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Saturday, January 14, 2012

Rock Lady Bug

Smooth oval shaped rock
Acrylic paints in red, black
Google eyes

First paint the lady bug red and let dry.

Paint a black line across the top 1/4th of the rock for the head.

Paint a line down the center of the body and a small triangle at the other end so that the red looks like wings.

Dot black dots onto the red area.

Glue 2 google eyes on .

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Homemade Mod Podge (matte)

Fill jar half way up with white glue (like PVA)
Then fill jar up with water.
Shake Well.

This is a 50-50 mixture glue/water.

It will have a Matte finnish.

If you would like a Glossy finnish, add 1 Tablespoon of clear varnish.

Shake it!


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DIY Homemade Glitter

There is always a time, place, and need for glitter! Why make a trip to the craft store when you can just make it at home?

Steps:
Preheat the oven to 350. Place salt (table salt/sea salt) into a small bowl. Add drop of food coloring and mix with the salt. Spread mixture onto a baking sheet in one layer. Bake in oven for 10 minutes. Let cool, then transfer into a storage container for use.

This is incredibly cool.


Eggshell Flowerpots

Using eggshells as pots, your kids can grow a tiny garden right inside of an egg carton.

Plant seeds according to package instructions, and nestle planters in an egg carton on a sunny windowsill, where they can be watered easily. The first leaves to sprout will be the cotyledons or seed leaves, which supply nutrients to the young plant until the first true leaves (resembling those of the parent plant) appear. When plants have grown to about 3 inches and have at least two sets of true leaves, they are ready to be transplanted to the garden. (Remove them from the eggshells first.)

Big Bubbles

2 cups Dawn dishwashing liquid
6 cups water
3/4 cup ight corn syrup

Mix ingredients in bucket. Let settle 3 - 4 hours. Makes super big bubbles

Soap Crayons - Recipe 2

Do you have little ones who love to play in the bath? Here is how to make your own soap crayon that are perfect for those baths!

Mild powdered laundry soap
Food colouring
Ice cube trays or other small molds
Water

Add about 1 cup of the powdered laundry soap to bowl. Slowly add water by the teaspoon until it becomes a thick liquid mixture. Stir well and begin adding food colouring until it is the colour you like. Pour into icecube trays or other small mold. Set in a sunny, dry spot for a few days to allow crayons to harden. When har d, remove from mold and use!

Note
Test on your bathtub sides and walls before allowing your child to use them.

Soap Crayons - Recipe 1

1 cup soap flakes
2 Tablespoons water
1 Tablespoons cooking oil
Food colouring (strong colours)

Mix all the ingredients together making sure there is lots of colour, until it is a thick paste with no lumps. Roll into thick crayon like sticks. Leave for a fewdays to dry.

Fairy Dust

Aloe vera gel
Fine glitter
Bowl
Teaspoon
Small pots with lids

In a clean bowl, mix together 12 teaspoonfuls of aloe vera gel and about 1/2 teaspoon of fine glitter.

Spoon the mixture into each pot. Dcorate the lid with glitter, a sticker or a salt dough flower.
Dab a little glitter on yoru cheeks or on your shoulders and arms. Take care not to use glitter near your eyes.

Craft tip
Aloe vera is very gentle, but if you have sensitive skin do a test patch first. Rub a tiny bit of the gel on the inside of your wrist and leave for an hour. Do not use the gel if it makes your skin red and itchy.


· · · 26 December 2011 at 15:

Salt and Flour Finger Paint

2 cups flour
2 teaspoon salt
3 cups cold water
2 cups hot water
Food colouring

Add the salt to the flour in a saucepan. Pour in cold water gradually and beat the mixture with an egg beater until smooth. Add the hot water and boil the mixture until it becomes glossy. Beat it until it is smooth. Mix in food colouring.

Bubble Painting

1/2 cup water
1/4 cup powdered tempera paint
2 teaspoon dish washing liquid

Mix the ingredients together in a small, shallow bowl. Having blank pieces of white nearby. Using a plastic drinking straw, carefully blow into the mixture until a dome of bubles form over the bowl.

Create a bubble print by placing a piece of paper on top of the bubbles and gently pressing down. The bubbles will pop against the paper, leaving an interesting print. Allow to dry. If desired, mix together several colours of bubble-paint mixture in different bowls and repeat the process in several colours on the same paper.

