Crafts - Ideas for Crafts Using Letters and Words A picture may be worth a thousand words, but words can create a pretty picture, too. That's what stylist Paul Lowe set out to celebrate when he determined to make artful use of books and letters that, too often, end up in the trash. "There's such beauty to the written word, both in what it says and how the letters look on the page," he says. "I wanted to make the most of this, providing the printed word with another level of expression." To do so, Paul recommends looking at lettering in terms of its font, at book pages in terms of their color ("I love the way aging pages range from cream to yellow," he says), and at sentiments in terms of their graphic appeal. "It's a way to see words in a new fashion," says Paul. Pictured: Poetry- and prose-inspired crafts, such as these decorative plates printed with word decals at home, may cost very little, but they certainly say a lot.
-DIY- double, triple and multiply exposure I have allways been amazed by the awesome effect double exposure gives. Originally this effect is achieved by exposing one film twice, now we are in the digital age we can fake this effect with some more control. I used Picmonkey to make these two. Click the like to see more button for the tutorial. 1. supplies you'll need some photos, one basic photo and some for overlays. 2. editing 1. open your base photo in picmonkey 2. go to the overlay section, and choose 'your own' 3. select a photo and make it the good size 4. 5. go back to the basic section of your overlay and fade it, I did mine about 50 %. 6. add more! I hope its clear. I'd really like to see what you have made. let your creativity go wild. I made my own constellation using this technique:
How To: Mini Snow Globe Favors Snow globes are a fun winter collectible and make the perfect gifts. After seeing this tutorial I wanted to try making my own ‘dry’ snow globes (without the water). The supplies took some time to track down (finding the perfect small jar, tiny trees and deer), but the effort was well worth it. Supplies: • Baby food jars • 1″ Christmas Trees (I found mine at my local craft store. Tools: • Exacto Knife • Paint Brush • Hot Glue Gun Step One: Paint the baby food jar lids gold. Step Two: Once the lids are dry, use an exacto knife to cut a small piece of styrofoam to fit perfectly into the center of the jar lid. Step Three: Decorate your styrofoam base. Step Four: I wanted to incorporate a special message into the snow globe scene. Step Five: Add some fake snow and confetti to the glass jars. Step Six: The final step! These would look so cute placed at each table setting of a rehearsal dinner or holiday party. More handmade gift and favor ideas… Shop Our Holiday Collection
Mini Cosmetics Bag | The Late Afternoon As promised, here is the result of my new fabrics – a mini cosmetic bag! Not only was I excited to actually make something out of my new fabrics, this project also gave me a chance to practice sewing with zippers (something I’ve never done before). I followed this tutorial, but made mine a bit smaller and more rectangular, rather than square shaped. It is always amazing to see how all the pieces (somehow) come together as you sew. Related Posts MINI Variety, mini matchbox cards, Mini Instax Books, castle
you knew i was going to make one. they are all over pinterest....(i still am not signed up for pinterest because i don't have time for one more thing but browsing is fun!) so we made one. i took a box of 64 crayons and took out the blacks and browns.i used another small box and doubled up on the good colors i liked and hot glued them to the top of our canvas. then we turned our blow dryer to hot on high. not long after you set the hair dryer by the crayons they get shiny and then the wax starts to melt! and it dries really quickly too. seriously. what could be happier than this?? GREAT project. loved it today is the first FULL day with ALL my kids in ALL day school.yeah...i am smiling as i type that. it's good. it's quiet. i am rockin' it. removing wallpaper.....making code for craft weekend stuff.....doing my hair....going to lunch..... it's all good. hooray for school!
Shrinky Dink Necklace | with lovely,with lovely, Remember Shrinky Dinks ? I recently rediscovered them, and it turns out they’re just as amazing now as they were when I was five. I love how versatile this magical material is. I used the tracing method to create customized dog necklaces and they turned out super cute! Start by choosing a photo of your dog with a good silhouette. Place a piece of white paper over the your computer screen and trace it with a pencil. Next, place a sheet of Shrinky Dink material directly over the paper and copy over the pencil line with a fine-tipped marker. When your outline is complete, cut roughly around it to get most of the excess material out of your way. Preheat the oven to 325°, then place your cut-out in the oven on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and bake for 1–3 minutes. starts to curl, fold some parchment paper over it and set a flat, heavy object (like a large pan) on top for 5–10 minutes. Voila! With Lovely,
How To Paint Laminate Furniture in 3 Easy Steps! When we moved into our house a few years back, we had two hot pink couches and a mattress on the floor. That's about the time I began finding old thrift store furniture and painting it...and out of necessity, a hobby was born. Now three years later, I've painted and repurposed tons of furniture, and my entire house is furnished with my finds. This aqua blue dresser is one of my favorites. Enjoy! Last week some friends were moving and they gave me a bunch of furniture from their basement. So, here is the trailer full of free furniture I brought home. I decided to start with the smaller dresser first (although I eventually painted the larger one, too). Here's the before picture. The dresser was in great shape, and was a perfect paint candidate. Or at least a good rival to my all-time favorite. So let's talk about the actual process of painting. Rather than sanding the laminate, all you have to do to get the paint to adhere correctly is prime. I'm a ridiculous person and I do not recommend this.
