[Ever see something you want but don’t have the money to buy? Ever get sick of studying/watching TV and have the urge to get crafty and make things on your own? We know! Us too! We just don’t know where to start, which is why we got some of CollegeCandy’s craftiest writers to share their favorite DIY projects with everyone. So get to your nearest craft store for the essentials and let’s make some fun sh*t.]

I don’t know how it happened really, but over the years I’ve accumulated quite a large jewelery collection. I think a lot of it came from my Bat Mitzvah, when I got more bracelets than I knew what to do with (oh what I would give to trade all that in for cold, hard cash). Still, today I’m lucky to have a very impressive jewelery collection.

It’s so “impressive” that I often get overwhelmed by the sheer amount of stuff. It’s everywhere – in bowls, in bags, in my mini-fridge (though I can blame Keystone Light and a power hour for that one). It’s a mess.  My necklaces get tangled, rings get broken and earrings are separated from their mates. I got so overwhelmed that I had to find a solution and – yay for me – I came up with the perfect answer to my jewelry problems. Bonus: it also happens to be a great and unique way to spruce up a boring wall:

The Corkboard Jewelry Holder Read More »

[Ever see something you want but don't have the money to buy? Ever get sick of studying/watching TV and have the urge to get crafty and make things on your own? We know! Us too! We just don't know where to start, which is why we got some of CollegeCandy's craftiest writers to share their favorite DIY projects with everyone. So get to your nearest craft store for the essentials and let's make some fun sh*t.]

Every college girl has moments of extreme stress/anxiety/feeling a little crazy. Rather than take it out on a poor, defenseless friend (or door), I have the perfect project to ease your mind:The Dammit Doll.

These little dolls make great targets for taking out your frustration when you’re stressed about school, when you have guy troubles, and just in general when you need something to throw, jab, squeeze, or stomp on (not that I promote violence).

They also make great gifts for your angst-filled friends as well, and are much cuter than your average bland stress ball, not to mention cheaper than anger management classes.

Materials:

- Felt

- Stuffing (cotton balls, beans, pine straw, rice, etc.)

- Needle & thread or sewing machine

- Decorations (cut-out felt pieces for clothing, sequins for eyes, pins for jewelry, etc.) Read More »

A while back, a friend called me and broke some news to me that has changed my life completely.

Cassie: Girrrrrrrrrlllllll, don’t hate me, but I gotta tell you about a website.

Me: Why would I hate you for telling me about a website? Is it porn?

Cassie: It’s craft porn.

Me: Craft porn?! What’s the url?

Cassie: www.etsy.com You’ll never get off of it. You’re gonna be hooked. But you’re gonna love it.

Two months later, I still can’t get off of etsy.com. It’s kind of like ebay, but there’s way cooler sh*t and no lame bidding. Artists and craft-sters from around the world put their hand-crafted items on etsy with a price. If you like something, you buy it.

Yes, it sounds like the same-old shopping website, but it is so much cooler. The stuff on there is home-made and all kinds of awesome.

From tote bags made from seat belts to mushroom shaped salt and pepper shakers, etsy is seriously everything a craft-lover could ever dream of. It’s like going to Arts & Craft fairs from around the world without getting off your lazy ass.

It is the perfect one-stop-online-shop for all of your gifting needs: everything is unique, lots of the stuff is super cheap (those mushroom shaped salt and pepper shakers were on there for 5 bucks!), and you get to discover new talent from around the world.

If you love the idea of personal and crafty gifts, but you’re too lazy or talentless to make your own, definitely scope out etsy. You are going to love me it!

So the economy blows. Which is pretty perfect timing considering that one time of the year we’re expected to come to our loved ones bearing gifts is approaching. Great. So now we’re all expected to somehow make less money and still spend the same amount of money on Xmas gifts that we spent last year. How the eff do we make this work?

DIY crafts, kids.

If you need some inspiration, I highly suggest scoping out Etsy.com, but, regardless of Etsy, there are nifty gifts you can make yourself for friends and family. You can do it cheaply. You can do it easily. And lets face it, a handmade gift is always more appreciated than that bottle of body spray everyone knows you just got for free because you spent more than $50 at Bath & Body.

Heat it into a bracelet.

From vinyl records to spoons, heating every day objects to a point of flexibility for the purposes of making a bracelet is easy and always makes for a nice gift.

Heat your oven to 200 degrees for the vinyl record bracelet. Set the whole record on a cookie sheet and keep it in the oven until the record begins to bubble. Remove it from the oven and cut the record into strips while still hot. Place the strips back into the oven for a few minutes and then remove. When you remove the strips, wrap them around something that symbolizes your wrist, but is not your wrist. Think jars, paper towel tubes, anything other than your own flesh. Read More »

[I used to think I knew everything...until I found myself stranded in the middle of adulthood with no map and no one to guide me when I got lost. I have learned a lot since then - from how to balance a checkbook to how to sew on a button - and will share my wisdom with you. Every Monday I will be back to teach you how to do something useful, even if it also happens to be completely random. Because, hey, you never know when you just might need to know how to change a tire...or mix a perfect martini.]

I think we can all agree that Hallmark cards are lame. If the card doesn’t contain something that you would actually say out loud on it (“For You, Mother, on Your 50th Birthday,” anyone?), it’s not worth spending your hard-earned cash on. Especially considering they cost like $5!

So what’s a gal to do when the holidays and special occasions roll around?

Duh! Make your OWN cards.

If you normally run screaming at the thought of anything crafty, take a deep breath and hang with me for a second. I also hate crafts, but I love to make greeting cards. They’re so much fun, and you can personalize them any way you want. AND they can be as simple or as involved as you like—no need to spend an hour laboring over intricate cutouts and frilly decorations if you don’t want to.

Here’s the other good news—they’re easy. All you need to make a basic card is some paper that you can fold and some markers (or crayons, pens, colored pencils, paints, or even chalk). Try making a painting on the outside of your card and writing a message on the inside. If that doesn’t strike your fancy, do a stencil or make a collage. A mosaic is another fun idea.

And don’t limit yourself. Remember, you can use anything to spice up the design—ribbon, googly eyes, fabric, shells or leaves, beads, scrap paper… you get the idea. Here are a few materials you may want to gather: Read More »

Consider this… would you rather express your style with a pair of earrings that no one can see or a gorgeous umbrella that all the damp people around you admire?

Let’s be honest: anyone can pop on a necklace, carry around a $500 hobo bag, and call it a day. To be a true pioneer of style, you should learn to strut your stuff in truly unique ways that no one will copy.

Regarding bags, why not go for one that is actually supposed to carry stuff rather than just look good? True, you can stuff an awful lot of crap into a hobo bag, but laptop bags are a great way to rock some style while keeping your computer safe. And if you’re going to walk all over town or lug your textbooks to class, you can customize a backpack for a really cool and personal look. Read More »

I love pretty little things.

I really love pretty little things with a purpose. So imagine my glee when I happened upon the adorably named Moo.com, a website dedicated to “printing things from your stuff”.

Although the crafty folks at Moo will make lots of cute stuff from your uploaded pictures, my favorite product of theirs are the MiniCards.

For $20 you get 100 colorful mini cards (about half the size of a normal calling card) packed in a reusable plastic box. They can make the cards look nice for you, or you can pretty them up yourself with up to 100 different images. With six lines of available text on the back, these adorable little information holders are my new must haves. Read More »