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Spooky Spider Halloween Bookmark Craft

October 24, 2018

Spider Bookmark Craft for Halloween

This is one of those little fun crafts you can do with the kiddos to get into the Halloween Spirit! Or… if you are bug nerds like we are at my house, you make them just because you LOVE spiders and what they do for the environment! Either way, you can paint and glue these up in no time. And if you like, get creative and make some monsters, too! (Affiliate links follow, if you need to go shopping. It […]

Posted in Halloween Crafts |

Thanksgiving Crafts You Can DIY

November 17, 2017

It’s that time of year again, and I LOVE decorating the house and table for Thanksgiving. Crafts are an important part of that for us, too- from the centerpiece to the name cards to the napkin rings, I’ve got you covered! 1.-New this year! DIY Harvest Napkin Rings. Mostly these are recycled materials and fun for all ages. A great way to get everyone crafting the weekend before your big dinner. 2. Pilgrim Hat Table Settings using Recycled K-Cups!  Recycle AND […]

Posted in Thanksgiving/Fall Crafts |

“Firecracker” Rice Treat Pops

July 4, 2017

Rice treat pops with pop rocks

Hey crafty friends! In honor of Independence day, I dusted off this post from June 26 2014 and made you a quick video. We still enjoy making these for parties…and US!  The other day I saw a super cute cookie treat idea for the 4th of July on CakeSpy– you make cookies with Pop Rocks Candy and then roll the creamy filling with more Pop Rocks for a “firecraker” type of effect when you eat them. I loved the idea- but I needed […]

Posted in Food Crafting/ Party Crafts, Patriotic crafts |

Last-Minute Mother’s Day Gifts!

May 11, 2017

Uh-oh. Did you just realize that Mother’s Day is SUNDAY? Me too! YIKES! No worries- I have a few last-minute Mother’s Day gift ideas for you. Cute things that you can whip up pretty quickly. A few have some drying/curing time, so get started!   Coconut Oil Sugar Scrub Mom’s hands do a lot of heavy lifting- so this scrub exfoliates and pampers them! I used this scrub and OH MY THE SOFT! I am treating myself to a batch, […]

Posted in Mother's Day Crafts |

Flower Fairies and Woodland Sprite Earth Day Craft

April 18, 2017

Hey Crafty Friends! I’m back today with another recycle kids craft for Earth Day and/or Spring. These little Flower Fairies and Woodland Sprites have a little musical tinkle, too, due to the hidden jingle bell. They tinkle merrily in the breeze or on your kid’s back pack! I designed this project for Creativity Connection which is owned by Faber Castell. But it’s so fun (and kind of addicting) that I had to share it here, too. You probably already have […]

Posted in Recycled & Green, Spring/Easter |

Rhonna Farrer Chalkboard Wall Art Tutorial –

December 15, 2016

Hello my fellow DIY-ers and crafters!  Today I have a really exciting tutorial for you!  I’ve always been enamored with the chalkboard wall art I see at stores but lacked a connection with their rote messages, let alone the cost.  At the same time, I have fallen in love with the Rhonna Farrer app (click here for previous CTD review).  Rhonna has fabulous designs and fonts that fit all occasions and lend themselves extremely well for home decor. In this […]

Posted in Home Decor |

“Peppermint Stripe” Paper Ornaments & FREE DOWNLOAD

December 9, 2016

paper ornament, Peppermint Stripe Paper Ornaments

Hey friends! I just wrapped up a video that I’m SUPER proud of for Faber-Castell. As you may remember, I make videos for their kids’ blog (Creativity Connection) and the related YouTube channel. This is my project for December: These are so easy to make with your scrap paper- each strip is only 4 inches by 1/2 inch, so you can use up scraps from cardmaking or scrapbooking. And if you have a “mat stack”- well, you can get an […]

