2014 Christmas Corner
Christmas is almost here! Celebrate by decorating your house with some of these fun do-it-yourself crafts. Enjoy and happy, happy holidays!
What you Need: Baby socks, string, round stickers,
white out pen, tape or safety pins
How: Number the stickers with the white out and stick each
one on the colorful baby socks. Pin the socks to the string and
hang up on a mantle.
What you Need:Oranges, cloves, rubber bands
How: Wrap the rubber band around the oranges so you can
follow the line. Above the line press in cloves. This creates an
aromatic center piece.
What you Need: White Pipe Cleaners, Scissors
How: Cut white pipe cleaners into different sizes and bend
them to create snowflakes. Hang as ornaments or around the
house.
What you Need:Brown paper, marker…
Thanksgiving Craft Ideas
Thanksgiving is almost here! Check out our fun Thanksgiving craft ideas, as part of our 2014 Thanksgiving Holiday Corner. Enjoy and good luck crafting!
What You Need: Construction paper, pencil, string,
scissors, tape, glitter and glue (optional)
Instructions: Use a pencil to outline the letter for Give
Thanks (or whichever phrase you decide on), cute out the letters
and tape them onto a piece of string. If you decide to use glitter,
put glue all over the letters and sprinkle the glitter on top. Let
it dry completely before you hang the banner.
What You Need: Orange construction paper, green and
brown felt, tape (or glue/staples)
Instructions: Cut out the green felt into leaves and roll
the brown felt up to be the stem. Cut the paper into 11
inch…
2014 Halloween Corner
Halloween is almost here! So...are you prepared? We have everything you need! From costume guides, to book selections, to Halloween-themed recipes...there is something for everyone. Browse the 2014 Halloween Corner here...
HOW: Cut up a cardboard egg carton and paint them bright orange and green colors. Use a sharpie to draw cute monster faces on the carton.
HOW: Arrange Q-tips into the shape of a skeleton and superglue the q-tips onto black paper or cardboard. This is a fun activity for kids!
HOW: Stick pipe cleaners into the sides of a mini pumpkin. Cut them to the size you want and bend them to look like spider legs. Cut a hole in the top of the pumpkin and dig out some of the pumpkin so there is room for a tea candle to fit in (should be ab…
DIY Avocado Hair Mask
craft template
Welcome to the Craft Corner! This new blog series will explore one new craft project every week. It's time to break out the craft kit and your inner creativity. Let's get started!
DIY Necklace Holder
Welcome to the Craft Corner! This new blog series will explore one new craft project every week. It's time to break out the craft kit and your inner creativity. Let's get started!
Customized Outlets
Welcome to the Craft Corner! This new blog series will explore one new craft project every week. It's time to break out the craft kit and your inner creativity. Let's get started!
DIY Wine Charms
Welcome to the Craft Corner! This new blog series will explore one new craft project every week. It's time to break out the craft kit and your inner creativity. Let's get started!
Crafts for the 2014 Oscars
Welcome to the Craft Corner! This new blog series will explore one new craft project every week. It's time to break out the craft kit and your inner creativity. Let's get started!
Wine Cork Trivet
Welcome to the Craft Corner! This new blog series will explore one new craft project every week. It's time to break out the craft kit and your inner creativity. Let's get started!
Valentine's Day Fortune Cookies
Welcome to the Craft Corner! This new blog series will explore one new craft project every week. It's time to break out the craft kit and your inner creativity. Let's get started!
Cheese Grater Earring Stand
Welcome to the Craft Corner! This new blog series will explore one new craft project every week. It's time to break out the craft kit and your inner creativity. Let's get started!
Braided Rope Vases
Welcome to the Craft Corner! This new blog series will explore one new craft project every week. It's time to break out the craft kit and your inner creativity. Let's get started!
Let's Get Crafty: Gold Painted Mason Jars
Welcome to the Craft Corner! This new blog series will explore one new craft project every week. It's time to break out the craft kit and your inner creativity. Let's get started!
Let's Get Crafty: The Hex Nut Necklace
Welcome to the Craft Corner! This new blog series will explore one new craft project every week. It's time to break out the craft kit and your inner creativity. Let's get started!
Resin Jewelry Making -- the book!
So your response has been so positive and overwhelming! My very first book entitled Resin Jewelry Making has been an Amazon best seller! Since the book first went on sale in September, it has been downloaded over 7000 times. Wow, that's a lot of future resinistas! I've gotten lots of questions about the book, so here are what y'all have asked me the most:
Why did you write this book?
