Cute Door Hangers!

Make your home or office just a little brighter with these adorable personalized door hangers!

Assemble!
Stiff Cardstock Paper
Pencil
Scissors
Decorative Paper
Embellishments


Sketch It!
On half of the sheet of cardstock, draw the pattern for your doorhanger. (I guess you can't see mine in the picture very well)

Cut It!

Obviously, cut the pattern out. I prefer to round my corners, but you may prefer to make it easier on yourself and leave them.

Trace It!
Lay your hanger base on the paper you are using to decorate it. Draw on the back, and make sure that it's facing the right way for which side you want the hanger to face. Keeping the base still, trace the shape onto the back of the decorative paper and cut it out.

Glue It!
Glue the decorative paper onto the cardstock base. Don't use too much glue here, or else the surface won't be smooth.

Decorate It!
Using glitter, stickers, cut-out shapes of paper, or anything else, decorate your door hanger! Once it dries, it will be good to hang on your door.
Happy Crafting!



Red Solo Goblet!

A Note:   Let me start with a little introduction... I'm from a big family in a small town in Texas. We're KIND OF rednecks, in some ways. At family dinners, backyard barbecues, church gatherings, parties with our friends, we use one drink cup; Solo brand cups. So, as a joke, for my sister and brother-in-laws anniversary, I decided to make them these "fancy" Solo goblets! I went to the Dollar Tree to get my supplies, and left for three bucks. This could be the cheapest craft yet!
I also love this craft, because once the glue gun is ready it only takes about a minute to make :)



Assemble!
Plastic Cups
Candle Stick Holders
Hot Glue Gun (Preferably Low-Temp)
OR
Crazy glue, Super glue, Glass glue, Crafting glue, etc.

Glue It!
Using your bonding agent, leave a ring of glue on the rim of the candlestick holder.

Stick It!
Turn the cup upside down, with the opening on the ground. Press the base to the center of the cup. If you're using a hot glue gun, wait a second before this step so the plastic doesn't melt. If it does, however, simply peel the glue off and try again with another cup!

Use It!
Now, just wait for it to dry and you have your own super (non) fancy Solo Cup Crystal Goblet! ^,^
Happy Crafting!

T-Shirt Purse!

Okay, so you go on all these trips and participate in all these things, and the T-shirts just pile up!! You wear them once or twice, then never again... Then there's always those shirts that you've stained, or that just don't fit anymore. The shirts are just too cute to get rid of, even if you'll never wear them again! Well, here is a ten-step thirty-minute solution. It's super easy, and super cute!


Assemble!
A T-shirt
Scissors
Sewing Machine

Flip It!

Simply flip the shirt inside out.

Plan It!
Before you begin cutting or sewing anything on fabric, it's always kind of nice to draw out a plan before you start.

Cut It!
Since T-shirt fabric is prone to fraying and curling up, you should ALWAYS sew before you cut. With These sleeves though, there's already a hem where the arm holes are! So, just cut about a centimeter away from the sleave crease, and remove the sleeve.

Sew It!
It helps to draw a line first, but pick a place where you want the bottom of the bag. (This is also where you have to decide if you want a flat bottomed or rounded bag.) Then, sew along the line, making sure the material lies flat. I suggest sewing over it twice on areas of the bag that will carry a lot of weight or stress.

At the hole where you cut the sleeves off, sew to about halfway up the armhole (or however far you want it) on both sides.

Cut It!
About half an inch from the line which will be the bottom of your bag, cut following the line. Next, go to your sleeves. On the shoulders, there will be a seam. Cut on both sides of the seam, leaving it looking like this.

Then turn to the scrap left over from the base of your bag. On the side with the tag, (or either side if your shirt doesn't havce one) do the same removal of the seam as above. ONLY DO THIS ON ONE SIDE. If you do it to both, you can sew them back together and it's fine, but more complicated.


Sew It!
You can make a choice here, to leave the bottom hem on or cut it off. I chose to leave it, but if you want to cut it off simply sew all along the side, then you can cut between the two seams. You must now sew three more lines all the way down. These will be your straps! I suggest about two inches thick, but just make sure both straps are about the same widths. Leave some space between the first and second seam, to cut between them.

Cut It!
Cut the straps out, leaving some room on the outside of your seam.

Sew It! Sew the straps to the top. To do this, you must match "pretty-to-pretty." This means, put the side which has no rough seam (pictured above) in the middle against the side of the shirt with the image. Sew the ends of the shirt and the strap together.

Then, attach the other end of the strap to the other sleeve. Repeat this with the back side.

Now, you're done! Enjoy your cute, handmade bag!
Happy Crafting!

