Crafts

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About a month ago I was in Paper Source picking up some end-of-year teacher gifts.  And of course I couldn’t only buy what I went in there for.  That never happens.  Any time I step foot in that store I end up spending way more money than intended.  It has the same hold over me as Target.

One of the unplanned purchases that day was a set of three plain wooden bangle bracelets.  They were calling to me: “Buy us.  Make us pretty.”  Never one to turn a cold shoulder to those in need, I brought those plain bracelets home with me that day.  And then, some time later, I polished them up and created these super cute and super easy fabric tape bangle bracelets.  

This project was pretty quick and I think it would make an awesome girls’ night activity, or even a birthday party craft for older girls.  

Here are the supplies you need:

• Wooden bangle bracelets
• Acrylic paint in colors of your choice (I used navy, pink, and turquoise)
• Foam brush
• Fabric washi tape  (I got the exact rolls pictured below at Michaels)
• Scissors

Begin by painting your wooden bangles in whatever colors or combination of colors you like.  I looked at the fabric tapes I had and decided which ones I wanted to use on each bracelet prior to painting.  That way I was able to make sure that the colors would be just right on each bracelet!  

Once the paint dries, gently apply the fabric tape to the bracelets in varying patterns and methods.  The great thing about fabric washi tape is that it stretches and flattens as you work with it, so it is easy to use on the rounded bracelet surfaces.  

Get creative with how you apply the tape.  (And if you really want to live on the edge, put a few different tape patterns onto one bracelet.  I wasn’t that risky.)  

That’s all it takes to make some fun and fashionable fabric tape bangle bracelets!  

They’re cute, right?  I can’t wait to start wearing them!  If you liked this post and want to make some fabric tape bangle bracelets of your own, make sure to pin this post for later!

Bre

You May Also Enjoy This Fun Pom Pom Craft Ideas Post!  

As I get older I feel like I’m becoming more of the crunchy granola type.  Let’s just get along and sing “Kumbaya” around a campfire, okay?  Now I’m not one to slather on patchouli or forego shaving, so I thought a cute DIY peace sign wreath for my door would be the next best way to make a statement that love and kindness dwell here.  

And oh yeah, baby, this thing is groovy.  And adorable.  Just how I like my craft projects.  

Supplies Needed for a DIY Peace Sign Wreath

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• Wooden peace sign
• Wooden heart
• Leather cording
• Wooden beads
• Stapler
• Chalky finish paint in this color, this color, this color, and this color
• Chip brush
• Floral stencil or laser cut paper
• Thumbtacks
• Hammer

How to Make a DIY Peace Sign Wreath

You can make your own version of this DIY peace sign wreath so easily!  

Step One: Hammer Thumbtacks to the Peace Sign

First, I gently hammered thumbtacks all the way around the unfinished wood peace sign.  I did this to give the peace sign a little bit of dimension.

It looks funny like this, but it will look much better!

Step Two: Paint the Wooden Peace Sign

Next, I painted the entire peace sign with a coat of this dark gray paint. 

Step Three: Dry Brush Contrasting Paint Over the Dark Paint

Once the gray paint dried, I lightly brushed some of this paint on top.  

Then, I painted the wooden heart this color.

Step Four: Stencil a Pattern on the Wooden Heart

Next, I stenciled a floral pattern onto the heart using this color of paint.  

Once it dried, I fastened it to the peace sign with leather cording.  

Step Five: Create a Wreath Hanger

Then I strung some wooden beads to the leftover leather cording, and stapled that to the top of the peace sign, on the back, to create a hanger for my wreath.  Notice the poor stapling job . . . it took quite a few tries to get that to actually work.

And that was all it took to make this cute DIY peace sign wreath!  I really love how this project turned out; it might be one of my favorites!  

The best part was that after I’d hung it up and stood there admiring it, my little guy said to me, “Mama, I really like that steering wheel you put on the door.”  

He is definitely my biggest fan.  🙂

Peace out.

