Tag Archives: stashbuster

January 17, 2018 · 8:04 am

15 Fun Pom Pom Crafts

Aren’t pom pom’s da bomb?  A great way to use up leftover yarn, pom poms make everything from shoes to scarves way more fun to show off!

With these 15 fun pom pom crafts, you can create your own fun wearables and home decor in no time…and you don’t even need a pom pom maker (though it does help!).

15 Fun Pom Pom Crafts

pom pom crafts

  1. Pom Pom Scarf
  2. Pom Pom Gift Tags
  3. Pom Pom Wreath
  4. Pom Pom Wall Art
  5. Pom Pom Floral Branches
  6. Pom Pom Rug
  7. Pom Pom Earrings
  8. Pom Pom Necklace
  9. Pom Pom Pillow
  10. Pom Pom Shoes
  11. Pom Pom Cake Topper
  12. Pom Pom Hair Clips
  13. Pom Pom Flowers
  14. Pom Pom Bookmarks
  15. Pom Pom Clock

Celebrate creativity every Wednesday with a “Creativi-bee” post, where I share easy craft tutorials, project ideas, and craft collections.

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October 18, 2017 · 8:30 am

DIY Notepad

I’m a sucker for notebooks and notepads.  Though I haven’t kept a journal in several years, I like the IDEA of having a journal…and I certainly have enough blank ones to just get started already.

I also love making (and crossing things off of) lists.  I have grocery lists, to do lists, lists of books to read, lists of things to buy…it helps keep my brain organized and I can’t help but feel just a little accomplished when I finally get to cross something off!

diy-notepad2

Before I started making my own notepads, I just had a purse full of receipts and post-its with various lists on them…but these cute little DIY Notepads are so easy to make that you’ll have your life organized in no time!

DIY Notepad

Materials:

  • 30 sheets of white computer paper
  • Ruler
  • Scissors (or a paper trimmer if you have one)
  • Stamps and ink pad (optional)
  • 2 sheets scrapbook paper
  • 2 binder clips
  • Paint brush
  • Mod Podge
  • Cardboard (optional)
  • Embellishments

Instructions:

Cut your computer paper (or cardstock if you want thicker sheets) into 5 in. x 7 in. rectangles.  Do the same with the scrapbook paper you want to use as the cover of your notepad.

cut-paper

Gather all the pages together and secure with binder clips on the 5 in. end.

journal-binder

If you want to decorate the pages with stamps, do that before securing with binder clips.  

Using paint brush, apply a generous coat of Mod Podge glue on the 5 in. end to hold all the pages together.  Once that coat has dried, apply one more coat.  Let dry fully.

In the meantime, cut your cardboard, if you’re using it, into a 5 in. x 7 in. rectangle.

Cut the second sheet of scrapbook paper (I just used a scrap piece, honestly…or you can use the flip side if your paper is double-sided) into a 7 in. x 3 in. rectangle.  This will be the binding cover.

journal pieces

Once your binding has dried, remove the binder clips.  Use Mod Podge to glue your paper pad onto your sheet of cardboard.  Place cover on top of pages.  Glue backside of 3 in. rectangle and carefully attach over binding.  Let dry completely.

Once that’s done, you can decorate your notepad cover to look however you’d like!

And there you have it!  A cute little notepad with removeable sheets that’s great for gift-giving and keeping your life organized!

diy-notepad

Celebrate creativity every Wednesday with a “Creativi-bee” post, where I share easy craft tutorials, project ideas, and craft collections.

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September 27, 2017 · 8:56 am

DIY Floor Pouf

So my husband and I recently moved into a new apartment…in an effort to be more “adult”, we got rid of all our furniture and decided to upgrade to couches and chairs that didn’t come from the cesspool that is Craigslist…been there, done that…and it’s gross.

We’ve yet to purchase a couch for our new place, but we still needed a place to sit and chillax while we watched TV or what have you, so I decided to make some floor poufs.

DIY-floor-pouf

I had a ton of extra fabric laying around and these poufs put a serious dent in my stash, which my storage closet very much appreciated! 😉  They’re great for beginners and involve very little measuring, which my brain very much appreciated!