Finger Painting

1 cup cornflour
1 litre water
1 cup soap flakes (optional)
A few drops of food colouring
A few drops of dettol, eucalypus or tea tree oil (optional)

Put the cornflour into a saucepan.

Add about 2 Tablespoons of water and mix to a smooth paste.

Add the rest of the water, turn on the heat and then stir the mixture until it starts to thicken. (Tip: for a smoother, better result, add soap flakes. This will also stop the kids eating the paint).

Pour into seperate containers and add a different food colouring to each container.

To store - put the lids on containers and keep in the fridge for 2 or 3 days. If you want to keep the paint any longer add up to two drops of dettol, eucalyptus or tea tree oil, but having done that, don't allow the kids to eat the paint.

Play Dough Recipe

1 cup flour
1 cup warm water
2 teaspoons cream of tarter
1 teaspoon oil
1/4 cup salt
Food coloring

Mix all ingredients (add food coloring last). Stir over medium heat until smooth. Remove from pan, let cool slightly, and knead until blended and smooth. Store in a plastic bag or airtight container when cooled.

Bath Salt Recipe

Plain bath salts (like Epsom salts)
Essential oil of your choice
Powder or paste food colouring (not liquid)
Glass jar
Pretty fabric
Ribbon

Put some of the plain bath salts into an old bowl. Put in a tiny amount of essential oil (about 2 drops for every cup of salts) and a tiny amount of food colouring. Stir well with an old wooden spoon until all of the salts absorb the colour. Repeat with as many different colours as you like.

Carefully pour the salts into a clean jar (we layered different colours).

Cut a square of fabric to fit over the lid of the jar, tie in place with some pretty ribbon.

Make your own glitter glue

School glue
An empty squeeze bottle (like a glue bottle)
Glitter

Fill your empty bottle about half full with glue. You simply add glitter to the glue in the bottle in the amount you choose. You may wish to enlarge the hole on your squeeze bottle if the glitter blocks up the opening. Apply it to your project. If you would like, sprinkle glitter over the still wet glue on your project for a more glitzy look. Allow your project to then dry for around 24 hours.

Wallpaper / Papier Mache Paste

1 ½ cups white flour
½ cup sugar
1 Tablespoon alum
1 cup cold water
2 cups boiling water

Combine flour and sugar. Slowly add cold water and beat / mix out any lumps. Put mixture in a saucepan over a medium heat. Add the boiling water, and stirring constantly, bring the mixture to the boil. When stiff, remove from heat and add alum. Store in airtight container. Should keep for several weeks. If the paste hardens, soften by mixing in small amounts of warm water as needed.

Basic Waterproof Glue

6 Tablespoons water
2 packets unflavoured gelatine
2 Tablespoons white vinegar
2 teaspoons glycerine

Bring water to a boil. Remove from heat and stir in gelatine until it is dissolved. Add vinegar and glycerine and stir well. Let the mixture cool slightly and pour into a jar and seal tightly.

To use: This glue is best applied while warm. Apply to surfaces using a brush. Glue will gel after a few days.

To reuse: Warm by placing the jar in a pan of hot water. Good for binding leather to leather, fabrics to cardboard, paper to paper.

Slime

1 cup PVA glue
1 cup water
3 – 4 capfuls food colouring
4 level teaspoons harpers Borax
½ cup hot water
Mixing bowl
Empty jar

In your bowl combine the PVA glue, cup of water and food colouring and mix together thoroughly.

In your empty jar mix the borax and hot water by placing on the lid and shaking til mixture is well combined.

Add the borax mixture to the glue mixture in your bowl. You will obtain a very thick clump of slime where the two mix. Simply knead and mix the ingredients with you hands until you have a smooth and elastic type mixture.

Soap Crayons

1 cup of soap flakes
2 Tablespoon water
1 Tablespoon cooking oil
Food colouring (strong colours)

Mix all the ingredients together making sure there is lots of colour, until it is a thick paste with no lumps. Roll into thick crayon like sticks. Leave for a few days to dry.

Paper Paste

1/3 cup non self raising wheat flour
2 Tablespoons sugar
1 cup water
¼ teaspoon oil of cinnamon

Mix flour and sugar in a saucepan. Gradually add water, stirring vigorously to break up lumps.

Cook over low heat until clear, stirring constantly.

