DIY CRAFTS FOR ADULTS | HAPPY CRAFTS

 

Cozy nights in make for the best time to create DIY crafts at home. Our Happy Crafts are perfect for adults looking to unwind and relax while crafting. These craft kits make it easy to create pieces of art. Each kit is designed with everything you need— making it the easiest activity to relieve stress while being creative! Today, we’ll be giving in-depth tutorials on how to create each craft so you can find your faves.

TIE DYE KIT

Step into the tie-dye trend with these tie-dye kits that include 12 dye colors in hues for every style. From neutrals to brights and something in between, this kit is perfect for all ages!

STEP 1: PREP YOUR SHIRT OR ITEM OF CHOICE

• Select the item of your choice; whether it’s something new or an old tee you want to upcycle!

Happy Hint: Tie-dye works best on natural cotton fabrics!

• Next, dampen the item with water to help the dye soak into the fabric. You don’t want it soaking wet because then the dye will spread too much and bleed where you don’t want it. Adding too much water will water down the colors.
• Pinch the item where you’d like to center your designs and twist the fabric clockwise or counterclockwise. Keep twisting until you get a compact disc shape!
• Use rubber bands or string to hold the item in place. Wrap the rubber bands around the items in a fun pattern.

STEP 2: TIE & DYE

• Now, for the messy part! Be sure to wear old clothes or an apron.
• Cover a work surface with a plastic cover or use a container to catch any excess dye. If possible, use a wire rack to elevate the garment off the work surface.
• Put on plastic gloves to protect your hands and prep the dyes by filling each squeeze bottle with lukewarm water (for the colors you’ll be using). Then, shake it up!

Happy Hint: Prior to switching dye colors, rinse your plastic gloves while wearing them to prevent cross color contamination. Have an extra pair ready as backup because the dye will stain your skin.

• Hold or suspend the item over your work surface and squeeze the dyes onto the different sections/wedges of the item (this should create a classic tie-dye spiral).

Happy Hint: Open the folds of the item occasionally to make sure the dye is soaking through. If you want more intense colors, add more dye.

STEP 3: THE WAITING GAME

• Once you’re satisfied, place the dyed item(s) into a resealable plastic bag. The items will remain damp while the dye works its magic! Leave the item inside the plastic bag for 6-8 hours or even overnight.

Happy Hint: The longer you wait, the darker the color payoff will be!

STEP 4: RINSE, WASH, AND WEAR

• Put on a pair of plastic gloves and take your project to the sink after it has set for at least 6-8 hours. Before removing the rubber bands, rinse with lukewarm or cool water – not hot.
• Then remove the rubber bands, open your garment and rinse until the water runs clear.
• Run through the washing machine on cold water and hang to dry.

Happy Hint: Wash separately from other clothing items the first couple of washes, just to make sure the dye doesn’t bleed.

• Then, it’s ready to wear!

 

BRACELET KIT

The bracelet kit is a craft classic. These kits are great for craft days, sleepovers, or gifting to friends. This set is perfect for groups!

STEP 1: PREP YOUR SPACE

• Allow ample space to work in case beads start to fall out of the box as they can easily bounce away.
• Cut 12”-15” of stretch cord off from the bundle. This should give you enough strand to work with and for creating a knot at the end.

Happy Hint: Before you start adding beads, give your stretch cord a preliminary stretch, but not too much. In the long run, this will help the string to not stretch out too much over time.

STEP 1: CREATE YOUR OWN DESIGNS

Happy Hint: Use a strong binder clip for one end of the stretch cord so the beads have a stopping point without sliding off.

• Grab your stretch cord and bead away!
• Prior to making a knot, you will want to see how it fits. Take the clip off and bring the two ends together by holding them with your thumb and forefinger. Then slip it over your wrist to see if you need to take any beads off or to add additional beads on.

STEP 2: FINISH YOUR BRACELET WITH A KNOT

• When you are happy with the length, move your beads to the center of the stretch cord so you have an even amount of strand on both ends to work with.
• Create an overhand knot by bringing the left end of the stretch cord over the right two times. Holding your knot in place as best as you can, we’re going to make another knot by bringing the right end over the left end two times.
• Pull the knots down to the beads and tighten within reason. If you pull too hard, it will start to bunch your beads together into the knot.
• To make the knot secure, add a dab of glue. Let the glue dry and trim ends.

 

PAINT BY NUMBER KIT

Unwind and relax with a paint by number kit. It includes a large canvas with guidelines, all the colors you need, and paint brushes to help you make your piece of art.

STEP 1: PREPARE YOUR AREA

• Clear a flat area and make sure it’s comfortable, clean, and well-lit! Use old newspaper to cover up the floor and nearby areas.  Keep a cup of water and paper towels handy to clean brushes.

Happy Hint: Apply masking tape to the canvas and a piece of foam board or cardboard to create a sturdier surface to paint. Otherwise, you can get a wooden frame to stretch and staple your canvas to it.

Happy Hint: To flatten your canvas, lay your canvas upside down so the backside appears and place some books on top.

STEP 2: TIME TO PAINT

Happy Hint: Try to keep to one color (number) at a time to keep your brush, paints and masterpiece as clean as possible! If you’re right-handed, it’s better to start at the top left, but if you’re left-handed, it’s best to start on the right. This way, you can avoid any smudges with your hand as you paint.

