Baby Crafts

What Is A Zen Garden?

2011-10-17T21:08:45-07:00

Hey I'm back again with another update.

The other evening, walking through a shopping center close to home, I went as usual, several stores that I like.

One of them is full of incense, very nice decorations for the house and a cozy, with dim lights, soft music .....

And there in the background in one of the crowded shelves had a sign saying "Zen Garden ".... and there I was looking at the box, instructions, and after thinking about it .... Two seconds! I went out to pay. I brought him home and I love ...

A Zen garden is the way of life, the universe and is designed to provide vitality, peace and serenity.
Rake the soil allowed to leave the mind free of tension, helps concentration and meditation calms the fears and anxieties.

Breathe deeply while raking and make beautiful drawings on the sand.Also becomes a different and original decorative ...

Now for its entirety and use the correct way, according to the instructions enclosed ...

First I tell you, consists of a bowl of golden proportions (which represents the harmony), fine sand, preferably light colored, smooth, rake ad hoc and three stones of different sizes but proportional to the size of the vessel at the ground.

Every part of this garden has a specific purpose to give us what it was intended to ...
The sand neutralizes the bad thoughts, attitudes and negative emotions, creating an atmosphere of tranquility and serenity.
A space perfectly smoothing represents the vastness of the sea. The grooves may symbolize the different walks of life.

The stones represent the obstacles and stumbling blocks with which we face in life.
The stones symbolize the experiences we gain in life, after overcoming these setbacks and inconveniences ...

The rake is what our guiding hand to move around the stage of our lives, without realizing it, embodied in the drawings of the earth, our anxieties and our fears, depositing it in the form of drawings, more or less edgy grooves ...

It can be used instead of stones, quartz. They generate energy and can represent values such as simplicity, humility or modesty.

Candles are also an option for our Zen garden, but they must be rounded to not break the harmony of space. Otherwise it is preferably located outside the garden ...

There is a curious legend that gave rise to the Zen gardens. It says so:

"Legend has it that when the outfielder finished his work, he called the emperor to contemplate his garden." Congratulations. It is the most beautiful garden I've seen and that rock is the most beautiful of all ", said the emperor.
Instantly, the gardener took the stone marked, removed her from the garden and threw into the sea. Then he explained to his master: "Now everything is perfect, and the garden can be seen in harmony. A garden, like life, must be viewed in its entirety. If we focus on the beauty of detail, the rest will seem too ugly ... "

I hope you liked the entry and clear any dark spot on what they call "Zen Garden".

Regards,
Linda.

For all the lazy ones out there.

The same Zen Garden book can be purchased by following this link.

Japanese Gardens: Tranquility, Simplicity, Harmony

How To Easter Craft | Paper Easter Basket

2011-04-22T06:39:48-07:00

How-To: Weave a Paper Easter Basket

This craft was not produced by me but the lovely Diane Gilleland. she wrote the book on the suff literally. Diane Gilleland produces CraftyPod, a blog and bi-weekly podcast about making stuff. check out her first book, Kanzashi In Bloom.

How-To: Weave a Paper Easter Basket

This design is based on the traditional Danish Woven Heart you see at Christmas and Valentine's Day. Here, it's updated for Easter, and a lovely way to present small gifts of candy.

Materials:

12"×12" sheets of coordinating paper (2)
Scraps of a third coordinating paper
Scissors
Ruler
Pencil
1/4" brads
Glue stick
Paper clips
Craft knife
Scrap of cardboard
Circle Punch (optional)
1/8" hole punch (optional)
Bone folder (optional)

Weave Your Paper Easter Basket

Step 1: Begin by cutting both sheets of 12"×12" paper in half. Your basket will be made from two 6"×12" pieces of each paper — one of each design. Fold each piece in half crosswise with the pattern on the inside.

Step 2: Make these measurements on both pieces, and place the fold at the bottom, as shown. At the folded edge, measure 2" in from the right side and make a mark. At the top edge, make a mark 2" in from the right side.
Then, draw a line from the marks to the corners, as shown.

Step 3: Cut both pieces along these lines. Then, place one with the fold at the bottom, and the other one crosswise over it, matching the bottom edge. Trace a line about 1/8" from the top edge of the crosswise piece, as shown. Reverse the orientation and make the same mark on the other piece.

Step 4: Divide the width of each piece into 4 equal parts. Use this trick: place the ruler across the piece and pivot it until you have an easily divisible measurement, like 4". Then, make a dot at each inch. Draw parallel lines at these dots, stopping at the line you drew in Step 3.

Step 5: Cut along these lines, stopping at the line you drew in Step 3. Do this to both pieces of paper.

Step 6: Unfold both pieces and re-fold them in half with the pattern facing out. Place them in this orientation.

Step 7: Now it's time to weave these 2 pieces together. There are lots of good tutorials on the web for this part of the process — my favorites are at Gingerbread Snowflakes and Amazing Moms.
The weaving will feel a little tricky the first time you do it, but once you're familiar with the process, it's very easy. Just remember that you're not weaving the strips over and under each other, you're weaving them through each other.

Step 8: Now that the weaving is done, carefully fold up the bottom point of the basket as shown. The pattern on the tip should match the pattern of the weaving. Crease this fold with a bone folder or the back of your thumbnail.

Step 9: Slip a scrap of cardboard into the basket — we're about to cut a slit, and we need to cut only through the front of the basket. Use a craft knife to make a small slit through the folded tip and the layer of paper behind it.

Step 10: Make a flower. I'm using a circle craft punch here, and cutting slits into it. You could also trace a circle with a template. If you have fancier flower punches, feel free to use them. Punch or cut a hole in the center of the flower. Poke a brad through this hole.

Step 11: Now poke the ends of the brad through the slits you cut in the basket. Flatten the back of the brad out to secure it. Here's a view from the inside of the basket.

Step 12: Cut the top of the basket into a rounded shape. You can use a round template, like a plate or bowl, or just cut it freehand. If you have decorative scissors, this is a great place to use them.

Step 13: At the sides of the basket, overlap the open edges about 1/2" and glue them with glue stick. (You'll get the nicest results if you glue the front side over the back side.) Hold them together with a paper clip while the glue dries.

