Tea bag lapel pin or car deodorizer to hang on rear view mirror.

I made these tea bags as a way of carrying over the message of the tea party that I attended earlier this year.  One of them is designed to wear as a lapel pin and the other to hang on the rear view mirror as a deodorizer. These are quick and easy to make and are a great way to convey your feelings about what’s going on in the USA.

Materials:

• muslin fabric
• crochet cord
• elastic cord
• printer fabric
• polyester stuffing
• tiny attacher stapler  ( I ordered mine from eclecticpaperie.com.  They shipped it out quickly and were wonderful to do business with.  These staplers cost about $15.99. )

Car deodorizer tea bag for rear view mirror.

Step 1.

Cut out two pieces for each tea bag.

Step 2.

Narrow hem the bottom of both pieces.

Step 3.

Cut a piece of velcro slightly smaller than the bottom of the tea bag.  Cut it in half lengthwise as shown.  Attach the sticky part to one piece and the soft piece to the other side.

Step 4.

Cut a piece of elastic cord about 8 inches long.  Tie a knot in the end of it and then line it up on the front of tea bag as shown.  Now put the two pieces together (right sides together) and stitch along the sides and top using  a 1/4 seam allowance.  Be careful to keep the elastic cord in the center so you don’t accidentally stitch it and leave the bottom open so you can put deodorizer crystals inside when you’re done.

Step 5.

Turn to outside and topstitch closely along edge on the sides and top only.

Step 6.

Using the tiny attacher staple the top as shown. The knot in the end of the elastic should be just below the staple.

Step 7.

Print up your slogans on the computer and then print them out on fabric paper.  Keep your font size small so that your square will be about the same size as a normal tea bag tag.

Step 8.

Tie a knot in the other end of the elastic cord and position it as shown on the front of the tea bag.  Take your tag and staple it on as shown. Make sure the knot is just below the staple.  Now you can fill your bag with scented beads or crystals.

Lapel Pin:

Make the same as the tea bag above but use crochet cotton cord instead of elastic and cut it about 5 inches long.  When you reach step 5 put a little bit of polyester stuffing inside the bag and then topstitch all around the entire tea bag.  Hand sew a pin onto the back as shown.

Don’t feel like making it on your own? That’s okay you can buy them pre-made.

• 
  Tea Bag - Elastic - Velcro Ornament

Tags: car deodorizer, lapel pin, political statement, tea bag

Some of Crafts can now be Purchased at the Not2Crafty Shop

When my husband and I first married we wanted to buy a house right away so we knew that money would be tight but decided it would be worth it. Fortunately my mom was very crafty and could stretch a dollar ten ways and she taught me a lot that came in handy as I began to decorate my home. I really loved crafty things and just couldn’t afford to buy them ready made so I put that knowledge to good use.

I know that many families today are facing the same dilemma which was my reason for starting not2crafty.com. Our homes are our refuge from the chaotic world around us and handmade items are one of the best ways to turn your house into a home. Crafting is a great way to unwind and as you complete a project it brings new confidence to start more complex projects.

That being said, I have discovered that many people are just simply too busy to make their own crafts and would like to buy ready made items. So for those of you who are too busy or are convinced that crafting is just not your thing I am going to offer some items for sale. I have received a lot of requests for children’s projects and ideas so I will start there and work into home projects next. These first items are designed with families in mind and are intended to create some special family time. I am constantly searching for the best prices on quality materials in order to keep my prices low. Because of this quantities will sometimes be limited.

If you would like to request a special project feel free to contact me and I’ll see what we can work out.

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Tags: Affordable, baby, Craft, crafts, gift, quality, shop, shower, store, tooth fairy

Decorative pillow made to coordinate with bedset.

I recently bought a new bed set for my bedroom and I wanted to make some decorative pillows because I was too cheap to buy the ready made ones.  This is a very easy thing to do and can be made to match almost any bed set pattern.

Material:

• 1 yard of solid color fabric that coordinates with your bed set.
• 1/2 yd of felt
• 1 yard of contrast fabric for back of pillow
• zipper or velcro to fit one end of pillow
• fusing fabric
  

Step 1.

Place a piece of tissue paper over your bed cover on top of the pattern you want to copy. Trace the pattern with a pencil.  You will need to place it on a hard surface to do this.

Step 2.

