At first glance, yes, craft stores appear to be aisle after aisle of itsy scrapbooking stickers and yarn, specialty scissors and fabric. If you don’t have a yen to do needlepoint, you might feel a little left out. Not for me, you say? Think again. Our five favorites from the craft store are less about craft and more about clever — as in little fix-ups that can freshen your house. Without knitting needles.
Moss
A package of craft store moss is a lot of bang for your buck. Look for the specialty mixes, with mosses in different shades of green and pieces of lichen thrown in. Tuck the mosses around any old houseplant you have on hand and upgrade that potted plant to a centerpiece-worthy garden. Or simple fill a cachepot with crumpled newspaper and top with the mosses, tucking them into the edges of the pot and making a mounded shape on top and get an instant moss-scape.
Cost: Moss variety pack $5.99, Michaels stores
Velcro
Try Velcro’s Decor version, which comes with one length of sew-on tape and a matching length of heavy-duty stick-on tape. Sew one piece to a piece of fabric, stick the other piece to the edge of a table, et voila, a skirted table. Or apply the same tactic to a curtain track (or even the ceiling) to hang a valance where you can’t put up a rod.
Cost: Velcro Decor, 6 feet, $10.49, kmart.com
Ribbon
Craft stores, both standard-issue such as Michaels and specialty shops such as Paper Source, are the mother lode of ribbon. With a few yards of grosgrain and a sturdy glue, you can line the front edges of shelves; add decorative borders to a toss cushion or the back of a dining or Parsons chair, or add detail to a picture mat to complement artwork or a photo. And if you have plenty of good ribbon lying around, wrapping gifts is a snap — any old paper (newsprint, for instance) can look like something special with a length of beautiful ribbon around it.
Cost: 1 1/2-inch double-faced satin ribbon, 10 yards, $7.95 and 1-inch brown grosgrain ribbon, 10 yards, $7.95, both at paper-source.com; Martha Stewart Crafts 7/8-inch silver ribbon, 5 yards, $3.49 at Michaels stores
Faux metallics
Rub ‘n’ Buff is a wax-based metallic finish that you can smear on most anything and then buff to a mellow shine. Use it on frames, or try the interior of a wooden bowl, to create contrast with the rustic exterior.
Cost: $2.87 per tube, allartsupplies.com
GLUE
There are specialty glues at the craft store for almost everything, but one of our favorites is E-6000, designed for upholstery trims. With your trusty tube in hand, you can add flair to a chair or curtain, no upholstery training needed. Just remember your kindergarten training: Keep it neat.
Cost: $5.79, createforless.com
