Crafts for Teens

Source: http://www.freekidscrafts.com/snowflake-pop-up/

Please click on the source link for this beautiful craft because you will need to print the illustrations as your guidelines. Each illustration will open in a new window and you will be able to print.

What you need:

• White cardstock or construction paper
• White copy paper
• Scissors
• Glue

What to do:

Step 1. Print out the illustrations to help you create your own snowflake pop ups.

Step 2. Print out the card and support pieces on a heavy paper like cardstock or construction paper.

Step 3. Print out the snowflake on regular office or copy paper.

Step 4. Using a ruler as a guide, take the rounded end of a paper clip (or ballpoint pen that has run out of ink) and press along the dotted lines of the pop-up pieces and card.

Step 5. Carefully cut out the pop-up pieces and card following the solid, gray lines around the shape.

Step 6. Fold the base piece of the snowflake in half and put it back to its original position.

Step 7. Fold the left tab up and crease with your thumb or finger.

Step 8. Put the tab back to its original position and repeat the steps on the right side.

Step 9. Crease and push the center of the fold towards you with your index finger.

Step 10. Fold the left arm over and across the piece. Don’t worry if you crease the left tab, we will fix it in the next step.

Step 11. Fold the left tab up and crease with your thumb or finger and put it back to its original position. Repeat Steps 9 and 10 for the right side.

Step 12. Check the printable illustrations to see the progression of steps.

Step 13. Take the base page and fold it in half.

Step 14. Apply glue to the grey areas marked “glue here”.

Step 15. Position one side of the tab on top of the glued area. Do the same to the other side.

Step 16. Press down firmly with both hands and let the glue dry.

Step 17. Take the piece printed on regular paper and fold it in half.

Step 18. Fold the piece down… And then up forming a triangle.

Step 19. Take a pencil and draw a line straight down the side of the triangle you folded up. You can see the dotted lines through the paper from other side, go ahead and trace the dotted line on top of the triangle

Step 20. Carefully cut out small shapes ABOVE the line you just drew. You may cut out shapes like a small triangle or rectangle.

Step 21. Do the same on the other side of the triangle above your dotted line.

Step 22. One more time on the last side of the triangle. (Note: Your shapes may be different from the one shown in the photo and that is ok)

Step 23. Unfold the piece and now you have your snowflake! Keep going…

Step 24. Fold the center of the snowflake away from you, crease it with your finger and put it back to its original position.

Step 25. Now fold the right side tab of the snowflake. Crease it with your thumb or finger. Do the same to the other side and place it back to its original positions.

Step 26. Apply glue to the areas marked “glue here” on the piece that is glued to the card.

Step 27. Carefully align your snowflake on top of one side, and then the other.

Step 28. Press firmly and wait for the glue to dry.

Step 29. Carefully fold your card in half.

Step 30 Open your pop-up Snowflake! Remember, no two snowflakes are alike

Source: http://www.freekidscrafts.com/pear-paint-chip-mosaic/

Create a beautiful Pear Paint Chip Mosaic that is pretty enough to hang on the wall. This craft is good for teens with patience. The concept is simple but cutting all the little squares and gluing them down will take a little time but is well worth the effort. If you like the idea but would rather pick a different picture, go right ahead.

What you need:

• Paint chips or scrap paper
• Poster Board
• Elmers glue
• Scissors
• Pencil
• Ruler
• Saral transfer paper
• 8 x 10 Frame

What to do:

Step 1. Collect free sample colors from department stores or paint stores. Choose a variety of shades. For example, if one of the colors to be used is green then choose as many different variations of green ranging from light to dark.

Step 2. Pre-cut your free color samples into 1″ squares or smaller (this step is optional if you prefer you can cut as you go). Keep in mind that each little square don’t have to be of a perfect measurement. They can be re cut to fit a specific area later on.

Step 3. Use your picture frame insert as a template to cut the poster board so that it can fit into the picture image: http://images.intellitxt.com/ast/adTypes/icon1.png
frame. Following the manufactures instructions transfer the pear pattern to the poster board.

Step 4. Start gluing your colors with Elmer’s glue. Do small sections at the time as your schedule allows you to. Paper mosaic can be a little time consuming but is an inexpensive form of art
that is very gratifying to see when it’s done.

Step 5. Frame your beautiful mosaic art.

Source: http://www.freekidscrafts.com/woven-placemat/

Basic weaving skills and this original FreeKids Craft project can turn basic burlap into a pretty and practical Woven Placemat that can be used over and over again. This is a perfect project for camp craft time.

What you need:

• Burlap
• Assorted Yarn and Ribbon
• Large Blunt Needle or Tacky Glue
• Scissors

What to do:

Step 1. Cut burlap into 12″ x 18″ pieces.

