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Celebrating National Craft Month

by eclectic on March 1, 2011 in Crafts with No comments
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March is National Craft Month — one of our favorite months of the year! This year, the focus of the festivities (sponsored by the Craft & Hobby Association) is crafting for a deeper sense of fulfillment and well-being. According to CHA, “Whether you craft to reduce stress, build self-esteem, or for the sheer satisfaction of creating something with your own hands — crafting provides benefits beyond the initial project.” We couldn’t agree more!

To celebrate National Craft Month, we’ll be highlighting new craft projects throughout the month, sharing special tips and tools, and featuring some of our favorite crafters. Check back often for holiday-themed projects, including Mardi Gras and St. Patrick’s Day, and don’t miss unique birthday crafts for two popular children’s icons. After all, what better way to celebrate than with a special craft project?

If you’re eager to get started, you can always find inspiration in our archives. We’ve hand-picked some of our favorite posts below, but feel free to look around. Fun new projects are just around the corner.

How will you celebrate National Craft Month?

Turn a Lazy Susan into a Craft Organizer

How to Make Steampunk Jewelry

Brighten a Room with a Mosaic Mirror Table

Create a Unique Laminated Lampshade

Sticky Business: Posts We Liked This Week

by eclectic on February 26, 2011 in Crafts, DIY with No comments
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Here are our favorite craft and DIY links this week.  Be sure to follow us @amazinggoop for daily updates on crafts, DIY projects and more! Hope you have a great weekend!

Crafts:

This week, Curbly shows you how to build a mirror from reclaimed barn wood.

Add eco-friendly crafts to your repertoire by exploring Seven Great Eco Craft Books from Crafting a Greener World.

Get ready for St. Patrick’s Day by creating Luck Letters using E-6000 from Someday Crafts.

An adorable Punched paper chain garland from The Crafts Dept is perfect if you’re looking for an easy springtime craft project.

DIY Projects:

Learn How to Install a Vintage Lockset from This Old House.

In need of affordable art for your home? Check out DIY Art: Framed calendar maps from The Inspired Room.

Spring is just around the corner and that means focusing on the backyard. Try these Easy DIY projects for your outdoor space from the HGTV blog

If you love the sustainable furniture projects from designer Dan Faires, don’t miss this collection of DanMade projects.

Photo credit: The Crafts Dept

Shuttered Message Boards and Bulletin Boards

by eclectic on February 24, 2011 in DIY with No comments
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Bulletin boards are ideal for organizing craft items and displaying items around the house, yet sometimes a bulletin board can look too cluttered. That’s why we love the idea of repurposing old shutters to use as a more stylish message board or bulletin board. You can leave the shutter open as a decorative message board, or attach hinges for an open-and-shut bulletin board that neatly tucks items away when you want them covered up.

We’ve found two different shuttered message and bulletin boards from Better Homes and Gardens and Crafty Nest with step-by-step instructions for creating your own.

What you’ll need:

  • Shutter
  • Sandpaper
  • Tack cloth
  • Latex paint
  • Polyurethane
  • Paint brushes
  • Wooden backing
  • Nails
  • Hammer
  • Corkboard
  • Decorative fabric
  • Ribbon
  • Amazing GOOP craft adhesive

To begin, carefully remove the top slats from the shutter and sand any rough surfaces. Wipe down the surface with a tack cloth. Apply a layer of latex paint to the shutter; let dry. Apply two coats of polyurethane, allowing it to dry between coats to give the shutter an easy-clean shine.

Cover the space where the slats were removed with the wooden backing by nailing it to the back of the shutter. Measure the exposed area of the wooden backing and cut the corkboard to size. Cover the corkboard with decorative fabric and ribbon, using Amazing GOOP craft adhesive to secure.

When the bottom slats are tilted completely upright, nail the leftover wooden backing to the back side of the shutter.  This will help keep the slats in place so cards and other papers don’t fall.

To create a bulletin board with shutters that open and close, check out this project from Crafty Nest.

Photo credits: Better Homes and Gardens and Crafty Nest

Sticky Business: Posts We Liked This Week

by eclectic on February 19, 2011 in Crafts, DIY with No comments
Owl Sachet

Here are our favorite craft and DIY links this week.  Be sure to follow us @amazinggoop for daily updates on crafts, DIY projects and more! Hope you have a great weekend!

Craft:

If you love to sew, check out the adorable Owl Sachet template and instructions at Indie Spotting.

Make a Recycled Plastic Cup Washer necklace with instructions from Dollar Store Crafts.

Zakka Life shared a great template for Superhero Lollipops you’ve got to see. It’s perfect for a child’s birthday party!

