Thanksgiving DIY Decor: Bean and Seed Balls Craft

Image via: BHG

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Supplies

• Styrofoam balls (or old tennis balls or other similar items)
• Spray paint and old newspaper (optional)
• Sharpie pen (optional)
• Beans, seeds and/or berries (great choices: split peas, red kidney beans, navy beans, black beans, lentils, green berries, cranberries, corn kernels, whole pepper seeds etc.)
• Crafts glue (thick and white)

Image via: Pinterest

Directions

• (Optional) Cover your working surface with newspapers and spray paint the balls to make it easier to hide any blank spots. The color of the spray paint you’ll choose should match the color of the produce you want to use. Let them dry completely.
• You can use the sharpie pen to draw some guide lines on the ball.
• Place a little glue on a small area of your ball and glue the beans/seeds/berries onto the ball, trying to make a pattern or just keep them in horizontal or vertical rows. You can use a little more glue to put on each seed/bean if necessary. After the glue on that area has dried completely, move on to the next area, until the ball’s entire surface is covered. Repeat with the other balls until you have the number of seed and bean balls you want.
• Fill a bowl, vase or even cornucopia with the finished seed and been balls!

Image via: Bayberry Creek Crafter

This Thanksgiving DIY Decoration craft is really easy to make, taking a little of time to complete because of the seeds that need to be glued on the ball, but well worth it. And it’s inexpensive, too! Think about using small nuts as an alternative, mixing some glass beads into the patter and you even could spray paint the finished bean and seed ball to match it with your overall décor, keeping the interesting texture of the seeds and beans. And for extra sent, sprinkle some essential oil of your liking onto them!

Wouldn’t they make a wonderful and original centerpiece for your Thanksgiving Table?

Thanksgiving Table: Pilgrim Hat Crayon Holders Craft

Image via: Lil’ Luna

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Supplies

• Black plastic cups
• Black cardstock or foam sheet for the brim
• Glue or hot glue gun and hot glue.
• Scissors or x-acto knife
• Embellishments like buttons, colored cardstock for the band and buckle, ribbon etc.

Image via: Fiskars

Directions

1. Cut away the bottom of the cup using the scissors or x-acto knife.
2. Cut out a circle (it has to be a little larger than the cup’s rim) out of the black cardstock or foam sheet. Glue the circle to the cup’s rim to make the brim.
3. Add the embellishments to make the cup look like a pilgrim’s hat. To do that, you should definitely create a band out of some cardstock or use a suitable piece of ribbon for that. Also, a buckle is essential; just cut it out of a quadrangular piece of colored cardstock.
4. Fill the hat with crayons and place it on the table for the kids to enjoy!

Image via: Martha Stewart

This easy craft is not only great to use as crayon holders, but you can easily adapt them to hold food, like veggie sticks, popcorn or candy, just use a little aluminum foil or plastic wrap to line the bottom of your pilgrim’s hats. If using the pilgrims hats at the Thanksgiving Table as crayon holders, you should definitely have a few coloring pages available for the little ones to use, or provide them with placing mats or table runner that they could paint on. Also, think about giving them small leafs out of cardstock to write or draw on something they are thankful for, which you then could hang on your Thanksgiving Tree.

This Thanksgiving craft is easy to prepare and it’s a great way to get kids involved with the preparation of this special day!

Fall DIY Decor: How to Make a Book Page Pumpkin (Video)

Image via: BHG

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Supplies

• Old Books – don’t throw them away!
• Scissors
• X-acto knife
• Cardboard with a size double the size of your book
• Pencil
• Glue
• Hot glue
• Twigs or other items that you can use as a stem for your pumpkin
• Embellishments like twine, wire, felt leaves or some green fabric or ribbon
• Orange acrylic paint and brush or orange spray paint (optional)

Image via: Whimsy Workshop (Etsy)

Watch the video on how to make Book Page Pumpkins:

You can find the link to the video here.

