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CANT STOP MAKING THINGS: Dream Catcher

CANT STOP MAKING THINGS: Dream Catcher
This Thanksgiving I'm going to focus on the Indians whose help enabled the Pilgrims to survive. A dream catcher is the perfect Native American craft. I looked on YouTube and found several video tutorials but was a bit surprised to find that the materials to make one were more expensive than I had thought (about $35) so I looked around for some substitutions. I had a scrap piece of leather that I cut into 1/4" strips. Using Shoe Goop, I glued the strips together and clamped them with clips. I clamped one end of the leather strip to the hoop leaving a 3" tail and started wrapping around the metal ring. The beading department of Michael's had some cording that was more reasonable than the artificial sinew in their leather-craft department. Next I cut a length of cording that was longer than I thought I'd need and wrapped it into a bobbin. I tied the end on the hoop and proceeded to loop the cord going under, over and through and then pulled it taut.

Decor Adventures: Dollar Store Decor Well I’m a total copycat. I’ve completely ripped off this idea and I fully admit it. Dollar store hurricanes. You’ve probably seen them around at Sarah’s who saw them at Emily’s who saw them at Anne’s. This infamous total-cost-is-two-smackers project that will add some serious glamour to your space. Let me get right to it – How to make hurricane candle holders, also know as dollar store decor! My supplies are dollar store candle sticks and glass hurricanes. $1 each friends, it can’t get any cheaper. Plus some sort of glue. After I washed and dried each piece I glued the pillar holders onto the bottom of the hurricanes. Don’t even try to test them 20 minutes later, they will still be wet and will move, so let them sit. My fiance didn’t know what a hurricane was, I had to explain But he loves them, I got a high five. I put in some rocks from an ocean beach and Spanish moss for a little fall touch, then an ivory 3×6 pillar candle. I frequently move these all around the house.

Toy Story Wall Art {An Inexpensive DIY Take on the Gang} My little guy is in full blown Toy Story mania mode right now after having the chance to see Toy Story 3 {thanks to a very special friend}. There is nothing better than the big smile on his face and pure excitement in his eyes each and every time the toys come to life on the screen. I wanted to make a special piece of art, just for my little guy, to hang on our ‘kitchen gallery wall’, in hopes of catching a few of those big smiles each time he walks by. I headed off to the dollar store to see what I could find, as trying to sneak any one of the hundreds of figurines we already own would be totally out of the question. Even though there wasn’t much Toy Story paraphernalia left, {we are a little late hoping on the number 3 bandwagon} I did happen to find a full set of PEZ Dispensers featuring a few of his favorite charaters. I decided they needed a little makeover to blend in with the kitchen decor, so they all received a couple coats of antique white spray paint. I really really like it!

Wire & Paper - StumbleUpon Make Your Own Faux Leaf Fall Garland - {simple, super easy, & inexpensive} It seems like just yesterday I could not wait for the leaves to turn green and fill in the woodlands that surround our home…It’s that time of year tough that I yearn for a beautiful fall palette of yellow, orange, and burgundy. Last year I collected a ton of leaves and made a real leaf garland for our porch. It lasted a few weeks but once the leaves began to ‘crunch’ that was the end of that {a big mess – at my front door none-the-less}. This year I wanted something that would last a little longer and possibly make it trough Thanksgiving. I checked out some pre-made garlands but really wasn’t lovin’ the color selection or unnatural feel of those available. Many faux leaf bunches are fairly inexpensive and can even be found in the dollar store. For the garland, you want to make sure the individual leaves on the stems have the little circle connector in the center when taken off the stems – like pictured above. Begin by removing all the leaves from the stems.

12 Days Handmade Christmas Tutorials Day 8|Alphabet Crayons & lifeingrace - StumbleUpon If you’re new to the ’12 Days’, you may visit the previous days by clicking on the day you like: Day 1 Crayon Roll Day 2 Zippered Pouches Day 3 Appliqued Placemats Day 4 Quilted Potholders Day 5 Camera Strap Day 6 Embellished Dish Towels Day 7 Bean Bags Today’s guest poster needs no introduction to my readers. i am so happy that Edie asked me to be a part of her 12 Days! my name is meg duerksen. i blog over at whatever. i do not use capital letters because it’s easier not to. i am a mom to five goofy kids. i am a photographer. i love to do crafts with my kids. i love to sew. i love mr. duerksen. i love movies. but that’s enough about silly me and all the things i love….lets get crafty. i am going to show you how i recycle old crayons into really cute alphabet crayons. normally i would use a big box of old crayons….you know the kind…half used…kind of a mess. the kind that kids don’t want to use anymore. but today i used new crayons because i have used up all my old crayons. and happy too.

Making Lavender Wands Every year we enjoy this craft at The Essential Herbal. It isn't new, and I have no idea where it first came from, but I first saw it in Phyllis Shaudys' book Herbal Treasures. They make nice drawer sachets, and sweet little tie-ons for gifts. Besides, it is such a pleasant way to spend an hour or so in the garden. We've taken a series of photos to show you how to make your own. not turn out very well. the ones that have more stems.To begin, choose an ODD number of stems of lavender. Choose a ribbon to weave. down over the blossoms. You'll wind up with a cage around the lavender flowers. Begin weaving in and out. When you reach the bottom of the blossoms, it is time to tie it off. Cut another length of ribbon, and center the wand on it, tying the leftover weaving end along with the new ribbon. Twist one end down to the bottom of the stems. Twist the other end in the other direction and tie at the bottom. Add a bow at the top and trim the ends of the stem evenly.

