Quarantine Crafts
If you’re feeling antsy these days and looking for a new project, we have some great suggestions to give you and your loved ones a memorable crafternoon together.
Easy As 1-2-3
Paint by number
Remember when you were young and had one of those velvety paint-by-number sets? The ones with the little connected samples of paint? They still make those! If you’re looking to paint, but aren’t much of a freehand artist, this is a great place to start. The finished product can be as simple or as complicated as you like, and the categories and options are seemingly endless. One of our favorite sites is allpaintbynumbers.com. Their collection is broken into categories and even includes favorites like cartoon characters and holiday prints. You can even upload on of your own photos and have it turned into your very own paint-by-number set.
Sweet Serenity
Serenity jar
We’ve all felt a little extra stress over the last few months, right? A serenity or calming jar may be just what you need to encourage your mind to focus when it’s needed the most. These glitter-filled jars are mesmerizing to watch and easy to make.
Here’s what you need:
A glass or plastic jar
A jug of warm water
60 ml glitter glue, color of choice
3 drops of food coloring, color of choice
Glitter of choice
To start the process, add warm water to your jar, followed by the glitter glue. Stir until they are combined. Add three or so drops of food coloring and stir. The more food coloring, the darker the water. Next, pour in the glitter. For a varied look, choose multiple colors and/or a combination of fine and chunky glitter. Stir well until the ingredients are mixed, and then top the rest of the jar off with water. If you’ve got the contents just how you like them, we recommend a swirl of glue on the inside of the jar lid to prevent glittery accidents in the future.
Tip: For a galaxy look, combine blue, purple and gray glitter.
DIY Redo
Refinish a table or nightstand
If you have that table you picked up at a yard sale months ago still lying around, there’s no time like the present to fix it up. A quick trip to a hardware store for some paint, maybe some new knobs if needed, and you’re on your way. For a nice, farmhouse-type look, pick up chalk paint. Its dull finish looks rustic and aged but protects your piece from nicks and scrapes. Did you know you can make your own chalk paint with some flat paint and plaster of Paris? Check out lowes.com and click on ideas for the recipe, plus lots of other DIY suggestions and tips.
Fabulously Fluid
Acrylic pour painting
Have you seen this on YouTube? If not, put down what you’re doing and go search “pour painting” right now. This painting technique is so simple yet so beautiful. There are thousands of videos to choose from, and all you need to get started are some blank canvases and acrylic paint. You start by adding paint colors, a little at a time, to a cup or funnel. Layer the paint in the order you’d like it to appear on the canvas. Next, slowly pour the paint onto the canvas, allowing it to fall at will. A quick treatment to the canvas and you’re ready to bend and turn the canvas to create your work of art. Gloves are a must by the way! The end result is nearly impossible to screw up, and every piece is new and original. It’s on our short list of crafts to complete.
Preserve The Past
Create a scrapbook
If you’ve always wanted your own photo book of memories, there are plenty of websites and programs that make the process a cinch. A Google search of “make a photo book” will yield lots of results. Once you find the company and price point you like, start planning. Maybe you want to commemorate a certain family vacation or event, or you want to chronicle a whole year. Start selecting and organizing the photos you plan to use. Many of the online services offer premade pages that you just drop your photos into. If you want a more personalized book, you can choose everything from the page color to the wording and font colors used. Pinterest is a great source for finding scrapbook page ideas that you can borrow from and make your own.
Rags To Riches
Make A Rag Wreath
These raggedy wreaths are super cute and very easy to make. If you can tie a knot, you can do it. The blog typicallysimple.com has our favorite tutorial for the project in steps that are a breeze to follow, so we’ll let you find them there! Choose to make a wreath for each season. (Yes, it’s that easy!) Think pinks, blues and yellows for spring, and browns, oranges and reds for fall. When choosing fabric, choose prints with small patterns in coordinating colors. For a more subdued shabby chic look, choose fabrics that are tan and brown in color.
What you’ll need:
A wire wreath form
About 2.5 total yards of fabric (when using multiple colors, divide up the total yards evenly between the various samples)
Scissors
Ruler
Check out more local entertainment like this at 352preview.com.
