All posts in Crafts

Sticky Business: Posts We Liked This Week

by eclectic on January 15, 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:

If you’ve got a dollhouse in need of furnishing, this Dollar Store Crafts project is just what you need to create miniature dollhouse books.

In time for the upcoming Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday, I Love to Create shows you how to make a pillow with the words “I have a dream.”

Love mercury glass but hate the price? Remodel This shares a glazing technique for creating affordable mercury glass.

Get organized by making a Memo Holder from old cereal boxes. We recommend EcoGlue for this project.

DIY Projects:

Learn how to repair a stone patio fireplace from Do It Yourself.

Don’t throw out an old TV cabinet until you’ve seen this project for turning it into a child’s play kitchen.

Need a small, custom desk space? Curbly shares the perfect DIY Desk project .

A new columnist for Decor8 shares this fantastic DIY Branch Pendant project created by a few simple but unexpected household items.

Photo credit: I Love to Create

Create a Unique Laminated Lampshade

by eclectic on January 14, 2011 in Crafts, DIY, mark montano with No comments

When you come out with as many amazing craft projects as Mark Montano does, sometimes there isn’t room to contain them all. We love this Laminated Lampshade project that didn’t make the cut for Mark’s book “The Big Ass Book of Crafts,” and we’re so happy that he saved it for his blog.

What you’ll need:

  • Drum Lampshade
  • An image to copy and laminate
  • E-6000 Adhesive
  • Clear or Masking Tape

For complete directions, visit Mark’s blog, where you’ll find more of his amazing craft projects and information about his upcoming book.

Making Our Mark on the Craft & Hobby Association Trade Show

by eclectic on January 11, 2011 in Crafts, General Information with 1 Comment

We’re gearing up for our booth at the 2011 Craft & Hobby Association Winter Conference, held in Los Angeles, California on January 29 and 30. What could possibly be more exciting than CHA? A visit from designer extraordinaire, author, and TV host Mark Montano! We’re so excited to have our friend, Mark, stop by the Eclectic Products booth at CHA to meet fellow crafters and friends.

At the conference, Mark will discuss his upcoming book, “Pulp Fiction: Paper-Paper-Paper.” Mark will give away signed copies of his latest book “Big Ass Book of Home Decor” to the first 75 attendees. He’ll also be available for autographs at the Eclectic booth (#1029) from 10:30 – 11:30 a.m both days.

A long-time supporter of Eclectic Products, Mark is a fan of E-6000 and GOOP in all forms. And we’re big fans of Mark, too! We’ve featured several of his projects on the Eclectic blog over the years and we’re looking forward to sharing projects from his new book. Can’t wait that long to try out a Mark Montano project? You can get started on one of these fun projects from our archives today!

If you’re planning to attend CHA, let us know, and don’t forget to stop by Eclectic booth #1029.

Mark Montano Projects:

Eco-Chic Urban Corsage

Domino Lidded Box

Lace Applique Pillow

Mosaic Mirror Table

Sticky Business: Posts We Liked This Week

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

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:

Celebrating important birthdays in the year ahead? Make them extra-special with handmade birthday candles from The Crafts Department.

Winter vacation is over but this Shape Up Your Sticky Notes craft from Zakka Life will brighten the office.

Check out this Before and After post from Design Sponge and put your crafty side to work making-over old furniture finds.

For a fun project with the kids, try Making a Salt Dough Snowman Family as shown by Dollar Store Crafts.

DIY Projects:

Now that cooler weather is here, keep your home warm by learning How to Check a Broken Furnace brought to you by the Home Renovation Guide.

Don’t damage your walls. Find out How to Hang Large Picture Frames Without Using a Stud from DoItYourself

Make a small space work for you by installing a Wall Mounted Computer Station as shown on Curbly.

For a fun weekend project, find out How to Turn a Curtain Rod into a Lamp from This Old House.

Photo credit: The Martha Stewart Crafts Department

How to Make Steampunk Jewelry

by eclectic on January 5, 2011 in Crafts, DIY with No comments

If you’re a follower of fashion and jewelry trends, you may have noticed that Steampunk jewelry is growing in popularity. Crafted from brass findings, hardware, and a variety of vintage parts, Steampunk necklace and bracelet projects are even cropping up at craft stores. Although there are fantastic collections of Steampunk jewelry you can buy on Etsy, it’s also the perfect item to make yourself. In fact, hand-picking elements and crafting jewelry to reflect your individual style is really what Steampunk is all about.

At first glance, handmade Steampunk jewelry with its Victorian-era intracacies may seem intimidating, but it’s quite easy to do. All you need are a variety of metal objects, E-6000 and a few jewelry-making tools. To get you started, we’ve included a tutorial for making a Victorian charm bracelet that we’ve adapted from a project at Michael’s, which could also be used to make a necklace or earrings. Since there’s no one way to make Steampunk jewelry, you can experiment to find out what works best for you, depending on the items you choose to put together.

