Eggs made from Color Bar Card

Eggs cut out from color bar card with double-sided print. Three or four pieces of card are stapled together with a stapler and a piece of coloured elastic beading cord is used for hanging.

1. Draw the eggs onto Colorbar card using the template. Cut out three or four eggs.

2. Fold the egg in the middle (horizontally) and staple all four eggs together with a stapler along the fold in the middle.

3. Make a hole with a hole punch and insert a piece of coloured elastic beading cord through the hole for hanging.

Attached file:  Template (269 kB)

Lantern and tea light holder from aluminium soda cans

Aluminium soda cans are thin, making them easy to cut. They are light too and dent easily. So, how on earth do we cut slits onto the cans to make little lanterns without ruining them? The trick is to fill them with water and pop them into the freezer for a few hours. Six hours is quite enough for the ice to form before working on the cans. I left one can overnight and it burst open in one split!

The ice inside the can is the solid “solution” to our creative problem. We can then cut lines, hammer or pierce holes to form patterns and designs on them. I use an ordinary craft cutter for splicing the cans and found the blades sharpened in the process. Be extra careful when making today’s project.

you need:

- 2 aluminium soda cans

- Wire – 30cm

- Cutter and small pliers

- Screwdriver

- Piercing tool

- Black marker

- Dish cloth

- Basin

- Tealights

1. Pull the tab to open the can, taking care to leave the tab intact if possible. Empty the drink into a cup. Rinse the can and fill it with tap water. Freeze it for six to eight hours.

2. Lay the frozen can on a piece of folded dish cloth and keep wiping it as you work on it.

If the tab was detached when you opened the can, pierce two holes on opposite side of the top of the can.

3. Use the black marker to draw 12 equally spaced dots around the can, 2cm from the top edge. Draw another set of 12 dots corresponding to the top dots on the lower part of the can, also 2cm from the bottom.

4. Lightly mark a cutting line to join a top dot to the bottom dot which is on the right of the one directly beneath it. Draw it in a slight S-curve. Join all the top dots to the bottom ones in the same way. Follow the lines to cut through the can with the cutter. Take care to hold the can firmly with your left hand.

5. Leave the can inside a basin for the ice to melt. Wipe it dry.

6. Light press the top of the can downwards to open the cuts. As you do that, slip the screwdriver inside a slit to press onto the bottom of a strip of the can to shape it outwards. Repeat for all the strips to shape the can into a lantern.

7. Turn the can upside down and press onto the strips in the same way, to obtain an equally-balanced lantern shape.

8. Place the lantern in both hands and twist it slightly, pressing inwards a little.

9. Pass the wire through the set of holes at the top of the lantern. Bring the ends together to form a loop before twisting into a hook for hanging. If the tab is intact, use it to hang the lantern.

Making the tea light holder

Follow all the steps for making the lantern but do not pierce the set of holes at the tops. (Note: The body of the orange can is cut in straight lines unlike the lanterns which has lines cut in S-curves.)

Cut out two strips from the can to make a wide opening. Use the pliers to bend the cut sharp edges of the top and bottom of the opening inwards.

As the top of the can is flat compared to the bottom, use it as the base instead. So turn the can upside down to place the tea light inside it.

* Remember, never leave the light unattended.

Giant Octopus Tentacles Vinyl Wall Art

We are constantly on the lookout for ways to liven up your interior, and this amazing Giant Octopus Tentacles Vinyl Wall Decal Sticker is one of the coolest ways to add some flair to your bathroom.

Shaped like a set of massive octopus tentacles, this decal measures in at 27 inches tall and 60 inches wide, which means it will fit pretty much any standard tub size out there. The sticker itself was created by the team at Sticker Brand Design, and although the product was created for the bathroom, it can be applied to any flat surface you like. The wall sticker comes with easy to follow instructions, and will not harm the paint.

Sprouting eggs with feet

These small signs of spring in papier-mâché eggs are painted with matt acrylic paint. Cotton balls are glued on for feet and eyes and a small cone is glued on for the beak.

Insert small plastic pots with cotton into the egg so that you can grow cress.

An Easter Bunny ready for the Festivities

Paint a chubby wood body and a wood bead with craft paint. Make a neck collar from ribbon and ears from felt. A fur pom-pom is used for the tail.

The cute little bunny is easy to make. Glue wood buttons onto the body. Make a neck collar using tack stitches (sew up and down and pull tight). Cut ears from felt using the template and glue them on. Glue on wiggle eyes. A bit of flax twine with a wood bead are nose and whiskers. Everything is glued on with a glue gun.

Attached file:  Pattern (87 kB)

A Quilling Butterfly on a Greeting Card

This is a fun technique in which narrow veaving paper strips are rolled or twisted using a quilling pen and then wedged in a quilling board and glued together. The shapes are glued onto a greeting card.

