Home - 30 Minute Crafts

Yarn Dyed Bracelet

May 24, 2016 by Carolina Leave a Comment

Last fall I had the chance to dye yarn with Tulip’s Yarn dying kits. I don’t knit or crochet, but I love to use yarn in projects, so I made this fun yarn dyed bracelet. You don’t need any fancy yarn skills to whip one up! Also, you don’t have to use yarn you’ve dyed yourself to make your dyed yarn bracelt … but it is a fun way to make it more “your own”.

Supplies:

Wooden bracelet hoop
Yarn
Hot Glue

Glue one end of the yarn to the bracelet. Measure out about 3 yards. Start wrapping. If you want to switch colors in a less-obvious way, or you run out, wrap very loosely and then glue down.

Start the new strand where you started getting loose in your wrapping, glue it down, then continue in the gaps until you’ve filled them in, then wrap tightly again.

When you get to the end, glue down.

Your wrapped bracelet is complete!

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Filed Under: 15 minute crafts, easy, fast and cheap, jewelry Tagged With: bracelet, dye, hot glue, yarn

20 Minute Tulle Skirt

May 19, 2016 by Carolina Leave a Comment

A tulle skirt is a fun way to add flair to any outfit – no matter your age! You can whip up a tulle skirt in just 20 minutes! Wear your tulle to a race, a party, or just around the house if you’re feeling a little funky!

You’ll need:

2-3 yards of Tulle (buy at any craft store that sells fabric)
Wide elastic (at least 1″ wide, but 2″ is better)
Sewing Machine or Serger
Pins
Scissors

Measure the elastic around the waist of the person who will be wearing the skirt. You’ll want it to be snug, but not too tight. Cut.

Put the two ends together, and serge, or use a stretch-stitch on your sewing machine.

Place the elastic face-up on the serrger or sewing machine. Put the edge of the tulle on top. Every 1″, add a pleat. You can measure exactly, but you’ll get a feel for it, and it will be pretty close.

When you get all the way around, overlap 4-6″ of the tulle, and keep sewing and pleating.

Secure the ends of your threads, and you’re all done!

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Filed Under: 30 minute crafts, easy, fabric, fast and cheap, simple Tagged With: Sew, skirt, tulle

Faux Enamel State Necklace

May 17, 2016 by Carolina Leave a Comment

When I need crafty inspiration, I head to the craft store, and walk down the aisles. Even the aisles that aren’t “my” aisles. Yes, we all have certain rows that we naturally gravitate to, but when my crafty mojo needs to be shaken up, I travel the road not taken. Or aisle. Which is how I came up with these fun Faux Enamel State Necklaces. These are super simple to make because the states are already cut out! I found packages of pre-cut wooden states all ready to become necklaces (or other pieces of jewelry). As a fairly new resident of California, and a recent resident of Nevada, I chose TWO states for my necklace, since it isn’t much harder than making one. Want to learn how? Let me show you!

To make your faux enamel home state necklace, you’ll need:

Wood Veneer state from Studio Calico
Bail
Jewelry Glue
Necklace
Testors paint in your choice of color (I went with black)
Small Rhinestone

Select your state(s) and put on a flat surface.

Add a coat of paint. Allow to dry (or mostly dry).

Add another coat of paint. Allow to dry again.

Add a third coat of paint. The paint should be raised up off the wood at this point. If not, you’ll want to add a fourth coat. Allow the last coat to set for 20 minutes.

Carefully add a small rhinestone to the area of your home city.

Allow to dry completely – overnight.

Glue a bail to the back of each state.

Allow glue to dry.

String on a necklace, and you’re ready to show your state (or states) pride!

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Filed Under: 30 minute crafts, jewelry, paint Tagged With: necklace, paint, state

DIY Photo Book

May 13, 2016 by Carolina Leave a Comment

Looking for something simple to give as a Father’s Day gift? This simple DIY photo book is easy to make, quick to put together, and he’ll be sure to love it. In fact, you’ll want to make several – Grandpa will want one too, but so will Mom, Grandma, and the rest of the family! And they are easy to customize, use whatever 12″x12″ scrapbook paper you like!

This project is part of Craft Lightning Father’s Day. All week long I’ve been sharing fast and fun ideas for Father’s Day Gifts, and so have my friends! Be sure to check out the bottom of this post for their great ideas!

To make this book you’ll need:
1 sheet 12″x12″ scrapbook paper
6-8 page protectors
Binder clips
Scissors or paper cutter
Sewing Machine with a zig-zag stitch
Photos or other mementos to put in the book

Cut the paper and page protectors, you’ll want the page protectors 1/4″ wider and taller than the photos, and the cover pieces 1/4″ larger than that. When cutting the page protectors, you’ll want to keep the bottom right corner of the original page protector, which will leave the top and left side open.