Fame, fortune and a chance to be on David Letterman. Okay, just kidding. The simple answer is it was just the 'next thing to do'. In helping fans and customers, I saw that many of you have the same questions and problems when it comes to making resin jewelry and crafts. Writing the book was the best way I saw to help you with your resin crafting endeavors. …
Creating Lena's Necklace from Beautiful Creatures
Hey, craft friends! As many of you probably know, a cool movie called Beautiful Creatures coming out this year, but the awesome thing is that you can now have your own necklace very similar to the one that the main character wears!
Lena, the main character of Beautiful Creatures is a witch (called a Caster) and the necklace she wears is an important symbol in the book! The necklace is described as "a long silver chain around her neck, with tons of stuff dangling from it — a plastic ring from a bubblegum machine, a safety pin, and a bunch of other junk."
While that might not sound so great, check out the great imitations people have already made:
If you want to make one exactly like the one Lena wears, here are
some materials you'll need:
- soda can …
My New Blog! :)
So... I have NEVER made a blog. First blog! Obviously, I love writing. I write stories ALL the time. If anyone wants a story, just ask me. I'll gladly write you one!
Cute Skeleton Sock Dolls
Halloween is a great time for crafts, especially since it's a
holiday that children are so involved in. Parent-child craft
projects can be a great way to bond, and they're just a lot of fun.
Plus, it's never too early to influence the young'ns to start
crafting.
Dollarstorecrafts.com shows us this adorable craft for making skeleton sock dolls--perhaps they're supposed to be scary, but they're pretty darn adorable too.
This blog post by Joanne on craftpassion.com shows how to make them. They're easy, the materials are cheap, and they're fun and easy for kids!
Source: dollarstorecrafts.com.
Martha Stewart's Tell-All Biography
Does America's domestic diva have a dark side? Alexis Stewart, Martha Stewart's daughter, just published a memoir about her childhood: Whateverland: Learning to Live Here. In the biography, Alexis reveals that her domestic-friendly mother wasn't the most kid-friendly:
"If I didn't do something perfectly, I had to do it again. … I grew up with a glue gun pointed at my head."
"Martha was not interested in being kid friendly," Alexis writes. "She used to make me wrap my own presents. She would hand me things right before Christmas and say, 'Now wrap these but don't look inside.' "
Ouch...I wonder what her mother has to say about the rancorous words? In her own words, Martha Stewart doesn't seem to have much animosity, instead offering that her dau…
DIY Cupcake Toppers
Cupcakes are all the rage these days, and people are getting more
and more creative with these confectionary treats. Not only are
people choosing awesome new flavors like Guinness cupcakes or
Peanut Butter and Jelly cupcakes, but folks have turned toward
interesting new methods of decoration, such as DIY cupcake
toppers.
Blogger Ginny Figler said that when she was celebrating her ninth wedding anniversary, she wanted to buy cupcake toppers with the number "9" on them. However, these toppers ended up costing about the same amount as the cupcakes themselves--definitely not worth it.
Instead, in her blog post she teaches us how to make our very own DIY cupcake toppers.
While she used the number "9" for her anniversary, you could pretty much us…
Easy Ankle Warmers Without Knitting
While knitting is fun, we don't always have the time for it, and sometimes we need things in a hurry. Meredith from boltneighborhood.com, an avid hand-knitter, has written a blog post about how to fake the "knitted" look for easy and fun ankle warmers.
Click here to see the fantastic and easy-as-pie steps to making your own ankle warmers that really look knitted.
Source: boltneighborhood.com
Easy Crafts Poll Results Are In
Hey Easy Crafters!
We took a poll of the most common gateway craft- what was the craft that got you into crafting- and here are the results!
Out of 520 people who voted...
- Knitting- 9.81% / 51 people
- Sewing- 21.92% / 114 people
- Beading- 10.58% / 55 people
- Crocheting- 11.92% / 62 people
- Scrapbooking- 10.58% / 55 people
- Other- 35.19% / 183 people
If you didn't get a chance to vote, tell us what got you hooked on crafts! We're going to have a brand new poll up soon, so check back with Easy Crafts Wiki!
