Crafts and DIY done in 30 minutes or less
Sewing can be fun, easy, and even fast! Especially small projects like pillows. If you want to up your game on making pillows, try a fun new technique, like this invisible zipper pillow by So Sew Easy. With her step-by-step instructions, you’ll be whipping up beautiful and professional pillows quickly and easily!
Be sure to add this to your “Simple Sewing” Pinterest board … but first click here to pin from the source!
These super sparkly twinkle lights are easy to make, and add a little sparkle to any space. Make them to decorate your mantle, as party decor, as holiday decor, to string up at a summer BBQ, or just to brighten up a child’s room… there are so many ways you can make these, and you can use whatever colors you like!
To make the lights, you’ll need:
Glitter Duck Tape
Scissors (I used Fiskars Duck Brand Scissors)
LED lights (these are from Ikea, but use what you can)
Watch the video to get the step-by-step:
Looking for a fun way to spruce up your outdoor decor this summer? This fun planter is made from an upcycled colander! Take an old colander from your own kitchen, the yard sale pile, or the thrift store, add some twine according to the directions over at Creative Savings Blog, and make your own decorative and whimsical planter!
Be sure to pin this to your “outdoor decor” Pinterest board… but first click here to pin from the original source!
My son has been doing awesome in school. Since the move, his reading has really improved. It has been a lot of hard work, mostly on his part, and we wanted to celebrate that. Each time he is able to get through a little photocopied book from school without getting any words wrong, we want to check it off as complete. We could just put a checkmark in the corner, but we thought making a stamp would be more fun. I let him decide what we would put on the stamp. He wanted “good job”. I made a little sketch of the letters with a star, scanned it in to the computer, and cleaned it up in eCAL 2, the software for my Sizzix eclips2. I love their machine and software because it lets me share the cut file with you as a .svg file… meaning it can be used with most cutters on the market… awesome, right? I have links to the cut files for you at the end of the post.
I bought the (affiliate link:) Silhouette Stamping Starter kit almost a year ago, and had never used it. Since I hadn’t used it on the Silhouette, I didn’t want to use it on the Sizzix without first trying it on the Silhouette. So I took the .svg over to the Silhouette software, and cut it out from there.
The stamp was easy to cut using the materials in the kit, and the instructions provided, I do have a couple tips:
Don’t cut a reverse image – cut the image as you want it to appear. Scale it to the size of the stamp you want, then create a box around it.
After the image is cut, place the acrylic block on top of the cut area. Flip, so that the block is on the bottom, and the mat is on top. Carefully peel away the mat, leaving the entire cut area – both the box you cut, and everything inside it.
Carefully weed away all the stamping material that isn’t part of the completed stamp. This ensures that your finished stamp is properly spaced, according to your original cut. The image will be in reverse on the stamp – but when you stamp it, it will look perfect.
The stamping material isn’t perfect – it doesn’t accept the ink fully the way I’m used to with traditional rubber stamps, but my son loves the custom stamp we made together!
If you’d like to use this image to make a stamp or other gift for your kiddo, teacher, or other special person in your life, you can grab the eCAL file for the eclips2 here, the .svg cut file here, or the Silhouette cut file here.
Weaving is lots of fun for both kids and adults – but few of us have the patience or time to commit to a large weaving project. That’s why I absolutely love this Mini Weaving Craft idea! A crafty mummy shows you how to make a mini woven key fob – you can easily adapt this idea into a slightly larger project to keep the kids busy this summer – perhaps woven coasters to give as Christmas gifts?
Be sure to pin this to your “stuff to do when I’m bored” Pinterest board… but first Click Here to pin from the original source!
Etching glasses is super simple, I’ve done several glass etching projects here, but most involve a cutting machine to cut out the design. This glass etching is even easier, because you don’t need a fancy cutting machine! Make these Modern Etched Glasses with not much more than scissors, vinyl, and a little etching cream!
