Paper Crafting: Altered Art DIY Journal Cover

September 17, 2015 by Lisa Fulmer

We love personalized journals. There’s something so appealing in making the outside of your journal as special as the inside. This is an easy paper craft tutorial that shows you some fun paper crafting techniques to help you customize any journal. Why not turn the “Plain Jane” journal into a completely unique craft project that showcases your creativity? This is also a great craft idea for kids because it shows you how to alter the basic journal without spending big bucks. It’s the perfect back to school craft!

Once you have written, sketched, embellished, and painted all the pages in your beloved art journal, it’s now time to alter the cover to make it your own. Give your journal a beautifully textured and layered cover using sheets of fabric, interfacing, paper, and metal — it’s quick and easy to put together. Your coffee table will thank you for it!

Paper Crafting: Altered Art DIY Journal Cover

Supplies

Fusible stiff interfacing
Cotton fabric
Felt
Handmade paper (it’s softer and more malleable)
Heavy craft foil
Embossing folder and machine
Alcohol inks and applicator
Tacky glue
Sanding block
Chisel-tip marker
Iron
Journal

1. Emboss the craft foil and trim it to the desired size. Rub a base coat of a light-colored alcohol ink over the top, then blend additional colors on top, using a pouncing motion with the applicator.

2. Gently sand the inked foil to expose some of the silver on the raised areas. This technique distresses the surface but it also enhances the embossed pattern. Ink the edges with a marker and set aside.

3. Iron the fabric to the fusible side of the stiff interfacing and trim to a size that’s slightly smaller than your journal cover.

4. Trim the felt and handmade paper to desired sizes and play with the arrangement of the layers until you like the result. Glue each layer down in sequence, then glue the embossed foil panel on top.

5. Add whatever sentiments or additional embellishments you like.

Create Simple Felt Hair Bows For A Mini Fashionista

June 26, 2013 by FaveCrafts

This project is brought to you by Latrice Murphy for Any Occasion.

Today I’m making something any little girl would love – mini felt bow hair clips!

Materials:

Felt
Die or a cutting template to cut by hand
Die cutting machine
E6000 glue
Silver clips
Buttons

Instructions:

First off, you want to start off with your felt and die. You’ll need to trim your felt down to fit in whatever machine your cutting on. No need to do that if you’re using a template and hand cutting. Run it through using the correct plate sandwich for thin dies.

Next up gather your other materials and get ready to assemble.

Using the tiniest drops of glue, fold your bow into its shape. Tacking it in the center and then adding the tail and wrapping the center.

Lastly add your button to the center and add the bow to your clip. I always sandwich the clip with a small rectangle piece of felt to hold it tight.

Latest FaveCrafts eBook Features Fun Felt Crafts for All Ages

April 13, 2013 by FaveCrafts

Felt is one of the most popular craft materials out there and it’s easy to see why. First of all, it’s easy to use – everyone from little kids to older adults can work with it. Also, you can use felt to make almost anything (we’re talking jewelry, coffee cozies and pizza, just to name a few). Most importantly, you don’t have to search high and low for felt – there’s always a huge variety at craft and home good stores. Since felt is basically the best craft supply on the planet (this has not been tested, but just trust us), it only made sense that we’d create a brand new free eBook that features amazing and fun felt crafts.

In 18 Crafts with Felt: Craft Ideas, Felt Flowers and More, you’ll find age-appropriate projects for kids, pretty flowers and so much more. Basically, there’s something for everyone. You can even gather up the family and make a few of these crafts together – it’s a great way to bond. The simple projects in this eBook don’t require a ton of time or materials, so you can make a bunch in a short period of time. Also, not all of the projects require access to a sewing machine – all you need is some glue.

Here are a few of the projects feature in this brand new free eBook:

Felt Strawberries – Strawberries are a delicious treat but there’s just one problem – they don’t last forever. In fact, strawberries can often go bad in a matter of days. If you love the look of bright red strawberries, use felt to create some that won’t go bag, Place them in a bowl or basket and display them all year long for a fun, summery touch. The vibrant colors and simple design will leave you wanting more!

