How to make gift bags from newspaper When I bought something at a store recently, the clerk handed me my purchase in a bag made from a newspaper. I liked it very much and had to make some more—thus today's DIY recycled newspaper project: gift bags made from the Wall Street Journal. You can vary the dimensions, of course, but here's what I used to create a bag that's 5" tall, 4.5" wide, and 3" deep. Stack two sheets of newspaper on top of each other. This will be a two-ply bag for extra sturdiness. Cut out a rectangle that's 15.5" wide and 8.25" tall. Fold a flap 1.25" down from the top. Cut two pieces of cardstock or chipboard to 4.25" x 1", then glue them on the widest two panels just under the top fold. Put glue on the outside of the 0.5" tab and bring the left-most panel over to form the body of the bag, aligning the cut edge of the panel with the folded edge of the flap. Upend the bag so the 2" flap is now up. Put glue on both flaps and fold them inward to form the bottom of the bag.
- StumbleUpon we blessing sisters have loved notepads, notebooks and all things paper since our first wide-rule pads we bought in gradeschool. we have trouble letting go of even a single sheet of paper, lest we find a use to reuse or recycle it in the craft room! this time, we repurposed our old faxes and paper scraps into notebooks and made them useful again. we pulled out old wrapping paper, books we didn’t mind ripping pages out of, and other odds and ends to make the covers pretty. this is quick and easy to do with what you already have at home, and you end up with a stack of handy, useful pads that might even give you a tinge of back-to-school nostalgia. –bbbcraft sisters CLICK HERE for the full how-to after the jump! Materials: - 8 ½” x 11” scrap paper (from faxes, printing mishaps and mail) - binder clips - scraps of cardboard cut into 1” inch strips OR 2 wood paint mixers cut to size -elmers glue, pvc or a glue gun - paint brush - decorative scrap paper - masking tape and/or decorative tape
Clipboard Makeover Hello friends! Sorry for being MIA for the past week or so. With Hurricane Irene taking away my power and work starting this week things have been a bit crazy! I always feel like once September 1st hits that summer is officially over and as sad as that makes me I am excited for all things Fall. I can’t wait for pumpkin picking, apple cider, football, chili and all the fun crafts that can happen! Speaking of which there are a ton of link parties coming up in September and October which I am very excited to participate in. All I did was lay the paper on top and fold down the edges to give me a crease to cut on. Like this: Like Loading... Related Craft Storage - Ikea Alex Last week I went looking for my hot glue gun for something that needed a quick fix. With 5 comments Turning Tin Cans Into...Pretty Tin Cans It's clear that I need to work out my priorities or at least come up with some sort of schedule for this ol' blog here because I have been neglecting… With 2 comments In "bowl"
Halloween Painted Jar Luminaries ~ Crafts by Amanda - StumbleUpon This isn’t the first time I’ve made luminaries for Halloween. Several years ago I made these painted Ghost Luminaries which are posted on FamilyCorner, these decoupaged Pumpkin Luminaries and this Candy Corn luminary which are both posted on Disney’s Kaboose. Today I made some colorful luminaries inspired by the ones I saw on this cute blog called Not So Idle Hands. While Emily uses the decoupage method with strips of tissue paper, I opted for what I believe to be an easier, faster and less expensive method… paint. Aside from the new luminaries I made (which I describe below), I also spruced up my others after unpacking my Halloween boxes. To spruce up the Pumpkin Luminaries, which are decoupaged orange material, I used a damp rag to wipe them down, then I painted the yellow facial features black. You can see that the white ghost luminaries have been around for quite a few years. Over the summer I bought a couple of boxes of canning jars with the intention of canning. A: The outside. :)
The Perfect Pantry Article - Allrecipes.com - StumbleUpon Snow-Globe Soap Dec19 by Brenda Ponnay Stuff their stockings with something they can wash their hands with! What’s cuter than a button, small enough to fit in a stocking, won’t rot your teeth and leaves you squeaky clean? This is technically just “melt and pour” soap so it might be considered cheating to some hard-core soap enthusiasts but I’m not about to mess with lye or distilling vodka when I’ve got a small child acting as my personal assistant. First you’ll cut up the glycerine into 1-inch chunks. Don’t be fooled by the picture above. After you’ve poured the glycerine, let it cool just enough to form a thin skin on the top. After all your toys are arranged, you can add your snow. Next you’ll pop it in the freezer for about twenty minutes or until the cubes are cool to touch from the underside of the ice cube tray (be sure to check the middle). I used a small paring knife to shave off some of the irregularities on the bottom but that was purely aesthetic. If you found us through Stumble Upon!
