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Crafts

Acorn Craft Ideas

by Frugal Simplicity

Acorn Craft Ideas

Let’s get a hand count. How many people have oak trees in their yard? Do you also have an abundance of acorns? These acorn craft ideas will give you something to do with all those acorns the squirrels miss when the colder months creep up on them.

Acorns can be used in a number of fall and winter crafts. With Thanksgiving coming up soon, you can use acorns to help decorate your holiday table. You can also create garlands and other items to decorate your home.

An ‘Acorny’ Family

Gather up a bunch of acorns from your yard or a nearby park. Try to pick up only the acorns with the tops still on them. You can also purchase wooden acorns from a craft store. If the tops come off while you’re transporting the acorns, use a little bit of craft glue to put the tops back on.

Find enough acorns for each person in your family for this first craft. You’ll also need to have some acrylic paints, paint brushes, a sharp pencil and possibly six or more inches of heavyweight thread.

Paint the bottom half of the acorn using a flesh-tone or light brown paint. While this is drying, paint the top or cap of the acorn your favorite color. You would then do the same thing with enough acorns for your family, making the cap of each acorn that family member’s favorite color.

When the acorn is dry you can paint a face on it using a detail paintbrush or a very sharp pencil dipped in the paint. Add other embellishments such as little bows for a girl’s hair or painted pearls for mom. You could even make acorn animals by gluing on pieces of paper for the ears. These are particularly cute for couples who don’t have children but have ‘fur babies.’

Allow the acorns to dry thoroughly and either set them in a bowl, near family pictures or glue string on them to hang them as ornaments. Another thing you can do is create an acorn person for each person who is attending Thanksgiving dinner. Glue their acorn on a folded piece of business card stock and write their name on the card so everyone knows where to sit.

Wreaths

If you have a wreath to place on your front door, tie acorns onto a piece of raffia. Next tie the raffia into a bow and glue that to the wreath. You can also hot glue the acorns in groups of three around the wreath. Then use other fall items like baby’s breath, silk leaves and berries to fill out the wreath.

Picture Frames

How many old picture frames do you have which you would like to update? Create autumn frames by gluing acorns onto the picture frame. To dress the picture frames up a little bit, dry brush gold or copper paint on the frame and acorns. Once the picture frame is completely dry, place the picture back into the frame and group them in one area as a photo display.

Acorns are normally in abundance in the fall and it really is a shame to throw them away. In the spirit of trying to recycle and reuse, these crafts will help you do just that. By making one or more of these acorn craft ideas you can use the acorns and decorate your home at the same time.

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Make Your Own Christmas Cards

by Frugal Simplicity

Make Your Own Christmas Cards

If you are on a real tight budget this Christmas or just love to be crafty during the holidays here are some wonderful homemade Christmas card ideas for you to try this holiday season.

  • Potato Stamp Cards:
  • Supplies you may need for your homemade Christmas Cards:
  • Paper Bags or Craft Paper
  • Potatoes or Sponges
  • Paint or colored ink
  • Ribbons
  • Hole Punch
  • Ink Pen
  • Paring Knife (adult supervision)
  • Plastic Plate
  • Scissors

Step #1 – Check to see if you can find any left over envelopes. You can look in old Christmas card boxes or the drawer where mom or dad pays the bills (ask first). If you find any unused envelopes you can use them and you will need to be sure that the cards you make will fit inside these cards.

Step #2 – Measure the envelope (if you didn’t find any have mom or dad buy some for you).

Step #3 – Cut out the brown paper bag to be the same height as the card but twice as wide as the card.

Step #4 – Cut the potatoe in half with an adult helping. Cut out a Christmas tree shape on the exposed side of the potato (white not the skin). Cut away potato from the outer edge of the tree that surrounds the tree. You can use three potatoes to cut out different sizes of trees.