What you’ll need:

  • E-6000
  • Black wire (22 gauge)
  • Wire cutters
  • Jewelry parts including jump rings and cuff links
  • Needle nose pliers
  • A ruler
  • A small paintbrush
  • Steampunk items, including: watch parts or dials, vintage keys, Victorian charms or objects, vintage metal hardware, and metal filagrees.

Steps:

  1. Start with a chain link bracelet or make your own.
  2. To create metal charms, adhere small metal objects on top of larger metal objects by applying a small bead of E-6000 to bond the two together. E-6000 forms a strong bond and will dry clear. Press together firmly until bonded.
  3. For best results, allow metal charms to dry for 24-72 hours before moving on to next step.
  4. Insert approximately 3 inches of wire at the top of a charm and twist in the middle. Wind ends of wire around a small paintbrush, pressing ends tightly with pliers. Pull off of paintbrush.
  5. Attach charm to chain link bracelet with a jump ring.
  6. Repeat step five to attach charms to chain links, spacing evenly apart (use ruler).

Whether you decide to attach five charms or thirty, your jewelry will still be a one-of-a-kind creation. For more ideas to make Steampunk necklaces, earrings, and more, check out the following sources of inspiration:

How to Make a Steampunk Ring

How to Make Steampunk Earrings

Jean Campbell’s Steampunk Style Jewelry (book)

Photo credit: bdollproject on Flickr

Sticky Business: Posts We Liked This Week

by eclectic on January 1, 2011 in Crafts, DIY with No comments

Here are our favorite craft and DIY links this week, with a special focus on making your home a brighter, more organized space in the new year. Be sure to follow us @amazinggoop for daily updates on crafts, DIY projects and more! Happy New Year!

Craft:

Do you stay up each year to watch the New Year’s eve ball drop in Time Square? Don’t miss this Inspiration Board from the Martha Stewart Crafts Dept. with a photo slideshow of the ball’s unique design.

If you have old maps around the house, don’t throw them out. Curbly shows you how to turn them into Map Coasters, perfect for entertaining.

Cut down on dishes by creating Monogram Mugs for every family member, brought to you by Dollar Store Crafts.

Organize your pins and sewing accessories with this adorable Granny Square Pincushion project from Indie Spotting.

DIY Projects:

If you’re getting ready to makeover the bathroom, take a look at these Before & After: Bathroom Renovation Projects from Apartment Therapy.

This Old House shows us How to Reface a Fireplace in just four steps.

Have an old, funky chandelier at home? Craft has steps for How to Transform a Chandelier using spray paint and strands of crystals.

Renovating on a budget? Try these 100 DIY Upgrades for Under $100.

Photo credit: Martha Stewart Crafts Dept.

Welcome the New Year with a Festive Banner

by eclectic on December 28, 2010 in Crafts, Just for Fun with No comments

It’s time to take down the tree and the Christmas decorations, but don’t put away the craft supplies just yet. With the New Year only a few days away, it’s the perfect time to create a festive banner for 2011. This week, we’re happy to share a craft project from Kaboose that’s fun and easy for kids to make using felt, glue and sequins that you probably have around the house. It’s a great way to get kids involved in celebrating the new year ahead.

What you’ll need:

  • Felt in various colors
  • Scissors
  • Amazing EcoGlue Craft (kid safe)
  • Glitter glue
  • Sequins
  • 2-48″ (each) pieces of yarn

New Year BannerEasy Instructions:

  1. Cut felt into 8″ x 2.5″ rectangles. You will need a total of eleven rectangles.
  2. Lay one of the pieces of yarn on the work surface. Find the center of the yarn and mark with a pencil.
  3. Fold a piece of felt lengthwise, sandwiching it over the center of the piece of yarn. Use a generous amount of Amazing EcoGlue to secure the felt closed.
  4. Move about 1″ to the left of that felt piece, and repeat step 3 above. For the next one, move 1″ to the right of the first felt rectangle. Repeat again on the left and right. The object is to have the center felt in the middle of the yarn.
  5. Repeat the process above for the second piece of yarn, this time your fourth piece of felt should be in the center of the yarn. This will represent the letter “Y” in YEAR. Be sure to leave an extra couple of inches to the left of “Y” so that the word “NEW” appears as a separate word.
  6. Once all your felt pieces are in place, use glitter glue to write the letters on the felt.
  7. Gently press sequins into the glitter glue, covering the entire letter.
  8. Allow everything to dry for several hours before hanging.

Kids will love helping you create this crafty party decoration. For more tips to complete the project, visit Kaboose.