Posted in Winter/Christmas |

Napkin Ring Craft for Creativity Connection

November 15, 2016

thanksgiving napkin ring ideas

As some of you know, I make craft videos for other companies…and this month is one of my faves- harvest napkin rings made from dried beans. I’ll tell you why.   I love it because I straight-up stole this craft from my grandma. Yup, Grandma Helen was quite a crafter. And once upon a time, she made a WHOLE WREATH from dried beans and seeds. She made these little circles from recycled cardboard and then painstakingly glued little beans onto […]

Posted in Thanksgiving/Fall Crafts |

Boo Bags for Halloween Trick or Treat

October 26, 2016

My kids have gotten a little older, but they are still very excited about Halloween. Since we didn’t bring a lot with us on our move to NYC, we need new treat bags for Halloween- which inspired these glowy Boo Bags! **This post is sponsored by Testors. I use the AirBrainz airbrushing kit because it’s FUN!  You’ll need some basic supplies: canvas bag- recycled is OK Testors AirBrainz Airbrush kit- available a Michael’s stores or Amazon.com Airbrainz Owl Stencil Hot […]

Posted in Halloween Crafts |

Halloween Craft: Spider Pom Pom Book Mark for Faber Castell

October 6, 2016

These adorable halloween-themed bookmarks are made with craft sticks and pom poms. Perfect for food allergy sufferers and parties!

I’ve been at it again! Crafting for Faber-Castell’s kids’ blog Creativity Connection and their YouTube channel Just Add Imagination. I made a Halloween craft this month: a cute pom-pom spider book mark (and a bonus little monster, too!)   I kind of love this craft for kids who maybe can’t have Halloween candy- you know, there are a LOT of kids with juvenile diabetes and food allergies/sensitivities who can’t partake of the regular food-based celebrations. Why not host a halloween craft party […]

Posted in Halloween Crafts |

DIY Monogram Sisal Rug (with Spray Paint!)

May 24, 2016

DIY Monogram Sisal Rug- make it with SPRAY PAINT!

I love those high-end monogram sisal rugs from fancy catalogs. But OH those prices? So what if I told you you could make a DIY monogram sisal rug in a weekend for a TENTH of the cost? Well, you can- and I did- so now I’ll share my tips and tricks with you! So this is a project I was hired to do for Krylon for their booth at the CHA tradeshow in January 2016. You’ll need: Sisal Rug Freezer […]

Posted in Home Decor |

Leprechaun Hats from Recycled K-Cups

March 21, 2016

If you look at the date, you’ll see it’s past St. Patrick’s day. Yes, I’m a day late and a dollar short, but I was sick last week and I ran out of steam. However, I’m hoping you all will still love this craft and pin it for next year-because it’s so cute and easy to transform K-Cups into Lucky Leprechaun Hats! Some links contained in the post are affiliate links.  You can whip these out in an afternoon and […]

Posted in Recycled & Green, Spring/Easter |

Gelatin Printed Valentines Day Cards

February 12, 2016

Last year I did a few posts on making your own gelatin (gelli) printing plates. They are easy to do and it’s so fun to do some basic printmaking with kitchen supplies! I loved it SO much that I presented it on the kid’s craft show I host, Hands On Crafts for Kids. Today I want to share the segment with you so YOU can have fun making gelli print cards for Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day… heck, EVERY day! Some […]

Posted in Valentine's /Sweetest Day |

Christmas Jelly Jar Votive (Great Gift Idea!)

December 7, 2015

Here we are… that season again! Time to share our gifts this holiday with the people we love- and a handcrafted gift is really a gift from the heart! Today I’ll show you how to craft a recycled jelly jar into a sweet hostess gift or appreciation gift with just a few supplies. This one is Christmas-themed, but you could also use different colors for Winter or Hanukkah. Here’s your supply list: (some links are affiliate links and I keep this site […]

Posted in Winter/Christmas |

Thanksgiving Pilgrim Hat Place Card Holders using Recycled K-Cups

November 4, 2015

I love to make special place settings for holidays- and it helps me gently communicate to my guests where I’d like everyone to sit. And with these Pilgrim Hat Place Card Holders for Thanksgiving, I can recycle AND share a little after-dinner candy, too! How fun is that? I was inspired by the Frosty Hat Ornaments I made last year. But for this version, I wanted to make it really kid-friendly & extra “recycle-y.” (Is that a word? It is […]