Step #5 – Put the paint or ink onto the plastic plate. Dip the Potato Tree into the paint or ink, now place it on what will be the front of your card (one tree or you can make a group of trees).

Step #6 – Make two holes with the hole punch about a centimeter apart below the Christmas tree.

Step #7 – Insert one end of the ribbon through the left hole, and then put it through the other hole. Loop each end around back and through the opposite hole. Now, pull the ribbon out the front of the card. Tie the ribbon into a pretty Christmas bow.

Step #8 – Use the scissors to trim the ribbon. You can stamp more trees on the inside or write a holiday greeting. You can also place Christmas stickers on the card or place crayon ornaments on the trees. You can also decorate the envelopes too. Use the sponge instead of the potato or buy stamps in the store.

Easy Construction Paper Cards:

Every child knows how to make Christmas cards out of construction paper. You just fold a piece of construction paper in half. Decorate the one outside half like the front of a Christmas greeting card and write a greeting on the inside of the card. Use Christmas colors (green, red, purple). Use Christmas stickers to decorate the cards if you wish.

Left Over Christmas Cards:

If your family saves old Christmas cards ask if you can use them to make new cards. You will need the old Christmas cards, construction paper, glue, pen, crayons or markers, and scissors to make these homemade cards.

Sort through the pile of old Christmas cards to find the front of your homemade card. Once you find one you like, cut the front off the old card. You can use parts and not the entire front if you like. You can also use more than one old card to make a different picture.

Fold the construction paper in half. Glue the old card picture onto the front of your construction paper card. Using the pen, crayons or marker add to the picture, or draw new pictures to go with the old card picture. Write a holiday greeting on the inside of the card with your pen. You can copy greetings from the old cards.

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Quick and Easy Thanksgiving Craft Ideas
 

With the holidays come decorations, and Thanksgiving is no exception. While your children may not be able to participate in much of the cooking of Thanksgiving dinner, you can put them to use by allowing them to decorate the house in anticipation. Set them up at a craft table with paper, glue, glitter and other craft goodies and let them create their own decorations.

There are many different items that your children can create to decorate the house for Thanksgiving. Teach them how to draw thanksgiving-themed pictures such as pilgrims, Indians and cornucopias. These items, as well as other fall or winter-themed items, can be drawn onto colored paper and cut out to display around the house for your family and guests who may come to dinner.

You can find templates online by doing a search. Many of the online templates will allow your children to simply color and cut out. Best of all, if they make mistakes and want to re-do the picture, you can just print out another template.

Thanksgiving name cards for the dinner table are a crafty idea for children. Buy some thanksgiving-themed stamps and let your children stamp the name cards. The stamped images can then be colored in and names written on the cards for the guests.

In addition to name cards, napkin rings can be designed with utmost ease as well. Inform your family beforehand that the items were made by your children so that your friends and family can praise your children for a job well done. Watching your children beam will add precious memories to the occasion.

Have your children make a thanksgiving-themed garland to hang around the house. Buy fall-colored paper and cut into strips. Your children can make and attach circles out of the strips and form an inexpensive garland that will certainly add to the festivities. Let them make either one long, or several short garlands to display around the house.

Thanksgiving is a great time to decorate the house. You can let your children feel like they are part of the festivities by allowing them to decorate the house with some quick and easy crafts. Provide them with templates, but also let them use their own creativity. After the house is decorated, be sure to take pictures because before you know it, the Thanksgiving decorations will be replaced with Christmas decorations.

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Save Money on Candle Making Supplies

Candle making can be a great past time, hobby, or business venture. While the supplies for candling making are remarkably inexpensive, the cost does start to add up over time. There are many ways you can cut back the cost of the candle making supplies, but I caution you not to sacrifice the quality of the products you purchase just to save a few dollars. This is especially important for those who sell their candles. If the quality of the product goes down because you are buying wax and other supplies that are of less quality, you will end up costing your business money over the long haul.