Step 14: Cut a 2" x 12" strip from one of the leftover pieces of paper. Fold this in half lengthwise, pattern facing out, and glue it together in the center. This is the handle of your basket. Glue the ends to the inside of the basket.

Add more flowers (or other embellishments like ribbon, buttons, etc.) to your basket, if you like. Fill it with Easter grass and treats, and you're all set!

Embroidered Pillow Case = A Cute Bag?

2011-02-17T22:28:57-08:00

So um yeah...This tutorial will teach you how to turn a Pillow case into a stylish bag. For you or your younger daughter. I have done this and it turns out to be quite good so good you could sell them. So with that being said lets dive right in and get started shall we.

I already told you about my addiction to vintage pillow cases, they have personal details that work great for all sorts of things – clothing, clutches, pillows, bags, aprons. If you look through your local thrift store stock your bound to find some with hand embroidery for right around a dollar. At a vintage or antique store you will pay anywhere from $4 on up. My last visit to my local DI (like a goodwill) I scored five of them, and this was one of them.

It was hanging there, feeling extremely unappreciated for it’s beauty. I mean seriously! How much time do you think someone had into this one pillow case?! It even has a delicate scalloped and crochet trim! It had never even been washed, or used. I could tell because who ever made it left a raw edge on the seams that had only barely frayed. Me and my sister decided a grandma made it for her grandson for a wedding gift and the new bride folded it up, afraid to use it…and then 30 years later decided to donate it. Sounds good right?

Well I’m not afraid to use it. Nope, I will put it to use every day now, just as intended I would think. It made the cutest tote I have ever owned. So if this pillow case looks familiar, if your fingers sat for hours hand embroidering every little detail, then crocheting a lovely little trim…thank you very much. I love it!
Here is how I did it:

Turning a Pillow Case Into a Shoulder Bag Or Cross Body Tote

Supplies:

all your sewing stuff
pillow case, any will do, but I highly recommend saving one from a thrift store, oh the thrill of the hunt!
matching thread
interfacing for liner if you want, I used a lightweight one
material for straps, I used a basic crochet trim to match

Start by cutting the sides off the pillow case. I wanted a larger bag so I only cut off a little, but this will work for a smaller bag too. Just cut it down to the size you want.

Same goes for the length, cut it to the length you want. I cut my pillow case in half, and that worked great. I didn’t use my other half but you may decide to use it in the next step.

Now iron your interfacing to the wrong sides of both the front and back pieces. I believe the one I used is SF 101, but please don’t quote me on that. It feels just like a lightweight woven cotton so it works perfect for the lining in this project. If you want you can use the other half of your pillow case for the lining, but with the scallop and trim on mine I decided to go this route.

Now center your pieces on a cutting board, or use a ruler, and with the right sides together.

Now this part doesn’t have to be exact, so don’t worry! We just want to add a few pleats to round out the bottom of the bag. I started at one end on the bottom of the bag, an inch from the side, making a ¼ inch pleat. Then I added two more an inch apart as shown, and repeated on the other side. Now flip them over and repeat the process on the back piece.

With the right sides still on the inside, pin the two pieces together at the corners and then again about three inches up from the bottom on both sides. This will act as a guide when sewing the seam where.

Now with a straight stitch and starting at the top of one side, sew with a ½ inch seam down to the pin that is three inches from the bottom. At this point start curving toward the first pleat, so that when you reach the third pleat you will be back to your ½ inch seam allowance, then just keep sewing along the bottom until you reach the third pleat on the other side then start curving toward the pin, then all the way to the top of that side. Make sure you are back stitching!

Your corners should look like this. Just a little curve.

Then you will want to cut off the corners.

Now sew a zigzag stitch along the entire seam, enclosing the raw edge. Now turn inside out…you’re almost done!

Like your pleats? They look nice huh. They make for a nice little rounded bottoms.

Now we need to add the handles. I tucked mine into the inside and included them with the top stitching I did around the top of the bag, which ensures the interfacing stays put. At the points where the straps are sewn to the bag I made sure to do a couple rows of stitching for stability, just on the strap.

I did one large strap for a cross the body bag (my fave) with the length coming in at 45 inches, but you could do two straps for a shoulder bag if that is what you prefer.

Isn’t she cute? And so easy! All I had to do was a little cutting and sew a few lines, someone else did the hard work!
Have you found any great pieces where someone has put a lot of work into them, and you think they might be happy to see someone enjoying it? Even if you did cut it up a bit?!

More great tuts at The Mother Huddle

Valentine Flower Crafts for Kids

2011-02-05T22:56:56-08:00

Bouquet of Flowers Card

Hello my readers! Been a little busy lately but I have a new craft for you guys to try out.

That's the good news. The bad news is I'm gonna have to take away the Eeyore download link :( sorry

You will need:

Thin card and paper in assorted colours - eg white, red and green
Paper punch - daisy - approximately 2.5cm diameter
Paper punch - very small flower - approximately 0.75cm diameter (optional)
Small foam or paper heart shape
Mini 3-D double-sided adhesive foam pads
PVA glue, glue stick or double-sided adhesive tape
Pencil, ruler, scissors and felt-tip pens or coloured pencils
Envelope

Just follow these step-by-step instructions to create this Valentine Flower Crafts for Kids card design:

Take an A5 piece of white card and score and fold in half to form a basic A6 card blank.
Cut about 9 thin strips of green paper of varying lengths up to approximately 10cm. It is best to cut them slightly longer than you need as you can trim off the ends later.
Punch out about 15 flower shapes from red paper and some smaller flower shapes from white paper. (I have used a daisy punch for the red flowers with a 2.5cm diameter and a very small flower punch about 0.75cm diameter for the white flowers).
Place the stems down onto your card one at a time (at varying angles to form the bouquet) and stick into place by attaching a red flower at the top of the stem. Do this with about 9 of the red flowers until you are happy with the shape of your bouquet. Make sure that the tops of the stems are hidden by the flowers.
Then attach a small white flower to the centre of some of the red flowers already on the card to add interest. (If you don't have a small flower punch, small white circles will do - try using the waste from an ordinary hole punch).
If you have some mini 3-D double-sided adhesive foam pads, you can add some extra dimension to your bouquet by attaching another layer of about 5 red flowers over the top of your original design. I have added small white flowers to the centre of each of these red flowers for extra detail too.
Write an appropriate greeting onto a rectangle of white paper or card, mount onto a slightly larger rectangle of red card or paper if required, then stick at an angle close to the flower stems to look like a tag attached to the bouquet.
Stick a small red foam or paper heart over the stems and the corner of the tag as shown or make a bow with some red ribbon.
Trim off the ends of the stems as necessary, making them different lengths if required.
Cut a white paper insert approximately 13.5cm x 20cm, fold in half and attach to the inside of your card with glue or tape.
Add your own special message inside and any other decorations as required.

