Hobbies & Crafts

An organized playroom is a useful playroom

2012-01-16T01:58:00.000-08:00

Guest post written by Kimmie Canton

I noticed a few months ago that my kids haven't really been using their playroom as much lately and their toys have taken over the living room. I tried not to make a big fuss over it, but I was so tired of stepping over all their new toys around Christmas that I knew I had to do something to get them and all their toys back in the playroom.

I'm not an organizational genius or anything, so I decided to look online and see what I could do with the playroom to make it appealing to my kids. While I was online looking through some stuff, I came across a lot of info on New bath installation. I've thought about redoing our bathroom for some time now anyway that I decided to go ahead and bite the bullet for the bathroom remodel.

I not only want a organized playroom, but I also want to create a fun and new environment for them without breaking the bank. We'll see if that actually happens.

Garden Design - Yes, in January!

2012-01-10T10:33:00.000-08:00

If you live in a snow-blanketed location, you may think that fall is the time to wind down garden activities and then don't give your outdoor spaces much thought until spring approaches. If you do, you're missing a wonderful opportunity to add architectural wonder to your home!

Gardens don't have to be ignored in winter. In fact, they have a whole other aspect, and the lines of trees, fences, benches, and other permanent fixtures are never more visible. I would suggest spending a few hours in your garden, perhaps at different times of day, photographing it from different angles. Get a feel for how everything looks when it's not swathed in green. You may discover a wonderful canvas that affords the opportunity for fresh design possibilities.

Winter gardens are strongly supported by the "bones" of the garden, provided by walls, fences, trees, benches, plant supports, archways, sculpture, and whatever else you see in winter. Have a look at what's there, and think of it as you do the inside of your home. Are there empty places where something could be added? An odd balance that could benefit from rearranging? (At least where it's possible, but even if you can't move a tree or a wall, you can bring in another item such as a bench to even things out.) Or a feature that's especially nice that you might like to highlight?

Winter gardens also don't have to be devoid of color. Do you have evergreens, or clinging berries that offer a hint of color? Or would you like to add them? Perhaps something else for color? Don't forget the possibility of water features, even in winter (though care may need to be taken to prevent damage if your climate is very cold). I've actually seen fountains frozen while bubbling and the effect is stunning. Don't forget about lighting. Sometimes the most charming are tiny white lights reminiscent of those on Christmas trees but allowed to light overhead all winter long.

We can't give you ALL the instructions in a short blog post, but I hope you will start thinking about the possibilities presented by your garden in winter, if you aren't already taking advantage of them.

Chiseled Edge Granite

2012-01-09T15:39:00.000-08:00

I recently ran across a person questioning whether a chiseled edge was a good idea on the front of a kitchen countertop in a rustic setting. While I don't really agree with exactly what was done, it does lead off into some other good ideas.

I see both cosmetic and functional problems with the countertop as installed.

From a cosmetic standpoint, the chiseled edge is interesting. Of course, it wouldn't be appropriate in many settings. It would need a very rustic setting such as a log cabin in order to be at home. But even in a log cabin, I don't like the highly-polished granite top against the dull rough chiseled side. The difference is just too jarring. If a truly chiseled edge is to be used, the top needs to be less polished.

As far as functional considerations, the rough chiseled edge can be sharp, catching clothing and cutting skin. A kitchen or bathroom countertop is far too heavily used to have such an edge.

Some might suggest that the best way to fix both of these problems is to slightly polish the edges of the granite, making it smoother and less dull. The problem I have with that is that it makes the countertop look very contrived and not natural. Interior decorating is much more pleasing if it looks like it all just came effortlessly together rather than looking like a puzzle pieced together from a half-dozen different boxes where someone had to chip away at the pieces to make them fit.

There ARE some VERY good uses for such an edge though. Again, the cabin setting or perhaps a farmhouse or some other rustic setting come to mind. How about a fireplace mantel top? The granite can be very effective and the chiseled edge would be eye-catching at that level. A wall shelf made of the granite would be similarly attractive. A sideboard or buffet could also be a good candidate for a base covered with chiseled edge granite top if the traffic pattern safely allows it. A smaller piece could be put to use as a cutting board/serving tray with the edges chiseled all around. A even smaller version could make a base for a candle.

The look is somewhat heavy, so along with a rustic setting, other factors help the heavy rough-edged granite feel at home, particularly if using granite in darker colors. Walls with a wood surface, preferably rough, but even pine board or smooth finish would make a good backdrop, and floors of slate or a similar material would provide the stability to ground such a room. Wrought iron would be my material of choice for hanging light fixtures or any other use of metal in the room. Candles and live plants would add a nice earthiness and hominess as finishing touches.

Chiseled edge granite can be very enjoyable to decorate with, but I believe it is best confined to a narrow niche of uses. Better to appreciate the material as it is and make use of its qualities rather than fighting to force them where they may not work as well.

Organizational issues

2012-01-08T23:37:00.000-08:00

Still trying to find a way to compromise between "attractive" which we believe a craft and hobby blog should be, and we want to feature many MANY more photos ... but that needs to be balanced with functional. Particularly in the way you can find posts by topic. We wanted to limit our topic pages, but there are just so many topics, and the keyword aspects of this template don't seem to be working correctly for us ... then again it may be user error.

Hopefully soon we can get back to doing what we love best, instead of tinkering with code!

Craft room organization tip - cute AND fuctional!

2012-01-04T18:11:00.000-08:00

I love using things in unexpected ways. If they are especially useful AND attractive in their new purpose, so much the better! And sometimes it's just so easy to repurpose certain things because they come in handy in so many ways.

Spice racks are like that. I used to collect empty wooden spice racks at fleas markets years ago, just knowing they'd have to be useful for something. (And I was right!) I love jars too ... little spice jars that fit in the spice racks, or even larger jars with more capacity. There's something about glass that makes things sparkle and look fancy, no matter how basic the material inside the jar.

So our tip today -- repurpose old spice racks! You can use the wooden rack alone if you don't have jars. It would make a cute shelf for tiny knick knacks, especially if you paint ceramics, but you can also use it to store anything that comes on spools, such as thread, twine, ribbon, beading wire, etc. I have a larger version inmy craft room filled with ribbons, and I love it.

Empty spice jars are great for scrapbookers to store metal embellishments, such as eyelets and brads, or tiny paper or silk flowers. Jewelry artists will find great bead storage here. Stamping enthusiasts can transfer embossing powder into spice jars and shake it out as needed if the cap with tiny holes is still intact. Stones, beads, buttons, brads, colorful powdered supplies, and more will stay clean and handy, and look beautiful at the same time, stored in tiny jars.

Spice racks also come in styles ranging from country to contemporary, so no matter what your space looks like, you can easily match your preferred decor. Next time you run across a spice rack that appeals to your sense of design, grab it and make it part of your craft room organization system!

Announcing our new look!

2011-12-28T10:13:00.000-08:00

Please be patient with us over the next few days. We are taking the slow time after Christmas to work on our designs here, and will be making changes to our blog. Posts may temporarily disappear or be moved, but all will be back to normal within a few days. (And anytime we log out of our updating, we'll make sure all the current posts are still available, in case you want to see them while we're away.) Feel free to comment on this post if any questions or concerns. And we hope to be back with our new look in a few days!

And please keep bearing with us ... as of January 13th we are going with a whole new layout, and starting all over, so it's a bit of a mess again!

Next year's Holiday Crafting ON SALE NOW!

2011-12-26T06:17:00.000-08:00

Get ready, crafters! It's time to stock up on NEXT year's holiday crafting supplies, at deep discounts!

If you're like most of us, you keep a stash of crafting products anyway, so storage is not a huge issue. Still, you might want to concentrate on things that take up less space (scrapbooking stickers, rather than full sized artificial wreaths). But as of today, most craft stores as well as general merchandise stores will be offering their Christmas supplies at deep discounts, often as much as 80-95% off.

(As a matter of fact, if sale prices are only 50% off, don't buy, since they are routinely marked down 30-50% in the months leading up to the holidays as part of regular sales promotions.)

Remember some materials are generic enough to do double-duty for other time of year as well. Red ribbon can work just as well for Valentine's Day wreaths, bows, and decorations. And if you have kids, sets of things like Christmas-colored foam sheets or felt squares can be used throughout the year in all sorts of crafts. Sometimes pen sets in metallic and "holiday" colors can be purchased on sale, and can be used for many other kinds of crafts.

Even supplies for making ornaments specifically for Christmas may be something you can use in another way. We especially love the various shapes of glazed ceramic ornaments meant to be painted and personalized. These can be made into virtually anything!

So get down to your favorite craft store as soon as you can, to see what kind of deals are being offered, and stock up and save!

Fun ways to enjoy your kids during the Christmas break

2011-12-20T02:22:00.000-08:00

It's a busy and potentially stressful time of year for most of us, and parents are no exception. Having kids underfoot while you're trying to finish up holiday preparations can make things even more difficult. Why not make plans to give your kids fun things to do while they are out of school, and maybe you can even join in the fun!

Some of our favorite sites for crafts for kids are:

Enchanted Learning - they do have a paid subscription that includes everything on the site, but you can access a lot of it for free. Mostly involved with educational activities, they have plenty of "fun stuff" and crafty items for kids to make as well, and they are good at providing crafts made of simple items you're likely to find around the home. A separate section is offered for preschool/kindergarten age kids crafting, and the crafts are sorted into many categories, making it easy to match a craft with some other activity you have going on. We especially love the handprint Christmas trees, and handprint/footprint reindeer. These would be nice decorations for oversized cards for grandparents too!

Kaboose is another great resource. These are divided into ornaments, cards, and gifts. The main page has a long scroll-down that shows many of the Christmas ideas on the site, so you don't have to click from one page to another to browse the crafts. A few of the ones we have used from Kaboose tended to need a little more adult help, but the results are especially nice. We love all the ideas for decorating the glass ball ornaments!

Family Fun - has been one of our go-to sites for ideas for years. Featuring not only crafts, but also recipes (some of which are crafts in their own right!) and some activities, this is a great resource for family fun -- aptly named! The penguins made from empty soda bottles are just too cute, and the many Christmas-inspired goodies are delicious and sure to be the hit of any party. This site is a little slower to navigate, and you are more likely to have to purchase supplies and prepare ahead of time, but the ideas are very creative and fun.

AllKidsNetwork is worth checking out. Again, this site has a list of crafts on the main page with pictures for each one, so it's quick and easy to select an idea. The titles alone are descriptive and most of the crafts are simple enough that a quick glance will tell you what supplies you are likely to need and how difficult (most are very easy) the craft will be. The supplies tend to be mostly simple ones you likely already have on hand, and the projects can be completed quickly, so kids can enjoy making a number of these during the days leading up to Christmas. For the crafts that need it, they also show great step by step photos on the instruction page.

DLTK Kids has a lot of great crafts and fun game ideas, as well as other things to do as well. Many of these are submitted by parents, so the illustrations can vary a bit, but the ideas are wonderful and some of them you won't be likely to find anything similar anywhere else. These are sorted mostly by theme, and it may take you a couple of clicks to get to the craft and see an actual picture of it (some have pictures on the list page) but it's definitely something you want to look through.

You may want to bookmark these sites. They have a lot of other ideas for year-round crafts, and cover other holidays as well. We hope you'll take time out of your busy schedule and do a little crafting with your kids. Now is the time to instill a life-long love of producing beautiful things from their own hands, and experiencing the joy and satisfaction that goes along with it.

Homeowner

2011-12-15T09:09:00.000-08:00

Guest written by our friend Katie Callahan

Who would have thought at this point in my life I’d own my own home? I love being independent and for me that means taking care of my own property so when I bought this condo last year I spent a lot of man hours fixing it up right. I wanted to make sure it really reflected my own personal style so I changed out tile, wall colors and even talked to a contractor about putting in a bigger deck out back – I think all in all I did a really good job. I love being a part of a family and for now that family consists of just me and the dogs but one day I’ll get married and my wife can live here, too. I think there’s something to be said for knowing what’s important (for example, WWW.homesecuritysystem.COM packages) and skipping what’s not (the whole house surround sound) and going with that. I think I’m pretty responsible with money and that’s something I pride myself on at this point in my life.

Papercutting - the next generation!

2011-12-12T11:10:00.000-08:00

First there were home die-cutting machines (which I still think are pretty cool and I have a lot of dies!), then came the Cricut (which was a step up) but now papercrafting has moved into a whole new era.

The new Silhouette Cameo die cutting machine can do everything the older models can do and sooooo much more. The machine is a bit pricey (msrp $299) but can be found for less. Overstock.com lists them for $269 with free shipping, and we also found an online coupon for $10, and if you are willing to get the Overstock.com mastercard, you can get $30 off your first statement. Prices may change, and it's worth doing an online comparison since many other sites listed the machine in the same price range and might offer better coupons in the future. Although it is turning out to be such a hot item, be sure you check availability since many are pre-selling and don't have stock to cover orders.

What makes the Cameo so awesome? One of the best features is that you no longer need to buy expensive cartridges or dies for every new design you want to cut. Instead, the software gives you the option of registering any design that can be printed, so now the only limitation to the designs you can cut is your imagination The machine is simple to connect to your computer with a USB cable (provided). And you can start up right away, with the 51 designs included. The cutting area is a generous 12" (wide enough for full sized scrapbook pages) by 10 feet long, so you can produce banners. The machine cuts paper and cardstock, fabric, vinyl, iron-on transfer paper and more, giving you a full range of mediums for your designs.

This machine has our thumbs-up for one of the best new products of the year!

These are a few of my favorite things ...

2011-12-02T23:52:00.000-08:00

Not the song, but yes, just like whiskers on kittens and raindrops on roses, I wanted to share some of my favorite things around the web. Hopefully in time to make some of these as wonderful handmade gifts for Christmas, if you like. I'm going to!

(Clicking on the name of most of the crafts below will take you to the pages where they are featured, along with instructions for making them.)

Glass Tile Pendants

The best thing about these are that they are totally customize-able. You can choose any background color or design you want, use a photograph, stamp a design on paper, or anything you can imagine. These can please anyone, whatever their tastes, and are fun to make.

Tin Box Organizer

This one caught my eye and I immediately started re-designing it. I love the concept, although I would use different decorations and make a different sort of organizer out of it. It would make a great recipe box, address file, or file for anything you need to keep track of that works better on index cards. Again, the variations are endless. I can just see birds and herb prints adorning this box in my kitchen for recipes ...

