Hot Arts & Crafts How-Tos

How To: Create a vintage-looking mini scrapbook album

In this seven part series, you're shown how to create a whimsical mini-scrapbook with a very vintage, Alice in Wonderland feel. From taking your materials out of their wrappers to the final pen stroke, this video series will show you how to create a beautiful "World of Wonder" scrapbook. A lovely gift idea for the Lewis Carroll fan!

How To: Hack the HTC DROID ERIS smartphone's cardboard box into the Android Bot logo

This is actually quite amazing. If you own an HTC DROID ERIS cell phone, then that cardboard container it came in can be turned into that tiny, but terrific Google Android Bot. The Android Bot logo is known across the world now, and it's odd that their box can be broken down perfectly to recreate it. Was this on purpose, or accident? Anyway, Nextraker found the secret, and he's going to show you how it's down. With just a few basic cuts, you too can have your own little green Bot.

How To: Make two different sized paper booklets without tape, glue or staples

Homemade booklets are the way to go for back-to-school. Forget about pricy spiral-bound notebooks, make your own paper booklets, and make them without any tape, glue or staples! This is all paper and folding techniques. If you're an origami god, this will be so simple for you to make. Plus, you'll learn how to make two different version of this paper booklet: one big and one small. These are great for notes, to-do lists and school projects.

How To: Make a glossy wallet using magazines

Make a hip and functional wallet using the glossy photos taken from old magazines. Your wallet will be colorful, trendy and have pockets for both your bills and cards. All you need in addition to the magazines is a pair of scissors and some clear tape.

How To: Make a blue lamp work bead with Latticino and Frit

One of the coolest beading effects is the kind that suspends various materials - from flowers to Latticinos - in a clear glass case. Swirled or marbeled shapes can also be added for interest, but either way the resulting work is like looking into a prehistoric block of amber and peeking around at such curious fragments.

How To: Make a blue floral pendant necklace with two clasps

Don't be a bore and think that all necklaces have to end with a single clasp! While single clasp closures are common, they can also be a pain sometimes to open and close (if you've ever had a tight necklace that moved during the day to the back of your head and you didn't know where the clasp went then you know what we're talking about).

How To: Make jump rings to make chain mail jewelry

Jump rings are super functional in jewelry making, allowing crafters to connecting disparate sections of a necklace easily and also serving as their own minimalist decor. If you're into the look of chain mail (which is just that - lots of chains connected together via jump rings), then you should check out this video to learn how to craft your own jump rings.

How To: Open and close a jump ring with chain-nosed pliers

Jump rings serve a variety of purposes in jewelry making, the most common of which is connecting adjoining sections of a necklace, bracelet, or earring. If you would like to integrate jump rings into your jewelry crafting then check out this video to learn how to open and close a jump ring using two pairs of chain-nosed pliers.

How To: Make an easy looped headpin for jewelry making

What exactly is a head pin? In jewelry crafting, a head pin is the small wire loop on top of a bead that allows the bead to be attached to a necklace or an earring. If you're looking to get into making your own jewelry, then creating a headpin is one of the most basic skills you'll utilize for the rest of your career.

How To: Attach a pendant to an earring hook easily

What is the absolute, most basic thing you need to know in order to asemble an earring? Attaching the earring to its earring hook, of course. By learning how to do this, you'll be able to create a neverending host of funky earrings, from cool guitar pick earrings to drop pendant earrings.

How To: Make fashionable chunky glass pearl drop earrings

We've always had the impression that the only women who wear pearls are those who also own McMansions and tie cable knit sweaters around their shoulders at yacht club soirees. But now that we've seen this jewelry craft - a pair of chunky blue green glass pearl earrings - we're taking a second glance at these pearl things.

How To: Make an easy origami goldfish with tiny fins

Okay, so we have to admit something to you: This isn't actually an origami craft in the strictest sense of the term. Origami dictates that an object be folded into being from a single sheet of paper, but for this goldfish we take a bit of a shortcut, literally. Instead of folding to get all the pieces in place, we make a few cuts to facilitate the fish-forming process.

How To: Fold an origami box and lid by Dave Brill

The origami version of a box and lid may seem like one of the simplest origami projects out there, but you should consider this origami box and lid the hard mode version of an otherwise beginner origami craft. Rather than use two sheets of paper total - one for the box and the other for the lid - this origami project only involves one piece of origami tissue paper.

How To: Make a simple origami CD case for beginners

Whatever happened to the mix tape? A few years back, there wasn't a better and more meaningful gift to give someone than a mix tape full of jams specially tailored to his/her tastes. But with MP3s and internet streaming being the most popular forms of music listening these days, we suppose it's no surprise the mix tape has died out like the dinosaurs.

How To: Make a quick and simple origami envelope

Honestly, we're getting a little tired of purchasing mass-produced cards. Not that we don't adore Papyrus, with its often handmade-like cards and pretty details, but more and more we're finding we enjoy gifting our friends and family something authentic for special occasions.

How To: Make an origami crab for intermediate students

Summer is quickly coming to an end (oh no!), so bask in your last few glory days of sleeping in and playing all day by, well, sleeping in and playing all day. But you should also consider making this adorable sea crab, a sort of testament, if you will, to the summer months spent out by the sea.

How To: Make a cheerful origami penguin for beginners

We don't know where the penguin trend started, but for the past couple of years the arctic animal has been getting some serious loving. From "Happy Feet" to Club Penguin, penguins are flopping around everywhere in the public conscoiusness. And who can really blame our fascination with penguins, given their chubbiness and adorable waddling?