Valentine Flower Crafts for Kids - Handy Hints:

Don't forget to decorate the envelope as well to make your Valentine card extra-special.

I hope you enjoy making this Valentine Flower Crafts for Kids project. This design would also be ideal for Mother's Day - just create the bouquet using Mum's favourite colours.

Spread Happiness With Eeyore

2011-02-05T22:58:56-08:00

Very busy day yesterday sorry I didn't get to post a pattern that. I promised but life happens I guess. So I wanted to make this post special. That's when I had a great Idea. Why not give the people what they have been asking about?

Eeyore Is back for a limited time. I'm getting tired of so many people asking me about this pattern via e-mail. So I brought I'm uploading it again. It's going to be up for about a week. So get it while you can!

The above is what yours should look like when your finished with this awesome pattern. My niece loves this it's still in her room sitting on her bed whenever I go to visit. You won't find a Eeyore crochet pattern as good as this anywhere else folks.

What you'll need to use the Eeyore crochet pattern.

A pdf reader I have mentioned them before grab either FoxIt or Adobe Reader.

Now click the link below to download the pdf and get started!!

So You Wanna Crochet?

2011-01-26T14:48:35-08:00

Time for steps 3-5. Lets begin shall we.

Crochet:

Tools of the Trade Crochet

Left to Right: Clover Takumi Set, Boye Aluminum Set, Crystal Palace (bamboo),
Boye Size P (grey), Boye Size Q (blue)

Of course you need more than whats in the image above. You'll need tapestry needles, some clover lock stitch markers small and jumbo, a stitch counter(for more advanced patterns) and of course a clover yarn cutter. You get all these tools online below are some places I a a proud customer of. Whenever I'm to lazy to look for the best deals myself.

Joann.com

The mega online store for crafty needs. The pros are they always have sales. So if you are a saavy shopper

wait until your eagle finds a decent deal then go nuts!

Yarn Market
Reputable. Excellent prices. They do not carry Clover brand Hooks or Needles. But they do carry Addi Turbo and Crystal Palace
Knitting Warehouse
Excellent prices!

That's a basic rundown of what you'll need. I could go into the tools and why you need them where you can get them but that requires a whole separate post. Yes I am being lazy lol.
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On to the next step Crochet Abbreviations actually I have a post on this already check here Note [Knitting Abbreviations]

Crochet Stitches

Here are some of the basic stitches

Basic stitches

U.S. term	U.K. term	Turning chain
chain stitch	chain stitch	N/A
single crochet	double crochet
half double crochet	half treble
double crochet	treble
triple/treble crochet	double treble
double treble crochet	triple/treble treble

Thats it for the steps oh yeah and you can find a better version of the chart at List of crochet stitches
my next post on crochet will contain a pattern so look out for that oh and ummm well that's it for now.

Crochet Knitting Re-Education

2011-01-26T11:49:36-08:00

Lets begin again shall we? Alright this post will be a quick introduction to crochet/kitting. If anyone remembers the last time I was here posted anything to do with crochet. I kinda dove right in, leaving anybody with little crochet or knitting experience left by the wayside. That wont happen again and to make sure of that certain steps have to be taken by me(the author) and you(the reader).

Step 1. Beginner literature.

Step 2. Beginner tutorials.

Step 3. The name of each piece. That is not too difficult as there are only a few.

Step 4. A list of abbreviations.

Step 5. How to stitch.

Now for the "Beginner literature" take a look at the image below.

That's an image of my copy I have had it for years now. This book has helped me a lot with crochet it's really good for anyone thinking about starting down the road of crochet.

You can Purchase the book at amazon Vogue Knitting on the Go! Beginner Basics.

I have tried to find an e-book of this great piece of literature but to no avail so all I can do is point you to the most reliable place that has it. You could go to this post here How to Crochet it has a site that you can learn the basics from. Not as put together as the book but it should help.

Oh! I almost forgot about Cool Stuff : Teach Me to Crochet : 14 Projects.It's another old book with a e-book counterpart it's also one of the best you'll find for beginners. Again you don't have to buy either book try your local library or something if they don't have either of them, and you don't want to order from amazon. Try the post I mentioned above.

Alright moving right along to "Beginner tutorials". Actually the book I mentioned has tutorials and images and stuff but, I guess I can write up one for my avid readers. Here we go! I'll start with the magic adjustable ring "Magic Ring".

The difference between a Chain 2, 6sc in 2nd chain from hook and using an adjustable (or magic) ring is noticeable.

Here is what a chain 2 start typically looks like:

Peekaboo! I can see you!

And this is what the second round looks like if you use a magic or adjustable ring:

It is up to you on how to start your projects but just in case you want to know how to do the adjustable ring - here's a little tutorial!

Step 1:

Wrap the yarn around your finger twice:

Step 2:

Put your hook under the loops:

Step 3:

Pull up a loop:

Step 4:

Chain 1 to secure it:

Step 5:

Take your finger out of the hole unless you want it permanently in your project:

Step 6:

Work your first round:

Step 7:

Give it a gentle pull on the tail:

Step 8:

Move along to round 2 of your project - work over that tail to keep that hole from slipping out of place!

Give it another love tug after going about halfway round and you are on your way!

Move on to round 3 of your project!

Now it's time for a video about the magic adjustable ring.

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Wow this post is becoming very long so I'll continue the steps in a new post. Make sure to practice the above tutorial.

Baby Crafts and The Busy Year Two Zero One Zero

2011-01-25T00:09:06-08:00

Baby Crafts and The Busy Year Two Zero One Zero

   Yeah a busy busy year Senior Graduations, prom, jobs, collage enrollment and just life period. I feel exhausted after writing that sentence phew! The point of this post is to let readers know that through it all. I'm still ALIVE!!! Plus I'm ready to start blogging again and doing arts and crafts.

