How to make flowery things

As Valentine's Day approaches—or as you grow increasingly tired of gray skies and snowbanks—pretty, flowery projects sound like a good idea. Here are some tutorials from around the internet:
Felt flower clips by A Hoot and a Holler (pictured above)
Rose barrettes at The Purl Bee
Crochet flower pattern by Salihan Crafts
Crochet flower pattern by Attic24 (pictured below)
Flowers made from zippers at Martha
Floral embroidery pattern at Vintage Transfer Finds (as well as how to use it)
Flowers made from ribbon at Make It Do

Mini bunting birthday card

My latest quickie DIY project: a birthday card with a tiny bunting of miniature flags. If you want to try one, here's how to make it.

Fold a sheet of cardstock into thirds, accordian style. If you want a printed message on your card, run it through your printer before folding.

Cut out strips of colored paper and fold them in half lengthwise. (My strips were about 1" wide.) Cut the folded strips into tiny triangles; they should look like little hinges. Make a few strings of bunting by folding triangles over a cord and gluing both halves together.

With an X-acto knife, cut tiny slits in the folded edge of the cover of your card. Thread one end of each bunting cord through a slit and secure the cord end behind the cover with a piece of tape. Wrap the opposite end of each cord around the cover of the card and secure it in the back with more tape. Then place double stick tape around the edges and center of the back side of the cover and stick the cover to the adjacent panel, hiding the taped ends of your bunting. Round the corners of your card if you like, and you're done.

An explosion of recycled magazine bows

Remember those instructions I posted for how to make gift bows from magazine pages? Yesterday I received an email from Katie Soltysiak, showing all the bows she's made with the tutorial. Fantastic! Each one is like a little work of art. To see more pictures, visit Katie's photo set at Flickr.

Gorgeous felt pillow tutorial

Looky! These felt flower pillows at The Purl Bee are completely lovely. You can make some yourself by following the instructions right here.

(Image from The Purl Bee)

How to make paper lantern ornaments

Well, kids, I had tons of ideas for other ornaments and decorations and lovely new things I wanted to make before Christmas. But my ambition did not quite correspond to the amount of free time I have. Too many graphic design projects to finish before we head out of town this week. But during my internet travels I did come across these nifty paper ball decorations, complete with instructions. Nice work, anonymous blogger at The Creative Place.

This just in: A shortcut to making these. Thanks, Whitney!

(Image from The Creative Place)

How to make 3D paper ornaments

Here's a Christmas ornament you can make with colored papers or magazine pages. I'm not sure what to call it. A funnel ball? The instructions:

1. Cut out 10 paper circles (any size, as long as they're all the same). Text weight paper will be easier to work with than cardstock.
2. Cut each circle along the radius.
3. Put a small piece of double-stick tape on each side of the cut near the edge of the paper.

4. Flip the circle over so the taped side is down; then pull each flap across the circle toward you and twist to form a cone. Press the taped ends down to secure. You should end up with two cones that look vaguely like a fortune cookie. Do this to each of your 10 circles.

5. String the double cones together with a needle and thread. Make sure they're gathered snugly in a ball and tie a knot. Use the trailing ends of the thread to make a loop for hanging.

Here's one made from magazine pages. If you like recycled crafts, give it a whirl. Or try a felt version!

Make a custom zippered pouch

Somehow I ended up at Marie Claire Idées and found this zippered pouch project, which is explained in French. If you need help deciphering it, use Google Translate. But as far as I can tell, you can download a PDF of the image they use on the pouch. Print it on iron-on inkjet transfer paper (available at craft stores and your standard office supply stores, like Office Max, etc.) Then iron the image onto plain white cotton and sew it into a little zippered bag. (Here's a sewing tutorial if you need help.) Their downloadable photograph even has a tag in it where you can use a permanent pen to write the recipient's name. I think.

I love this idea, because you could take photos of your own stuff or toss some items on the scanner, then make totally customized bags as gifts. It would also be fun to make little bags from the vintage labels in this Flickr set.

