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.

Conquer Clutter with DIY Drawer Organizers

by eclectic on December 31, 2010 in DIY, Home Improvement with 1 Comment
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On just about every list of popular New Year’s resolutions, you’ll find “Get Organized” in the top 10. After weeks of holiday entertaining and receiving gifts (more stuff!), it comes as no surprise that we aim to tame the clutter in the new year. If you’ve resolved to get organized in 2011, one of the best ways to get started is by preparing your storage spaces.

This week, we’d like to share a do-it-yourself project for creating custom drawer organizers that provide a fast and easy fix to organize the odds and ends that are cluttering your home.

To create custom organizers for drawers in the kitchen, bathroom, or office, you need just two things:

  1. Wood (such as pine or poplar)
  2. EcoGlue Premium Wood Adhesive

That’s it! Throw in a jigsaw (or have wood pieces cut at your hardware store), sand paper, and a tape measure, and you’ll have custom drawer organizers in no time at all.

Easy Steps:

  • After measuring the width and length of the drawer you plan to organize, determine the layout of each compartment.
  • Select a wood type. Pine and poplar are both easy to work with and affordable. A sheet of 1/4 inch (thick) x 3 inches width works well.
  • If wood has not been pre-cut, cut it into pieces of the desired length for each section. Sand the wood to finish.
  • Assemble wood pieces in the drawer to test the layout of your compartments.
  • Align the boards and apply a small amount of EcoGlue Premium Wood Adhesive to the bottom and edges of the wood pieces.
  • Finish gluing and assembling wood pieces.
  • Allow to dry for 24 hours. (Full water and heat resistance is reached within 3 to 5 days).

With a few easy steps, you have a custom built organizer that you can create for any drawer in the house. And now you’re one step closer to keeping your New Year’s resolution.

Photos from Yahoo! Shine, where you can find more on this project, and additional ideas.

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

How to Make Sparkly Bauble Rings

by eclectic on December 15, 2010 in DIY, Just for Fun with No comments

‘Tis the season for holiday cocktail parties. For a pretty little accent to dress up your outfit and start conversations wherever you go, sparkly bauble rings will do the trick.

This week, we’re excited to share a fun DIY project from the Martha Stewart Crafts blog. We came across this post because a reader commented that E-6000 is her favorite craft glue for making jewelry and hair accessories. We couldn’t agree more! And this easy-to-do project is made even easier with the right glue.

What you’ll need:

  • Wooden Beads or Foam Balls
  • Strung Sequins
  • E-6000 Glue
  • Cheap Jewelry Rings

Three easy steps:

  1. Create a lead end by pulling 1 or 2 sequins off the thread. Starting at the top of the bead (or foam ball), secure the lead with a dab of E-6000 glue.
  2. Apply glue one section at a time, adhering the sequin strand around the ball as you go. Cover the entire ball with sequins, spiraling it tightly and applying pressure as you affix the sequins.
  3. Apply E-6000 to the ring, secure the sequin bauble, and let sit until completely dry.

Sparkly bauble rings are fun to wear and make great stocking stuffers, too! And if you’d rather add sparkles to your Christmas tree, here are some other DIY projects to try:

Make a Sequined Bauble for the Christmas Tree

5-Minute Blinged Bauble

DIY Christmas Bauble Decorating

Photo Credit: Martha Stewart Crafts Blog

Sticky Business: Posts We Liked This Week

by kendrahandke on December 10, 2010 in Just for Fun with No comments
twisted_felt_garland

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:

Dollar Store Crafts shares how to make 3D tin craft stars.

Twisted felt garland from Craft is easy to make and is a fun holiday decoration!

Love these postage stamp coasters from  Design Sponge!

Holiday frame topiaries from Dollar Store Crafts make for a great gift!

DIY:

14 fantastic fireplace upgrades from This Old House.

Tips for barn foundation repair from Dover Projects.

Simple and beautiful decorating ideas from Apartment Therapy.

Reliable Remodeler reminds us to tighten up plumbing and irrigation during the winter months.

Creative ideas for DIY wreaths from This Old House.

How to make  a tile frame from Bungalow23.


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