Archive for March, 2010
Are you looking for kids’ crafts that are simple and fun for everyone? Perhaps a few suggestions will make your crafting time more enjoyable. Check out these hints:
* Let your children choose their crafting project.
* Make a list of all supplies you will need for this craft if you do not have them on hand.
* Needless to say, be sure to take the list with you when you shop.
* Prepare the area (table top, counter top or floor) where the kids will be crafting by covering with newspapers or plastic. (A plastic table cloth works fine.)
* Have all supplies laid out before starting, along with old rags or paper towels in case of spills. Wet wipes are handy to have nearby too.
* Be sure that all paints and other supplies are non-toxic.
* Old clothes are a must for kids who are crafting. (adults, too, sometimes!)
* Show the kids how to do the project. Then let them do it in their own way. (You may be surprised with how inventive they can be.)
* Last but not least - be sure to take pictures to add to your scrapbook.
A birdhouse or a nest box, as we all know, is an artificial house for birds to nest in. Many times they are built from wood. Other times they are made from various other materials. However, we are fully aware that these birdhouses are not just a place for birds. We use them to decorate and accentuate our walls, yards, gardens, and other parts of our homes. What great painting project it is to paint our own birdhouse.
So - if you want a great accent to your garden or other area, might I suggest a birdhouse? There are unfinished ones available at a very reasonable prices. They come in an assortment of styles and sizes and can be finished rather quickly and inexpensively.
So if you are a crafter who is interested in painting, make your next project a birdhouse.
If you’re interested in the world of candles, it can be a fun and interesting hobby to create your own. This is particularly true if you are picky about your candles. After all, shopping at the store can mean sifting through aisles upon aisles of candles looking for that perfect match. But if you are having trouble finding the candle made with the right color, scents, and material, just explore the option of making your own. Getting started is relatively easy, and there are even candle making kits that have all of the essential supplies.
Whether you’re interested in making soy candles or paraffin candles, it’s a great hobby to pick up. As you become more skilled at making these candles, you can even make the process more complicated. That is, you can add more color patterns or mix your own unique scents. This is also a great hobby to share with your family. With so many violent videogames and crude CDs dominating the stores, it would be a pleasant and family friendly weekend to make some homemade candles.
Many quilters may be drawn to quilt making because of the wide variety of beautiful fabrics available. The choices of colors and patterns seem to be unlimited. What beautiful quilts can be created!
One of the most important elements for choosing quilting fabrics is color. Beginning quilters may often become confused by this topic. Do not be intimated and discouraged from learning about color. Most people are far more adept at combining colors than they imagine.
Learn to trust your intuition (unless you know that you are color blind.) If you think the colors look great together, others more than likely will too. Besides, this is your quilting project. Choose fabrics that you love and that you will enjoy working on. After all, isn’t that really all that matters?
When it comes to quilt making, the color and design or pattern are entirely up to the creator. To insure a beautiful finished quilt, the project must be planned carefully, and an established pattern should be followed.
Making test patches is a great way to experiment with your design. Colors should be sorted into tones - light, medium, and dark. Using assorted tones helps to create depth and design. Textured fabrics also create different effects in your pattern.
It is absolutely necessary to pre-wash all fabrics in warm water with a mild detergent added before starting any quilting project. Fabrics that have a tendency to run should be washed separately. When dry, the fabrics should be ironed, either with a steam iron, or with a dry iron and a clean damp cloth.
The craft of quilt making can involve making a great variety of styles and designs of quilts. One such style is the patchwork quilt. These days, patchwork quilts are traditionally made from scraps which have been left over from previous sewing projects, although pre-cut pieces are readily available in stores.
Something every quilter is aware of is that not all fabric scraps are suitable for quilting. Loosely woven fabrics (for example, muslin) are weak and prone to easily distort. On the other hand, tightly woven fabrics, such as ticking, are not flexible enough and are difficult to stitch.
Cotton is considered to be the best fabric to use, especially for beginning, inexperienced quilters. After quilters become more experienced, they may add additional fabrics, such as silk or lightweight wool.
Quilt making (quilting) is a craft that has been around for centuries. The Chinese have used quilted cloth for padding their winter clothing for hundreds of years. Quilted shirts offered a lot of warmth and protection. Later the process was adapted by European women for use in creating bedcovers.
It is interesting to note that quilting came to America with the pilgrims. Because of their lack of resources, it became necessary for the settlers to recycle their clothing and other fabrics. They made quilt tops by cutting the fabric into smaller pieces and patching them over and over until they eventually wore out completely.
These first quilts, as we might assume, were more practical than pretty. However, as the settlers prospered, their designs became more colorful and elaborate.
Today quilts are available in many, many designs and colors and are highly treasured by collectors and the public in general.
Making any kind of candle is a fun hobby and pastime. Candles add to the decor and ambiance of any home. However, soy candle making has become a popular craft for many who in the past have enjoyed making candles from paraffin wax.
Soy wax is a wax which is a processed form of soybean oil. Soy wax has a lower melting temperature than traditional waxes. Thus the hot weather could cause the candles to lose shape. Because of this, it is generally used to make container candles. However, there are additives available which can be added to the wax making it suitable to use in molds.
Soy candles, when well-made, burn cleanly and slowly. Cleanup is much easier than that of traditional wax. Another benefit of soy wax is its availability. Soybeans are grown here in the United States and new crops are harvested every year.
Candle making is a great hobby and a fun activity for the entire family to participate in if proper care is taken. In addition to the fun involved, making candles is easy if you prepare in advance. Clearing an area on your table or countertop near your stove or microwave and gathering all of your supplies together before starting make the process go more smoothly.
There are a variety of ways to make candles, depending on your personal taste. The colors and scents available give us additional choices to make.
Candles are more often used for luxury and pleasure than for light and heat. They have become a very common decorating item used to accent the decor of any room in your house and make beautiful centerpieces for dinner parties and formal occasions.
There are a multitude of scrapbooking supplies available to make your projects more attractive. However, some items that I really love are craft punches. Punches come in nearly any design you can think of. Whatever your theme is, I’m reasonable sure you can find a punch to coordinate with it.
Fortunately, we don’t need any knowledge or training to use a craft punch. Just insert your paper, card stock, or light metal into the slot or opening (depending on what type punch you are using) and squeeze or push down. The neat thing is that you can then use either the piece you’ve punched out or the surrounding area or both.
One word of warning!! Don’t try punching anything with an adhesive backing. I tried punching out some self-stick metal tape. It gummed up my punch.