FaveCrafts

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

Link Love: Let’s Have a Picnic

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When the weather starts heating up there’s nowhere I’d rather be than outdoors! I love dining al fresco in the summertime–it makes me feel like a chic European without a care in the world. And of course, as a crafter, I have to do more picnic preparation than just packing a basket with sandwiches and juice boxes. These picnic crafts are the perfect way to put your crafty stamp on a summer picnic. Picnics need not be simple affairs– there’s no shame in crafting unique cutlery holders, DIY picnic baskets, and handmade picnic blankets. Make your summer special by taking your family on a handmade picnic.

  1. Origami Picnic Basket from Martha Stewart
  2. Colorblocked Cutlery from Studio DIY
  3. DIY Picnic Baskets from Oh Happy Day
  4. Gingham Picnic Cookies from Munchkin Munchies
  5. Let’s Picnic Invitations from Eat Drink Chic
  6. Laminated Picnic Table from Sew Can Do
  7. Game Time Picnic Quilt from Sew Mama Sew
  8. Napkin Flatware Rolls from Make it Do
  9. Industrial Light Cage Picnic Holder from Junk Camp

Link Love: The Great Outdoors

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There’s nothing like the great outdoors, especially this time of year. I love barbecues, campfires, and evenings spent on my porch, listening to the cicadas. Pretty up your outdoor space with some of these whimsical ideas from around the web.

  1. Upcycled Windchimes from Hands On: As we Grow
  2. Ruffled Soda can Cozy from Craftaholics Anonymous
  3. Anthropologie Inspired Beach Chairs from modhomeec
  4. Outdoor Oilcloth Placemats from Craftzine
  5. Drab to Fab Patio Table from Virginia Blue
  6. Outdoor Hanging Lanterns from The Pleated Poppy
  7. Sea Shell Windchime from Lee La La for Ucreate
  8. Backyard Sandbox from MADE
  9. Patterned Pinwheels from Jones Design Company

How to Make a Silverware Wind Chime

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Many of our readers were interested in learning how to make a silverware wind chime. If you have some old silverware lying around, recycle the metal into a whimsical wind chime. This project is especially fun with tarnished, antique silverware. You can create a hanger with a wood block, embroidery hoop, or use a fork as your hanger. Here’s how to make a silverware wind chime with just a few materials.

Materials:

  • Old Silverware (at least 6 pieces)
  • Heavy-Weight Fishing Line
  • Power Drill and Drill Bit (1/8 inch)
  • Drilling Oil (optional)
  • C-Clamp
  • Block of Wood
  • Protective Eye Wear
  • Metal File
  • Pliers
  • Scissors

Instructions:

  1. Gather your materials. Find the thinnest, most malleable silverware you can to make this project easier. You will need at least one fork for the centerpiece hanger of your wind chime and 5 utensils for the chimes. You can use assorted silverware for the “chimes” or all spoons for your chimes. Knives have thicker handles than other silverware generally and will be harder to drill.
  2. To make drilling easier, secure silverware to wood block with a c-clamp. You may want to flatten the silverware slightly to make this easier.
  3. Drill a hole into the handle end of each piece of silverware, including the central fork. Be careful as the metal will be hot after drilling. You can use drilling oil to assist.
  4. Drill a hole into the center of your fork hanger, in the rectangle of metal right underneath the fork prongs. This will be the second hole in your fork hanger (the top hole will allow you to hang the wind chime).
  5. Use your metal file to remove any sharp edges around the drilled holes. You don’t want to snag your fishing line or your fingers!
  6. Take your pliers and your fork hanger, and bend the four prongs of the fork up so that they point out in all four directions. For example, the two inner prongs can point east-west and the two outer prongs can point north-south. When bent out, the fork prongs should look like a compass and be parallel to the ground for hanging (90 degree angle from the handle of the fork.)
  7. Use the pliers to bend the end of each fork prong up into a small loop.
  8. Tie a 5-6 inch piece of fishing line through the center hole of your hanging fork (above the prongs). Tie one of your chimes to the end of the fishing line, through the hole in the handle.
    1. If you use a fork as your middle chime, you can turn into another hanger and create a 2-layer wind chime.
    2. Tie four other silverware chimes to the fork hanger, through the bent loops at the end of the prongs. Use slightly longer lengths of fishing wire to secure these outer chimes. You want the broadest part of the outer silverware (the round base on spoons) to hit the end of your inner hanger.
    3. Tie a piece of fishing line to the top of your fork hanger to hang your wind chime from a tree branch or porch.

