Does your tween or teen love to make things? Hands-on projects are a great way to help your kids stay creative, use problem-solving skills, and practice small motor skills. Read more to discover 30+ DIY Crafts Tweens Will Love!

30 crafts teens would love pinterest image

30+ DIY Crafts Tweens Will Love

DIY crafts for tweens are a great way to allow them to make something while keeping them away from those never-ending screens. Teens and tweens can make creative items as gifts for their family and friends or just a fun item to keep for themselves. These crafts will boost their self-esteem and sense of accomplishment as they create things that didn’t exist before. Check out these awesome ideas for more than 30 DIY Crafts Tweens Will Love.

These colorful DIY paracord bracelets are a fun project for tweens of any gender to make.

 

Using a ceramic mug and simple colorful sharpies, they can create these fun personalized Monogram mugs.

 

Use nails, thread, and a board to make this Custom String Artwork for their own bedroom decor or elsewhere.

 

Upgrade a pair of flip flops by using fabric to make these Scrappy Flip Flops in any color!

 

Do your kids like secret codes and messages? Have them make these Morse Code Bracelets for a friend.

 

Quick and easy, these Washi Tape Hair Pins can be made to match any outfit for any occassion.

 

Your tween will love holding their money and library card in this colorful Patterned Duct Tape Wallet.

 

Your tween can take a boring old vase and turn it into a beautiful DIY Glittered Vase.

 

Have your tween or teen practice their origami skills with these Folded Paper Bracelets.

 

Get them hemp twine and beads and let them create Beaded Wish Bracelets in any color or for all their friends.

 

They can create these adorable personalized Yarn Wrapped Cardboard Letters for them to display in their bedroom.

 

Practice their art skills by making these Beautiful Floral Ceramic Mugs using permanent markers.

 

Does your tween love to read? Have him or her make these DIY Tassel Bookmarks for a fun way to mark their progress in the book.

 

If your tween loves a boho style, show them how to create these easy-to-make Silk Wrap Bracelets.

 

They can keep track of all their fun summer outings by making this colorful DIY Summer Memory Journal.

 

 

Have your tween make a Personalized Dot Flower Pot for their favorite plant.

 

If you have seashells lying around, these colorful Puffy Paint Seashells would make great art for any tween or teen bedroom!

 

Find some vintage doilies and lace so they can create these Vintage Bohemian Doily Dreamcatchers.

 

A fun upgrade from elementary art, use multiple colors of paint and shading techniques to make some DIY Leaf Print Art. 

 

Have some white tennis shoes that just need a little color and sparkle? They can make these fun Decorated Tennis Shoes!

 

Fun to make AND throw, these Folded Paper Stars are a great project for a rainy day.

 

Use markers and an old t-shirt to create this fun DIY Science Tye Dye Shirt.

 

They may need a little assistance, but this DIY Kids Scooter would be something your tween would absolutely love!

 

 

Rock painting never gets old, especially when they can show their moods by creating fun Emoji Rock Paintings.

 

A little homemade room decor is always fun, have your tween create this DIY Yarn Pom Pom Garland.

 

If you have a bunch of crayon pieces laying around, have your tween make some Shaped Melted Crayons for a new fun coloring adventure.

 

Tweens may still like dolls, especially if they create a Make Your Own Monster Doll. 

 

Have your tween make these Glass Bead Magnets with their favorite characters or images to show off their personality.

 

 

If your tween is into animals, they might just love this DIY Log Bird Feeder and watching all the birds that will come to feast.

 

So many colors and options, have them customize their own DIY Tie Dye Shoes!

 

For back to school or just everyday fun, it’s easy for them to upgrade from boring pens and notebooks to Sparkly Office Supplies. 

 

They may need some assistance to make this, but they will certainly love this DIY Headphone Stand. 

 

Teach them a few woodworking skills (assist please!) to make this unique Retro Phone Speaker for their room.

 

I hope your tween or teen really loved these ideas and found inspiration on how they can create something awesome! Comment and let me know what you (or they) think! Which is your favorite?