Easy Origami Envelope | - StumbleUpon If you’d like to make these cute little “Flap Lock” Origami Envelopes–all you’ll need is a piece of square paper…any size. I used Christmas scrapbook paper. 1. Make sure your edges are even. 2. 3. fold the right corner about 1/3 of the way to the left. 4. 5. 6. 6. 7. 8. 9. And there you have it! Now scurry off and make a million of these–or at least 24 if you’re using them for the Family Advent Countdown Calendar. Not in the mood to fold your own? Wreath Mania / Articles I have a wreath obsession. They are rings of textural happiness to me. Wreaths can be everyday or seasonal home décor or festive party decorations by changing up the colors and materials. This felt wreath uses two materials, wire and felt. Create a circle from sturdy wire or a wire hanger. Begin by cutting one inch strips of felt in assorted colors using a rotary cutter with acrylic ruler on a cutting mat. Next punch a 1/16 inch hole one inch from the side and then every two inches along center of strip. Place template over strip and mark each hole with a marker as a punching guide. Once all holes are punched, all that is left to do is thread the felt strips onto wire form using an accordion pattern. Twist the wire ends together. Covering a wreath form with punches adds lots of texture easily. I like the look of monochromatic texture, so I set out to create a teal floral wreath. Next, get punching. This final wreath is definitely a party wreath.

Etched Portion Control Wine Glass | Craft Test Dummies - StumbleUpon OK, confession: I’m on Weight-Watchers. And a major part of the program isn’t completely restricting what you eat and drink, but you DO have to watch and control your portions. This goes for wine, too. And since I do like a glass of vino now and then, I thought I’d made my own special glass to hold my five ounces of joy! I chose a stemless wine glass and measured out 5 ounces of water and poured it in the glass. I used plain ol’ painters tape along the line, and burnished it down well with my fingernail. I then applied the Armour Etch Cream (see my review of that here) to the bottom of the glass. Now, you could leave it here and you’d have done the job- now you know just where to fill your glass! I chose the flower head icon of the Songbird Cartridge (using my “j” monogram) for the Cricut and cut it out at 3″, using some craft vinyl. So there it is…my special, portion-control wine glass. <A HREF="

Ashley’s Snowflake Ornament Hi all! First off, I want to say thank you to all of you who rated our project online today! Wow!!!! You guys are really helping us out!!!! I had to start from scratch this year because ALL of our ornaments were strewn across Hwy 114 on moving day (note to self ~ do not put a lightweight rubbermaid container in the bed of a truck). Here is the first of the replacements! I’m sure you all have these! Pair it with a bunch of cream colored buttons and a hot glue gun! Cut 6 long and 6 shorter pieces using a pair of wire cutters and hot glue each piece around a large button alternating sizes. more hot glue…. and sandwich the wires with another large button. Glue the buttons to each wire creating a pattern… and flip! Now for the hangin’ Use a strand of 1ply jute twine and glue it between the top two buttons to hide the edge and coil up to the tip of the wire. Tie a knot at the top creating a loop for hanging. Now that was painless!!!! Can’t wait to hang it from my tree!!!

On the Cheap: Scrapbook Paper iPhone Covers - StumbleUpon I found this clever trick on Pinterest the other week from Oops I Craft My Pants and had to try it for myself: iPhone covers using scrapbook paper! Now when I had my first cell phone in high school (the old Nokia), I probably had about 15 different cell phone covers that I would switch out to match my clothes everyday! I figure this scrapbook paper iPhone phone cover is an easy way to update my phone without spending all the cash! First thing I did was purchase a couple sheets of scrapbook paper from Michael’s. I also purchased a clear iPhone 4 cover from Best Buy. First thing I did was trace the scrapbook paper around the iPhone cover to get the basic shape. I cut out the main section just using a pair of scissors. For the camera hole I used a pencil to sketch in the hole that I had to cut out using an exacto knife…. and that’s about it! I’m really digging these fabric scrapbook pages! Oh, and that iPhone cover below? This is also a great way to get festive for the holidays!

You're a Star! Decorate Paper Star Style... you will need... fold squares into triangles, corner to corner measure in from both sides approximately 2.5", 5", 7" cut 3 triangles...almost... stop before you cut the full triangle open triangles back to squares squares, triangles, triangles, squares...yikes! pull points together and tape 1/6th Done... when all 6 points of the star are complete staple them together big side to small side staple the bottom tips together, and... Voila! After the star is put together, it's time to hang it... I used a grommet, because I am that kind of girl... however, poking a hole in one of the tips will do just fine Lovely and Free! Star light, star bright, First star I see tonight, I wish I may, I wish I might, Have the wish I wish tonight.

A bit of green :: Crafts :: Plastic Cup Lamp - StumbleUpon Now that my university is closed for winter holidays, I finally have more free time to do all the crafty things I’ve been wanting to. One of these is a lamp made from plastic cups I’ve seen at taf, the art foundation, in the Monastiraki region in the center of Athens. When I first saw it at taf, I was amazed; I looked closely and I couldn’t believe my eyes! The object itself is so peculiar, modern and alien-like it could be in any design exhibition. Disclaimer: There have been some concerns about the safety of this construction (see the comment of user “when” below for example). I only needed a couple of things: 200-250 large plastic cups (recyclable, at least )600-700 staplesa staplera lamp socket, lamp cord and plug – mine came from a broken IKEA lamp! That’s all you will need. Start stapling the cups together as shown. Staple again and again and again… Until your lamp goes from this… …to this! The alien lamp is ready! You might also like:

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