(Top image from Marie Claire Idées)

How to make felt ornaments

If you're in the mood to make some felt ornaments, here's a round-up of cute tutorials to keep you busy:
Ice skates (shown above) at Better Homes and Gardens
Ball ornament at Zakka Life
Christmas owls at Diversions
Bird in a cage at Felt-o-rama
Retro-inspired ornaments at Fantastic Toys
Polaroid pictures at Katie Cupcake
Peppermint candies at Better Homes and Gardens
Jingle mouse at Pimp Stitch
Rosette wreath at Domestifluff

Felt gingerbread ornaments

Friday's Chicago Craft Social was lots of fun. The theme was handmade gifts and holiday decorations, like these felt gingerbread ornaments. I made this half-eaten gingerbread man using Elsie Marley's free pattern, available here. These tiny houses are based on Betz White's design in the e-book Crafty Tree Trimmings: Six Festive Holiday Ornaments to Make, for sale right here.

Handmade Holidays

Sew, Mama, Sew's third annual Handmade Holidays round-up of tutorials is in full swing over on their blog. Every day during the month of November, they'll feature a themed collection of sewing projects from the internet—all gifts you could make yourself. A daily recipe and printable are included, too.

How to stencil with freezer paper

One of the projects at this Friday's Chicago Craft Social will be freezer paper stenciling. I'm helping lead this table, so I needed to give it a test drive and make up some samples. You know how a project usually has four tedious steps you tolerate and one step that's super fun? I think this is one of the few where all of the steps are fun. Or maybe that's just me. I'm now in the grips of stencil mania. I'm stenciling everything.

To stencil your own stuff:
Buy a roll of freezer paper (approx. $3.99) or beg a piece from the guy in the meat department at your grocery store. Draw your design on it and cut it out with an X-acto knife. Then iron the paper, shiny side down, onto the fabric you're going to stencil. Iron another sheet to the back of the fabric to keep the paint from soaking through. You can use the iron setting that corresponds to the fabric you're stenciling.

With a foam brush, stenciling brush, kitchen sponge, or other paint brush, apply fabric paint to the cut-away areas. I used Jacquard brand textile paint from the local art store.

Let the paint dry (use a hairdryer if you're the impatient type, like me.) Peel the freezer paper off. Set the paint by following the directions on the jar — usually ironing will set it. Ta da.

DIY coffee stencil

Husband Alex usually makes lattes for us on Saturday mornings, so here's my secret plan to spruce his up. He's out of town at the moment, so I have plenty of time to practice dusting cocoa properly. Right now it sort of looks like this says "I blob you."

I drew the design on a piece of paper, then laid a plastic lid on top. (This one is from a deli container I saved.) With an X-acto knife, I cut through the plastic, tracing along the design underneath. A tip: you'll never be able to cut the shapes out in one pass. Make many cuts on top of each other until you break through.

Lay the stencil on top of your mug and sprinkle with cinnamon or cocoa. Dust the powder through a sieve or strainer to make a very fine layer.

Since cutting your own stencil is a bit of a pain, you could also get some from Amazon or CoffeeStencil.com. And if you totally dig stenciling, don't neglect your cakes and cupcakes!

Tutorials: small, soft, cute edition

A collection of projects for babies and people who like small cute things. If you like big ugly things, these are not for you. And I should clarify that the recipient of some of these projects might be a baby; it's not that I think a baby could actually make that monkey. I don't have kids, but I'm pretty sure about that.

Felt rabbit keychain (above left) at Daily Cute
Crocheted mini monkey with fez (above right) by Christen Haden
Cashmere baby hat and animal friend at Chez Beeper Bebe
Fleece baby mittens at Canadian Living
Argyle onesie by Lu Bird Baby
Felt stuffed piggie at Dollmaker
Crocheted owls with big eyes by Brigitte Read
Piece of toast keychain at Deviant Art
Felt cake slices at Better Homes and Gardens

(Images from Daily Cute and Chad VanPelt)

DIY projects to keep you busy

Try one of these craft ideas this weekend:
Vintage-look button earrings at Grosgrain Fabulous, above
Faux bois bookend from Tenth Muse Studios
Modern vases from recycled containers at P.S. I Made This
Wood clock by Mufn Inc
Decorative switchplates at Mod Podge Rocks
Soda can flower magnets by Tenth Muse Studios
DIY wall art with silhouettes at Time Out New York

(Image from Grosgrain Fabulous)

Painted pumpkin ideas

Check out the cool painted pumpkin ideas over at Parents magazine. I like the white versions for their untraditionalness. Untraditionality. Nontraditiation.