Hi, I’m Sheri from Hazel + Gold Designs. Here are a few fun stats about me: I like love chocolate and peanut butter (together of course.) If you like stats, I have been crocheting for about 16 years, crafting for 20, and woodworking for about 4 years. I found a passion in making and being creative and began documenting my projects online at Hazel + Gold Designs.

When not working on projects, I enjoy spending time with my husband, four children, perfect dog, and ornery cat. You can find me on Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram and Twitter.

Read all of Sheri’s tutorials.

~Find more of Sheri’s projects here ~

It’s important to have house numbers displayed on your home, especially if emergency crews need to locate your house. Today I’ll show you how to build your own DIY house number planter box.

diy house number planter box pin image

DIY House Number Planter Box

When we moved into our home in the Fall of 2018, I had no idea there were no house numbers on the exterior of it. I was clueless to the fact until a few months ago. A friend came to visit us from out of town and called from our driveway because she was uncertain if she was at the right house. All because we had no numbers on our home!

Ever since this issue was brought to my attention, I’ve been trying to come up with a creative way to add the numbers to our house, but make them stand out a bit. We have wood siding and brick around our front door, so I was also a little cautious about wanting to drill into either. I figured out a solution to all of those things with this DIY house number planter. It’s functional, creative, and I didn’t have to drill any holes into the side of our house.

Finished view of house number planter box, filled with Spring florals
Let me show you how you can build your own house number planter. Don’t be intimidated by the number of materials needed for this project, it’s actually simple to build.

Materials:

(I’ve included affiliate links for your convenience. I earn a small percentage from a purchase using these links. There is no additional cost to you. You can read more about affiliate links here.)

Instructions:

Step 1

Measure and cut a piece of wood to 24” long for the back of the house number planter.

Step 1 measure and cut the wood pieces
If you have more than 3-4 numbers for your street address, you may need to cut the back piece longer.

Cut the wood with a miter saw or circular saw
Cut three pieces of wood to 6 ¾” for the sides and bottom of the planter box, and one piece to 7″ for the front.

Step 2

Using wood glue and a nail gun, attach one 6 ¾” piece to the bottom of the 24” board. This will be the bottom of the house number planter. Place a thin layer of wood glue between the two boards before securing with brad nails.

step 2 attach the planter box pieces together with a nail gun and wood glue
Repeat the step above to attach the other two 6 ¾” pieces to each side of the box, and finally add the 7” piece to the front of the box.

attach sides and front pieces of wood to complete the planter box

Step 3

Fill in the holes left by the nail gun or any imperfections with wood filler using a putty knife. Let it dry completely before moving on to the next step.

Fill in nail holes and imperfections with wood filler

Step 4

Using a palm sander with 150 grit sandpaper, give the entire piece a good sanding (especially where wood filler was used). Follow with 220 grit and 320 grit if needed to achieve a smooth finish. Use a tack cloth to remove any sawdust left behind.

Prepped house number planter and ready for paint

Step 5

If your wood has any knots, prime them first with a strong primer like BIN primer. Otherwise, the knots will start to appear after a year or so. Now give the house number planter 2-3 coats of white (or color of your choice) outdoor paint using either a foam roller or a foam brush. Let the paint dry in between coats. Lightly sand using 320 grit sandpaper when finished for a smooth surface.

Step 6

Attach the house numbers using the hardware provided. It may be necessary to pre-drill holes to avoid splitting the wood.

Drill small pilot holes for the house number screws to avoid splitting the wood

Step 7

If the planter will be hanging on brick, using a brick clip can be a cost-effective way to hang without drilling into the brick or mortar.

Brick hanger placed and ready to use
Attach a large sawtooth hanger to the back of the house number planter. Place the brick clip onto the desired location and simply hang the planter onto the clip. No drilling required! You can also hang the planter on a wood surface by using wood screws. I’d recommend drilling directly through the planter into the wood surface behind using 1 ½” screws. Add a bit of paint to the screw head if necessary to hide them.