   With my oldest in collage it's just me and my teenage daughter. Needless to say my son was happy to leave the a house ran by two females. Oh and if your reading this Brian Call Me! With my son gone things have slowed down quite a bit never thought I'd miss all the commotion but meh. My daughter has me using that word when I type "meh". I asked her what it meant she said it's the new "w/e". She said it the way I typed it by the way.

   Anyway back to my busy year and why I wasn't able to blog at all. I initially put blogging on hold in 2009, I started to use that spare blogging time to pursue better career paths. Taking online courses in internet marketing really helped me to better implement some of my past marketing strategies. Which in turn helped me turn my first profit in April of 2010. When you make your first dollar online you'll get really excited I know I did.

   I'm not a millionaire or anything like that not even a thousandaire. I do however make an extra 400-500 dollars a month. No I'm not going to plug in a product or anything at the end of this post(it's tempting but I wont).

   Basically in 2009 I was struggling to pay the bills and get my kids the things they wanted. So I went to school. Learned some stuff. Started generating a monthly income of about 100-200 a month sometime in August 2010. From there it was just rinse and repeat until I hit my mark of 500 in a month. The extra income was very much appreciated!

    The above five paragraphs are but a brief summary of what really went on. I was thinking of moving this blog to a different host. I decided not to though. This is a very relaxing and personal blog. I only use outside host's to market. I don't want it to feel like I'm marketing, when I use this blog so I decided to keep it on teh trusty Blogspot. Well it late here on the east coast I should get to bed "Nighty Night".

Oh I almost forgot!

Baby Crafts Exclusive Crochet Patterns

they are coming soon. They are a doozy to type!

A Very Simple Decoupage Tutorial

2011-01-24T19:36:32-08:00

What You'll Need(Now In Color : 0):

-Something to decoupage on: Old shoe-boxes can be a great place to start (and are free so there's nothing lost if you screw it up) but pretty much anything can be decoupaged as I'm sure you've seen around here. (Wooden items like tables or cigar boxes, plastics like suitcases, metals like the ever popular Altoid tin, glass vases and such - if it holds still it can be decoupaged.) For this I used a small chocolates box.

-Something to decoupage onto your object: This can be pictures from magazines, pretty paper napkins, stamps, some fabrics, comic books, old sewing patterns, etc. It's generally best to stick with something in the fiber family (papers and fabrics) and be fairly thin because you want your glue to get a really good hold. For this I used images of print fabrics from catalogs and magazines.

-Decoupage medium: You can use Mod Podge (available in matte or shiny finishes), other commercial products or just plain white school glue watered down (equal parts glue and water), which is what I like to use.

-Brush for the medium

-Scissors: To trim up your images... I recommend using scissors that you don't mind getting a bit messy since you're dealing with glue.
-OPTIONAL Brush for paint & paint: I like to paint my object before I start just in case I don't completely cover the surface with my images or in case they are transparent. I used white acrylic craft paint.

1. Prep your surface. In my case I peeled the label off my chocolate box since it wasn't glued down very well and I didn't want the logo showing through and then I gave it a quick coat of paint.

2. Figure out your design. If you are doing a complete collage, select the images you want to stand out the most and set them aside. You'll want to save them for the end so they don't get buried under other images.

3. Start somewhere... slop down a whole bunch of glue on your surface or to the back of the image itself. Apply your image and slop down even more glue on top. The idea is to get your image completely sealed in glue, top and bottom, so that there are no air bubbles or lumps.

You may notice with some images (specifically those cut from magazines) that you can see the printing from the opposite side when they are wet. In my experience, if you couldn't see it before the paper was wet, you won't see it once it dries, so don't freak out until you see how it dries. Keep moving until your item is covered in images to your liking.

4. Let dry.

5. Trim up the edges of your object if applicable.

6. Cover the object in glue medium again and allow to dry.

7. Check your object for any loose images... places where a bubble may have formed or a corner that is sticking up. I glue these down with full strength white glue (which dries clear.) OPTIONAL: You can lightly sand the object with a very fine sand paper to remove any extra lumps. (I never sand my stuff though.)

8. Cover in a 3rd coat of glue and allow to dry. I usually do a 4th and 5th coat as well. In between coats for the patchwork box top, I decoupaged the bottom of the box with pink tissue paper and made a felt lining for it.

The lid for my box was rather loose to begin with but in case of a tight fit between box lid and bottom, decoupaging the bottom (or inside of the lid) wouldn't work because the box would no longer fit together. It's important to keep that in mind when decoupaging boxes.

9. Seal if desired. Mod podge is made to act as a sealant and in my experience school glue is fairly durable as well. However, if your creation will get a lot of wear, you may also wish to spray it with a clear art sealant.

10. Enjoy your finished creation!!!

Decoupage is not an exact art - there can be a lot of trial and error depending on your medium, the object you're decoupaging and the images you are using. For this reason, I wouldn't use any antique or otherwise irreplaceable items for your first project. Overall though, it is a very versatile and forgiving craft.

Folding Paper Is Called Origami?!

2011-01-24T19:35:41-08:00

New layout, new posts, new crafts, new goodies!!!

Now Origami! If memory serves I haven't done a post on this particular art yet. I'm not gonna lie Origami can get a little complicated. That's why I went to great lengths to find a printable diagram and even a Video Tutorial. So go for it it's fun. Just think! When you get the hang of it you'll be able to fold your own unique creations.

The origami crane is one of the easiest and most popular of all origami models: The instructions presented below will take you through the steps of making your first origami sculpture.

What You'll Need
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All you'll need is some pretty paper to craft this elegant bird.

Up first we have video instructions

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I know that some won't want to sit and watch the video over and over. So I found some printable instructions so that you can follow along with the video, to make things easier. Also for those who'd rather share this tutorial with friends or something.

For a printable .pdf version of the crane instructions, click here.
Below is an example of what's in the printout you'll need a .pdf reader to actually view and print out the instructions. I actually have two that I can vouch for.