Pumpkin Pin Cushions for Fall
Whether you like it or not, fall means the inclusion of pumpkin
into everything you have, from your lattes, to your desserts, to
your crafting. But some pumpkin crafts are great for year-round
use. Ellen Lucket Baker, author of The Long Thread, came up with an
idea for an adorable pumpkin pincushion, perfect for sewing
enthusiasts. You can find the instructions here at whipup.net.
Plus, if pumpkins aren't your thing, you can easily alter the
fabric to make an apple or tomato pincushion instead.
Rock Make Craft Street Festival in San Francisco Tomorrow 9/17
Crafters and musicians unite! The Rock Make street festival is in
the Mission district in San Francisco tomorrow, September 17. Get
ready for local musicians and rock bands, some of which are run by
children (a must-see!), food from local vendors, and hundreds of
arts and craft vendors! Whether you are a fan of crafting, a master
crafter, or just love good music and food, this is a great event to
check out.
Rock Make is a free event and will be happening on Treat Street between 18th & 17th Streets. There will be over 70 vendors including 8mm Ideas, 3 Fish Studios, Romey Designs, and more! Food Trucks and beer & wine will also be available.
Source: Rockmake.com
Harry Potter Edible Wands
With the end of the Harry Potter series has come even more Potter
love, and what better way to embrace it than with magical edible
wands? Author BrittLiv on Instructables has decided to take matters
into her own hands, and she has made a fantastic how-to video for
how to make these perfect party treats! And just in time for
Halloween!
Source:Instructables.com
xkcd Wedding Cake
Personally, as the worst math student in my high school class, looking at equations makes me a little woozy. However, some people embrace the scary presence of numbers, and this adorable cake based on the popular comic xkcd is an original idea and the perfect wedding cake for math loving couples!
Source: Craftzine Blog
Prisoner of War Stitched Subversive Messages in Nazi Prison Camp
One probably doesn't usually associate embroidery with a war hero,
but Tony Casdagli, a soldier held in a Nazi prison camp until 1945,
kept sane by stitching subversive anti-Nazi messages in morse code
into his stitchery. Some of the messages he wrote were "God save
the king" and "F--- Hitler".
He would even send stitched letters back home to his son, who says that embroidery saved his father's sanity while he was being held prisoner of war.
The Nazi officers, unaware of the real meanings behind Casdagli's stitching, even had him teach a class of embroidery, with his anti-Nazi embroidery hanging on the wall.
Pretty inspiring, huh? Leave a comment and tell us what you think!
Source: the Guardian
Outside Oslo Giveaway on How About Orange
Attention crafters! There's a fab giveaway on How About Orange for Outside Oslo fabrics! These are perfect fabrics to spruce up your furniture or accessories!
This retro-themed fabric giveaway features gorgeous 54" wide, home dec-weight cotton canvas. Ten people will be selected to receive their choice of three-yards of Outside Oslo fabrics, courtesy of The Needle Shop. The choices can be seen here!
To enter to win, leave a message on this link at Outside Orange. The giveaway close at midnight CT on September 9 so hurry and enter now!
Be sure to check out some of the beautiful Outside Oslo fabrics at The Needle Shop! We posted a few of the options below.
Presenting the new Knit and Crochet Wiki for Craft Lovers
If you love the easycrafts wiki, then you will really get a kick
out of this new wiki, Knit and Crochet Pattern Archive Wiki. This
wiki is a lot of fun if you're into vintage patterns for knitting
and crocheting, or even if you're just into '60s and '70s
fashion!
To get a taste of what's going on at the Knit and Crochet Wiki, take a look at the Easycrafts Top Ten Knitting and Crochet Patterns and have fun!
Crafty Chica Discovers Toilet Paper Roll Artist
One of our favorite craft bloggers, Crafty Chica , has drawn
attention to a new and intriguing form of craft by French artist
Anastassia Elias. Elias has been using extremely precise paper
cutting methods to make delicate vignettes--inside toilet paper
rolls! Yes, that's right. Suddenly all those thrown out cardboard
rolls seem like they could have served a purpose.
Source: Crafty Chica
Adorable Notebook Shirt Back to School Project for Moms
Remember your first day of school, and how excited you were about picking out your first outfit of the year? Maybe it was a pair of Limited Too Bellbottoms, or the newest light-up velcro sneakers. Now, you can help your own kid make this difficult decision by making this adorable notebook shirt shown on the blog Tutus & Tea Parties. This crafty mom put together a shirt with a notebook print, perfect for the first day of school. She says it's a great idea for both boys and girls, depending on what kind of shirt you get--and perhaps this would even make a cool mom-daughter project for a teenage girl who wants a funky new tank top.