Light up your space with Bright Spring Tin Lanterns from Craft Gossip.

DIY Projects:

Curbly shared a fantastic DIY project for creating a sliding barn door from salvaged wood in your bedroom.

If you have wall paneling in need of a quick update, check out the DIY instructions for textured paint over paneling.

Love the look of headboards? Here is a roundup of headboards you can actually make yourself.

For a fashionable DIY project, try making your own girl’s headbands using ribbons and E-6000.

Dress Up Craft Pails for Any Occasion

by eclectic on February 18, 2011 in Crafts, DIY with No comments
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We love creating crafts for special occasions, but sometimes it’s nice to have a stand-by that can be used for any occasion throughout the year, whether it’s for a birthday gift, holiday, or just because! One of our favorite supplies to keep on hand is a clear craft pail. The exterior plastic surface and tinplate lid make the perfect blank slate for adding embellishments of just about any kind. And the interior securely holds a range of small supplies to fit a selected theme.

Dressing up a craft pail simply takes a few supplies and a little imagination. For a girl’s birthday party, we recently created a “Princess Pail” complete with a tiara, pink jewels and a frilly skirt and then filled it with miniature princess-themed trinkets. For crafts that require acrylic beads or rhinestones to attach firmly to plastic, a little E-6000 goes a long way!

What you’ll need:

  • Medium or large clear craft pails
  • Embellishments, such as acrylic or rhinestone beads, garland, cutout shapes, ribbon
  • Amazing GOOP Craft Adhesive
  • E-6000 Craft Adhesive
  • Items to fill your bucket, such as party favors, trinkets, candy or anything miniature

Easy instructions:

  • Using Amazing GOOP craft adhesive, glue embellishments of your choice onto the clear surface of the craft pail.
  • Tip: Start with the decoration that you’ll use as your focal point.
  • Use Amazing GOOP to adhere garland, ribbon, or paper items on the bucket.
  • Use E-6000 to adhere acrylic beads or rhinestones. This glue will form a quick bond and keep the beads securely in place.
  • Squeeze out a small amount of Amazing GOOP around the lower perimeter of the craft pail. Cover the area in ribbon, pressing the ribbon onto the glue as you wrap the container.
  • For the princess pail (shown): attach the crown by lining the inner section with E-6000 and attach to the upper perimeter of the craft pail. Place pressure on the crown until the adhesive begins to bond. Allow to dry up to 72 hours.

To dress up a craft pail for any occasion, be creative with craft supplies you have on hand and think outside the box. A pail could easily be transformed into a gift for a boy’s birthday (think sports-themes or hit movies), a St. Patrick’s Day “pot of gold” filled with chocolates, or a spring-themed floral arrangement.

For more ideas, check out these links:

Teacher Appreciation Week Craft Pail

Easter Craft Pail

Tea Light Candle Holder Craft Pail

Sticky Business: Posts We Liked This Week

by eclectic on February 12, 2011 in Crafts, DIY with No comments
www.thetomkatstudio

Here are our favorite craft and DIY links this week. Be sure to follow us @amazinggoop for daily updates on crafts, DIY projects and more! Hope you have a great weekend and a wonderful Valentine’s Day!

Craft:

If you thought you were done making Valentines, think again. Curbly has a Massive Collection of Free Valentine’s Printables guaranteed to inspire at least a few more crafts.

Missed the chance to meet Mark Montano at CHA? Heather from Dollar Store Crafts shares an inside look at her autographed copy of The Big Ass Book of Home Decor she picked up at the Eclectic Products booth.

There’s just enough time left for some last-minute Valentine’s Day decor with ideas from Someday Crafts.

This fabric bunting tutorial from The TomKat Studio gives you the steps for creating an adorable fabric banner perfect for any holiday.

DIY Projects:

We love this project that uses E-6000 to create DIY Recycled Bottle Cap Magnets for the refrigerator.

Tidy up the bathroom by learning How to Build a Wood Hamper from This Old House. It’s stylish and functional.

Crafting a Greener World shares several DIY tutorials that are perfect for making over an old bookcase with little effort.

HGTV shares a collection of DIY designer headboards that will inspire you to add a touch of romance to your bedroom.

Photo credit: The TomKat Studio

Easy DIY Built-In Bookcase

by eclectic on February 11, 2011 in DIY, Home Improvement, Woodworking with No comments
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Built-in book cases are an excellent addition to any living room. They provide extra storage, as well as give your home a custom, cozy look. We particularly like this Built-in Bookcase Tutorial from Maillardville Manor because it’s utilizes bookcases that are already constructed, making this an easy DIY project. With recessed sides and a center shelf that pops out, this bookcase add a unique touch to the home.