Glass Fridge Magnets

I was especially glad to find instructions for these online. I made them years ago, and really enjoyed it. They are easy to make, and inexpensive, and totally customizeable. I've found the glass stones in both small and large sizes.

Another tip I especially liked ... I used scrapbooking paper that featured typewriter keys, punched out the letter keys, and used them for the background for a number of the magnets so I could spell out words. This is a great way to include special family sayings or names on your fridge that you wouldn't be able to find otherwise.

If you want to give these as gifts, a great way to present them is to use a small tin, like an Altoids tin, and decorate it to match, then place a half-dozen of the magnets inside.

Scrap Fabric Magnets

Like the blogger who made these magnets, I have a good supply of fabrics, and always hold onto my scraps. I love a project like this that lets me put those scraps to good use, and even better, I can feature whatever part of the design I like and can keep it in plain sight. These would also make nice small gifts for teachers.

There were no instructions accompanying this one, but I would use either a poster board for the backing, or possibly foam core board if I wanted a chunkier magnet. If the poster board is not sturdy enough, it can be doubled. To make it an even more economical craft, you could cut the necessary "poster board" from a cereal box. You are not limited to square shapes, but can cut circles or ovals using any object you can trace.

First decide how you want the finished project to look. Select the shape and size based on the motif you want to feature from the magnet. Cut the board to the finished size and shape desired. Place it over the design on the fabric and mark a cutting line. The fabric should be 1/4" larger on all sides than the poster board, more if you are using foam core (for example, if the foam core is 1/4" thick you will want to cut the fabric 1/2" larger).

Spread glue evenly and thinly across the front of the board material, then place the fabric over the glue. The fabric edges should extend evenly on all sides. Press the fabric snugly on the board, making sure to squeeze out any excess glue. You will probably want to snip the fabric where it will be on the back of the board. Oval or circle designs are usually snipped all the way around, and squares and rectangles are usually mitered at the corners. This is not really a fussy step, because the magnet will keep the board from sitting flat on the metal surface anyway. Spread the glue on the back around the edges, and pull the fabric over the glue and press it down. Place a spot of glue where you want to attach the magnet (or use self-stick magnets) and attach the magnet to the back. Wipe off any excess glue, and leave the project to dry magnet-side down.

Signs to share

This one is worth including too, since it is so open-ended. Instructions are provided on the website linked above. I would add some suggestions though. If it were me, I would probably use a color that complements the paper being used in the sign, and I would probably sand the surface and distress the sign. You could also paint the sign using a crackle medium before applying the paper. I think either of these would make the project look much more chic and finished. I plan on making some of these soon, and I will be sure to share the results.

That's all for now ... Happy Crafting!

Graphic Design

2008-02-21T19:56:00.000-08:00

We talked about interior design, but along with the increase in technology, a lot of designers are expressing themselves digitally. We were interested in the field of graphic design in visual communications that we read about at http://www.gibbsnj.edu.

My daughter loves to work on graphic images, photos, etc. to produce artwork to add to her website, and I've enjoyed helping her develop those talents. She's quite adept at figuring out the programs and has gone on to quickly surpass me in these areas. While I still prefer paper scrapbooking, I think she will probably go all digital soon and produce extraordinary results. (I think she's going to have to start her own blog someday!)

OK, brag mode off ... but with her talents and interests, I try to encourage her to learn more about web design and graphic arts as that segment of design is almost certainly destined to increase greatly. I would like to see her enter a field that she enjoys and that she can express herself through, so I'm glad to see her continue to express interest in various aspects of computer design. As she learns more and more, I know that she'll be able to one day enter this area as a career, if she chooses to do so, and I hope it will prove to be as fulfilling to her then as it does right now.

Careers in Design

2008-02-21T19:39:00.000-08:00

If you have an eye for style and a flair for design, you might want to consider turning your talent into a career, either full-time or part time. Some schools are devoted almost entirely to design, such as http://www.iadtnashville.com. Programs here are varied, including Interior Design, Graphic Design, Fashion Design, Digital Photography, and more.

I have a friend who loves to decorate and is very talented at it. She received her training in interior design and went on to fulfill her dreams using her training. She bought an older home in a historical district of her town. After moving in, she started remodeling and restoring the home. She financed her work by doing freelance interior design work for acquaintances and soon word spread and she had plenty of work. She was able to stay at home with her children most of the time, since she could do a lot of the work in her studio. The bills were paid by her design work. At the same time, she was able to buy everything wholesale as she remodeled and redesigned her own home, and of course did all the work herself, saving professional costs as well. After about two years, she now has a lovely restored home, tastefully decorated, and worth MUCH more than she put into it (although she isn't interested in selling ... she just loves having such a lovely home even though she couldn't have afforded such a nice home outright).

Many of our readers are interested in photography. Digital photography is a growing industry, whether you are interested in doing portraits, product photography, design using photos, or any one of a wide variety of photo-related fields. Scrapbooking remains a hot craft field, and those who can teach techniques of digital photography and photo editing are in growing demand as well. Photo restoration is a related field that could easily be incorporated.

Our point is that, whatever you love to do, you may be able to turn your hobby into a career, either as a full-time occupation or a part-time extension of your hobby that lets you do what you love, meet people, have fun, and earn a little extra in the process.

Framing for elegance

2008-02-16T20:20:00.000-08:00

I recently purchased a wrought iron garden wall sculpture that I absolutely loved because of the lines of the design. I really wanted to hang the piece in the living room, though, rather than on a garden wall as it was intended. But somehow it looked out of place, as if it had somehow wandered into the house from the garden on its own, and just didn't fit in with everything else.

I solved the problem by taking an artist's canvas and covering it with fabric, placing the canvas within a frame, and mounting my garden sculpture in the center of the canvas. The effect was dramatic ... no more did my little garden sculpture look like Oliver Twist visiting my home but instead hung proudly on the wall, perfectly at ease with its surroundings.

This little trick of framing works for virtually anything you want to include in your decor, but by itself isn't "dressy" enough. Children's art work is a perfect example. If you choose a few favorite pieces and frame them using matching simple black frames, then arrange them on the wall like a collage, you have instant "Little Picasso." You can use tiny frames for something as small as a charm or cameo, all the way up to fairly large pieces ... perhaps as big as 20" x 30". Unfortunately, if you get very large, the trick is not really as effective anymore.

If you use a background, rather than filling the frame with your item, do consider the background material carefully. For example, a black or rich-colored velvet fabric in a tiny frame can perfectly set off charms or jewelry pieces. If your piece is more natural, or rustic, perhaps a fabric such as burlap would suit. Even humble burlap becomes suitable for the living room when enhanced by the right frame!

Valentine's Day Crafting with Kids

2008-02-02T02:54:00.001-08:00

Valentine's Day is an especially fun day to craft with kids, because there are so many fun crafts that turn out so well.

1. For an extra special-valentine, or a heart wall decoration, try our tissue paper hearts.

Just use a sturdy cardstock, for a card, or heavier paper for a wallhanging. Draw a heart the size you want the finished piece to be. For a wall-hanging, cut the heart out. Now, draw a smaller heart inside the first one, making a border between the two hearts.

Cut up tissue paper into small squares. You will need two colors. You can get a very nice effect by using white squares for either the inside or the border, and the other color being pink or red.

Coat the inside heart (or a section of it if your design is large) with white school glue. Have children place a square of tissue paper over the eraser tip of a pencil, give the paper a slight twist up over the pencil, and use the pencil to press the paper into the glue. Younger children might be able to more easily just use their fingers to press the paper into the glue. Continue until the area is filled in, and then do the same with the border heart in the other color.

This will make a very special (though bulky!) Valentine card. Or you can add a hanger for a wall-hanging.

2. Heart gift boxes

Purchase paper-mache heart-shaped boxes at a discount store or craft store. Let children paint them in red, pink, white, purple, or other appropriate colors. Almost anything goes after that ... they can glue on silk flowers, ribbons, a lace border, buttons, paper doilies, small heart decorations, paint hearts or polka-dots all over the box, write a message on it, attach a photo inside or outside, apply stickers, or whatever else their imagination and your craft cupboard allows. These can become any style the child wishes, from romantic and elegant to funky.

Use these as a gift themselves, or better yet, fill them with wrapped sweets, bath luxuries, buttons or beads, flower seed packets, extra photos, personalized "coupons" (like "good for one hug anytime"), or whatever else would be appreciated by your recipient.

3. Salt dough magnets

These magnets are fun to make and would also make nice gifts, either as magnets or by punching a hole in the salt dough before baking, adding a personalized message, and threading it on a cord to give as a necklace or ornament.

Salt dough recipe: Mix 1/2 cup of salt, 1/2 cup of water, and 1 cup of flour until dough consistency is reached. Knead on a floured surface. If dough is too sticky, sprinkle just a little flour and work it in.

Roll dough out 1/4" thick on a floured surface with floured rolling pin.

Use heart-shaped cookie cutters to cut hearts. You may also cut them out freehand with a butter knife.

Make any special effects you like before baking, such as layering hearts on top of one another, forming groups of hearts, adding tiny balls of dough for 3-d polka dots, adding texture, or punching holes for hanging.

Place on ungreased cookie sheet and bake at 250 degrees for 2 hours. Remove from oven and allow to cool completely.

The hearts are ready to paint with acrylic paints. You can write messages on them using a very fine brush or a toothpick, etc.

Spray with acrylic sealer if desired.

You can now thread them onto a cord for necklaces or ornaments, hot glue a magnet or pin-back onto the back (parents should handle the glue gun).

4. Fancy lace heart wreath

This one turns out beautifully in spite of its simplicity. You will need wire for the base ... preferably a little lighter than coat hanger wire, though coat hanger wire can work. Try florist's wire and choose one in a heavy gauge.

Cut the wire long enough to make your finished heart, plus about 4 inches.

Cut a length of lace that is twice or even 2-1/2 times as long as your wire.

Shape the wire into a heart, without joining the ends.

Thread the lace onto the wire, as if you were "sewing" one edge of the lace with a running stitch using the wire.

Push the lace back from the ends, twist the ends together, cutting off the excess wire using wire cutter pliers.

Pull the lace down to the ends, and fluff it to space evenly all over the heart. You can dress it up with ribbons, silk or dried flowers, florist's moss, etc. Hang using a loop of ribbon.

This one turns out nicely enough to try even if you don't have kids!

Artisans Market

2008-02-02T01:37:00.000-08:00

For those of you among our readers who create handmade products to sell, we're covering another website that offers this service. ArtisansMarket is an online listing and shopping gallery where visitors can buy art or hand-crafted items, and artists and crafters can sign up to sell art or hand-crafted items.

The site currently offers flat fees of $10 per month, and the commission on items sold is 10%. Artists and crafters can list any number of items for the flat fee.

We have compared this site to a number of other online sites selling crafted products and find that some of its strongest advantages are the large images that come up with first exposure to the product. Visual impression is most important when selling arts and crafts. Most buyers will not look further at your product if the image doesn't grab them within the first second or two of viewing. For this reason, we found the large images and visually pleasing pages of this site to be a very great potential advantage to sellers. The image shown at left is one of their category page for "Home and Entertaining," and links to "Home Accents."

The categories are nicely illustrated and encourage potential buyers to click on the category of their choice. At present, the categories are somewhat limited from the standpoint of a few certain craft categories (for example, if you sell premade scrapbook albums/pages or handmade Christmas decorations, there are no real categories for these). However, the majority of art and crafting categories are well represented, and in general are arranged by the buyer's need, which makes for a more practical listing from a buyer's point of view. This is beneficial to the seller, as buyers will be able to find your products when they are looking for them. In some cases, they may even search for things they would not otherwise have considered. We had to peek at "pet accessories," for example, while we were browsing under "Home and Entertaining."

Speaking of searching, that seems to be the biggest weakness of this site. The search function does not return some of the items we viewed when we tried searching for them using a description. This is most likely the fault of the sellers, however, who probably are not providing a good description of their items in the searchable fields. As always when listing an item for sale with an online auction or listing site, it is of the greatest importance to (1) place your item in the proper category, and (2) provide a good description, especially in searchable and initially viewable fields. Both of these things are the responsibility of the seller, and most listing sites will not oversee this process. However, having many sellers who don't reliably follow these basic rules will hurt the displayed results of both category and search results for the listing site, and can give a poor impression.

Overall, we really enjoyed visiting ArtisansMarket.com. As we first mentioned, the visual first impression of products is the most important factor in enticing customers to stay, browse, and buy, and ArtisansMarket has done a very fine job with their visual impact and in featuring products in a very flattering way. We hope this site climbs the ranks to become a widely used resource ... they certainly deserve to be!

Valentine's Day Decor - table

2008-01-24T23:06:00.003-08:00

Some more ideas for Valentine's Day decor, this time for your table.

Have you ever wanted to have a heart-shaped flower centerpiece? Try this easy method: First, find a heart-shaped basket. Line it with plastic if it doesn't have a liner, and cut florist's oasis foam to fill the basket. You can cut extra pieces to fill corners and crevices. It's better to push extra in and make it all more stable. Water the oasis foam. Purchase a bunch of fresh flowers, suited in size to your overall basket. (For a 10" basket, flowers should be ideally be about 1".) Cut the stems long enough to rest just above the oasis, and press the stem into the foam. If the stems are too weak, you can use a pencil or similar item to poke a hole into the foam to hold the flower. Keep going until you fill the basket. You can also tuck in a bit of moss between the flowers if you prefer. This makes a lovely centerpiece, in any size and with any type of flower. You can also mix several flower types together, just add each type one at a time, beginning with the largest ones, to get a pleasing overall arrangement.

You can also make the same basket using regular floral foam and silk flowers for a longer-lasting artificial form, if you prefer.

Now, how about a unique candle presentation? Take a clear piece, such as an ivy bowl, "fishbowl," or hurricane chimney. This will be the outer container. Inside of it, place a small clear votive holder. Pour red glass florist's marbles between the outside of the votive holder and the inside wall of the main container, filling deeply enough to hide the votive holder. Place a small candle or tealight inside the votive holder, light, and enjoy the sparkling red glow.

If your outside candleholder has a rim or place to tie something, a length of lace, ribbon, or raffia will add an extra nice touch. You can tuck tiny flowers into the knot. If giving as a gift, attach a card to the ribbon or raffia, and use a scented candle in the votive.

Valentine's Day Decor for the bath

2008-01-24T23:06:00.001-08:00

We want to feature a few more ideas for decorating your home for Valentine's Day ...