Felt Flower Needlecase – Love to sew or know someone who can’t live without their needle and thread? Create one of these cases to aid organization. The green felt is vibrant enough to capture your attention when you’re searching for supplies amid a sea of fabric and materials.

Felt Learning Clock – Learning should be fun and nothing is more fun than crafting! Gather up the kids and have them help with this simple project. Once completed, this clock can serve an an important education tool that is also fun to play with. Use a sewing machine or a hot glue gun to construct this project – it’s up to you!

Felt is so versatile and fun – you’ll want to use it for every single project. Get inspired and channel your creativity with 18 Crafts with Felt: Craft Ideas, Felt Flowers and More. You’ll be amazed by the cool crafts you can create with felt scraps!

Keep Kids Occupied With a DIY Felt Busy Book

April 3, 2013 by FaveCrafts

This tutorial is brought to you by Latrice Murphy from Any Occasion.

I have three active kids and I’m always trying to come up with ways to keep them busy. I find lots of great ideas for this on Pinterest. I’ve seen different posts here and there about “felt busy books.” My littlest is just 20 months, so keeping him busy is a must, especially when we’re in the car. The catch is that I needed something that he couldn’t throw, put in his mouth and tear up. What’s better than a felt book with little activities on each page? Here is a peek at my finished book. I love how it turned out and he’s already been playing with it.

Materials:

Various felt sheets ( I use a eco fi felt that is nice and sturdy)
Three jump rings
Velcro adhesive backed dots
Sewing machine
Scissors
Heavy duty hole punch
Fabric glue
Die cutting or templates

Instructions:

Start out by planning your pages and cutting all the sheets of felt down in half to create the pages.
Cut out and arrange all the page pieces. My book had the following pages:
1. Car with road
2. Tic tac toe
3. Dress up
4. Shapes
5. Tree
6. House
7. Barn
Sew on your die cut pieces where needed.
To make the pages place the right sides together and sew around three sides. Flip it like a pillow to the right side after done.
Once all the pages are complete attach the front and back page to a binding piece.
Next punch holes using a heavy duty hole punch to punch all the pages.
Assemble the book with three large jump rings.

My son loves this book already. Even the two bigger kids are totally into helping him with it and playing tic tac toe.

I would have to say that planning is key on a project such as this. I decided in the end to add a pocket for the car page, a pocket on the dress up page and a strap to hold it closed nicely. I luckily hadn’t sewn anything together yet.

Enjoy the process of creating something your loved one will enjoy – I know I did.

FaveCrafts Giveaway: Felt Jewelry

August 28, 2012 by FaveCrafts

For me the key to accessorizing is using items that are lightweight and comfortable. I love light scarves, earrings that don’t hurt after an hour of wearing them, and necklaces that don’t weigh me down with heavy beads or pendants.

And when it comes to comfortable jewelry, there’s no better outlet that felt. It’s versatile, lightweight, and looks great when combined with beads, buttons, and embroidery. And when I’m looking for ideas on what to make with my colorful felt collection, I always turn to Felt Jewelry.

Felt Jewelry is a great book filled with some of the most colorful and fun accessories I’ve ever seen. Each one of these bracelets, scarves, necklaces, and rings are easy to make and customize to fit your favorite colors.

Wanna Win Felt Jewelry?

Head on over to the giveaway page and register to win. You have until September11th to enter, and you can enter to win once every day…so the more you return, the greater your chances of winning! You can also gain more entries by talking about this giveaway on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and your blog! Get more information on the giveaway page.

Meet and Make: Helen Bird

September 2, 2011 by AllFreeHolidayCrafts

Today’s Meet and Make is Helen Bird. Helen is the creator of Curly Birds, a blog devoted to crafts for children and the art of play. The blog and small line of children’s play accessories are aptly named for her sweet, curly-haired twin girls.

