DIY Bowties

Today we’ve got another fun and easy crafting project that you’ll be able to wear and show off! We really like this corner of crafting (see what we did there?) – there’s just something very unique about wearing an item or accessory that you’ve made with your own hands. Of course this is also a great crafts project for kids, and they’ll absolutely love making and sharing these with their friends. Of course if you get your kids into making their own things it might just save you a fortune in clothes and jewelry in the future! Keep in mind also that these bow-ties don’t have to be just for wear – you can use them as fun decorations like a wrap for a pink rose and calla lily bouquet. Enough banter though, let’s get down to business and make this stuff happen!

What You’ll Need

• Hair ties and scrunchies – the more zany and colorful the better!
• Like-colored ribbon
• Superglue or other cloth-friendly adhesive

What To Do

Following in the tradition of kid-friendly crafts, this is another one that’s exceedingly fun and simple. What you’ll need to do is simply fold your hair tie or scrunchy down in the middle, creating a flat plane. Pin the middle down to create two sides the “poof” out and you’ve got your basic bow-tie shape! Now you’ll simply need to tie down the center to maintain that bow-tie.

This is where your like color ribbon comes in. Although you can really use a ribbon of any color, we do recommend trying to find a similar color or pattern in order to maintain a uniform style. Failing that though a black ribbon can also work very well. Cut your ribbon to a length just suitable to wrap once around the pinched center of your bow-tie. You’ll then glue the two loose halves of the ribbon on the opposing side using your adhesive (adhesive backed felt can also work well here). Remember to keep the whole contraption pinched for a few minutes so that it holds its shape – you’re done!

Tags: adhesive backed felt, pink rose and calla lily bouquet

How to make outdoor lunches fun

With the beautiful weather of the spring season upon us, it is the perfect time of the year to head outside and enjoy a meal. For those teachers or babysitters with numerous kids to track and manage, organizing such an adventure can be difficult without the right system put in place. A great and creative way to help organize an outdoor meal is having your little ones design and create their very own personalized lunch tray!

Materials:

-          Plain lunch trays

-          Hard construction paper

-          Scissors

-          Spray paint

-          Any decorating materials you wish, ie. stickers, markers, paints

How to:

1. Have each kid trace their name in block letters and cut out the letters thereby creating a stencil.

2. Depending on their age, either you or the kids can then spray paint their name using the stencil, allowing it time to dry before decorating.

3. Allow each kid to use their imagination to customize their lunch tray to their heart’s desire.

Be sure to have them make their names central to the design to ensure the trays are not easy to mix up. Whether they draw a stainless fork and knife or their favorite dinosaur, these custom lunch trays will help your little ones to focus on you outdoor meal adventure and create some responsibility for them to clean and manage their tray.

Tags: lunch trays, stainless fork

DIY nail art

Fashionistas have been falling all over themselves for quirky manicure designs lately. Manicures have come a long way and these days, getting a manicure is all about nail art and playing around with current trending colors and adding more intricate artwork to polish designs. Decking your fingers out with fun designs is what’s currently in and a great way to alter your mood and show off your fun personality. Who needs a professional manicurist to touch up your nails when you can do them yourself… all from the comfort of your home?!

What you need:

• Fine paintbrush
• Nail art stickers
• Acrylic paint
• Top coat
• Base coat
• Rhinestones, glitter, etc. (other nail embellishments)
• Aluminum foil 18 x 1000
• Optional: stamp kit, nail pens

What to do:

1. Before getting started, it’s important to note that a good set of acrylic paints is essential for nail art. You can use nail varnish to paint your deigns, but they can muck up your brushes and take a while to dry. To save you time cleaning afterwards, it’s best if you paint over a cloth or aluminum foil to avoid a mess.
2. Apply your base coat and let it sit a couple seconds before applying your desired color.
3. Next, apply your base color and allow a couple minutes for it to completely dry.
4. Remember that nail art takes time and practice. Begin practicing with simple patterns and designs such as stripes, dots etc. This will allow you to become adjusted to your brush, helping you to become comfortable with using it at a certain angle.
5. Dip your brush into the acrylic paint and carefully sketch your desired design.
6. Remember that a good topcoat is a MUST for nail art because you need to make sure your design is sealed, so do not forget to seal in your top coat!

Tags: Aluminum foil 18 x 1000, nail art stickers

DIY Baby bottle organizer

When nursing, you know how often your baby gets hungry. Making your own baby bottle organizer to hold your wide glass baby bottles conveniently on your counter will make grabbing one to prepare milk for your baby a lot easier! Your hands will be full (literally) so it doesn’t make sense to keep your bottles in the cupboard when you have to feed your baby so often. Here’s how to make one!

Plastic caddy

Get a plastic caddy (shown above) which is ideal for this project as it has a handle which makes for easy transporting. Also, it has sections, guaranteeing that your bottles won’t get jumbled or topple over each other if you take some out. You can also use them to hold baby bottle nipples and lids.