You’ll need about 2 yards of fabric, depending on how big you want your pouf to be.  You’ll need two panels that measure 24 in. X 24 in. – these will be the top and bottom of your pouf.  For the sides, you’ll need four panels that measure 24 in. high X 16 in. wide.  Then you’ll pin them together (front side down) like so:

pattern

Then you just run this baby through the sewing machine!  Start by sewing all the side panels to the bottom square, then sew the top panel to the top side panel.  Finish by sewing the top square to the front panel, being sure to leave a good 4 inches or so to turn right-side-out and stuff.

Once you’re done sewing, turn your piece right-side-out.  Fill with stuffing of your choice – I used Poly-Fill (I used 3 of the big bags).  Once filled, sew up the remaining hole and enjoy!

diy-floor-pouf1

Celebrate creativity every Wednesday with a “Creativi-bee” post, where I share easy craft tutorials, project ideas, and craft collections.

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March 15, 2017 · 7:14 am

Cute Birthday Hat Garland

I recently went through my craft stash and did a MASSIVE clean…I got rid of yarn I don’t use, supplies I never use, paper I’ve never used…and sitting at the bottom of one of my craft containers was a stash of scrap paper.

Saved from various paper projects, this collection of scrap paper had a whole mess of paper in it. In an effort to really make a dent in my craft stuff, I set it aside to be recycled…

But…then I got an idea!

Also in my collection of stuff to bring to work and put on the free table was a bag of small pom poms. I have no idea why I had these or where they came from, but I grabbed them and my paper stash and got to work making some little party hats.

Needless to say, this was a great way to use up my paper scraps and now I have a fun little garland to hang up during birthday celebrations!

mini-paper-hat-garland

I found a template for a mini hat at the This Heart of Mine blog (link below) that made super cute hats about 1 in. high. She also includes a pattern for human-sized hats if you want to get crafty for a party!

A fun garland to hang on the wall or use to wrap a gift, this birthday hat garland is fast, easy, and oh so adorable!

Cute Birthday Hat Garland

Materials:

  • Pattern (I used the pattern found here)
  • Scissors
  • Scrap Paper
  • Glue Stick
  • Hot Glue Gun
  • Mini Pom Poms
  • String

Instructions:

  1. Cut out your pattern and assemble your little hats. You can follow the instructions at the link above for the mini party hats.
  2. Using a glue gun, top your hats with mini pom poms.
    20170308_202212
  3. Attach back of hats to string using glue gun.

String up and enjoy!

Celebrate creativity every Wednesday with a “Creativi-bee” post, where I share easy craft tutorials, project ideas, and craft collections.

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October 5, 2016 · 8:29 am

Mini Crocheted Granny Squares

When it comes to yarn, I’m all about a good stashbuster.  I know I’ve shared a few with you on this blog before, and I’m super excited to show you this one, too!

This cute crocheted square is a great way to use up any leftover yarn scraps that you may have laying around…and you can turn these little squares into anything you’d like.  Arrange them into a large blanket or tote bag…or you could even make a poncho or fun wall decoration out of them!

20160927_222449

They’re so addicting and fun to make and don’t be surprised if you’re fresh out of yarn in about an hour!

For these squares, I used leftover yarn from my crocheted unicorn project.  I’m hoping I’ll have enough to make a little matching baby blanket!

I use a 5.0 crochet hook to make my little squares, but you can really use any hook size you’d like.  Obviously larger hooks will equate to larger squares and visa versa.

20160927_222606

Mini Crochet Granny Squares

Materials:

  • Yarn
  • 5.0 crochet hook
  • Scissors

 

Instructions:

Round 1:  Start with a magic circle.  Chain 2.  Crochet 11 double crochets into the circle.  Pull to tighten.  Join with slip stitch into top stitch (going through both loops).
how-to-1

Round 2:  Chain 2 (counts as first double crochet).  Crochet 2 double crochets in between each double crochet from the first round.  Crochet 1 double crochet into final stitch.  Join with slip stitch into top stitch (going through both loops).
how-to-2

Round 3:  Chain 1.  *Crochet 1 single crochet into next three stitches.  Crochet 1 half-double crochet into next stitch.  Crochet 3 double crochets into next stitch.  Crochet 1 half-double crochet into next stitch.*  Repeat from * to * three more times.  Join with slip stitch into top stitch (going through both loops).
how-to-3

Bind off, leaving 3 in. string.  Weave in ends.

Celebrate creativity every Wednesday with a “Creativi-bee” post, where I share easy craft tutorials, project ideas, and craft collections.