The well known:Adobe Reader

And the not so well known (but functions just as well and better in some aspects):FoxIt PDF Reader

Diagram Instructions


1. Start with a square piece of paper, coloured side up. Fold the top corner of the paper down to the bottom corner. Crease and open again. Then fold the paper in half sideways.	2. Turn the paper over to the white side. Fold the paper in half, crease well and open, and then fold again in the other direction.


3. Using the creases you have made, Bring the top 3 corners of the model down to the bottom corner. Flatten model.


4. Fold top triangular flaps into the centre and unfold	5. Fold top of model downwards, crease well and unfold


6. Open the uppermost flap of the model, bringing it upwards and pressing the sides of the model inwards at the same time. Flatten down, creasing well.


7. Turn model over and repeat Steps 4-6 on the other side.	8. Fold top flaps into the centre.


9. Repeat on other side, so your model looks like this.	10. Fold both ‘legs’ of model up, crease very well, then unfold.


11. Inside Reverse Fold the “legs” along the creases you just made.	12. Inside Reverse Fold one side to make a head, then fold down the wings


Finished Crane!

Baby Carriage Kids Crafts

2011-01-24T07:28:57-08:00

I haven't been here in a while. Time to dust this blog off and post some new content.

Baby Carriage Kids Crafts

This is a great project for a baby shower or for someone having a new baby.
Age
5 and up
This project is rated Medium to do.
What you need

4 Paper Plates

Styrofoam ball

Green Chenille Pipe Cleaner

Craft paints (two shades of green, blue, white, black, tan)

Google eyes

Craft Stick (popsicle stick)

Marker

Low Temp Glue Gun

What you do

Cut out a carriage shape out of a paper plate referencing the photo. We simply cut out a triangular shape with curvy sides).

We made this 3 dimensional. As such put another paper plate back to back with your new shape (the side that you eat on will face each other). This gives you a bowed container shape.

Glue the two paper plates together.

Paint the carriage using any colors that you wish. We chose colors to match our wrapping paper. Feel free to use blues or pinks.

Cut circles out of two other paper plates for the wheels. We used a cup to make the circle shape.

Cut a heart shape spoke of the wheel.

Paint a coordinating color of your choose.

Paint the Styrofoam ball a flesh color. We placed the ball on a small paper cup to dry between coats.

Glue Google eyes.

Curl a chenille stick around a pencil and insert in the Styrofoam ball head.

Insert Popsicle stick into the bottom of the baby head.

Paint and glue the wheels.

Attach head by gluing Popsicle stick to the inside back portion of the carriage.

Add details to the project with coordinating paints and markers.

Recycle Old Clothes Into Something New

2009-06-05T12:41:21-07:00

This is a Follow Up To: So They Don't Drive You Insane

In this post I'm going to tell you some ways in which you can recycle your winter clothes into summer clothes. There is one thing you need to know about turning you long sleeve shirts into short sleeve ones. The back of the sleeve is always shorter.

1. Make a sleeveless shirt. Remove the sleeves from a shirt. Turn the edges of the armhole over twice and stitch a narrow hem. Add lace to the neckline or armholes.

2. Make a short sleeve shirt. Cut and hem long sleeves into short sleeves. Try cutting sleeves to three-quarters of the original length. Add a cuff, lace or small ruffle of contrasting color to the hemline of the sleeve.

3. Shorten a shirt. Cut and gather the hemline. Place a buttonhole at the front or side of the hemline for a colorful drawstring. Tie the drawstring into a bow or double knot.

4. Make a vest. Remove the sleeves from a zippered sweatshirt. Finish the edges of the armhole if desired. Recycle the fabric into pockets for the inside or outside of the vest. Try inserting a pouched pocket along the side seams.

5. Make a jacket. Cut and hem a coat. Recycle the fabric into pockets or a belt for a different coat. Gather the hemline or add a cuffed waistband. Change the buttons.

6. Make shorts or capri pants. Cut and hem pants. Try fraying the hemline or rolling it into a cuff. Add a small bow or fabric flower to the outside of the cuff.

7. Make something new. Change a pair of pants into a cute summer skirt. Recycle fabric into a bikini, tube top or halter top.

8. Make loungewear or pajamas. Remove collars, sleeves or pant leg elastics from comfy, soft garments. Leave hemlines unfinished.

Designing Hats

2011-01-24T07:23:26-08:00

This is a Follow Up To: So They Don't Drive You Insane

Hey below is an article on how to design a hat, a straw hat to be exact. Their are other ways to design a hat, but since it's summer I decided to post a straw hat guide.

You can create a custom-made straw hat by using simple techniques and tools that have been adopted from the days of the pioneers. All you need is good quality rye straw, a darning needle, doubled twine string, an upholstery needle, and grosgrain ribbon.

The first step is...
to purchase the rye straw. Rye straw is the preferred straw for handicrafts because of its general toughness and long sections between the nodes. You can either purchase the straw from a farmer or through a straw supplier. If you obtain the straw from a farmer’s field it will be necessary to cut, sort, and dry the stalks yourself. After you have accumulated a sizeable quantity of straw, purchase a curved upholstery needle. The needle is used to join the strips of braid that make the hat. Do not use a straight needle as this will not go into the flat surface of the braid and come through easily. Needles can be obtained at fabric, craft, or department stores. These stores also sell doubled twine string and grosgrain ribbon. You will need a one-inch beige-colored strip of this ribbon to make the sweatband for your hat.

Before you begin making the straw hat, submerge nine, thick, long straws in a basin of water. Soak the straws overnight or pour boiling water over them and soak for one hour. Do not soak the straws unless you are definitely going to use them within one day because they will develop a yellow color. After the straws are soaked, flatten them and lay five side by side horizontally and four side by side vertically at right angles to the first five and on top of them. Keep the straws flat on a hard surface and secure the nine ends together by taping or stitching. Now you will begin making a braid that will be 288 inches long and approximately 11/4 inches wide.

Make the braid by first bending the first horizontal straw (starting at the top) and crossing it over the next two and under the last two horizontal straws. Then take the first vertical straw (working from left to right), bend it and cross it over the next two vertical straws, and under the following two vertical straws. Next, bend the second horizontal straw; weave it over the next two horizontal straws, and under the last two horizontal straws. Bend the second vertical straw, weave it over the two vertical straws beside it and under the following two vertical straws. Continue with this pattern of alternately bending and weaving horizontally and vertically until all nine straws have been used once. Resume weaving again, beginning with the first straw. If you need more straw length for one of the straws, lay another flattened straw on top of it, overlapping generously and continue weaving until your braid measures 288 inches in length.