-Bre

Air dry clay (basically, PlayDoh for grownups), is one of my favorite craft supplies!  It’s inexpensive and you can do so much with it!  Take these air dry clay keychains, for example.  They’re super cute and fun to make! 

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Before we get down to the nitty-gritty of this project, let me fill you in on one of my favorite craft supplies!

What Is Air Dry Clay?

Air dry clay is EXACTLY what it says it is- clay that dries when left out in the air!  You don’t need a kiln, and you do not bake it in the oven (unless the package tells you to do so).   Some air dry clays even warn you NOT to bake in the oven – so pay attention to that!

Traditional air dry clay lets you create the project and let it sit out for several hours to several days to dry fully.

What Is the Best Air Dry Clay Brand?

Coincidentally, some time after I wrote this blog post, I got a job working for a company that sells air dry clay! 

I loved that job and learned so much about this craft supply.  One major lesson was that there are lots of brands of air dry clay on the market, and some are REALLY bad! 

My personal favorite air dry clay brands are Supreme air dry clay (it is inexpensive, dries extremely tough, and comes in great colors like natural, terracotta, and black), and Hearty Clay air dry clay (it is so lightweight – almost like a marshmallow – and has an ultra-white color).  I really think these are the best air dry clay brands around!  

What Supplies Do You Need to Make Air Dry Clay Keychains?

To make these clay keychains as shown in this post, you’ll need the following supplies:

• Air dry clay
• Clay lettering set
• Small-shaped clay cutters
• Clay texture sheets
• Needle or some other object capable of poking a hole through the clay
• Large jump rings
• Key rings
• Optional: tassels, charms, or other embellishments
• Acrylic paint
• Metallic wax (I used this gold wax and this rose gold wax)
• Small paintbrushes
• Small pliers
• Rolling pin or clay roller kit

How to Make Air Dry Clay Keychains

I did this project with my kids one afternoon, and they were SO excited to be using some of my craft supplies.  This would be an awesome project to make with older kids as a camp or scouting activity. 

(If you’re interested, another great project to make with kids is these Air Dry Clay Pressed Flower Plaques or Air Dry Clay Garden Markers.)

Step One: Roll Out the Air Dry Clay

So first, I took a chunk of clay and rolled it flat and about 1/4″ thick.  Use a rolling pin or a clay roller kit (which is great if you work with clay a lot!).

Step Two: Cut Out Shapes in the Clay

I used the clay shape cutters to cut out several shapes and sizes.  

Step Three: Emboss Letters and Textures in the Clay

Next, I had fun using the clay letter embossing tool and the textured pattern pieces to make all different kinds of designs on my shapes.  

Step Four: Poke Holes in the Clay

Once I finished embellishing all of my shapes just the way I wanted them, I found a random tool in a drawer and used it to poke holes near the top of each shape.  (Any idea what that thing is?)  

TIP: when you do this, make sure you poke the holes near the top of the clay, otherwise it will be very hard to fit jump rings through the holes once the clay has dried.  Some of mine were a little too far down, and they were unusable as a result.  Womp womp.  

Step Five: Wait for the Clay to Dry

Next came the hard part.  I had to wait just about two days for my creations to dry!  That felt like an eternity.  For a person who has real issues with patience, this was a test.  

Step Six: Paint

Luckily, I survived the two-day clay-hardening period and lived to paint my clay creations with all the different colors of acrylic paint.  

Once the paint dried, I applied metallic wax to some of them for some added shimmer and shine!  

Step Seven: Add a Jump Ring and Key Ring to the Clay Keychain

Finally, I added a jump ring through the holes in each piece of clay and then attached the key rings to each.  

Small pliers will be really helpful to get these pieces on the keychains.

On some of the key rings, I added some cute tassels, too!  I kinda love them and want to put tassels on everything.  

So easy and so fun.  If you can get past the waiting 48 hours for the clay to dry, you’re golden.

I really enjoy using air dry clay, and I think you will, too!  If you liked this project, too, I’d love for you to pin it so you can find the directions later!