FaveCrafts

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

Beat the Back-to-School Blues with 29 Kids Crafts Ideas

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It seems like just days ago that the final bell of the school year rang, and yet here we are—August already and time to start planning for the new school year. Can you believe it? This time of year is usually a bit of a relief for the parents (It’s OK; you can admit it!) but kind of a bummer for the kids. But we all want our kids to be excited about school, right? Why not help get them pumped up for the new year with some fun “Back to School” crafts for kids to make?

 

For the kid who’s reluctant to pick up those schoolbooks, we have these awesome Avengers Bookmarks. What kid wouldn’t want to dive into a good book if these cute superhero crafts were waiting in the middle? Your little ones will be so eager to get back to school and show off these super cool bookmarks to all their classmates. Or if the Avengers aren’t your family’s favorite, modify this painting project to depict your favorite characters!

 

Now that your kids have filled the pages of their textbooks with neat bookmarks, let them decorate the covers with these Paper Bag Journal Covers. Your kids can pretend they’re travelers exploring a new country with the travel journal theme shown here. Or they can decorate them any way they please; the possibilities are endless!

 

 

 

To make note-taking more fun, try making one of these Perfectly Personalized Clipboards with your kids. They will be proud to pull out their clipboard with their name on it and take notes in class. Plus, they’ll be sure not to lose it because their name is right on there! This is a versatile project that leaves plenty of room for your kids to get creative.

 

 

 

 

Motivate your kids to ace that test with these Tiny Apple Refrigerator Magnets. This is a fun painting project you and your kids can make together. Then you can use them to hang your kids’ schoolwork on the fridge to show them how proud you are! These adorable magnets will help motivate them to study for that big test.

 

 

Find these projects, plus 25 other Back-to-School crafts for kids to make on AllFreeKidsCrafts.com! These awesome craft projects will help your kids get excited for the new school year and beat those “Back to School blues” once and for all.

Have you started planning for the new school year yet? What preparations are you and your family making?

Coming Soon: Twitter Contest with AllFreeChristmasCrafts

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You’re  invited to our very first Twitter-only contest with AllFreeChristmasCrafts!


Join us Tuesday March 20 at , at 11 a.m. EST for a chance to connect with tons of other Christmas crafters and win an awesome prize!
We’ll get to the prize in a moment, first let’s go over the simple way you can win.

Here’s what you have to do:

  1. Follow @FreeXmasCrafts on Twitter. If you don’t already have a Twitter account, you can easily create one for free!
  2. Log on between 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. EST.
  3. We’ll post a question on our Twitter feed and provide our special hashtag for the giveaway – #XmasWin. Click reply, answer the question and don’t forget to include the hashtag! Only tweets that include #XmasWin will be considered for the giveaway.
  4. Check back at 2 p.m. and find out if you’re the winner!

And that’s it. Does it get any easier? Didn’t think so.

GIVEAWAY

And now for the good part. We’re giving away a Martha Steward Craft Station! This all-in-one system is idea for paper crafters, scrapbookers, and card makers. Use the LED light box to illuminate your crafting space and get the best possible view of your work. The moveable arm helps you create straight lines with ease. The embossing stylus and and cutting knife with create smooth, precise designs that look anything but ordinary. Oh and don’t worry about cutting yourself – the Craft Station comes with two extra blades and replacement is hands-free. You’ll also receive more than 100 templates for cutting and tracing. Basically, this is a one-stop shop for anyone who love to create.

 Giveaway rules:

  • Contest open to US and Canada residents 18+
  • Contest closes March 20, 2012 at 1:59 p.m. EST.
  • You must use the hashtag #XmasWin
  • Winners will be posted on this blog and on Twitter.

So mark your calendars now and follow us today! Look out for more information as the giveaway gets closer!

Ask Maria: Combine Crochet and Knit with The Knook

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Reader Question: My friend said there is now a crochet hook that you can also knit with but I can’t find it anywhere. Have you heard of such a needle?

The FaveCrafts.com team is just back from attending the 2012 Winter CHA (Craft and Hobby Association) trade show and we did find the amazing tool you are talking about. It’s called The Knook from Leisure Arts, a company you may recognize for being a leader in needleart and craft books. We even got to try our hand at knitting with this crochet hook.  Ribbon is used as your “second” knitting needle while one end of The Knook is pointed end with a hole to thread your ribbon through.(there is a traditional hook at the other end) the ribbon stays  attached to this pointed end.  The idea behind The Knook is that you can combine crocheting and knitting within one project. Leisure Arts has several excellent videos demonstrating the technique and stitches.