Helen comes from a long line of creative and crafty people who have inspired her to make instead of buy. She is a planner whose children’s crafts are inspired by nature and the seasonal flow.

Most of all, Helen enjoys making things for her girls to infuse their lives with a little more love.

Ready to meet Helen?

Top 10 Fun Facts About Helen:

1. I LOVE felt – the feel, the color and it’s texture.
2. I need coffee- and lots of it.
3. I’m addicted to craft books.
4. My identical twin girls have been sewing (and rock climbing) since they were 2.
5. I’ve never had a cavity, speeding ticket, or bee sting.
6. I have so very many teacup crafts floating in my head that I haven’t been able to make any yet.
7. I crocheted so much in college that I experienced Carpal Tunnel.
8. Fresh flowers make me happy.
9. Did I mention that I love felt?
10. I just received my husband’s Grandmother’s button collection – in a pretty bag her Mother made. I will keep these buttons forever.

Here’s Helen’s Project:

How to Turn a Vintage Suitcase into a Kids’ Dress Up Trunk

Materials:

Vintage Suitcase
White Plastic Contact Liner
Felt
Glue and brush
Pen
Pins
Scissors

Instructions:

1. Find a design that inspires you. I found this one in the Land of Nod catalog.

2. Draw or trace your pattern out of paper, pin it onto the felt and cut out your design. Glue pieces together.

3. Cut contact paper to size, peel the backing and carefully stick to the top of the case.

4. Glue the designs onto the case.

5. Admire your work!

Guest Post: 5 Types of Felt

June 3, 2011 by FaveCrafts

This guest post was written by Marla Canfield Clark for Creative Dish.

Read this post and more about felt on FaveCrafts.com.

Felt is a great material to use for crafting, home décor projects, and fashion. It is easy to cut, sew, glue, and embellish, and it comes in many colors. The key to using felt is to pick the correct type for your project.

1. Craft Felt

Craft felt is a generic term for 100% synthetic, man-made felt. The felt is mainly acrylic, polyester, rayon or a rayon/viscose blend. Craft felt comes in many colors and styles. This type of felt is widely available at major craft chains and online.

Most craft felt comes in thin pre-cut 9”x12” sheets. However, you can find craft felt by the yard. In addition to a wide assortment of beautiful colors, craft felt is also available in glitter sheets, self stick adhesive backed sheets, and with stiffener added.

Craft felt is best used in projects such as: Children’s crafts, seasonal holiday crafts, school, or camp crafting. Try these:

2. Eco Friendly Felts

There is now a popular felt on the market made using eco-fi. Eco-fi is a polyester fiber made from 100% post-consumer recycled plastic bottles. The look and feel of eco-fi felt is very similar to original polyester craft felt, however it is slightly stiffer. The felt is available with glitter, in rainbow colors, felt numbers, and a line of embossed patterns.

Eco-fi craft felt is widely available at major craft chains and on the internet. Buy thin, pre-cut sheets or buy it by the yard. Check the felt packaging for the eco-fi name to make sure you are buying felt made from recycled plastic bottles.

Another felt available is a bamboo/rayon blend. Bamboo is considered a sustainable fiber as it is a fast growing crop that can grow practically anywhere, releases more oxygen than trees, and does not need chemical fertilizers. There is some debate about how “green” the process is to turn the plant fibers into usable bamboo thread. However, it is certainly more eco friendly than 100% synthetic materials. Bamboo felt is available under the brand name Xotic felt.

Use Eco friendly felt for: all the same types of crafts as regular craft felt. Additionally, use the embossed patterns (alligator or decorative) for small home décor crafts. Try these:

3. Blended Wool Felt

Blended wool felt refers to felt that is actually made with real wool. There are two common types of blended wool felt used in home crafting, the 35% wool/65% rayon blend and the 20% wool/80% rayon blend.