Posted in Recycled & Green, Thanksgiving/Fall Crafts |

How-To: Glow-In-The-Dark Polymer Clay Sugar Skulls (Calaveras)

October 28, 2015

I’m a big fan of Halloween- always have been. And when I learned about Mexico’s Day of the Dead (Dia De Los Muertos), I was even more smitten. To celebrate both, I created these glow-in-the-dark Calaveras of polymer clay, my version of the traditional sugar skulls.     I’ve made a few photo collages to help you learn how I did it. You don’t need much- some Glow-In-The-Dark polymer clay, scraps of colored clay, and a frame of your choosing. […]

Posted in Halloween Crafts, Polymer & Air-Dry Clays |

Picnic Basket Makeover with Krylon

August 5, 2015

We are in full-on summertime mode here, with hikes, road trips and picnics! I got our “new” picnic basket at a yard sale for $10- it’s clean, sturdy and BIG! But it was also pretty plain. So I gave it a makeover using Krylon spraypaint! Disclosure: This post is sponsored by Krylon brand but all opinions are my own.  For this Krylon challenge, our color of the month was “Honeydew.” We were asked to pick some accent colors, too. And […]

Posted in Recycled & Green, Sponsored Posts, Summer Crafts |

Hostess Tray Fit for a Queen (Or a Princess Charlotte!)

June 1, 2015

I had this old hostess tray sitting around, and it really needed….something. It was plain and cheap, and faded into the background. I decided it needed some “oomph” and that when I used it, my guests should feel like a royalty! (Or maybe even me, on Mother’s Day?)  So I set to work. Here’s a sneak peek! (Disclosure: this is a sponsored tutorial designed my little ol’ me on behalf of Krylon. They supplied the paint and compensation. Thanks, Krylon!)    […]

Posted in Craft Projects, Home Decor, Mother's Day Crafts, Recycled & Green, Sponsored Posts |

Mother’s Day DIY Gift Ideas

May 8, 2015

Mother’s Day is right around the corner- but don’t despair! I’ve rounded up  a passel (yes, that’s a real word) of awesome DIY gift ideas that you can make in 3 to 4 hours (or even less!) And trust me, Mom still likes a nice handmade gift from the heart. Don’t we all? An InLinkz Link-up And here’s the thing…most of these are also great for teachers, hostess gifts, grads, or “just because” neighbor gifts. Do you really need a […]

Posted in Mother's Day Crafts |

How To Make A DIY Quilling Tool & Quilled Hearts Tutorial

February 10, 2015

If you’ve been here before, you may know that I have a soft spot for quilling. I love that you can take simple strips of paper and some white glue and twirl them into spirals that you can form into shapes that can be almost anything! (OK, I’m a little breathless here!)  But what if you don’t have a quilling tool? Well, I gotcha covered. You need: plastic coffee stirrer (the ones like a mini straw) OR Ear Swab with […]

Posted in Paper Crafts, Valentine's /Sweetest Day |

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Hi! I’m Jenny, the co-host of Hands On Crafts for Kids on PBS and the Head Dummy behind CraftTestDummies.com where you’ll find craft product reviews, tutorials, and craft industry news.

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Jenny Barnett Rohrs is Head Dummy and Pied Piper behind CTD, which focuses on reviews, tutorials, and craft industry news. Jenny has appeared on HSN, Scrapbook Soup PBS series, and is currently the co-host of Hands On Crafts for Kids on PBS.

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Copyrighted Content Permission All images and tutorials on this blog are copyrighted material. Please contact me if you would like to borrow any media (photos, video or audio files), tutorials, or ideas from this blog. 99% of the time I would be happy to allow you to use one photo with appropriate credit and link back to CraftTestDummies.com (preferably to the same post it was borrowed from.)
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