You’ll need:
Adhesive-backed Vinyl
Bar Glasses
Etchall Etching Cream
Paintbrush
Scissors
Rubbing Alcohol
Paper towel or cloth
Cut the vinyl into strips, each about 1/2″ wide. Don’t worry too much about perfection.
Peel the backing paper off, and place the strips on the glassware in a criss-cross design. Cut strips if needed.
Use rubbing alcohol to clean off the glass. This will take off any oily fingerprints or other residue.
Liberally apply an even coat of the etching cream to the outside of the glass. I put down a plastic bag to protect my crafting surface. Allow etching cream to sit according to the package instructions.
Wash away etching cream according to the package instructions. Once dry, peel away the vinyl strips.
Your new modern etched cocktail glasses are done! Weren’t those super simple to make!?
If you want a simple modern cocktail recipe to go with your simple modern glassware, try this Kinky Lemonade:
Just add equal parts Natalie’s Strawberry Lemonade and Kinky Liquor. Pour the lemonade over ice, then slowly add the Kinky Liquor to one corner, allowing it to settle to the bottom.
Yum!
Tomorrowland comes out in theaters today. I had the chance to catch an early screening of it earlier this week. It is a fun movie that reminds us of the value of dreamers. As a creative person, I love the message! However, for all you mamas of youngin’s… they’ll love the movie, but you might want to cover their eyes during the two times that heavy machinery smashes a human or anamatronic body. Just a little too much violence, in an otherwise charming movie, for this mom trying to teach her young boys to play nicely.
I love making craft projects to go along with the movies we see, so I came up with this DIY Tomorrowland Pin. I’ve done all the heavy-lifting, creating a cut file you can use to cut out your design. And I’m super excited, because this time I can offer you the cut file as an .SVG file! That’s right, a universal file for whatever cut machine you have!
To make a Tomorrowland Pin, you’ll need:
Orange Cardstock
Blue Cardstock
Gold Cardstock (or gold foil and a manilla folder)
Magnets
Hot Glue
School Glue Stick
Mod Podge
Mod Podge Dimensional Magic
Paintbrush
Cutting Machine – I used my eclips2
Cut file: For eclips2 or the .SVG cut file
Start by cutting out the pieces.
The background is gold, the T is blue, and the funny-shaped bit is orange.
Test-fit the pieces for placement, then glue in place. I like to put my pieces on a scrap piece of paper, then use my gluestick.
This pin is about 1.5″, so it is a little larger than the pin looks in the movie… but with so many small pieces, a little bit larger is easier to put together, and fun for kids!
Brush a coat of Mod Podge over the top to keep everything in place.
Once the Mod Podge has dried, use hot glue to secure the magnets to the back. The two magnets will secure the pin to clothing – just remove the top magnet, place the pin on the clothes, and put the magnet in place with the fabric of the clothing between the two. Alternately, you could use a pin-back… but I thought a magnet back felt a little more “techy”.
You could stop here, but to give the pin more depth, add a layer of Mod Podge Dimensional Magic. It works like resin, but doesn’t get quite as hard… and the benefit is that you don’t have to mix resin and wait for it to get thick enough to dome on the top.
Leave overnight to dry.
Invite your friends to become the newest members of Plus-Alpha… and change the world.
This stamped and wrapped bracelet is fun and easy to make using the tools that Impress Art sent me… so easy that I made this one with my 3 year old! He’s my “big helper” around the house, and loves helping however he can… and this stamped and wrapped bracelet was so much fun for him to be a part of. He didn’t do the hands-on work, but he helped pick the colors, decide on the saying, and got to feel like part of the process! You can watch us work on a bracelet together in the video at the end of this post.
To make the bracelet you’ll need (affiliate links added for convenience):
Impress Art Metal Stamps (this is “Newsprint, Lowercase
Metal Stamping Block & Stamping Hammer (included in the ImpressArt Metal Stamping Kit
Impress Art Stamp Straight Tape
ImpressArt Bracelet Bending Kit
Sharpie
Paper Towel or soft cloth
Embroidery Floss
Scissors
Gorilla Glue or other super glue
You can follow this step-by-step, or you can watch the video at the end of the post.
