FaveCrafts

1000s of free craft projects, home decor ideas and DIY tips

FaveQuilts Giveaway: Kaleidoscope Kreator 3

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Kaleidoscope Kreator 3 is a digital photo editing program that allows you to turn any photo or image into a kaleidoscope. Save the image and print it on printable fabric to create intricate, beautiful quilt blocks. These printed kaleidoscopes look so realistic from a distance that other quilters will be impressed by your amazing piecework skills. Kaleidoscope Kreator 3 is your secret weapon for designing and making beautiful quilts with complex patterns!

Kaleidoscope Kreator 3 is easy to install and use on your home computer. Within a few minutes of inserting the CD in your disc drive, your Kaleidoscope Kreator will be up and running! You can then browse your files and open any image you have stored on your computer. Print your kaleidoscope on paper to make fascinating scrapbook layouts or psychedelic cards, or print your designs on treated fabric or printable fabric to make your own fabric prints. These kaleidoscopes make wonderful centers for medallion quilts or beautiful squares for block quilts.

FaveQuilts.com is giving away one copy of Kaleidoscope Kreator 3 to one lucky winner. It could be you!

Learn more and enter to win here.

Contest ends May 1, 2012. You can enter once daily, so return often to improve your chances of winning!

Trend Alert! Beautiful Butterfly Crafts

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Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’ve probably noticed that the hot new trend for spring is butterflies. These brightly colored, beautiful creatures are everywhere – from crochet projects to card making and everything in between.  They’ve even made their way into people’s bedrooms!

You might be asking what the big deal is. Why are these winged little guys so intriguing? They are bugs after all!

Well, not only do butterflies make a great motif for decorating, what with their fascinating and colorful wings, they also are an instant reminder of the happiness of spring. When you look at a butterfly, you just can’t help but smile and think of warm weather, green grass and the cool breeze of the spring season.

The other reason why people are obsessed with butterflies, crafters especially, is because they are an amazing muse for creativity. You can basically choose whatever color combination and pattern suits your fancy when making butterfly crafts, plus you can experiment with tons of different materials when making decorative butterflies. I’ve seen them made out of paper, yarn, felt … even coffee filters, paper towels and a bunch of various recycled materials.  There’s no canvas better for creating unique craft projects than the beautiful form of a butterfly.

The Best Butterfly Crafts:

Now that I’ve unlocked the mystery of the butterfly fad, I wanted to share some of my favorite butterfly crafts that I’ve come across lately.  Come fly away with me, won’t you?

I absolutely love the idea of this Paper Butterfly Mobile.  I’d love to have this floating above my head as I drift off to sleep at night.  There’s something so calm and peaceful about these dainty paper butterflies fluttering in the air, don’t you think?  Plus all you need are some paper scraps and cardboard, so this project is super cheap to make!

 

 

 

 

The way the different colors of yarn come together to make this cute Knit Butterfly Plushie is so beautiful to me.  Yarn crafts really allow you to bring projects to life, and this little knit butterfly is no different.  Doesn’t he look like he’s ready to take flight?!  This would be such a great knitting pattern to work on while you sit outside soaking in the sun!

 

I’m the kind of girl who never throws away magazines, so I have piles of them stacked up in my living room right now. That’s where this Butterfly Wall Art project comes in. You see, the colorful wings in this collage are actually punched from magazine and catalog pages. I love that I can clean up my apartment and make a beautiful craft all in one fell swoop with this cool project!

Since no one likes working on long, complicated crochet patterns when it’s really nice outside, I thought I’d share this pretty Butterfly Square that’s super simple to work up!  The butterfly looks awesome in variegated yarn and when it comes to the background color, I say the brighter the better!  You could use this beautiful square as a fun spring decoration or work it into a larger afghan project.

Now tell me: Which of these butterfly crafts is your favorite?

