Home - 30 Minute Crafts

Simple Stitched Circle Clutch

May 23, 2013 by Carolina 34 Comments

Hey! I’m a guest over on Newlyweds on a Budget today – want to learn a little more about me (sordid secrets and all)? Go check out what she asked, and how I answered!

About a week ago I saw this collection of bags, totes, and clutches over on Paper & Stitch. Second row, right side – a circle clutch! How great is that! I love the idea of making a clutch in the shape of a circle, and I just knew I could whip one up in 30 minutes or less.

Want to make your own circle clutch? Here is what you need
Fat Quarter of Fabric
Coordinating 8″ Zipper
Stabilizer (affiliate link: I used ByAnnie Soft and Stable)
Small Plate
Chalk pencil

Fold the fat quarter into quarters. Put your plate on top to make sure that it is the right size. You want about 1/4 inch on all sides. Then cut the fat quarter into quarters. Put aside two pieces for later.

Now cut the remaining two layers where you want the zipper to go. I wanted my zipper off-center.

Attach the zipper. Put the zipper foot on your sewing machine, and stitch the two small pieces to one side of the zipper by laying them right sides together with the zipper in between. Press the fabric open to the opposite side and top stitch down.

Repeat with the fabric on the other side, attaching it to the opposite side of the zipper.

Put the plate on top again, and trace with a chalk pencil. You can see below that I traced it twice – the first time the zipper was more centered than I would like, so I just re-traced.

Stack the pieces: One of the pieces you reserved on the bottom (right side down). Then the Stabilizer. Then the other extra piece that you put aside in the first step (right side up). Then the zippered piece on top of that. Pin through all the layers.
I use the Soft and Stable because it adds a little structure as well as stability. It is a foam/batting/stabilizer that is made to use in purses.

STOP HERE: Make sure to open the zipper at least halfway open. If you don’t open the zipper at this point, you’ll have a tough time turning the purse right side out!

Stitch on the line, all the way around. Be extra careful when stitching over the zipper.

Trim the circle about 1/4″ from the stitching.

Turn the purse right side out through the open zipper. You could have a finished clutch at this point, but I wanted mine to look completely finished, so I put the walking foot on my sewing machine, and stitched all the way around to secure the purse and give it a finished look.

Yes. That is my timer. I wanted to see how long it took to make this project… I can’t believe I whipped this up so quickly!

After adding the top stitching, I was all done! Just need to toss in my keys and phone, and maybe a lip gloss… and I’ve got the perfect grab and go purse to go with any outfit!

Yup. This clutch is perfect to pair with a dress, or to dress up a pair of jeans! And it was super simple to make!

Filed Under: 30 minute crafts, easy, fabric, fast and cheap, quick Tagged With: 30 minutes, easy, fabric, fast, handmade

Scrappy Dressed up Tin Can Craft

May 21, 2013 by Carolina 1 Comment

There are some recycling supplies that just pile up. Ever since I mentioned to family that I collect bottle caps – I have more bottle caps than I know what to do with! If people find out you collect toilet paper tubes, suddenly you’ll find yourself with a closet full of those. Tin cans are yet another recycled craft staple that tends to pile up around my house, because there are so many fun ways to make a tin can craft! You can use them to make an upcycled scrappy dressed up tin can. These were used as pencil cups and put into goodie bags, but I could totally see these as the goodie bags themselves! Wrap them up in cellophane, and tuck in some small treats – flavored teas, peppermint sticks, small cookies, and you have one sweet treat!

These cans are so pinnable! But be sure to pin from the original source.

Filed Under: 15 minute crafts, easy, fabric, fast and cheap, paper

Patriotic Wreath – Fast Video Craft

May 20, 2013 by Carolina 2 Comments

We’re doing some fun wreath crafts today! Angie from the Country Chic Cottage and I are each working on a fast wreath… you can watch us whip them up and see that we will each be done in less than 10 minutes! We’re playing with fabric today as we craft up these wreaths that are so simple to do, you’ll want to go grab a wreath form of your own to craft with! These wreaths were provided by FloraCraft for us to craft with.

Check out all the other fun, wreath projects on CraftyHangouts.com!

And if you want to find more FloraCraft online, you can find them in all of these places:
Make it Fun on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MakeItFun.FloraCraft
Make it Fun on Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/makeitfuncrafts/
Crafts ‘n Coffee blog: www.CraftsnCoffee.com

Filed Under: 10 minute crafts, easy, fabric, fast and cheap, simple Tagged With: 15 minutes, decor, diy, fast, Simple

Seed Packet Necklace

May 20, 2013 by Carolina Leave a Comment

I recently planted a garden, and then threw the seed packets away. I wish I hadn’t, because I could have used those seed packets to make a great seed packet necklace like this one! That’s right, those beautiful flowers, fruits, and veggies that you’ll enjoy in the fall could be inspiration necklaces right now. This is a great project to do with kids. They can’t wait for the flowers to grow, so give them something they can enjoy now by transforming the flowers on the front of the seed packet into jewelry that will blossom all year long.

