5 Fun DIY Crafts for teens

Feeling that creative itch, or looking for something fun to do with your friends and family? Teen Breathe has got you covered. Discover 5 fun and easy DIY crafts to try out with your friends!

Whether you’re decorating your room, updating your style, or want something short and sweet you can do in the sun, these 5 creative projects are perfect for teens (and family!) to enjoy together.

Seashell painting

What you’ll need

• Seashells*
  Teen Breathe’s TIP: You can buy them at your local dollar store or see if there are any at home you can use. The flatter the surface of the shell the better, such as a cockle shell. If you can’t find any shells, don’t worry! You can also do this with smooth, round stones.

*Try to avoid collecting seashells from the beach – they’re not just pretty decorations, they can be homes for hermit crabs and other little creatures, and may also be protected by local rules.

• A pencil
• Acrylic paint
• Paint brushes

Steps

1. Prepare everything you’ll need. You can set up shop anywhere, in your garden, at the beach, or in your room. Just remember to put a towel or tarp down!
2. Sketch out some cute designs on a piece of paper or on the surface of your shell with a pencil.
3. Choose a design you like best. It could be a rainbow, some flowers, a gradient, or your favourite quote!
4. Paint your designs on your shell and let it fully dry.

You can keep them at home as decoration, give them as gifts, or leave them in hidden spots around public trails for other people to find.

DIY STICKERS

What you’ll need

• Baking paper
• Blank A4 paper
• Scissors
• Clear packing tape
• A lead pencil and a rubber
• Colour marker pens, pencils or texters
• Black outline pen

Steps

1. On a blank piece of paper, sketch out a simple picture of your choice, like a butterfly or a smiley face.
2. Once you’re happy with your sketch, line it with a black pen, rub out the pencil, and colour it in as you wish.
3. Roughly cut out your drawing, leaving a large border.
4. Lay out your baking paper (taping it to a flat surface will make the next step much easier).
5. Place and flatten lines of tape onto the surface of your baking paper. Don’t leave gaps in between your lines of tape. Make sure it is smooth with no wrinkles, and that the area of the tape is larger than your drawing.
6. Now place your picture onto the taped area of the baking paper, and tape down again. Remember not to leave any gaps between the tape and keep it wrinkle-free.
7. You can now cut out your picture more precisely, leaving a thin border around the edges of your design.

Voila! You have your very own DIY sticker! You can stick it to your notebook or laptop case.

TOTE BAG PAINTING

What you’ll need

• Textile medium. You can find this at your local craft shop (optional*)

*You can do this without textile medium, but it may mean that your paint could potentially bleed or fade when washed and used over time

• Acrylic paints
• Paint brushes (smaller paint brushes are recommended for accuracy)
• A paint palette
• Plain cloth tote bag
• Lead pencil
• A scrap of cardboard

Steps

1. First, plan and sketch your design onto your tote bag with a lead pencil. It doesn’t have to be perfect; the pencil marks will come out in the wash.
2. Once you’re happy with your design, mix equal amounts textile medium with your choice of acrylic paint colours on a paint palette. If you’re not using textile medium, use your acrylic paints straight from the tube as you usually would.
3. To avoid your paint bleeding onto the other side of your bag, put a piece of cardboard (the same size as your bag) inside your tote.
4. Paint your design onto your tote and wait for it to dry! Keep your cardboard inside your tote until it’s fully dry.
5. Once your design has dried, ask an adult to help you put it in the wash on a cold setting, then let it dry.

You now have your very own one-of-a-kind tote! If you want to mix it up, you can also try this with T-shirts and jeans!

DRIFTWOOD HANGER

What you’ll need

• A driftwood stick, about 50cm in length and 6cm in width. It can be as funky looking or as simple as you want
• Nails* (about 8–10 nails recommended)
• A hammer*
• String
• Boiling water*

*Ask a parent, guardian, or trusted adult to help with these steps. Always be careful when handling tools and hot water.

Steps

1. You can find a stick of driftwood at the beach (some areas are known to have lots!).. Remember to check local guidelines before collecting, as some areas don’t allow you to take natural materials. If you don’t live near the beach – or you’re unsure about the rules – you can use a piece of craft wood from a store, or even reuse old timber offcuts from home.
2. Once you have found your perfect stick, you will need to clean and sterilise it. To clean driftwood, first scrub off any loose dirt with a stiff brush or old sponge, then boil the driftwood in water for about 20 minutes (get an adult to help you with this part). Allow it to dry completely before use.
3. Once your wood is clean and dry, get an adult to help you hammer some nails pointing slightly upwards along the length of one side of the wood, about 2cm apart. Make sure you don’t hammer the nails all the way in – leave about half the length of the nail sticking out so that it can hold your things.
4. Grab some string and measure it to your desired length (think about how low you want the wood to hang and consider the length of the stick). You need to leave extra string on both sides for the next step.
5. Wrap the ends of your string 2 or 3 times around both ends of your stick and double knot them.

All that’s left to do is hang up your driftwood piece on a hook either on the back of your door, on a bookshelf, or on the wall. You can use it to hang whatever you’d like, like swimmers or jewellery!

HANGING WIND SPIRAL

What you’ll need

• An empty plastic bottle
• Coloured permanent markers
• Scissors
• String or curling ribbon

Steps

1. Remove the caps from the water bottle. To take off the label, soak the bottle in warm water to help loosen the paper and glue.
2. Colour in the outside of the bottle with any colour and pattern of permanent marker you’d like!
3. Cut the bottom of the bottle off (remember to recycle it!).
4. From the bottom, cut the bottle in a spiral until you reach the lid.
5. Tie a string around the lid of the bottle. You can draw a design on the cap and twist it back on or recycle it!
6. Optional: tie some strips of shiny curling ribbon on the ends of your spiral for some extra flair!

Hang it up outside in the garden, on a balcony or by a window!

WORDS: Hannah Hutchinson