For the bathroom, why not have some feminine, romantic soaps? The easy version is to buy clear soap dispensers or liquid soap in a dispenser that the label can be removed from. Wash some small glass floral marbles and place a few in the bottom of the soap dispenser. Purchase some silk flower stems -- small flowers work best -- and wash them, allow them to dry, then clip them to just under the height of your soap dispenser bottle. Bend the bottom of the stem wire, insert the flower stem, and use the soap dispenser pump tube to work the stem under the glass marbles. Place more stems if you like. Fill your dispenser with soap. A clear or only slightly colored type looks best.

You can also use soap molds and glycerine soap to make small hand soaps using petals from your soap dispenser flowers to further echo the theme in your bathroom.

Valentine's Day Wreath ideas

2008-01-24T23:05:00.001-08:00

We are preparing a post (see our upcoming post about crafts with kids) that includes a very simple but very lovely wreath you may wish to create.

We wanted to share some other ideas with you about wreaths in general ... this will be a photo-post.

We found this wreath at Crafter's Community. I would love to make this one myself in shades that were closer to one another, or perhaps in muted tones with more of a sepia overtone for a sweet old-fashioned wreath. I think I will try it with tea-stained muslins, sepia-toned calicos with tiny hearts, trim it out with crocheted lace doilies, and add some florist's moss ... I will post that one when I finish it! But for now, I wanted to show you this photo, and let you see how it inspired me to create something that will have a totally different "feel" but from the same general idea.

For a very upscale and modern home, this wreath might be at home. The red "tinsely" material is very chic, and the gauzy bow is a nice complementary touch. I can't really add any suggestions to this one.

This wooden wreath is offered by Oriental Trading Company, but if it were me, I'd be more likely to purchase the wooden hearts at a craft store and make my own, so I could choose the colors and sentiments I'd like to add to it. This would be a fun project for kids too, or to have kids help with, and they would probably appreciate a wreath like this more than one of the others. If you want to let you kids make one, why not let them hang it on their own bedroom door and you can still make a wreath for your home's front door as well.

A lovely, more traditional Valentine's Day wreath, with pink sweetheart roses, eucalyptus, etc. These are classic and would be lovely on any home and appropriate from one year to the next. They are made just as any other floral wreath is made, and can be assembled on your choice of base material. The fun part is choosing exactly which flowers and greenery and fill you want to be a part of your beautiful wreath!

And lastly, we ran across this one and just had to share it with you. I'm not sure I could find a way to ... ummm .... incorporate this into my decor. But I must say that it's imaginative. I have seen a lot of creative uses for paint chips, and some really cool things being done with them particularly in scrapbooking, but this was a new one for me. Still ... you get the idea.

However you choose to decorate your home this holiday season ... enjoy crafting!

Rugs and Home Decor

2008-01-23T20:10:00.000-08:00

Now that the Christmas season is behind us, we're looking around and somehow everything looks drabber now without all the holiday decorations. The freezing weather is keeping us inside, so we're starting to get a bit of cabin fever and wishing for some new surroundings. Not that we want to move, and a vacation is out of the question for our family right now, so the next best thing is to work on the interior design a bit. One way to give a room an instant face-lift and add extra warmth and beauty is by adding rugs.

While small scatter rugs are very versatile and can add dashes of color in a room, we love the impact from adding area rugs to a room. Area rugs are among a designer's best friends because, if correctly chosen and placed, they accomplish so much so easily.

If you find a rug you truly love, allow it to serve as a focal point in the room. This works well with a rug that has an especially artistic or eye-pleasing design. The other pieces in the room would then be chosen with the rug in mind, suiting it in style, scale, and color. If you want your rug to appear especially bold within the room, everything else should be a more muted version of the same color palette so as not to overwhelm the rug itself. This method can turn your rug into a conversation piece.

If your room already has a lot of detail or furnishings, you would do better to choose a rug that has a more subdued pattern and/or colors. Often a symmetrical design works better in rooms such as these. In this case, it is better to choose a rug which will complement the room, rather than one that competes to be a focal point on its own. Rugs can also serve as detail that subtly reinforces a major element in the room. If the fireplace is the focal point, choose a rug with a repetitive design that slightly mimics the brickwork. If a carved medallion is the focal point, consider a medallion rug design, but in a subtle hue. The idea is to support and complement the overall design rather than clash or compete with it.

Color also influences the feel and size of the room and area. Light colors make an area feel larger, while darker colors draw it in, but can make it feel more cozy. Size is important as well. If you are choosing a rug to go under a dining room table, select one that is a several feet larger than the table itself. If you are creating a conversation area with your rug, it is usually best to let the furniture sit on the edges of the rug rather than arrange them around the border without letting them touch the rug.

Rugs can serve as a way to divide a room, or create oases within a large room for particular purposes (such as the one under the dining room table and in the conversation area mentioned above). They can also be used to direct traffic, such as by using a long runner type rug along one wall you wish people to walk along within a room, or down a hallway. These "traffic rugs" are best chosen in a dark color and dense pile and will need to be able to stand up to wear.

There are so many designs available now, often in different sizes, shapes, and colors, that you should be able to find something to suit any decor you choose. Besides Oriental rugs, you can find those with a southwest influence, floral designs, medallions, subtle natural styles, florals, botanicals, cottage styles, geometrics, funky and contemporary designs, patchwork, arts-and-crafts, and so many more. Any color scheme can be matched, in either bold or more subtle hues, to complement any room.

One thing we would suggest is that if you plan to make a number of updates to a room, it is best to choose your rug early in the scheme of things, and let the colors of the rug guide you in your selection of fabrics for upholstery, curtains or drapes, accessories, etc. and after those are selected, choose your paint color. The reason is that it is easier to find a fabric that coordinates with your rug than vice-versa, and paint is completely effortless to match, so it should always be the last in terms of final selection. You can of course have a wall color in mind, we are simply suggesting that you choose the other elements before you pay to have the actual paint mixed.

Happy decorating!!!

Home improvement - Conservatories

2008-01-21T08:59:00.000-08:00

We want to return to home improvement for this post, and talk about one of the greatest additions you can make to your home. For those who love to spend quality time at home, whether it is your "nest" or your "castle" and for those who enjoy making your home beautiful with DIY projects, conservatories are a great choice. In winter, conservatories offer the opportunity to enjoy the great outdoors from a (warmer!) indoor room, while in summer they allow the homeowner to enjoy a refreshing view from a comfortable room.

Conservatories are also great for crafters ... there is something about viewing natural surroundings that is very inspiring for most of us. Setting up a studio in a conservatory is a perfect solution for keeping yourself comfortable and your supplies clean, dry, and safe while allowing for quick and easy set-up and enjoyment of the great outdoors while working on your crafts. The natural light is also the best for viewing actual colors and putting together various aspects of your work under real lighting conditions.

Many of our readers include gardening among their hobbies, and conservatories are especially perfect for gardeners, or those who enjoy propagating and/or growing indoor plants as well. Conservatories offer wonderful access to sunlight for plants, while being slightly filtered, and different areas within your conservatory will naturally offer more or less shading, creating the perfect environment for your plants.

For those of you who love to entertain, a conservatory also offers a dramatic setting for evening dining or parties. Imagine stringing small Christmas-style white lights throughout your lushly-planted conservatory and setting the table with candles, while the moon shines its light through glass walls and ceilings to illuminate a magical or romantic setting.

We especially love today's conservatories for their variety of lovely and unique designs. You can find conservatories in traditional architectural designs, such as Victorian or Edwardian, simpler designs for more contemporary homes, gable fronts that are especially well suited to various Americana styles, and very small designs for those wishing (or only having space for) a very small conservatory. Conservatory porches are another option. Whatever the homeowner has in mind for their conservatory, it can be created from among these designs.

Price is a consideration for most of us. Ordering as a kit and building the conservatory yourself will save greatly on costs. Check here to get an idea of conservatory prices when you do it yourself. UK customers can also request a brochure with information about building your own conservatory from the same website.

You can be enjoying your own conservatory soon!

Artificial Christmas Trees

2007-12-31T19:33:00.007-08:00

Both artificial Christmas trees and freshly cut trees have their advantages and drawbacks. For this post, we'd like to concentrate on the advantages of choosing an artificial Christmas tree.

One of the advantages involves cost. While freshly cut trees must be purchased anew each year, an artificial tree that is well cared-for and properly stored will last for many years. Also, the branches can be arranged somewhat, and already uniform, so there is never the problem of a "bald spot" that must be hidden or turned to the wall. Setting the tree in the stand is infinitely easier with an artificial tree, which usually just pops into its base and sets up perfectly straight instantly. And you won't have all that sticky sap to clean off your hands, your clothing, your ornaments, and even (sometimes) your hair! While it's true that artificial trees don't have that familiar cozy pine scent, I've discovered a trick to overcome that ... simply purchase a bottle of essential oil in pine or fir, and soak cotton balls in the oil and hide these in the branches. You can also use a wicking system or an oil diffuser to spread the holiday scent.

And the most fun advantage? Artificial Christmas trees are available in a wide range of colors, sizes, and styles to allow you to really customize your look. Especially suited to elegant or retro decor, or perhaps contemporary interiors are the frosted trees tinged with pink, all-over winter frosted trees, or tinsel-trees. Living in a tropical clime? Make a statement with a lighted palm tree instead. Do you have a place that really needs to make a HUGE statement? Artificial trees up to 25 feet tall are available. Or do you want something really imaginative? You can even purchase an upside-down tree! And of course my own favorite ... a traditional fir tree.

And don't forget, Christmas trees don't have to be only for Christmas ... imagine the pink tree at right covered with hearts for Valentine's Day!

Christmas trees are usually the center of your holiday decor, and the focus of family decorating as well. I still remember the twinkling brightness of the small silver tinsel tree one of my grandmas put out each Christmas, and my fascination with the snow flocking on the tree at my childhood friend's house. Choose a special tree to help make the memories of your holiday home special too!

Smart shopping!

2007-11-28T01:03:00.000-08:00

Buying products online is a great way to save money on craft supplies, and just about everything else for that matter. We found a great website called Save Buckets that lets you compare prices on just about anything you might be interested in buying.

We went into the "Home and Garden" category and selected "Decoration" which returned almost 2,000 products, everything from paper party decorations to lovely full-scale wall mirrors and even a full-sized suit of armor! There are also candles, floral, art prints, and much more.

Under "Sports and Leisure" we found the "Arts and crafts" category which offers hundreds of products that should prove especially enticing to scrapbookers, papercrafters, and rubber stamp artists. There were punches, pen sets, heart-shaped ink pads, gold leaves, unique sets of metal embellishments, a variety of stamp sets, tools, stickers, bead kits, and more. (LOVE the Christmas Pooh set!) There were also some very nice tapestry kits, and other supplies of interest to other crafters as well.

This site has some real gems, and tells you where to find them at the lowest prices! Definitely worth a look ... and take your time browsing around the other categories as well!

More shoestring home decor - continued

2007-11-21T15:57:00.000-08:00

Lighting is another wow-factor that is fairly low in cost. Torchieres offer uplighting and simple ones are very inexpensive. Installed can lights are also very low-cost, and many can be adjusted. Another big impact can be as simple as installing dimmer switches that allow you to instantly change the mood of the room. You might even want to consider colored lighting in your accent lights. It blends with white light in the room for unique effects. To get a very dramatic effect from your lights, consider low or floor uplights paired with some sculptural piece, such as an interesting (and large) potted plant. Most of these effects are especially suited to bedrooms and living rooms, with the exception of the dramatic uplighting which can also be especially at home in the dining room or in the outdoor landscaping.

Remember that lighting can be both beautiful AND functional at the same time. One of the best investments can be strip lighting to go under cabinets, such as in kitchens. This provides task lighting when needed, can add a bit of drama to what can be a rather ho-hum room at night, and has the added advantage of showing off everything you place on the counter tops.

And don't forget lighting that can be used in unexpected ways. Christmas lighting strands, especially in novel styles like tube lighting, chasing lights, icicle lights, and others offer very unique options for home decor. You might nestle a strand of lights unseen on top of a bookcase where they will provide a soft glow to illuminate the sculpture or plants up there. Or run tube lights in a geometric pattern around wall accessories. One of my favorite effects is to use hanging icicle lights around an outdoor seating area and turn them on any evening you use the space year-round.

Accessories can also add a lot of punch for a small cost. Bathrooms are a great example. Choose a new color, purchase a couple of luxury bath towels and some decorative hand towels (outlet malls often offer great deals), add a new shower curtain, and you're halfway there. If you like versatility, consider solid colors (usually it's best to choose one or two, no more than three) for your main purchases, which will allow you to easily change your theme with accessories later. If you want to go full into a theme, go ahead and purchase themed furnishings, if you like. The variety of lovely shower curtains is amazing ... not only the usual tropical, ocean, and garden themes but now animals of every kind, sports, fantasy, fine art, and many many more are available.

Depending on your decor, you might add a small garden statue (these can be quite reasonable with craft store 40% off coupons, or purchased at end of season for even deeper discount), or a basket of rolled washcloths for another splash of color, or a dish of decorative seashells or soaps, or a flower arrangement. Don't overlook shower curtain hooks ... these range from very inexpensive to a bit more pricey, and add anywhere from a modest put-together look to a real punch, depending on the style you select.

Speaking of bathrooms, it is usually best to clear off as many surfaces as possible and hide necessary toiletries. (The same rule of de-cluttering applies to kitchens, bedrooms, and all other rooms as well.) If you don't have built-in storage, consider a unit with doors to go over the toilet. If that is too expensive, look into very low-cost shelving, such as laminate or plastic, or perhaps bins, that will fit under the sink (if you have a wall-mount with no cabinetry) and make a simple fabric drape that attaches to the sink with velcro tabs to hide everything. You might also consider baskets or glass containers (flea markets and garage sales are good sources) to contain everything. Making all the containers somewhat alike makes everything appear less cluttered.

We plan to keep revisiting this topic, so more posts will be coming in future.

Plasma & LCD TV's - home decor

2007-11-21T14:58:00.000-08:00

Since we have just been talking about home decor, there is a common mistake we are starting to see in so many homes. Plasma and lcd televisions are becoming very popular, and are very attractive from a design standpoint. Their sleekness, lack of depth, and flat surface are much less visually distracting and fit more easily into a home's design without detracting from the overall effect.

