Make Do

Craft Leftovers

Use up your stash with help from Craft Leftovers!  Kristin has been sharing so many great ideas, free patterns and projects for using up what you have.  Check out her free pattern for knit mini sock ornaments using the yarn leftover from sock knitting.  Very cute and a great way to use up those bits of yarn that you love too much to toss.

Cute Headband Tutorial

 

What do you do when you have a small amount of fabric that you love?  Make an adorable headband!  Luckily Heather Bailey offers this free tutorial.  Hooray!

No Sew Fabric Covered Box Tutorial

Time to organize!  Leave those overpriced bins at the store and make your own fabric-covered boxes with this tutorial from forty-two roads.  Use fabric from your stash or linens from your favorite thrift store.  Make do with what you have!

Coffee Cozy Tutorial

 

Check out this free pattern for a super cute coffee cozy brought to you by House on Hill Road.

Scrapbooking with Children's Drawings

 

Scrapbooking can be very expensive if you get carried away with the newest designs and embellishments.  There are so many cute things available, it is easy to spend a fortune on just one page!  But it doesn't have to be that way.  There are a lot of fun and inexpensive ways to save money while scrapbooking.  Just consider it another way to be creative! 

For this page, I asked my daughter to draw a picture of a flower for me.  (I knew I wanted to make a page containing this adorable quote from her!).  I gave her a plain 12x12 paper and a pen.  I borrowed the kids' alphabet stamps for the lettering and printed a single photo.  I really love how it turned out: simple, inexpensive, and very special! 

How to Save Money on Kids' Crafts

 

Building creativity is really important for kids, but doesn't have to break the bank.  In fact, working with scraps and unconventional materials can enhance the creative process for children.  Here are a few tips on ways to nurture your child's budding imagination without spending much money.

• Use scraps.  Keep a big bin for leftover scraps and materials from other projects.  That small piece on construction paper might make a good eye patch or gold nugget in the future.  That tiny bit of yarn may be a smiley face's mustache or a clay lion's tail someday.  For your own sanity, keep the scrap collection to one bin.  If you have toddlers or children who like to dump things out, you may want to keep the bin out of reach for the most part and bring it down as needed.
  
• Don't recycle.  Save a few materials that you would normally toss in the recycling bin and use them for crafts.  For example, juice lids can be easily washed off and used for all kinds of projects (olympic medals, wind chimes, etc.).  The key is to choose items that are relatively small, easy to clean and child safe.
• Stock up during sales.  Back-to-school time is the BEST time to buy markers,crayons, glue sticks, colored pencils and so on.  Many stores have these products as loss leaders, to get you into the store for all your back-to-school shopping.  Pay attention to the ads around this time and you can find things for pennies (literally!).  Be sure to look for that magic word: "washable".
• Ask for craft materials as gifts.  When grandparents and friends ask what you children would like for holidays or birthdays, be sure to include some favorite craft materials.  These are inexpensive gifts, but are always enjoyed and often last a long time.
• Check out garage sales.  You can often find reusable items such as rubber stamps, easels, and more.  I've even found paintbrushes, stickers and storage baskets.  Also, keep an eye out for kids' craft books at garage sales and library book sales.  These are full of great ideas and inspiration.
• Teach your kids to take care of their materials.  Paint brushes are going to last a lot longer if they are cleaned right away.  Playdough will stay soft if it is stored quickly after use.  Talk to your children about how artists appreciate and care for their materials.  Note: It is important for kids to be able to get messy while creating!  But they can also learn to take good care of their materials so that they will get to enjoy them for as long as possible. 
• Model your own creativity.  Show your kids how to be flexible with what they have.  For example, if you run out of black construction paper, show your kids that they can paint another piece of paper black and use that for their project.  Make your own stickers on the computer or by drawing on blank labels.  Run out of orange paint?  Mix up some yellow with red and watch your child become fascinated!  Show them how to be creative with what they have and you will be amazed at the things they come up with!
  
  

Paper Bird Mobile

Print out this cute bird mobile to bring a bit of Spring inside! Brought to you by Tomlitoo.  Found through The Crafty Crow.

Knit Baby Vest

 

This sweet little baby vest looks cozy and fun to knit!  Found on The Thrifty Knitter via Soule Mama. 

Welcome to Make Do!

Make. Do. is a site devoted to crafters and artsy types who love to create, but are working with small budgets.  With the current economy, it is more important than ever to find ways to save money while still enjoying making new things.  Join us as we share free patterns, reuse materials, use up our scraps, and otherwise "make do" with what we have.  What better way to really stretch our creativity!