Discover the expert in you.
Ball topiary decoration crafts can be made using Styrofoam balls and a few other basic items. Get tips on ball topiary decoration crafts with help from an experienced crafts expert in this free video clip.
While young children are normally content to follow an adult's detailed directions for a craft project, pre-teens often want to be able to work on something that they can personalize to fit their own unique sense of style. Parents should offer suggestions and general safety guidance, but avoid micromanaging a pre-teen's crafting efforts.
Decorating home craft areas can be just as much fun as the crafts themselves. Decorate home craft areas with help from a distinguished crafts expert in this free video clip.
One key tool you'll need during the creation of your diamond lanyard braid is craft lace. Do a diamond lanyard braid with craft lace with help from a crafts expert of fifteen years in this free video clip.
Doing a square knot with craft lace requires a steady hand and just the right technique. Do a square knot with craft lace with help from an experienced crafts professional in this free video clip.
Decorating with craft wire and balloons is not actually as simple as it sounds. Decorate with craft wire and balloons with help from a crafts expert with fifteen years of experience in this free video clip.
Crafts and decorations with a beach theme aren't just for children. Learn about crafts and decorations with a beach theme for adults with help from a longtime crafts expert in this free video clip.
Crafts are a great way to give a baby's room that personal touch that many desire. Learn about crafts that you can make for baby rooms with help from a graphic designer and illustrator in this free video clip.
Organizing a craft room is a great opportunity to really let your creative side take over. Get organizing ideas for a craft room with help from a home design stylist in this free video clip.
A foam sheet is a soft and flexible craft material that can be easily cut and glued for craft projects. Foam sheets come in a variety of colors and you can even draw on them with markers for detailing. If you have a supply of craft foam that you don't know what to do with, consider different types of craft projects that the foam can be used for.
Making handmade fabric chicken crafts is a creative way to show your appreciation of the beauty of these farm animals. There are many different breeds of chickens, each with different colored feathers. This diversity encourages the use of scrap fabrics to create out-the-box designs. Chicken crafts make great gifts for people with homes decorated in a rustic style, or those with fond memories of growing up on a farm. Children and adults can spend hours making a variety of crafts with fabric featuring chicken prints, poultry-themed trimmings and other readily available materials.
Fly fishing is a celebrated pastime throughout the United States. A form of angling, fly fishing utilizes a rod and a fake fly to entice fish to bite onto the lure. The flies are designed to mimic food sources like bugs, which fish are attracted to, allowing you as the fly fisherman to customize the fly to whatever fish you want to catch. Fly fishing can use specialized supplies both for making the fly, as well as fishing in general. These supplies are found through distributors like National Feather Craft Co.
Closet-rod dividers are most often seen in clothing stores. They are used to divide collections of clothing, typically by sizes, hung on one rack. Closet-rod dividers are also useful to organize hanging clothes in a shared closet. The round divider is made of 5-millimeter craft foam that is easily trimmed with household shears. The 5-millimeter craft foam flexes, then returns to its original shape, making it easy to install, reposition or remove. This simple and inexpensive project can be completed in minutes.
Encourage preschoolers to get creative by keeping art and craft supplies readily available. Storage space is at a premium in most homes and classrooms, so there is rarely room for a large cabinet or set of drawers to keep all the supplies in. A wall unit takes up less space and provides a location to both organize craft supplies and display the finished artwork. Use solid colors to decorate the wall. The colors draw the eye and appeal to young children, and avoiding patterns ensures the artwork takes center stage.
Craft lace, also called "boondoggle," "lanyard" or "gimp," is a plastic string that is flat and flexible. The string is available at most craft stores in a variety of bright colors. Adults and children can have fun using different techniques with craft lace to make a few craft projects. You can make the crafts for yourself or give them away to loved ones as gifts for the holidays.
Creating your own handmade heart shaped doily card allows you to make something special for family and friends that cannot be duplicated or purchased. Designing a card for Valentine’s Day is an effective solution when you are working on a tight budget. This is a craft project you can create on your own or with a group of children, allowing each to create their own card for that special somebody on Valentine’s Day.
Cultural celebrations, such as masquerading ceremonies throughout Africa, are instrumental in the preservation of cultural cohesiveness and folklore. Modern-day masquerading ceremonies in Africa combine music, dance and masks to tell stories of past, present and future lifestyles. The storytelling associated with masquerading ceremonies is highlighted by thematic performances and culturally significant themes.
Tempered glass is also known as "safety glass." Treated with extreme heat, tempered glass breaks into pieces with rounded edges instead of sharp shards when shattered. Tempered glass looks and feels the same as untreated glass. Using tempered glass for crafts reduces accidental injuries, but care must be taken when working with any kind of glass.
Thanksgiving is a wonderful time of the year to allow your creativity to run wild. Get arts and crafts ideas for Thanksgiving with help from an author, magazine editor and lifestyle expert in this free video clip.