40 Party Favors You Can Make Yourself! With a little planning you can easily make the treat bag favors for your next party! All of these items can be made to go with any theme; think color, size, shape, and scent. Ideas for containers are listed below as well as a few useful party favor tips. Everything pictured above is linked below. Treat Bag Container Ideas: Helpful Tips: *Use common sense when deciding what items to make for different ages - save anything that is small, or dangerous if swallowed, for the older kids. *I always write each child's name or initials on every single item in their treat bag with a permanent marker, that way you can prevent any confusion if items get misplaced. *Consider having extra treats available in case some items are lost - the younger the child the more important this becomes. *If the party guests have siblings at home, you might consider sending an extra treat, or two, home with them. *Take allergies into account when including food or candy in the treat bag.
easy cheerios birdfeeders for a school event Ever the supermom wannabe, I of course volunteered to help out with the Family Fun Day at my daughter’s school, even though we couldn’t attend said Family Fun Day due to a family event up in Jersey. The day was garden-themed. My tasks were to turn pieces of cardboard into signs and to come up with a make-your-own-birdfeeder idea. First, look at my awesome signs. Second, we made Cheerios birdfeeders. To make Cheerios birdfeeders… you will need:* Cheerios pipe cleaners (younger kids) floral wire (older kids) instructions printable *The Cheerios came from Costco. how to make Cheerios birdfeeders: older kids: To make a heart, thread Cheerios on a piece of floral wire, leaving about three inches on each end. Or, bend the wire into any shape you like. younger kids: Make a loop at one end of the pipe cleaner, and twist to secure. Feel free to share (nicely)!
Armelle Blog: diy: ikea rast dresser to bedside table ... i have seen a lot of great ikea hacks with the ikea rast small dresser turned bedside table or nightstand. after i saw this one, i kept it in my "to do" files and i knew it would be a great option for some new bedside tables / nightstands we were in desperate need of. it really is the perfect size and offers some great storage. it is also nice that it comes un-painted so that you can customize your piece to any color you would like. plus, they are only $29 a piece! this is what they looked like before: and, here's the after, painted white with new hardware: i've had a lot of questions about my painting process, so here's a little rundown of how i usually paint or re-paint any kind of furniture. how to paint furniture: 1. clean/ wipe down the furniture really well, especially if it is used. i usually just use baby wipes or clorox wipes, but just make sure there aren't any fibers hanging around. 5. let it dry a day, then add the hardware!
Inexpensive Party Favors for Teens While inexpensive things and teens sound like they can't even belong to the same sentence, there are a few things that teens will appreciate. Here are a few suggestions: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. Good luck and have fun! Tricks + Treats: Little Birdie Plush by Viviana Agostinho Hi there! It's Viviana! Elsie asked me to share a cute plush DIY today for Tricks + Treats and I made this little bird just for you. Enjoy! A little birdie told me... Wanna know what this birdie is telling? The numbers in each birdie part correspond to the amount of pieces you will have to cut. To make your birdie you will need: - Felt and fabric of your choosing- 2 medium size buttons in any color- 2 small beads or buttons in black- Felt scraps in black and red- A handful of fiberfill- Thread, needles, pins... Place each part of the pattern on the wrong side of your fabric and felt and cut all the parts you will need. You will begin creating your birdie's front section. Sew front and back sections (wrong face up!) Fill body with fiberfill. Yay! Thanks so much, Viviana.
25 Upcycled Furniture Ideas Upcycled Furniture Ideas is what today’s post is all about. Let’s take a look at some furniture pieces that have had NEW life given to them by amazing bloggers. One thing is for certain…you will look at furniture that you thought had had it’s day in a different way! Let’s see what Creativity + Imagination + the Power of Paint =’s What do you do with a wonderful sewing machine cabinet that no longer has a working sewing machine? Cooler & Drink Table and Courtney at shows you how! Over at It’s all about upcycling Headboards and who wouldn’t want one of these beauties. I actually had to laugh for a moment when I saw this fabulous creation…the reason? shows you how. Is this brilliant or what???? BHG can really rock the upcycled transformations! sure had her creativity on high gear when when she upcycled this all ready gorgeous armoire into this incredible Sewing Station… Wow…you will get the Step-By-Step on Lindy’s blog…this projects makes me wish I could sew! Little things are happening in a BIG way at
Best Birthday Party Favors: Less Is More And Consumable Is Even Better Mar08 by Melissa Summers I have a few allergies. I am allergic to not having the last word and to paying full price for anything. As I mentioned the other day, all the children at my son’s school were born in March. I know that’s not what the birthday boy’s parents had in mind when they plunked down $40 to give everyone something to take home from the party. Consumable = Nothing to find a place for or to be sucked up in my vacuum, except perhaps crumbs. A candy bar with a video rental gift card attached. Coloring Pages, a small box of crayons and a small container of homemade play dough. Use foil balloons weighted by a bottle of bubbles for decorations, at the end of the party send each child home with one. I love these Dover Little activity books. These finger puppets are a little pricey, but they’re so cute I wanted to include them. How about just a cookie? I made red elephant sugar cookies with the number 4 in yellow icing as favors a couple of years ago.