Crafty Marie

Summer, I can't wait for it! I try to ignore the constant rain we keep getting and apply myself to colorful and wishful thinking themed projects to add some sunshine into each day. I've wanted to make a fun lollipop and popsicle stick craft for ages and this was what I came up with.

It took me a really long time to research and put together but this is an awesome page bursting with 50 great spring season craft tutorials and projects that adult crafters can really appreciate. Find a lot of ideas for things you can make with paper projects, felt, fabric, crochet, cricut, stepping stones, outdoor crafts, fairy gardens, polymer clay, cross stitch and knitting.

Pinterest isn't just a great place to drool over images and photos that you're interested in or to show off your own pictures. Used well, Pinterest can be a fabulous way to draw targeted traffic back to your online content such as web pages, blogs and even store content like Etsy shop listings. It's a great social media tool for promoting your online business or whatever you want to draw attention to. Like anything that's worth doing, it requires a little bit of work before you start to see some good results. But with these 12 top tips on using Pinterest well and getting more from it, you can get a real jump start in promoting your content.

As soon as I saw these dollar store frames, I knew I had to buy them because they were a perfect match for the banner I'd made for my daughter's play room.  Since the banner had butterfly detailing, I decided to decorate these with some scrapbook paper and butterfly embellishments that I'd had for a long time wondering what to do with.

This freebie is a complete stationery and gift tag set based on a cute stitched mushroom or toadstool fairy house. The set provides you with printables for an unlined notecard, gift tags and embellishments that you can use on handmade cards and in your paper crafts as well as some matching paper ribbon wraps for making up coordinating stationery gift sets.

Mmm, cupcakes again. You can't keep me away from sweet themed crafts like these for long. These small little cakes are so much fun to make with some very easy no-sew options available too. You'll find a selection of tutorials over on my themed pincushion page but they can be used as home decor and even faux fabric food too. One of my favorite crafting themes is cupcakes. Like many people, I have a bit of an addiction to these delightful little and delicately frosted cakes and this also tends to spill over into things I like to make as well. These yummy creations are fun to craft from paper, from yarn, from beads and also to sew.

I'd love to have my own craft room but with living in a small town house where every room is needed that is just not going to happen wish as I might. Having been a compulsive crafter since childhood, storage has always been an issue with everywhere I've lived, until now. When we re-did our dining room, we started from scratch and deliberately choose big, big pieces of furniture with lots of cupboards, drawers and shelves so I could have all my craft tools, equipment and materials in the same shared room space. Until recently, I had to put up with having my craft stash spread really anywhere it would fit in the home. I had it in rolling carts, plastic drawers, under-bed storage, on the top of wardrobes, it was literally stuffed all over the home. What a pain that was when I needed to find something.

Folded paper dresses are really cute spring and summertime craft projects and they look great used as embellishments on the front of handmade cards as well as being lots of fun to fold. I love to make these from sheets of pretty patterned origami or scrapbook papers and then adorn them further with bits of lace, fabric, ribbons and rhinestones. Origami dress designs make some really super cute paper folding projects which are just perfect for girly, handmade cards and also help to indulge a love of paper dolls too. My daughter and I have so much fun making pretty paper dresses. The fun doesn't stop when you've finished crafting either. We love to decorate these pieces of paper clothing with tiny and small decorative buttons, ribbon bows, glitter, ribbon and lace to really make them look even more unique.

This CraftyMarie Freebie is a printable template that you can use to make your very own whimsical bird design for a paper craft or with felt and fabric. Enjoy my free bird template for sewing and other crafts such as card making. This small design is perfect for applique and for making plush birds from felt. Provided in two sizes on a single printable sheet. This is the same template design I've been using for years to create sweet bird patterns for many years now in my own crafting.

Small birthday cake designs made from fused Perler or Hama beads make ideal embellishments for handmade cards and other paper crafts especially such as cute gift tags and more. I enjoy making this easy pattern (ideal for beginners) in a range of pastel colors and last year I made a whole batch and turned them into magnets to make quick and inexpensive party favors.

Here's a poster set of 25 short and sweet Valentine's day quotations or sentiments ideal to use as captions on your Valentine cards, scrapbook pages and other romance themed craft projects. If you're stuck on an idea for a theme to use for your crafting, some of these little Valentine verses and quotations should help to spark off your imagination. Add them as sentiments on cards and in other areas of your Valentine crafting. The image below is ideal for you to share on your pinterest boards and other social media too. Enjoy adding these short and sweet sentiments to your love themed projects.

Making pixel patterns and designs out of fused beads is one thing but actually turning the completed patterns into something functional and even useful like a keychain or key ring is even better because then you have something to give away as a gift. Learn how to make keychains from your finished fused bead patterns and designs. This technique works for most popular ranges of fused beads including Hama and Perler. It's great to be able to turn your finished pieces or your kids finished designs into something practical. Keychains are easy for adult crafters to make providing you know what tools and equipment to use. These are great to make as party favors, stocking stuffers and fillers and small gifts. And the same techniques can be applied to turn other items into key chains too.

Hey, it's freebie time again with a free template and tutorial on making cupcake shaped cards. These are one of my all time favorites to make because they are easy and fun - I mean what's not to enjoy about decorating your very own fat-free yet delicious cupcake! This is a design that I've used multiple times for birthdays over the years and they always delight. Now I'm sharing my own template with you so you can easily make the same version in your own cardmaking time.

Whenever I craft for specific times of year like Valentine's Day, I always find it hard picking my way through so many kid crafts to get to things that I as an adult crafter want to make. So this year I put together a page full of some really great craft ideas and tutorials that us grown-up craft addicts can really enjoy. Visit My Valentine Crafting for Adults Page for Lots of Great Tutorials The crafts are not just my own so there is a very good variety there to enjoy and next year I'll be adding substantially more as well because there were some great ones I found by my fellow craft writers that I didn't get to showcase as much as I wanted. Also on that page was a very quick poll so you can give me an idea of the type of crafts that you want to see more of. This is important when I come to expand on this topic next year so I hope you will just click to indicate what you prefer. I hope you've enjoyed reading my craftymarie article today, thanks for your visi...

Something I really can't stand with crafting are flat projects because flat to me equals boring. When I first started to make cards as an adult crafter, I struggled to see why my cards did not look very interesting when compared with professional versions. One very easy way to add dimension into your paper crafts is by using foam square adhesive pads. These are very inexpensive sticky pads that raise up embellishments and frames on your handmade cards, scrapbook layouts and other projects. I realized that my first handmade cards had no dimension to them. They just looked really dull and not at all eye-catching to look at. That was back over 20 years ago and I now know that to easily bring a paper project to life, adding in some lift and dimension instantly makes it stand out more and just makes it much more interesting to actually look at.

After making a celebration key which was highlighted here on CraftyMarie, I got the inspiration for a You Hold the Key to My Heart craft which incorporated the vintage style key as well as a heart design made specifically to match. This craft makes a gorgeous themed set of a fused bead heart and a key is an ideal craft to enjoy for Valentine's and other love themed occasions. Keys are a lucky symbol and symbolize either locking or unlocking of events and opportunities in the path of life. This craft is a great one to enjoy for a special and romantic occasion which could be Valentines, weddings, anniversaries and more.