Project Ideas from Around the Web

The world has changed, my friends.  No longer do you have to hunt through books and magazines for crafting inspirations.  Nowadays, everyone's got a blog, and everyone's posting their projects online!  While that's wonderful for the crafter in me, the sheer volume of material out there is a little daunting.  So I'm starting this little category to keep track of some of the gems I've been finding in all the junk of the Internet.  Here's some of today's rare items:   

• How To Make a Quick Look-a-like Quilt from an Old Comforter
• The only adjustments I'd make to this project is folding the edges of the fabric squares under so that the unfinished edges don't "fray".  You could even get creative and "quilt" the squares with designs by machine or by hand!

 

• No-Sew Easy Roman Shades

• This lady is clever!! The hardest part of building Roman shades is the "skeleton" structure, so to speak.  By using cheap blinds from Wal-mart as her skeleton, she's figured out how to decorate her place creatively but cheaply!  Personally I favor more stitching than she does, and I'd probably use some muslin to back my fabric so that it lasts longer in the sun but other than that, this is a great idea!

• Wrapping Gifts with a Card Holder
• I'm not usually a Martha Stewart fan (not really my style), but every once in a while her people come up with great ideas.  Here's how to wrap your presents so you have an invisible "pocket" for the card to slide into.  

• Petticoat Skirt from a Sheet
• The lady over at Little Birdie Secrets came up with a great simple pattern for a cute girl's skirt that I'd love to upsize for myself! And she reminded me at the same time that style isn't as hard to create as I try to make it. Kudos!

•  Making Sturdy Tote Bags from Old Placemats
• This gal takes my vote for a creative way to upcycle your old things. Here's her tutorial for making sturdy, attractive tote bags from those old cloth placemats you might have lying around.

•  Making Your Own Homemade Stamps
• Craft Junkie from the blog Craft Therapy gets some major respect from me for coming up with a cheap but robust alternative to spending hundreds of dollars on rubber stamps.  With some good foamboard, the right glue, and an old Jenga set you can create all kinds of stamps following her instructions. Since we're all trying to save money here, mad props!!