Active Arts & Crafts Posts
How To: Make your own embellishments with Peachy Keen stamps
This tutorial features the Peachy Keen stamp line, and shows you how to punch out, color and use your own embellishments. These make great accents, decorations and gifts, especially for the holiday season. All you need besides the stamps are your favorite paper crafting supplies.
How To: Create a vintage embosssed look using the burnt brown bag technique
This craft shows you how to use the burnt brown bag technique with some embossing and decorating techniques in order to create a distrseed, vintage look. A great craft project for a steampunk Christmas look, or as faux vintage decorations.
How To: Craft animal hand puppets for kids' Christmas gifts
If you're on a budget this year, you can still gift your kids something special that they'll enjoy for years to come. Check out this video to learn how to craft animal hand puppets easily, with minimal sewing.
How To: Crafter supersized red paper flowers for Christmas
If you need to decorate your house fast for the holidays, then supersized decor is the way to go. Yeah, you could buy those tacky big Christmas ornament balls fastened with big red ribbons at the store, but if you're looking for elegant Christmas decor then making it is the way to go.
How To: Create a Christmas angel tree topper with paper plates & glitter
What's Christmas without a tree topper? To make your own unique tree topper, try this paper plate angel tree topper. Decorate however you like with glitter and markers, and you'll soon have a special tree topper that no one else hads. This is a great project to do with your kids.
How To: Make a Scrabble tile pendant for necklaces or earrings
Scrabble isn't just for playing Scrabble anymore— there's a whole world of uses for the game and its pieces. One particular use is in jewelry— those Scrabble letter tiles are the perfect size for creating DIY pendants!
How To: Repurpose a T-shirt into a fringe scarf a la Fefe Dobson
This is a great scarf or accessory inspired by the Fefe Dobson music video, and a great touch for your New Years' Eve celebration. All you need is a regular oversize T-shirt - ideally one which has a V-neck and solid color.
How To: Sew a classic high waisted skirt without a pattern
This skirt will take only about an hour to make. You don't need a pattern, just your measurements! Pick a fabric that has only a little bit of stretch, and then follow this tutorial for your own high waisted skirt.
How To: Make a piggy bank or money box out of paper
You can also use this as a method to make some easy gift boxes! All you need are three sheets of plain paper, some scotch tape, a pair of scissors, a knife and some markers (or your favorite paper decorations).
How To: Crochet a snowflake as a holiday decoration
This is a lovely idea to decorate for the holidays, and it also makes a wonderful gift to give. This uses a special pin technique to keep the project in place, and also uses glitter for a little extra added glitter.
How To: Sew in the tails of a crochet project
So you have finished your crochet or knitting project, but now there are a few tails of yarn hanging loose. What to do with them? This video shows you how to sew in those tails and keep your project from unraveling.
How To: Create a set of quilted holiday placemats
Whether you want to make your own placemats for holiday entertaining or give them away as gifts, this is a tutorial for any intermediate quilter looking for some holiday ideas. Create a matching set of beautiful, holiday themed quilted placematas.
How To: Make completely natural and organic soap at home
It's easier than you think to make soap at home. This tutorial shows you a few good methods you can use to make completely natural, organic and Earth friendly soaps. Always make sure you wear glvoes when you're working with lye!
How To: Make French milled or rebatch soap at home
This process, called variously French milled, triple milled or rebatch, is a happy medium between the cold process and melt and pour soap making methods. It's easy, and you can do it at home to make clever and creative gifts this holiday season.
How To: Knit a simple fake Moebius scarf
This isn't a real Moebius scarf, since it has not been stitched in the round. However, you can use this knitting technique to turn a regular straight scarf into a Moebius scarf (named after the Moebius strip, a paper loop that has only one side).
How To: Knit The Raspberry Stitch
There are many beautiful stitches to learn in knitting. Some are harder than others. Some look hard, but really aren't. The RASPBERRY STITCH (shown in the header) is a quite easy. Once you get into the rhythm of doing it and practice for awhile you'll agree.
How To: Add a corset look to your favorite dress using safety pins
You can create the corset look for your own wardrobe without having to resort to boning! All you need is your dress, a collection of small safety pins and your chosen ribbon or twill tape (make sure you buy several yards of this).
How To: Make a home made gift box for Christmas or holiday presents
These boxes are great for small gifts, and you can make them at home. You will need a craft knife, a square ruler, a cutting mat, heavy paper (approximately 6 inche by six inches) and Dura-Lar paper or sheets of clear acetate. Make a home made gift box for Christmas or holiday presents.
How To: Make a quillow without a pattern as a gift
A quillow is a blanket that, when folded, can serve double duty as a pillow. You will need fabric for the front and back as well as some batting and regualr sewing notions. This is a great Christmas or holiday gift even a beginner can make!
How To: Make candles in tea cups out of soy wax
Teacup candles are a beautiful variation on candles. You will need soy wax, clean tea cups, wicking, your preferred candle dye and essential oils, a wick pin and a method for heating and melting your candle wax (a kitchen stove is generally good enough).