Keep a list of the candle making supplies you use. Include the brand, the price, and the amount of the item you get for that price. This will help you compare the prices with sales you run across and know if you are getting a better deal or not. Many craft stores run sales on candle making items before and right after the holidays. This can be a great time to stock up.

Checking online auction sites including Ebay and Yahoo Auctions can often be an excellent way to find the same candle making products you use at a discounted price. It could be that the seller of the items doesn’t have the time to make candles anymore or they simply have moved on to other things.

If you use a large volume of candle making supplies on a regular basis, consider buying them wholesale. You will pay more up front for your supplies, yet overall you will save a considerable amount of money. You can search such wholesalers on the internet and compare prices. Many online wholesalers offer free shipping as well so that is another area where you can save money if you normally purchase your candle making supplies online. If you know other people who make candles as well consider buying in bulk and sharing the cost as well as the supplies. This is an easy way for everyone to get a discount as well as reduce the cost at the time of purchase.

Some of the discount candle making products on the market are very comparable to the quality products you already use. A good way to tell is to compare the ingredients. You can research the necessary ingredients of each item on the internet. If the discount products contain all the major ingredients as the candle making supplies you already use, then give it a try. It is recommended that you only purchase one or two items at first to test the quality. Keep track of where you purchased the discounted items so you can return to that retailer or online store if you are happy with the quality of the products.

Containers and holders for your candles are one area you should never spend a great deal of money on. I won’t recommend buying them for regular price unless they are for a wedding or other very special occasion. You can buy mason jars, extra glassware, votive holders, and many other containers to use candle making at thrift stores and garage sales for a very reasonable price. You might also check the online auctions to purchase large quantities of candle making container and holders at a very good price.

The supplies used in candle making can cost you a great deal of money over time. To save money on the quality supplies you use, take the time to compare prices both online and at local retailers. Take advantage of discounts and sales throughout the year at craft stores. Be cautious when looking at discount candle making supplies. You want to make sure they offer the same quality that you are already using. Finding supplies at online auctions and buying them in bulk are also great ways to save you money on candle making supplies.

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Make Your Own Cards – Fun and Easy!

Instead of giving out a store-bought card for the next special occasion, try your hand at making your own cards. Making your own cards does not require a lot of hard work, but rather a bit of creativity and the right materials.

To start creating your cards visit your local arts and crafts store to search for materials. Most arts and crafts stores have big scrapbooking sections. This is where you will be able to find the materials to make your own cards. Let your inspiration guide you as the possibilities are unlimited. You can create various themed cards such as Christmas, birthday, Valentine’s Day cards and much more.

Rubber stamps are widely available and you can buy virtually any color ink to go with the stamps. There are several stamping methods that you can use when making cards including embossing. Embossing is the process of creating a raised image on the card and it can give the card an elegant appearance.

There are several die cuts and die cut machines available as well. Die cuts allow you to punch a shape out with ease. They come in all different shapes and sizes and can be very useful in achieving a layered look. Die cuts can be punched out of different color papers to display a colorful card.

Scrapbook papers come in all different colors, textures and themes. Patterned paper can be purchased as well as glitter paper and pre-scored card kits. Card kits come with the note cards already made and ready to decorate. The kits come in different sizes and often different colors to meet a variety of needs. During seasonal periods, such as Christmas, card kits come out with note cards, envelopes and many different die cut shapes.

Stickers are available, both regular and 3D and also come in many different themes. Disney stickers are available as well as licensed characters and many 3D designs. Adding stickers to your cards can help to foster even more creativity when matching colors and themes. You can further enhance your handmade cards by adding ribbon or brads. Ribbon comes in a plethora of colors, shapes and textures. Brads can be used to hold items such as die cuts on the card without the use of an adhesive.

Simply put, making cards is a creative process that only you can foster. Cards can be created with a variety of items found in your local arts and crafts store. You can play around using different methods to decorate the cards and have fun at the same time!

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