• Once you’re ready to start painting, make sure to take a look at the locations of both your numbers and your colors. Identify the number on the canvas and match the number to its corresponding color.
• Use the thin paint brush when painting between narrow lines and the thicker paint brushes to cover larger spaces. To clean a brush, simply put it in a glass of water and stir to wash your brush thoroughly. Then wipe it up a bit with a towel.

Happy Hint: Stir your paint color before using it and be sure to use enough paint to cover the numbers and lines.  Close the paint cup lid when not in use to prevent paint from drying.

STEP 3: LET IT DRY AND ENJOY

• Once you’ve filled out all the sections, let your masterpiece dry and hang it up to enjoy!

Happy Hint: If you notice any numbers or lines showing through once the paint fully dries, revisit those spots by adding another coat of paint.

 

PUNCH NEEDLE KIT

 

Punch needle is a form of embroidery. The kit includes the printed canvas—framed and non-framed, yarn, and the punch needle tool to make the design.

STEP 1: THREADING THE PUNCH NEEDLE

• When taking the punch needle tool out of the package, you will notice that it is locked into place. To change the length of the punch needle you will need to rotate the tool and place it into the appropriate notch (labeled A, B, C  or D). A will create the longest loop, while D will create the shortest loop.
• Insert the loop end of the wire thread through the hollow part of the tool, sliding it down from the pointed tip down to the handle until you see the looped end of the wire thread sticking out. The split ends of the wire thread should still be sticking out from the top.
• Insert about 2 inches of yarn through the loop end of the wire thread at the bottom and pull the split ends portion of the wire thread back through so it carries the yarn up to the pointed tip.
• Catch the end of the yarn and stick it through the loop end of the wire thread. Grab the split ends of the wire thread and enter it through the eye of the punch needle (from front to back) so the loop end drags the yarn through the hole. Now the hard part is over!

STEP 2: START PUNCHING

• Hold the punch needle like you would a pen, with the open part of the punch needle facing in the direction you are going. Make sure that you are punching the yarn through the side with the template. Push the sharp tip of the punch needle tool straight down through the cloth fabric, until it stops. 
• Turn the canvas over and pull the yarn a couple inches to the back side. Rotate your canvas back up and bring the tool back up slowly, stopping as soon as the tip clears the top of the canvas surface. 

Happy Hint: Make sure you have lots of slack to your yarn bundle while stitching. 

• To make the next stitch, move the tool over (skipping two to three holes) and continue to punch, filling in your design and following the pattern. As you go, you’ll see a line of flat stitches on the back side of the work and a row of yarn loops on the front.

Happy Hint: Save the larger sections for last. Conquer the smaller color blocks by stitching along the outline first. Then, fill in the negative space by stitching the holes right next to what was previously done so the stitches are aligned and you do not see any canvas in between.

• When you have completed a specific section, poke your needle through, turn your work over to pull a nice tail of yarn to clip and to pull the punch needle tool out. Cut off any long threads to the height of your loops.

STEP 3: CHANGING YARN COLORS

• To switch to another color, rethread your needle with a different color of yarn. Then, repeat step two. You don’t need to tie any knots as the tension from the punch will keep your stitches in place.

Happy Hint: If you make a mistake, undo your work by gently pulling on the yarn. Gently rub the area of the fabric where you made a mistake until the holes are reset.

STEP 4: CLEAN UP YOUR WORK & ENJOY

• The guidelines from the template should be covered completely by the yarn once you are finished.

Happy Hint: For extra finishing, you can apply glue to the backside of the embroidery.

• Make sure to hang up your new masterpiece to enjoy!

 

SCRATCH BOARD KIT

Scratch boards are perfect for crafters of any level of experience. Simply trace the design (we’ve included tools for you) and watch as the image comes to life with metallic foil and rainbow designs.

STEP 1: PREP YOUR TOOLS

• Clear a smooth, hard surface to work on your piece of art. Remove all your tools. Get comfortable and situated in a well-lit area!

Happy Hint: If you are working on a dark surface, place a light-colored piece of paper underneath the scratch paper so you can see all the black shavings that get scratched off

STEP 2: START SCRATCHING

• Using your tool of choice, start scratching away at the black surface to reveal the colorful image underneath (magical, right?!). Each line will expose colorful designs to create a full picture.
• The pointed tip on the wooden stick is used to scratch the black surface. Whereas the flatter beveled tip on the opposite end can be used to scratch off bigger areas.
• The black scratch art pen has two pointed tips. The gold tip is for outline drawing. The tiny tip on the opposite side is for detailing the illustration.

Happy Hint: You’ll want to be careful not to scratch too hard and scratch through the paper. Try your hand at different strokes, see how you best like to bring out the details of your masterpiece – you’ll see how fun it is once you see the texture that you’re bringing out in your work.

STEP 3: CLEAN UP YOUR WORK & ENJOY

• Before you know it – voila! You’ve scratched yourself a colorful, unique work of art!
• Clean all the excess residue and check the board for any missing areas that need to be scratched off. You can even include your own designs in the empty spaces to make it unique to you.

 

Ready to get started? Check out all these Happy Crafts kits and choose your faves to work on while relaxing at home. Be sure to show off your masterpiece and share your art with us on social @the_happy_planner!

 

Happy Crafting!