Step 2. Fringe ends by pulling off pieces of the burlap all around the four sides. Select a strand of burlap about 1″ from the bottom edge, grab it firmly pull it all the way out. Discard. Pull out additional pieces until you have gap a little thicker than a piece of your ribbon.

Step 3. Weave the ribbon in and out of the burlap in this space. Don’t try to go in and out of each strand but do a pattern such as “Skip 5, weave down, skip two weave up, etc.” Repeat 1″ from the top edge.

Step 4. Continue with other pieces of ribbon or yarn. When weaving yarn, you can either use a large blunt needle or stiffen the end of the yarn with tacky glue to create a stiff point.

Step 5. Weave until you are happy with the overall project Trim ends.

Source: http://www.freekidscrafts.com/owl-mobile/

This cute Owl Mobile is decorative and whimsical.  Click on source above for photos.

What you need:

• 1/4 yd. small print fabric of each color: Pink, green and green
• 9″ x 12″ felt of each color: Pink, green and purple
• Purple spray color (Design Master® ColorTool®)
• Button:Two 3/4″ diameter of each color: pink, purple and yellow
• Button:Two 1 1/2″ diameter of each color: green, purple and yellow
• Twelve quilting pins with white heads
• Approx. 4 yds. clear fishing line (or monofilament thread)
• 30″ long thin tree branch with small twigs
• Fabric & Leather Adhesive (Elmer’s® CraftBond™)
• X-ACTO® tools:
• 12″ metal ruler
• 8″ scissors
• 5″ precision tip scissors
• Needle
• Thread to match fabrics
• Pencil
• Copy paper
• Old newspapers

What to do:

Step 1. Use ruler and 8″ scissors to cut one fabric to 5 1/2″ x 9 1/2″. With right sides together, fold in half with short sides meeting and use fabric glue to make 1/4″ seam. Repeat with other fabrics.

Step 2. To shape fabric to cover ball, use needle and thread (double strand) to make running stitch 1/2″ from edge of one 9″ side. Pull thread to gather while folding 1/2″ edge to wrong side of fabric. Pull so that no opening shows in gathered area. Knot several times to hold gathers. Place foam ball all inside. Similarly, run gathering stitches 1/2″ from edge of other end of tube. Similarly pull thread to gather, tuck and knot securely. Repeat to cover other balls.

Step 3. Referring to photo, stack (with holes aligned) and use fabric adhesive to glue 3/4″ diameter button on each 1 1/4″ diameter button in alternating color combinations. Let dry.

Step 4. Cut out patterns, template below. Use pins to hold patterns onto felt. Use 5″ scissors to cut one head, two wings and two feet from each felt color. Remove pins. For eyes, use fabric adhesive to glue pairs of buttons to each felt head. Attach head felt to STYROFOAM™ body, pushing quilting pins through button holes. Referring to photo, position and use fabric adhesive to glue desired color combinations of wings and feet to body.

Step 5. In well-ventilated, newspaper-covered area, spray branch with one or two light coats purple spray color. Let dry. To attach, thread 1 yd. length fishing line on needle and stitch end of line to top of owl. Repeat for other two owls. To hang branch, so that it balances, tie and knot ends of 1 yd. length fishing line to opposite ends of twig. Hang twig and refer to photo to tie owls to tree branch at varying heights. Knot and trim excess fishing line. (Hint: When taking down or moving mobile, place onto towel to prevent fishing line from tangling.)

Source: http://www.ilovetocreateblog.blogspot.com/2013/05/how-to-make-boyfriend-pillow.html

What you need:

• Flannel Long Sleeved Shirt
• Aleene’s Fabric Fusion
• Aleene’s Fabric Fusion Tape
• Pinking Shears
• Clothespins
• Pillow stuffing (FiberFill)

What to do:

Step 1. Set your flannel shirt out flat on a table. For a bigger pillow, make sure to get an XXL shirt! Button up the shirt.

Step 2. Draw a chalk line next to the buttons, then cut all along that line.

Step 3. Fold in the raw edges, use Aleene’s Fabric Fusion Tape along the edges and fold over to seal the hem.

Step 4. Add a thick line of Fabric Fusion along the edge and press the two sides in place and use clothespins to hold in place until the glue dries. Also glue the neck area and in between the buttons.

Step 5. Stuff your pillow! Add a little less in the arm so you can bend it around you when you sleep!

Step 6. Glue the bottom hem with Fabric Fusion.

Optional: Add a hand made of felt or fabric!

Now go cuddle!

