Hot Arts & Crafts How-Tos
How To: Make a quick and easy origami cup
While this paper cup can't hold water or other beverages, it is actually very useful as a container. Whether you're having a birthday party soon and wish to produce inexpensive favor boxes (just fill the cups up with candy) or need little cups to store your tiny treasured knick knacks, these will fit the bill.
How To: Make an easy and quick origami monkey/ape
It's safe to say that this is one ape that you won't soon see climbing the side of the Empire State Building, terrorizing Wall Street snubs and taking damsels in distress at his whim.
How To: Make an origami flapping bird with large wings
Do you know how to fold an origami flapping crane? If you do, then great, because that's the only origami project you need to know how to fold in order to complete this origami bird. A variation of the crane, this bird has larger wings and you can make them flap by pulling on the tail.
How To: Make an elegant origami gliding swan
Watch this origami tutorial and in no time at all you'll transform an ordinary piece of paper into a fabulous, beautiful swan, unsuspectingly reenacting the classic gratifying story of "The Ugly Duckling." All you need are two hands with more or less dexterous fingers and a piece of white origami tissue paper or printer paper.
How To: Make an adorable origami kiwi for intermediate origami students
Seriously, how could you NOT fold this adorable kiwi? Chubby, tiny, and totally kawaii, this origami kiwi is a proud and beautiful mascot for its indigenous habitat of New Zealand.
How To: Make a simple origami box for beginners
Are you practically handicapped when it comes to crafting or doing anything at all that requires hand-eye coordination? We hear ya. While we aren't the most coordinated ourselves, even we have been able to complete the simple origami project in this video.
How To: Make an origami pterodactyl for intermediate origami students
Back in 5th grade history class, the dinosaur section was our favorite. Big, mean monsters with horns shooting this way and that and cool, funky-looking birds that were ten times bigger than us made history lessons actually fun for us.
How To: Fold an origami bird in flight with Aeric
Think the crane is the end all be all of origami birds? Think again. While folding cranes is an excellent way to build finger dexterity for future projects, if you are already at an intermediate level in origami folding then it's time to start challenging yourself!
How To: Fold a simple origami ship for beginners
Have you finally completed the 1,000 cranes project, achieved luck, prosperity, and all that goodness, and are finally ready to move on already from folding the same crane day in and day out? Then consider this project a beautiful release.
How To: Make an accordian folded Christmas paper flower
Christmas may not be until a few months from now, but it's never too early to start crafting for the holidays! If you're excited about the holiday season and can't wait to begin crafting gifts and cards for your loved ones, check out this video to learn how to make an accordian folded Christmas paper flower.
How To: Make a cozy crochet diamond granny square
There definitely exists logic behind calling these fuzzy crochet squares granny squares. After all, the cozy texture and delicate, retro motif do remind us of Sundays visiting Grandma while she served us tea and sandwiches and she knitted the day away.
How To: Crop a photo to include in a scrapbook
If you're creating a family scrapbook, cutting and cropping is more than just a few straight cuts. Use your creativity and these cropping techniques to help you shape and display your treasured photos in a beautiful album.
How To: Fold a spinning paper helicopter
Tired of paper airplanes? Make a paper helicopter! You can download and print out a pattern off the Internet to make a toy helicopter with a real spinning paperclip propeller! Use colored paper and colored pencils on your rig, and hold contests with your friends.
How To: Mimic the look of antique brass
You can easily copy the aged look on old brass jewelry and hardware. Brass, an alloy of copper and zinc, oxides naturally. But you can encourage the process to go faster by using vinegar and salt water, or a rag soaked in ammonia. Use these techniques to mimic an antique patina.
How To: Make a textbook cover out of a grocery bag or wrapping paper
Many teachers ask students to cover their textbooks in order to extend the life of book. You can make a book cover out of a brown grocery bag, wrapping paper, or even colorful construction paper. You won't have to go shopping for expensive back to school supplies, all you need is a little tape!
How To: Make a balloon that looks like an apple
Do you need some ideas for nature-inspired decoration? All you need for this craft are some balloons, paper and a little painting skill to make a fun, crafty balloon apple. Add this project to your next hobby day!
How To: Craft a game out of paper
This is a quick and easy arts and crafts project to make yourself a new toy. All you need are two sheets of paper, folded properly, to create a toy gun for your next game of cops and robbers.
How To: Make a pair of distressed jeans
For just a fraction of the cost of a pair of expensive designer distressed jeans, you can make your ripped pants own at home! With just a few household items and a bit of time, you can get that worn appearance by adding a few holes and using bleach to get the right faded look.
How To: Create a cuneiform clay tablet magazine from scratch
In this video tutorial, you'll learn the ancient art of clay tablet making. Back in the old, old, days, before paper and pencil, there were clay tablets. Sumerians used these clay tablets to communicate, record business expenses and more. In this video, you'll learn how to make your own cuneiform clay tablet magazine! Spread the word!
How To: Make a kawaii donut pillow with strawberry frosting and sprinkles
Homer Simpson would have an absolute fit over this delicious-looking kawaii donut pillow. Embellished with a thick layer of strawberry frosting and then topped lightly with candy-colored sprinkles, this pretty donut looks almost good enough to eat.
HowTo: Make Soap With Bacon
"Fruity hand soaps, moisturizers, emulsifying lotions, pumice stones, and Loofahs don't cut it. We want to cleanse ourselves with the fat of the sweet, dead pig."