How To: Stretch your wrist and hand while sewing to avoid cramps
These wrist stretches have been cribbed from aikido, but they can be used as sewing stretches as well. Avoid cramps while sewing by using these three wrist stretches. Whenever you feel like your wrist is starting to ache, just use one of these stretches.
How To: Use a ruffler foot on a sewing machine to sew ruffles
The ruffler foot on your sewing machine allows you to sew ruffles far more quickly and easily than having to do it by hand. This tutorial demonstrates how to set up your ruffler foot and then how to use it when sewing ruffles.
How To: Make a leather or canvas snap fastener extender
A snap extender gives you a little extra room when attaching leather or canvas using snaps. It's very easy to make - all you need is your chosen leather or canvas, a ruler, pencil, scissors, snaps and snap attachment tools.
How To: Make your own yarn pom poms
If you can't find a pom pom in the color or size you like, why not make your own? It's very easy! All you need is yarn in your favorite color, a piece of stiff cardboard and a pair of scissors.
How To: Make an easy Christmas card
Want to make your Christmas just a little bit more personal? Try making Christmas cards this year instead of buying them. You'll save on money, and your friends and family will get the benefits of your creativity. All you need is paper and scissors to start.
How To: Make a great 3D paper snowflake
In this video, we learn how to make a great 3D paper snowflake. First, fold a square blue piece of paper into a triangle. Then, draw lines from the middle to the top going in the triangle shape. Cut these lines on both sides, avoiding the middle and the very top. Make sure you don't cut in the middle either. After this, open up the folder and take the inside. Roll it up and then tape it together so there's a ring on the inside. Flip it over, then make another ring on the top side and tape it....
How To: Fold an easy fox out of origami for beginners
This project is great for anyone who is new to origami, or a project you can do with your kids. Take a regular piece of origami paper (10 cm by 10 cm) and follow the instructions in this video to fold your own origami fox.
How To: Make a tsuno-kabuto samurai helmet out of origami
This is a very easy tutorial showing you how to fold your own tsuno kabuto, or samurai helmet, out of origami paper. This makes a great decoration or gift for a samurai lover, and can be folded with any size square paper.
How To: Rig up a harness out of rope to carry large boxes
You will need around twenty feet of thick, sturdy rope (something smooth like jute or nylon will also prevent the harness from digging into your skin). Tie as demonstrated in this video, and you'll have an instant messenger bag for carrying boxy things around!
How To: Make a series of six Christmas cards easily and quickly with a cricut machine
Don't rely on the iffy cards you can get from the store - make your own series of holiday cards! You will need a cricut machine with a few holiday themed stencils, as well as your favorite cardstock and designer paper.
How To: Create Christmas tree napkins using a serger
You can make a lovely napkin shaped like a Christmas tree using just two fabric circles and a sewing serger. With a little folding, you can even make these napkins reversible! Great for a beginner to intermediate seamstress or sewer.
How To: Make holiday napkin rings out of gold ribbon and felt
Want to dress up your holiday entertaining this Christmas season? You can create your own elegant napkin rings from gold, wire-edged ribbon, green felt, pipe cleaners and a ponytail holder. Add a little glitter yarn or sparkly ribbon for some extra pizazz!
How To: Make a set of double sided holiday napkins
This is a project even beginning seamstresses and sewers can accomplish! Make a lovely set of double-sided napkins with a holiday flair. This craft can be used as a holiday gift, a home decoration or for use when entertaining guests.
How To: Make a beautiful embossed 'Christ is Born' Christmas card
This tutorial shows you how to make a beautiful green embossed Christmas card, featuring the words 'Christ is Born,' for those who celebrate the religious aspect of Christmas. Make sure you have enough stamping supplies and embossing powder for this project!
How To: Make little soldier Christmas ornaments out of clothespins
These little holiday crafts make a cute addition to any gift or stocking stuffer. Make a tiny soldier ornament - all you need is a wooden clothespin, some popsicle sticks, a pom pom hat, gold ribbon, red, blue and black paint, and a little bit of glue.
How To: Make your own trendy circle scarf
Want to be on top of the trends this winter season? Circle scarfs are in now, and they are super easy to make! All you need is two yards of your favorite fabric, then sew it into a tube to create your own scarf.
How To: Craft a person-sized spiderweb out of rope
You can also make this person sized spiderweb out of chain for extra sturdiness. Aside from the rope or chain, you will also need a solid frame (either wood or metal wil work) and 24 eye bolts to run everything through.
How To: Crochet a cell phone pouch for an iPhone, iPod or Droid
This is a great gift idea for anyone on your gift list this holiday season who has an iPhone, iPod or Droid. Crochet a cell phone pouch for their smartphone! This tutorial is for someone who is already familiar with the basics of crochet.
How To: Do the half-fisherman stitch when knitting
You need an uneven number of stitches for this method. See how to do the half fisherman stitch when knitting, with this easy, up close demonstration by Judy Graham, Knitter to the Stars.
How To: Join metal jewelry pieces together without using solder
You can fuse metal together without having to solder it. By using a butane torch, you can heat your pieces of metal until they are almost but not quite melted. Once they reach this flashpoint, you can easily fuse the pieces together.