Stack the pieces with the bottom cover on the bottom, right-side-down, then the page protectors, with the open side on the left, then the cover, right-side up. Clip in place to secure.

Use the zig-zag stitch on your sewing machine to stitch down the side of the book. Keep your stitching less than 1/4″ in, so that the photos will still fit.

You can tie the threads on the top and bottom, add a little glue to secure, or just leave them – the seam should be pretty secure without additional knots or glue.

Now you can add photos of your favorite days with dad! Just slip them through the hole in the top of each page.

Check out these other awesome Father’s Day Craft ideas!

How great is this Personalized Father’s Day Journal from Create and Babble?

Happy Go Lucky made this yummy-looking homemade BBQ sauce.

Over at Crafting in the Rain you’ll find the Cricut files to make this tool-inspired card.

Katie at a Sweet Berry has a great idea for a shrink film keychain.

How adorable is this toolbox-inspired Father’s Day Catch all from Stuff n such?

I can’t think of a dad that wouldn’t love this stamped leather keychain that Artistic Endeavor shows you.

Dads are superheros on earth – remind them with this fun framed printable from One Artsy Mama.

The Silly Pearl has a great gift for dads of cats – this great faux leather printed keychain.

Danielle from Busy Mom’s Helper shared this fun Star Wars bottle gift.

And an opportunity for Dad to play “The Dad Card.”

Angie from The Country shared this great buffalo plaid mason jar.

She also has this great recipe for BBQ rub.

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Filed Under: 10 minute crafts, craft lightning, easy, fast and cheap, paper, quick, scrapbooking Tagged With: book, father's day, photo

Custom “Checkers” for Father’s Day

May 12, 2016 by Carolina Leave a Comment

Playing games is a fun pastime for most families, including ours. Our kids love to try to beat us at different board games – and often do! For Father’s day, I thought it would be fun to make a game using photos of the kids as the pieces. You could absolutely use your favorite existing board game, and just make new tokens for it, that would be an even easier version of this fun Father’s Day craft.

This project is part of Craft Lightning Father’s Day – a whole week of fun and fast Father’s Day crafts you can make in 15 minutes or less. I’m co-hosting with Angie from The Country Chic Cottage and Danielle from Busy Mom’s Helper. Check out the bottom of this post for their fast Father’s Day craft ideas, along with lots from our other crafty friends!

To make the checkerboard you’ll need:

Game board or checkerboard printable and wooden baseboard
Photos of kids shrunk down to 1″ wide
Pegs and cubes (found in the wooden section of the craft store)
Scissors or paper cutter
Mod Podge
Hot Glue

Cut the game board printable.

Mod Podge to wooden base. Set aside to dry.

Trim down the photos.

Mod Podge the two layers together, with the post between. The post should stick out 1″ below the photo.

Set aside to dry.

Use hot glue to secure the posts into the bases, and your game board is complete!

Check out these other fun 15-minute-or-less Father’s Day crafts!

Whether your dad likes an ice cold glass of milk, or another ice cold beverage, he’ll love drinking it out of this pint glass, and Laura at Laura’s Crafty Life shows you how.

Jen Gallacher made a great Coupon Book that any dad would love.

Dads love to brag about their kiddos – help them out with this easy brag book from Jen at 100 Directions.

If the father in your life is a Star Wars fan, chances are he’ll love these simple to make star wars jars from Sara at Clever Pink Pirate.

Beth Watson shows you how to wrap up these tasty treats for Father’s Day.

Over at Hey Let’s Make Stuff, Cori shows you how to foil the kiddo’s footprints for Father’s Day.

These smushed-face father’s day coasters from Tried and True are adorable!

Danielle from Busy Mom’s helper made the ultimate trump card – the “Dad Card”.

And Angie from The Country Chic Cottage (queen of Mason Jars, by the way), made these fun Father’s Day Mason Jars.

Filed Under: 15 minute crafts, craft lightning, fast and cheap, paper, printable, simple Tagged With: father's day, game, mod podge

Tickets to Life Father’s Day Gift Idea

May 11, 2016 by Carolina Leave a Comment

Do you have a dad with a sentimental side, but who doesn’t keep every scrap of paper? This “Tickets to Life” shadowbox is the perfect Father’s Day gift idea! You can customize these tickets to look like movie tickets or concert tickets, but with details from major family milestones – dad’s wedding, the birth of children, baptisms, or other milestones like the first family camping trip, a daddy-daughter dance, or other fun family event. These events don’t normally have “tickets” like a concert or movie would, so you can customize them with any details – date and time, people who were there, quotes, or even anecdotes.