Source:: http://www.alittlecraftinyourday.com/2013/07/21/how-to-make-a-snow-globe-diy-kid-craft/

What you need:

1 Small figurine

Water resistant glue

Glitter

Jar with smooth side and lid

Water

What you do:

Step 1. Glue figurine to lid (upside down – so, when you screw on lid to jar, the figurine will hang upside-down)

Step 2. Cover bottom of jar with glitter

Step 3. Fill jar with water

Step 4. Apply glue to lid where it screws onto jar – so the lid will be secure once screwed onto jar.

Step 5 – Screw on lid tightly

Step 6 – Turn over jar! You have a snowglobe!

Source:  http://www.alittlecraftinyourday.com/2013/07/12/clothespin-diy-frame/

Source: http://www.alittlecraftinyourday.com/2013/07/22/mosaic-cd-frame/

What you need:

• Picture Frame
• Folk Art Paint
• Old CD’s
• Tacky Glue by ilovetocreate

What to do:

Step 1. Freeze the CD’s for 5 to 10 minutes

Step 2. Break the CD’s into lots of small pieces – not too small,though.

Step 3. Using the paint, paint the CD pieces. Consider where the finished frame will be and use colors that won’t clash in the room.

Step 4. Glue the chips in a mosaic style around the frame. Allow to completely dry.

Source: http://www.alittlecraftinyourday.com/2013/06/05/diy-memo-board/

What you need:

What to do:

The first thing you are going to need to do is apply a thin coat of Mod Podge to your metal sheet

Next, place your pattern paper on top of the metal sheet and make sure to line it up perfectly.

Now we need to make our magnets! This is where the bottle caps come in as well!

First Step is too put a small dab of E6000 on the back of the magnet.

Then, adhere the magnets to the inside of the bottle caps. Let them dry for a pretty good amount of time, maybe an hour or so.

These magnets are so fun! You could decorate the top of the bottle caps, but I think they are fun plain as well!

I thought it needed just a little more pazazzz, so I added a bow that I made using the Bowdabra!

Now it is all a matter of writing down your to do list and hanging it up! You can save and reuse the chores you do on a regular basis!

Source: http://savedbylovecreations.com/2013/02/old-socks-to-fingerless-gloves.html

What you need:

• Fabric scissors or rotary cutter and mat
• Old socks
• Sewing machine
• Chalk pencil

What to do:

Step 1. Cut off socks above ankles at length you want your gloves.

Step 2. Turn Socks inside out.

Step 3. Sew three “Vs” on raw edge for 4 fingers (see photo).

Step 4. Cut between stitched V’s to create fingers.

Step 5. Put on glove and mark where thumb is.

Step 6. Cut 1/2 inch slit for thumb.

Step 7. Wear!

Source: http://www.alittlecraftinyourday.com/2013/07/23/diy-suncatcher/

What you need:

• plastic pony beads
• 6” cake pan
• mini muffin tin
• drill with a tiny bit
• block of wood
• stretchy jewelry cord

What you do:

Step 1. Arrange you pony beads in your bakeware. You can make patterns and lots of fun stuff!!

Source: http://snapguide.com/guides/make-a-bracelet-out-of-a-baseball/

What you need:

Baseball

Pen or Marker

Sharp knife or X-acto

Scissors

What to do:

Step 1. Make an outline of where to cut with a knife as pictured below.

STEP 2. CUT ON BOTH SIDES, CUTTING OUT THE LACE

STEP 3. PULL OF THE COVER.

STEP 4. SHAPE IT UP A LITTLE BIT, MAKE THE CUT STRAIGHTER WITH SCISSORS

STEP 5. SHOULD LOOK LIKE THIS:

STEP 6. MAKE ONE CUT AND THEN MEASURE TO CUT IT IN HALF, SO YOU END UP WITH 2 EQUAL SIZED PIECES

STEP 7: LET BOTH HALVES SIT IN WARM WATER FOR ABOUT A HOUR OR TWO TO GET IT SOFT AND EASY TO STRETCH WHERE IT CAN STRAIGHTEN OUT

STEP 8. UNTHREAD THE LACES, UNRAVEL EACH END UP TO 1″ TIE THE STRINGS IN A KNOT THEN CUT OFF THE EXTRA LEATHER MAKING SURE NOT TO CUT THE STRINGS. THEN DO THE SAME TO THE OTHER SIDE AND THEN TIE IT TO WRIST.

STEP 9: THEN THE FINISHED RESULT, TIE IT TO YOUR WRIST HOWEVER YOU WANT.

Source: http://artfulparent.com/2015/09/how-to-doodle-tissue-paper-lanterns.html

What you need:

• Mod Podge
• Alum Salt (If you can find alum powder, you’ll have superior results compared to me)
• WaterColors and/or Metallic Nail Polish
• Paintbrush
• Necklace Chain
• Metal Charm (see photos below)
• Jar

What to do:

Step 1: Warm up 1-2 Cups of water and add them to your jar. Add half of the container of alum. To make your crystals get larger in a shorter amount of time you can add more.

