Craft Test Dummies

Another confession: I hoard fabric scraps. Sometimes is the color, sometimes it’s the texture, sometimes it’s just that it’s a bit of a piece of clothing or reminds me of something I can’t let go of yet. So I hold on to a ton of fabric scraps! Today, I have a ton of great ideas [...]

Halloween is just around the corner, and my kids are so excited. As a Mom, though, I’m worried about safety after dark. So my son and I came up with a Halloween Craft- a tote bag that he could make (and meet his specifications of  ”being cool” ) and I would be happy that it [...]

Hooray! Today we have a guest post from a lady I totally admire for her recycled crafting misson! Thank you Becky for being our guest today on CTD & sharing a totally practical and CUTE craft using recycled neckties.Take it away…  Hi there! My name is Becky Striepe, and I am a freelance writer and [...]

If you’ve been to CraftTestDummies even a handful of times, you know that I love to craft with found/recycled objects. (Or make “outsider art”- we don’t get hung up on semantics here.) I was invited to participate in a challenge for the Original Sewing and Quilting Expo- a “Runway Re-View”! Here were the challenge guidelines: [...]

This craft ran last year on CraftsUnleashed.com- but I thought you all might like to see it here on CTD. Get your fabric scrap ready, and make a guest book/open house/autograph book that will be a treasured keepsake! Yesterday I showed you how to use recycled fabric to make shabby-chic flowers. Today, I’m going to [...]

  This post originally ran on CraftsUnleashed.com last year- but I thought y’all might like it here, as well! Get your fabric scraps ready and craft it up! I love to be able to recycle- it means I can stretch my money and save more for my craft shopping! Well, this handy-dandy flower is made [...]

Yesterday I showed you how I altered fabric with Gelatos™ Colors from Design Memory Craft and made a sassy sunglasses case. Today I’m gong to continue the fiber arts theme, but focus on a different product from Faber-Castell: Stamper’s Big Brush Pens. Just to refresh you memory, here is some information on Stamper’s Big Brush Pens: [...]

Have you ever looked at a craft product and wondered “How else could I use it?” I asked myself that very question last week while I was playing around with some Gelatos™ Colors in the Design Memory Craft Collection from Faber-Castell. Now, just as a refresher here’s a bit of info on Gelatos™ Colors from Design [...]

As my post implies, YES- I AM a roller-derby fan-girl! So I had to get my fave teams t-shirt to wear to the next bout. But of course, it was a plain ol’ boxy tee. Not so cute. So I decided to upcycle it. Do you know the difference between “upcycling” and “recycling?” Recycling is [...]

It’s no secret- I love recycle/”green” crafts. There’s something about taking something that is headed for the garbage or donation bin and then transforming it into a new, useful or beautiful object. Today’s tutorial is both useful AND  beautiful- we’re going to make luggage handle cozies and tags from old neckties- the wilder the print, [...]

Sometimes the things I do are purely for selfish reasons. You see, I have this nephew, and I love it when he smiles. And right now, Dinosaur Train REALLY makes him smile….. so I accepted some fabric from Quilting Treasures so that I could make him something cool with it… so I could get some [...]

Jenny’s Note: Today we have another fabulous guest tutorial by the talented Melony Bradley on behalf of Jacquard Products! I don’t know about you, but I can’t seem to get enough of birds. And burlap. When I created these wool felt bird clips and wedding table markers, I immediately fell in love with them and [...]

Happy Leap Day! What better way to celebrate then with some great froggy art? So many crafty froggies….. have fun with it!

I like a challenge. And every now and then, I mark off some time in my schedule to participate in some swaps that get my creative juices flowing. I’ve taken to making tags, and when video went up on Joggles.com about making tag BOOKS, well….. I was in. I used a bunch of my mixed-media [...]

Today I’ve got a show-stopper statement piece that I designed for ConsumerCrafts.com. It was originally featured in their downloadable Jewelry eBook, available by clicking HERE. Bold is IN- and you’ll make a statement with this stunning bib! I used black stones, but you could use any color that matches your outfit. You will need: (6) [...]