This project is part of Craft Lightning Father’s day – all week long I’m sharing fast and fun Father’s Day Craft Ideas, along with my co-hosts Angie from The Country Chic Cottage and Danielle from Busy Mom’s Helper. I’ll be sharing their ideas as well as the ideas from lots of other crafty folks down below – be sure to check out their 15-minute (or less!) Father’s Day craft ideas!

To make your own tickets to life you’ll need:
Ticket-sized shadowbox frame
Tickets printable printed on cardstock
Computer or journaling pens to customize tickets
Paper cutter or scissors
Straight pins

Once you’ve customized the tickets trim them with the paper cutter.

Open up the shadowbox, and pin the tickets to the backing.

Close up the shadowbox, and you’re all done!

Check out these other fast Father’s Day gift ideas:

You’ll find this “I love you more than Lego” card over at Scrappy Chick Blog.

Albion Gould made this Best Dad Picture Frame.

For the coffee-loving steampunk dad, check out this steampunk coffee mug from Michelle’s Party Plan-it.

Laura whipped up a fun memo board for dad.

If your dad loves the aged look, Frog Prince Paperie has you covered with this tutorial on how to age wood for a father’s day fishing frame.

This great leather wallet can be whipped up for dad in just 15 minutes, and Carla Schauer shows you how!

Over at Raegun Ramblings, Marissa shows you how you can turn kid photos into a fun pop-up card.

And Jessica from Mad in Crafts has a great gift card holder made out of Duck Tape that you can customize.

Danielle at Busy Mom’s Helper has some Dad Button art.

Over at the Country Chic Cottage, Angie has a great trophy for your favorite grilling dad.

Filed Under: 15 minute crafts, craft lightning, easy, paper, printable Tagged With: craftyanthology, decor, father's day, gift

Simple DIY Baseball Stand

May 10, 2016 by Carolina 3 Comments

Looking for an easy way to display a special baseball? Maybe it is a ball the whole Little League team signed at the end of the season. Maybe it is your first home run. It doesn’t have to be special to anyone but you to deserve a place of honor. We decided to make a special ball for Father’s Day, and put it on our simple DIY baseball stand.

This project is part of Craft Lightning – Father’s Day. A whole week of 15-minute or less crafts that make great Father’s Day gifts! I’m co-hosting this series with Angie from The Country Chic Cottage and Danielle from Busy Mom’s Helper. Check out their Father’s Day gift ideas below, along with lots of other crafty folks who are joining in!

To make this Simple DIY Baseball Stand you’ll need:

Wooden circle (this one was by the frames in the Craft store)
Red Felt
Scissors
Round item for tracing – jar or glass
Hot Glue
Permanent Marker
Baseball

Trace the circle onto the felt.

Cut two of the circle. Put one aside. Cut the other one into a donut shape, with the donut about 1 inch wide.

Trim the outside of the donut to make the ring about 1/2″.

Glue the ring into place on the larger circle.

Add glue around the edge of the ring, then put on the top of the wooden circle. Press all around edge to secure.

Since we were making this for Father’s Day, I had my son write “#1 Dad” on the ball.

Place the ball on the stand, and you’ve got a great Father’s Day gift for your #1 Dad… or just a simple DIY baseball stand to use to display your favorite game ball… or make several for all your favorite baseballs!

Want some more awesome Father’s Day Crafts ideas? Check out these super-fast crafts below:

Dinah from DIY Inspired shares this fun Father’s Day Gift Wrap.

Over at Creative Cynchronicity, Cyn is sharing this Father-daughter frame.

This DIY beard oil is a fun idea for a guy with a beard, and Erin from My Very Educated Mother shows you how.

Get the Kids involved with this fun Shrinky Dink tack from A Girl and a Glue Gun.

Jennifer at Hydrangea Hippo shares these simple Air Fresheners that work great for a car or a gym locker.

At Seven Alive, Kadie shares this S’mores boquet – the perfect gift when going on a Father’s Day Camping trip!

Check out this Father’s Day picture frame from Jessi Practically Functional.

If you’re looking for a cute packaging idea, check out this father’s day mason jar that Ginger from Ginger Snap Crafts made.

Danielle from Busy Mom’s helper whipped up this fun fingerprint dad gift.

And Angie from the Country Chic Cottage made this great gold-leaf plane.