Remove from stove and add oil of cinnamon. Stir until well blended. Makes about 1 cup. Spread paste with a brush or tongue depressor. Soft, smooth, thick and white, paper paste has a good spreading consistency and is especially appropriate for use with small children or for any paste up work. The paste can be stored in a covered jar for several weeks without refrigeration.

Envelope and Card sizes

Envelope Size
C4 – 229mm x 324mm

C5 – 162mm x 229mm

C6 – 114mm x 162mm

DL – 210mm x 99mm

Mini DL – 175mm x 74mm

Card Size
A4 – 27mm x 210mm

A5 - 210mm x 148mm

A6 – 148mm x 108mm

A7 – 105mm x 74mm

What is a Colour Challenge?

A colour challenge is when you have a certain colours to work with and you only use these colours.

This might be 2 or 3 different colours.

What is a Sketch?

A sketch is a term used to describe a basic card or scrapbook layout.

It is there to provide you with an idea on how to set your project out

What is Quilling

Well its an economical craft that anyone, of any age, can take part in. You do not need vast amounts of equipment or materials to enjoy the craft of quilling. You don't even need much space! It could be described as the ideal craft.

Basically quilling is the art of rolling, folding, twisting or otherwise shaping narrow strips of paper and arranging them to create beautiful designs.

It isn't a new craft, in fact it has been around for hundreds of years. It was originally developed as a means of imitating gold and silver filigree work. Of course paper was much more affordable! In fact almost as soon as paper became easily available there has been reference to paper filigree.

The craft has long been associated with religious uses. In times past nuns were known to quill with gold-edged pages from their bibles, producing church artifacts and pictures. Moving closer to the present day, the Victorians loved to decorate household items such as tea caddies, boxes and even created plaques featuring their coat of arms.

There is a difference of opinion as to where quilling got its name. Some say it is because bird quills, or feathers, were used to roll the paper around, whereas others connect it to the native American art of using porcupine quills to produce decorative items.

Money Saver Ideas

An idea for the budget conscious is to scour your local markets and second-hand stores for ribbons and other haberdashery items. You may be surprised with what you might find.

Use felt and fabric to make your own felt flower embellishment.

Useful Hints and Tips

When tearing mulberry paper, use a ruler, paintbrush and water. Lightly score the paper along the line you want to tear then brush water onto the line. Use your fingers to tear along the wet line. This will give a fluffy, feathered effect edge.

Use sticky fixers or glue dots to give a raised image to embellishments.

To avoid unslightly glue when using vellum, use spray adhesive or glue intermittently and cover the glue areas with embellishments. Alternatively secure vellum in position by using outline stickers.

Use a cocktail stick or a pair of tweezers to peel outline stickers of their backing sheets.

When making wedding invitations use an inexpensive technique and a design that is quick to replicate and relatively light and flat for posting.

Using an outline sticker the same colour as your card will give an embossed effect.

Use gift wrapping ribbon (like you use at Christmas) for creating borders or just as plain ribbon. You can get it in a variety of colours, including holographic.

Stuck for inspiration when it comes to thinking up a verse or words of sentiment for yuor card? Keep bought cards and refer to them to inspire you.

Never ever stick anything down until you have e xperimented with it, and you are 100% happy with how it looks. Position it first, tweak it, then stick it.

Takeaway plastic boxes are excellent for storage because they are both see-through and handily stackable.

When designing a new card, use repositionable glue until you are completely happy with the way your card looks and - only then - fix it down permanently.

You can sharpen scissors on glass jars / bottle necks by running the blade along the glass as if you were trying to cut the glass. This does not harm either the glass or blade.

When you are matting and layering put your topper, or the bottom sheet of decoupage, to the edge of a cutter to get the sizing. Add 5mm to one long edge and one short edge to get your next size to cut your matt. This then leaves a nice 2.5mm border all the way around.

When you have cut a circle or oval shape, use the fine side of an emery board to smooth any rough cuts that may be left behind, just gently file along the cut edge.

On a quiet day, print out several items needed for card making and keep them safe in separate see-through plastic bags. Then you'll be ready for a quick crafting fix at a later date.

If you are stuck for a toper for a card check out the internet - there are lots of free downloads - just type what you are looking for in the search engine and see what comes up.

When using duble-sided tape, only peel back a little on each side. Place the card, then peel off the rest. This ensures the card / topper is in the corre ct place -then you can pull off the rest.

Keep a photo of your handmade cards and put them in an album so that you have easy access to help you with all those orders you get from people who have seen your cards. Always make sure that potential buyers of your products can contact you when they want a card - so put yur contact details on the card in a prominetn position, such as the back of the card.