Start by stamping your saying on the bracelet. We’re going for an off-centered design, so don’t worry about measuring placement.
Leaving the Stamp Straight Tape in place, use the jig in the bracelet bending kit to bend the bracelet. First one side…
… then the other…
I don’t have a lot of strength in my hands, and I’m able to bend the bracelet. So most people should be able to bend this just fine. If you have trouble, you could always ask a loved one to flex their muscles for you!
Peel away the plastic and the stamp straight tape. This plastic was protecting the metal during the bending process.
Here is where I skipped a step. I made it up later, but it is easier if you ink in the design with a Sharpie and wipe it away now. That way you don’t have to worry about getting ink on your floss. If you forget, you can make it up later too… but it is easier if you just ink it now.
Then, tie your embroidery floss in place with a secure double-knot. Let the tail hang in the direction you will be wrapping the floss.
Pick one color, and start wrapping, wrapping around the tail and extra floss hanging down the back. Once your stripe is big enough, switch colors. To do this, just have the color you’re using join the others in the tail down the back, pick the color you want to use, and begin by wrapping over the tail of the color you just completed.
Keep going until you’ve added all the color you want. Tie off the end. The easiest way to do this is to tie the last color to a stand or two from the tail in a secure double knot. Add a dab of Gorilla Glue on the knot to keep it secure. Allow to dry, and cut off the ends of the threads.
If you forgot to add the ink to the stamping, do that now.
Bracelet is complete! Make as many as you like!
Here is the video I made with my 3-year-old. It is worth watching just to hear his cute voice! I do make a BIG mistake when stamping, but persevere… because being creative sometimes means working through mistakes.
I’m back with another fun drink recipe, my Lemonade Margarita. If you like a good margarita, you’re going to love this easy-to-make Lemonade Margarita! It is light and perfect for summer, and oh-so-delicious! Oh, and while we’re whipping up these cocktails that are perfect for a summer BBQ or family gathering, I’ll show you how to make these simple Drink Marker Straws. Basic straws can do double-duty as drink markers – letting your guests know which drinks are boozy, what is in a drink, or allowing them to make their own drink marker so they’ll always know which drink is theirs!
Let’s start by making the drink marker straws. These are simple to make.
You’ll need straws (I used paper straws), colored paper, and pens or markers. To make mine all the same size, I used a Silhouette machine, but you can use scissors and a hole punch if that’s what you have handy.
Cut the oval shapes. If you have a Silhouette machine, here is the digital cut file. If not, cut ovals, then punch a hole in each end with your hole punch.
Write on your tags, or leave them out so that guests can add their own name or details. You can even make an icebreaker party game out of it… have them answer a question about themselves – where they were born, their favorite color, their favorite food… a great conversation starter!
Insert your straw through the holes, and you’re all done!
You really can write or decorate however you like…
Now… let’s get down to making this Margarita, shall we?
You’ll need:
4 parts Natalie’s Lemonade (this tastes awesome with their Strawberry Lemonade, too!)
2 parts Tequila (pick a nice mid-range silver tequila)
1 part Triple Sec
Shake and serve over ice. You can salt the rim if you like, but the lemonade has the perfect combo of sweet and sour, that I find it doesn’t need any salt! Yay for skipping a step! Garnish with a lemon slice, if you like.
Today, and all weekend long, Quiltmarket is going on in Minneapolis. My two creative loves are fast crafts… and quilting. I have spent days creating quilts from start to finish… but it is fun when you can make a quick quilty project as well! Like this fun rag quilted pillow from So Sew Easy. Trying a new technique on something small like a pillow is a great start – you can see if you like making the project, without committing a lot of time or money. And if you love it – you can always go bigger! She also has a tutorial for a full sized rag quilt… which will take longer than 30 minutes (but be worth it!).
Make sure to pin this to your “Quilts I love” or “Projects to try” Pinterest board… but click through to the original post first!