Stir until dissolved.

Step 2: Leave your crystals alone for 10-15 days. Depending on the amount of alum you added the crystals could be done sooner or later. Check on them every few days but try not to disturb the jar.

Step 3: When your crystals have reached a size you are happy with, use a spoon to remove them from the bottom of the container. Allow them to dry on a paper towel overnight; they are still fragile when freshly harvested.

You can probably expect a mix of large-grouped together crystals and small-grouped or singular crystals.

Step 4: Paint the left side of crystals with the polish. The right side with watercolors. The nail polish gives it a metallic sheen and makes the crystals look more like gemstones, the watercolor really make them look like crystals. Its a light opaque color that looks more natural.

Step 5: Paint the base of your metal charm with a thick layer of mod podge.

Step 6: Begin to fill in the charm in with crystals. Start with large pieces and fill in around them. Sometimes some of the bigger pieces needed to be broken down. Gently separate the hexagonal crystals from each other. The crystals themselves are very hard to break on their own.

If your mod podge starts to dry, you can use the paintbrush to apply a tiny glob of ‘podge to your crystal before you place it.

Almost there but you can see where there are a few more places to fill in.

Ready to move on to the next step!

Step 7: When your crystals are all in order, you can choose to color your crystals in whichever way you prefer. Here are some tips:

Watercolors:

• Don’t use too much water, mod podge is water soluble so just get the most pigment with the least water.
• Less coats look more natural, more coats look richer.
• Seal with Clear Nail Polish

Nail Polish:

• One coat gives sufficient coverage. Nail Polishes could vary.
• Doesn’t need sealed, or at least I have seen no reason to as of yet, will update if needed.

When its all dry you’re done! Attach an eye ring to the pendent and slide it on a chain!

 These babies sparkle in the sunlight!

(The items above are for sale in Rachil Luke’s website – click source above.)

Source: http://thediymommy.com/make-a-jewelry-holder-from-a-cutlery-tray/

Souce: http://www.earnesthomeco.com/rose-gold-leather-mousepad-diy/

What you need:

• Leather
• Cork
• Spray Adhesive

What to do:

Step 1. Trace out an outline of your mousepad using a small tray or box as a template. Then cut out around the traced line.

Next, spray a piece of cork with spray adhesive.  It’s less gooey than regular glue, which holds the leather in place better and doesn’t seep through the holes in the cork.  The cork sheet can just be bought at Michaels in the area where all the scrapbook paper is.

Press your leather onto the adheised (not a word, but it is now) cork, then trim off the excess cork.

All done.  See how easy that was?

Source: http://www.abeautifulmess.com/2015/03/gem-mirror-diy-easy-glass-cutting-technique.html

 

What you need:

• glass cutter tool
• mirror (we used this one)
• metal ruler + marker
• gloves and safety glasses
• gem line drawing and cutting guide (right click to download)
• fine grade sandpaper
• contact paper
• X-Acto knife
• gold spray paint
• clear spray paint

*Note: Most of these glass cutter tools come with an area in the top where you can put oil that runs down to the blade, but you don’t really need the oil to score the glass. The oil helps keep the blade sharp longer, but you can still cut just the same without it.

To make your octagon gem shape, first you’ll want to cut your mirror into a square. Use a metal ruler and marker to measure out and draw a square the size of your desired finished width onto the mirror (don’t worry about the marker, glass cleaner will take it right off). Position your glass cutting tool on your line and place your metal ruler up against the cutting wheel. Use your glass cutter tool to score a line into the mirror that runs the entire length of the mirror (make sure to keep your tool right up against the ruler as you score). You want to firmly score the line in one single pass, so don’t go over your line again once you’ve scored it. You are basically cutting off the entire chunk of mirror that is to the left (or right) of your marked square line. It basically feels the same as cutting with an X-Acto knife. And if you worried it will make a “nails on a chalkboard” sound as you score the glass, don’t worry. It hardly makes any noise at all.

Once your line is scored, scoot the mirror to the edge of the table and line up the scored line with the edge. In one swift motion, push down on the piece you are breaking off and it will snap at the scored line leaving a clean break between the two. It’s a bit scary to actually go through with the breaking part because your brain is convinced that the mirror will shatter as soon as you press down. But once you do go through with it, the mirror only makes a tiny snapping sound and you feel a bit silly for building it up so much in your mind.You’ll want to wear gloves and eye protection for this step just to be extra careful, but Josh is a bit of a daredevil as you can see, so he skipped the gloves part. I still felt a little nervous at this point, so I wore really thick leather gloves just to be safe when I did my pieces.