Finished exterior view of house number planter

Step 8

Add some flowers or greenery to the planter. I would recommend placing a few already potted plants inside the box, rather than planting directly into it.

close up of fake Spring florals
Now you can have a beautiful planter box that is also functional. You should feel mighty proud you built it yourself! Depending on the season you may like to add different decor to the planter box.

Finished diy house number planter box

It’s still Winter in the Midwest, so fake flowers will have to do for now, but I plan to add some potted succulents to our house number planter for the Summer months. In the Winter you can use some evergreen trimmings, or even fill the box with colored ball ornaments. For Fall wouldn’t it be beautiful with some small mums tucked in there?

I’m Amanda, and I am the creator and voice behind the food and DIY blog, Domestically Creative. What started as a place to share updates with friends and family after we moved from Illinois to Tennessee and then to Texas, turned into a passion for finding creative and frugal ways to feed us and decorate our homes.

I have always had the “make it myself” attitude and I’m not afraid to bust out the power tools or get creative when it comes to decorating our home on a budget. You can usually find me scouring the local thrift stores, garage sales and estate sales looking for my next makeover (like this litter box cabinet), or dreaming up ways to make our new house feel more like home. My most recent project was giving my home office a much needed facelift. Some of the plans included creating a fun inspirational accent wall and adding pegboard to store my craft hoards.

I currently call Missouri home, where I live with my husband, dog, and 2 cats in a pretty dull, late 90’s split level. My husband and I both love to travel the U.S and recently purchased a small travel trailer to tag along in our journeys. In our free time together we can usually be found working together on a home project, exploring a new place, or just lounging with our pup, Delilah.

I’d love for you to connect with me on social media via Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest and Twitter!

See all of Amanda’s tutorials HERE.

Can you think of anything more spring-like than a nest full of blue eggs? Today I want to show you how to make Faux Blue Speckled Bird Eggs and a Nest!

Faux Blue Bird Eggs and Nest

Spring has arrived in North Carolina and I want to dance and sing and tiptoe through the tulips. Now that Valentine’s Day has come and gone, it is the perfect time to start decorating for Easter! A nest of Blue Speckled Bird Eggs makes a beautiful centerpiece! Mother Robin sure does create beautiful blue eggs, but we’d never think of disturbing those precious eggs.

Instead, I’ll show you how to turn regular chicken eggs…

…into a beautiful nest of blue speckled eggs to decorate for Easter or Spring.

Materials:

(I’ve included affiliate links for your convenience. I earn a small percentage from a purchase using these links. There is no additional cost to you. You can read more about affiliate links here.)

Instructions:

It’s time to get messy. Put down a drop cloth or tarp to cover your work area (and beyond.) First, I’ll show you a magic trick! Learn how to remove the white and yolk out of eggs without breaking the shell. Rest an egg inside the empty carton. Gently tap a nail into the top of your egg.

Turn the egg upside down and put another hole into the other side. Typically you’ll need one hole slightly larger.

Faux Robin's Egg Spring Nest | Pretty Handy Girl

Pucker up and blow through the smaller hole until the egg white and yolk drain out the larger bottom hole. (Of course, you’ll probably want to save the eggs for omelets or scrambled eggs.)

Once you have emptied your eggs, clean them off. Then close your egg carton and flip it upside down to create a raised support for your eggs.

Faux Robin's Egg Spring Nest | Pretty Handy Girl

Gather your blue, black, and white acrylic paints. Paint the egg a robin’s egg blue color and allow them to dry.

Put on rubber gloves. Pour a small amount of black acrylic paint onto a paper plate. Add a little water to create a runny consistency. Dip the toothbrush into the paint mixture. Aim the toothbrush at the eggs and stroke your finger along the bristles to spatter black dots all over the eggs.

Allow the black speckles to dry and repeat the process using the white paint.

While the eggs are drying, pull out your pasta maker. (Am I the only one who never uses my pasta maker for making pasta?) Cut the paper bag into sections wide enough to fit into the pasta maker.

Feed the paper bag through the pasta maker to shred it. (You can shred the bag with a paper shredder or scissors if you don’t have a pasta maker.) Arrange the shreds into a nest form in a bowl, urn, or basket.

Set your faux blue bird eggs into the nest and admire your beautiful Spring décor!

