What you see here is part of a 3 heart sampler by TwistedThreads. This shop offers some beautiful needlework, like these stitched and beaded samplers, framed and ready to hang on the wall. It’s gorgeous. I love the colors, I love the use of beads. Heck, I was tempted to buy it and I’m a stitcher!

I encourage you to browse the TwistedThreads shop on Etsy, favorite it, favorite an item, and if you’re in a shopping mood go ahead and grab a sampler, they’re beautiful!

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Super cute and an easy stitch! Needlerolls are great for seasonal designs because they’re easy to switch around and keep the decor looking fresh and new!

Happy Stitching and enjoy your holiday weekend!

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I promised my boys I’d take the day off today, so I’m shutting down the computer here in a few minutes. I’ll probably work on my stitches while they play outside later this afternoon. I need to get the pics off my camera and post some updates. I managed to stitch single crochet, and made a little progress on my dolphin cross stitch.

Have a great day everyone! See you tomorrow

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Hopefully I’ll have better luck this time around.

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In this video we just take a quick walk through of how to generate your very own twitter signature style to use on blogs, forums, message boards, and just about anywhere on the web.

If you’re on Twitter, please check it out. Happy twittering!

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Mothers love cards from their children, especially if they’re handmade.  It doesn’t matter if the card is a simple piece of paper folded and colored, as long as it’s from her child.  Any mother will cherish it.  There are places you can go online to find a Mother’s Day card template, but that won’t matter as much as a mother knowing that her child has spent the time and effort to create the card just for her.

Of course, she’ll want to display the card for some time after her day has passed.  What better way to help her do that than by making a seashell magnet for her to post the card on the refrigerator.  Make a couple so that she can hang several items at once.  All it takes is a dad willing to help with the hot glue gun, a few seashells, some small pieces of ribbon or dried flowers, and some round magnets.  Glue the magnets and ribbon onto the seashells and allow them to cool.  Pack them in a small basket and they’re ready to give to Mom.

Moms enjoy displaying photos of their kids, so what could be better than finding a favorite photo and creating a home-made frame to place it in?  Find a CD case and cut two pieces of scrapbook or construction paper large enough to fit snugly on the inside of the CD case.  Carefully cut a shape out of the center of the square to place the photo.  Decorate the paper before gluing the photo in place.  Put each piece of paper into the case and cover the back of the photo to keep it from falling out.  Glue the back of the paper into the case.  You can also put decorations on the frame itself.

What mom wouldn’t love a coupon book for Mother’s Day?  Write out coupons for “One free hug”, “Good for one foot massage”, “Control of the remote for one evening”, or “One undisturbed afternoon nap”.   Your child can come up with ideas of their own.  Make the coupons about 3” x 8 1/2” with a pretty cover and staple them together.  This gift is meant to be returned, so don’t be surprised if she redeems them quickly.

Bookmarks are another item that most moms would probably enjoy.  All this gift takes is some ribbon a little larger than a standard book, some fabric pens, and a little bit of patience.  Personalize them and Mom will like them even more.

The ultimate home-made gift a child can give their mom, with help from Dad, is breakfast in bed complete with a flower in a vase.  This gift may take a little more time than some of the other suggestions, but Mom is sure to love it and those that prepared it for making her feel so special.

The gifts a child can make for Mother’s Day are really limited by their own imagination, creativity, and ability.  Having Dad or an older sibling help will ensure the younger child is being safe during the creation process.  Whatever your child chooses to make and give, as long as it is made with love, it’s sure to be a big hit.

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With a little imagination, a rock can be turned into any number of things. You can paint it up and add googly eyes to create a pet rock. You can decorate a large rock and use it as a paperweight. You can even make little people and animals out of them. Who knew rocks could be so versatile?

Choosing a Rock for Your Project

For most projects, smooth rocks are the best. These can be difficult to find, but a good place to look is in a creek or river if there is one nearby. The flowing water smooths stones naturally over time. You can find both large and small rocks in bodies of water.

Rough, jagged rocks can also work for some projects. They are more difficult to paint evenly than smooth rocks, but this adds to their charm. Small jagged rocks may also be glued onto smooth ones as “body parts” or accents for some projects.

If you plan to paint the entire rock, color won’t be an issue. But some rocks come in beautiful colors that do not require painting. These are much rarer than your usual gray or brown rocks, so finding one is a real treat.

Working with Rocks

The first thing to do when crafting with rocks is to clean them thoroughly. Take care to remove all dirt so that paint and glue will stay put. For jagged or unusually shaped rocks, you might need to use a small, stiff brush to make sure it’s nice and clean.