Now that we have our shape, let’s create our gem lines! Cover the whole front of your mirror with contact paper. Use this handy dandy line making and cutting guide that Josh made for you (right click to download) to draw and cut the lines of your gem with your marker and then X-Acto knife. It looks complicated, but just draw and then cut all the lines in the order he has shown. It’s a lot easier than you’d think. You can make your lines as thick or as thin as you want depending on the overall size of your mirror, but ours are about 1/4″ thick. So we cut 1/8″ on either side of the lines. Peel off all the lines to expose the mirror underneath.

Source: http://www.designlovefest.com/2015/04/make-it-wall-planters/

What you need:

• air dry clay (we used Crayola)
• rolling pin
• canvas about 18 x 24 inches
• exacto blade
• ceramic pin tool (available at art and craft stores)
• sandpaper
• craft or spray paint
• tissue paper or newsprint and drawing paper
• small sponge

What to do:

• roll 2 balls of clay, the size of a fist, in between a folded piece of canvas until they are about 1/4 inch in thick. note: rolling the clay on canvas will keep the clay from sticking to your work table and make it easier to pick up

• cut out each pattern piece from your flattened clay with an exacto knife (clay is surprisingly easy to cut with a sharp blade)

• roll one coil of clay long enough to go around the bottom curve of your front pattern piece taking care to taper the ends a bit

• with the pin tool make score marks along all the edges that your two pieces will meet to form your pocket

• on your front piece attach the coil to the area that you have scored. add a little water to the clay to help the coil stick to the other piece of clay, score the top of the attached coil as well

• cut a piece of drawing paper slightly smaller but in the same shape as your front pattern piece. it doesn’t need to be perfect just enough to cover the surface of the exposed clay inside the coil area. this will help keep your two clay pieces from touching when you join then and also help you keep the shape smooth

• with a sponge put a little water on the coil and the scored part of the other piece of clay

• crumple a little piece of newsprint or tissue paper and put it on the large flat piece of clay. this will help you create the shape of the pocket when you join the two pieces

• now you get to join your two pieces together! when you have them lined up so all the edges are in the right place pinch the 2 pieces together kind of like a pie crust

• with your sponge smooth all the edges and surfaces. if your edge is a little bumpy from pinching it run the pin tool along it and take off any small pieces

• shape your pocket and put in extra tissue paper if necessary to keep it propped up while drying. after the clay has dried for an hour or so you can put your last finishing touches on the pocket shape and smooth it all out one last time

• after your clay is dry (time depends on climate conditions where you are, in Southern California we find it takes a day or two) you can smooth your pocket even more with sandpaper. use a medium grit first to take down any lumps or bumps and a fine grit to smooth before painting

• we used white spray paint and colored craft paint to finish ours but you can really do anything! dots, stripes, all white, it’s up to you

• use a clear acrylic spray to seal your paint since you will probably need to water your plants, be sure to read all directions on paint dry time so your project stands the test of time.

we decided to use succulents as they require less water and still look great but the plant selection is up to you. have fun and show us what you create!

DIY created by: natalie shriver
photos by: Ivan Solis

Source: http://www.homeyohmy.com/diy-crystal-knob-boxes/

What you need:

-wood boxes
–white acrylic paint
–foam brush
–gloss varnish
-crystals
–E6000 glue

At first I thought I’d be going with rectangular boxes, but then I found these circular ones at Michaels and thought they were cute enough to change the plan.

Now here’s one thing I need to mention.  If I were to do this project again, I’d for sure just use a glossy white spray paint because it combines the steps I took, plus I imagine it will give a more even and streak-free finish.  I went with acrylic paint and gloss varnish though because it was what I had on hand at the time, but if you’re going to try this DIY, definitely definitely use spray paint.  Several light coats and that’s it.  If you’re like me and insist on acrylic paint, I roughly applied about 3 coats with drying in between before applying 2 coats of gloss varnish.

After everything dried, I glued on the crystals to the top of each box with E6000.  I got these crystals at a local craft store and don’t know of an online source for them, but I believe they’re typically available at most craft stores.

Pretty darn easy I say.  I considered painting the inside of the box as well but loved how modern the raw wood looked with the white.  It gives a softer contrast than a colored paint would, but that option would still be fun, especially if it were pastel, which I imagine looking very cute for this.  What do you think- would you paint the insides?

Source: http://www.abeautifulmess.com/2015/02/how-to-marbleize-paper-trials-and-errors.html

What you need:
-medium-weight absorbent paper
-oil paints
-paint thinner
-water basin
–methyl cellulose
–alum
-dropper or syringe
-coffee stirrer or spoon handle
-spray bottle, large brush, or sponge

Avoiding Potential Pitfalls

How do I keep the pigment from sinking into the water? I used methyl cellulose to thicken my water (see instructions later in this post), but still had issues with my pigments sinking. See what happened with each process later in this post, but I’ll tell you right now—oil paints are the best for floating on water, but I also recommend that you properly thicken the water.

