Learn the top ten crafting tips to make your hobby more enjoyable and less messy. Whether you or your kid is into crafting, this article is for you!
Who doesn’t love crafting? It’s an art form that is fun for all ages. It not only kills time when you’re bored but also improves your craftsmanship and teaches you patience and handiwork.
While crafting, you can easily create a mess. And this is one of the reasons many people tend to stay away from it. But why would you give up a therapeutic hobby just because of the mess!
That’s why we are sharing the top ten crafting tips to make it a more enjoyable and organized process for you. Read on to find out more!
1. Using Sandpaper to Sharpen Scissors
Materials needed:
- Scissors
- Medium grit sandpaper
Crafts such as origami usually require scissors. Although scissors are widely available, many of the ones lying around the house are either blunt or take a lot of effort to use.
In order to prevent this from happening, take a piece of sandpaper and cut through it several times until the scissors are sharpened.
By the way, if you’re looking for craft ideas besides origami, acrylgiessen.com craft ideas for adults can give you some pointers.
2. Lint Roller to Clean Glitter
Materials needed:
- Glitter
- Lint roller
If you want versatile crafting ideas, adding glitter is an amazing idea. Admit it: As mesmerizing as glitter looks on crafts, the millions of pieces of shimmery plastic takes hours, if not days, to get rid of properly once spilled.
However, life can be made easier with just a lint roller! Simply run the lint roller over any loose glitter on the floor or fabric and it should come right off.
3. Using an Ice Tray as Storage
Materials needed:
- Ice tray
- Small crafting materials (rhinestones, beads, clips, etc.)
4. Get Rid of Hot Glue Strands
Materials needed:
- Hairdryer
Once we’re done gluing pieces of our project together with a glue gun, we often notice rough edges or glue strands as a residue from the glue gun. This leaves an unprofessional or unfinished look.
To prevent this, use a hairdryer on a medium-hot setting and hold it four inches above the strands or edges for the best effect. Turn it off once the strands are melted or cannot be seen anymore.
5. Using a Magnet to Organize Pins and Needles
Materials needed:
- Magnet
- Metal pins/needles
Although sewing is very therapeutic and a beautiful craft, handling pins and needles is often unsafe and complicated, especially since they are small, smooth, and slippery.
To keep them all in one place, simply use a magnet and hold it over the loose pins and needles until they all attach themselves to the magnet. This crafting tip can help you prevent pins and needles from getting lost and preventing accidents.
6. Using a Paper Towel Holder as Ribbon Storage
Materials needed:
- Ribbons
- Paper towel holder
Ribbons in general are hard to store in a neat manner. No matter how many times we roll them up, they somehow manage to unroll themselves and get tangled.
An easy solution for storing ribbon can be stacking it on a paper towel holder. Along with organizing the ribbon, it can be used as a room decoration as ribbons are usually very colorful and have eye-catching patterns.
7. How to Re-Soften a Tape Roll
Materials needed:
- Old tape roll
- Microwave-safe bowl
- Microwave
Tape is one of the most common and useful items in the world of crafts. However, if stored for too long, the tape can harden up and be difficult to use.
A solution for this is putting the tape in a microwave-safe bowl and heating it up for 5-10 seconds, depending on how powerful the microwave is. The tape should soften up and be as good as new.
8. Using a Plastic Container Lid as Palette
Materials needed:
- Paint
- Plastic lid
Palettes are a must-have when we paint in order to properly mix or organize paint from tubes. However, we usually find ourselves without one just when we’re about to paint. Especially when we want to craft on lazy weekends without a pre-plan.
Using a plastic container lid serves the same purpose and once the painting is done, it can be cleaned to be used as a lid again.
9. Storing Paintbrushes in Used Potato Chip Containers
Materials needed:
- Cylindrical potato chip container
- Paintbrushes
If you run out of containers to store your paintbrushes, simply use a cylindrical potato chip container to store them as well as other supplies. This not only cuts down on waste but the container can also be decorated to match your craft room.
10. Use a Comb to Pin Nails
Materials needed:
- Comb
- Nail
- Hammer
Are you scared to hammer a nail thinking you might hurt yourself? A simple comb from your dressing table can solve this problem very easily.
All you have to do is place the nail in between two bristles of a comb in the place you want to pin the nail and then hammer it. By doing this, you’re keeping your fingers safely out of the way. As this process is absolutely safe, children can also do this without an adult's help. However, adult supervision is still recommended.
Final Thoughts
Crafting for kids and adults alike is thrilling and full of excitement. But there is always a chance to get messy. You can pour glitter all over, struggle to keep your tools organized, or even hurt yourself.If you are looking for a mess-free crafting session, follow our top crafting tips for making DIY projects at home without any hassle. Remember, to create something, there will be a mess here and there. But with our tips, you know how to keep it tidy!