  If you are looking for a last minute Christmas tree decoration or Christmas gift, here are some chic and fun bird ornaments to make using supplies you likely already have in your stash, plus Lumiere paints from Jacquard Products. Created by Mel Designs, these birds were painted with Lumiere (read Jenny’s review of them [...]

You know that the Cricut is an amazing tool for cutting paper, and last month I showed you how it can cut polymer clay.  But did you know that you can also use it to cut fabric? With just a little preparation, you can cut fabric appliques with the Cricut to make fun, low-sew projects! [...]

I bet if you look around in your closet or dresser, you’ll find it- a blah, boring tank top or tee-shirt. You can transform it in about 2 hours (plus drying time) into a fun, stylish top! You only need a few tools and supplies, so let’s get started. You’ll need: Clover Yo-Yo makers in [...]

I was so excited when I saw the Sharpie “Stained” fabric markers in my box ‘o stuff to review from Jenny!  I’m a bit of a Sharpie addict, to say the least.  I use them all of the time in my crafting and art journaling.  My husband even knows that if he sees the giant [...]

Chronicle Quilts are so named because they were made by sewing strips of fabric on newspaper- like the Chronicle- to make warm, inexpensive quilts during the Depression. In the time when the motto was “Use it up, wear it out: Just make do, or do without.” ….this quilt can help you “use it up”- all [...]

Last week I played with the new Martha Stewart Paints line, and got really excited- maybe over-enthusiastic- with the glitter paint and Tintable Fabric Medium. The result? Some rockin’ witchy shoes to round out my Halloween costume. Here’s how I did it. First, I mixed the Tintable Fabric Medium with Sugar Cube Glitter Paint by [...]

Last fall, one of my dearest friends from high school (shout-out to Connie!)  asked if I’d help her with a special project- turning her daughter’s t-shirts into a memory quilt for her graduation. I thought it was a lovely idea to take all of her childhood memories and literally wrap her in a cocoon of [...]

Here’s a tutorial I wrote from CraftsUnleashed.com as part of their design team- but since it’s Earth month, I thought I’d share it here as part of my #GoGreen theme. Most of the materials can be found on ConsumerCrafts.com. I love to be able to recycle- it means I can stretch my money and save [...]

I loved reviewing the Clover Flower Frill Template, and it kind of got my creative juices flowing.  I started thinking of all the ways I could use the template to upcycle and recycle fabric to make chic, fun hair pins and corsages. I thought I’d share my technique with you, so you can try it, [...]

I started quilting about 10 years ago, and I quickly learned that tools are important. Rotary cutters made the job of cutting so much easier by ten-fold! So when I learned that Simplicity made an electronic rotary cutter, I figured that it would the best. Tool. Ever. And besides, I know quite a few quilters [...]

I go through little notebooks like fishes go through water. I keep one in my car, one in my purse, one in my coat pocket…. well, lets just say you can’t have too many. They are ridiculously easy with Claudine Hellmuth’s Sticky Backed Canvas and they make great gifts, too. Here’s what you’ll need: Mini [...]

Here’s another fun project I made for the CraftsUnleashed design team. You can find the supplies  at ConsumerCrafts.com at great prices! My family is part Irish, and we love to celebrate St.Patrick’s day with some corned beef and the “wearin’ o’ the green.” That means fun tee-shirts to wear to the parade! Today, I’ll show [...]

My boy is a lucky guy. Not only does he have a fabulously Irish name, he’s got a momma who takes St.Patrick’s day as an excuse to make him a custom tee-shirt to wear to school. I’m sharing another, girly version of this tee on CraftsUnleashed, but this one is just for the boys! You’ll [...]

Gung Hay Fat Choi- Happy Lunar New Year! This is the year of the rabbit, so I thought I’d scrape up some cute rabbit crafts to get you inspired! An even if you don’t particularly get into Lunar New Year- that’s OK. Consider these crafty ideas as a way to get a “jump” on your [...]

BLING is all the rage right now in wedding trends, as is monograms. Why not combine the two for a stunning, personalized wedding bouquet?? It’s easy, and this look can be accomplished for under $25.00- no kidding! BLING is all the rage right now in wedding trends, as is monograms. Why not combine the two [...]