The Billy Lids

Make personalised doorknob signs to let everyone know you have your own space. Use foam shapes, jewels, fun key chains, and your imagination.

What You Need:

• Crafts-foam door hangers
• Pre-cut crafts-foam shapes and letters
• Small moveable eyes
• Key chains (ones that make noise or tell time are especially fun)
• Crafts-foam glue
• Toothpick

Instructions:

1. Arrange the pre-cut crafts-foam shapes and letters over the door hanger.

2. When you’re pleased with the arrangement, use crafts-foam glue to adhere the pieces to the door hanger. Let the glue dry, and then flip the hanger over. Repeat the process to make a new message on the other side.

3. When the second set of glued letters and shapes have dried, poke a hole 1 cm up from the centre bottom of the door hanger.

4. Thread the key chain through the hole. If you’re using a split key ring, carefully slide one end of the ring through the hole, and then keep the ring separated while rotating it around the hole. Eventually the entire ring will slide freely in the hole. Do not tug on the key ring, as force will break the bottom edge of the crafts foam.

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You’ll never lose your place with these colourful pets marking your page. Choosea dog or a cat, or create both!

What You’ll Need:

• Tracing paper
• Pencil
• Scissors
• Plastic lids from coffee or ice cream containers
• Paint markers or fabric paint pens

Instructions:

1. Download the free pattern for this project.

2. Trace the desired pattern. Cut out the shape.

3. Carefully cut off the rim of a plastic lid, leaving only the smooth center. Trace around the pattern on the lid. Cut it out.

4. Use markers or fabric paint to colour the plastic and add eyes, a nose, and whiskers to your animal.

From the book, 501 Fun-to-Make Family Crafts

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Give your room a great new look when you decorate a plain lampshade with bright-coloured paper designs, beads, and trims.

What You Need:

• Smooth lampshades
• Bright-coloured tissue papers
• Gold and blue vellum scrapbook paper
• Beaded trim or ribbon trim
• Paper punches: star, spiral, large circle, and small-diameter circle
• Decoupage medium
• Small paintbrush
• Hot-glue gun and glue sticks

Instructions:

Download the free patterns for this project.

Funky Lampshade - Space

Funky Lampshade - Flowers

1. Use the patterns as your guide to cut out tissue-paper shapes.

2. Punch the detail shapes on each piece before attaching them to the shades. The paper punch works better on heavyweight handmade tissue papers. If you want to punch regular tissue paper, stack four sheets and punch them together.

3. Carefully brush the decoupage medium on the back of a tissue paper cut-out; then gently apply it to the lampshade. Smooth out wrinkles and bubbles with your fingertips. Continue applying cut-outs until you’re pleased with all sides of the lampshade. Let it dry.

4. Brush a thin coat of decoupage medium over the tissue-paper designs to ensure that they’re firmly anchored to the shade. Let it dry.

5. Ask an adult for a helping hand with this step. Hot-glue beaded trim or ribbon trim along the bottom edge of the lampshade, allowing the beads or sequins to hang below the lampshade and reflect the light.

From the magazine, Incredibly Awesome Crafts for Kids

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Shimmering patterns that reflect the candlelight are easy to make on plain pillar candles. Simply push purchased gold studs into candles following these easy directions.

What You Need:

• Tracing paper; pencil
• Three 6-inch-tall plain pillar candles
• Masking tape; tapestry needle
• 170 gold nailhead studs, 1/4-inch-diameter (available at hardware stores and home centers)
• One 5/8-inch gold star-shaped stud
• Gold metallic paint marker
• 13 gold nailhead studs, 3/8-inch-diameter

Instructions:

1. Download the diagrams. (Download requires free Adobe Acrobat software)

2. Starburst Design (shown on green candle): Fold a 4-1/2-inch square of tracing paper in half. Aligning the fold with dotted line on the pattern, trace starburst pattern. Turn the folded tracing paper over and trace pattern on the opposite side of the fold; unfold. Center pattern on candle and tape in place. With needle, make a small hole in center of each paper circle and a light indentation on candle. Remove pattern and press 1/4-inch studs into candle at each indentation. Press star-shaped stud into center.

3. Large Snowflake Design (shown on red candles): Fold a 4-1/2-inch square of tracing paper in half; repeat, bringing the folded edges together. Matching folds, trace pattern onto tracing paper. Turn folded tracing paper over and trace pattern on opposite side of fold; unfold once and trace pattern on remaining two quarters of paper. Unfold pattern and tape to the candle, centering from top to bottom. Trace lines and make indentations for the stud placement with needle. Remove pattern and draw over lines using gold marker. Press a 3/8-inch stud into center and 1/4-inch studs into remaining indentations.

4. Scattered Snowflake Design (shown on white candles): Fold 4-1/2-inch square of tracing paper in half. Align fold with dotted line on pattern, left; trace. Turn folded tracing paper over and trace pattern on opposite side of fold; unfold. Center the pattern on candle and tape. With needle, make a small hole in the center of each paper circle and a light indentation on the candle. Remove pattern and press 3/8-inch and 1/4-inch studs into appropriate positions as shown on pattern.

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The light will dance on these wintertime snowflakes, made from a variety of crystal-like beads. It’s easy to make a blizzard’s worth of these sparkling Christmas ornaments.

What You Need:

For each snowflake:

• 10 corsage pins with pearl ends (available in fabric and craft stores)
• Crystal-like beads in desired shapes and sizes
• 1 small cork
• Iridescent white glitter paint pen (usually used for fabric, available in craft and discount stores)
• Mono filament thread

Instructions:

1. Add beads to 4 pins. Place beads on 1 corsage pin in desired order, leaving the last 1/4 inch without beads. Make 3 more beaded pins using the same arrangement.

2. Make another set of 4 beaded pins, using a different arrangement. Make an additional set of 2 beaded pins. (You should have a total of 10 beaded pins.)

3. Add 4 matching pins to cork. Cut the cork, if necessary, so it is about 1/4 inch long. With the round side of the cork laying on the work surface, poke one beaded pin into the cork (close to work surface) like a spoke of a wheel. Place a matching beaded pin opposite the first. Place the remaining two opposite each other, between the first set.

4. Add remaining pins. Using the remaining set of 4 matching pins, poke each into the cork, slightly closer to the top of the cork and alternating with the first set of four. Place the remaining 2 beaded pins into each round end of the cork.

5. Cover the cork using glitter paint pen. Allow to dry. Apply a second coat, if necessary, and let dry.

6. To hang, cut a desired length of mono filament and tie to one spoke of the snowflake.

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Dress up a tiny canvas tote with clusters of floral and leaf beads.

This teensy bag is perfect for little treasures.

What You’ll Need:

• Thread
• Scissors
• Ruler
• Beading needle
• Mini canvas tote bag
• Beads in flower and leaf shapes
• Assorted seed and other small beads

Instructions:

1. Cut an 18-inch length of thread. Thread the needle and knot one end of the thread.

2. From the inside of the bag, push the needle through one side, centred approximately 1 1/2 inches from the top. Thread on a flower bead and a seed bead. Push the needle back through the flower bead and the bag. Continue attaching bead flowers until you like the look. Sew on single seed beads and leaf beads as desired. Knot the thread on the inside of the bag.

3. Sew bead trims to the tote bag handle in the same manner.

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Blend paint with your fingertips and press onto a clock frame to make a school of delightful fish. It’s so easy to do and makes a very personalised gift for someone.

Fish are the easiest things to draw, and Christmas will soon be here so now is the time to start making gifts.

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