 

Project of the Day and Giveaway: Happy Times Card

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Praise e-mail all you want, but there’s no denying that everyone loves getting cards in the mail!  Whether it’s for a birthday, a thank you, or just because you’re thinking of someone, sending a little greeting can turn someone’s day around…especially if you make the card yourself.  Today’s project comes from K&Company and is a beautiful card that can be used for any occasion.  The bright spring colors and flower embellishments are perfect for this time of year!  Thanks to Kara Ward for K&Co. for bringing us today’s project!


Happy Times Card

Whether it’s a birthday, an anniversary, or Mother’s Day, this Happy Times Card is just the thing to send a friend or family member a little love!  With some textured paper and a little creativity, you can turn an everyday greeting into something colorful and spectacular!

Supplies:

White card stock
Purple textured paper
Textured card stock (colors of your choice)
Pattern paper (colors and styles of your choice)
Blue Ribbon
Stickers of your choice
Scissors
Glue

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Instructions:

  1. Cut a white card stock card base measuring 4 x 12. Fold in half to create a card.
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  2. Cut 3 ¾ inches by 5 3/4 inches purple textured paper rectangle and center it onto the card stock card.
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  3. Layer strips of textured card stock and pattern paper.
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  4. To create interest, try punching scallop borders and layering them together. With many, they remind me of the scallops on sea shells.
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  5. Add a blue ribbon and embellish with stickers.
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  6. Layer the stickers to create a more dimensional card.
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We are giving away a prize a day every day here on our FaveCrafts blog for National Craft Month. It is so easy to enter and be sure to check back each day for our Project of the Day post like this one to comment to enter! You have 31 chances to win and a new special prize each day.

Today’s Prize is…The K&Company Jubilee Scrapbook Kit!

  • Contest open to US and Canada residents 18+
  • One comment/entry per person.
  • Contest closes March 9, 2012 at 11:59p CST.
  • Please answer the question below in order to be entered.
  • Winners will be posted on this blog and notified by email.

Answer this question below in the Comments Section of this post for a chance to be today’s winner:

What craft or DIY project are you working on right now?

Project of the Day & Giveaway: “Enjoy Your Day” Card

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Today’s Project of the Day for National Craft Month comes from the fine folks at Spellbinders  This handmade card idea from is great for the upcoming spring and summer seasons. It just perfectly embodies the joy and excitement we all feel during the warm weather months!

Using Spellbinders’ really cute die templates, you can easily put together your own free-spirited card to send happy wishes to someone special in your life.  We’re sharing the full cardmaking tutorial below, so just follow the simple steps and you’ll have a stash of adorable handmade cards in no time!  These are so handy to have ready to go; you never know when you’re going to need to send out a quick card!

 

“Enjoy Your Day” Card Tutorial

By Latisha Yoast for Spellbinders™ Paper Arts

 

 

Card Making Materials:

Card Making Instructions:

1. Cut/score cardstock

2. Trim down smaller panel from white cardstock (4 x 5 ¼ inches)

3. Emboss white panel.

4. Cut/emboss kites using different colored cardstock.

5. Adhere the outside of the kite to the panel using liquid adhesive

6. Adhere the center of the kite using foam tape.

7. Wrap ribbon around the panel, tie a pretty bow.

8. Adhere panel to card using foam tape

9. Cut/emboss white cardstock using a tag.

10. Stamp sentiment onto tag

11. Attach tag to bow using twine.

 

We’re giving away a prize a day every day here on our FaveCrafts blog for National Craft Month. It is so easy to enter, so be sure to check back each day for our Project of the Day post like this one to comment to enter! You have 31 chances to win and a new special prize each day.

Today’s Prizes are …. Spellbinders S5-097 Jewel Treasures & Spellbinders S5-089 Home Sweet Home die templates!

  • Contest open to US and Canada residents 18+
  • One comment/entry per person.
  • Contest closes March 5, 2012 at 11:59 p.m. CST.
  • Please answer the question below in order to be entered.
  • Winners will be posted on this blog and notified by email.