How do I make sure the design I make in the pigment doesn’t float away as I lay down the paper? As I laid my paper across the surface of the water to transfer the design onto my paper, the water below shifted, and the pigments along with it. The best method is to make sure your paper is pliable (not stiff) and wrinkle-free so you can lay down the paper without disturbing the surface of the water. This will ensure the crispest transfer of your design.

What kind of pigment will attach to the paper the best? I found that oil paint created the boldest designs, but most importantly, your paper should be properly prepared first. After transferring the design onto the paper, you’ll actually need to rinse off the paper. Normally, this would probably cause the ink or paint to be washed off the paper as well, but if you prepare your paper with alum first, the design will adhere to your paper while the excess paint and water will be rinsed away. Read further in this post for best methods of preparing the paper.

Preparing Your Supplies

Preparing for marbling is very simple, though it does require a one hour wait time. You will need to thicken your water and prepare your paper, both processes requiring rest time afterwards.

Preparing the Water and Tray: If you are working with small scale paper, you can use a baking sheet with walls (such as a jelly roll pan) and just an inch of water. A jelly roll pan will only require about 1 quart of water to fill it, though you will probably want to prepare more water in case you have issues removing unwanted paint from the water between marbling sheets. I stored my excess thickened water in mason jars for later use. If you are using larger scale papers, you will need a large, shallow basin, such as an under-bed storage drawer, which is what I used. This storage drawer required about 3-4 quarts of water.

Thicken the Water: To thicken the water, you will needmethyl cellulose, which is a powdery substance that mixes with water to create a consistency much like a thin gelatin. I prepared my water in a stock pot which has measurements marked out along the inside. Mix 1/4 cup of methyl cellulose with 2 quarts of water for the best marbling consistency. Use a whisk to stir the mixture and let it thicken for one hour. To ensure an even consistency, it’s best to whisk the mixture thoroughly every ten minutes, or you’ll end up with globs at the bottom of your pan at the end of an hour. After an hour, you may pour the thickened water into your marbling pan and begin!

Preparing the Paper: You will need to cover your paper withalum in order for the design to transfer from the water to the paper without getting washed away. You may apply the alum with a brush, sponge, or a spray bottle. Mix 1 tablespoon of the powdery alum per one cup of water, and then thoroughly wet the surface of your paper. Lay the paper flat or hang it to dry.

After the paper is dry (about one hour), you’ll want to iron it—yes, using an actual hot iron to make sure it is as flat as possible for the marbling process. You may have success with ironing a slightly damp piece of paper to prevent set-in wrinkles.

Attempt #1: Marbling with Ink & Thickened Water

You may look at the above pictures and think, “Ooooh, this one looks pretty!” Well, that’s what I thought too. But when I tried to transfer the pretty design onto the paper, it didn’t go so well.

Method: I began with about two inches of thickened water and gently dropped ink directly from the bottle’s dropper into the water. I added a turquoise blue and an olive green ink, then swirled them around with the handle of a spoon to make my design. I gently laid paper prepared with alum onto the surface of the water, then carefully peeled the paper away from the water. Because the alum ensures the pigments’ adhesion to the paper, I then rinsed the thickened water residue from my paper and was disappointed to see only a faint marble design, as seen below.

Result:The ink was not staying afloat at the very top of the water, even though my water was thickened. You could still see the design in the water, though it was just below the surface. In addition, the pigment of the ink just didn’t seem bold enough to adhere properly to the paper for a crisp design. Maybe it was the colors I used, but I decided to give up on ink and try a different method.

Attempt #2: Marbling with Gouache Paint & Thickened Water

This resulted in such a similar fail as marbling with ink, that I didn’t even bother taking pictures of the results. My method was the same, only instead of using ink, I used heavy pigmented gouache water colors which I diluted to the consistency of cream. The pigments were still too soft and still wouldn’t stay on the surface of the thickened water.

Attempt #3: Marbling with Oil Paints & Non-Thickened Water

My main issue thus far seemed to be keeping the pigments floating on the water. To solve this, I switched to oil paints, since oil does not mix with water. Ideally, the oil paints would float above the water, so I wouldn’t even need to thicken it. Or at least, that was my initial idea.