Lining caddy

You can use shelf liner paper to line the bottom of the caddy sections if you like. You can change it regularly to keep the bottom of the caddy free from grime and moisture. Some like to use clear plastic shelf liner, as it creates a barrier between the bottom of the caddy and the bottles. Similarly, you could simply wash the caddy periodically to maintain a hygienic environment for the bottles.

Share your own ideas for homemade baby bottle organizers!

Tags: shelf liner paper, wide glass baby bottles

Host a painting and tea party

Tea parties are a fun opportunity to spend quality time with the girls, gossip shamelessly, and enjoy delicious goodies. If you host or attend them regularly, however, you might find that your memories of tea parties past tend to blend together.  If you want your next tea party to be extra memorable, try upping the ante by giving your guests a fun crafty activity to enjoy. One crafty activity you can organize is painting tea cups and saucers with your guests.

What you’ll need:

• Disposable table cover
• Paper plates
• Small bowls of water
• Acrylic enamel paint in various colors – look for nontoxic paint that is safe to use on cups
• Paint brushes of various sizes
• Tea cup and cheap tea cup saucer for each guest – look for ceramic versions

What to do:

1. Lay out the disposable table cover on your table, followed by the paper plates, bowls of water, paint, and paint brushes.
2. Let your guests get creative and paint whatever they’d like, using the paper plates as palettes.
3.  Follow the baking instructions that came with the acrylic enamel paint.
4. While the teacups are baking, you can set aside the painting supplies and set out tea and finger foods for your guests to enjoy. Don’t forget to lay out pretty print cotton napkins!

Once the tea cups are ready, you’ll have a great party favor for your guests to take home!

Tags: cheap tea cup saucer, print cotton napkins

DIY Ribbon Necklace

It’s time Craftcorners readers to embark on another fun journey. Today we’re going to take a look at a fun craft that you’ll actually get to put to good use, and on a regular basis if you prefer. We’re going to be making a fun and colorful ribbon necklace. If fashion design isn’t something you’ve considered delving into before, have no fear – this project is very easy to put together and get the hang of. More than that though, as mentioned previously you’ll be able to actually wear your project and show off your handiwork or even store it in your cheap jewelry armoire! Let’s get to it.

What You’ll Need

• A strong and sturdy length of string. You Can also use a chain or thin rope if you prefer.
• A large handful of small ribbons. The colors can vary as it’s really up to you, but mixing up the colors for a fun rainbow effect certainly can’t go wrong!

What To Do

There really isn’t a whole lot of craftsmanship that goes into this particular necklace. All you’ll need to do is tie your ribbons onto the necklace itself. You can do this by simply wrapping the ribbon around the rope and tying off a regular knot. If you have trouble with the ribbons, you can always use a tear fabric mender.

The real artisan ship comes into how you actually arrange the colors of your ribbon. For a classy look, you can use all black or white ribbon – suddenly the necklace is now appropriate for a gala event. For a more fun kid friendly approach, simply arrange the colored ribbons at random, creating a haphazard and crazy effect that is sure to match a more eclectic style. For a look that’s somewhere in between you’ll want to experiment with arranging blocks of color. This is similar to a rainbow, except there will be multiple ribbons of the same color next to each other.

Tags: cheap jewelry armoire, tear fabric mender

Easy ways to create your own ankle wrap shoes

It is the perfect weather to slip into your flip flops or your favorite sandals to wear with your summer dress. In order to give your entire outfit a notch up you can add ankle wrap around your shoes which will add extra flair and glamour. This is an easy to do project which require little time and effort. Here is a couple of ways you can make your very own ankle wrap shoes.

For all of the below ways, you will need a pair of heeled shoes that either has a strap or back around the ankle. You will also need ribbons or any light weight fabric whose color is very close to the color of your heels.

Flip flops makeover

You will be surprised to see your regular flip flops looking chic after adding the ankle wrap around it. You will need colorful and patterned chiffon that is cut in 1.5-2 inches wide. The length of the chiffon depends on how big and grand you want the bow to be at the end. Now comes the easy part where you just cover the straps of your flip flop entirely without missing any spot. Make sure to leave enough length on both the ends to help you wrap it around your ankle and tie a neat bow.

Add glamour to your heels

Another simple way to dress up your heels is by creating ankle wrap shoes for your heels. Take a light fabric that is at least 3 feet long and that also matches your shoe color. After you slip into your shoes start wrapping the fabric around your foot, starting from the bottom of your foot. Criss-cross it around your foot to give it a unique style and when the fabric reaches at its ends tie a pretty bow on the sides of the ankle. This is a quick and easy way to decorate your shoes without ruining them with hot glue or pinning holes in them. You can also use ribbon in a color different from your shoes to create your very own color block ribbon ankle wrap shoes.