You can purchase The Knook on CutRateCrafts.com

Starting tomorrow, AllFreeCrochet.com is giving away a Knook to one lucky winner!

Maria Nerius is the Craft Expert at FaveCrafts.com. She’s worked and crafted for over 30 years and loves to answer questions about any craft technique. Send us your question today!

Meet the Editor: Julia

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Hello! My name is Julia and I’m the editor of two super cool websites, AllFreeChristmasCrafts and AllFreeCrochetAfghanPatterns. I also bring you the weekly craft business newsletter from FaveCrafts, Creative Income, and work with the wonderful Tiffany Windsor to produce the bi-weekly newsletter, Cool2Craft.

I was born and raised in St. Louis, MO, and attended the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, where I studied advertising and English. I love movies and television; in fact, I’m one of those people that always have a full DVR to catch up on and list of movies to see on the weekend. I’ve also loved reading for, well, as long as I can remember and always carry a book in my bag. I’m a total fitness nut and love exploring Chicago in my free time! About a year ago, I moved into my first apartment, so I’m adjusting to domestic life on my own. My newest goal is to learn how to bake (I’m constantly collecting recipes and ideas, but I have yet to make anything). I learned how to crochet earlier this year but I still have so much to learn!

I love so many projects on our sites and I’m constantly inspired to make something amazing! Here are some of my all-time favorite DIY craft ideas that you should definitely check out this holiday season!

 

Holiday Craft Tutorials:

 

Knitting Tutorials:

 

Sewing Tutorials:

 

Beaded Jewelry Tutorials:

 

FaveCrafts Tutorials:

 

Crochet Projects:

 

Quilt Projects:

 

 

Take It Easy This Holiday Season with new eBook from AllFreeChristmasCrafts

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The holiday season is a time to catch up with friends and family, curl up by the fire and show people you care. It’s also a time to stress about money, stress about gifts and stress about, well, everything else. Even the biggest Christmas fanatic has been there – that nervous feeling you get when you realize you’ve forgotten to buy a gift or send a card. It’s time to take a deep breath, relax and enjoy yourself with the latest eBook from AllFreeChristmasCrafts,  7 Easy Christmas Crafts.

There are three distinct types of crafts in 7 Easy Christmas Crafts – tree crafts, ornaments and general DIY projects. All of these projects are perfect for beginners and don’t require a ton of time to complete. My personal favorite project in this eBook is the Jingle Bell Garland. Who doesn’t love the sound of jingle bells during the holiday season? You only need three supplies for this project – felt, jingle bells and glue gun. Even a craft novice like me can make one (what I lack in skills I make up for in enthusiasm)! I tend to like the look of understated projects that don’t scream, “Look at me!” This garland isn’t embellished to the hilt and it isn’t a crazy color, but it’s still really pretty and festive.

I also really love the Super Snowflakes featured in this free eBook. All you need for this project is some posterboard. Use scissors to cut out shapes and, if you’re feeling crazy, sprinkle on some glitter. That’s it! You can leave these snowflakes up all winter and make your home that much more festive. I’m definitely making a few of these this year – what better way to decorate for the holidays?

Download your copy of 7 Easy Christmas Crafts today – it’s totally free and filled with fun ideas!

Working With Craft Festival Organizations

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Having only done a few shows, I’ve been spoiled with the level of organization of some events and the disorganization of others.

I’ve worked with the Creativ Festival in Toronto Ontario. It would be the first show I ever worked with back in October 2010. I couldn’t believe the level of organization it takes to get that show from seed to full blown 1000’s of guests per hour walking through the show. An estimated 30,000 – 40,000 guests tromping on through. Remarkably, they have an 80 page brochure on what courses are available. All this strategical planning is simply mind boggling but they do it and do it extremely well.

Starting off with a show that is super organized, I figured all shows are like this. I’ve already seen dishonesty from show organizers from over stating their attendance and even the value of being with their show.

One show in the USA, I have emailed them 3 times requesting what their expected attendance is and have waiting 6 weeks to get some responses. I have seen where show organizers are contacting me within a week of finally acknowledging my email and still and still expecting me to be available.