When painting rocks, acrylics work the best. It sticks to rocks very well and has a glossy sheen. Tempera also holds well, but it has a chalkier finish. It may be a better choice for particularly messy kids, however, because it washes off much easier than acrylic.

If you’re gluing rocks together or gluing on embellishments, cement glue provides the best hold. But it also has very strong fumes, so it should only be used in a well-ventilated area by an adult. There are other types of glue that are safe for kids that will work, but the finished product will not be as durable.

Rock crafts are very inexpensive and lots of fun for kids. They’re also educational, because they challenge the mind to take abstract objects and turn them into something recognizable. So the next time your child wants to make something, sit down with a pile of rocks together and let your imaginations run free.

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Papier Mache

Papier mache is a craft that requires recycled materials. Newspaper is cut into strips and dipped into paste to create piñatas and other works of art. It’s a little messy, but it’s very easy to do. This is one of my favorites even though it can be messy and sticky! Being messy is half the fun of crafting

To make the paste, bring 2 cups of water to a boil and add a mixture of 1/2 cup of flour and 2 cups of cold water. Bring to a boil again, remove from heat and stir in 3 tablespoons of sugar. Let cool.

Newspaper strips are usually dipped into the paste and applied to an inflated balloon. When the balloon is covered, it is hung up to dry. Once dry, the balloon is popped and embellishments are added to finish the project.

Candle Holders

It’s easy to make candle holders out of empty baby food jars. All you have to do is remove the label and decorate as you please. Use decoupage, paint, ribbon, gems and other items. Add a tea light or votive candle, and you have a beautiful, thoughtful and inexpensive gift.

Maracas

Kids love stuff that makes noise, so this is a great craft for them. Just put some dried beans in a clean used paper or plastic cup. Use enough to make some noise but not so many that they do not have room to move around. Glue the mouth of another cup to the mouth of the first cup and let dry. Decorate if desired.

Gift and Storage Boxes

Old shoe boxes can be transformed into beautiful gift or storage boxes. Just use some contact paper to cover them up. Decorate with rubber stamps, paint, ribbon and other embellishments. These can be used to store photos and other keepsakes, used to present gifts, or given as gifts themselves.

Pencil Holders

You can make a pencil holder out of a number of recycled materials. Tin cans with the tops removed are nice and sturdy. Plastic, styrofoam and paper cups also work well, but may not last as long. The cardboard tubes found in the middle of tissue rolls can even work if you cover one end of them with a flat piece of cardboard.

Recycled items can be used to make lovely crafts to keep or give as gifts. They’re good for the budget and for the environment. The next time you need craft supplies, take a look at the things you’ve been tossing out. You might find that you already have what you need! Be creative and most of all, have fun! That’s what it’s really all about.

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The two most popular methods of soap making are cold process and melt and pour. Which one is best? That depends primarily on your reasons for making your own soap.

Melt and Pour Soap

The melt and pour method is the easiest way to make soap. It requires very little mixing of ingredients and few supplies. In its simplest form, melt and pour soap requires little more than melting and pouring.

To make melt and pour soap, you use soap base. This is a simple, uncolored and unscented premade soap that comes in large bars. You’ll have to cut off the amount you need, and melt it using either the microwave or a double boiler. You can then add fragrance, coloring and additional ingredients before pouring it into a mold and allowing it to harden.

Melt and pour soap can be customized somewhat, but it doesn’t give you complete control over your ingredients. Some types of soap base might not be suitable for those with certain allergies and sensitivities. But what it lacks in versatility, it makes up for in ease and safety of production. It’s also ready to use immediately, although it will harden more if left to dry for a week.

Cold Process Soap

Making cold process soap is somewhat harder than making the melt and pour variety. It requires more ingredients and more complex techniques. But using the cold process method allows complete control over the soap’s ingredients.

The three basic ingredients for cold process soap are water, lye and fat. The fat can be obtained from animal sources or vegetable oils. In general, the harder the fat, the better soap it will make.

One of the reasons that fewer people make cold process soap than melt and pour soap is the fact that lye is a very dangerous substance. It’s very important not to get lye on your skin when making soap, and you must use containers and utensils that are reserved exclusively for your soap-making projects. It can eat through metals and damage surfaces. And if not mixed properly, lye can explode.

Even though cold process soap making is more difficult, those who want to control the ingredients used prefer it. They can create soaps using a variety of recipes, and they can tailor their soaps to the user’s skin type.

Melt and pour soap is a good way to get started in soap making, and it allows some flexibility in the finished product. But if you want your soap to be unique or have a specific combination of ingredients, it will be worth your while to learn how to make cold process soap. Either method can be used to produce beautiful, sweet smelling soaps for yourself, to give as gifts, or to sell.

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