One major difference between blended wool felt and craft felt is that wool is used in making the felt. The result is a soft, luxurious felt that actually has some of the characteristics of real wool. When comparing polyester craft felt to blended wool felt, the blended felt will have a nice, nubby texture. Some of the 35% wool/65% rayon felts also have heathered coloring. This is because the wool fibers are interwoven which results in a rich, two tone effect.

Although the 20% wool/80% rayon felt is less costly than the 35% wool/65% blend, many merchants sell them for the same price. The wool felt is available online and in major chain stores that carry fabric. Blended wool felt comes in over 100 colors. This felt may be purchased in sheets and by the yard. Blended felt is more expensive than craft felt, but still reasonably priced.

Recommended uses for blended felt include: Home décor crafting such as pillows, table runners and garlands, heirloom quality holiday ornaments, and patterned sewing crafts using wool felt. Try this:

Easy Pillow Sewing Project

4. 100% Wool Felt

Unlike blended wool felt, as the name suggests 100% wool felt is made from 100% wool. 100% wool felt comes in thicknesses of 1.2 mm, 2mm, 3mm, and 5mm. Real 100% wool felt is sold by the yard and is quite expensive. This felt has a luxurious feel and is used in professional apparel and home décor applications.

100% wool felt is available online and by the yard in some retail stores selling fabric.

Recommended uses for 100% wool felt include: 1.2 mm felt may be used for making hats, clothing, pillows, and other home décor items. 1.2-2 mm may be used for children’s footwear and slippers. 2mm and 3mm felts are best used for fashion, fashion accessories, hats, tabletop décor, and computer accessories. 5mm felt is best for wall coverings, decorative hanging room dividers, and wall art. Try this:

Felt Baby Booties

5. Needle Punch Felting – 100% Wool Roving

Needle punch is a technique using wool roving and needles to create a decorative effect on clothing and home décor, as well as creating cute critters and dolls. Wool roving is a piece of wool which has been combed, formed into a clump, and twisted to hold the fibers together. There are many tutorials and kits for projects that can be made using the needle punch technique. Try this:

Felted Cell Phone Case

Marla Canfield Clark, editor of www.creativedish.com features modern, easy craft and cooking for today’s busy families.

How to: Make Sequin Heart Earrings

February 8, 2011 by FaveCrafts

If you’re a regular Link Love reader (or craft blogosphere lurker) you know that heart themed crafts are HUGE right now, and sequins are the new glitter. First I showed you Grosgrain’s sequin heart shoe clip tutorial, and then I found Rae Gun Ramblings’ sequin heart headband. I was completely smitten with these ideas, so I knew I had to put my spin on it. I just bought some earring-making supplies last week (of course I braved the Snowpocalypse to go to the craft store!) so I decided to make sequin heart earrings. The tutorial is obviously heavily influenced by the two aforementioned projects, but I figured I’d show you how I did it.

I drew a heart on some card stock scraps and cut it out to use as a template.
Then I cut out two hearts from some scraps of red felt I already had (leftover from my sewn Valentines!)
I hot-glued strings of red sequins to each of the hearts, making sure to cover the entire felt piece. I just went in a random zig-zag design, since the pieces were so small.
When both hearts were done, I attached the earring backs. First I added a jump ring onto each earring back, and then I hot-glued the jump ring to the back of the heart, covering it up with a smaller piece of felt to keep it secure. I’m sure there’s a better way to do this, but it was my very first time making jewelry!

Et voila! The earrings are done!

And in case you’re curious about what my ear lobe looks like, here’s the earring in action:

New Pattern Monday: Felt Flowers

February 22, 2010 by FaveCrafts

Of all the pretty flowers to craft this year, felt flowers are some of my favorites. They’re thrifty, because felt is a relatively inexpensive material. And they’re usually pretty easy to make, because felt is a user friendly material, too! These new felt projects are good for small gifts or just to wear or use for yourself. Embellish a bag or shirt with an easy felt flower that will go a long way.

Felt Rose

Felted Floral Cell Phone Case

Needlefelted Flower Pins

Felt Flower Needlecase

If you like these felt flowers, check out more Felt projects at FaveCrafts.