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August 24, 2016 · 7:23 am

Marbled Clay Coasters

I love to entertain.  I really don’t get to do it enough because…

A) no time
B) no space
C) no time

But when I can, I really enjoy it!  I love putting together themed parties and decorating my space to suit the occasion.  Even if there’s no theme, it’s always a blast eating and drinking with those you love.

So the other day, while indulging in Avalanche Sharks (yes, it’s a real movie), I got an idea for some colorful and fun coasters that would add style to any get-together…PLUS, it’s a great clay buster if you’re looking for a project to use up all those random clay pieces from other projects.

diy-marbled-coasters

These Marbled Clay Coasters are awesome!  They’re super colorful and durable and I just love how they turned out.  They also make great gift ideas for that special hostess with the mostess (Christmas is 4 MONTHS AWAY, PEOPLE!!)

Screen Shot 2016-08-18 at 12.41.11 PM

Marbled Clay Coasters

Materials:

  • Various pieces of crafting clay (I used an assortment of Sculpey clay…this much clay gave me 4 coasters)
    Screen Shot 2016-08-18 at 12.31.09 PM
  • Clay rolling pin
  • Large circular item to cut out coasters (large drinking glasses, biscuit cutters, or small bowls work well…just make sure they’re slightly larger than a drinking glass – I used the lid for a large candle)
  • Sand paper (optional)
  • Felt (optional)

Directions:

  1. Work the clay pieces individually in your hands until soft and pliable.  Keep in mind that dark clay might stain your skin, so I suggest starting with the light colored clay first, then work the darker colored clays.
  2. Roll clay into logs.  It doesn’t really matter how long or fat the logs are here…just eye ball it and try to keep it somewhat equal.  Here were my logs, with a pen for reference (these logs gave me 2 coasters, then I did the same with the clay on the left for 2 more).
    Screen Shot 2016-08-18 at 12.28.09 PM
  3. Gather logs together and twist once.
    Screen Shot 2016-08-18 at 12.29.08 PM
  4. Fold logs in half and twist again.
    Screen Shot 2016-08-18 at 12.29.29 PM
  5. Gather clay into a ball and work for only a few seconds, as you don’t want the colors to bleed too much.
    Screen Shot 2016-08-18 at 12.26.41 PM
  6. Roll out the ball to reveal the neat marbling effect!  Don’t like the look?  Turn your clay over, it’ll look different on the other side!
    Screen Shot 2016-08-18 at 12.24.00 PM
  7. Cut out your coasters and transfer to baking sheet (I have a sheet I use specifically for clay, but you can use a regular baking sheet covered with aluminum foil).
    Screen Shot 2016-08-18 at 12.25.08 PM
  8. To cut more coasters, you can add more clay to your already marbled clay or start fresh.  Just remember not to work the clay too much or else you’ll just end up with nasty poo brown clay.
  9. Bake your coasters following the instructions on your clay.
  10. Let cool and enjoy!
    Screen Shot 2016-08-18 at 12.37.50 PM
  11. If you want, you can sand the edges using sand paper or glue felt to the bottom of the coaster, but neither is necessary.

Here’s a closeup of some of the coasters I made…I clearly had way too much fun here!

Screen Shot 2016-08-18 at 12.32.20 PMScreen Shot 2016-08-18 at 12.33.25 PMScreen Shot 2016-08-18 at 12.34.11 PMScreen Shot 2016-08-18 at 12.35.27 PMScreen Shot 2016-08-18 at 12.36.10 PM

Celebrate creativity every Wednesday with a “Creativi-bee” post, where I share easy craft tutorials, project ideas, and craft collections.

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July 6, 2016 · 8:12 am

DIY Matching Fishing Game

If your summer is anything like mine, you’re gearing up for a few months full of baby showers and birthday parties. It seems like spring has sprung and almost everyone in my circle is settling down and starting families of their own.

And, as a child of the 80s and 90s, I feel like I was very spoiled in terms of sheer toy awesomeness. The toys of my nostalgic years just don’t match up to the toys of today…and I just can’t see spending all this money on a toy that was built to last no more than 2 months.

matching-fishing-game

SO, I’ve resulted to creating handmade toys. Yup, that’s right…making fun play things by hand. Crocheted amigurumi characters, sewn stuffed toys, and fun games for kids are on my to-do list as I craft up some fun gifts for family and friends for these upcoming celebrations and holidays (CHRISTMAS IS COMING).