As always, I'd love to see how yours turned out! :)

Cook It! Easy Turtle Fudge Brownies

Assemble!
1 Sauce Pan
1 Baking Pan
1/2 cup butter or margarine
1 cup granulated sugar
1 tsp vanilla
2 eggs
2 1-ounce squares unsweetened chocolate
3/4 cup sifted all-purpose flour
Caramels, chopped up
Your choice of chocolate pieces
Cookie-sized chopped pecans
Non-Stick spray

Preheat Oven to 350



Mix It!
When the sauce pan is heated, melt the butter then the chocolate. Mix these well, then turn the heat off. Slowly stir in the sugar, it should look the consistency of wet sand. Next, add the eggs and the vanilla, followed by the flour. The batter should not be runny. Mix well but do not overmix, then add the pecan pieces chocolate and a couple of handfuls of caramel pieces. The dough shouldn't stick to the sides of the pan. Next, put the ball of batter into your baking pan and smooth it over.

Top It!
Once your brownies are oven-ready, use additional caramel pieces around the top. Be sure to get them evenly around the edge as well as the center, or the brownies won't cook flat.

Cook It!
Put the brownies into the oven, and cook for 30 minutes at 350 degrees. Let them cool, and enjoy!

Cute School Supplies! Part 1

Well crafters, it's that time of year again. Time to go spend big bucks so you or your kids can have the best-looking folder out there! The cheap folders are always so boring... But not anymore! What follows is a very cheap way to turn those 15 cent folders into a bright picture so cute you'll want to hang it on the wall!
Craft Skill Level Needed: 0
A Note from the Mad Crafter: I used coloring pages for my versions, but this could easily be done with the same process with pictures from magazines or online.


Assemble!
Coloring Books
Crayons
Folders, spirals, notebooks, etc.
Glue
Yarn, pipe cleaners, glitter, etc.
             OR
Crafty Glue (By this I mean glue that will dry colored, or has sparkles or shapes in it, etc.)



Color It!
This step is simple, the kids can do it themselves! Simply take a coloring book with their favorite characters in it, and color a picture.

Cut It!
This step should be left to older kids or parents. Cut around the design, with a few centimeters of space around your picture. Don't cut out a box, follow the image. Also, I prefer to round off corners but that's just me! :) When you're done, it should look about like this.

Glue It!
Another easy step!!! Put glue on the back of the picture, but not too close to the edges. I like to leave about half an inch empty, so that the glue from the bottom doesn't come out the sides onto the surface. Make sure you have glue in the center, so the picture is secure, but don't put it on thick anywhere since the picture is thin and could wrinkle.
Next, place the picture on your surface! Gently push all around it, and try to level any mounds left by the glue. (Don't worry about small bubbles or lines, most aren't noticable once the glue dries and flattens.)

Decorate It!
Okay, this is the final step! And another one for older hands. Start with the picture itself! If you are using a glitter glue that dries clear like I did, you may want to accent the picture! (I use this for things like the fireworks, ripples in water, the corners of a brightly colored eye, or things like ice or bubbles or stars!) After that, carefully put the glue on all the edges. The glue stream should be both on the picture and the surface, to provide a good seal. If the edges start sticking up, just glue over them then slide over the edge (without smearing the glue) to flatten the paper. If you are using a decorative glue, or just want to leave it plain with a clear-drying clue, this is the end!!!
NEVER use a glue stick for this part, although it is fine for gluing it onto the paper.
If you are using normal glue and want more, this is where you can place your yarn or ribbon or lace or glitter etc. around the picture! Glue around the picture as described above, then attach your decorations.

 (you can't really see the deco in this pic... sorry)

Enjoy It!
Voila, you have just created a super cheap, super crafty and super cute school supply!!! I'm working on getting more crafty school ideas up here, so check back soon! And remember to tell me what you think of this craft, and how it worked for you!
Happy Crafting!!!!

Welcome to Craft It!

Hello, and welcome to Craft It! :) My name is Kaleigh, and I guess I'll be the one dragging you through this wild ride! I get bored and decide to play around with things to save money, and when they work out I'll be sure to post them here! Comments are always appreciated on the blog, to help me improve it for all the crafters!!! I also love to experiment in the kitchen, so you can expect the occasional "Cook It!" segment. :) To contact me personally, my email address is k_p.crafts@yahoo.com . This is the best way to reach me about things you'd like to see me craft, craft projects you have yourself, any questions you have, or anything else!! I'd love for feedback on how your craft went on either my email or posted to the blog, but if you put it on here then everyone else can hear about it too, so that would be better! :) Well, I hope that you enjoy this blog and the things you will see. Let me know! :) Happy crafting!