How To: Make strong popsicle stick bridges using a cross hatch pattern
When we were five years old, there was nothing better to do at recess than to whip out a bag full of popsicle sticks of all sizes, some glue, and then piece together the pieces as if solving a puzzle. We'd make forts, bridges, and even stick people.
How To: Make a fashionable crochet hoop earring for left handers
Think all crochet projects produce yuppy granny squares and are only done by elderly cat ladies who live alone? Think again. With stars like Amanda Seyfried proclaiming that knitting is their favorite hobby, crocheting/knitting is once again becoming hot stuff, kind of like designer cupcakes or pilates.
How To: Make Lady Gaga's crystalized spike abstract Grammys headpiece
When we first saw Lady Gaga donning this, well, gaga headpiece at the Grammy Awards, we were wondering what the Fortress of Solitude was doing on her head. The headpiece, composed of what look like stalactites crystalized with thousands of swavorski crystals, looked like an Abstract Expressionist sculpture, and made little sense.
How To: Make cozy fleece pants for a Christmas present
We know how hard it is to buy a present for a woman during the holidays. 99% of the time she's not going to wear what you buy her, and giving her a practical gift like a blender or a new microwave - despite your best intentions - is just cause for a good talkin' to. So how do you indulge that special woman in your life this Christmas without getting slapped?
How To: Construct an edgy floral dress with a zipper front
You really can't go wrong with florals and zippers. The two fashion trends are indeed opposites, with florals being overly dainty and zippers being more punk rock, but when you combine them together you achieve a striking balance.
How To: Solder jump rings for an extra security jewelry closure
The difference between an amateur piece of jewelry and a professional one often lies in the details. Almost anyone can link chains together into a necklace and add small floral baubles, but the professional will take care to make sure the baubles are attached almost imperceptibly and the closure blends in with the rest of the necklace and also won't budge.
How To: Make a scalloped crochet hoop earring
Think all crochet projects produce yuppy granny squares and are only done by elderly cat ladies who live alone? Think again. With stars like Amanda Seyfried proclaiming that knitting is their favorite hobby, crocheting/knitting is once again becoming hot stuff, kind of like designer cupcakes or pilates.
How To: Flatten dollar bills with an iron for origami
It doesn't make common sense for most people to use irons on anything other than cloth, but if you'rea (really) careful you can actually employ irons to flatten and straighten paper products, as well.
How To: Fold a kirigami cherry blossom with five petals
If you're not afraid to stray from your origami craft, then kirigami worth a shot. It's just like origami, but you're allowed to cut the paper, not just fold it. Kirigami makes origami look more mature and more accurate, like when it comes to flowers. This video will show you how much better a kirigami cherry blossom looks! Learn how to make this cherry blossom with five petals.
How To: Knit a crochet granny square for left handers using circle to square four
Granny squares are not in fact grannies who can't think out of the box. When it comes to knitting, granny squares is the terminology for a knit square project. They're termed "granny" because they look old and soft and remind us of that stereotypical image of an old cat lady knitting in her home.
How To: Make an easy origami gorilla for intermediate origami students
This tough origami gorilla would totally kick King Kong's ass in a one-on-one match-up. Or at least we think so. With a broad, intimidating body and a strong, confident scowl on his face, this gorilla is not one to be messed with.
How To: Make pinwheel shaped united cranes for beginners
Already mastered folding a crane? Congrats, you're already halfway there to becoming a veritable origami master! Harder origami projects take more time and patience to perfect, but you can begin making impressive origami projects now even if you're just a beginner.
How To: Make an origami flying pterodactyl dinosaur for beginners
Ah, this dinosaur origami project takes us back to the good old days, when Power Rangers was the bomb and all the girls wanted to be pink ranger kelly with her skirted pink costume and pink pterodactyl robot thingy.
How To: Make a 3D origami vampire/bat for beginners
No one would ever fear the sight of a vampire if they were this adorable. Part Dracula and part bat, this is a hybrid origami figure that attempts to intimidate but whose penguin-like figure and cuddliness gives him away as a sweetheart.
How To: Make a 3D origami snail for intermediate origami students
Snails are such cool cats. While we humans labor the day away in a whirlwind of errands and obligations, snails take their time wherever they choose to go. As such, we can learn a bit about taking it easy and relaxing from these small wisdom bearers.
How To: Make a scary origami rabbit monster with ferocious teeth
Bunnies are the last things you'd expect to eat your face off, but behind those cute, beady eyes and fuzzy fur lies a ferocious monster just waiting to get out. Or at least that's the case with this fiendish rabbit monster.
How To: Do a knitting bind off (cast off) on a circular needle
Bind offs, also known as cast offs, are useful tools in knitting because they help you keep one area of your project in place while you work on another section. Bind offs on a circular needle work basically in the same way that bind offs work with straight needles.
How To: Knit a simple garter stitch scarf
Watch and learn the secret behind knitting a simple garter stitch scarf. Garter stitches are great for scarves because all you do is knit every row and both sides are the same. Cast on the number of stitches that you want and just start knitting! Judy Graham, Knitter to the Stars, shows you how it's done!
How To: Make a French-style fabric memo board for photos and letters
This crafty project is inexpensive, it's easy to do and it's really handy for attaching things like letters, photos and to-do lists. This isn't like a cork memo board, because you won't need any push pins or cork pins! Watch and learn how to make this French memo board. This is the pretty alternative to drab store-bought memo boards.