Why Do I Craft?

I personally love to craft because I can put my own thoughts and opinions into anything I do. Whatever I make is my own, meaning it's got my name written all over it. Most of the crafts I make are home décor type. I LOVE making things for every room in the house. Any room you could imagine. I'm going to be moving into my own house in a few weeks and will need lots of decorations. I also enjoy the designing part of things and I think that's a big part of why I have so much fun with crafting.

Slideshow of Crafts

Here's just a quick little slideshow for an easy flip through of the crafts I have made and posted How-To's on. Flip through the crafts and then search down in the search bar on the right side to find the How-To on my blog.

Peppermint Bowl

Photos by Bailey

Below is my podcast on a Do It Yourself peppermint bowl. This is great for the holidays and looks nice sitting on the table. It can also make a great gift or fun activity for kids.

Holiday Candles

Everyone loves candles so why not decorate them to fit in with the holidays? I needed a gift for someone and new they couldn't resist candles, so I customized them by decorating for Christmas. It's like 2 in 1; candles to light & smell, and decorations on your coffee table.

Photo by TheSuburbanMom

Supplies needed:
3 candles, black and red ribbon, black and white buttons, gold glittery scrapbook paper, scissors, hot glue gun, a pencil, black, orange and red paint.

Santa Candle

Step 1:
Measure out black ribbon around the candle, and glue it on.

Step 2:
Measure out a 2x2in square of the scrapbook paper, and cut the width of the ribbon out of the middle so it looks like a buckle.

Step 3:
Glue the belt buckle on, carefully pressing the edges down so they don't stick up.

Snowman Candle

Step 1:
Glue the 3 black buttons vertically on to the center of the candle.

Step 2:
Tie the red ribbon around the top of the candle to look like a scarf.

I chose to also add a face to the top of the candle to make it even cuter. I used black dots of paint for the eyes and mouth and orange paint for the carrot nose.

Green Candle

Step 1:
Glue white buttons on to the center of the candle.

Step 2:
Paint red stripes around the top and the bottom of the candle.

Peppermint Wreath

As it starts to get closer to the Holiday season, this Peppermint Wreath is a great decoration for the front door to get you in the spirit. It's simple to make and can even be great for a gift.

Photo by Bailey

Supplies needed:
2 bags of peppermints, hot glue gun, red bow, garland, styrofoam wreath and a clear sealant spray.

Step 1:
Take a cut out stencil of a circle to draw around the wreath for a line marking where the center circle of mints will be placed.

Step 2:
Put a little amount of glue on the back of a mint and press it down against the wreath on the line drawn. Repeat with each mint until the center circle is complete.

Step 3:
Repeat step 2 to complete both the inner and outer circles of mints.

HINT:
Drawing lines for the inner and outer circles isn't necessary. Just simply follow along the center circle to ensure the perfect shape.

Step 4:
Measure out the garland in 2 pieces to put around both the inside and outside of the wreath.

Step 5:
Hot glue the garland around the inside of the wreath, and then do the outside.

HINT:
Be sure to use plenty of glue. It's best to put the glue on the middle of the garland where there's thick wiring.

Step 6:
Hot glue the red bow to the mints towards the bottom.

Step 7:
Then spray a clear sealant spray over the wreath to protect the mints.

Holiday Season Gifts

Do you ever have someone or maybe a few people that are extremely hard to shop presents for? I know I have a hard time for a couple people within my family and what I like to do is make them something. Usually it's completely customizable, which makes the gift even more meaningful. Of course making something will take more time than just running to the store and grabbing something you "think" they will like. Customizable gifts aren't only a plus for the receiver, it's also a plus to your wallet. If you're on a tight budget for gift giving, hand crafting is the way to go!

Picture Frame Mirror

This project is a great 2 in 1. It's a useful size mirror with clothes pins to hold pictures and notes around it. I made this for my boyfriends sister's birthday and she absolutely loved it.

Photo by Bailey

Supplies needed:

A wooden circle, a slightly smaller circle mirror, a hot glue gun, clothes pins, white paint, and paint for the pins (however many colors you choose).

Step 1:
Paint the wooden circle completely white.

Step 2:
Glue the mirror to the center of the wooden circle.

Step 3:
Then paint each clothes pin whatever color(s) you decide.

HINT:
Don't worry about painting the inside of the clothes pins, unless you want to spend years on this project.

Step 4:
Measure around the wooden circle to mark where each clothes pin will be glued. There should be an inch between each one.

Step 5:
After the clothes pins are dry, glue them around the edges of the wooden circle.

HINT:
Glue just the front side of the clothes pin down to the wood. If you try to glue both sides, you won't be able to open them to put pictures in.

Place your pictures around the mirror and hang it up!