However, many people purchase a new flat-screen television and then simply replace their old tv with the new one, placing it in the same spot on the same stand or shelf. This defeats a large part of the purpose (from a design standpoint) for switching to a new television. Purchasing a plasma wall bracket to mount your new television will free up space and visually open your room, turning your new television set into a piece of art rather than the clunky space-filler your old set used to be. Wall mounted brackets usually provide the further advantage of allowing you to re-direct the screen to various angles for optimum viewing.

If you wish to REALLY turn your new television into an artistic design element in your room, look into the wide variety of looping dvds that play scenery, such as a flickering fireplace, tranquil aquarium, ocean waves, mountain snowfalls, capering puppies, or any one of a myriad of other options, usually with background music or ambient sounds, to provide a window into another world.

Related information --

As home theater systems are becoming more and more popular, they may be replacing cinemas as the choice for movie-viewing for many, allowing viewers to enjoy the same effects from the comfort of their own homes. The lcd tv and the hdtv are two popular options available for use in home theatre systems. The flat panel tv is especially in demand for use in home theatre systems. When space is limited, many homeowners choose to develop a small home theatre or expand into a basement home theatre -- these options help make home theatres more accessible regardless of the available size within the home.

Area rugs - Home decor continued

2007-11-20T16:59:00.000-08:00

Last time we talked about some ideas for updating home interiors on a budget. One of the ideas we mentioned was using area rugs instead of replacing carpet, especially when there is traffic wear or a stain (or other damage) that needs covering up, but the rest of the carpet is still in good shape.

Area rugs can be an ideal solution, saving you money over the cost of replacing the carpets and at the same time helping you to define an area, such as a seating group in the middle of a large room, or a dining area in a combined living/dining room. They can also help create a mood or theme, because there are so many designs to choose from.

Oriental rugs are popular choices, and can fit into not only Asian themes (which might actually be better served by a more contemporary design) but are well suited for any decor that fits into a traditional category.

Aztec or southwest designs are also popular choices, and are great accents in cabin designs as well as southwest-themed rooms. These can either be geometric southwest designs, or a more stylized design, such as one featuring animals or a kokopelli.

African designs are often similar to Southwest designs. Sometimes they can be found in animal-skin patterns. If geometrics are preferred, sometimes a geometric southwest design will be vague enough in its patterns to be suitable in a room with an African or safari motif.

You can also often find very nice garden-style designs that will "dress down" the rug and still lend a lot of charm as well as a garden theme. These are very suitable for rooms decorated in a cottage-style. They can also be an excellent choice to dress up and provide coziness for a winter sunroom. Look for design features such as flowers, vines, leaves, and trellis work woven into the pattern to achieve this kind of atmosphere.

Intricate styles resembling patchwork, while rather luxurious looking, can often blend in and "upscale" a provincial decor.

Sometimes a large geometric border design is the best choice. These are especially good for defining an area without introducing a lot of visual clutter, which might be the effect of a more intricate oriental rug in some rooms. However, it is not yet going as clean (and thus stark) as a contemporary design. Such designs as this are especially good for rooms with traditional furnishings which are also somewhat luxurious in appearance.

And as mentioned before, contemporary designs can be the best fit for Asian themes, as well as clean-lined contemporary rooms, artsy interiors, or some eclectic rooms.

It is even possible to find rugs with a particular design image that fits into your theme, such as palm trees, other plants, birds, other animals, and more.

Enjoy shopping for your new area rug, and make sure to choose one that you absolutely love, as it will become a focal point of your room and if well-cared-for, should last many years.

Million-Dollar Look on a Shoestring Budget

2007-11-14T21:00:00.000-08:00

It's easy to look at glossy magazine layouts of polished interiors and wish your home could be as lovely, but sometimes we don't have the budget for big-impact purchases when we're ready for a change or a more put-together atmosphere.

There are a lot of ways to save money on interior home design, though. And if you have a home improvement or repair project coming up, now might just be the right time to do a little research and see what you can come up with, because that can be the most cost-effective time to make design changes as well. (If you're going to have to repaint, might as well make it count!)

The first rule is: paint gives you the best impact for cost. If it's time to repaint, stop and think about it before you run to the hardware store. What kind of atmosphere do you want in the room? Color makes a strong impact on our emotions. Bright, bold colors add a lot of drama, which might be very appropriate for a dining room, for example. Teens often like bright colors as well. Can't decide, or want to really make a statement? Consider using different colors on different walls for high drama, especially in a dining room or game room. Or tone that down by using different shades or tints of the same color on different walls for a more subtle impact. This can be especially nice with cool, tranquil blues in a bedroom, for example, or fresh greens or sunny yellows in a room used in the morning.

Another big impact for a small price? Fabric. One thing to consider is throw pillows. You can save by making these yourself, if you know how to sew (if you want to learn, get some pointers on filling in the corners and use a solid pillow for the base, not just stuffing). Or you can get a great deal on purchased throw pillows at a number of craft/fabric store chains that routinely offer 40% off coupons or 50% off sales, such as Hobby Lobby or Jo-Ann's Fabrics.

Curtains can be another way to use fabric for a big impact, but if you have large windows the cost can start to add up, depending upon the fabrics you choose. If you want new curtains for large windows, consider alternating panels so that you use a less expensive fabric along with your designer choice, cutting costs. Also look for the above-mentioned sales and coupon discounts for at least 40% off. If you have a fabric warehouse or closeout dealer near you, check there as well. Another way to save a lot on curtains, if privacy is not an issue (for example if you have blinds as well) is to use a lot of sheer fabric edged or topped with heavier, more expensive fabrics. Sheer fabrics are usually extremely inexpensive and can be made to look like designer pieces with a variety of techniques such as including silk flowers in little sheer pockets, incorporating ribbon with the fabric, stamping on designs, and more.

And if you're considering carpet replacement or repair, but it's just a certain traffic area and/or stains involved, consider rugs first. While rug backing is not particularly carpet-friendly, if you are planning to toss the carpet anyway, covering up the offending area can buy you a few more years of usefulness. It's also an easy and inexpensive way to make an impact in terms of color and design if you choose a different color from your carpet (and generally speaking, you SHOULD choose a different color or perhaps a pattern such as Oriental, Southwestern, or African-styled rugs). Rugs can also help your design by defining areas within a room, such as conversation areas or placing a large rug beneath a dining table in a much larger room. Another option for rugs at a great savings and with a personalized design is a painted floorcloth.

This is only the first post in a planned series ... check back later for more ideas, coming soon!

Related resources

It is important to consider a wide range of factors of interior designs when planning a well decorated home. There are options ranging from wallpapers and paneled wainscot materials to specialized painting techniques that can be used to decorate walls of the rooms. If you need help planning and executing your products, the home office uk of the interior design services ideas offers a great deal of advice and quality information on home interior designing. Interior architecture & design tips are available from the experts to those decorating their homes to help them embellish their homes with unique designs.

Custom Photo Gifts

2007-11-04T19:41:00.000-08:00

It is fun to make custom photo gifts and they are another of those special gifts that let you show people you really ARE thinking of them, and didn't just run out and buy them another coffeepot or pair of slippers.

Software can make all the difference when putting your images together. A good program can make your images look professional and save you a lot of frustration. Frame My Photos is one that is easy to use, even for a person with no special art or computer skills. It allows you to choose your photo, choose the frame, and then personalize it with any text you like, and print out the finished product. When purchasing software, consider one such as this that offers a good value because it can be used year-round for any holiday, occasion, or just a special way to show you are thinking of someone.

You can even produce an image quickly on your computer and email it for a special e-card greeting featuring your own family! Or, print it out to create your own custom invitations, postcards, greeting cards, announcements, thank you notes, and more. The ability to produce calendars is an added advantage, and also would make a special gift that keeps reminding the recipient of your thoughtfulness throughout the year.

Also, the versatility of allowing you to add on options you choose for a reasonable price keeps your software working for you at a modest cost.

Related information -

Professional photography often involves the photographers developing their own photos with darkroom tools such as easels. Other common photographer's tools include a light fixture and spotlights to control and focus lighting and so to enhance the beauty of the object being photographed. The photography secrets guide is available for those readers interested in the field of photography. These and other photography resources are available at discounted prices from online retailers.

Greater Gulf Coast Arts Festival

2007-11-04T19:24:00.000-08:00

If you get a chance to be near the Florida Panhandle in early November, plan to visit the Greater Gulf Coast Arts Festival. It is consistently ranked among the best fine arts and fine crafts shows and is definitely worth a visit!

Over 200 artists in a wide variety of styles and mediums compete at the Festival each year. Categories include photography, mixed media, sculpture, wood/leather/fiber, glass, watercolor, ceramics, and many others and range from the realistic and relaxed paintings of life on a lazy bayou to screaming bright-colored contemporary pieces that ... well, some of them we aren't sure WHAT they are but ... they are art!

Our favorite artist at this year's festival was Philip Singer, whose paintings are whimsical, clever, appealing, and most of them have a message. It was a lot of fun studying each painting and trying to discover the "reason" behind it without reading the information first.

If crafts are more your interest than arts, you won't be disappointed. The Heritage Arts area includes a number of skilled artisans demonstrating their crafts in blacksmithing, basketweaving, spinning, knitting, weaving, tatting, woodturning, dulcimer-making, and dozens of others. The craftsmen are happy to discuss their work with visitors and interested persons can often find a network to connect to in their chosen pursuit.

Because it IS a festival, there is also entertainment (on 3 stages at once, all day long!), lots of food of all kinds, treats, and more. There is also an area set aside for children where they can enjoy hands-on crafting with origami, string art, sand art, clay sculpting, fish prints, and much more. This is a great way to get your children interested in crafting with you, and let them try a variety of things all at once, with everything all prepared and no clean-up or cost to you!

If you missed this year's festival, plan for next year's. The Greater Gulf Coast Arts Festival is held each year in early November in Pensacola, Florida. See you there!

Personalize gifts with printer and labels

2007-11-03T20:24:00.000-07:00

They say it's the thought that counts, right? Many times those on your gift list can buy themselves a CD, a new sweater, or something else if they really want it. What makes gifts special is putting your thought and heart into it, and hopefully gifting them with something that warms their heart and they didn't even know they wanted. We are enjoying making very personalized gifts this year, with an eye toward letting the recipients know that we are REALLY thinking of them. A computer, printer, and a variety of shipping labels are a few simple things that are helping us accomplish this goal. Here are a few more ideas ...

Candle & Poetry -
This one will take a little thought, but the effect is worth it. Is there someone in your life who is like a beacon to you? Someone who makes your eyes light up when you think of them? Someone whose love is the light of your life? If you are blessed to have someone like that in your life, let them know in a special way. Find a poem that expresses your thoughts to them, and print it out on a large shipping label, using a nice font and perhaps decorated with a little border clip art. Attach the label to a large candle (or to a smooth jar with a candle inside) and your gift is ready. We searched online and found a nice love poem: The Light in Your Eyes My Love / The light in your eyes is the love in your eyes / And the love in your eyes is mine / So the love in my eyes meets the light in your eyes / To wine and dine through time. / And when time has expired and the light has expired / The love will still burn within.

Homemade treats -
Do you have a special treat that everyone loves getting for Christmas from your kitchen? If you don't mind sharing the recipe, it can be a thoughtful little extra to print out the recipe on a larger shipping label (embellish it with a little Christmas clip-art) and affix it directly to the container you fill with your homemade treats, so they will be able to make more when the goodies are all gone. If your goody involves cookie cutters, tie one onto the label as an embellishment and an "extra" little gift. (The same can apply to decorative candies or other "special" little things that go into the making of your treat.)

Personalized stationary -
Create a nice corner or border accent (many of these are available online) and print it out on 20 or so half-sheets of colored text-weight paper. (Test first to make sure the colors will still look nice on the colored paper you select -- lighter colors are better.) Print the border on envelopes in a matching or coordinating color. Shrink the accent and use it to decorate personalized return address labels using a nice script-type font. Print the same accent on blank labels to use for "to" labels. Find a nice pen to add to the set. Use the same design and font to print a cover for your gift onto heavier cardstock, and fold the cardstock, tucking everything inside. Tie it with a ribbon. (You might need to tie the pen separately inside to keep everything together.)

Jar of "nothing" -
Do you have someone who always insists "nothing!" when asked what they want for Christmas? Well, now's your chance. Choose a jar, and print the following on a label: When I asked you what you wanted for Christmas, you told me "nothing." It wasn't easy, but I searched high and low and found this perfect gift for you!" Then tie some raffia or a ribbon bow around the lid, and your gift is ready to present! Make sure of course that the person has a good sense of humor (and you might want to have a back-up gift waiting as well ... or you could attach a gift card under the lid so they really DO get a gift, just don't tell them until after they've enjoyed the joke!). This is also a great idea for bazaars and fundraisers near Christmastime.

Related information --

Printer companies are coming up with advanced printer accessories to help their users make even more creative use of their company's products. Brother printers, for example, use special printer ink in order to maintain the quality of important printed documents. Many common types of printers are available for home-level use in any store that sells computers. The ink cartridge recycling program offers money-saving solutions for printing with cheap and affordable ink cartridges available in the market.

Elegant Thanksgiving Table Accents

2007-10-30T11:42:00.000-07:00

You may wish to use a tall, slender clear vase and fill it with cranberries instead of rocks or marbles. These can be placed around the table, or used for the centerpiece.

For the centerpiece, consider a large colorful flower arrangement that includes fruit and/or gourds and small pumpkins. Small pinecones and dried flower pods also make interesting accents, especially if your flowers are dried rather than fresh.

For elegance, of course, nothing beats matched china and crystal goblets, as well as polished silver, so provide these if you have them available.

Consider colors such as cream, perhaps edged in gold, for tablecloth and/or runner and napkins. Or perhaps a gold-colored fabric (rich, but not glittery if the whole piece and not simply an accent).

Another easy accent that adds emphasis is an arrangement of candles in various heights and thicknesses, all in rich fall colors. For elegance, crystal or metallic holders are the best, which can be embellished with something simple, such as a twining branch with a few fall leaves or acorns, but should not be overdone.

I own a beautiful crystal bowl with frosted accents, trimmed in gold. Something like this is perfect filled with apples or an assortment of colorful gourds for an accent. If desired, a rich gold ribbon can be looped among the apples, adding interest and another design element.

The key to elegance is simplicity, in that you want things to match and not over-do embellishments. The play of light (such as with candles and glittering gold accents) is important, and colors should be kept to a minimum -- probably limited to no more than three main colors.