Directions

1. Fold your cardboard in half at the larger side. Using your pencil, draw on half of a pumpkin shape, making sure that the pumpkin is a little smaller than you’re books pages. With the scissors, cut the pumpkin out of the cardboard. If you unfold your cardboard now, you should have a template of a pumpkin.
2. Remove the front and back page of your book, being careful not to remove the spine. The pages of your book have to remain bound together.
3. Using your folded pumpkin template as a guide cut the books pages one by one with the x-acto knife. Continue until all your book’s pages have been cut to resemble half of a pumpkin. Now trim off any excess paper.
4. Apply some hot glue to the spine of the book and press it together.
5. Apply a good amount of glue on the outside of the front and back page and glue them firmly together.
6. Apply some glue every few pages near the binding of the book and glue the pages together.
7. Paint the edges of your book pages with paint and let it dry.
8. Apply a small amount of glue to the end of the twig or twigs and push them into the books spine.
9. Decorate the twigs with your embellishments.

Image via: Interiors By Studio M

The most time consuming part of this Fall DIY Décor project is to cut all the pages of the book, but the rest of the project is fairly easy, and the result will compensate the effort and time you will spent on it. You can make a number of different sized pumpkins to use even as a centerpiece or to decorate a mantle or small table.

For more fall crafts on Stagetecture, click here.

Image via: A Page 4 All Seasons

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Back to School: DIY Weekly Dry Erase Calendar (Video)

Supplies

• One picture frame with glass with at least seven spots or seven individual picture frames
• Scrapbook paper
• Letter stickers to spell out the names of the days
• Scissors
• Black dry erase marker
• Dry eraser sponge

Watch a video on how to make a weekly dry erase calendar.

You can find the link to the video here.

Directions

• Use the measurements of the frames to cut out the scrapbook papers. Cut out as many as you need, using one or more patterns.
• On each piece of scrapbook paper, spell a different day name with the letter stickers. Alternatively, you can just print the names on your printer.
• Place the scrapbook papers into the frames, as if they were photos. Make sure to put them in an order that will be best for organizing your program.
• Your weekly organizer is ready to be placed in an area where it will be most useful and visible.

Image via: The Budget Decorator

This is such an easy and inexpensive way to organize your schedule. Make sure to put a decorated small cup or bin to hold your dry erase marker and sponge in a handy place. You can also make two calendars, the second one to write the next week’s program on, so you have everything under control.

This Back to School project is perfect to make to give as a gift to decorate their dorm room or for every child in the family make sure nothing important will be forgotten. Choose the patterns carefully so it will look pretty and matching with the other room’s décor. Also a spare frame on which everyone could write useful notes or messages can come in handy, especially if you have so busy days that you barely see each other. And don’t forget, even if you no longer need a weekly organizer to write your program on it, you still can use it to plan your weekly menu plan or chores to keep everything in order.

For more DIY ideas on Stagetecture, click here.

Summer Craft: DIY Outdoor Tic Tac Toe Game (Video)

Image via: Me and My Guyz (Etsyshop)

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Summer Craft: DIY Outdoor Tic Tac Toe Game (Video)

Supplies:

8 pebbles

Acrylic paints (colors black, yellow, red and white)

Black permanent marker (optional)

Pencil

Ruler

Square or round wooden base

Paintbrushes

Watch the video on how to make this fun tic tac toe game

You can find the link to the video here.

Directions

1. Wash the pebbles to remove any dirt and dust. Dry them thoroughly.
2. Paint four pebbles red and the other four yellow. Let the paint dry.
3. Paint one corner of the red pebbles black and continue by painting on the details, like the dots.
4. Paint one corner of the yellow pebbles black and paint on the details, like black lines.
5. When the black paint dries, you can continue by painting on the eyes. Let them dry and your pebble bugs are ready.
6. Now move on to make the game’s base. To do that, use the pencil and ruler to draw a tic tac toe’s grid on the base. Next, use the marker or black paint to paint over the lines that you have previously drawn. Let your base dry.