The creator of this cool craft is also having a giveaway for the cute shirt. Check it out here.
Source: Tutus & Te…
Top 10 Crafts Made From Beer
If you're into DIY and beer, you're going to love this top ten list
from MAKEzine. All of the coolest beer or beer bottle/can/top
creations have been collected into an extremely cool top ten list.
One of the items is "real beer goggles", glasses with beer-filled
lenses. How can you not feel a bit tempted to make these yourself?
Check the list out here!
Craft Watch: Plant Bombing
In the past year, you may have come across the craft activity of wrote a blog post about the subject back in May.
So, what do you get when an avid yarn bomber is married to a green thumb? Well, you get a new craft activity, and it's called Plant Bombing, naturally. Knitting enthusiast Heather Powazek Champ and her plant loving husband Derek Powazek have teamed up to ingeniously advance the art of yarn bombing to incorporate plant life. Heather knits colorful little pockets, Derek fills them with soil and plants, and the couple hang the creations up all over San Francisco, making fences and posts a million times more whimsical and pleasing to the everyday passerby.
Heather has detailed instructions on how to knit these pocket planters on you…
Craft Master Creates Glow in the Dark Spiderman Embroidery
Mr. X Stitch's Craftser pick of the week is a piece of awesome artwork by stitchFIGHT, a skilled guru of embroidery. StitchFIGHT brings us the glow-in-the-dark Spiderman embroidery--a classic (but cool-looking) circular Spiderman embroidery in the daylight, and an absolutely radical glow-in-the-dark Spiderman embroidery by night. Kind of represents the "two sides" of Peter Parker, don't you think?
Source: MrXstitch.com
Now Presenting the TARDIS Corset
Philadelphia costume designers Mayfaire Moon have started creating
a TARDIS corset, and not surprisingly, they've already used the
"bigger on the inside" line to describe it. The TARDIS corset,
while cool already, is far from complete. They plan to add lights,
sounds, and functioning doors. Awesome!
Check their progress on Facebook!
Also, for Harry Potter fans, enter our Golden Snitch Giveaway!
Source: io9.com
Get Ready for Stitch Wars Strikes Back in Fort Lauderdale Florida
For all the fans of embroidery, get ready for some of the most
intense and skillfully-made embroidery pieces, at Stitch Wars
Strikes Back at Bear and Bird Boutique and Gallery in Fort
Lauderdale, Florida. The exhibit will go from August 12 to
September 25, and it will feature some of the most skilled
embroiderers' pieces of work. But before you visit the exhibit,
make sure to enter our Golden Snitch Giveaway!
Source: MrXStitch.com
Do It Yourself Movement a Way of Life in Brooklyn
Any lover of crafts enjoys the rewarding feeling one gets from
putting something together oneself. Whether you are sewing and
dying a skirt or even just baking cupcakes from scratch, doing
something yourself is extremely satisfying. However, most of us
don't consider making every single thing from scratch--more like an
occasional cake or bird house. For some residents of Brooklyn, the
"Do It Yourself Movement" is not just a hobby, it's a way of
life.
Sarah Kate Beaumont, of Brooklyn, N.Y., is proud to be a very active member of the "Do It Yourself" movement. Her apartment is decorated entirely with things she has made herself, including a huge variety of hand-sewn clothing. She says that her unconventional way of life simply began as an exp…
Show Off Your Patriotic Side with Obama Jello Shots
If you love Obama and Jello shots, you're in luck. Gelatin artist Matt Micari recently developed Obama Jello shots, firm Jello shots in the shape of President Obama's bust. His inspiration came from the comment that House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) made during the debt crisis about how negotiating at the White House was like "dealing with Jell-O". To celebrate the positive outcome of this negotiation, Micari created the salted caramel Obama Jello shot, an homage to the President, since salted caramels are his favorite candy.
The recipe is super easy! Unfortunately, we're not all Jello artists like Miraci so we can't shape the shots into Obama's bust like he did. But we can make delicious Jello shots in Obama's favorite flavor.
All you need …
Catch the Golden Snitch Giveaway
All good things must come to an end...including Harry Potter! Although it feels like the end of an era, don't shed a tear for Harry Potter and his crew quite yet. There's still butterbeer to drink, books to re-read and re-live, and movies to watch over and over again! We just want the magic to continue right!?