Fused plastic is a durable and eco-friendly craft. Making fused plastic does not require specialized tools or products. In fact, your iron and the piles of plastic grocery bags in your kitchen are all you need to get started. Once made, the possible craft projects are endless. Fused plastic behaves like waterproof fabric making it ideal for bags. Make your own clothing decals by fusing the plastic directly to a shirt or pants. In addition, its pliability and variety of colors makes it a unique medium for jewelry.
Recycled materials, such as plastic, and unused materials, such as wax, lend themselves to a variety of craft projects. Instead of trashing these items, reuse them to show off your creativity and artistic skills. Adults and children can enjoy crafts, especially on inclement weather days when they are stuck indoors.
Vinyl and lace lend themselves to a variety of craft projects. Adults and children can enjoy creating crafts using vinyl, lace or both. Crafts are perfect for inclement weather days when you are stuck indoors. With a hot glue gun, a few supplies and a creative imagination, you can make crafts using vinyl and lace that shows off your artistic skills.
Animal-themed craft projects for teens use a wide range of materials from unfinished wood to recycled milk jugs. Inspired by living animals such as tigers or extinct creatures like the dinosaurs, teens may customize projects by creating their own template or using a ready-made version. Finished crafts include furniture items and functional gifts such as sewing kits.
Nothing breaks up a tedious school day like creepy bugs and insects. These leggy creatures can supplement your science or art curriculum. Invigorate your students with exciting crafts that double as learning aids about these sometimes colorful but always curious creatures.
Soft, brightly-colored pompoms help to draw attention to any craft project. Pompoms are fuzzy, round balls used in a variety of crafts. These accessories come in a wide assortment of hues and sizes. Many children’s crafts such as love bugs, which resemble ladybugs, often use pompoms. Love bug projects are available for a wide range of ages and skill levels.
Every worn-out shirt you own may trigger a different memory of where you got it or things that happened while you wore it. Once your shirts have faded or have developed holes, use them to make craft projects that you’ll be able to use regularly. No matter what you’re going to use your worn shirts for, wash them before you begin crafting.
The Cuttlebug is a machine from Provo crafts that allows you to easily emboss designs onto paper with a professional finish. It is a tidy, stylish, light-weight machine that folds away to the size of a purse and locks down onto the table with a vacuum seal when opened and readied for use. The Cuttlebug comes with a great range of embossing kits but there are even more designs available from Provo and other companies. Pretty much any design can be found, from informal hearts and flowers for your home photo albums and scrap books to more formal patterns for…
Since 1907, when the New Year's Eve ball made its first descent at midnight in Times Square, the ball has become a tradition and symbol of the arrival of a new year. When planning a New Year's event of your own, complete your celebration decorations with a hand crafted New Year's Ball. New Year's balls can be crafted easily for any size celebration and budget.
Gourds continue to grow in popularity in the crafting world because they are versatile and no two gourds are exactly alike. Their shape makes gourds ideal candidates for making musicals instruments, baskets and bowls. Dried gourds have a wood-like consistency, making it possible to carve, stain and paint them. Create a musical shaker from a gourd and decorate it to match your tastes or personality. Fill the gourd with different types of small objects to produce a variety of interesting sounds.
There are a variety of reasons to create innovative craft projects out of a 2-liter bottle. For one, reusing something you already have saves money, but it also keeps plastic bottles out of landfills. Create a variety of useful and decorative crafts out of 2-liter bottles and Styrofoam (also known as plastic foam) balls.
Sunday school and vacation Bible school teachers can use craft foam to illustrate the story of Noah's Ark by making craft arks, murals about the story, as well as individual projects such as booklets, decorations for sweatshirts or T-shirt decorations. Combining various shapes and foam sheets provides the most versatile options for projects.
Some children are interested in different bugs and try to capture and observe the creatures and their habits. A bug catcher bottle can allow your child to capture the bugs and watch them without having to actually handle the bugs or worry about them escaping. While you can always purchase a bug catcher box, you can also help your child make his own. Making his own allows him to personalize it and create a habitat he thinks the bugs will like.
Decoupage is not limited to use with paper; fabric can be used as a medium as well. Give furniture a new look or freshen up old canvas shoes with fabric scraps. Brighten simple thrift store plates and embellish plain pillows with decorative fabric, all without picking up a sewing needle.
If you have a small dresser or no dresser at all, storing your clothing and personal items such as lingerie can be difficult. However, there are plenty of do-it-yourself hanging storage options that will make the best use of your closet space. For instance, consider crafting a lingerie bag and hanger to store your bras, camisoles and panties. Your personal items will be easy to find, yet out of sight, all while taking up little storage space. You can even make several bag options for different types of lingerie storage.