Filed Under: 10 minute crafts, easy, quick, simple Tagged With: father's day, felt, sports

Instax Cartridge Picture Frame

May 9, 2016 by Carolina 3 Comments

Do you love taking photos with your Instax camera, but don’t know what to do with the empty cartridge after? I’ll show you how to turn a spent Instax cartridge into an Instax cartridge photo frame! With the crafty magic in a hot glue gun and some scrapbook paper, you can stop throwing away those Instax cartridges, and start making a photo display! As a bonus, you’ll love taking that 10th photo, because you’ll know it means you get to craft up another fun photo frame! If you’re looking for a Father’s Day gift idea – this frame is a fun choice! Kids can help pick out the photo and paper, and can even decorate the frame with crayons and markers! And dad can add the frame to his photo collection at the office, on his nightstand, or on his dresser.

This Instax Cartridge Photo Frame is part of Craft Lightning Father’s Day – All week long I’m sharing fast, 15-minute-or-less crafts that would make great Father’s Day gifts. And so are my co-hosts Angie from The Country Chic Cottage, and Danielle from Busy Mom’s Helper. And, we have a great lineup of other online crafters who will be sharing crafty ideas as well! Check out the bottom of this post for their great ideas, and come back all week long for even more!

To make the Instax Cartridge Photo Frame, you’ll need:

Spent Instax Cartridge
Instax Photo
Scrapbook paper
Craft Knife
Ruler
Cutting Mat
Hot Glue Gun

Watch this video to take you through the step-by-step of making your own Instax Cartridge Photo Frame:

Check out these other fast and fun Father’s Day craft ideas:

Brooke from Booklyn Berry Designs is sharing this fun DIY Beard Oil that you can customize with your Dad’s favorite scents in mind!

Over at Ink Happi, Jillene is sharing this Father’s Day Award Printable, showing you how you can whip up a fun Father’s Day badge using her printable.

Michelle from Delicately Constructed made this fun Grill Tool Holder – fast, easy, and fun to make!

Over at The Benson Street, Emily has some great Father’s Day Printable Tags that you can add to your dad’s favorite treats.

Love this rustic-looking Dad sign – perfect for Father’s Day or as a new-dad gift, check out the details over at Ribbons and Glue, Holly will show you how it is done!

Over at Dragonflies and Lillypads, Karen whipped up this fun customized father’s day frame.

Make sure to come back by tomorrow for more fast and fun Father’s Day crafts ideas!

Filed Under: 10 minute crafts, craft lightning, easy, fast and cheap, simple, video Tagged With: father's day, instax, photo

Easy DIY Lego Ninjago Kai Shirt

May 6, 2016 by Carolina Leave a Comment

When we went to Legoland California for the preview of the new Ninjago World, I made shirt for myself and the boys, including this fun Lego Ninjago Kai Shirt. You can see my Sensei Wu shirt and the Ninjago Pythor shirt that I made if you’re looking for more fun ideas. If you’d like the easiest of the three, this Kai shirt is super simple to make, and takes the least time of all three.

This is Kai as Kai DX (which stands for Dragon Extreme). You can make some slight adjustments to this file to make a Ninjago Zane DX shirt, Ninjago Cole DX shirt, or Ninjago Jay DX shirt as well.

To make a Lego Ninjago Kai Shirt you’ll need:

A red shirt
Gold Glitter Heat-transfer Vinyl
Kai DX Silhouette Cut file

Iron and ironing board

Resize the dragon image to fit the size shirt you are using. My 4 year old’s shirt was fairly small, if you’re making this for an older child, you’ll want to increase the size.

Cut a REVERSE IMAGE of the Silhouette cut file on the gold heat transfer vinyl.

Weed away the parts of the vinyl not needed, then iron the vinyl on to the shirt.

Your Lego Ninjago Kai shirt is complete! My preschooler was super excited to wear his Kai shirt at Legoland!

Filed Under: 15 minute crafts, easy, fast and cheap, kids, silhouette, simple Tagged With: lego, ninjago, shirt

Lego Ninjago Pythor Shirt

May 6, 2016 by Carolina Leave a Comment

My boys are big Ninjago fans, and were super excited to go to the preview day for Legoland California’s new Ninjago World. I made special shirts for the occasion, including this Ninjago Pythor shirt for my oldest. Of the three shirts, this one felt like the most work, but it was still simple to make, and he was so excited to wear it!

To make a Ninjago Pythor Shirt you’ll need:

Purple Shirt
Freezer Paper
Black Fabric Paint
White Fabric Paint
Gold Glitter Heat Transfer Vinyl
Paintbrush
Iron and Ironing Board

Use the Ninjago Pythor Silhouette Cut File to cut the freezer paper and the gold glitter heat transfer vinyl. Fuse the freezer paper to front of shirt. Put an extra piece of freezer paper inside the shirt to prevent any paint from bleeding through.