Christmas Workshop: The Craft Department's Favorite Holiday Projects - Martha Stewart Rustic, woodsy decorations naturally say Christmas. This table is set with wood-plank place mats, branch candleholders, and "snowcapped" birch stumps. The Buri animals and the pots of selaginella, or spikemoss, evoke a dreamy forest floor. Buri animals, by Martha Stewart, in small, $15, and large, $32, macys.com. 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. 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. 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 {Handmade} Paper Mache Bowls A few weeks ago I was working with my students on a project that we do with our Iroquois unit. 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. 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. One layer of acrylic craft paint on the OUTSIDE of the jar was enough for these, but you can add another if you like. I painted the jar rims with black paint.
Peppermint Bark Materials and Tools: 12 oz. quality white chocolate, finely chopped30 red-and-white-striped hard peppermint candies, coarsely crushed (about 6 ounces)12 oz. bittersweet (not unsweetened) or semisweet chocolate, chopped1/2 cup whipping cream1 Teaspoon peppermint extractmeasuring cuprubber spatulasharp knifealuminum foilcookie sheet Packaging: glass jar, ribbon, tag, ornament, etc. Note: This recipe makes around 1-1/2 pounds. Instructions: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. For gift giving, package the peppermint bark in clean glass jars. 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!By Brenda Ponnay 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.
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. 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 One: Find a round object that is a similar size to the circular inset of the candle. Step Two: Brush a thick layer of Mod Podge on the interior areas of the glass. Once that dries, apply another thick coat of Mod Podge on top of the paper. Admire your pretty, new piece of “glass”!
wall decals bird on Etsy, a global handmade and vintage marketplace. No-Bake Chewy Cookies and Cream Bars | Picky Palate - StumbleUpon Oh how I love a treat that can be whipped up in about 15 minutes. My boys and their buddies couldn’t get enough of these Chewy Oreo Bars we had as an after school snack this week. Sometimes my spontaneous recipe creations turn out to be the most fun, lol! Yes you use an entire package of Oreo Cookies, but what you get in return is a marshmallow-y Oreo treat that is worth every bite Surprise the kids (and yourself) with this one, they’ll be all smiles, Enjoy! 3 whole ingredients. Break out your Cookies! Place them all in the food processor or blender and mix until ground. Like so. Melt the butter and marshmallows into a large bowl until puffed. You’ll get a little something like this Working quickly, pour in your ground cookies. Mix, mix and mix You’ll get a gooey mess….that’s delish! Transfer to an 8×8 inch baking pan and let set for about 10 minutes. Cut into squares and indulge No-Bake Chewy Cookies and Cream Bars One 16 oz package of Oreo 5 cups Large Marshmallows 4 tablespoons butter 1.
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. 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. I kept seeing them in boutique shops with shocking price tags, and whenever I asked what the bags were filled with, the shop proprietors would say it was a secret. But one day a few years ago I saw one that had a suspicious little pile of rice in its packaging, and as soon as I got home I whipped up a bag for myself using rice from the pantry, and added a fleece cover while I was about it (no wonder the filling was a secret–who would pay $30 for a little bag of rice?). 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.
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. 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. As you work, emphasize scale, mingling oversize shapes with smaller ones. 1. 2. 3. 4.