If you have to stop braiding and the braid dries out presoak the unfinished ends before you begin weaving again. When your braid is at the required length, tape or stitch the ends. If the entire braid has dried, presoak it for approximately thirty minutes before you begin to make the straw hat. Thread the long darning needle with the double twine string. Insert a drawstring at one edge of the braid and pull it through seven inches. Continue pulling through gently but firmly until that edge begins to curl around, leaving a tiny circle in the middle. Use a warm iron to press the circle of braid until it is dry. Stitch the beginning end of the braid securely and continue threading through with the drawstring. If the double twine string gets short, tie an additional piece to it and continue pulling through. The braid should continue to spiral outward and around.

As the curved braid spirals around, stitch each coil together with the curved upholstery needle threaded with twine string. Ensure that as you pull the drawstring through, the crown is kept pressed and flat. After the braid has spiraled approximately three times, cut a makeshift brim from cardboard or card stock paper. Ensure that it fits your head comfortably. When the braid has spiraled five or six times, place a second drawstring in the bottom edge of the crown and pull the braid upwards to fit the head hole of the cardboard brim. Press the gathered edge until it is dry, and secure that drawstring with stitches or a knot. Remove the cardboard brim and discard it.

Continue spiraling and stitching the spirals of the braid as the brim takes shape. Make the front of the brim one-inch wider than the back. When you are at the last spiral, bring the end under the brim and stitch it in place. After this you can proceed to make a smaller braid of four or five straws that should be long enough to stretch around the circumference of the hat. Stitch this finishing braid to the under side of the brim at the outer edge. Remember to soak the straw before you begin to weave the finishing braid. Weave another four or five straw braid to make a hatband. Use thin straws to give the hatband a neat, contrasting look. Finally, attach the one-inch long grosgrain ribbon to the inside edge of the crown of the hat as a sweatband.

Your straw hat is now complete and you can either decorate it with beads, ribbon, netting etc. or leave it in a simple natural style. Whatever your choice wear it proudly as your creation hand made from straw.

Designing sandals

2009-06-04T16:23:50-07:00

Follow Up To: So They Don't Drive You Insane

This instructional video shows you how to make sandals out of old jeans. The finished product doesn't look to bad either check it out.

Make Your Own Play Dough

2009-06-04T16:14:47-07:00

Kool-Aid Play Dough

Below is a recipe to make your own play dough enjoy.

2 1/2 cups flour
1 cup salt
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 cups boiling water
2 packages unsweetened Kool-Aid

Mix dry ingredients. Add oil and water. Wearing gloves, knead for 10 minutes. Store in zip lock bag in refrigerator.

Notes:

Your hands may smell of the Kool-Aid flavor even with gloves.
Kool-Aid is a powdered drink mix sold in North America. Parents just add sugar and water to make the drink. The powder has both flavoring and color which makes it great for this craft.

This more or less a follow up to the clay molding activity. That I mentioned in the last post. After you have made the play dough. You should try completing some of the activities in this book it's very fun.

Create Anything With Clay

So They Don't Drive You Insane

2009-06-03T16:36:24-07:00

The summer break can get very boring for children. They love being out of school, but daytime TV can drive them crazy, not to mention the fact that they got tired of playing with all their new holiday toys about 2 days after the holiday. So how do you keep kids busy during the holiday break? Well you could always give them chores to do....I'm only kidding. One of the best ways to keep kids busy during the holiday break is crafts. Crafts take a lot of time and keep kids interested in what they are doing. Before they know it, it will be time for them to go back to school.

Here are some off the top of my head. That will keep you and the kids busy. Some of them can get a little messy lol.

Description
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Clay modeling
+
Acrylic painting| ages 10+|
+ Finger painting

Simple sewing projects (Id say around age 8 with supervision)
+
Designing sandals and hats
+
T-shirt painting for this if you wanna try with younger childen you can. Just dip their hand in some paint and press it on a shirt. Just make sure you clean their hands afterward' s cause you child will to eat it.
+
Make some wind chimes. (very easy to make)
+
Key Charms you know those little things that go key rings.
+
Turn your winter clothes in to summer clothes. A snip here and a snip there with some scissors, and you can add some nice additions to your wardrobe.

There's a whole lot more stuff you can do. Also I'll be explaining how to do some of this stuff in later articles.

Making Gel Candles for Fun & Profit

2009-06-03T13:57:14-07:00

Candle making is by no means a dangerous affair and is often an activity that is fun for all the family however people should follow some very basic safety precautions.

Making Gel Candles for Fun & Profit
By: A Graf
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There are a few items you will need to gather before you can start making your gel candles. The most basic are supply containers, gels, pans, wicks, and of course, your kitchen range. Below is a detailed list of the items you will need, and most of these items are available at your local craft and variety stores.

Containers: It's best to use a heat resistant glass, but there are also many types of glass and acrylics.

Materials: Gel Wax, Paraffin when specified in a recipe, candle scent, candle dye, wick, wick clip, and wick base.

Supplies: Craft sticks, knife, spoon, candy thermometer, pliers, small sauce pan, double boiler for paraffin when used, cooking oil spray, non-stick cookie sheet, ice cream scoop, ice pick, Potato peeler for the dye, stove burner, small deep metal pans, and molds.

Wicks & Clips: Use large bleached wicks. Gel candles burn longer than paraffin candles so a large wick is required for the additional burn time. Do not use wire wicks these will leave debris in the gel. Use a metal base clip and crimp it to one end of the wick with pliers or use a small washer.

Dyes & Scents: Candles dyes are great to use because their color is translucent. Crayons can also be used if the proper dyes are not available at your local stores. Candle dyes come in different forms, from wax squares, to liquids and powders. You can mix colors to form additional colors. Scents are fun to add to make the candle fragrant. Scents come in the form of oil based liquids, pellets and wax solids. You add scent before pouring the candle this avoids evaporation.

