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Leaves and Tree Branches: What Can I Do With Them?

Katar — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 14:00:28 +0000

I am all raked out.

I’ve recently raked leaves at a park for community service, at my parent’s cottages, at my fiance’s parent’s house, and of course, at our house (which took several hours and basically an entire weekend!)

Our house right before Halloween

Our neighbor's lawn - it's hard to tell from the photos, but those leaves were piled inches high!

This weekend, we even went back to my fiance’s parents house to finish up the raking job that we started! There are TOO MANY LEAVES! So what can we do with these leaves, you ask? Sure.. you’ll probably use yard waste recycling, but why not pick out the awesome ones to craft with!? I’m sure while you’re raking, you’ll find some tree branches mixed in along the way, so put them to good use as well! Here are some tutorials:

Leaf Tutorials:

Make a Fall Wreath: Gingerbread Snowflakes

How to Make a Leaf Wreath with Autumn Leaves: eHow

Fall Leaf Candle: Gingerbread Snowflakes

How to Make Roses from Maple Leaves: Haha.Nu

Playing with Gourds, Dried Leaves and Mod Podge: Gingerbread Snowflakes

Tree Branch Tutorials:

Tree Branch Curtain Rod: DIY Ideas

If you know of ANY other examples or tutorials, please comment below so I can add them to this list. Thanks!

DIY Paper and Fabric Flower Centerpieces, Decorations, and Tutorials

Katar — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 14:00:49 +0000

I’ve been looking around at various flower shops to attempt to pick out flowers for the wedding. I found that flowers were way overpriced, and 1 simple bouquet alone costs around $70. There is no way that I can afford bouquets for the centerpieces, bridesmaids, me, decorations, etc. All of that would easily cost over $2,000! I looked into other options, and found that there are actually a lot of paper and fabric flowers that you can make, that look really modern and classy!

And hey – fabric flowers and bouquets will last forever, so you don’t have to pay a bunch to get them preserved! They also won’t die in 2 days! So, in reality, I think fabric and paper flowers are a lot more awesome anyways!

Did I mention I’m allergic to flowers anyways? This is a bonus!

Oh hey! Costco has 400 sheets of tissue paper right now for around $5!!! Check out the Christmas aisle. You CAN’T beat that! I have only seen packs of white though – if you are looking for that color.

I hope the links below help you out as much as they helped me. Click on the photos or links to go to the tutorial. Enjoy!

Misc. Tutorials:

Paper and Fabric Flowers: Martha Stewart – There are 32 ideas in just this link alone!
I haven’t seen the book yet, but I’m so excited to know that a paper flower book exists! Check out CraftZine‘s review of Make Your Own Paper Flowers by Klutz

Fabric Flower Tutorials:

Rose Petal Tee: The Storque - scroll down to get the 'how to' for the flowers only!

Flower Collar Tutorial: KatieDid

How to Make a Stiffened Fabric Flower Brooch: CraftyPod

Super Cool Fabric Flower Hair Clip Tutorial: LuBirdBaby

Fabric Flowers: Make it Do

Necktie Daisies: Craftster

Fabric Rose and Peony: Martha Stewart Weddings

Ribbon and Fabric Flowers: Martha Stewart Weddings - I made a bunch of the fabric flowers - they are easy to do and make cute embellishments on several different things!

DIY Fabric Rosettes: Susie Harris Blog

Large Layered Flower Pin How To: My Mama Made It

Paper Flower Tutorials:

How to Make Crumpled Flowers for Scrapbooking: Scrappin' Out Loud

Mexican Paper Flowers: Mad in Crafts

DIY Paper Flowers: Creature Comforts

Calla Lilly and Chrysanthemum Swizzle Sticks: Martha Stewart - I LOVE the Calla Lilly. It is extremely simple, and I made some with satin fabric. They look REALLY elegant!

Paper Flower Bouquet Tutorials:

Crafted Bouquet: Martha Stewart Weddings

Paper Flower Pom Pom Decoration Tutorials:

Paper Flower Pom Poms: Martha Stewart

Paper Flower Centerpiece Tutorials:

How to Make a Paper Flower Centerpiece: CraftStylish

DIY Tissue Paper Garden Centerpieces: Once Wed

Paper Flower Centerpiece: CraftZine

Flower Arrangement Centerpieces: Rachael Ray Mag - although this isn't a tutorial for paper flowers, isn't this a great idea for a centerpiece WITH paper flowers?

Inspiration, Ideas, and Photos:

Wedding Crafts - Brides and Bridesmaids Bouquets: Mad in Crafts

Wedding Table Centerpieces Using Paper Flowers: Stjudescreations

Spyrograph Wedding: Design Sponge - haha! They are using the same vases that we are for our centerpieces! I really like this setup, I think I'll try to implement this!

If you know of ANY other examples or tutorials, please comment below so I can add them to this list. I would be so happy to find more tutorials to test out for my wedding. Thanks!

Old, Boring T-Shirts: What Can I Do With Them?