This centerpiece can be left out until you are tired of looking at it. Then store the eggs in the carton and bring them out again next year.

 

Have a great week! I hope the weather is warming up where you are!

 

Pin for later!

This DIY nest of Blue Bird Eggs makes a beautiful centerpiece for your Easter decor! | DIY Easter table centerpiece | Pretty Handy Girl #prettyhandygirl #easterdecor #tablecenterpiece

Monogram Keychain with burned on design and wooden beads

These fun wood burned personalized keychains are completely customizable and they involve burning things. Who wouldn’t want to do that? Personalized keychains make a great house warming gift, Christmas or birthday gift, and can even double as a fun way to dress up some gift wrap. Read on to learn how to make your own.

Personalized wood burned keychains pin

Wood Burned Personalized Keychains

Hey Pretty Handy Girl readers! It’s Amanda from Domestically Creative and I’m back with another fun and simple craft project that is a perfect holiday gift idea! Personalized items are the best gifts to give (and receive) but it’s even better when you can make those gifts yourself. Let’s heat up this joint and make these wood burned personalized keychains just in time for the holidays!

Materials:

(I’ve included affiliate links for your convenience. I earn a small percentage from a purchase using these links. There is no additional cost to you. You can read more about affiliate links here.)

Instructions

1. Create Wood Burned Design

Start by choosing a pen-like tip for your wood burner, screw it on and tighten the set screw into place. Plug in the wood burner and let it warm up.

While it’s warming up, use a pencil to sketch the design onto one of the wooden craft circles. You can also use the same method used in these His and Hers Towel Hooks, or this Reversible Wooden Pedestal Sign if you want something more polished.

Next, burn on the design you sketched. Please use caution when using this tool as it gets VERY hot. You may consider wearing a pair of gloves as even the handle can get hot.

Tips for Wood Wurning:

  • Start with an even surface. If the wood is not smooth, give it a light sanding first.
  • Make sure to keep the tip moving so it doesn’t sit in one spot for too long, otherwise you’ll get uneven scorch marks.
  • Use light pressure to get the burned look. Pressing down hard will create deep divots in the wood.
  • Don’t worry about it being perfect, these are handmade keychains!
  • If you like watching this sort of thing, here is a quick video showing the process

Personalized keychain assembly with a wood burned design

Once you’ve finished with the burned on design, let it cool down. Give both sides of the wood a coat of polycrylic sealer to ensure the longevity of the wood and design.

2. Assemble the wooden bead keychain

Cut a long length of beading line. String one wooden bead onto the line, then loop around and run the line through it a second time from the same direction. This will create a slip loop around the wooden bead giving the strand a stopping point. Tie a knot at the end to secure it in place.

Continuing stringing beads until you are satisfied with the pattern and design. Use the same method above to make a slip loop around the last wooden bead.

Attach the personalized wooden craft circle to the beaded set by looping the line through the small hole twice, going the same direction. Then tie a double knot to secure it in place. Be sure to pull the line taught! Snip off any excess line with a pair of scissors.

Watch this video to get a better understanding of this process:

3. Attach to Keychain Clasp.

Add a jump ring to the beaded set and clamp it closed with round nose pliers. Add another jump ring to that and attach it to a keychain clasp. If desired, add a decorative tassel to the keychain clasp as well.

Wood burned personalized keychains

And there you have it! You just made a beautiful and one of a kind wood burned personalized keychain that you can give as a gift for the holidays.

Monogram Keychain with burned on design and wooden beads

You’ll have plenty of supplies to make more than one personalized keychain, so get creative with it. Your recipient is bound to love it!

personalized wood burned keychain

I’m Amanda, and I am the creator and voice behind the food and DIY blog, Domestically Creative. What started as a place to share updates with friends and family after we moved from Illinois to Tennessee and then to Texas, turned into a passion for finding creative and frugal ways to feed us and decorate our homes.