Additives & Release Agents: If using paraffin, add stearic acid to increase the hardness and raise the melting point. Use spray cooking oil or silicone spray to aid in the release of the molds.

Submerged Objects: In order to submerge objects in your gel candles they must be resistant to burning and melting. Items that work well are buttons, marbles, toys and jewels. Do not use highly flammable items. Some objects will float so you may have to add the items as the gel cools and thickens. This is where the craft sticks or knife comes in handy. You can push items down that float to the top.

Heating Wax: Paraffin should be heated to 130 degrees F to 140 degrees F. The melting point of gel wax is between 160 degrees and 170 degrees F. If you are melting Paraffin you should always use a double boiler. Gel wax can be heated directly on the burner set at a medium to low heat. Tip: Tear gel into small pieces to control the amount of bubbles.

CAUTION: Always be careful when melting wax. It is highly flammable. Make sure your area is well ventilated. Never leave unattended or around young children without supervision.

Clean Up: Use dish soap and hot water to clean utensils, counter tops and tools. Run paraffin under hot water then under soapy water. You can scrape wax off counter tops, or use small amounts of turpentine to aid in removal (be sure to test first).

Once you learn to create your candles create a business plan and decide on what market to target for your product. You could do theme candles such as weddings, birthdays, etc. Possbily decide on making recipe candles, or whatever great ideas you may have.

Then discover where to sell your candles such as craft shows, sell them on ebay, create your own web site, take them to work, set up trade shows, contact local gift shops and talk with others about selling or starting a new business.

Resources for Candle making/Selling: The Ultimate Gel Candle Book

Article Source: EzineArticles.com

Make Your Own Wedding Favors

2009-06-02T18:01:26-07:00

I find that sometimes things you make yourself, can be better or even more valuable. To the people you give them to. Than a product you may purchase from a store. The article below shows you how to make one of those things. Have fun making them.

Save Some Money: Make Your Own Wedding Favors
By: Lesley_Anne Graham
____________________________________________________________________
Not only is it a nice touch, but if you have time to make your own simple wedding favors, you can save money that you desperately need for flowers, food, or your honeymoon.

A great wedding favor to make yourself is molded chocolate. With options from lollipops to delicate multicolored shells, dark chocolate to white chocolates you can dye to match your wedding colors, these edible favors are a winner for every age.

To make your own chocolate wedding favors, follow these steps:

Chocolate Wedding Favors

1. Equipment:

Microwave or double boiler to melt chocolates
Plastic bowls and spoons

Candy molds – plastic or coated metal are fine, but nonstick is critical

Small cellophane bags

Small squeeze bottle

Plastic gloves designed for handling food

Candy thermometer

2. Ingredients:
____________________________________________________________________
Molding chocolate like Merckens Chocolate or Wilton Candy Melts. For best results, buy this at a specialty cooking store and ask the store clerk to help you determine how much to purchase.

Lollipop sticks

Luster dust, or pearl dust, to add shimmer to your chocolate

Small paint brush (for the luster dust)

Oil-based flavorings

Decorative ribbons or other decorations to impress in the chocolate

3. Steps:
____________________________________________________________________
Select your molds. Melt the chocolates in a double boiler or microwave (the double boiler is better because of a consistent melt, but you will need to keep an eye on it.) Water goes in the outer pot, the chocolate sits in the inner. Try not to bring the water to a boil, and do not let any water mix with your chocolate. Stir chocolate until it is melted.

In the double boiler method, you can melt about two pounds of chocolate at a time.

When using the microwave method, melt a half-pound at a time. Place in microwave at about 600 watts for 1 minute, then stir. Return to microwave for 15 seconds at a time until completely melted.

If you want to add a flavor, do it now; no more than 20-25 drops per pound should work.

Next, fill a squeeze bottle with chocolate. Squeeze chocolate into each mold crevice carefully to eradicate air bubbles. Tap mold on counter to eliminate remaining air bubbles; pop the stubborn ones with a toothpick. Fill molds to the top, and insert lollipop stick if you wish. Place mold in freezer for about five minutes, or until the chocolate pulls away from the mold. Remove favors from mold and place on a sheet of wax paper to rest; make sure none of them touch the others.

4. Decorating Your Wedding Chocolates:
____________________________________________________________________
Shimmer can be added by coating your chocolates with luster dust. Dip a brush in water or another clear liquid, then in the dust. Brush powder on for a solid-looking shimmer. Put chocolates in cellophane bags and close by tying with a pretty ribbon. These ribbons can be personalized with name and wedding date, and you can even find miniature roses at many home décor stores to slip into the ribbon.

5. Cost:

The more chocolates you make with the same molds, the lower the cost per chocolate goes. In general, you can make about a hundred chocolates for $30. Larger molds and more elaborate decorations can make costs rise to $1 per chocolate.

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Lesley-Ann Graham runs WeddingTrix.com - a valuable wedding planning resource with articles, tips and advice to help you plan your perfect wedding. The Bride, Groom, Best Man, Bridesmaids and Groomsmen can find it all at.

Safety First

2009-06-02T16:59:19-07:00

OK people safety is number one. I don't want anybody getting hurt while using craft knives saws or anything else, you may need to craft and/or practice some of the crafts featured in this blog. Here's a article that talks about some of the potential risks you take.

Some artists and craftspeople might assume that all arts materials are safe to work with, based on the simple fact that the materials are readily available. However, some of these materials can pose a hazard if you do not follow all of the safety instructions on the product label.

It is impossible to list all of the potential hazards associated with every arts and crafts material. However, the following examples highlight some things that could be harmful:

* If you draw or paint, you might inhale dust from dry pigments or fumes from the chemical solvents used to clean brushes. Spray paints can produce mists that are harmful when inhaled. Many of these products are also flammable.

* Some photo-processing solutions used in developers, fixers, stop baths and
intensifiers can irritate skin, be poisonous if ingested and may produce dangerous fumes.

* In jewelery-making and enameling, you could inhale dusts or fumes during soldering, pickling, casting or finishing.

* In stained glass work, you could inhale lead fumes when soldering glass pieces together or you could be exposed to lead when handling lead came or leaded solders. You could also inhale hazardous fumes when using acid fluxes during soldering, or do serious damage to your lungs by breathing in powdered glass when using an electric glass grinder.