Related information

A candle can be used for many purposes and holds a different meaning in different occasions. Candles are a symbol of love in weddings, a symbol of sorrow at funerals, and a symbol of hope and trust in religious services. Because they are used for many occasions such as these as well as for decorating, the demand for different types of candles is on the rise. Now they can be readily purchased from wholesale candles shops. Besides candles themselves, candle holders and other candle resources are available as well, for easy use in creating beautiful decorations. Often candles are made using various essential oils such as sandalwood; essential oil candles are sometimes used in aromatherapy which is a wide-ranging therapy that usually addresses emotional well-being. For those further interested in the chemical history of a candle, these resources are interesting to read.

Thanksgiving Topiary Craft

2007-10-30T11:34:00.000-07:00

Topiaries, by their very nature, are usually well-suited to elegant settings. (We include suggestions at the end to make this craft more appropriate in a rustic setting as well.)

First, select and paint a clay pot with gold paint (or select a pot that complements your table) and set florist’s foam into the pot. Select a stout natural twig for the trunk. (If using one from your yard, you may wish to wash it, treat with insecticide, and allow it to dry and air out for a few days before use.) Select a shaped foam piece for the top of the topiary. Balls are popular, but cones and other shapes should be available.

Carefully place the foam topiary piece onto the trunk, making the hole that you will later use when assembling the topiary, then remove the trunk. Cover the bottom of the trunk with glue, and set it into the foam in the pot.

Cover the foam topiary shape with glue, and roll it in a pan filled with colorful kernels of Indian Corn (these can often be purchased as popcorn - if you cannot find them as popcorn, you can purchase ears of Indian corn and twist the kernels off to remove them). Beans, lentils, or other dried kernels can also be used, but for the sake of appearance on the elegant table, you will probably want to use only a single kind, or at least all should probably be of uniform size and shape. If there are any open spaces, add glue and press kernels to cover. Be careful to leave the hole you made for the trunk.

Allow the topiary shape to dry, then add glue to the top of the trunk and press the topiary shape, using the hole you made previously, onto the trunk. Glue florist’s moss or Spanish moss (or another moss of your choice) over the foam in the pot, and around the place where the trunk enters the topiary if desired.

Finish by tying a tiny bow around the trunk (either midway, or where it joins the topiary), a wider bow around the topiary or on top of the topiary, and/or a bow around the pot, depending on your finished piece and your taste. Consider using a sheer gold wire-edged ribbon for creating the bow for a really elegant touch.

This craft can also be easily adapted to a more rustic table by using a variety of beans. You may also want to leave the pot unpainted or paint it using duller colors or those suited to your table setting. You may also wish to use raffia or strips of fabric instead of ribbon. If you choose fabric, you may use a solid color or a small gingham print, or a fall-themed fabric. The fabric can be torn into strips for tying the bow, or cut with pinking shears, to give a charming effect.

Elegant Thanksgiving Napkin Rings

2007-10-30T11:31:00.000-07:00

Elegant napkin rings can be created using silver or gold jewelry wire and fall-colored glass or plastic beads. Leaf-shaped beads are often available.

Simply cut about 24” of wire and make a circle the size of your finished ring, securing one end of the wire. Thread on a bead or two, loop the wire so that it twists and loops with the first circle, add another bead or two, and continue.

These can be rather open and airy, or tightly twisted. When you have the look you desire, secure the end and cut off any excess. Measure the excess, and decrease the next wire you cut so that you will have only a couple of inches left next time to avoid waste, if you had a lot left over. You may also wish to suspend tiny charms or focus beads from the excess before securing it and removing it (or you can use jewelry findings such as pins to hang these).

These rings are made even more elegant by being paired with solid colored napkins in rich colors, especially gold.

More Rustic Thanksgiving Table Ideas

2007-10-30T11:25:00.000-07:00

For vases, consider using old-fashioned shaped bottles in various colors of glass – the common dark brown color is very appealing for fall (save the very light glass in green, blue, and similar shades for your springtime table). These can be filled with dried seed pods, various dried flower stems in fall colors, or even pretty dried weeds (weeds can often provide some of the most interesting shapes and textures, and will be unique to your table).

Consider using patterned napkins for a rustic table. Gingham may work with your setting, or a bright fall print of leaves or Thanksgiving theme may be better. You can also use solid colors, of course.

If using napkin rings, you may wish to simply tie the folded napkins with raffia. Look for themed fall buttons to thread onto the raffia to make this even cuter, or tuck in a small sprig of red fall berries. You can also purchase wooden rings and embellish them with silk fall leaves, themed buttons, charms, acorns, tiny pinecones, etc.

A cornucopia is a traditional Thanksgiving centerpieces. Cornucopia baskets can be bought at most large craft stores if you don’t have one, and look lovely over-filled (let them spill out!) with an assortment of small colorful gourds and squash (real ones are usually available in supermarkets, while fakes are often for sale in craft stores). Mix in some assorted nuts in the shell, fall-colored silk leaves, small pinecones, acorns, and/or the heads of a few fall-colored mums to further add interest and make your centerpiece more charming. These can be scattered around the table as well.

More Thanksgiving Table Ideas

2007-10-30T11:19:00.000-07:00

Wheat shocks can be purchased at a craft store. These can be gathered into a large bundle and tied, then cut to desired height, and used as part of a centerpiece with small pumpkins and gourds all around. You can also make smaller bunches of wheat in the same way, and place one at each seat, and in the tying cord include a small place-card. These are especially suited to a rustic style table using hemp or twine dyed a fall color for the tie, or can be made more elegant by using an autumn-themed wire-edged ribbon, especially one with gold accents, or a solid gold ribbon.

Silk fall leaves can be purchased at a craft store and scattered over the table, as well as being appliquéd to placemats or table runner. They may also be glued with transparent glue to cover (in a single layer) a transparent glass container, which can then have a candle placed inside to shine through the leaves for a lovely effect.

Speaking of candles, you can also use a hairdryer on high heat and soften the wax on the surface of purchased candles, and then press real or silk fall leaves into the surface. Quickly cover with wax paper, smooth, and then remove wax paper. The dryer can be used to re-heat as necessary.

Rustic Thanksgiving Table - Table setting

2007-10-30T11:13:00.000-07:00

Try a large piece of burlap for a tablecloth, or a strip of burlap for a table runner. The burlap can easily be stenciled or stamped (especially with the large foam stamps using a fabric paint) if you desire. Because the edges are rough, burlap is better suited to a table runner or table overlay than a tablecloth that will touch the laps of your dinner guests.

You may want to unravel the edges of the burlap for a few threads to create an interesting fringe. Just pull a couple of threads that run the length of the burlap, and let the cross-threads stay to make the fringe. You can also do this on the ends by removing the cross-threads and allowing those that run the length to fringe out.

Coarsely woven placemats in fall solid colors make a nice complement and set your country-fall background. If you are fortunate enough to have stoneware dishes in the same solids, you can mix and match colors to make a very cozy and colorful table setting. (Usually it is much easier to find placemats, so you may want to buy dishes first if you are making new purchases for this setting.) Don't worry about all of your dishes matching if you are going for a rustic look. Variety is more authentic and charming. (And if you need dishes such as these, try visiting flea markets or garage sales ... you might get lucky!)

You can also make these placemats from burlap in the same way you made the table runner or cover, fringing the edges if desired. (Usually it is better to fringe only the sides of placemats.) You can try dyeing them in fall colors, or you may want to applique silk fall leaves onto them, or stamp a design onto them.

Fall / Autumn Decor - front porch

2007-10-30T11:08:00.000-07:00

We created an especially charming accent for our front porch this year, and it was simple and inexpensive.

I used a kettle-shaped pot (although any pot will work, and clay pots would be especially nice with a raffia or fabric bow added). We selected a nice chrysanthemum from the garden center, and planted it in the pot. We also purchased a small scarecrow on a stick from Wal-Mart for less than $2 and added it, so that he appears to be standing in the flowers.

If we had had more money, I would love to have made a larger arrangement with a number of mums in fall colors (orange, yellow, and purple look nice together) and arranged them around a hay bale, and used a larger scarecrow sitting alongside a potted mum on the bale.

Instant cheerful greeting!

Fall / Autum Decor - signs

2007-10-30T11:06:00.000-07:00

Another option for decorating your door, or even inside the home, is signs. A piece of wood salvaged from a fence can be ideal if it is already weathered, or you can use a new piece of wood and weather it yourself.

Weather the wood by painting it, allowing the paint to dry, and then layering another color on top and using a damp cloth to rub some of that paint off and rub it thin in other places so that the first coat shows through. (If using this method, gray often works well for the first coat.)

Choose a simple, short saying (many of these can be found online) or simply write something like “Welcome!” or “Give Thanks” or “Happy Thanksgiving!” using a thin line on your sign. Don't worry too much about the lettering - if you are going for a rustic look, you don't want the letters to be perfect anyway.

The sign can be decorated with small pinecones or small wooden shapes purchased at a craft store and painted to match your theme and colors. You can attach wire to hang the sign, or raffia, or twist raffia or fabric strips around your wire hanger. You can also add a bow made from raffia or fabric strips.

Fall / Autumn Decor - Wreaths

2007-10-30T08:20:00.000-07:00

During the month of October we will be focusing on Fall Decorating. Most of the ideas are suitable for a rustic theme, because the season lends itself so well to this, but we will also be offering elegant fall suggestions as well.

We will begin with the outside of the home. A popular outdoor decoration is a door wreath.

The first choice you need to make when making your wreath is the base. Widely available grapevine wreaths are well suited to fall, but you may also want to consider options such as bound hay wreaths (these should be protected from moisture under an overhanging porch, inside a glass screen door, or used inside the home), raffia wreaths, or silk fall leaf wreaths. You can also begin with a foam wreath shape and cover it completely with decorations, or use a foam wreath shape and wrap it with strips of cloth before beginning. Sometimes a braided or twisted wire wreath can be used. A more elegant solution may be to use either a grapevine wreath or a braided cane-type wreath and spray paint it with a solid color or especially gold before beginning.

Fall wreaths can be either sparsely or bountifully decorated. You may stuff them with many objects to reflect nature’s bounty, or leave them sparsely decorated (which is especially more suitable for the fall leaf wreaths so the decorations do not compete with the colorful wreath base).

Your taste will dictate what items you use to decorate your wreath, and how full you wish to make it. Silk fall leaves are especially suitable. Feathers are an unexpected choice (we have seen beautiful and unusual wreaths made entirely of feathers!). Silk flowers or dried flowers in fall colors are a common staple. If using flowers you will probably want to choose either silk or dried, and that choice will dictate to some degree what will go well in your wreath. Dried wheat stalks, for instance, are much more appealing with dried flowers than with silk ones. Dried seed pods and pinecones can add interest. These can be embellished with bright paint or gold glitterfor a more elegant look. Small birdhouses, birds (often crows), animals (often squirrels), or mushrooms can be used as either small embellishments or as a centerpiece for the wreath. Another great centerpiece is a scarecrow figure, which can be easily made but is also offered for sale very cheaply at stores like Wal-Mart. For a harvest theme, consider tiny pumpkins and small gourds with interesting shapes and colors. These can be attached with wire rather than piercing the surface so they will last longer, or imitations can be purchased. Fruit or berries can also be used (imitations should be used here as fresh ones will not last more than a couple of days).

Raffia is often a good choice for bows on fall wreaths. For a more unique look, you can use fabric strips in solids or prints (ginghams, Thanksgiving prints, or fall color mixes) to tie a large bow or a number of smaller ones. If using fabric, you can tear the strips, or use pinking shears to get different looks. If your wreath is more elegant, you may wish to use a fall patterned wide wire-edged ribbon for your bow.

Depending on your wreath base and the items you are attaching, there are many ways to attach objects to your wreath. Fall picks can simply be inserted into a foam wreath, though a dab of glue on the base can be better. Hot glue is often used to attach flowers, leaves, and small objects. Heavier objects may require wire, which can be hidden or even incorporated into the design. If you wish to incorporate the wire, you may want to twist it or braid it to make it more prominent, and consider threading small beads or charms onto it as well. Some objects can be tied with hemp, raffia, or fabric strips onto the wreath. Be prepared to be flexible in attaching a variety of objects, and have fun!

Decorating kid's bedrooms 2 - window hardware

2007-09-29T15:54:00.000-07:00

One of the fun ways to be creative in decorating kids' rooms is in the window hardware. Before you run out and buy curtain rods, stop and think about your options. Let the child's interests guide you ...

Is your child a sports fan? What's his favorite sport then? Maybe you can use a hockey stick or a ski for a curtain rod. Maybe a baseball would make a cool finial. Or a pool cue stick, with colored balls for finials?

Maybe your child loves flowers and nature. Maybe a long, thin natural branch, with a bit of grapevine twisted around it for interest? Finials could be made from birdhouses, or gathered bunches of silk or dried flowers. Maybe the curtains could be made from sheers with silk flowers or butterflies scattered over the surface?

Or maybe color and whimsy are what your child loves. How about curtains made from strips of colored ribbon, perhaps with beads strung at intervals, and a whirligig or windspinner for a finial.

The important thing to remember is that there are no rules. Find things that your child loves, and turn them into window hardware. Then expand the idea into curtains, curtain tie-backs, lamp finials, and wall decor. You and your child can have a great time decorating their room, usually do it very cheaply, exercise your creativity, and come out of it with a one-of-a-kind room your child can be comfortable in and enjoy showing to their friends.

Decorating Kids' Bedrooms - Visionbedding.com

2007-09-29T15:36:00.000-07:00

Expressing themselves is particularly important to kids and teenagers, as is having a place they can truly call their own. A good way to give them both at the same time is to choose a supplier that offers Teen Bedding especially designed to appeal to kids.

Visionbedding.com offers a number of sports categories including BMX, motocross, football, basketball, car racing, surfing, snowboarding, soccer, and more for the child who is a sports enthusiast. There are also many fabric patterns in both pastels in brights, featuring stripes, butterflies, polka dots, and more in artistic as well as contemporary styles. Other photo themes include landscapes, palm trees, horses, cars, and more, and categories such as Asian-inspired and military themed. One of our favorites features a tank on a camo-colored background. (Not that we like tanks particularly, but my daughter is very fond of camo this year!)

If you don't find a theme to suit your child's dream bedroom scheme at Visionbedding, they will create one for you. You can submit a photo and have it made into a custom bedspread, allowing you to design your teen's bedroom around any theme imaginable!