Katar — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 14:00:30 +0000

I saved so many of my shirts from going to concerts, vacations, summer camps, etc. because I wanted to make a sweet t-shirt quilt one day. So far, that hasn’t really happened. However, I do recommend an AMAZING book if you do want to make a t-shirt quilt. It is extremely easy to understand for beginner quilters like myself, and is really interesting! It’s called: The Extraordinary T-Shirt Quilt: A Scrapbook You Can Sleep Under by Lauren Kingsland. You can pick up the book for as low as $15.50! Pretty sweet.

Oh yeah – and I have the biggest collection of BORING shirts. They have basically been sitting in my closet unworn for years. Something MUST BE DONE… and SOON!

Making a quilt and donating your old t-shirts is awesome and all – but aren’t these tutorials for what you can do with your old, boring, or meaningful shirts awesome as well? Check ‘em out! Click on the photo to go to the tutorial.

Accessory Tutorials:

T-Shirt Memory Scarf: CraftZine

Cures for Boring Shirt Tutorials:

Puffed Sleeves Tutorial: Dana Made It

Quick and Dirty Knit Neckline Refashion: Hoppobumpo

Jeweled Tee Tutorial: Still Dottie

Flower Collar Tutorial: KatieDid

Rose Petal Tee: The Storque

Women's Shirt: Make It and Love It

T-shirt Refashion into Ruffle Madness: My Mama Made It

Ruffle Necklace Waffle Shirt: Ruffles and Stuff

Argyle Shirt Tutorial: LuBirdBaby

Side Panel Shirt Refashion Tutorial: Crafterhours

Home Decor Tutorials:

Recycling T-shirts into Rugs: Fat Bottom Bags

Halloween Tutorials:

Recycled T-Shirt Door Witch: Craftbits

If you know of ANY other examples or tutorials, please comment below so I can add them to this list. Thanks!

Wire Hangers: What Can I Do With Them?

Katar — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 14:00:10 +0000

Spoon gets all of his work shirts dry cleaned every couple of weeks, and when we get them back, there’s a white wire hanger on each one. We have accumulated more wire hangers than the clothes we have, so I started thinking about what could be done with them.

So far, all we’ve done with them involved cutting them and bending them to make stakes to hold down our Halloween decorations into the ground. They worked really well and none of our stuff blew away. Yay!

But hey – I still have a TON left, and more are coming. I did my homework – here are some fun and awesome things that you can make or do with your wire hangers. Yay!

Click on the photo to go to the tutorial.

Contents:

Home Decor Tutorials
Hanger Cover Tutorials
Mobile Tutorials
Toy Tutorials
Baby Shower Tutorials
Valentine’s Day Tutorials
Easter Tutorials
Halloween Tutorials
Christmas Tutorials

Home Decor Tutorials:

iPod Dock from a Metal Hanger: Instructables

Hanger Lamp: Instructables

Make your own vintage Wire Basket out of Coat Hangers: Associated Content

Tissue Box Hanger: Instructables

Tissue Paper Butterfly: San Diego Zoo

Wire Hanger Lamps: Cut out and Keep

Coat Hanger Wine Rack: Guardian.co.uk

Wire Coat Hanger Toilet Roll Holder: Instructables

Lion Face: San Diego Zoo

Wine Glass Dryer from Coat Hanger: Instructables

Simple Book Light: Instructables

Ergonomic Laptop Stand Made from a Coat Hanger: Instructables

Dream Catcher: San Diego Zoo

Multi-Purpose Clothespin Hanger: Instructables

Make Your Own Razor and Shaving Brush Stand: Instructables

Recycled Wire Hanger Yarn Dog: Thrifty Fun

Denim Jeans Windsock: Craftbits

Wire Hanger Book Rack: Someday Crafts

Hanger Cover Tutorials:

Yarn Covered Hangers: Exploring Womanhood

Handsome Hangers: Family Fun

Braided Coat Hanger: All Free Crafts

Stylish Cardboard Clothes Hangers: Instructables

Coat Hanger Cover: Craftbits

Personalized Wire Hanger for Baby Clothes: Instructables

Mobile Tutorials:

DIY High Contrast Baby Mobile: Instructables

How to make a stable Airplane Mobile: How Stuff Works

Pac Man Paper Mobile: Instructables

Whale Mobile: Enchanted Learning

3-D Fruit Craft: Enchanted Learning

Butterfly Mobile: Craftbits

Toy Tutorials:

Make a Whirligig in a Box: ThinkingFountain

Baby Shower Tutorials:

Baby Shower Room Wreath: Craftbits

Baby Shower Announcement Wreath: CraftBits

Baby Shower Baby Towel Pram: Craftbits

Valentine’s Day Tutorials:

Wire Hanger Fabric Wreath: San Diego Zoo

Key to My Heart Hangup: Craftbits

Easter Tutorials:

Baby Bunny Baby Basket: Craftbits

Halloween Tutorials:

Making Halloween Corpse Hands: WetCanvas

LED Spiders: Instructables

Wire Hanger Pumpkin: San Diego Zoo

Ghost Halloween Decoration: Cut Out and Keep

Recycled T-Shirt Door Witch: Craftbits

Fall Scarecrow Decoration: Family Crafts

Bat Mobile: Family Fun

Butterfly Wings: Cut out and Keep

Halloween Fairy Wings: Knitting

Fairy Wings: Cut Out and Keep

More Fairy Wings: Cut out and Keep

Bat Wings: Cut out and Keep

Wire Hanger Bow: Instructables

Christmas Tutorials:

Wire Hanger Christmas Ornament Wreath: eddieross

Glow Ball Ornament: Instructables

Recycled Coat Hanger Christmas Tree: All Free Crafts

Coat Hanger Christmas Tree: Kaboose

Christmas Card Mobile: How Stuff Works

How to make a Christmas Coat Hanger Wreath: Do It Yourself

Make a Christmas Wreath: Little House in the Suburbs

Wreath from Recycled Bags: Craftbits

Wreath from Fabric Scraps: Craftbits

Coat Hanger Christmas Wreath: All Free Crafts

Candy Wreath: Family Crafts

Pine Cone Wreath: Family Crafts

Wire Santa Mini Wreath: Family Crafts

I <3 the vintage wire basket. I must try it!

And, OMG – the corpse hand is genius. I mean.. how freaking creative! I will definitely mess around with that project for next Halloween

If you know of ANY other examples or tutorials, please comment below so I can add them to this list. As I’ve said above, I have hangers coming into the house every week, so I need to keep up with them in crafts – thanks!

Photo Credit: SilverFuture on flickr

DIY Halloween Jewelry and Bag Tutorials

Katar — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 13:00:30 +0000

Aww – all of these are so adorable! I need to stop posting and actually try some! The skeleton hand hair clip is my ultimate favorite. So many good ideas from awesome crafters!

Contents:

Bracelet Tutorials
Necklace Tutorials
Hair Clip Tutorials
Earring Tutorials
Pin Tutorials
Bag Tutorials

Bracelet Tutorials:

Resin Skull Bracelet: AZCentral

Kitschy Bracelet and Earring Combo: The Fearless Crafter

Sugar Skull Bracelet: Spirit Clay

: Easy Halloween Ribbon/Button Bracelet: The Swell Life

Necklace Tutorials:

Whip Up This Easy Bat Necklace: Cathie Filian

Halloween Mixed Media Necklace: Margot Potter - The Impatient Crafter

Eyeball Necklace: Studio Mama

: Day of the Dead Necklace: Delicious Beads

Spider Web and Skull Necklace: Delicious Beads

Black Widow and Bloody Necklaces: PattieWack

: Vintage Plastic Hooty Owl Halloween Necklace: Margot Potter – The Impatient Crafter

Bats in the Belfry Choker: Spirit Clay

: Ghoulie Girl Necklace: Margot Potter – The Impatient Crafter

Day of the Dead Necklace for Kids: Alpha Mom

Hair Clip Tutorials:

: Halloween Ribbon Fascinators or Brooches: The Swell Life

: Skeleton Hand Hair Clip Tutorial: My Big Mouth

: Embroidered Felt Pumpkin Hair Clips: Treasures for Tots

Earring Tutorials:

Day of the Dead Bottle Cap Earrings: Outside the Margins

Candy Corn Riot Earrings: Spirit Clay

Fun and Funky Halloween Doodle/Star Earrings: The Swell Life

: Shrink Plastic Halloween Earrings: Stamp4Life

: Halloween Candy Corn Earrings: Creative Crafting 4-1-1

Polymer Clay Candy Corn Earrings: Cut Out and Keep

: Simple Halloween Button Earrings: The Swell Life

Jack-o-Lantern Waterfalls: StudioMama

Pin Tutorials:

Witch Hat Pin: Jewelry Making

Bag Tutorials:

Batik Inspired Tote for Day of the Dead: AZCentral

Five Minute Trick or Treat Bag Tutorial: Obsessively Stitching

Trick or Treat Bag Tote: The Shabby Nest

Halloween T-shirt Trick-or-Treat Bag: CraftZine

Wicked Stitch - Embroidered Trick or Treat Totes: PBS

: Halloween Pumpkin and Cat Felt Treat Bag or Wall Hanging: Phyllis Dobbs

Halloween Treat Bags: Cathie Filian

: Jack-O’-Lantern Tote: I Love To Create Blog

: Trick or Treat Tote: ReproDepot Blog

Last Minute Trick or Treat Bag: Mod Podge Rocks

You may have noticed that this post is a lot shorter than most of my other ones, but that needs to change! I had quite a difficult time finding tutorial links for this subject. If you know of ANY other examples or tutorials, please comment below so I can add them to this list. I absolutely LOVE keeping a running list of links to related tutorials! Thanks!

Photo Credit: Crafty Dame on flickr