Customized Photo Kid Puzzles

My boys both loved puzzles as babies. Figuring out where things go, and how to put them there is an essential part of learning hand-eye coordination. It also helped them learn patience. Trying to get those puzzle pieces into place can be frustrating! Kid puzzles make for great gifts.

I love these custom photo kid puzzles – the idea of adding a little extra layer of personality to the puzzles with family photos is so clever! How cute is this idea? The puzzle looks like a normal puzzle until you lift up the pieces… and then hidden underneath are fun family snapshots! A great way to play peek-a-boo with far away family members!

This is also a great DIY project to give as a gift to a friend who “expects” a crafted or handmade gift… when you don’t have time to make something from scratch. You could even clean up and repaint thrifted puzzles for this project!

Photos in baby puzzle - Decorella Knox

Pin this to use as a baby shower or first birthday gift… but be sure to pin from the original source!

Super Quick Flower Boutonniere

Super Quick Flower boutonniere

My son’s preschool graduation was yesterday. As I was in the shower getting ready to go, I thought “Oh man, I bet the other moms are going to bring flowers for after the graduation performance.”

I’m not sure how, but it seems I often miss the “mom memo” on these kinds of things. But THIS time. THIS time, I remembered – with a whole 5 minutes to spare. So I ran into my craft room to whip up a boutonniere for my son. I was sure he was going to LOVE it.

 

suppliesI just needed a few things:
Fake flowers
Washi tape
Scissors
Safety Pin

 

 

 

 

I cut off and pulled off segments of the flowers that were about the same length.

cut off pieces

Then I wrapped Washi tape around the stems, and cut off any extra bits of the stems that didn’t look pretty.

clip off extra bits

That was it! All that was left was to pin it on my son. Who was going to be THRILLED.

Um, except the other boy in the class who was graduating – his mom brought him BALLOONS.

And you can guess what my son wanted.

I’ll give you a hint. It was not flowers.

He was nice enough about the flowers, and he thanked me very politely. But, he made his feelings known.

 

thanks for the flowers mom

Oh well. Maybe next time I’ll get the mom memo.

If you want to check out a time when I WAS a rockstar mom, you can go see today’s post on my other blog, where I made an ever-changing maze for my son.

30+ Fast Paperclip Crafts

Over 30 Fast Crafts Made With Paperclips

Craft supplies can be anything – even office supplies! Use paperclips and binder clips as a source of inspiration to make a variety of different paperclip craft projects. Entertain kids, make jewelry, decorate your home… all with paperclips. Take a few home from the office, or buy boxes full from the office supply store – paperclips are a great craft supply! Get wild with fancy shaped paperclips! You can use standard metal, or updated plastic coated, either way you’ll be able to craft up a storm!

This little office staple is easy to bend with just your fingers, but for more intricate designs, you might want to have pliers on hand. Check out all these paperclip craft projects for some great ideas!

 


No Sew Fabric Lampshade Makeover

Lighting is a great way to dress up a room. If you can’t afford new lighting, try upgrading the lampshades. If you can’t afford new lampshades, upgrade the existing lampshades! Super simple to do with just a little fabric and glue, you can upgrade a plain old lampshade to make it a focal point in the room!

Choose fabric, trim, and embellishments that match your decor to make this easy no sew fabric lampshade makeover. Chances are you have most of the supplies on hand to make this project. Double bonus – no need to get dressed and head to the craft store, AND your total cost for this project could be $0!

No Sew Fabric Lampshade Makeover - Jacquelynne Steves

Pin this project for the next time a room in your home needs a little pick-me-up. But be sure to pin from the original source.

Gumdrop Bead Necklace in 30 Minutes

I love thinking up fun, fast crafts. Sometimes, I know I’m stretching the limits of the time constraint. Like I did with the 30 Minute Table Runner. Some of these projects just barely get done in 30 minutes. This Gumdrop Bead Necklace is one of those that was just barely made in 30 minutes.