Image via: Pinterest

You can even use a tree stump with an even surface as your wooden game base, if you don’t plan to take the tic tac toe game with you sometimes. This Summer Craft is perfect to make with the children and it will provide hours of fun with this classic game. And if you like the idea, you even could take it one step further, by making more pebbles and paint a checker’s game grid on the wooden base. That way you will have another entertaining classic game to play with and which you will have made completely by yourself. Let your imagination be your guide in choosing other nature’s themes for your pebbles or base, like trying to paint your rocks to look like frogs and your base to look like a small pond. Everything is possible. This Summer Craft would be perfect to bring to a garden party as well and you could even offer it as a gift for your host, especially if there are small kids in the host’s family.

For more summer DIY ideas on Stagetecture, click here.

Kids Summer Craft: Making Sponge Water Bombs (Video)

Image via Innerchildfun

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Supplies

Plain household sponges (you’ll need about 4 sponges for one water bomb)

Rubber bands (as many as the water bombs you are going for)

Scissors

Watch the video on how to make Sponge Water Bombs

You can find the link to the video here

Instructions

1. Cut the sponges into thirds
2. Stack about 10-12 pieces – or as many as you like to make the water bombs the way you want
3. Pinch the center of the stack together and tie the rubber band as tight as you can.
4. Repeat to make as many sponge water bombs as you planned.
5. Get outside and fill one or more buckets with water. Dip the sponge water bombs into the water and let them soak up plenty of it. Now you know what to do… find someone to share the fun!

Image via: Mode

This Summer Craft is so easy and quick to put together and is perfect for hot summer days or even summer parties, especially if there are kids! They will love it time after time. Of course you have to be prepared for very wet children, so choose the clothes wisely before giving them the water bucket. Another great thing about these sponge water bombs is that they don’t hurt when you throw them at another person, unlike balloon water bombs often do and they are so easy to use, while balloon water bombs require more preparation to fill them up with water one by one.

You can play with them chasing each other without any rules, or start a target game with them, the targets being, of course, other playing people. There is simply no end to the fun and will surely provide hours of kinetic activity for your kids, which is so important for their health.

For more kids craft ideas on Stagetecture, click here.

Simple DIY Project: Cork Planters Craft Idea

Image via: Upcycle That

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Things You Will Need

• Magnets
• Wine corks
• Hot glue gun
• Organic soil
• Teaspoon
• Toothpick
• Screwdriver
• Paring knife
• Miniature shoot-offs of your favorite plants
• Straw or eye dropper

Instructions

1. Use the screwdriver to punch a hole in the middle of each cork.
2. Place the paring knife in the holes and wiggle it around to carve out larger holes in the interior of each cork. Leave the bottom part intact. Use a little force as you may split the corks if you use too much. Your hole should go approximately halfway down each cork.
3. Use the hot glue gun to attach the magnets to the back of each cork. Try to use small magnets which aren’t visible from the front.
4. Put the soil in the corks using the teaspoon. Make small holes in the middle of the soil with the toothpick. This is where the plants’ roots will go.
5. Put the plants inside the corks and add soil to cover the roots. Make sure the roots are completely covered.
6. Hang your magnetic cork planters on the refrigerator or any other place of your choice.
7. Water them regularly with a straw or an eye dropper.

Image via: Popsugar Assets

Just like its title, this simple DIY project is super easy. The cork planters make amazing fridge magnets and will have everyone wondering how you made them. If you are a recycling enthusiast, you’ll love the fact that you don’t have to throw away your wine corks anymore. You can also give the planters as gifts. Make them for your loved ones who love plants and wine.

What crafts are you currently working on?