Enjoy your handmade silverware wind chime.

5 Birdhouse Crafts (For Mom or For You!)

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Birdhouses make delightful little projects for a variety of craft techniques, especially with the warmer weather. With free birdhouse designs, you can create an indoor or outdoor home accent, or a fun gift for a friend or family member. You can even use recycled materials in your birdhouse crafts. Make or embellish an unfinished birdhouse for Mother’s Day with one of these free birdhouse designs.

Simple Painting- Purchase an unfinished birdhouse from your craft store or online. Some even come with jute hangers. You will first need to sand the unfinished wood with sand paper and wipe clean with tack cloth. Paint with bold and colorful colors. You can paint the birdhouse one solid color, or paint the roof a complimentary color. Seal with an outdoor sealer like PLAID FolkArt Outdoor Gloss Sealer or finish with a product like Krylon UV-Resistant Clear to keep the color from fading in the sun.

Plastic Bottle Birdhouse- Use an empty plastic milk jug or 2 liter plastic bottle for this birdhouse craft. The larger milk jugs are better for larger birds like robins. Create several birdhouses in different sizes to hang from a tree, and accommodate all different bird sizes. Use a craft knife or sharp scissors to cut a door into the side of the milk jug or bottle, near the bottom. Line the bottom of the jug or bottle with hay for the birds. Secure heavy wire or twin around the top of the jug to hang. You can also paint and decorate the milk carton before hanging. For step-by-step instructions, see Plastic Bottle Birdfeeder.

Scrapbook Paper- Instead of painting the entire birdhouse, you can also use coordinating scrapbook papers to cover the roof and/or the sides of the birdhouse. If covering both the roof and the sides, pick two coordinating scrapbook papers. You will need to cut scrapbook papers to fit and glue to birdhouse, smoothing out. Finish with a coat of glaze, such as Triple Thick Gloss Glaze from DecoArt, to give a hard, ceramic look.

Shapes- You can add shapes to your birdhouse with a variety of methods. Decoupage die-cut or simple cut shapes to your birdhouse, such as flowers, leaves or fruit. Use a stencil to help paint letters or shapes on your birdhouse. Spell out “Home” on your birdhouse for a whimsical touch. You can also use stamps to embellish your birdhouse. You can stamp an outline with ink and then you paint with a fine paintbrush to fill in the shape.

Berry Basket Birdhouse- You can make a simple birdhouse with a plastic strawberry basket, fiber scraps and shredded junk mail paper. Weave strips of fabric, ribbon and/or yarn through the mesh holes of a strawberry basket. Use all different colors and materials for a fun, outdoor accent piece. Fill the basket with some shredded paper. Use a bit of yarn or twine to hang the basket from a tree. Birds will love this little, hanging birdhouse!

For more birdhouse design ideas, see 11 Free Birdhouse Designs and Craft Video.

Turn Old Tin Cans into Picnic Helpers

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With the warm weather, everyone wants to be eating al fresco. You can turn any BBQ or picnic into a comfortable event with these handy little Picnic Helpers from Rachel Griffith of P.S. I Quilt. All you need are some empty aluminum cans and fabric scraps to create cute little containers for napkins, forks and picnic trash. You know how I love craft projects that recycle. These are also perfect for the upcoming 4th of July holiday. You can even use fabric in red, white and blue to create patriotic little picnic helpers. Thanks for the clever idea Rachel!

Check out the Picnic Helpers Project here!

Win 1 of 3 Krylon Gift Baskets

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Krylon is generously giving away three gift baskets full of their signature spray paints. These high-quality paints are perfect for updating outdoor furniture or creating new indoor decor. Each winner will choose 10 cans of Krylon spray paint, worth over $100 in value! In addition, FaveCrafts has over 150 free craft projects using Krylon paints, including the Leaf Window Frame project shown below.  You will never be out of ideas for using your winnings!

Find out more about this great giveaway and enter to win 1 of the 3 gift baskets at the Krylon Giveaway Page. Contest Ends: June 4, 2009 at 11:59:59 p.m. You can enter once daily so come back often to improve your chances of winning!

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