Pin this for next gardening season – but be sure to pin from the original source.

Filed Under: 30 minute crafts, easy, fast and cheap, feature, jewelry Tagged With: diy, easy, fast, kids, quick

Decorative Styrofoam Cupcake

May 19, 2013 by Carolina 3 Comments

Looking for a decoration to take the cake? Or maybe just to take the place of the cake? How about some fun fake food for your child’s bakery? Or maybe you want to add a little whimsy to your china cabinet? This little styrofoam and felt cupcake is easy to make, takes just a few minutes, and can be customized to whatever colors fits your need!

The instructions for this craft, as well as the supplies to make it, were given to me by the lovely folks at FloraCraft. They shared this with me when I went to the SNAP conference, and I wanted to share it with all of you because I thought it was just too cute!

To make your styrofoam cupcake, you’ll need:
Styrofoam Ball
Sheet of craft felt
Cupcake liner
Decorative cupcake wrapper
scissors
styrofoam tuck tool
pearl head pins (optional)

Cut circles out of your craft felt. My circles were about 2″ around. You’ll need 8-12 of them. Smoosh (technical term here) your styrofoam ball onto a hard surface (like a table) to make a flat edge. This will become the bottom.

Using the styrofoam tuck tool, attatch the felt circles to the top of the cupcake. You’ll want to use the ball end of the tool. Place it in the center of the felt, then push into the styrofoam. Pull out the tuck tool, leaving the felt behind. Repeat all over the top and top sides of the styrofoam ball.

Glue the ball into the cupcake liner, then wrap with the decorative cupcake wrapper.

Push in the pearl head pins at random to make “sprinkles”

Now find something to go celebrate!

… and if you want some more Styrofoam craft fun, check out Crafty Hangouts this week! All week long we’re sharing live videos of styrofoam wreath crafts!

Filed Under: 30 minute crafts, easy, fast and cheap, feature, simple Tagged With: 30 minutes, craft, easy, fast, handmade

Craft Lightning Roundup

May 18, 2013 by Carolina 1 Comment

Craft Lightning week flew by – as it always does! If you missed any of it, I made Falling Star and Tumbling Heart Earrings, a Felt Cowboy Vest, a Fabric Flower topped Gift Box, Fabric Banners, and a Fancy Felt Clutch. Angie from the Country Chic Cottage and I did round-up posts each day sharing Craft Lightning posts from around the internet from bloggy friends of ours. You can catch the roundups for Day One, Day Two, Day Three, Day Four, and Day Five.

We invited all of you to join in by adding your 15 minute craft tutorials to the linky. Here are some of my favorites, but be sure to check out all the linked up crafts!

I love this sweet felt heart garland! Such a simple idea, and with the variation of colors it really pops!

I do a lot of baking, but my bundt pan doesn’t see that much action. I love the idea of turning a bundt pan into a wreath!

I must have a thing for garlands lately, because I just love these birds on a wire! It is like a garland, but with a fun variety of bird shapes!

These tassel earrings are so simple to make, lightweight, and great in any color! With graduations coming up, how fun would it be to make these for your grad in their school colors?

A giant THANK YOU to everyone who linked up, and to all the bloggers who participated in Craft Lightning this week. If you’re a fan of fast crafts, be sure to check back regularly, add me to your reader, or sign up for my weekly newsletter so that you don’t miss any 30 minute crafts!

Filed Under: 15 minute crafts, craft lightning, easy, fast and cheap, feature Tagged With: 15 minutes, craft, diy, easy, fast

Craft Lightning Roundup – Day Five

May 17, 2013 by Carolina Leave a Comment

It is the final official day of Craft Lightning here on 30 Minute Crafts – I’ll still be sharing one more roundup tomorrow, though – of YOUR Craft Lightning projects! So if you have a craft tutorial that takes 15 minutes or less, be sure to link it up to the Craft Lightning Link Party!

This has been such a fun week of crafting with my friend Angie from The Country Chic Cottage. I always love doing these weeks with her – it stretches me to get more crafting done, and Angie always inspires me to create new and different things!

If you need some fast favors for a shower or other party, these Super Speedy Baby Shower Favors are perfect!

This envelope gift holder is so clever – and I love that humble beginnings can have such upscale results!

Can you believe that this Chevron wreath was whipped up in just 15 minutes!? I love it when you can craft quickly without sacrificing cute!

Speaking of cute, these silk-look flowers are made out of satin and are the perfect embellishment for all kinds of things!

How fun are these framed kisses? This would make a great going away present for a family member, or would be perfect to send with a kiddo heading off to camp this summer!

This Patriotic frosted Mason Jar is awesome! I love the subtle hits of color… and there are so many great uses for a colorful mason jar like this!

This morning I shared an elegant 15 minute craft – this fast and easy fancy felt clutch!

If you haven’t had a chance to check out all the other great projects this week, be sure to go visit the roundups from Day One, Day Two, Day Three, and Day Four.

