Like the world of plushes and softies, quilting is another craft that I have been keeping an eye on, but have yet to fully try out. The concept seems easy enough, but I’ve never been very patient and can’t quite get the whole measure twice, cut once, thing down. A friend of mine recently made me a quilt and I am in awe of the time and talent that she put into it....
Go out right now and thrift yourself some old Scrabble games, because you have GOT to try these DIY Scrabble tile crafts! 1. chalkboard tiles. Because why use Scrabble’s letters when you could write your own? 2. embellished end table. Thrift enough Scrabble games, and you can tile ANYTHING! 3. embellished napkin rings. Liven up some old napkin rings with this easy project. 4. engagement photo prop. Scroll through the slideshow until you find it....
12 Ways to Embellish Wood Decoupage it. With your favorite papers and a pot of Mod Podge, you can completely transform a wooden surface. 2. Draw on it. You can’t do this with every pen, but with the right supplies, you can embellish wood with drawings done by hand. Engrave it. The techniques that I discuss here in my tutorial on engraving rocks with a Dremel will also work to embellish wood....
This yarn starts with a simple grooming. Just brush your dog and save up the softer hair. The hairs best for spinning are those found along your dog’s flank, sides and shoulders. Depending on the project you might have in mind for your dog yarn, you’ll need to collect between 4 to 48 ounces of fiber. There are several companies that will take the collected fur and then spin in into whichever weight you want; from lace to sport weight....
Let’s face it, Mother’s Day is two days away and even though I’ve warned you, you still haven’t made anything for your mom. Well, no fear my friends, I’ve put together a list of fabulous eco-friendly and last minute gifts for Mother’s Day! For the sewing mom, create a simple tea cup pincushion by The Spotted Fox! I’ve seen several versions of a tea cup pincushion, but I loved this one because it requires no sewing....
Don’t know where to begin? Need some new ideas? Check out my list of my favorite weaving patterns and get inspired to make yourself something wonderful. 1. Plain Weave If you’re just learning how to weave, start here! The plain weave is the easiest, most basic weaving pattern, and it’s an especially good one for kids to start with. 2. Five-Skill Weaving Sampler This tutorial includes five different weaving patterns to learn and applies them all to a single project....
Even though Christmas isn’t here yet, I’m already thinking about my goals for the New Year! If you’re anything like me, the New Year motivates me to get organized and generally deep clean my life (room, car, closet, etc). With organization on the brain, I want to share 5 incredible projects that will inspire you to get organized in 2012! Not only are these projects great for organizing, but they upcycle items you probably have around your home!...
1. Cloth Napkins These are sleeves you actually want your kiddos to wipe their noses and mouths with. Put out a basket of new ones and a basket for dirty ones on the kitchen table. Or you can use them as a hankie too and carry one in your purse instead of tissues. 2. Pouches These are perfect for marbles, dinosaurs, Legos, or any little “do-dads” that kids carry nowadays. Put a slit in the finished hem for a string, sew the other side closed and you are done!...
I’ll tell you–a manifesto helps, because sometimes environmentalism and crafting don’t play well together without forethought. For instance, do you prefer wool felt, which comes from animals, or acrylic felt, which is synthetic? How big is that fabric/yarn/bead stash, all consisting of items you bought brand-new and are now just sitting on? Do you think it’s okay to craft with vinyl or not? It’s important to think through the environmental/ethical issues behind how you like to craft, so that whatever you do, you are working in harmony with your beliefs....
Got a kid who’s learning her multiplication facts? Forget the flash cards! Nobody likes those multiplication fact torture tools. Instead, build this cool math game to play with your kids. The sophisticated strategy and element of chance involved will entertain the kids even as they’re strengthening their logic skills, and every play they make will challenge their mental computation abilities and improve their memorization of those so-important multiplication facts. Also?...
You don’t have to spend a bundle just to show kids that science is fun. This soda bottle Cartesian diver won’t cost more to make than the price of a couple of washers, but the kids (and you!) will be absolutely enchanted with it, AND it will teach everyone some really useful facts about air pressure and density and how they work. You will need: one-liter soda bottle. Remove the label using this tutorial....
I was home alone with my kids one Sunday night, using a craft knife to make folders upcycled from vintage record album covers. You know, as one does. I’d just put a new blade into my re-usable x-acto knife, so it was super sharp. Maybe I was getting a little tired. Maybe I’d had a glass of wine with dinner earlier. That’s relevant info, you will see, because as I made a long cut down one side of the cardboard record album cover, I also sliced a big chunk of flesh almost completely off of the top right side of my left index finger....
24 Upcycled Crafts for Christmas 1. coffee can gift box. It’s a great size for gift-giving, and pretty paper makes it festive! 2. cookie can. If you know of someone with a Pringles addiction, have them save you some cans to upcycle for your holiday cookie gifts. 3. egg carton reindeer. Upcycled crafts are great for little kids, because you don’t have to buy a lot of stuff for their process-oriented work....
Building blocks don’t always last as long as your kids do. They get scribbled on, or maybe they get discarded for LEGOs–how is a simple building block to stay relevant?!? My kiddo used to be over her building blocks. Whereas she once spent hours building entire wooden cities, she’s into superheroes now. So I made these outdated toys brand-new again, kicked her building block play back into high gear, and totally thrilled the socks off of her just by decoupaging comic book images onto some of her blocks....
All that will change this year. With four tacky wool sweaters and an easy-peasy stocking pattern, I sewed up a houseful of awesome, unique, sturdy and sophisticated stockings for the girls to…um, yeah, my mom? She always tells them to just set their stockings by the front door. So Santa can see them as soon as he walks in, you know? Sigh. Come follow along with me, anyway, and make some stockings of your own....
Re-nest suggests using tarps to kill weeds in your yard. Why not use an old liner place of the tarp? Just weigh it down with bricks over the problem area on a sunny day. The plastic liner will trap the heat from the sun. There’s a good chance you’ll kill any other plants underneath there, so this is probably best if you’re clearing an area to plant a garden bed....
When I first became enamored of crafting with buttons, I built my vintage button stash using ebay and the Classifieds section in my local newspaper. It was great to have a huge variety of vintage buttons to play around with, but I have a lot less tolerance for stuff these days, and I’ve reallocated most of my craft supplies budget to the Disney World fund, so I wouldn’t spend that much money on buttons anymore....
Do you have a stack of gift cards in your wallet thanks to Christmas? Once you finish spending, recycle your gift card into amazing DIY crafts! I don’t know about you, but I received a ton of gift cards for Christmas. It seems that gift cards are becoming more and more popular every year– they’re easy to buy and the recipient can choose their own perfect gift. While gift cards are convenient, all of the plastic that goes into making them are not-so-eco-friendly (there are few “green” plastic cards)....
What You Will Need: A broken mirror Cardboard 3. Low VOC spray paint Scissors Hot glue/hot glue gun A pencil (Optional) Gloves How To Do It: Draw the shape of your choice onto the cardboard. With Valentine’s Day right around the corner, I chose a heart, but I also thought about doing a peace sign like my Pop Top Peace Sign. You could also do a letter or even an entire word....
If you’ve ever flipped on the TV during a bout of insomnia, I’m sure you’ve seen the late-night ads for the Topsy Turvy tomato planter. For folks trying to garden with limited space, this is a great option! One gardenista I know even says that growing tomatoes and other viney plants upside down makes them grow larger and helps keep garden pests away! You’re not limited to tomatoes with this project, either....