To start, I’ve been working on this cute matching fish game, reminiscent of the 90s board game “Let’s Go Fishin’”.

matching-fishing-game-2

While these fish won’t move around and chomp on your line, they will look beautiful lying on your floor! 😉  Great for teaching kids how to match colors, patterns, or words, this fishing game is both fun and educational for young minds…best of all, it’s super easy to make!

Matching Fishing Game

Materials:

  • Fabric (I used a charm pack)
  • Fish Template (find one online or draw by hand)
  • Scissors
  • Fabric pins
  • Sewing machine
  • Stuffing
  • Needle and thread
  • Yarn
  • Wooden Pole
  • Bendable Wire (I used flower wire)

Instructions:

  1. Using your template, cut out as many fish as you’d like. Since you’ll be sewing two sides together, make sure you have the fabric positioned correctly to give you two uniform fish (outsides facing in).
    fish-template
  2. Sew the fish together, leaving a small hole for stuffing.  I found it helpful to leave the hole on the bottom of the fish.  Turn your fish rights side out. Stuff your fish lightly and then continue sewing it closed by hand.
    HELPFUL TIP:  To stuff the tail, I used the arm of my sunglasses to shove the stuffing into the tail.  Worked perfectly!
  3. Using needle and yarn, sew a small loop on front of fish.  You can also use hot glue to attach numbers, words, or patterns to your fish…use your imagination!
    matching-fish
  4. To create your pole, wrap yarn around one end of your wooden pole. Use glue to secure, if necessary. On other end, attach folded wire. This is what your kid will use to “hook” onto the loops on the front of the fish.
    pole-hook
    Here’s a close-up of the hook.  I just wrapped the yarn around the wire, then folded the wire up to secure the yarn.
    close-up-of-hook
  5. And there you have it! This is a super easy and fun project and it makes a great gift idea for growing young minds.
    fish-on-a-line

Celebrate creativity every Wednesday with a “Creativi-bee” post, where I share easy craft tutorials, project ideas, and craft collections.

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May 11, 2016 · 5:08 am

Crocheted Jellyfish

I’m always on the hunt for a good stash busting yarn project. I have huge plastic tub filled…FILLED…with yarn that I haven’t used and I’m constantly hunting for patterns to help me power through my stash. I usually default to afghans, but I almost never finish them. As a matter of fact, I probably have three half-done afghans just taking up room in my stash right now.

Then, on one rainy weekend afternoon, I spent a few hours pursuing Pinterest for stash busting ideas and almost just gave up…but then I found this:

174720_26Feb10_013

OMG. THE CUTENESS.

This crocheted jellyfish changed EVERYTHING.

  1. It’s the cutest thing ever.
  2. It’s an AMAZING stash buster.
  3. IT’S THE CUTEST THING EVER.
  4. BONUS! It’s killer easy to make!

Since finding this pattern, I’ve made three crocheted jellyfish of varying colors and sizes. Here’s one of them I made with some leftover shades of purple, blue, and white yarn:

crocheted-jellyfish

I left mine without a face, but you can easily add eyes and a mouth if you’d like. I kind of like the naked look, but I’m sure this little guy would look equally cute with little button eyes.

The thing I love about this pattern is that you can easily mix and match colors and all the tentacles can be different colors, if you so desire. The tentacles are so easy to make and you can make them in different lengths, depending on how big you want your jellyfish to be. You can also play around with yarn weights and hook sizes, making this the ultimate in yarn stash busting success!

You can find the full pattern for this jellyfish on Craftster.

Celebrate creativity every Wednesday with a “Creativi-bee” post, where I share easy craft tutorials, project ideas, and craft collections.

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January 23, 2013 · 9:40 am

Crocheted Bows

Need a yarn stash buster project?

These adorable little crocheted bows are great for using up that leftover yarn that you’ve been hanging on to for all this time. You can make one bow in as little as 30 minutes, so it’s a quick and fun way to work through any leftovers you may have lying around.

This is a great pattern for beginners and a fun way to create adorable accessories for your hair, purse, scarf, or hat! Make bows of any shape and size by simply increasing or decreasing rows and stitches on your foundation chain.