Photo credit: Kaboose

DIY: Easy Holiday Hostess Gifts

by eclectic on December 23, 2010 in Crafts, DIY with No comments

We’ve all had that moment of panic when dashing out the door to a party, only to realize that we don’t have a hostess gift. Although it’s easy to pick up a box of chocolates or a bottle of wine on the way, it’s nice to give something more memorable that your hostess will enjoy long after clean-up.

With a few DIY tools and craft supplies from around the house, we put together a couple of creative gift options that you can make in less than an hour. Using craft pails, we created a holiday-themed container of biscotti and a spa-themed container of bath salts. These cute little kits can be personalized to the tastes and preferences of your party host.

What you’ll need:hostess gift supplies

Easy instructions:

  • two hostess giftsUsing Amazing GOOP craft adhesive, glue embellishments of your choice onto the clear surface of the craft pail.
  • Start with the decoration that you’ll use as your focal point.
  • Use Amazing QuickHOLD to adhere acrylic beads or rhinestones on the bucket. This glue will form a quick bond and keep the beads securely in place.
  • Squeeze out a small amount of Amazing QuickHOLD around the lower perimeter of the craft pail. Cover the area in ribbon, pressing the ribbon onto the glue as you wrap the container.
  • To insert the cookie-on-a-stick into the top of the biscotti container (as shown), use a hand-held drill gun to drill a small hole. Insert the cookie-on-a-stick into the hole once the tin if filled with biscotti. This will keep everything in place.
  • To insert the mesh loofah into the top of the bath salt container (as shown), you can either drill a hole in the top and insert the string handle, or simply tie the loofah to the handle of the craft pail, using ribbon.
  • Allow the items to dry for a few hours before filling the inside of the bucket with biscotti, bath salts, or other small gifts.

Voila! These personalized gifts are quick and easy to make, and they’re sure to be a hit with your hostess.

Brighten an Entryway with DIY Holiday Decor

by eclectic on December 20, 2010 in Crafts, DIY with No comments

The guests are coming! You’ve spent months preparing for the holidays, and now family and friends will be arriving in just a few days. In our earnest efforts to get the house in tip-top shape, the area often neglected — the entryway —  is also the most important. The first impression that visitors gather stepping in the door sets the tone for the entire house.

It’s the little touches that make an entryway feel warm and inviting. Most likely, you’ve already hung a holiday wreath outside, but what about the inside hallway or foyer? Surprisingly, it’s easy to dress up this space with a few quick and easy DIY projects. This week, we’re excited to share two projects from Michael’s and Better Homes and Gardens that you can put together in no time!

Make the Entryway Shine with a Holiday Mirror

If you already have a mirror resting on a hallway console or hanging on the wall, why not give it a festive touch? This easy project from Michael’s takes less than 30 minutes to complete and will leave a great first impression on your guests.

What you’ll need:

  • Amazing Goop Craft Adhesive
  • Lightweight ornaments
  • Beaded garland and colorful ribbon

Easy instructions:

  • Shape the ribbon and glue it to the upper half of the mirror as shown. (Choose ribbon colors that match your holiday decor.)
  • Place beaded garland over the ribbon and secure in place, using clip-on objects (such as butterflies, pictured) and Amazing Goop craft adhesive.
  • Glue ornaments in place as shown.

Evergreen Card Display

Looking for a project to dress up an entryway table? This Evergreen Card Display from Better Homes and Gardens is not only decorative, but perfect for displaying the last batch of cards to arrive in the mail.

What you’ll need:

  • Evergreen branches
  • Mini pinecones
  • A metal urn or bucket
  • E-6000 Glue

Easy Instructions:

  • Place evergreen branches in the metal urn or bucket.
  • Use a small dab of E-6000 glue to attach mini pinecones to evergreen branches.
  • Place cards within the branches, arranged in a decorative fashion.
  • Add a festive touch of holly or a large pinecone.

For more ideas for adding last-minute touches to the home, check out 18 Vibrant DIY Holiday Decorations. Happy holidays!

Photo credit: Woman’s Day

Sticky Business: Posts We Liked This Week

by eclectic on December 17, 2010 in Crafts, DIY with 2 Comments

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:

Twig and Thistle puts a creative twist on the advent calendar with crafty Countdown Favor Tins. So cute!

Just in time for holiday entertaining, Dollar Store Crafts shows you how to make a Faux Mercury Glass Cake Stand using E-6000.

DIY Maven created this unique bookmark project, Alice’s Soda Can Bookmarks.

Can’t wait to see the new Tron movie? You’ll love this creative Tron Bag project from Craft.

DIY Projects:

Design Sponge has easy steps for creating fancy lined drawers, perfect for brightening up a bedroom dresser.

Time to get organized! This Old House shares tips for how to build a wrapping station.

DIY Fashion: How to make embellished gloves from We Heart This. Easy and adorable!

We love this birch wood DIY Gratitude Garland from Soule Mama.

Photo credit: Soule Mama

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