* In woodworking, you could seriously damage your lungs by inhaling wood dust over and over again. Some of the solvents and adhesives used in stripping, gluing and finishing can also harm your health.

* Some materials that are safe when used on their own can produce hazardous fumes or materials when they are mixed with bleaches, acids, solvents, household cleaners or other substances.

Don't let this article scare you though, just remember Safety first.

Is There a Close Relationship Between Art and Sport?

2009-06-02T12:35:42-07:00

portrait figures sports La Diaphane

From a very early age we are encouraged to draw and paint. Using self expression to free ourselves through painting and drawing, supplies our developing and inventive minds with one of its main sources of early learning and personal expressive nourishment. I loved art as a youngster and remember, with great fondness, "escaping" the formal structure of school classes during every period of art!

Through participation in sporting activities, I discovered the outlet I needed to express myself and release the artistic side of my personality. As a "Shortstop" or "Outfielder," my position allowed me to play Softball with inventiveness and flair and my young leadership qualities were recognized as I was made team captain.

I used to enjoy and appreciate the individual qualities, widely varying techniques and artistic expression, displayed by all of my friends, in both art and sport. I found that I had an ability to associate most paintings to the artist and realized that, in the main, there was a close relationship between the art work and the artist's personality and character.

To summarize, I feel that there is a close relationship between art and sport and that both activities provide extremely rewarding sources of intuitive and artistic expression.

Neck Tie Fathers Day Card

2009-06-01T20:52:04-07:00

Here's something cool you and your kid can make for daddy this fathers day. Bare with me as I am using my Sloppy Diagrams again in this tutorial.

Materials

1 Piece of 4 x 4 two sided paper (for tie)
1 Piece of 4 1/2 x 3 1/2 if that's to small try 5 1/2 x 4 1/2 for shirt
Pair of Scissors

Step #1: Start by folding your 4 x 4 two sided piece of paper into a triangle.

Step #2: Open the triangle back up and use the center fold as a guide so you can fold each corner into the center.

Step 3#: You should now have sort of a cone shaped piece of paper then flip it over to it front side.

Step 4#: Now that you have flipped onto its front side the side with the colors showing. Lets make the front knot of the neck tie. Fold the top down about 3/4 of the way.

Step #5: Then take the point and fold it back up not to the top but about halfway.

Step 6#: Now you see where the tip ended up after the fold you that as a guide and fold the paper up.

Step #7: After that all you have to do is. Flip it over again and repeat step #2 and you should have your necktie.
________________________________________
Next Make A Simple Shirt For Your Neck Tie
________________________________________

No Sloppy Diagrams for this it's just tooo easy.

Step #1: Grab your 5 1/2 x 4 1/2 two sided paper. Fold it an inch of the way down.

Step #2: Now open it up make a cut on each side leaving about 1 1/2 in.

Step #3: Then fold each side into the middle.

The image above is what a finished product should look like with a little more work. Have fun making one of these.

Rapid Fire Marshmallow Shooter

2009-06-01T13:22:32-07:00

What's better than a Marshmallow Shooter? A Rapid Fire Marshmallow Shooter! Check out the video.

Marshmallow Shooter

2009-06-01T13:12:28-07:00

Ever just get the urge to shoot marshmallow's at things. You may not have but your kid probably has. I present to you the idea a marshmallow shooter. The best thing is I'm gonna tell you exactly how to make one. Followed by a video that's gonna show you how to make a better one. Let's get started shall we.

Materials

A 10ft 1/2 inch PVC Pipe
A Saw doesn't really matter what kind
Measuring Tape
Two 90 Degree Elbows(smooth)
Two T's
Two Caps
A Marker(to mark off measurements)
Sandpaper

Making The Marshmallow Shooter
_____________________________
Step #1: Make four 3in pieces so take you measuring tape out hook it at the beginning of you 10ft PVC and make a mark at every 3in, 3|6|9|12|.

Step #2: Now it's time for you to cut and sand down the burs around the edge and the inside of your pipes.

Step #3: On to the measuring and cutting two 5in pieces take you measuring tape out hook it at the beginning of you 10ft PVC and make a mark at every 5in, 5|10|. After you've done that, Just repeat step #2.

Step #4: Make one 7in cut and repeat step #2.

Step #5: Layout all you materials you should have four 3in two 5in and last but not least one 7in.

Step #6: Now it's time for the two 90 degree elbows, the two T's and two caps. Your gonna use them to connect all the pieces, like in the sloppy diagram below. It's the best I could lol.

And that's the tutorial hope it helped. Have fun shooting marshmallow's.

Things To Do When Your Bored And On A Budget

2009-06-01T11:40:17-07:00

* Do things like: Give each other a $10 or $15 limit. Then go to a market or some other place where cheap stuff is sold. See who can get the coolest stuff. Then we see who can get the highest price on EBay for it! So you actually MAKE money!

* Organize a "old stuff" party (I think there's a proper name for it) everyone brings a bag of stuff they no longer want (clothes, kitchen stuff, shoes etc). Clear a big space in the lounge room and dump all the stuff in the middle. Get hold of some quiz questions and take turns asking each other questions, when you get a question right, you get to pick from the pile! or... you could ditch the quiz questions and have a free for all grab-fest!

* Browse the web for ideas for whatever your latest interest is

* Make up a treasure map - A piece of cardboard with all pictures and words of all the things you want in life. (It's said they come true)

* Try some scrap booking.

* Write down or make some record of some of the amazing thoughts in your head.
* You might be surprised at just how profound you really are.
* Or at how many good ideas you actually have.

* Play a game such as
* Eye spy
* Or organize a scavenger hunt for your kid/kids

* Glow sticks\rings - Use your imagination, there are plenty of things you can do with these.

* Get creative with some art. Paint, draw, charcoal, craft – anything.

* Magic Eye can be a lot of fun. Look at some 3d pictures

*Put on some music. Have a dance maybe, see how you feel
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These are some of the things I do. You gotta have a little imagination for some of them though. Things like the first are good ways for making money, you'd be surprised how much some stuff sales for on EBay.

Kirigami??? What's that

2009-05-31T21:00:58-07:00

Kirigami is kinda like origami but with a Craft Knife. The video below will help you to better understand.