I have always had the “make it myself” attitude and I’m not afraid to bust out the power tools or get creative when it comes to decorating our home on a budget. You can usually find me scouring the local thrift stores, garage sales and estate sales looking for my next makeover (like this litter box cabinet), or dreaming up ways to make our new house feel more like home. My most recent project was giving my home office a much needed facelift. Some of the plans included creating a fun inspirational accent wall and adding pegboard to store my craft hoards.

I currently call Missouri home, where I live with my husband, dog, and 2 cats in a pretty dull, late 90’s split level. My husband and I both love to travel the U.S and recently purchased a small travel trailer to tag along in our journeys. In our free time together we can usually be found working together on a home project, exploring a new place, or just lounging with our pup, Delilah.

I’d love for you to connect with me on social media via Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest and Twitter!

See all of Amanda’s tutorials HERE.


DIY Simple Fall Wreath for Less than $10

Hi everyone!  Happy Fall!

Today I’m back with this super simple wreath idea that will cost you less than $10 all in! It includes using an inexpensive starburst twig wreath from Amazon and some cattail bunches that I picked up at Dollar Tree for a buck each.

I happened to see this twig wreath from Amazon and it was only $7. I knew I wanted to make a Fall wreath with it. That’s what started this whole project! The nice thing about using twig wreaths is that they help to “fill out” your wreath. You don’t need as many floral/greenery accessories because the twigs add bulk.

I love making wreaths. It’s one of my favorite crafts. Lately, I’ve gravitated toward very simplistic, almost minimalistic looking, wreaths. And that’s how I wanted to design this one.

The cattails add a nice pop of color.

Let’s get started!

Materials:

(I’ve included affiliate links for your convenience. I earn a small percentage from a purchase using these links. There is no additional cost to you. You can read more about affiliate links here.)

Instructions:

Follow these three simple steps to creating your Fall wreath.

Step 1: Cut off Individual Cattails.

Since my cattails came in bunches, I started off by snipping each individual cattail from the stems. I left a bit of a stem on each one.

Step 2: Use floral wire to attach Cattails to your Wreath Form.

Using small pieces of floral wire, attach your cattails to your wreath form. You can twist the wire in the back to secure each cattail. I wanted my cattails to follow the twisted pattern of the wreath.

You can also try inserting the cattails through the twig wreath wire. Just be careful not to loosen or break the twigs from the wreath.

Step 3: Hang up and enjoy it!

After all your cattails are attached, you just need to hang up and enjoy it!

I like to use a 3m wreath hanger to hang them on my front door. If you have a glass door, you can buy a suction door wreath hanger that comes with a little hook.

These wreath hangers allow me to hang it anywhere on the front door and not block the windows. I like to hang my wreaths directly under our new lion doorknocker.

But you can also hang your wreath indoors. I especially love using wreaths for jazzing up an interior door or wall and I love hanging one from our kitchen vent hood around the holidays.

You don’t have to spend a lot to add some Fall Decor to your home. Dollar Stores are a great place to pick up a few florals and keep the cost low. You can always reuse the twig wreaths too!

For more wreath ideas, check out this modern hoop wreath tutorial here.

Until next time!

karen signature

~ See More of Karen’s Tutorials ~


karen from decor hintHello!  I’m Karen, the creator of the Home Decor and DIY Blog: Decor Hint. I’m a Native of the East Coast, but I currently live in beautiful Seattle with my hubby, our two wonderful children, and our spunky wheaten terrier.

You can usually find me with some sort of craft in one hand and a coffee in the other. And I’m always rearranging furniture or moving lamps from room to room. I have a passion (read: obsession) for decorating, DIY, and gardening. In short, I love making my house into a home.

Like many, I’m inspired by what I see in home decor magazines, but I’m not so inspired by the price tags.  Consequently, I love finding and creating beautiful budget-friendly home decor items. In a head to head competition, I bet you’d never know the difference between the designer items and my DIY creations!  Many of my DIY projects focus on sewing, crafting, upcycling and organizing. Some of my favorite projects have been making pretty wreaths, sewing my own tassel hand towels, and crafting these trendy wood bead garlands. I can’t wait to inspire you and spark your creativity through my DIY projects.

You can always connect with me on Pinterest, Twitter or Instagram.