What you’ll need:

For complete instructions and diagrams, visit Maillardville Manor. To see more tutorials and tips for building and organizing bookshelves, check out the following links:

Bookcase Basics

How to Build a Built-In Bookshelf

How to Build a Bookcase: Step-by-Step Woodworking Plans

22 Ways to Arrange Your Shelves

Photo credit: Maillardville Manor

Love is All Around: Valentine’s Day Craft Roundup

by eclectic on February 9, 2011 in Crafts, DIY with No comments
topiary

Valentine’s Day is just around the corner and craft bloggers have outdone themselves this year with a huge variety of fun and easy projects. We’ve checked them out and picked our favorites to share with you. So, whether you’re looking for a gift to make that special someone or a project to do with your kids, we’re sure you’ll find it here. Happy Valentine’s Day! xoxo

valentine

Want to give someone flowers that will last long after Valentine’s Day? This Tissue Paper Roseette Topiary project from The Sweet Survival offers a gorgeous solution. All you need is the topiary frame (vase, dowel and foam ball), crepe paper and ribbon, and you’re set. Your one-of-a-kind topiary is sure to be the perfect Valentine surprise!

The Crafts Dept. at Martha Stewart has done it once again: come up with a “Ginormous Valentine” that we want to make ourselves. For an over-the-top way to say I love you, this giant candy holder makes the perfect statement. Get out some basic supplies (paper, ribbon, foam board), and for the glue, Amazing EcoGlue. Follow this tutorial to get crafting.

giftboxDesign Sponge shares this DIY project for making personalized gift boxes. Using cigar boxes in different shapes and sizes, Design Sponge shows you how to dress them up decorative paper, ribbons and paint to create 3D Valentines filled with sweet treats.

If you have kids celebrating Valentine’s Day at school, this tutorial from Crafting a Greener World will show you How-To Make a Recycled Cardboard Valentine Mailbox that’s guaranteed to make them stand out from their classmates. Using old cereal boxes, pretty paper, and adhesive, you and your child mailboxcan work together on a Valentine holder that beats a plain paper bag any day.

Sticky Business: Posts We Liked This Week

by eclectic on February 4, 2011 in Crafts, DIY with No comments
TABLETOP

Here are our favorite craft and DIY links this week, with a special focus on Super Bowl crafts & entertaining. Be sure to follow us @amazinggoop for daily updates on crafts, DIY projects and more! Have a great weekend!

Craft:

There’s more to Super Bowl decorating than footballs and plastic party cups. This floral football vase from Life in Wonderland adds a feminine touch to a masculine sports theme.

One of our favorite entertaining sites, Hostess with the Mostess, shares instructions for a “playing field” table top your guests will love.

Top off your Super Bowl decor with two creative projects from Dollar Store Crafts. First, create an astroturf mini football field for the buffet table. Next, if you have sewing skills, try making a football garland.

Will kids be attending your Super Bowl party? Crafts with Kendra shows you how to let them in on the fun by creating tiny finger puppets shaped like giant foam fingers found at the football stadium.

DIY Projects:

Instead of replacing a cabinet when screw holes become stripped by wear, repair them with this technique from the DIY Network. A toothpick and EcoGlue Premium Wood Glue is all you need.

Learn how to build a rugged coffee table from reclaimed wood with step-by-step directions from the HGTV blog.

Have an old side table gathering dust in storage? Give it a makeover by tiling the top with these instructions.

Don’t let bad lighting give you the winter blues. Curbly has a roundup of DIY Lighting guaranteed to brighten any space.

Photo credit: Hostess with the Mostess

Sticky Business: Posts We Liked This Week

by eclectic on January 28, 2011 in Crafts, DIY with 1 Comment

Here are our favorite craft and DIY links this week.  Be sure to follow us @amazinggoop for daily updates on crafts, DIY projects and more! Hope you have a great weekend!

Craft:

Make a miniature vase of roses with this cute Dollar Store Crafts tutorial.

Turn your old cans into a decorative gift holder using E-6000.

We love this creative project from Mark Montano for turning your paper color swatches into art work.

An old bowling ball, pennies & Amazing GOOP make a unique garden art project.

DIY Projects:

Curbly shows you how to make large-scale inspiration boards on the cheap.

Get your dangly cords into shape with this cool DIY cord cover project.

Wondering what to do with old jewelry? Try making Easy DIY Pins. Pin-backs and E-6000 from the craft store make this project a breeze.

For a more advanced weekend project, Maillardville Manor shares a Built-in Bookcase Tutorial perfect for woodworkers.

Photo credit: Mark Montano

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