1. Roll or twist the weaving paper strips using a quilling pen.

2. Place the rolled up paper strips in a desired mould in the quilling board.

3. Remove them carefully from the quilling board. To hold the size and the shape, glue them together with clear marker.

4. Place in the mould on the quilling board again. You could use pins to keep the same distance between the turns. Now glue with clear marker. The glue is gel-like and not runny. Let it dry.

5. Glue a piece of color paper onto a greeting card using double-sided adhesive tape.

6. Glue the paper coils onto the greeting card in a desired pattern. In this example: a butterfly.

7. Glue strips of paper along the edge.

Plaited Jewellery with Silicone Cord, Jewellery Chain and Beads

A plaited bracelet and necklace from silicone cord, metal jewellery chains and drop beads threaded onto a piece of copper wire.

1. A bracelet with a braided fastening: Cut three 25-30cm long pieces of silicone cord, depending on the circumference of the wrist. Also cut a piece of bead chain same length as the silicone cords and a piece of macramé cord measuring approx. 40cm.

Place the four cords side by side (with the piece of bead chain close to the middle silicone cord). Also place the slightly longer piece of macramé cord in the middle.

2. Twist the piece of macramé cord which is placed the same length as the other four equally long cords four to six times tightly around the mentioned four cords – from left to right.

3. Thread the long end of the macramé cord onto a darning needle and secure the end by fastening it underneath the four to six twists made onto the other four cords.

4. Now plait with the three pieces of silicone cord, letting the piece of bead chain following one of the silicone cords.

5. When the plait is finished, secure the plait with the macramé cord, by twisting it around this end four to six times and secure following the same procedure as under point No. 3. Assemble the two ends of the macramé cord and place them parallel. Cut a new piece of macramé cord and make a braiding.

6. Trim the ends of the braided section and melt the ends with the flame from an ordinary lighter. Tie a knot onto the ends, secure the knots and secure them by melting them.

7. A necklace with a swivel clasp: Thread black rocaille seed beads onto a piece of copper wire measuring approx. 55cm and clear drop beads onto another piece of copper wire of the same length. Fasten with a knot.

8. Cut two 50cm long pieces of silicone cord and an approx. 75cm long piece of jewellery chain. Keep the cords and chains together with a piece of masking tape as illustrated. Use the same procedure as the one described under point No. 2 and 3.

Please note that the  macramé cord which must be secured before and after the plaiting, should not be more than approx. 20cm long.

9. Plait following the same procedure as the one used for making the bracelet (see point No. 4).

10. Use a pair of pliers for opening the chain. Attach a swivel clasp to the open link of the chain.

A Bracelet made from Leather Cords with Silicone Stop Rings

This leather bracelet is made from 2mm thick leather cords, using silicone rings to assemble the cords to form a pattern and then fastened with a crystal button.

1. Cut three pieces of 2mm leather cords in the following lengths: 95, 65 and 50cm. Double over the longest piece of leather cord, making it four pieces of leather cord at one end of the bracelet. A loop is created in the opposite end by double folding; i.e. this end consists of a loop and two cord ends.

2. At the end with a loop, twist the piece of leather cord which is 15cm longer than the three other pieces, four or five times around these from left to right. Pull the end through the loop and tighten.

3. You may dab a blob of glue inside the knot to secure it. Cut off the two ends.

4. Pick up the silicone stop rings individually with either nose pliers or long chain nose pliers.

5. Open the pliers and place the silicone stop ring over the two cords which you want to assemble.

6. Continue the plaiting by placing a silicone stop ring over two alternate cords. The pattern shown is made as follows:

1 and 2 + a silicone stop ring,

2 and 3 + a silicone stop ring,

3 and 4 + a silicone stop ring.

7. Thread a crystal button onto one of the four cords.

8. Tie the outer two cords together in a knot underneath the two middle cords.

9. Use the same outer cords to tie another knot over the two middle knots. Secure this double knot with a blob of glue. Cut off the two cord ends in each side. Shorten the two middle cords to 1.5cm.

Another variant

Another variant

Plastic Eggs with Napkin Decoupage

These plastic eggs have been painted with craft paint and then decoupaged with napkins and decorated with feathers.

1. Paint the egg with craft paint.

2. When the paint is dry, glue small pieces of napkin onto the egg using decoupage lacquer. NB! For a shiny egg apply several coats of decoupage lacquer on top of the napkin.

3. Glue a feather inside a wooden bead.

4. Cut off the excess end of the feather.

5. Glue the bead with the feather onto the pointed end of the egg.

6. Insert a metal hanger in the other (rounded) end of the egg.