DIY paperweights from glass candle holders. Hi! It’s Shannon from Madigan Made and today I want to show you a simple and inexpensive project: DIY paperweights. I don’t know about you, but I’m an avid dollar store junkie. Next to the craft store, the dollar store is one of my favorite places for creative inspiration. I love going there just to look around for inexpensive craft materials. This month when I saw these shallow, rounded glass votive candles, I wondered if they could be flipped upside-down and decorated to make paperweights. So, I grabbed a pack, got home and I made two paperweights in no time! Want to make one for your desk or as a quick and easy handmade gift? How to make a paperweight with decoupage and a glass candle votive: Supplies Needed Shallow, glass candle holdersScrapbook paperMod Podge (gloss or satin formula)ScissorsPencilBrushPourable resin (and any needed materials to mix like: disposable container, gloves, Wooden stick, etc.) Step Two: Brush a thick layer of Mod Podge on the interior areas of the glass.
wall decals bird on Etsy, a global handmade and vintage marketplace. DIY Solar Lamp: Make Your Own Eco-Friendly Sun Jars | Designs &Ideas on... The principle is simple and seductively clever: solar lights that store energy during the day and release light at night. These can be purchased ready-made in a variety of colors (yellow, blue and red) but they can also be built at home. A simple, less-technical approach involves buying a conventional solar-powered yard lamp and then essentially harvesting it for key pieces to put in a jar. This is simply a way of taking an existing solar lamp design and appropriating its parts to make something more attractive for display around a house or home. A more electronically-savvy individual can take the more complex route and built a solar lamp from the ground up using small solar panels – though the aesthetic result may not be as impressive. Whatever route you choose to go, these are fun and sustainable gadgets that make it easy to go green, automate the process of turning on lights at night and can add some color to your porch, patio, garden or windowsill.
Simple Winter Sewing Project: Hot Rice Bags Warm face, warm ‘ands, warm feet Aow, wouldn’t it be loverly? –Eliza Doolittle Cloth bags of heated grain are great for warming the bed or soothing sore muscles–much cozier than hot water bottles, and a nicer quality of heat. With a piece of standard copy paper as your pattern, cut two 8 1/2 x 11″ pieces of cotton (muslin or calico works great). Clip corners, turn, and press. Add 5 cups of dry rice. Pin, and stitch 1/4″ from the edge. It’s nice to make the bag a cover–keeps it clean, and fleece feels so good. With right side in, fold the end with the wider, topstitched hem up 5 3/4″ , and the side with the narrow hem down 4 3/4 “. My mother gave me this pin cushion when I was seven. Stitch the sides, clip the corners, and turn right side out. Take the cover off to heat the bag in the microwave. Use the bag to warm the bed, snuggle it while reading on a cold winter’s night, or apply to tense, sore muscles. You may also enjoy other craft projects from The Tangled Nest:
The Magic of Decoupage - Martha Stewart Crafts by Technique Decoupage is artistic sleight of hand. What appears to be a painted design is actually paper, glued in place. What looks like lacquer is just a few coats of clear varnish. And what begins as an unremarkable piece of furniture becomes a bold, modern design statement, when adorned with leaves and vines. You might embellish an armoire with oversize tropical foliage or cover a plain dresser with Victorian botanical prints. Suddenly, that forgettable piece becomes the focus of the room. Early forms of decoupage were seen in 12th-century Asia, but the craft as we know it owes much to the exquisite Oriental lacquerwork so widely admired in seventeenth-century Europe. A similar process, using flowers and other sentimental motifs, was popularized in England, and by the nineteenth century, decorative images were made available for this purpose. Traditionally, decoupage motifs are small in scale; we gave the craft a modern sensibility by focusing on larger, bolder patterns. 1. 2. 3. 4.
wall decals bird tree on Etsy, a global handmade and vintage marketplace. Do-it-Yourself DIY String Wedding Lanterns Yarn Chandeliers Jessica of Wednesday Inc shows us how to make those gorgeous twine chandeliers from the inspiration shoot she shared with us this morning. Using balloons, glue and twine, you can also make these lanterns for your wedding – and then bring it home and use it as your very own mid century lampshade. What you will need are: balloons, glue, yarn, tray for glue, corn starch 1/2 cup of Corn starch, 1/4 cup of Warm water, clear fast drying spray paint, hanging lamp cord or fishing line (depending on your desired final product), and a lighting kit if you’re looking for a fully functional lantern. Jessica recommends using a sharpie to mark on the inflated balloon how much room you need to leave for the lighting cord. Are you getting excited to try to do this at home as much I am? Instructions: 1.
delightful country cookin': homemade air freshener "Don't you get fresh with me, ya hear!" Oh, I love it when adults (especially grandparents) say that to little kids. What does it mean exactly? Does it mean we'd rather children get dirty with us? Today, I'm going to ask you to actually get fresh with me. I digress. I was roaming around on Tasty Kitchen one day when I came across a recipe for homemade air freshener. To make these little beauties, you first need a heat-proof jars (I found mine for $0.99 each at Michael's), food coloring colors of your choice, and essential oil. Into each jar, drop a few drops (I repeat...a few...it doesn't take more than 2 or 3) of food coloring. Now for the fun part. Why salt? Get one cup of water boiling on the stove. Then, pour in the other cup of cold water and the salt, stirring until the salt is dissolved. Quickly pour the hot gelatin mixture in each of your jars, and then use a disposable stick or spoon to stir it into the oil and food coloring. Let these gel overnight, and then voila!