By Yarn and Needlework Contributor Stephanie from the blog Twilly 23 Need a way to organize your tools? A pegboard is a great way to store your tools. They stay tidy and you can see where everything is. This tutorial will show you how to make and stylize your own. CRAFT: Misc Crafts DIFFICULTY: Intermediate MATERIALS: Drill or handsaw Furring strips Paint Pegboard hooks Pegboard wood Sea sponge Spray paint Screws PATTERN: Reuse or purchase pegboard wood. This will be a thin piece of wood with holes predrilled in a grid like pattern. Cut the wood into the size you want. If you buy it f ..read more

By General Crafts Contributor Michelle Sail a whimsical walnut shell ship on your tree this year with this sweet little ornament. Here’s what you’ll need to make your own: Whole Walnuts DAS Air-Hardening Clay – White 1.1 lb. Round Toothpicks Patterened Papers Solid Colored Cardstock Stampendous Fran-Tage Shaved Ice .49 oz. or other glitter Doodlebug Doodle Twine 20 yd. Aleene’s Quick Dry Tacky Glue 4 oz. Scissors Thin Blade Knife To begin, you need to split your walnuts in half.  To do so, carefully push the knife blade into the flat end of the nut at the seam.  Continue to ..read more

By General Crafts Contributor Michelle Who-hoo-hoo wants to make some owl ornaments?  Create some pretty owl ornaments for your tree with this super simple painting project. Here’s what you’ll need to make your own: Multicraft Wood Discs Assorted 60 pc (I used the 1.5-inch circles) Essentials By Leisure Arts Wood Flat Shape Circle 24 pc (These are 3-inch circles) Jute Wood Beads Acrylic Paint (various colors for owl feathers) Black Acrylic Paint White Acrylic Paint Small Flat Paint Brush Small Pointed Detail Paint Brush Pencil Scissors Drill & Drill Bit To begin, drill a hole nea ..read more

By Yarn and Needlework Contributor Stephanie from the blog Twilly 23 Want more nature in your life but are too busy for actual plants? These knit willow branches are the perfect houseplant. Made from I-cord, they are an easy knit and a fun way to decorate your space. CRAFT: Knitting DIFFICULTY: Beginner MATERIALS: Curtain rods Darning needles Double pointed knitting needles Scissors Spray paint Yarn PATTERN: Get some curtain rods for your knit branches. I found some thrifted white ones so painted them brown. Pull the rods apart before spray painting. Let dry 24 hours. Make I-cord ou ..read more

By General Craft Contributor Michelle Grab the kids and a few crafty materials to make this cute hedgehog ornament together.  (Or just pull all of the eggs out of the carton and make one by yourself, because it’s pretty darn cute!) Here’s what you’ll need to make your own: Paper Egg Cartons Pinecones (Larger ones, like the 3-4 inch sized ones) Acrylic Craft Paint Paintbrushes Markers (Optional, for drawing the face, instead of painting it on) Hot Glue Gun and Glue Sticks Scissors Jute Twine To begin, look at the inside of your egg carton.  You’ll see the wells that the ..read more

Happy December and Happy Free Stuff Friday! Santa sent us a note this week asking us to help spread some holiday cheer, and so this week you have the chance to win a Leisure Arts Starburst Wood Stitchery Kit. This Wood Stitchery Kit contains a wood stitchery panel, wood shadow box, embroidery floss and needle. Includes step-by-step instructions and a guide to straight, stem and backstitch stitches. Follow the color stitch guide or create your own design with the colors provided. Wood shadow box measures approximately 10 3/4 inches across. Every Friday we’ll post a giv ..read more

By General Craft Contributor Michelle Make some sweet smelling ornaments that look, and smell like real gingerbread cookies, but will last for years to come. Here’s what you’ll need to make your own: Gingerbread Salt Dough(Recipe below) Cookie cutters Drinking straw Tulip Dimensional Fabric Paint 4 oz. Slick White Sulyn Glitter Extra Fine .62 oz White Crystal Baker’s twine Scissors Rolling pin Parchment Paper Cookie Sheets Gingerbread Salt Dough 2 cups plain flour 1 cup salt 1 cup water 2 tsp ground ginger 2 tsp cinnamon 2 tsp ground clove 2 tsp nutmeg Mix all ingredients together, and k ..read more

By General Crafts Contributor Ann These fun, quick Santa Gnomes will be a favorite holiday ornament for your tree or to decorate a gift package. Three friends joined me this past weekend for an ornament making party – these cute Santa Gnomes were the biggest hit! There are many online tutorials – two helpful ones are here and here.  The following instructions will make a Santa Gnome about 6″ in length; instructions for one about 4-3/4″ are provided at the end. Supplies One 6-1/2” acrylic quilting ruler, pad, or sturdy cardboard; 4″ or 4-1/2″ square for a smaller gnome (optional) A toile ..read more

By Yarn and Needlework Contributor Stephanie from the blog Twilly 23 Cement statues are a fun garage sale find. With some paint and proper preparation, you can revitalize a statue into a fun lawn ornament. Sometimes you can get them for free. My neighbor was throwing away this seal and I jumped at the chance to upcycle it. This tutorial will show you how to upcycle a cement statue. CRAFT: Misc. Crafts DIFFICULTY: Beginner MATERIALS: Cement statue Paint Brushes Spackle paste Sand paper Sea sponge  Spray paint TUTORIAL: Clean up your cement statue. If there are holes you can fill t ..read more

By General Craft Contributor Michelle Create a simple wreath that you can change with the seasons, with this super easy project. Here’s what you’ll need to make your own: Wood Embroidery Hoop 10 in. Jute Cord 2 ply 80 g Natural Narrow Lace Trim Scissors Hot Glue Gun and Glue Sticks Dried Flowers, Grasses, Twigs, Greenery, etc. To begin, tie the end of the jute to one side of the hoop, about 3/4-inch above the middle. Begin wrapping the jute around the middle of the ring, keeping the wraps right next to each other, rather than on top of one another. On the back of the loop, add ..read more