Method: I filled a jelly roll pan with water and dropped diluted oil paints onto the surface with a dropper. I could tell as soon as I began swirling that I didn’t have much control over the design. I then carefully laid down paper which had been prepared with alum, but the paint was swiftly moving across the surface of the water no matter how delicately I laid down the paper. I tried one without preparing the paper with alum too (the framed one above), which didn’t turn out half bad. I did not rinse that one, but I did rinse the pieces which had been prepared with alum.

Result: The oil paint did float without the assistance of a water thickener, and did produce a much bolder design, but the design was very difficult to control as it floated on water which had not been thickened. This observation led me to my final, successful attempt at marbling paper.

Attempt #4: Marbling with Oil Paints & Thickened Water

Ding ding ding! We have a winner! Now I knew that oil paints were the best for floating on water, I just needed to control them a bit more. So I went back to using thickened water. This was my marbling sweet spot.

Method: I filled my large basin with about two inches of thickened water (see preparation instructions above) and used a decommissioned children’s Tylenol syringe to apply my diluted oil paints. I had diluted the thick oil paints with white spirit to get them to the consistency of heavy cream. After dropping the colors into the water, I used a coffee stirrer to swirl them around in a pretty pattern. This is where you can get creative and play around. Then I carefully laid colored paper prepared with alum onto the surface (see preparation instructions above), gently pressing along the back of the paper to make sure no parts of the paper were still raised off the water. I let the paper rest for several seconds, then gently peeled it off and rinsed off the paper in the sink to get off the excess paint and goopy water. I hung the paper to dry, then ironed it flat when it was just slightly damp.

Result:This method of floating oil paint atop thickened water created the most controlled and bold designs of any method I tried. It is tricky getting the excess paint out of the water in between sheets of paper (lots of sheets of newspaper to draw out the paint), but I loved the way each subsequent print turned out with this method.

Helpful Tips:

Choose the right paper. The paper you use should be absorbent, but only moderately thick in weight. If it’s too thick, like high quality water paper, it will have stiff wrinkles after preparing the paper with alum. Even ironing out the dried paper before marbling will not remove all of the wrinkles and they will keep you from getting a smooth transfer of the floating pigments onto the paper. Colored paper is also a good choice because it already has a nice background hue before adding your marbled design. I was not happy with the performance of watercolor paper in my experiments, but I found that subtly textured art paper, particularly Canson’s Mi-Teintes paper, was my favorite. You should be able to find large sheets of this at art supply stores.

Prepare plenty of paper before beginning the marbling process. You’ll probably mess up a few sheets of paper before you figure out the best paint consistency, paper laying/lifting method, marbling design for your desired outcome. I started out with plain white watercolor paper, but when I didn’t enjoy the results, I had to pause my project for a few hours while I bought more papers, prepared the papers, and waited for the prepared papers to dry before I could iron them and continue my project.

Marbling is such a free-spirited way of creating art. The results look abstract and natural, making a marbleized print the perfect addition to any wall gallery or even a great stand alone statement piece on your wall. And why stop at wall art? Marbled paper makes great gift wrap and greeting card material. –Mandi

Credits // Author and Photography: Mandi Johnson. Photos edited with Stella and Valentine from the Signature Collection.

Source: http://lovelyindeed.com/diy-picnic-basket/

What you need:

• basket with hinged lid
• E-6000 (or your favorite mega-strong glue)
• elastic
• large button
• scissors
• upholstery thread

What to do:

Make Time: 1 Hour (Plus Drying Time)

Start by figuring out what utensils you’d like to attach to the inside of your basket. I wanted to make space for a couple of sets of silverware, and a couple of champagne glasses. (Speaking of which, here’s a tutorial to make your own gold polka dot champagne flutes!)

Measure out the elastic so that it’s long enough to wrap around your glasses but keep them very snug. Snip off the right amount of elastic. Spread E-6000 on both ends and press the ends firmly into the underside of the basket lid.

Repeat the process for the other items you’d like to attach to the lid. For utensils, make a small loop of elastic by cutting about 2 inches and glueing the ends together. Then glue the loop to the lid in the same way you did for the glasses.

Use thick upholstery thread to weave through the front of the basket and through the hole of your button. Make a few passes to ensure that the connection is strong, then double knot and snip the ends.

Glue a loop of elastic to the underside of the lid of your basket, long enough to reach around the button and hold the lid taut.

Allow all of your glue to dry for at least 24 hours, or until it’s completely cured.

That’s all! Fill it with fun treats (champagne required) and get yourself on some picnics!

Source: http://sandandsisal.com/2013/06/make-a-shadowbox.html

What you need:

Step 1) Buy a shadowbox. Mine was from Target $10.

Step 2) Edit and crop your photo. (Sorry baby-love, this shadow box is for your big brother.)