We have a new wreath tutorial site – How to Make a Burlap Wreath.com

Reinventing the Wreath: A Charming Country Decoration to Hang Indoors

By Merri Cvetan

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Burlap is all the rage in home décor, table settings and DIY projects. I love the rough texture of the fabric, especially when it’s paired with something soft or used in an unusual way. It’s perfect for a festive, county-style wreath.

Materials Needed:

• 1 ½ yards green burlap (45″wide)
• You can buy burlap ribbon, but it’s very expensive. I found bolts of it at a local fabric store on sale for $2.99 a yard.
• Burlap is generally sold in its natural color, but because it’s so popular, you will find it dyed in variety of colors and prints. This bright green screamed Christmas and just made me happy!
• 12″ foam wreath
• Greening Pins and/or large head quilting pins
• Decorative ornaments
• Ribbon for hanging

Directions:

1. Cut 3″ wide (by 45″ long) strips from the burlap and wrap them around the foam. You could skip this step if you purchased a green wreath or spray painted a white one.

2. It will take five or six strips to cover the entire wreath. Slightly overlap each strip and hold in place with the quilting pins.

3. Cut out eight strips, each 6″ wide (by 45″ long) to make the “ruffles.”. Make gathers by pulling the center thread. But don’t pull it all the way through! Since burlap is a loosely woven fabric, it’s easy to create a nice soft ruffle. Unravel the long edges by pulling out loose threads. It will unravel anyway and the frayed edges will give it a softer look.

4. Pin one end of a “ruffled” strip to the wreath with a quilting pin. Wrap the ruffle around the foam, pinning it every 4-5 inches. Don’t push the pins all the way in; you will be replacing them with the greening pins. Slightly overlap each row; you want to make sure the foam is completely covered.

5. Hang the wreath at eye level to check that it is completely covered and to make adjustments, if necessary. Replace the quilting pins with the greening pins (you don’t want the white heads to show). The greening pins have two prongs and will securely hold the ruffles in place. Cut off all the loose threads.

You can use any ornament to add color to the wreath. I found a holiday floral spray with six foam ornament balls on wire sticks. They are red and sparkly and glittery; the perfect contrast to the rough burlap fabric. Cut off the excess wire. You will need less than 3″. If you use any other ornament, attach it to the wreath with a hot glue gun.

Lay out the ornaments on the wreath and rearrange until you get a pattern you like. Try an all-over random lay-out or try three groups of three. Remember the trusty old design tip: everything looks better in odd numbers!

Pin a piece of ribbon to the top for hanging. The length will depend on where you put it. This wreath will last the whole season and you can use it year after year. Perhaps next year, I’ll replace the red balls with purple or silver ones. I guess it will depend on my color scheme next year!

Interior designer Merri Cvetan writes about her DIY holiday craft projects for Home Depot. Merri’s wreath now adorns her century-old farmhouse home. Home Depot’s full selection of holiday decorations can be found at Home Depot.

For more holiday DIY ideas on Stagetecture, click here.

For more burlap wreath ideas visit our new site – How to Make a Burlap Wreath.com

Christmas Craft: 3 DIY Wood Slice Ornaments

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Christmas Craft: Painted Wood Slice Ornaments

Etsy shop – Gretas Handmade Gifts – Christmas Craft

Fine ink markers

Wood slices

Pencil (optional)

Paint style pens in holiday colors, like gold or silver etc.

Chalkboard paint (optional)

Spray sealer (optional)

Matte mod podge (optional)

Stencils / stamps (optional)

Fabric, beads, decorations (optional)

Twine or ribbon

Visit Etsy shop – Gretas Handmade Gifts for creative ideas! – Wood Slice Ornaments

If you want, paint a layer of matte mod podge before starting to paint on the wood slice, in order to prevent ink bleeding; just be sure to let it dry completely. You can now apply two layers of chalkboard paint or using a marker or a pencil, draw the design you want on one side of a wood slice. You can write a phrase or draw a holiday figure, like a snowman, stars or a reindeer. You can also use a cute stencil or even stamps to make a design. Use markers and paint style pens to complete your design. Glue on fabric to make scarfs or hats and other decorations to bring your creation to life. Pull ribbon or twine through the hole and tie the ends together. Lastly, you can use a sealer to protect the ornaments and let them dry. Once dried, they are ready to beautify your Christmas tree.