After you finish tracing your pattern pin the tissue paper to your piece of felt and cut it out.

Step 3.

Pin your felt piece to a piece of fusing fabric. Cut it out being careful to follow your pattern. (more…)

Tags: Add new tag, bed set, decorative pillow, fabric, felt design, fusing paper, tracing paper

Chinese character wall decor

I made these from some alphabet squares that my daughter was getting rid of.  ( See pictures below) You can make your own by cutting some pieces from a 2×4 and then covering them with some canvas.

Materials:

• If you have any similar blocks you can use them.  If not, just cut some pieces from a 2×4 and then take some lightweight canvas and wrap around the blocks like you’re wrapping a present.  Staple the ends across the back. I will make some soon for another project I have in mind and will do a detailed version at that time.
  
• paint
• stencil

Step 1.

Paint top and sides of blocks and let dry.

Step 2.

Stencil your design on the front of blocks.

Tags: Add new tag, canvas blocks, chinese characters, feng shui, paint, stencils

Easy to make plant markers

Materials:

• wood pieces ( I bought these at Wal Mart. They come in packs of 5 or 6 for about a dollar.)
• square dowels  (They come in a pack of 10 at Wal Mart for a couple dollars.)
• paint and stencils
• staple gun
• wood sealer

This project is very quick and easy to make.  I made these markers for my herbs and I liked them so much that I think I will make more for my vegetable garden just for fun.  This would be a fun project to do with your kids.

Step 1.  Mark the wood where you want to make your cuts.

Step 2.

Cut along your lines and smooth edges with sandpaper.

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Tags: craft wood, easy project, garden, paint, plant markers, pots, square dowels, stencils

Candlesticks made from table legs.

Materials:

• two table legs
• package of candle cups ( these can be purchased at almost any hobby or craft store)
• paint and aging varnish
• wood glue
• small squares of wood ( I purchased some of the little squares that are used to frame out windows and can be purchased at Lowes or Home Depot)

I made these candlesticks from some old table legs and some inexpensive candle cups.  It only took a few minutes to make and can be made from any size table legs.  Bigger legs would make great pillar candle holders.

Step 1.

I cut one of my table legs so that I could make two candleholders from it that were different lengths.  I left one of the legs long to make one tall candleholder.

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Tags: Add new tag, candle cups, candlesticks, easy project, paint, table legs, varnish, wood glue

Tray made from picture frame and vintage drawer handles.

Materials:

• one deep picture frame
• two drawer pills
• paint (base color, crackle glaze, lighter color for topcoat)
• wallpaper or scrapbook paper

This tray is made from a picture frame and some old drawer pulls. I covered the bottom with some old wallpaper from a house I lived in as a child. My mom saved a roll of it  for sentimental reasons and has been carting it around for forty years. I decided if she loved it enough to hang onto it for that long I should do something with it. I remember the night she and my dad hung the wallpaper so I’m sure she will too when she sees it.

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Tags: easy project, picture frame, tray, vintage drawer handles, wallpaper

Cardboard letters hung with ribbon for childs room.

Materials:

• Cardboard letters
  
• paint
• ribbon

I bought these letters at Hobby Lobby and they were 50 % off so only cost a dollar apiece.  This is a really quick project that adds a nice touch to a childs room but you could also use them to spell out “family” or anything else you can think of.

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Tags: Cardboard letters, childs room, easy project, paint, ribbon

Rubber gloves with decorative cuff and ribbon trim.

I love these rubber gloves but the ones I’ve found are either too expensive or are not well made so I decided to make my own. These are so easy to make and  are so pretty that  you won’t mind leaving them out. The space under my sink is a scary place and for some reason I can never keep it clean.  Now I just leave my gloves hanging out.

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Tags: Add new tag, decorative cuff, easy project, fabric, ribbon, rubber glove

Easy to make curtains with big snap in rings for hanging.

Materials:

• fabric  ( I used 5 yards  of 60″ fabric for my set of curtains for a window that is  about 6 feet           across.
  
• snap together curtain rings  ( I needed 3 packages of 8 ring sets which I purchased at Wal Mart for about 7 dollars per package.

These curtains are very easy to make and the rings are made to snap together over holes you cut in the fabric and then slipped over the curtain rod to hang. These were fun and easy to make.

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Tags: easy curtains, fabric, home decor, large eyelet rings, snap on rings