For my hair bows, I started with a foundation chain of 11 stitches. For the bow on the headband, I did 16 stitches. The amount is up to you. Play around with it to get just the right sized bow for you!

crocheted-bows

Crocheted Bows

Materials:

  • Yarn, in the colors of your choice
  • Small crochet hook (anything smaller than a 6.5 sized hook should be fine)

Instructions:

  1. For a smaller bow, chain 11. For a larger bow, chain 16.
  2. Single crochet in second stitch from hook, and in each stitch following until the end (10, 15 single crochets). Turn. 
  3. Chain 1, single crochet in second stitch from hook and in each stitch following. Turn.
  4. Repeat step three 4 more times, or more if you want a larger bow.
  5. To assemble, fold bow in half hot dog wise and wrap yarn around the middle of the bow. Tie off to secure. 
  6. If you want to wear the bow in your hair, just wiggle a hair clip through the back of the wrapped part of the bow. I don’t glue mine to the barrette, but you can if you want. I like to switch out my bows to match my outfit, and using a strong barrette like this works great for my thick hair.
    crocheted-bows3
  7. If you want to make a headband, create three chains of 70 stitches each, or larger to fit your head. Simply sew the bow in place and you’re ready to go!
    crocheted-bows2

Celebrate creativity every Wednesday with a “Creativi-bee” post, where I share easy craft tutorials, project ideas, and craft collections.

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December 19, 2012 · 8:27 am

Stashbusting Crocheted Basket

I’m notorious for gathering and saving those little shampoos and soaps from hotel rooms.  Why?  I have no idea.  It’s not like I do a ton of traveling where having a stock pile of tiny soaps would be beneficial to me, but for some reason I just like collecting them…I like knowing I have them should the need for a little conditioner arise.

Ironically, these little shampoos have taken up more space in my closet than a full bottle of shampoo…so I needed to find some way to store these supplies that was convenient and space-friendly.

Enter the amazingly large, easy and cute Stash Buster Tote!  This crocheted tote can literally hold tons of stuff…and the V-stitch allows it to keep its shape while you stuff it with anything and everything you can imagine.

Made with 2 strands of yarn, this tote is durable and strong…and it works up quickly, so it’s a great project for a weekend or a rainy or snowy day spent inside.

This tote would also be great for storing fruit and veggies, craft supplies, toys, jewelry, makeup, and other little essentials.  You can make them in different sizes and shapes by altering the pattern just slightly.  Continue round 5, just increase an additional dc in each round (so the next round would be ch 2, 2 dc in first st, dc in next 4 sts) for a bigger basket, and omit round 5 for a smaller one.  You can also make the basket walls as high as you’d like by continuing or halting rounds when you get to round 7.

Stash Buster Tote

d

Stash Buster Tote

Materials:

  • 2 balls Red Heart Super Saver yarn
  • 6.5 mm [US K-10 ½] crochet hook
  • Yarn Needle

f

Special Abbreviations:  V st:  (dc, ch 1, dc) all in the same st. or ch.  As you can see, you’ll be making little V’s all around the basket.
k
V-stitch close up

d

Instructions:
This pattern requires holding two strands of yarn.  Ch 2 does NOT count as a st.  Ch 4 does count as dc and ch 1.

  1. With 2 strands of yarn held together, ch 4, sl st in first ch to create ring.
  2. Round 1:  Ch 2, 12 dc in ring, join with sl st to first dc.  (12 dc)
  3. Round 2:  Ch 2, 3 dc in each st around, join with sl st to first dc.  (24 dc)
  4. Round 3:  Ch 2, (2 dc in first st, dc in next st) 12 times, join with sl st to first dc. (36 dc)
  5. Round 4:  Ch 2, (2 dc in first st, dc in next 2 stitches) 12 times, join with sl st to first dc.  (48 dc)
  6. Round 5:  Ch 2, (2 dc in first st, dc in next 3 sts) 12 times, join with sl st to first dc.  (60 dc)
  7. Round 6:  Chain 4, dc in first st, sk 1 st, (V-st, sk 1 st) 29 times, join in 3rd ch of ch-4.   (30 V-st)
  8. Rounds 7-15:  Sl st into first ch 1, ch 4, dc in same ch 1, (V-st in next ch 1) 29 times, join in 3rd ch of ch 4.  (30 V-st) if you want your basket to be higher, you can continue this for five more rounds, for a total of 20.  I thought 15 was plenty for me.
  9. Round 16:  Ch 3 dc in each dc from previous round, join in top of ch 3.
  10. Weave in ends.

Celebrate creativity every Wednesday with a “Creativi-bee” post, where I share easy craft tutorials, project ideas, and craft collections.

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