Sometimes what we want and what we can afford are two very different things. I often reach for an embellishment or basic crafting supply and come up empty! That’s when it pays to know how to make your own materials. Here are eight items that are easy to make and will save you money:
Butterflies – I’ve made my own butterflies for a while now. All you need is some small feathers, black chenille sticks, a bit of wire and a glue gun! Find two sets of 2 feathers the same size. Arrange them like the wings of a butterfly, with the larger two one on each side on the top, and the smaller two one on each side below the. Cut a short piece of chenille stick place in the middle where the feathers touch. Glue the pieces together. Cut a small piece of black wire and bend in half, then shape the ends in a flat spiral. Attach with the glue gun at the top of your butterfly body. You can embellish by using a black marker and make the black “eyes” on the upper wings, if you like.
Buttons – Need a button to match your page? All you need is cardstock, a circle punch, a Crop-a-Dile, some Liquid Glass, a glue stick and your choice of patterned paper. Punch five circles from cardstock and one from your chosen patterned paper. Use a glue stick to adhere them in a stack, gluing the pp on top. Use you Crop-a-Dile to punch two holes in the center. Cover the top and sides with Liquid Glass and let dry on wax paper. You can also paint or ink the top layer of cardstock for a solid colored button. You can also use a shaped punch, like a heart, to make shaped buttons. See the tutorial here: http://www.splitcoaststampers.com/resources/tutorials/paperbuttons/
Card Candy-Don’t you just love those dimensional stickers with the glitter and bling? You can make your own using multiple images, stickers, Stickles, jewels, ribbons, etc. Just attach your creations to a leftover piece of clear plastic with REMOVABLE GLUE DOTS and you have handmade, inexpensive, expensive-looking embellishments!
Distressed flowers – These flowers are simple. Just tear (don’t cut) pieces of coordinating papers into three or four circles, each one just a little smaller than the last. Distress the edges by rubbing them to curl them up. Layer largest on the bottom to smallest on top. Attach with a brad.
Patterned Paper – Need a piece of patterned paper in a specific theme or color. Make it yourself! Get out the ink pads in colors you want, and stamps in the theme you need. Starting with the largest stamps, stamp a few images in a random way. Stamp from largest to smallest. Need shine? Use Stickles, metallic gel pens or Liquid Glass to embellish. Need texture? Use embossing powder, microbeads and fun flock. Too much white space? Spritz with Glimmer Mist!
Patterned Text Paper – Have some favorite quotes that you wish you could find on colored or patterned paper? Make it yourself. If you have Microsoft Word, collect your favorite sayings and type them one after another without spaces. Choose your favorite font and size, or mix the font size up. Fill a page with your lines of quotes (thequotegarden.com is a great resource) and then slip a piece of patterned paper in the printer and press PRINT.
Pinwheels – All you need is some colorful double-sided paper, cut into squares, a pair of scissors and a brad. From each corner, cut toward the very center of your square, almost but not quite to the center (otherwise you would have four triangles!). Starting at the top, fold one end of each side of your square toward the center, overlapping the ends. When all four corners are gathered in the center, use a piercing needle to make a hole and hold the pinwheel together with your brad.
White Flower Soft – I love to give my cards dimension and texture, but I don’t have the money all the time to go out and buy 14 different colors of FlowerSoft. I found that if you rub a couple of Styrofoam balls together, the resulting “dust” can be used just like white Flower Soft, so your winter cards can really POP with texture.
So, did I miss something? Of course I did, I missed stamping or using rub-on words on ribbons, coloring your ribbons to match your pages..and the list goes on! Got a secret DIY project that will save us all money? Tell us what YOU do to make your own supplies!