How to pick a good one:

  • Google it?
  • What are people saying about this event?
  • Is the location where the event is making sense for the organizer’s claim?
  • Is the dollar value of the booth worth the traffic or what you hope to achieve?
  • When you request info, do they get back to you or leave you hanging?
  • Are they more concerned to sell than educate you about the show?
  • Consumer’s expected at the show, remember that a show of 40,000 guests may be just as good as a 5,000 guests. The 5,000 may be more dedicated to the crafting where the larger show may be a great rainy day event. Your sales could be better with smaller events!
  • I have yet to make money at doing an event as I am doing it to gain exposure. Eventually though, it is the hope that my own popularity and consumer interest will drive my booth costs down and increase my value to be part of the organization.
  • Sometimes you want to take a chance as you could meet consumers that may make a difference in your future.

Essentially, do your homework! Make sure you read critiques from a non bias point of view. Someone selling knitting machines may have sucked really bad but the sew machine vendor totally kicked some serious cash in the same show. Understand the consumer draw for the show.

Aleene’s Tacky Glue Giveaway

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You can make anything with a little help from Aleene’s Tacky Glue.  Seriously.

This is the gold standard in the crafting world – I know I grew up with this awesome product and I’m sure you did too.  It’s easy to clean up and completely user-friendly.  There’s a reason Aleene’s Tacky Glue is so instantly recognizable – it’s simply the best there is.

In celebration of Aleene’s 87th birthday, FaveCrafts is teaming up with Cool2Craft to give away a mega assortment of Aleene’s Tacky Glue.  In fact, one lucky winner will win $87 worth of glue!  Think of all the fantastic projects you can make with this iconic product!  And with that much glue, your crafting possibilities are endless.

The winner of this contest will be announced live on Inspirations by Julianna Hudgins LIVE TV on February 28.  Don’t wait until it’s too late!

Learn more and enter to win here.

Have you signed up for the Cool2Craft newsletter yet?  Sign up today!

Take Note of This Fantastic Cause

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People like to craft for different reasons – it’s fun, it’s relaxing, it’s cheaper than going to the mall and buying a pre-made piece.  But what if you turned your passion for crafting into something more  than just a hobby?  What if it became a way to help other who may be  less physically or mentally able than you?

This is exactly what Linda Shoaf Ashby is doing with Note Worthy.  Ashby’s program allows intellectually disabled students to channel their creativity through paper making.  This is both therapeutic and fun for all involved.  Plus it allows the crafters to gain confidence in their work.  Everyone deserves a chance to get creative and practice new skills.

Another great aspect of the program is that all of the projects are sustainable and completely green.  Helping the Earth and others – does it get any better?

Note Worthy is an award-winning program that has even been featured in a Miami Herald article as well as on local news stations.  The program has expanded into three new schools and will hopefully keep growing.

To learn more about this fantastic program, check out their Facebook page and Youtube channel.

FaveCrafts 365 Color Theory by Mother Nature

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My mother was a genius at color theory, but those genes were not passed down to me! I’ve discovered an easy way to figure out color coordination and have a relaxing walk in my backyard. A colorwheel is a very handy tool for color theory, but do you have other tools you use? Share!

Cool2Craft and FaveCrafts Giveaway: Flip-Pal Mobile Scanner

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Have you heard about FaveCrafts’ recent partnership with Cool2Craft?

We’re so excited to work with Tiffany Windsor and the entire team.  From recycled projects to paper crafts, Cool2Craft has so many great ideas for crafters.  Best of all, you don’t have to be an expert to follow the tutorials.  If you’re interested in learning more about Cool2Craft, check out their company profile on FaveCrafts and be sure to sign up for the Cool2Craft weekly newsletter.

Flip-Pal Mobile Scanner

And that’s not all!  FaveCrafts and Cool2Craft are giving away a Flip-Pal Mobile Scanner!  This is a great tool for anyone who loves to craft.

It’s a particularly great for scrapbookers because you can easily duplicate old photos and keepsakes.  When I was younger, I went through a major scrapbooking phase.  It was a pre-scanner era, so I would either have to make my mom take me to a store with a copy machine or cut up old photos.  As a lazy tween, I didn’t care at all about saving anything.  This led to the destruction of so many irreplaceable photographs that I otherwise would have saved for generations.

Don’t let this happen to you!  Enter to win a Flip-Pal Mobile Scanner – the winner will be chose on January 30 and revealed LIVE on Cool2Craft’s live broadcast on January 31.

To learn more about this high tech yet easy to use scanner, check out this Flip-Pal Mobile Scanner Video.

Enter this contest now!

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