Filed Under: 15 minute crafts, craft lightning, easy, fast and cheap, feature Tagged With: 15 minutes, craft, decor, diy, easy

Super Easy Fancy Felt Clutch

May 17, 2013 by Carolina 2 Comments

Every girl can use another cute clutch in her closet. And if your closet isn’t already overflowing with cute clutches, this one is so fast and simple to make, it is worth whipping one up. Who knew that you could throw together an accessory this cute in less than 15 mintues!

I made this clutch as the final craft for Craft Lightning week. All week long Angie from The Country Chic Cottage and I have been doing Lightning fast crafts – crafts that can be done in 15 minutes or less. In the morning we share the tutorial with you, and in the evening we do a roundup of Craft Lightning projects done by blogging friends of ours! I’ve had such a blast this week, and can’t wait to share this last project with you…

To make the felt clutch, you’ll need:
Fancy Felt (I bought mine at JoAnn’s)
Fun clasp
Elmer’s Precision Embellishment Glue (Elmer’s sent me this glue to play with)
Sewing machine
Rotary Cutter or scissors
Chalk marking pencil

Start by cutting your felt to size. I cut mine 18″x11″. Fold it right-sides-together so that about 4-5″ are showing at the top. Stitch down the sides with a 1/4″ seam.

Fold the bottom corners flat so that the seam is up and centered. Mark the bottom stitched corners 1.5″ in from the corner, and stitch on the line. Cut off the excess. Do this on both bottom corners. This will give more body and structure to the bag.

Turn the bag right side out, and trim the corners of the flaps to give the bag a pleasing shape.

Have your glue and clasp handy. I used the Elmer’s Precision Embellishment Glue. The super fine applicator tip makes it easy to apply the glue.

I put the glue on the back of the clasp.

After placing the clasp, I put a heavy object on top to make sure the felt and clasp got properly smooshed together. ( <— technical term right there)

I let the glue dry overnight, and then I had a fun fancy felt clutch to take out with me!

I was provided the Elmer’s Embellishment glue to play with, however this post is not sponsored. All information and opinions contained within this post are mine and mine alone.

Filed Under: 15 minute crafts, craft lightning, easy, fast and cheap, quick Tagged With: 15 minutes, accessory, easy, fabric, Sew

Craft Lightning Roundup – Day Four

May 16, 2013 by Carolina Leave a Comment

Another awesome Craft Lightning Day filled with crafts that can be done in 15 minutes or less! I’m so excited to share these awesome projects with you! And if you missed the Day One, Day Two, or Day Three roundups, they’re worth going back and checking out – lots of awesome fast crafting goodness!

This is such a fun way to punch up your plain shoes with a pop of summer color! I love the pink, but if you’re not a fan of pink, you could really use any color you want – wouldn’t metallic or a shiny black look awesome?

My partner in Craft, Angie from the Country Chic Cottage is putting on this series with me. She made this nom-a-licious no-bake dessert! How fun is this, and so quick and easy to whip up to take to a BBQ this summer!

I recently tossed out a chair that would have been great as a plant stand for a stacked potted plant chair like this one. That’ll teach me to avoid my hoarding tendencies! Ha!

This driftwood art looks so easy to put together, and the finished artwork is a great statement piece in this room! You’d never believe it only took 15 minutes to put together!

Have doilies leftover from Valentine’s Day that need some new life? I love this technique for turning the doilies into fun doily bowls!

These washi tape instagram frames are super fun! I love the idea of taping the pictures on the outsides of the frames! And since washi tape is so easy to remove, it is super easy to switch out and replace the pictures whenever you want!

If you missed my tutorial this morning, I made this super easy fabric banner. You can whip one up with fabric bits you have lying around the house.

Filed Under: 15 minute crafts, craft lightning, easy, fast and cheap, feature Tagged With: 15 minutes, craft, diy, easy, fast

Fabric Banner

May 16, 2013 by Carolina 2 Comments

This fabric banner is super quick and easy to make. You can make yours as long or as short as you want it, just keep adding on to your ribbon to get length. Fabric banners are great party decorations, and add color to any space.

I’m sharing these banners with you this week as part of Craft Lightning Week. All week long Angie from the Country Chic Cottage and I are sharing crafts that take 15 minutes or less. We have friends sharing quick crafts all week as well, so be sure to check back this week for a roundup.

All the supplies and idea of this project came from Modern Yardage. They are a new fabric company that I’ve fallen in love with. This was a make-and-take project that they offered at SNAP conference, and instead of making mine there, I took a kit home so that I could photograph the process and share it from you.

To make your own fabric banner, you need:
Fabric scraps about 6″x10″. My fabrics came from Modern Yardage
Ribbon
Mini Clothespins
Glue

Fold the fabric scraps so that the squares become 6″x5″. Place them along the ribbon, using the clothespin to attach them at the fold. I spaced each of my pieces out about 3 fingers.