(Images by James Baigrie for Parents)

Spooky packing tape transfers

Here's a quick and easy Halloween project: votive candle holders with packing tape transferred images. You'll need clear packing tape and access to a laser printer to make these.

First, select the image you'd like to apply to your candle holder. (Check here for scary vintage clip art, like this spider, bat, crow, skull, aardvark, or search the database for other illustrations.)

With a laser printer, print your images out 2" high (or to fit within the size of the clear packing tape you have.) An inkjet printer won't work for this project, so don't even think about it!

Laminate the front of your image with packing tape. Use your thumbnail to burnish your image onto the tape, making sure the parts with toner are stuck down well. Then trim the picture down to size. You can either cut carefully around your image now, or just cut out a square and trim it later. Doing it now is probably easier.

Soak the image in a bowl of warm water for ten minutes. Then rub the wet paper fibers off the back until you're left with just clear packing tape and toner.

The tape will still be slightly sticky, so you can directly apply it to a candle holder, or for a more permanent solution, adhere it with Mod Podge, acrylic gel medium, or other glue.

Make a gift bow from a magazine page

In gift wrap emergencies when you've got the present but need some wrapping, here's an idea for turning a magazine page into a bow. There may be better ways to stick this thing together, but I used what I had on hand: staples and adhesive glue dots. Double stick tape or brads should work, too.

Cut a magazine page lengthwise into 9 strips, 3/4" wide. Leave 3 of the strips full length. Cut one inch off 3 of the strips. Cut two inches off 2 of the strips. Cut the last strip down to 3 1/2" long.

If you're using a magazine that's 10 1/2" tall, you'll end up with:
3 strips, 10 1/2" x 3/4"
3 strips, 9 1/2" x 3/4"
2 strips, 8 1/2" x 3/4"
1 strip, 3 1/2" x 3/4"

Twist each strip to form a loop at both ends and staple it in the center. Shape the last, short strip into a circle and secure it with a glue dot.

Layer the three longest pieces on top of each other, spacing them evenly and securing each with a glue dot. Add the next two groups of pieces, doing the same. And finally, stick the loop into the center.

Use other papers, like a map of your city. Here's Chicagoland. Anybody see your street?

Recycled magazine business card holders

Residing in my house: clear vinyl, CB2 catalog, contact paper, sewing machine. Clearly these needed to join forces and become business card holders. (Not that I need another one, but it seemed good to try sewing with clear vinyl on a small, non-threatening first project.)

1. Choose a nice magazine page and cut it down to 4 1/2" x 5 1/4."

2. Laminate it between two pieces of clear contact paper. Burnish both sides with your thumbnail to get rid of any air bubbles, and trim off any overhanging contact paper. Score the piece horizontally across the middle and fold in half.

3. Cut a 4 1/2" x 2 3/8" rectangle from some clear vinyl (inexpensive, available by the yard at fabric stores). Put a couple miniscule pieces of double-stick tape in your seam allowance area and stick the vinyl rectangle to the inside of your business card holder.

4. With your sewing machine, sew around three edges of the vinyl to form a pocket. It's easier to sew on the contact paper side (less sticking to the presser foot), so mark your starting and stopping points and sew away. The vinyl side will tend to stick to the base of your sewing machine, so it helps to curl the unsewn part up, away from the machine as you sew. Tie off your seams by hand instead of backstitching. Round the corners if you like.

Projects for the weekend

Some craft and DIY tutorials to see you through to Monday:

Spray painted DIY wall art at Krylon (above)
How to paint a floor canvas at Sunset Magazine
Fabric covered drawer pulls by Good Housekeeping
Braided doormat at Martha Stewart
Paper wine bag by Daisy Janie
Sling shoulder bag at Oh, Fransson
Recessed zipper shoulder bag at Projects by Jane
Poppy boutonnieres by Grosgrain Fabulous

(Image from Krylon)

How to make a ruffled felt pillow

I was delighted to see this felt pillow tutorial on Etsy's blog. Orange plus felt rosettes? What's not to love? And very trendy, since fabric flowers and ruffles seem to be springing up everywhere these days. The tutorial is from Anne Kyrrö Quinn's new book, Felt Furnishings.