Decoupage wood slice ornaments

You can easily apply the decoupage technique on wood slices. Black and white photos are great for this, but you could also use some Christmassy images that you can print and cut out. Here is what you will need:

A photo or other printed image (use a laser printer for printing or make a copy on a photocopy machine)

Acrylic gel medium

Mod podge

Small paintbrush

Pencil and scissors

Ribbon or twine

To make it, cut out your photo or image so it fits on the wooden slice. You can trace it with a pencil for help. Note: If you want to transfer words or phrases, be sure to use a mirror image of the word or phrase, in order for it to be readable after the process. Now coat the photo or image with the gel and put it on the slice, face-down. Use a credit card to smooth it out and remove any air bubbles. Turn it over and let it dry paper side down for a few hours, even overnight. Once dry, use a wet piece of fabric and lightly damp the photo and rub the paper away with your fingers very carefully. Use a circular movement to do that and add some water if needed. The paper will slowly come off revealing the transferred image. Now, coat it with a layer of mod podge and let it dry. When totally dry, you can use a ribbon or twine for hanging.

Etched wood slice ornaments

To make these you will only need:

Etching tool

Pencil

Ribbon or twine

Use the pencil to draw on the wood slices some simple items, like snowflakes, outline of a snowman or a tree or make even more complicated images if you can. Meaningful words are also wonderful. Now, having the drawing as your guide, use the etching tool to burn in the design. After that, all you have to do is to add a ribbon or twine to hang them.

Choose any one of these beautiful Christmas Craft: 3 DIY Wood Slice Ornaments to decorate your Christmas tree, door knobs, and chandeliers or use them as wonderful, unique gift tags. They will add a rustic look and your personal touch in whatever way you’ll choose to use them.

Thanksgiving Crafts: 3 Ways to Use Mason Jars 

Image via:Lessology

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1. Use Mason Jars to Hold your Thanksgiving Gift

Choose some beautiful strips of fabric and ribbon or twine and you can create a beautiful vessel to hold your gift in no time. If you feel more creative, paint the clean Mason jar with seasonal colored chalk paint and add a cute Thanksgiving label that you can either print out or create yourself.  Fill the jar with small presents, like decorative acorns, mini pumpkins or edible gifts, like candy corn or anything homemade that tastes like Thanksgiving!

2. Use Mason Jars for cute Thanksgiving decoration

Mason jars are ideal to get creative with Thanksgiving decoration. You can paint them, dress them up or just fill them up and you will have wonderful pieces to decorate your home. Use strips of burlaps and letters to spell a meaningful word. Paint them to make cute scarecrows or just to make colorful vases to hold seasonal flowers. Another great idea is to fill them with layers of seasonal gifts of nature, like green lentils, read beans and yellow corn or just acorns or candy corn. These will make great glasses to hold your tableware or just add a small candle or electrical tea light and you will have the perfect way to add some ambiance to your Thanksgiving home.

Image via: Etsy

3. Use Mason Jars to serve Thanksgiving desserts

Another easy way to use Mason jars for Thanksgiving is to fill them with layered desserts for the Thanksgiving table. You can find great recipes for pumpkin pies in a jar, or just use your favorite trifle recipe and fill the goodness into a nice Mason jar that you can dress up a little, if you like.

Image via: BHG

Easy Thanksgiving Crafts with Mason jars are a great way to get into the festive mood and get creative. The best thing is that they don’t cost much and many of the crafts we propose can be created in a minimum amount of time. And yet, if you choose, you can make even more stunning creations using just some paint and scraps of fabric. Just give it a try!

For more Thanksgiving DIY ideas on Stagetecture, click here.