Answer the question below in the Comments Section of this post for a chance to be today’s winner:

What is the best compliment you’ve ever received for one of your crafts?

 

February Blog Hop: Paper Crafts + Giveaway!

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Editor’s Note: Voting has begun! Check out all the crafts that you guys linked up below, and vote for your favorite one. Each person can only vote once, so choose carefully! Voting closes at 11:59 PM CST on 2/22.

Welcome to the FaveCrafts Blog Hop, where you get to showcase your work! This month’s theme is Paper Crafts! Show us your coolest paper craft that you’ve ever made (or make something new and blog about it for the occasion!). We want to see your handmade cards, scrapbook layouts, and anything else you’ve made with paper.

This month we’re giving away a prize to one lucky blog hop participant. Here’s how it works: recently we started using the “like” feature on our blog hops, meaning you can click to “like” someone’s project, much like you would on Facebook. For this month’s hop, the person whose project gets the most “likes” will win a prize! So link up and spread the word so your project gets voted up! The winner will receive a paper crafts gift basket! All links must be in by Saturday, February 18 at 11:59 PM CST. Voting starts after all submissions are in, and ends on Wednesday, February 22 at 11:59 PM CST. The winner will be announced here on the FaveCrafts Blog. Here’s what you’ll win:



How to Participate:

  1. Write a blog post on your own blog showcasing your projects. You can talk about the crafting process, write up a tutorial, or merely show off the finished project.
  2. Add your link to this post by clicking on “Add your link” at the bottom of the screen and following the instructions. Make sure you link to your specific blog post, not your homepage, and give it a caption.
  3. Remember to copy the FaveCrafts Blog Hop button from below and paste it into your blog post, linked to this FaveCrafts Blog Hop post, so that everyone who reads your blog can see that you’ve been featured on FaveCrafts!
  4. The Link List will close at 11:59 PM CST on February 18, at which point no new links can be entered.
  5. Voting closes at 11:59 PM CST on February 22, at which point all “like” votes must be in. We will announce the winner here on the blog.

We’ll be hosting a blog hop right here on the 15th of every month, so be sure to return and link up each month. Check out last month’s hop too!

**Don’t have a craft project for this Blog Hop but want to be notified via email about future events? Sign up for our blogger list and we will let you know when the next Blog Hop is up so you can join the fun!

*Note: Only folks in the U.S. and Canada are eligible to win this prize.



FaveCrafts Valentine Swap: Here’s What I Got

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The FaveCrafts Card Swap is officially over, and it was officially a success! We had 318 swappers participate, which was more than double last year’s swap participation! Thanks to everyone who swapped with us. I hope you’ll join our next swap too!

I got my card in the mail the other day! Thank you so much to my swap partner Kathy. She made me a gorgeous Valentine with a faux flower embellishment and a bit of bling. She even left the inside blank so I can give this card to someone next year. How sweet! Wanna see the card I got?

Here’s the beautiful front:

I love the shadowing effect of the lettering and the different sized circles. I also really love the addition of the faux flower. It gives it so much texture and dimension! And of course I’m a sucker for bling–aren’t we all?

Here’s the blank inside:

Hmm, I wonder who I should send this to? I could even use it before next Valentine’s Day since it doesn’t say “Happy Valentine’s Day” on it.

And the best part? It came in a bright yellow envelope (my favorite color of all time!!)

 

Thanks again, Kathy, and thanks to everyone who participated in the swap! You can check out the glittery pop-up heart card I made this year, and also the sewn Valentine I made for last year’s swap.

If you participated in the swap, post photos of the cards you received on our Facebook wall. I’d love to see them!

My Glittery, Pop-up Heart Card for the FaveCrafts Swap

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Tomorrow is the deadline for all of our card swappers to send in their handmade cards! Did you miss the sign-up? Never fear! We’ll be hosting more swaps in the future! Since FaveCrafts hosted the swap, we had to send a card to our partner too! Here’s what my partner got.