Pair these shoes with your favorite summer dress and wrap around watch to look fashionable and trendy.

Tags: ribbon ankle wrap shoes

DIY floral headband

With the coming of summer, it’s about time to put together a fresh and floral wardrobe for the warm season! Accessories will create a pop of color and flare to just about anything you’ve got in your closet. Floral headbands are becoming a trending topic in the world of accessories and are super simple to make. The best part was that it only took about 20 minutes to make three headbands!

What you need:

• Silk/faux flowers
• Hot glue gun
• Black plastic headbands

What to do:

1. Before getting started, choose the perfect blooms for your headband. Any type of flowers will do but the larger blooms are best for statement pieces and will surely jazz up your entire wardrobe.
2. If your craft store flowers come attached with stems, you can pull all the flowers from their stems but be sure to clip the green plastic pieces off the back of each bloom so the back side is flat.
3. Use hot glue to adhere the blooms to your headband as you see fit. You can use super glue. I highly recommend the Loctite All-Purpose Super Glue which typically comes in a pack of two (2 grams/tube). So, if you’re planning on designing more than one floral headband, you’ll have enough glue to go about creating many!
4. When gluing your flowers to your black plastic headband, I’ve found that it’s best to start in the center of the headband and work your way to the ends attaching more flowers. If you have a bunch of flowers of different sizes, it’s best to center the largest flower and have the smaller flowers as surrounding décor. This makes it easier to create a balanced look.

These headbands are fun and easy to wear and will add a splash of color to any outfit! They also go great with a sea shell pendant. If you love flowers as much as I do, you’ll surely enjoy crafting this piece!

Tags: black plastic headbands, sea shell pendant

Best of the Web No. 20

Who isn’t something of a DIY enthusiast these days? Whether you’re an avid Martha Stewart crafter (start from scratch) or maybe more of a semi-homemade crafter, you’ll never go wrong with these crafty DIY projects. DIY projects will not only give you inner satisfaction but it can also save you tons of dollars on everything from birthday cards to baby shower gifts. Anything DIY related will surely give your crafts a more memorable touch. So, put this week’s tutorials and ideas into good use. Thank you for all the wonderful ideas!

On the Go Quilting

My name is Marsha and I blog over at www.quilterinmotion.wordpress.com.   I am a full-time RVer who loves to quilt and craft.  I have two sewing machines with me at all times and I have all the “tools of the trade” I need to be successful at making quilts and other projects.   I’d love to share with you a tutorial and have you visit my blog.  I think you’d enjoy the variety of topics I cover, including sewing, quilting, needle felting, crafting, cooking and travel.  I’ve been a quilter for many, many years and taught myself to sew when I was in the fifth grade using my grandmother’s treadle sewing machine. – Marsha

Llevo el Invierno

Hello everyone, I´m Eri. Llevo el Invierno is the name of my blog, which I like to share tutorials especially for kids, I am a mother of two small children who daily inspire me to create clothing, toys and accessories, these are cordially invited to visit my blog, I’d love to know and share my ideas with you! One of my tutorials is this whale with spiracle of yarn, instructions and template are available on the blog http://llevoelinvierno.blogspot.mx/2012/04/make-whale-friend.html. – Eri

Bron’s Space

Bron’s Space is my little place where I share with my followers and readers my passion for paper crafting. I use rubber and digital stamps and colour my images with my Copic markers. I am self-taught and really enjoy bringing my images to life with the Copics. I also believe that on my blog you will find variation of styles. I don’t stick to one style but tend to go with whatever I am feeling on the day. If I am in a darker mood then I tend to use darker colours, whereas on other days I love to use bright, vibrant, uplifting colours.

Bron’s Space is also my place to talk about things happening in my life. It is my little space, so if I need to vent, I will! Through Bron’s Space I have been able to venture into the crafting world and I have made so many friends from all over the world, making this a very rewarding adventure.

I would love for you to stop by my blog and come with me on my journey. – Bron xo

Under construction

Hello! My name is Agata Pfister and I hail to you from Switzerland. I also hail from a little piece of blogland where I share my passion for scrapbooking, cardmaking and life in general. My blog is called “Under construction.” That’s how I see my albums that relate our life’s story: Each new layout is like a new brick in their construction. I usually blog in both French and English and I like to share my favorite techniques, especially when it comes to stamping. I use it mostly on cards that I make for challenges or magazine calls. From time to time I also show my crochet and felt creations. I love learning new things and making new friends so do not hesitate to stop by! You’re always welcome! – Agata

Alisa Steady Art

Two years ago I began working professionally as a visual artist, and started to blog about it as a way to connect with other creative people. I blog on what I’ve learned about building and maintaining a successful art business, and shamelessly cheer other artists on to believe in their own creativity and artistic dreams. Sometimes I interview artists, or write about new artists I find around the web. My art work is available on Etsy, and a blog is a nice platform to share new work, techniques and favorite art products.  – Alisa