Gumdrop Bead Necklace made in 30 minutes

I fell in love with these pretty beads at the craft supply store. Omitting the black and brown I knew they would make a perfect necklace. So I got started.

gumdrop bead necklace supplies

 

 

Supplies:
String of beads (about 30)
Small eye pins (same number as you have beads). If you need more, you can bend your own out of wire, nut it will take longer.
2 pairs of pliers
1 pair of round-nose pliers
jump rings

 

 

 

I started by cutting the fishing line holding the beads in place on the card. Then I strung each one on an eyepin, trimmed the eyepin to size, then using the round nosed pliers, created a loop on the other end.

create loop on bead

I should note here that using the loops in eyepins, and making a single loop, is not as effective as creating a loop that is wire-wrapped at the base. Creating this kind of loop means that the assembly will take longer, but the necklace will be better suited to handle children pulling on the necklace.

Once I had all the beads with loops on either end, I checked the clock.

wires in beads

I had only used up half my time, I had thought about attaching these beads to one another with just a single jumpring. But, I wanted a longer chain, so I decided on 3 jumprings in a row. Here is how that is done:

Open up a jumpring. Add on the loop from one bead, and an extra jumpring, then close the initial jumpring. This adds 2 jumprings to the end. Repeat this process with all the beads, adding 2 jumprings just to the one side.

Once you’ve added 2 jumprings to the one side of each bead, string them together by attaching each loop to each double-jump-ring side with another jump ring.

make chain of beads

 

Repeat with all the beads, then add a clasp on the end. I finished just barely under 30 minutes!

gumdrop bead necklace in 30 minutes

Downtown Tape Giveaway!

Shipping code copy

Do you love Washi Tape? I do! Such a fun and easy way to dress up just about any project!

The lovely folks at Downtown Tape are having a super simple giveaway:

1. Click on this link: Washi Tape Giveaway
2. Pin the 4 images
3. EVERYONE who pins all the images gets a free shipping code.
4. Pin by 7pm MST on 6/2/13 and you could be one of THREE lucky winners who EACH win 25 rolls of Washi Tape!

 Simple, right?
Make sure to check out my post Over 25 Fast and Easy Washi Tape Crafts for some awesome ideas on what to do with your Washi Tape!

Simple Square-Circle Summer Skirt

Summer is Skirt weather! Make a simple summer skirt for yourself or the young lady in your life. The best part is how quick and easy it is to make! This skirt is made using knits. Knits are great to sew with because there is no need for hemming! Quick crafting is all about having the right tools and supplies – and knits are a great supply to have on hand for quick crafting!

The tutorial uses a serger (also called an overlock machine). If you don’t have a serger, most sewing machines have a stretch stitch that is a great option.

Summer-Skirt - The Sewing Loft Blog

You’ll want to pin this summer skirt to your board of projects to stitch up this summer… when you do, make sure to pin from the original source.

Over 30 Fast and Easy Jewelry Tutorials!

30 + Fast & Easy Jewelry Tutorials at 30 Minute Crafts

Making jewelry doesn’t have to be hard – in fact, with the right tools, you can make some beautiful, easy jewelry that is perfectly customized to your taste. You can create jewelry to match specific outfits, to give as a gift to a friend, or for any occasion – special or everyday.

These jewelry tutorials use a variety of different supplies – some traditional, and some very untraditional… but they all have one thing in common – they are super quick to make! So pick a tutorial below (or several) and get crafting! Soon you’ll have custom accessories to go with every outfit!

 


Fast Wreath Craft Double Feature Part II

no sew tucked fabric wreath

We’re back with another fun wreath craft!
Hopefully you had a chance to watch our fun ocean themed wreaths just a moment ago … now we’re all geared up for a second set of fun, fast wreaths!

 

Fast Wreath Craft

submarine porthole kids craft

You might have seen the fast wreaths that Angie from the Country Chic Cottage and I created on Monday. I made a patriotic wreath that took just a few minutes to whip together.

Well, we’re back with not one, but TWO fun fast wreath projects. That’s right – a double feature!

In each video, each of us will create a wreath in 10 minutes or less. That’s 4 wreaths in just 20 minutes!

We’ll be going live at 4pm PST – watch this video, and about 5 minutes after we’re through here, we’ll have another fun fast wreath video going live!