Reading stories to your students is a great way to entertain the class, but it's also an ideal way to inspire their imaginations. One way to enhance your classroom story sessions and to help students get the most out of a reading is to introduce crafts that either encourage students to interact. By using story-related crafts, you can capture the interest of your students on a visual level as well as through the words your read.
Being able to have your essentials within easy reach is the key to having a busy day move effortlessly. An organized handbag can be the difference between a good day or a day filled with frustration. Crafting a handbag organizer not only provides the organization you need for a busy life but also lets you do it with style.
Loosing your keys can cause you unnecessary delays and stress. Plastic lacing string can be used to create a keychain that can catch your eye easily and help you avoid having to search around for your keys. The string is weaved together in such a way to create a durable product and this can be attempted by beginners.
The plastic craft lacing used for many different lacing crafts goes by a variety of names, including gimp, boondoggle, scoubidou and lanyard. Despite the multiplicity of names, each of these refers to both the flat plastic lace and the activity of crafting with it. For very young children, craft lacing can be a challenge that quickly turns frustrating, but for older kids and adults, craft lacing can be fun and practical. Among the most common crafts made this way are zipper pulls, key chains and bracelets, but once you know the basics, you can unleash your creativity and create other…
Handprint animals are similar to cloud animals, the potential for forming animals is limited only by the imagination. The unique shape of a handprint provides inspiration for all kinds of animal crafts, including jungle animals. Use your handprint to create lions, elephants, giraffes, jungle birds, turtles, butterflies or a rhinoceros. Or use the attractive patterns of a cheetah, zebra or giraffe to decorate your handprint. Jungle animal handprints are the perfect craft any time of the year.
Whether you need a rainy-day distraction or a creative, hands-on classroom project, arts and crafts is a safe and enjoyable solution for all ages. It encourages motor skills for young children and attention to detail for older kids. One craft with options for many different skill levels is three dimensional cotton ball sheep. This craft in its simplest form takes very few supplies but, if the situation calls for it, can also be an intricate task.
A braid stitch can be created using only two strands of craft lace. Craft lace is a flat, plastic, colored lacing that is used to create lanyards, necklaces, bracelets, key chains or zipper pulls. Two colored strands of craft lace are folded in half to create four working strands to make the braided lanyard stitch. Craft lace projects are often done in children's summer camps or Boy and Girl Scout groups. Use good contrasting colors to make your braided lanyard eye catching.
Teaching preschool-aged children crafts that incorporate into Palm Sunday helps the Bible come to life. The hands-on and interactive learning of crafting donkeys, palms and such helps the children learn, understand and retain the Sunday school teachings. Donkey crafts will teach the children about Jesus’ arrival into Jerusalem and how he came in a peaceful way. Palm crafts will help them learn about the significance of the palms and how they welcomed Jesus into the city.
Because children are fond of animals, they are often incorporated into teaching the alphabet by associating particular animals with the letters with which they begin. Some inconspicuous animal-letter combinations include the iguana for “I,” quail for “Q,” unicorn for “U,” vulture for “V,” x-ray fish for “X” and yak for “Y.” A variety of animal alphabet letter craft projects exist that make fitting baby shower gifts and decorations for toddlers’ rooms.
If you want a cheap craft project that can keep kids busy for a while, considering having them make a yarn ball using a balloon. The finish project is a toy that each child gets to keep. A yarn ball is very light and can be made with a variety of colored string. Additionally, a yarn ball is particularly good for young children playing indoors. Making a craft yarn ball with a balloon is best suited for older children.
The biblical story of Noah tells how God decided to start over when the people of earth became very wicked. God gave Noah directions for building an ark that would house pairs of all the animals on earth to preserve them from the flood he planned to send. You can use animal crafts to relate the story to children and remind them how God saved the animals for a new day.
Camouflage --a way of blending in with the surrounding environment -- helps living things hide from predators, hunt for food, and communicate with one another. Camouflage is a scientific concept that is usually taught in early elementary school, and can be fun to teach with crafts.
The Parable of the Lost Sheep is one of the most well-known parables of Jesus. It speaks of repentance in a way that children can understand because it involves the simplicity of a lost sheep. To help reinforce this lesson, you can share cotton ball lost sheep crafts with your kids.
Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts have many different types of crafts that they make to show off the skills they have learned while a scout. One of these skills is a lacing, such as lacing up leather crafts and tying them together. There are many lacing skills that you can use with your scout troop to show off their lacing abilities.
Bridal shower favors are a thoughtful way of thanking guests for their presence at, and contribution to, your bridal shower. Handmade crafts are possible on any budget and let your friends and family know how much you appreciate their support and generosity. Give your guests something to remember your special party by with unique favors that you make yourself.
Paper lace doilies are stylish but inexpensive in themselves, which is why they are an excellent option for crafting. All the intricate details they contain make attractive accents for different rooms, holiday decorations or simply crafts for everyday occasions. Using paper lace doilies, you can create a variety of crafts for under $5.