you want to win in the subject line of your e-mail to me. I will reply back to the first e-mailer requesting a mailing address.  Please don’t post any personal information on Think Crafts!

I Love this book!

100 Beaded Jewelry Designs by Stephanie Burnham

This book is perfect for the beginner and the more advanced jewelry crafter.  The instructions are excellent and you get a lot of photographs.  The book also includes color illustrations to help with the beading.  The designers used very modern and stylish looks for the jewelry included in the book.  You’ll enjoy making the necklaces, bracelets, and earrings sets. Techniques include peyote, ladder, brick, netting, square, herringbone, and right angle stitches with some great edging. I highly recommend this book because there isn’t a piece of jewelry in it that I don’t want to make! 

My favorite project was the Layered Spiral Necklace as seen below.

Would You Like To Win This Book? 

Be the first person to e-mail me at Maria@thinkcrafts.com and this book will be yours.  Make sure you put the name of the book you want to win in the subject line of your e-mail to me. I will reply back to the first e-mailer requesting a mailing address.  Please don’t post any personal information on Think Crafts!

Sometimes we just don’t have the time to make crafts totally from scratch! And you know what, you don’t always have to make projects from scratch! Here are some quick and easy ideas for those little holiday gifts you need to give.

• Buy plain cloth napkins and add the handmade touch of embroidery, felted flowers, buttons, or beading.
• Buy pillar candles and add the handmade touch of decorative paper, punched shapes, craft jewels, or paint.
• Buy small baskets and add the handmade touch of melt and pour soaps, potpourri, or chocolates.
• Buy inexpensive frames and add the handmade touch of a paper cast, scrapbook page, or collage.
• Buy blank cards and tags and add the handmade touch of embellishments like buttons, lace, or stickers.
• Buy T-shirts and add the handmade touch of silk embroidery, needlepunch, or fabric painting.
• Buy small purse blanks and add the handmade touch of ribbon roses, beading, or felted shapes.
• Buy plain cell phone totes and add the handmade touch of beading, jewels, sequins, or dimensional paint.

Do you have some quick and easy gifts you make for the holidays?  Share your ideas with us!

Where has the year gone?  It seemed to fly by so quickly this year that I’m having to do some last minute thinking about what to make for gifts I want to give my family and friends!  I recently found an interesting website, Buy Handmade. The site asks you to pledge to buy handmade items this holiday season and I think that’s a wonderful idea! I signed the pledge and I hope you do too! I also think we should pledge not just to buy what others make, but we should make our own handmade items to give!

This holiday season I’m giving:

• Handmade rubbing salts (recipe below)
• Bracelets that include handmade beads I purchased in China
• Decorative soaps in slumped soap dishes (My husband helps me with the glass fusing and kilns)
• Handcrafted holiday cards and tags (Made from all my paper scraps and card blanks)

Handmade rubbing salts are a great winter holiday gift.  You can use the rubbing salts in your bath or shower and your skin feels so soft afterwards. Here are the instructions for making your own rubbing salts!

Materials

• Canning or glass jars with air tight lids
• Vitamin E or Grapeseed Oil Extract (found at health food stores or pharmacies)
• Essential Oil (scent of your choice)
• Table salt (fine salts)
• Carrier Oil (any oil without a scent like almond oil, sunflower oil, safflower oil)
• Embellishments for jars (ribbon, lace, stickers, labels, etc)

Instructions

• Pour salt into jar about 3/4 full.
• Pour in carrier oil, completely covering salt.
• Add 5-8 drops of essential oil (scent) to mixture.
• Seal jar tight and embellish.  Allow salt rub “rest” 3 days, after 3 days scent is at its peak.  If you desire more scent then add more essential oil.

I’ve noticed over the last few years that I am seeing the word GREEN more than I usually do in an average day.  Green is my favorite color so I notice any shade of it, even words.  Most people think I like green because it symbolizes money, but I picked out the color green way back in kindergarten so I don’t think money is my inspiration.  No, I like green because it always reminds me of fresh mown grass, mossy hills filled with wildflowers, and walks through gardens and woods.  Green is nature and in nature is my favorite place to be!

But back to my original thought, seeing the word GREEN being tossed about!  This type of green means being kind to our earth.  It means recycle, reuse, reduce, and refuse!  At first I thought it might just be another celebrity cause that would last about as long as a popcycle on a summer day, but I think I’m going to have to put my slightly jaded assumption in the trash!  Living green is becoming part of our daily lifestyle and it’s a wonderful thing.  Especially since green crafting is coming into its own!

Check out these Green Crafting Articles, Blogs, and Websites!

Green Crafting, Can It Make A Difference?

Crafting A Green World

Needlepointers Going Green

Green Options

Going Green With Crafting

Green Crafting Ideas to Do with Your Grandchildren

RecycleCindy On Green Planet Crafting

Green Craft Projects

My green pledge is to be wise in my purchases, recycle materials instead of just tossing them, reuse what I have on hand, refuse to use harmful products, and make a point of complimenting others who are doing their part in keeping our planet safe and beautiful.

Please share your green craft sites with us!  And let us know what you are doing to stay green in your creativity!