Step 3) Lay a 12×12 piece of scrapbook paper across the backboard and adhere it with a bit of tape and tape your photo to the scrapbook paper

Step 4) The FUN part! Add in objects that will capture the memory of the occasion.  (adhere the objects with hot glue if desired)

Step 5) Reassemble the shadow box and display.

I am having a blast personalizing a shadowbox  for each child and they are loving it too!

Source: http://just2sisters.com/photo-wheel-diy-craft/

WHAT YOU NEED:

• Cardboard large enough to cut the size of the wheel you want
• Spray paint
• Photos
• Clothes pin

WHAT TO DO:

• Cut your circle out of your cardboard.  We used to big bowls to create our large and small circle.
• Spray paint the color of your choice
• Start gluing your clothes pin around the circle with the squeezing part on the circle.  Pre-place them we used super glue to place them onto the circle.
• Place your picture around the wheel.

Source: http://www.thebakingfairy.net/2014/06/dry-erase-paint-chip-calendar/

What you need:

• 35 paint chips
• Frame
• Foam Board
• glue stick

What to do:

1. Cut your poster/foam board to fit inside your frame.
2. Lay out your paint chips into the desired formation. My frame was too small to save a row of chips specifically for writing the month name, so I settled with 5 rows across, and 7 rows down (one for each day of the week).
3. If your paint chips are too large or too wide, figure out how much to trim off of each to make them even! My chips were 5-6 inches too wide for my frame, so I cut off 1 inch per chip. I wanted to keep the Pantone logo, so I cut off the side with the names of the colors!

4. Once the chips are all evenly trimmed, lay them out in the desired formation. Mine were the right width at this point, but still too tall, so I just settled for slightly overlapping them rather than cutting them. It’s up to you!
5. Starting at the bottom row, use a regular glue stick to glue the chips to your poster. Easy peasy! I first glued the whole bottom row of chips, then worked on each column going bottom to top.

6. If you left room on the sides of your poster board and don’t want to leave them white, you can cut them off, and put colorful fabric {or scrapbook paper} inside the frame on the sides! I used some leftover fabric I had laying around.
7. Once you are satisfied with the look of your calendar, place it in your frame! Use a dry-erase marker on the glass to mark the month and the days. Super simple! Hang and enjoy your fashionable organization!

Resource: http://www.kcedventures.com/blog/kids-garden-art-painting-clay-pots

What you need:

• a clean Terra Cotta Pot (clay pots) – use any size but know that the larger the pot, the more paint you’ll need
• a variety of acrylic paints (at the minimum, we would recommend 4 colors)
• wax paper
• newspaper to cover your work area
• a somewhat patient kid
• smock!  a must when painting with kids

What to do:

First, choose what paint colors you’d like to use.

We chose Acrylics Brights (Neon) Paints and used six different colors.  We decided to use the darker colors first and then cover with the lighter colors but I’m sure you can do it either way (lighter first would work too).

Cover your work area with newsprint and then cover your kids with a smock or old shirt

Turn a clay pot (that’s clean and dry) so it’s bottom-side up on a sheet of wax paper.  The wax paper will allow the paint to dry and then come off clean so there’s no newsprint stuck to your pot.

Then squeeze the paint around the edge of the pot so it drips down the side.

We poured the colors one right after the other – don’t let them dry between coats.

And you can see we didn’t care if we covered the whole pot.  We liked the look of some of the terra cotta showing through when it was finished.

Let the pot dry over night and then remove it from the wax paper.

It should easily peel off but if the paint sticks, use a knife to trim around the edge of the pot.

Pretty, isn’t it?!

I love the blend of colors on the pot — so bright!

Each pot has it’s own unique look so the kids will easily be able to tell theirs apart.

These were smaller pots and we used about 1/4 of each of the 6 oz. bottles of paint on one pot.

Source: http://www.robynsonlineworld.com/2013/12/decorated-tech-cords-project/

What you need:

Colored electrical tape

What to do:

Step 1: Think “color coding”. If you have two similar cables, use different patterns or colors to make them easily discernible. You can find electrical tape in the hardware or automotive section of stores and it is usually fairly inexpensive.

Step 2: Wrap your cord slowly from the bottom to the top in whatever pattern or color you and your child choose. We made a winding effect using two different colors, starting with green as our base. Wrap the tape around your power cord, making sure to completely cover the cord itself.

Step 3: Next, take your top layer (we chose yellow) and cut thin strips about ¾ the width of the tape itself. If your child is using scissors to cut the tape, then make sure to supervise your child. Tip – if an adult or teen is doing this you might find using a craft knife on a self-healing mat easier to use for cutting your strips.

Step 4: Wind the thin strip up your cord on top of the colored base.

Step 5: Now your power cord stands out. Repeat with the rest of your cables. Make sure to experiment with different patterns and color schemes to create fun combinations.