Related

Bedding is the most important part in a bedroom. Stylish and up-to-date bed linens can make your bedrooms attractive and appealing. A bed in a bag is a convenient option for travelers who prefer to use their own bed linens while they travel. Plants are another wonderful feature for decorating bedrooms and attached balconies, bringing a natural touch and uplifting the spirit. This bedding plants guide is available online to provide useful information for plants that can be used to decorate the balconies of the bedrooms and to add an artistic touch to the rooms themselves. When reading the beds history, we find that beds have always been a symbol of comfort and serenity since the olden times and bedrooms have been a place to relax and enjoy one's own company. For this reason, it makes sense to dress the room in patterns that appeal to your own personal taste and create a personal oasis with plants and other natural materials.

Make money - sell your crafts online!

2007-09-23T15:48:00.000-07:00

Christmas is coming in a few months, and that means a good opportunity for crafters to make some extra money selling their handmade items for Christmas gifts. While bazaars, a rented table at a fair or craft show, or booth at a local flea market are options, they require your time to set up displays as well as having to be there the whole time. You may want to consider reaching a wider online market and attending to sales when convenient for your schedule by using a website with a shopping cart.

You will need a digital camera to take photos of your products. It is possible to take film photos, develop, scan, and upload them, but it will be a lot more convenient if you have a digital camera, especially if you have a number of products to offer, or if you are not experienced in taking clear, well-lit, and uncluttered photos.

One of the most important features to look for in shopping cart software is the level of integration. Ideally, the ecommerce software you choose will offer your customers the secure options of paying from their bank, credit card, or PayPal account. If you leave out some of these options, you may lose customers. Also make sure that tech support will be available to help you deal with any issues. Search engine optimization is another important benefit that helps assure your potential customers can find your products.

Gifts in a Jar - Journal Jar

2007-09-17T15:55:00.000-07:00

Gifts in a jar are wonderful to give and to receive. This is a special category of gifts in a jar, and we wanted to share it with our readers. Not only is it a nice gift to receive, but completing the prompts will give the family a chance to learn more about each other, if they are read orally during a family time. Or a parent or child can use them to create a journal about themselves. They also make great interview prompts for a family member you might want to create a scrapbook about.

The idea isn't our own, so we wanted to share the website featuring Journal Jars and Children's Journal Jars.

Be sure to click on the printable journal cards for adults, or the printable journal cards for kids, to get the journaling prompts for your gift, or your scrapbook interview.

Enjoy!

Gifts in a Jar - Layered recipes

2007-09-17T15:12:00.000-07:00

Layered recipes are especially pretty for Gifts in a Jar, since the layers are especially eye-catching.

Triple Chocolate Chip Cookies
1/2 cup pecans (chopped)
1/2 cup white chocolate chips
1/2 cup chocolate chips
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
3/8 cup sugar
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
1/6 cup cocoa
1 1/4 cups all purpose flour

Add all these ingredients one at a time to make the layers in the jar. (Use a 1 quart jar.)

On the attached recipe card, provide these instructions:

Triple Chocolate Chip cookies
To the mixture add
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1 tbsp. milk
1 egg
1 stick melted butter

Mix together and roll into 1 inch balls. Place on cookie sheet and press to flatten slightly. Bake for 8 minutes at 350 degrees.

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M&M's Cookies (great for holidays!)

Add the following ingredients in the order given into a 1 quart wide-mouth jar. Be sure to press layers firmly before adding next ingredient to avoid mixing of layers.

1 1/4 cups white sugar
1 1/4 cups M&M candies (be creative, use red & green for Christmas, pastels for Easter, etc.)
2 cups all purpose flour mixed with 1/2 tsp. baking soda and 1/2 tsp. baking powder

The attached label should read:

M&M's Cookies
Yield 30 cookies

1. Empty cookie mix jar into a large mixing bowl and stir.
2. Add 1 stick of softened butter or margarine, 1 slightly beaten egg, and 1 tsp. vanilla
3. Mix until completely blended. (Use your hands rather than a beater to avoid breaking candies.)
4. Roll into 1 inch balls. Place on greased cookie sheets.
5. Bake for 12 - 14 minutes at 375 degrees. Cookies are done when edges begin to brown lightly.

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Layered bean soup mix - this recipe should only be used if you wish to prepare a number of jars (instructions are for 12 jars), because you will need to buy a large amount of dried beans. You should purchase about 14 pounds of assorted dried peas, beans and lentils(choose at least 8 different kinds, aiming for variety in color). Choose from among the following:
black beans
white beans
black-eyed peas
pink beans
lentils
baby limas
red lentils
great northerns
small red beans
pinto beans
split peas
red kidney beans

You will also need 12 Italian or beef bouillon cubes and 12 bay leaves

Layer the beans by 1/4 cups in the jars, placing different colors next to each other. At the top of each jar add a bouillon cube and a bay leaf, and seal.

On the instruction tag, include the following:

Bean Soup

Set aside bay leaf and bouillon cube and soak beans.

Quick method: Rinse beans, place in large pot with 6-8 cups water. Bring to a boil, and allow to boil for 2 minutes. Remove from heat. Cover and let stand for 1 hour. Drain and rinse beans.

Overnight method: Rinse beans, place in large pot with 6-8 cups water. Let stand overnight, or at least 6 to 8 hours. Drain soak water and rinse beans.

To make bean soup:

Place beans (after soaking) in a large pot.
Add the following:
6 cups water
1 can (14 oz.) chopped tomatoes in juice
bay leaf and bouillon cube
Salt

Simmer gently for 2 to 2-1/2 hours. Add salt and pepper as needed.

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Butterscotch Brownies Mix

Build layers in this order, using 1 quart wide-mouth canning jar. Press firmly between layers.

1/2 cup flaked sweetened coconut (pack firmly!)
3/4 cup pecans (chopped)
2 cups brown sugar (firmly packed)
2 cups all purpose flour mixed with 1 1/2 Tbsp. baking powder and 1/4 tsp. salt

The following instructions should be attached to the jar:

Butterscotch Brownies
Makes 24

1. Empty jar of into large mixing bowl and mix.
2. Add the following: 1-1/2 sticks (3/4 cup) softened butter or margarine, 2 slightly beaten eggs, 2 tsp. vanilla
3. Mix until completely blended.
4. Spread into greased 9x13 pan.
5. Bake for 25 minutes at 375 degrees. Allow to cool for 15 minutes before cutting into squares.

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Colored bath salts

Epsom salts and food coloring are all you need, although a funnel will make your job easier. First fill the jar you would like to give with the epsom salts, and then pour it out evenly into 6 small cups.

Add food coloring to each cup, stirring (and adding more color if needed) until you get the desired shade. Remember you can mix colors (i.e. blue+red to get purple) if you like, and consider whether you would like pastel or stronger colors (pastel usually looks more appropriate for bath salts). You may also add essential oils to scent the bath salts. Lavender is especially nice for the bath.

Allow the salts to air-dry for 20 minutes or so, then use a funnel to add the colors, one at a time, back into the jar. Press each layer lightly with the back of a spoon before adding the next. (Or, if you want a more organic feel, let the valleys and hills remain.)

This project is especially nice finished off with an organza ribbon and a silk flower. Make sure to create a gift tag so the recipient knows what is in the jar!

Innovative Photo Display

2007-09-14T18:08:00.000-07:00

Scrapbooking remains one of the most popular crafts in America, and that has created a lot of amateur photographers. You've prepared in advance for memories you know you want to preserve, planned the perfect composition, made sure the camera settings are exact, and shot the perfect photograph.

Wouldn't you like to keep it (along with your other favorite photos) close at hand and within easy view? We just had to share the most remarkable find for displaying your photos. A digital photo frame lets you transfer all of your photos directly from your memory card and set up a stunning display that flips through your photos in slideshow format. Photos are displayed on an LCD screen, available in sizes from 7" up to 10". Digital frames also allow you to add background music to complement your photos.

We think the digital picture frame is the best new product for scrapbookers and other photo enthusiasts, allowing you to keep a changing panorama of many photos within view in a limited space.

Gifts in a Jar - Cocoa recipes

2007-09-04T08:44:00.000-07:00

These recipes are all simple ones ... just mix everything together fill your jar. If making many gifts, the recipes can be doubled or tripled. (Just be sure to mix well!) The label is what you need to attach to give directions to the recipient for preparation.

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Hot Cocoa

3 cups instant powdered milk
1/2 cups powdered cocoa
3/4 cup sugar
Dash of salt

Label:

Hot Cocoa
1 serving

4 tablespoons Hot Chocolate Mix
8 ounces boiling water
Marshmallows or whipped cream

Place 4 tablespoons hot cocoa mix in your favorite mug. Add 8 ounces boiling water. Stir until dissolved. Add marshmallows or whipped cream.

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White Chocolate Cocoa Mix

1 tsp. vanilla powder
1 tsp. dried orange peel
1/2 cup grated white chocolate or white chocolate chips

Mix all the ingredients together and add to your jar.

Label:

White Chocolate Cocoa
Single serving

1 and 1/2 cups milk
1/4 cup White Hot Chocolate Mix

In a small saucepan, heat 3/4 cup milk until it just begins to bubble. Remove from heat and stir in 1/8 cup white chocolate cocoa mix whisk together until chocolate is melted, then pour into mug and enjoy!

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Mexican Cocoa Mix

1/3 cup light brown sugar
3/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
1-1/2 tsp. powdered vanilla
1/4 cup cocoa powder
2-1/2 cups instant powdered milk

Label:

Mexican Cocoa
2 Servings

Boil 1-1/2 cups water and add Mexican Cocoa Mix to taste. Whisk until smooth, pour into mugs and add a cinnamon stick to each mug.

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Triple Chocolate-Mint Cocoa Mix

6 cups nonfat powdered milk
1 (16 ounce) package confectioners sugar
2 (8 ounce) jars Swiss chocolate-flavored non-dairy powdered creamer
1 (15 ounce) package chocolate mix for milk
1 (7-1/2 ounce) package round peppermint candies, finely ground
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon salt

Note: peppermint candies can be ground using a coffee grinder or placed in a sturdy plastic bag and crushed with a hammer.

Label:

Triple Chocolate-Mint Cocoa
Single Serving

Heat 6 ounces of water, pour over 3 tablespoons cocoa mix and stir well. Enjoy!

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Sweet & Creamy Cocoa Mix

1 (2 lb. container) Nestles Quick
1 (16 oz. jar) Non-Dairy creamer (we used Coffeemate)
1 (14 qt.) box instant powdered milk (non-fat)
2 lb. powdered confectioners sugar

Label:

Sweet & Creamy Cocoa Mix
Single serving

Place 1/3 cup of mix in large mug. Add 1 cup boiling water and stir.

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Raspberry (or Cherry) Chocolate Cocoa

3 cups instant powdered milk
1/2 cups powdered cocoa
1-1/4 cup sugar
Package of unsweetened raspberry or cherry drink mix (like Kool-Aid)

Label:

Raspberry (or Cherry) Chocolate Cocoa
1 serving

4 tablespoons Cocoa Mix
8 ounces boiling water

Place 4 tablespoons cocoa mix in your favorite mug. Add 8 ounces boiling water. Stir until dissolved. Enjoy!

Use the regular cocoa mix above, and add a package of raspberry or cherry Kool-Aid to the mix. Add an extra 1/2 cup of sugar. The label instructions will be the same.

More recipes of different kinds to follow!

On the other hand ...

The weight loss issue is a current concern, especially to many Americans who have relied too heavily on easily available junk food. As people become more and more health conscious, they are using various methods, from taking a diet pill to modifying their diet with any of a wide range of plans, such as the glycemic index diet in order to control their weight and reach their goals of getting back in shape. Some online health shops are advertising to buy adipex as a solution to lose weight. This prescription weight loss medicine is considered safe and effective. The best supplements for weight loss are generally herbs and homeopathic supplements which have no side effects.

Gifting with Labels

2007-09-03T17:13:00.000-07:00

It may be only September, but it's not too early to start thinking about Christmas gifts, especially if you are planning to make handmade crafts to give to anyone on your list. We have some great gift-giving ideas made with computer-generated or hand-made labels.

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Personalized gift tags

Use your laser printed and brown kraft labels to create cute, country-style, personalized gift tags for everyone on your list. You can easily download images from the internet and create cute gift tags using a template, then print them out. If you want them to stand out more, adhere the labels to a complementary color of card stock and cut them out with decorative scissors. These types of tags are especially nice with kraft paper (or even brown paper bag) wrapped gifts, tied with raffia or strips of cotton gingham or calico for a lovely old-fashioned Christmas accent. Wrap all of your gifts in this style, decorate your tree in old-fashioned country Christmas, and take lots of nostalgic photos for your scrapbook pages!

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Personal DVD (or CD)

For a really personalized gift that will be long remembered and much appreciated, consider transferring video images to DVD for a personalized walk down memory lane gift. Apply a personalized label that you design on your computer and include a special message for the recipient. Also consider an image CD with copies of one-of-a-kind family photos that will surely be appreciated by everyone you share them with.

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Bath salts

Add about 20-25 drops of essential oil to 1 pound of epsom salts and mix well. (Lavender is an especially nice and relaxing scent.) Fill a small decorative jar with the mixture. Make an elegant label using your inkjet printer and apply. Tie a translucent gold ribbon around the top, and perhaps embellish the ribbon with a tiny strand of pearls. Even with such an elegant treatment, a cork can still make a nice bottle topper, although a glass stoppered bottle is even better.

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Gifts in a Jar

Gifts in a jar are not new, but are a fun way to share foods and other special delights with the special people in your life. It can be very economical and easy to make large numbers of gifts with some recipes and putting it all together assembly-line style. Keep your gifts looking as though you made them only for that special person by creating a separate gift label for each one and adhering it to the container.

Sugar Cookie Mix

• 1-1/4 c sugar
• 3 cups flour
• 1 t baking soda
• 1 t salt
Mix all these ingredients until well mixed, and fill your jar or container with mix. Add a label with this information:

Instructions for Sugar Cookies:
Add the cookie mix to 1 cup softened butter, 3 beaten eggs, and 1 tsp of vanilla. Stir until just mixed. Form into a ball and chill 1-3 hours or until firm. Roll out to 1/4 inch thick on lightly floured surface. Cut shapes and bake on cookie sheet at 400 degrees for 6-7 minutes. Test for doneness by gently touching edge. Cookies should hold their form and edges should not yet have browned. Allow to cool, frost with icing, decorate with sprinkles.