Something Gone Missing

My name is Carol and I like to create with many different mediums and create different styles, depends a lot on my mood at the time but also like to try something new.  Mostly stamping, pretty papers and a bit of digital Scrapbooking.  I love starting with a blank piece of paper and creating with  inks and stamps from various companies. Hopefully transforming into something you are really pleased with.  I love to share my tips and tricks of the trade and visit like minded folks out in blogland and time from time I’m afraid a bit  about boring old me.  Please drop in by and say hello, always lovely to meet like minded folks. – Carol

Luv-a-Lot Land

Luv-a-Lot Land is a crafty place, where you will find inspiration in scrapbooking, cardmaking, altered projects, and kids crafts.  I specialize in projects made with Nikki Sivils, Scrapbooker, Ruby Rock-it! Bella! Fundamentals, Momenta & Prettly Little Studios products.  Occasionally I offer video and step by step instructions on certain elements for scrapbooking, giveaways, and links to other crafty contests.  Above all I like to document my family special and everyday moment through crafting. – Jodi

Memories 2 Keepsakes

Memories2Keepsakes is my outlet for all things crafty. On any given day you may find cards, altered projects, product reviews and just info on what I have been up to. Memories2Keepsakes is where I discuss what the design teams I am on are up to as well as showcase new products. I would love for you to stop in and take a look at what I have to offer.  You never know when I will be giving away some yummy blog candy as well. Come on over and stay a while. – Katie

What’chu Talkin’ ‘bout Willis?

Hello, sweet friends! Tania here (that’s pronounced tahn-ya for those unsure). I blog over at What’cha Talkin’ ‘Bout Willis? My blog is home to a hodge-podge of crafting adventures, including scrapbooking, papercrafting and sewing projects—with tons of free tutorials. All this is mixed in with a healthy dose of Willis family life where I chronicle the adventures of life with two spunky princesses.  I am currently designing online content as a Crafting Expert for Fiskars, and also design for Little Yellow Bicycle as their Training Reel Expert.  All that means is that I get to create fun projects, then make video tutorials showing you how to create your very own! Come on over and pay me a visit!  You’ll feel right at home. Be sure to visit my About Me page to get to know me just a little better. – Tania

Today’s Scrap by Vicky Day

Hi!  My name is Vicky Day aka Today’s Scrap.  Today’s Scrap is a digital scrapbooking site where I feature the scrapbooking kits I have designed, which are exclusively sold at Digital Scrapbook Pages dot com. I also give free examples away from time to time and share tutorials and how-tos regarding digital scrapbooking. You will also see that my kits are very printable and can be used in hybrid projects and card-making. I hope that you will stop by and leave a comment to let me know you paid a visit! – Vicky

All these unique crafts make great gifts and things you can make for even yourself. If you’re a devoted scrapbooker, you can create the most precise cuts for scrapbooks, cards, small crafts, and other detailed work with a scrapbook paper cutter. The professional-grade, double-ground blades on these scissors produce consistently smooth cuts that’ll make every one of your crafty designs worthy of being showcased!

Tags: Best of the Web, scrapbook paper cutter

DIY wrapping paper storage

For some reason, family living rooms are typically bestowed the unique honor of being the gift wrap storage center. Although perfectly suitable for the job itself, the perpetually sliding stack of paper ultimately comes at a messier cost. Because I’m not the only one with this wrapping paper hoarding/storage problem, I’ve discovered some pretty nifty DIY storage solutions that you’re all going to appreciate and benefit from. There are a couple ways you can go about creating your wrapping paper storage station, but my favorite out of the bunch uses nothing more than 1×2′s, screw-in hooks, and wooden dowels. The best part about it is that the whole thing costs less than $20!

What you’ll need:

Screw-in hooks
One piece of wood (1×2 preferably)
Wooden dowels
White spray paint
Screws & dry wall anchors
Butyl rubber tape
Drill

What to do:

1. Drill one hole at each end of the board, about 1 inch from both the top and bottom of the wood. Then drill holes about 4 inches apart down the rest of the board for the hooks.
2. To attach to the wall, drill holes in the wall and then hammer in the dry-wall anchors.  Put the board on top and attach one screw at both the top and bottom of each piece. Have someone present in case you’ll need help leveling each piece evenly with one another.
3. Screw the hooks into each hole. You may use the butyl rubber tape in case a hook comes undone.
4. Insert your wrapping paper and ribbons through each dowel and carefully place each dowel into each hook.

Whether you’re someone who celebrates an insane amount of birthdays or one who’ll use it only occasionally, now you’ll have an organized and functional home for all this stuff. And you can’t beat the price tag on this one either!

Tags: butyl rubber tape, wrapping paper storage