Crafting should be fun and enjoyable: have fun making your cards and experiment!

When cutting out your decoupage, use one of those small photo albums with the pockets to put them in. They are easy to see, keep nice and flat and are easy to store. Then you can just flip through and choose one.

When making birthday cards for friends and family, make a Christmas card for them at the same time. If that person has a significant other that you also make a birthday card for, then make a Christmas card at the same time, to be used for neighbours etc - as this helps keep the stress levels down.

Store your colouring ink pens horizontally so they don't dry out.

There are many unmounted rubber stamps available but many crafters still purchase wooden backed stamps. When these are new and unused, coat the wood with v arnish or cheap clear nail polish as theis helps keep ink off the stamp and keeps them in pristine condition.

If you are new to crafting check out your local area to see if there are any crafting clubs / groups - these are always good to attend because they are fun and you will learn new techniques.

When the high street accessory shops have sales it's time to check out the jewellery counters. Dangly earringsand pendants can be taken apart and made into pretty charms.

Keep your hands pristinely cean as your craft - wash them at regular intervals. And keep your work out of reach ofpets, kids, cups of tea, coffee or wine!

Always have a good air of sharp scissors on hand.

Use thin spaghetti to pick up embellishments - suck the end then touch the embellishment and it will lift it up, ready to be placed onto the glue.

If you are not very good at cutting decoupage and you are left with white around the edges, touch up with felt tip or a pencil crayon.

How to use embossing powders

Using embossing powders for your card making ideas is just one of the ver satile techniques commonly used by crafters. Embossing powders are a wonderful addition to and card makers or scrapbookers craft box.

Embossing powders come in a huge variety of colours and textures and can easily be used by beginners and professional for cardmaking ideas.

Using embossing powders for your projects can create many different efects but you will need to purchase a few basic materials.

The main item you will need to be able to use your embossing powders is a heat gun, these can be found at most craft stores or stamp companies. Some heat guns are better than others, when you are purchasing a heat gun it is worth asking for recommendations from other experts that have used them for their cardmaking ideas.

You will need to have an ink pad, ink pads come in many different colours. You can use a clear ink pad however if you are a beginner you can start with a colour so you can see where yuo have stamped.

Stamps - a stamp is essential when using embossing powders as this is the foundation of the design, rubber stamps can be found at craft shops and tere are simply millions that can be bought over the internet.

Of course you will need embossing powder, again these come in a hug variety of colours, try to match the colour with the theme of the stamp where possible.

To begin embossing it is advisable to wipe the area wher you are going to stamp with an anti static bag.

Once the area is prepared it is time to ink your stamp. Choose your colour of ink preferably clear but if you are new to carmaking ideas then a matching colour to your embossing powder will be fine. Always take your ink pad to the stamp rather than pressing the stamp into the inkpad, this will give the stamp an even coating.

Once you have inked your stamp you can then press it firmly onto your project, hold your hand flat over the stamp to ensure the entire image is printed, press firmly using the palm of your hand, lift the stamp carefully away from the project and make sure you are happy with the result.

Carefully undo the lid of the embossing powder and generously sprinkle over the stamped image, if you are using a tidy tray tip all the excess embossing powder can be easily tipped pack into the pot. Try folding a piece of paper.

Gently tap the back of the project or card to allow any excess embossing powder to ocme off if you can see any odd bits of embossin powder still in places it shouldn't be, use a small paint brush to gently remove it.

Use your heat gun to heat the image until it turns shiny, hold your heat gun approximately 6 inches from the paper sweeping backwards and forwards until you see the embossing powder melting. Do not over heat the image as you can cause the paper and embossing powder to burn.

Once you are happy that all the embossing powder had melted you are done. Step back and admire your finished project.

Pom Pom Snowman Card

What you need:Card blanks
Pom poms various sizes
3mm ribbon - assorted colours
Wobbly eyes
Seed beads
Snowflakes
PVA glue
Scissors

How to make:
Glue a small pom pom onto a medium size pom pom to make the snowman and leave to dry.

Tie a piece of thin ribbon around the snowman's neck and glue in place.

Stick the snowman onto the centre of the card and glue three seed beads down it's tummy. Glue two eyes to it's head.

Finished off by sticking snowflakes around the snowman.

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Challenge # 1

Valentine
Make a Valentine card using this layout