Sugar cookies make a very cute gift by adding a gingham check fabric over the lid and tying on with raffia, including some pretty old-fashioned cookie cutters in the bow.

We will be featuring more recipes for gifts in a jar in upcoming posts, so stay tuned!

Magnetic crafts

2007-08-31T21:22:00.000-07:00

We found a great product at PrintOnIt that takes magnetic crafting to a whole new level! Inkjet Magnet allows you to capture the high-quality images of digital or photos or any digital image you choose and apply it to a magnetic sheet that can be used for a wide variety of crafting applications. Instead of the old process of gluing the paper to the magnetic backing, now you can print directly onto the magnet itself, overcoming past problems such as the project tending to peel away from the magnet and opening new doors for magnetic crafting.

Inkjet magnets are available in either gloss or matte finish. Matte finish might be a great choice for taking a child's artwork from his first day at school, scanning the art, and printing out a magnetized sheet for your refrigerator. No more loose papers stuck up with fridge magnets, the paper artwork IS a magnet! The original can be safely tucked away into your child's scrapbook instead of getting damaged by hanging on the fridge. A nice touch for this project would be to use photo editing software to add a current picture of your child into a blank area of the artwork before printing it out, so everyone can admire the artwork and see the artist at the same time, and to provide a lasting reminder of your child and his abilities at that particular age.

These would also make great personalized calendars to hang on your refrigerator. You can use your scanner to add your own photos, and add notes to the calendar template to remind your busy family of everything that needs remembering. With the image quality afforded by inkjet magnets, birthdays, graduations, etc. would be especially suited for photos of the celebrant in their date-box.

Fall festivals and fairs are coming up, and inkjet magnets offer a great way to raise money or increase your crafting sales. Label or business card templates allow the crafter to create magnets with cute sayings and small related pictures or designs that can be printed out and easily cut apart into smaller magnets for sale at a great profit.

As a scrapbooker, I love the idea of scanning a layout and printing it out on a sheet of inkjet magnet, allowing me to hang the layout on my file cabinet at work to keep my scrapbook page in full view, reminding me of the occasion and sharing my creativity (and my family!) with my co-workers as well.

Inkjet magnets are also great for advertising purposes as well as crafting. Print your logo and information on business card sized templates and cut apart for a lasting impression.

We love Inkjet Magnets and are looking forward to coming up with new ideas using this innovative product!

preparing seashells for crafting - seashell crafts part 2

2007-08-28T19:43:00.000-07:00

If you gather shells from the beach, they should be cleaned before using them for crafting. Shells can simply be scrubbed with a toothbrush in hot soapy water, and rinsed and allowed to dry. You may also want to bleach the shells in order to make them appear more weathered, or to soften their colors, making them look better when displayed together. Just mix bleach and water in equal parts and soak your shells, checking periodically so that you can remove them and rinse the bleach when they reach the desired shade.

Shells with animals inside (living shells, or hermit crabs) should not be taken. However, even dead shells sometimes have leftover debris. If after cleaning your shells there is still any organic matter inside, an old trick is to place them in an antbed and allow the ants to clean out any debris, and follow by washing again.

Seashell crafts part 1

2007-08-28T19:35:00.001-07:00

So many families are returning from vacations. Some of them are bringing souvenir seashells home with them. We found some fun ideas for using those seashells instead of just putting them away in a drawer or box.

Seashell in a bottle ... this one is great for children of any age. Older children can do the project by themselves, and younger ones can help with putting it together so they feel included as well.

Choose a pretty bottle, jar, or similar container (needs to be transparent) and make sure it has a lid, or else buy a cork to seal it. Clean the bottle inside and out with a streak-free cleaner and paper towels to remove any smudges or fingerprints. Decide whether the bottle will lie on its side or stand upright. You might want to write the name of your beach destination and the date on the outside of the bottle. Fill the bottle with clean sand. You can use sand from your beach vacation if you have any (if you forgot to collect some, check everyone's shoes!), or substitute craft or play sand. Add cleaned seashells on top of the sand. Seal the bottle. If you like, you can glue tiny seashells to the lid or cork. You might want to add decorative elements like a loop of cotton rope to simulate pier ropes, or a little piece of fishnet. For a fun twist on this craft, write a fun note, journal about your trip, or write your dreams on a slip of paper, roll it up, and slip it into the bottle before sealing it. This can be fun to pull out and read in later years, and bring back even more memories of your vacation.

Unique Gift Baskets

2007-08-28T02:24:00.001-07:00

Here's a great use for the candles from our last post ... incorporate them into lovely, personalized gift baskets!

How about a flower-stamped candle, in a cute flowerpot, nestled among silk flowers for "filler" and packed with packets of flower seeds, a gardening tips book, and gardening gloves?

Or a heart-bedecked candle in a wedding accessory box with a romantic lacy nightgown for a bridal gift?

Or a funky candle in the colors of a teen girl's bedroom, tucked into a locking "treasure" box along with a diary, cool pens, and fun hair accessories?

For new mothers, you can stamp a cute or whimsical image and accompany it with the baby's name and birthdate, or "Congratulations", place it it a pretty white wicker basket lined with a baby blanket, and tuck in cute little booties and a stuffed animal.

You can even make it a gag gift by making it a "birthday" candle, packing it into the box of an "old age" product of your choice, and including things like reading glasses, arthritis rub, and various gag products.

Being able to personalize the candle is one way to make it the centerpiece of a truly personalized gift that will long be remembered for its uniqueness and for the thoughts and love that come along with it.

Personalized candles

2007-08-28T02:15:00.000-07:00

I'm always looking for new ways to use the crafting supplies I already have, and I loved this idea. It's early enough to make these for Christmas decorations or gifts, too!

What you'll need ...
Candle of your choice (light colors work well, and should be large enough in diameter to provide a surface for the image)
Tissue paper
Rubber stamp image of your choice (alphabet stamps are a great way to really personalize this project!)
ink
heat gun (or in a pinch, a blowdryer)
wax paper

The process is simple. Stamp the image you wish to transfer to the candle onto the tissue paper, and cut or tear it out. (This method is especially forgiving because you can layer the tissue paper over the candle and make sure the stamping and placement are exactly what you want before continuing.) Place the image on the candle and align it the way you want it. Wrap the wax paper tightly around the candle, over the tissue paper. Use your heat gun or blowdryer to heat the image through the wax paper. The tissue paper will seem to disappear when it is finished. Remove the wax paper, and you are finished!

This is an easy craft that can be enjoyed by older children as well as adults, with supervision for safety while using the heat gun. Younger children can participate as well by choosing stamps, inks, and candles to make their own designs.

Country style, inexpensive and personalized!

2007-07-31T20:43:00.000-07:00

Do you have a place to decorate where super-casual country will fit the bill? You can have some fun with a minimum of cost and no special skills required!

First, you need to have a theme in mind. A word, a quote, a Bible verse, a name, or anything you like. Find a suitable piece of wood ... you are making a sign or plaque. Some of my favorites were made with old 1 x 6 sections that I salvaged from an old privacy fence, so they were already weathered. New wood can be used as well.

For new wood, you will probably want to paint the whole sign (or weather it by painting color on the whole thing and then wiping it off). For old wood, you may choose to simply paint the word with a light enough color paint to stand out. Just paint your lettering onto the sign in your choice of color. You might want to make the lettering a simple style, such as all caps or dotted letters (where the end of each letter stroke has a small dot).

After painting your sign, select small decorative finishes. These can be anything, such as dried flowers and moss, or tiny seashells and starfish. Fabric cut-outs or ribbon bows might be appropriate. You might like to select a decal or rub-on. Decorative buttons or charms are available in many themes. Miniatures from the craft store are especially cute. Let your imagination run free and have FUN with this part!

For hanging, you can simply attach a loop (it can even be as simple as a pull-tab from a soda can, which is what my Grandma used to make these) or use tiny screw eyes on top and attach a length of wire such as from a metal coathanger for the hanging wire. The wire can be looped or bent into any shape, if it adds to your theme. You can also dress up the wire (and hide the screw eyes) by tying loops of raffia, bows, yarn, or whatever fits your theme to the wire.

The cost is minimal, the possibilities are endless, and it's easy to do. This can make a great family project with everyone making her own sign! It can also be a great fundraiser.

Hang and enjoy!

Flower arrangments

2007-07-17T19:52:00.000-07:00

Nothing brightens a room like fresh flowers! We love the permanence of our dried and silk arrangements, but fresh flowers somehow offer a breath of life that is all their own. Besides gracing your home, flower arrangements also make thoughtful and much-appreciated gifts which have the added bonus of speaking a language all of their own. Before making or buying an arrangement to give as a gift, research the meaning of specific flowers online, or visit florists to view flower arrangements for various occasions.

When selecting the design elements of your arrangement, consider your theme, decor, and container. Baskets are charming and fit well into country themed decorating. Vases are better suited if the decor is more formal. And for a more permanent situation, consider a flowering plant instead of cut flowers. If you are decorating for a festive event, consider eye-catching arrangements designed specifically for parties such as a lovely floral candle-scape for a dinner party or urn overflowing with flowers as a centerpiece of a garden party.

Whatever your desires, lovely flowers, accents, and fillers are available for any mood, decor, or occasion. Browse the available choices and select those that will put a smile on your face and a song in your heart.

Magazines to inspire creativity

2007-07-05T18:23:00.000-07:00

Everyone needs a great source of inspiration sometimes, and one of the best places to turn is magazines. There are many online magazine offers, many of which offer great discounts. Look for convenience and money-saving features like online order processing, no sales tax, and free shipping.

One of my favorite magazines for scrapbooking inspiration and information is Memory Makers magazine. It features beautiful layouts in a wide variety of styles, with something to suit everyone's taste whether you prefer the classic heritage look or the sassy, funky new contemporary colors. The techniques featured range from simple "why didn't I think of that?" ideas to truly innovative and creative methods for embellishing your scrapbook pages.

And if scrapbooking isn't your craft, check out other craft magazines. With such a wide variety available, you are sure to find something to tickle your imagination and jump-start your creativity!

Chicken craze

2007-07-01T21:13:00.000-07:00

Well, it's official. After years of buying chicken decorations for my sister's kitchen, now that we have started raising chickens ourselves, I'm looking for chicken crafts for my own home! Because it was a popular decorating style (and still is) many pieces are easily available to decorate in chicken-kitsch. Most are especially suitable for the kitchen, which seems to make sense. Crowing roosters summon us, bleary-eyed, in the morning to the kitchen for a cup of much-needed coffee. We cook the chickens' eggs for breakfast, and include them in other dishes. The chickens themselves feed us in various chicken recipes. So, the kitchen seems the perfect room to decorate ala-chicken.

My first project is a little wooden balsa-wood basket that was 90% off at the craft store and looked to be the perfect size for napkins, and I needed a napkin holder. A wash-on paint, diluted with water, makes a suitable background color and ages the new wood. Tiny decopauged roosters march around its sides.

I was also inspired by a chicken-wire message and memory board -- and I already had all the necessary leftovers! Just take an old empty frame, age it with a paint wash if you like. Cut the wire to fit the frame and staple it to the back of the frame. Use wire or hooks to attach a small wicker basket to hold mail, use tiny clothespins (these can be aged with paint too) to clip photos to the chicken wire, add a cuphook to the frame to hold keys, and you have a great piece. I am looking for an old tin painted chicken to attach for further decoration, but I will probably have to break down and make one myself someday.

I also saw some really cute chicken fabric panels that were meant to be pillows, but are going to make great placemats. Join the chicken fabric face-to-face (printed sides inside) with a complementary fabric, and cut a thin batting of the same size or slightly smaller. Place the batting on top of the others and pin it all together, sew around the edges (leave a hole for turning!) and turn the whole thing inside out to make the batting in the center and the printed fabrics on the outside. The whole thing can be quilted if you like, or bias tape can be sewn to the edges for a more finished look.

Beach bag

2007-04-30T20:48:00.000-07:00

Looking for a fun new look for a summer beach bag?

Find a loose-weave bag (such as loose bamboo or sisal). Choose some fun fibers, ribbons, yarn, or even fabric torn into narrow strips to make your design. Sketch your design lines lightly in pencil or a disappering tailor's chalk, etc. on your beach bag. Simple designs usually look best. You can use geometric patterns, a kid-type drawing, or random designs. Using a plastic canvas needle (or crochet hook, depending upon the material you have chosen for your design), work your fibers through the bag as though you were embroidering it to complete your design.

You can easily make a matching straw hat and other accessories as well.

Outdoors with kids

2007-04-30T20:27:00.000-07:00

Looking for a good way to spend time with the kids and encourage their creativity at the same time? Take a walk in the woods or on a nature trail and collect interesting rocks, bits of bark, dried flowers, seed pods, etc. (Make sure you are not gathering any protected materials if walking in a park.)

Bring everything home and clean it all with a soft paintbrush, then give the kids some google eyes, pipe cleaners, paints, and glue and let them create new and fanciful creatures with their collected goodies.

If you are a scrapbooker, don't forget to take a picture of the kids during their hike, with their materials crafting, and finally with their finished products to make a page that will remind you both of the fun time you spent together!

Newest category - Wearables!

2007-02-27T15:20:00.000-08:00

Right now we are working on making wearables at our home. We will report back within a week or so and let you know which techniques were our favorites, and at the same time will create a new category: Wearables!

We're working on T-shirts right now, but will plan on offering ideas to match shoes and bags to these. We're also stocking up on denim vests in preparation for working with these and introducing some new ideas, but my daughter loves the vests so much, she's afraid to "mess them up" ...

Which brings me to a little note about crafting. DON'T BE AFRAID! Sure, you may love the base piece, or something you bought to adorn something else with. But if you place it in a drawer and wait until you develop the "perfect idea" for it, you may never get around to it. It's much better to just DO IT! Not that there's anything wrong with trying a new technique out on less-lovely materials first, but once you learn the basic technique, Go For It!

Even if the results are less than perfect, you are probably the only one who would ever notice (and that only because you examined the piece so closely as you were making it) and if you will allow yourself to relax about the imperfections, you can actually SEE and ENJOY that lovely piece instead of having it languish in a drawer or bin somewhere, never to be seen again.

So ... relax, and ENJOY your crafting!

Until next time ...

anna

Home Decor - Frame a Quotation

2007-02-12T08:07:00.000-08:00

Turn your picture frames inside-out and bring a favorite quotation, song, Scripture, or saying into your daily life.

Use the flat papier-mache frames (such as found in the Wal-Mart craft dept) or a similar inexpensive wide frame with a small opening.