To lift your spirits, our very own Easy Crafts Wiki is giving away this one of a kind, hand-crafted Golden Snitch necklace, designed by Polly Conway, crafter and avid Harry Potter fan! And that's not all! Courtesy of Wikia's swag from Comic-Con, we're also giving away a Harry Potter The Forbidden Forest Lego Set AND a San Diego Comic-Con 2010 Exclusive Metal Card Set (two Gryffindor crests, Quidditch crest, and Seeker crest) from Harr…
DIY Lanterns on Budget
Looking to light up your room on a budget? Be sure to check these cool edgy lanterns from Dollar Store Crafts! These can double as fun projects for kids since you can get creative with customized patterns! Feel free to play around with colors; if you mess one up, there's also plenty of tin cans at the dollar store right? Everything you need to make these lanterns can be found at home. Be sure to check out the project here!
DIY Sporty Bookends
Looking for a fun, creative way to sort your books? Check out these cool baseball bookends from Man Podge Walter! If you have anyone in your life with a passion for sports, especially baseball, these may be the perfect gift idea!
Check out the tutorial and step-by-step instructions on Mod Podge Rocks Blog. Of course the bookend can be replicated with any hobby you like, be it sports or food!
DIY Harry Potter Wand
Chances are that if you're a die-hard Harry Potter fanatic, you've wanted your very own wand from Ollivanders as long as you can remember. While you may not be able to access Daigon Alley on your own, you can have your very own customized wand! Check out these awesome wands (made from just paper and glue!) from Your Life Uncommon Blog!
These will be fun crafts for your kids AND you can even customize the colors! I can't get over how durable and wood-like they look. Will you be trying these at home? Find the entire tutorial here!
Harry Potter Magic
If you're a fan of the Harry Potter series, you may have a hankering to practice magic just like the young wizards of Hogwarts. And if you watched the last Harry Potter movie and read the book, you may be coveting the awesome power of the Deathly Hallows. After all, who wouldn't want an Invisibility Cloak or an unbeatable wand of destruction to do your every bidding? With the help of the awesome crafty people at Craftzine, you just may well be the lucky owners of all THREE of the Deathly Hallows!
Lion Brand is offering tutorials for making yarn versions of the Invisibility Cloak, Elder Wand, and Resurrection Stone, as seen on the right. They will even be encased in a "shimmering glow" for a magical effect if you knit the items with Vanna's …
Boiling Up Your Own Butter Beer
Don't fret Harry Potter fanatics, though the series has come to an end, we can still have plenty of fun and enjoyment from the series. In fact, there is a recent video that has been posted on Hungry Nation that details how one could create their own Butterbeer.
- Stir together 3/4th cup brown sugar, and 2 tablespoons of water in a saucepan over medium high heat.
- When it comes to low boil, place a candy thermometer in the pan and stop stirring. Keep an eye on it until it comes to 240 degrees.
- In another bowl, place 5 tablespoons of softened butter, a tablespoon of fresh lemon juice, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 tablespoon vanilla extract.
- When the first pan reaches 240 degrees, add the other ingredients into it. Then add a quarter cup of heavy crea…
Harry Potter Treats
Happy Harry Potter Month crafters! If you're participating in Pottermania by baking Harry Potter treats or dressing up like Harry Potter characters, we have another great idea for you!
Check out this awesome cake pop, created by Amybites,designed to look like the Golden Snitch from Quidditch! Isn't it adorable? It's roughly the same size as the fluttering ball and it even has the wings! Not only do you get to play with the Snitch and eat its delicious sugary center, but it won't fly away from you before you get a chance to bite it! What's better than that?
Check out directions on how to recreate the Golden Snitch Cake Pop at Amybites!
Jell-O Masterpiece
Would you ever use Jell-o as a medium for serious works of art? According to The Wall Street Journal, Jell-o is no longer a humble dessert; it is now being used by avant-garde chefs and artists alike! Everything from jell-o sculptures to a new haute fusion cuisine of "gelatinas," gourmet jell-o cakes that have the flavor and texture of both.
Companies are moving quickly to accommodate this new trend. Powerhouse Kraft Foods plans to launch a marketing campaign this fall, known internally as "Mold Mania," introducing new molds, such as one in the shape of a brain for Halloween. Meanwhile, newer companies such as Blooming Gelatin Art specialize in gelatinas, which can be quite ornate and decorative.
Check out some artistic jell-o offerings! Wil…