The front:

 

And the inside:

And here’s how I made it!

Materials:

  • Cardstock for the outside
  • Cardstock for the inside
  • Washi tape
  • Glue stick
  • Martha Stewart Valentine’s Day paper
  • Martha Stewart Valentine’s Day glitter
  • X-acto knife
  • Scissors

 Instructions:

  1. I printed the Pixelated Pop-up Valentine template onto my red cardstock and cut along the printed lines with an X-acto knife, following the instructions on Minieco.
  2. Then I adhered the red cardstock to some pink cardstock using polka dot washi tape.
  3. After that I used a glue stick and some glitter to add the little hearts to the bottom of the card.
  4. Finally, I wrote a little message to my partner using red pen.
  5. For the front of the card, I cut down a piece of Martha Stewart paper and adhered that to the pink cardstock using more washi tape (I’m obsessed!).
  6. Then I cut out a heart shape from a piece of glittery Martha Stewart paper and glued that down on top.

What do you think? Looks pretty simple, right? Card swappers: post a photo of your card on Facebook and I might feature them on the blog or in a newsletter!

Announcing: FaveCrafts Annual Valentine’s Day Card Swap!

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If you were a regular FaveCrafts reader last year, you may remember our Valentine’s Day card swap. It was a huge success, and everyone had such a great time making cards and swapping them with other FaveCrafts readers. So we decided to make it an annual event! Here are the cards I made last year:

If you’ve never heard of swapping before, here’s what it’s all about: Everyone who participates is assigned a partner to send to, and someone is assigned to send to you. Then every swap participant makes/buys/procures the item to be swapped. For our swap, it’s homemade Valentine’s cards. Once you receive your swap partner’s address, you send them a homemade card, and you’ll get one from someone else in return.

I’m excited to “meet” a few readers by sending and receiving cards from you! It’s so much fun to receive homemade Valentines in the mail, and I can’t wait to get more this year.
Want to start swapping? Here’s how:

  1. Register for an account on swap-bot.com. It’s free!
  2. Once your account is set up, go to our swap page here. It’s called “FaveCrafts Valentine’s Card Swap 2.”
  3. Click “Join Swap.” The last day to join is February 1, 2012.
  4. You will be randomly assigned a partner to make a card for. Make sure that it’s homemade in some way!
  5. You will be notified via email when your partner has been assigned to you. Once you receive your partner’s name and address, send your card to them. Please have your card in the mail by February 11, 2012. Please don’t disappoint your partner by neglecting to send a card to them, or sending it late.
  6. Then wait patiently by the mailbox for your Valentine to arrive!

Any questions? Contact us for more info! Now who’s excited to start swapping?

3 Projects From Our Holiday Scrapbook Kit, Available For 50% Off

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This FaveCrafts holiday kit features 3 projects you can make with a Creative Imaginations Holiday Scrapbook Kit from our partner site, www.crafterMania.com.  The kit is available for 50% off, but only for a short time. Here are just 3 example projects that could be made, but there are endless possibilities:

 

This Week on Cool2Craft TV – Thanks-Giving

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10-24-11 Giving Thanks 3-up FaveCrafts Cool2Craft
Join host Tiffany Windsor for a new episode of Cool2Craft TV. This week’s show theme is Thanks-Giving Crafts. EcoHeidi Borchers is upcycling paper plates into pretty Thank You Posies, Candace Jedrowicz is creating a printable Thanks-Giving Tea Party Invitation and Tiffany is crafting a No-Sew Fabric Pennant Gratitude Banner.

It’s easy to watch the Cool2Craft TV Channel right from your computer. Monday October 24, 2011 at 9 am Pacific/ 10 am Mountain/ 11 am Central/ noon Eastern. Watch craft demos and join in the live chat at showtime at Cool2Craft.com. See you Monday!

Watch live streaming video from cool2craft at livestream.com

Crochet

Jewelry

Knitting

Paper

Sewing

Thrifty