Cover the frame itself with decoupaged paper cutouts (or a fabric scene) and seal. You are creating a scene or supporting “picture” on the frame itself, and leaving the inside blank.

Then use it to frame a favorite saying, quote, song lyrics, or Scripture. Hang where you can easily read the writing, and will see it often!

Recycled country silhouettes

2007-02-08T16:08:00.000-08:00

Do you love the craft pillows that are made in simple outline shapes of bunnies, cats, etc? These are often displayed on the backs of couches or in baskets.

One of the looks we love most is to take an old quilt or chenille bedspread that has seen better days, and may not be useful otherwise, and cutting these simple outlines and making the shaped pillow.

They can be decorated with embroidered (or doll's) eyes, silk flowers, raffia or fabric bows, etc. Your imagination is the only limitation!

So cute, and easy to match any decor!

Personalized Kid's Craft

2007-02-08T01:18:00.000-08:00

Now that my daughter is older, she has some very particular interests. Sometimes kids will fall in love with a movie, book, video game, etc., but licensed things can be hard to find to suit their interest.

We used shrink plastic to allow my daughter to personalize many items. She printed pictures of the characters that she found online, placed the shrink plastic over it, and traced the outlines. (Sand the shrink plastic in several directions before tracing, if necessary.) She colored the images in herself, cut them out, and baked them.

The resulting figures adorn her light switches, dangle from her shoelaces, and hung from her lampshade, function as a zipper pull for her purse, and are made into a mobile for her room. She loves being able to personalize her space with things she loves!

Pipe Cleaner Animals

2007-02-05T13:19:00.000-08:00

I asked my daughter about her favorite crafting memories, and the first thing she mentioned was pipe cleaners and beads.

I provided her with pipe cleaners in many colors, and different thicknesses. Some of them are thick-to-thin in waves, and sometimes we had metallic ones. Many kinds are available in craft stores.

I also purchased beads in many sizes, shapes, and colors. Most of the beads we used when she was younger had holes large enough to slip on pipe cleaners.

When given several materials and allowed to create, she would sometimes twist the pipecleaners into various animal parts and connect them into a whole, stringing beads for feet, pom-poms, eyes, knees, or parts only she would recognize. She had a wonderful time creating her zoo of animals, some from real animals and some fanciful.

We hung some of them from fishing line and attached them to dowels to make a hanging mobile for her room. You could also use a couple of coat hangers attached together to hang pieces from.

This is a great project because it allows freedom in creating, and at the same time teaches building parts and assembling them into a whole, and 3-dimensional sculpting skills.

Enjoy!

Home Decor - Fabric Covered Walls

2007-02-04T21:26:00.000-08:00

I love this idea to bring wonderful texture to walls along with designs that are unique to YOUR home.

Instead of wallpaper, consider covering a wall, or a part of a wall, with patterned FABRIC instead. The fabric should be washed first, and dried without fabric softeners and carefully pressed to remove wrinkles (unless you want to work wrinkles into the fabric, though most designs won't support this).

A good finished edge can be achieved by running a strip of moulding along the edge of the fabric.

This can also be done in a rectangle on a wall, and "framed" with moulding as hung artwork.

Another very unique use is a scenery fabric with a windowframe (either manufactured or made yourself from mouldings) placed over it to give the effect of a view from a window. You can even add a windowsill as a display ledge if you like. Curtains can also be added, but consider before doing this as it is likely to detract from the overall effect in most cases.

Enjoy!!!
anna

Home Decor

2007-02-01T16:48:00.000-08:00

All posts about home decor will appear here, in order to create a clickable category. Oldest posts will appear at the top. Scroll down to see newer posts.

Home Decor - Fabric Covered Walls

I love this idea to bring wonderful texture to walls along with designs that are unique to YOUR home.

Instead of wallpaper, consider covering a wall, or a part of a wall, with patterned FABRIC instead. The fabric should be washed first, and dried without fabric softeners and carefully pressed to remove wrinkles (unless you want to work wrinkles into the fabric, though most designs won't support this).

A good finished edge can be achieved by running a strip of moulding along the edge of the fabric.

This can also be done in a rectangle on a wall, and "framed" with moulding as hung artwork.

Another very unique use is a scenery fabric with a windowframe (either manufactured or made yourself from mouldings) placed over it to give the effect of a view from a window. You can even add a windowsill as a display ledge if you like. Curtains can also be added, but consider before doing this as it is likely to detract from the overall effect in most cases.

Enjoy!!!
anna

Framed Quotations
February 12, 07

(This one is appearing in more than one category posting, as it is a cross-over.)

Turn your picture frames inside-out and bring a favorite quotation, song, Scripture, or saying into your daily life.

Use the flat papier-mache frames (such as found in the Wal-Mart craft dept) or a similar inexpensive wide frame with a small opening.

Cover the frame itself with decoupaged paper cutouts (or a fabric scene) and seal. You are creating a scene or supporting “picture” on the frame itself, and leaving the inside blank.

Then use it to frame a favorite saying, quote, song lyrics, or Scripture. Hang where you can easily read the writing, and will see it often!

Chicken craze

Elegant Thanksgiving Table Accents

You may wish to use a tall, slender clear vase and fill it with cranberries instead of rocks or marbles. These can be placed around the table, or used for the centerpiece.

For elegance, of course, nothing beats matched china and crystal goblets, as well as polished silver, so provide these if you have them available.

Consider colors such as cream, perhaps edged in gold, for tablecloth and/or runner and napkins. Or perhaps a gold-colored fabric (rich, but not glittery if the whole piece and not simply an accent).

Thanksgiving Topiary Craft

Topiaries, by their very nature, are usually well-suited to elegant settings. (We include suggestions at the end to make this craft more appropriate in a rustic setting as well.)

Elegant Thanksgiving Napkin Rings

Elegant napkin rings can be created using silver or gold jewelry wire and fall-colored glass or plastic beads. Leaf-shaped beads are often available.

These rings are made even more elegant by being paired with solid colored napkins in rich colors, especially gold.

More Rustic Thanksgiving Table Ideas

More Thanksgiving Table Ideas

Rustic Thanksgiving Table - Table setting

Fall / Autumn Decor - front porch

Fall / Autum Decor - signs

Fall / Autumn Decor - Wreaths

We will begin with the outside of the home. A popular outdoor decoration is a door wreath.

Family Crafting

2007-02-01T16:47:00.001-08:00

All posts about family crafting will appear here, in order to create a clickable category. Oldest posts will appear at the top. Scroll down to see newer posts.

Monday, February 5, 2007
Pipe Cleaner Animals

I asked my daughter about her favorite crafting memories, and the first thing she mentioned was pipe cleaners and beads.

I provided her with pipe cleaners in many colors, and different thicknesses. Some of them are thick-to-thin in waves, and sometimes we had metallic ones. Many kinds are available in craft stores.

I also purchased beads in many sizes, shapes, and colors. Most of the beads we used when she was younger had holes large enough to slip on pipe cleaners.

When given several materials and allowed to create, she would sometimes twist the pipecleaners into various animal parts and connect them into a whole, stringing beads for feet, pom-poms, eyes, knees, or parts only she would recognize. She had a wonderful time creating her zoo of animals, some from real animals and some fanciful.

We hung some of them from fishing line and attached them to dowels to make a hanging mobile for her room. You could also use a couple of coat hangers attached together to hang pieces from.

This is a great project because it allows freedom in creating, and at the same time teaches building parts and assembling them into a whole, and 3-dimensional sculpting skills.

Enjoy!

Thursday, February 8, 2007
Personalized Kid's Craft

Now that my daughter is older, she has some very particular interests. Sometimes kids will fall in love with a movie, book, video game, etc., but licensed things can be hard to find to suit their interest.

We used shrink plastic to allow my daughter to personalize many items. She printed pictures of the characters that she found online, placed the shrink plastic over it, and traced the outlines. (Sand the shrink plastic in several directions before tracing, if necessary.) She colored the images in herself, cut them out, and baked them.

The resulting figures adorn her light switches, dangle from her shoelaces, and hung from her lampshade, function as a zipper pull for her purse, and are made into a mobile for her room. She loves being able to personalize her space with things she loves!

Drawing, Painting

2007-02-01T16:46:00.000-08:00

All posts about drawing and painting will appear here, in order to create a clickable category. Oldest posts will appear at the top. Scroll down to see newer posts.

Scrapbooking, Cardmaking, Rubber Stamping

2007-02-01T16:44:00.002-08:00

All posts about scrapbooking, cardmaking, and rubber stamping will appear here, in order to create a clickable category. Oldest posts will appear at the top. Scroll down to see newer posts.

February 1, 2007
Scrapbooking - journaling

The cold winter months after the holidays, when you have stacks of new photos, are the perfect time to scrapbook them! Now, before you forget the stories that go with the photos, and the cute things a child said, or what your favorite memory from this past Christmas was (especially if it is something you DON'T have a photo of to remind you later).

Speaking of which, one of the most helpful things you can do for yourself is to journal before you begin cutting and adhering. Even before you begin chosing papers and embellishments.

Take the time to sit and go through your photos, and write out what you want to remember about each. Names and dates are always important, but so are the funny anecdotes or tender moments that happened that may or may not (probably the latter) be actually shown in the photos. Take time to reflect about what you WANT MOST to remember, and WRITE IT DOWN!!!

That way if, like so many of us, despite your best intentions, you become too busy to scrap everything right away, you will still have that most precious part intact, along with the photos, ready to go into the album along with them.

As an aside, many people like to use their personal blogs as time goes along to make note of those things they want to remember, and can refer to that as they scrapbook. In the past I have used emails to my mother about her grandchild's latest escapades in the same way. Consider printing them out though, if you want to use them in this way. (I learned the hard way, and lost a lot of precious information with an email account.)

Then when you are ready to actually scrapbook, it will be easier to choose colors and embellishments to suit the actual MOOD you want to create, instead of trying simply to decide what color will best accentuate the eyes in the focal photo. I'm not putting that technique down, sometimes that's exactly what you WANT to do, but sometimes the color is better selected to fit the mood of the memory.

Most of all, have fun and HAPPY SCRAPPIN'!

Magazines to inspire creativity

Papercrafts (except scrapbooking)

2007-02-01T16:44:00.001-08:00

All posts about papercrafts (except scrapbooking) will appear here, in order to create a clickable category. Oldest posts will appear at the top. Scroll down to see newer posts.

Frame a Quotation!
February 12, 07

(This one is appearing in a couple of categories, since it is a cross-over.)

Turn your picture frames inside-out and bring a favorite quotation, song, Scripture, or saying into your daily life.

Use the flat papier-mache frames (such as found in the Wal-Mart craft dept) or a similar inexpensive wide frame with a small opening.

Cover the frame itself with decoupaged paper cutouts and seal. You are creating a scene or supporting “picture” on the frame itself, and leaving the inside blank.

Then use it to frame a favorite saying, quote, song lyrics, or Scripture. Hang where you can easily read the writing, and will see it often!

Sewing, Embroidery, Cross Stitch

2007-02-01T16:43:00.000-08:00

All posts about sewing, embroidery, and cross stitch will appear here, in order to create a clickable category. Oldest posts will appear at the top. Scroll down to see newer posts.

Thursday, February 8, 2007
Recycled country silhouettes

Do you love the craft pillows that are made in simple outline shapes of bunnies, cats, etc? These are often displayed on the backs of couches or in baskets.

One of the looks we love most is to take an old quilt or chenille bedspread that has seen better days, and may not be useful otherwise, and cutting these simple outlines and making the shaped pillow.

They can be decorated with embroidered (or doll's) eyes, silk flowers, raffia or fabric bows, etc. Your imagination is the only limitation!

So cute, and easy to match any decor!

Scrapbooking - journaling

2007-02-01T15:47:00.000-08:00

The cold winter months after the holidays, when you have stacks of new photos, are the perfect time to scrapbook them! Now, before you forget the stories that go with the photos, and the cute things a child said, or what your favorite memory from this past Christmas was (especially if it is something you DON'T have a photo of to remind you later).

Speaking of which, one of the most helpful things you can do for yourself is to journal before you begin cutting and adhering. Even before you begin chosing papers and embellishments.

Take the time to sit and go through your photos, and write out what you want to remember about each. Names and dates are always important, but so are the funny anecdotes or tender moments that happened that may or may not (probably the latter) be actually shown in the photos. Take time to reflect about what you WANT MOST to remember, and WRITE IT DOWN!!!

That way if, like so many of us, despite your best intentions, you become too busy to scrap everything right away, you will still have that most precious part intact, along with the photos, ready to go into the album along with them.

As an aside, many people like to use their personal blogs as time goes along to make note of those things they want to remember, and can refer to that as they scrapbook. In the past I have used emails to my mother about her grandchild's latest escapades in the same way. Consider printing them out though, if you want to use them in this way. (I learned the hard way, and lost a lot of precious information with an email account.)

Then when you are ready to actually scrapbook, it will be easier to choose colors and embellishments to suit the actual MOOD you want to create, instead of trying simply to decide what color will best accentuate the eyes in the focal photo. I'm not putting that technique down, sometimes that's exactly what you WANT to do, but sometimes the color is better selected to fit the mood of the memory.

Most of all, have fun and HAPPY SCRAPPIN'!

Scrapbooking Store - UniqueScraps.com!

2007-01-24T14:06:00.000-08:00

We wanted to mention a website serving one of our favorite hobbies. UniqueScraps.com offers hundreds of scrapbooking fibers at very competitive prices, and is in the process of adding other unique embellishments such as silk flowers, fabric stickers, tear bear faces and patterns, and more.
UniqueScraps is also adding a section on journaling helps. One of the areas we are most excited about is the faithbooking section, which will offer ideas and help for featuring your faith in your scrapbooks.
If you visit the site, we hope you find a lot of useful information. Please also stop by the forum and share your ideas with others!
Happy Scrappin’!
anna

Update January 2012: UniqueScraps.com had to go out of business due to family issues, but we hope to be able to feature these wonderful fibers again someday soon!

Introduction test

2007-01-24T14:03:00.000-08:00

This is test post introducing hobbiescrafts blog. We will be sharing ideas about a wide variety of crafts, arts, and hobbies. Some of our personal favorites are scrapbooking, drawing, nature crafts, sewing, home decorating, and crafting with children (not in any particular order, and subject to expansion at any time!).

We plan to share ideas, patterns, instructions, reviews, and more and hope this blog will include something for everyone.

Welcome!

anna