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How to Make a Love Heart Shaped Boiled Egg For Valentines Day

2012-01-27T05:22:00.000-08:00

Show your Valentine that you love them with eggs!

This is such a cute idea and would make and Valentines lunch-box or salad a little bit special and leave your Valentines amazed at how you did it.

To make a heart shaped boiled egg, you will need...
a hard boiled egg - freshly cooked.
A section of milk carton cardboard about the size of a postcard, washed and dried.
A chopstick.
Two elastic bands.

First shell the egg and rinse off any odd bits of shell.

Pop the egg into the milk carton making sure that the fold of the carton is at the bottom.

Then rest your chopstick along the top the the egg and fix an elastic band on the end. do the same to the other end. Its a good time now to arrange the chopstick so that it is nicely central in the egg and will create a pleasing heart shape.

Now put the egg in the fridge for an hour to cool and shape.

Take the egg out of its card and cut in half - Impressive no?

Perfect Valentines :: Tea Cosy Folk :: Santas Postbag::Halloween Mania :: Swindon Flowers ::Zafyna :: Connect2Business

Decorated Tote Bags for Valentines Day

2012-01-25T01:15:00.000-08:00

This craft design is from the hobbycraft.co.uk idea's library.
These really sweet tote bags are so cute for Valentines day and all year round. And if you don't have a Valentine, you could make one for yourself!

What You Need:

LOVE' TOTE BAG
Calico bag
A5 Acetate sheets 10-pk
Dylon black fabric paint
Proarte paint brush (no barcode) Craft knife

CAT TOTE BAG
Calico bag
Fabrics, fat quarter pack
Embroidery thread, (310) black
Red satin ribbon
Red velvet ribbon
Red bead
Spray adhesive

This Project
Allow: 45 Minutes
Skill Level: Beginner

LOVE' TOTE BAG INSTRUCTIONS:
Cut four A5 stencil shapes from the acetate using the picture as a guide.
Press the tote bag and line it with a few sheets of paper or some cardboard
Position the stencils and secure with a few pieces of sticky tape (the centre of the O can be held in place with your finger, or use double sided tape)
Lightly stencil the black dye building up the colour as you go. Keep your brush quite 'dry' for this
Allow to dry before peeling off the stencils.

CAT TOTE BAG INSTRUCTIONS:
Press the tote bag
Cut the A5 stencil shapes from the acetate using the picture as a guide.
Spray adhesive lightly on the reverse and position the shapes on the bag
Take a running stitch around the edge of each shape to hold it in position.
Create the cat's collar using red velvet ribbon and a bead, sewn in place
Decorate the hearts with bows made from red satin ribbon

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Painted Heart Canvas

2012-01-18T09:11:00.000-08:00

I found this cute Valentines Craft idea on the Hobbycraft website. I thought this would be nice to give as a valentines card. I think most girls would also love a picture like this one for their bedroom and they can make it for themselves in an afternoon

What You Need:
Box canvas
Heart craft punch
Acrylic paint
Coloured and textured 12" x 12" papers
Tacky glue

This Project
Allow: 1 Hour plus drying time
Skill Level: Intermediate

Paint the canvas including the sides with the acrylic paint and leave to dry.

Meanwhile cut plenty of heart shapes from the coloured papers. Use your thumbnail to crease each heart down the centre for a 3D effect.

Using a pencil and a small plate, lightly draw a circle guide on the canvas.

Start to attach the hearts by placing a dot of glue on the centre of each heart that you creased in step 2 and continue until the circle is filled.

Once completely dry your canvas is ready to hang or to give.

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The New Craft Craze of Felting

2012-01-11T02:53:00.000-08:00

By Deanne Blackhurst

If you've never heard the term felting, then you are not alone. Despite the fact that this process has been used for thousands of years, for many people the process of hand transforming carded wool into felt is a relatively new and unknown craft. In its most basic form, felt is created by taking wool roving and repeatedly squeezing it together by hand, applied pressure or with the use of small barbed needles. This force causes the wool fibers to tangle in millions of tiny knots that stay joined because the animal fibers are coated with microscopic scales. These tiny scales hold the fiber knots in place and create a fabric that is both tight and dense.

Felting works with any animal fiber including wool, alpaca and cashmere roving or yarn. Plant or synthetic based yarn or fibers don't have tiny scales and won't felt. Different types of fiber produce felt with different and unique qualities, so it's important to experiment a little before you begin a large and involved felting project.

Felting as a form of art is quite popular in many of the European countries; however it is only in the last decade that an interest in working with fibers to create decorations, scarves, purses and 3D art has begun to flourish in the U.S. Let's examine some different methods of felting and the type of results they produce.

Nuno Felting
Nuno felting is a Japanese technique that uses hot water, soap and a rolling process to meld loose animal fibers with sheer fabrics such as silk gauze. When mixed the silk retains its shape and stability but incorporates its original smooth texture with the added softness and rich color of the dyed fibers. You can find multiple examples of this process by searching the internet for felted silk scarves.

Flat Felting
Similar to the Nuno felting process, flat felting uses hot water and soap, but instead of binding the wool fibers to fabric, they are simply bound to each other. Different colors of fiber can be combined for an interesting marbling effect. For a thin flannel that is pliable and can be stitched together, only a couple of layers of fiber are used. For a thicker and more firm end product, more layers are piled on.

Knit Felting
Everyone knows that if you wash and dry a wool sweater, it will shrink making it unwearable, but that's what a number of crafters are trying for. Old wool, angora and merino sweaters are being recycled for new handicraft projects by purposely shrinking and felting them in the wash. Other clever crafters knit extra long and loose strips, and then felt the finished product in the washing machine. In both cases, these newly felted fabrics can then be sewn into bags, scarves or other felt products.

Needle Felting
This is a dry process where chunks of fiber are repeatedly stabbed with small barbed needle tools. This method is often used when creating small felt objects such as Christmas tree decorations or appliqués like flowers, stars etc...

3D Felting
Like sculpting with wet clay, 3D felt sculpting involves adding various shapes of and sizes of fibers to each other and needle felting them into place. Different color accents can also be added using the same technique. Soft sculptures including animal and doll figures can be created by roughly hand shaping clumps of fiber, and then detailing them with felting needles.

What makes the process of felting both fun and satisfying is the burst of creative energy that comes from taking various textures and colors and combining them into something new and beautiful like a one of a kind scarf or doll. Not up to felting yourself? Don't worry. There are many amazing felted products available to purchase online.

Deanne Blackhurst is a freelance writer for Alana Marketing, a company that specializes in promoting promising new artists and their products to the general public. They carry the Whimsical line of Sidney the sheep, a hand felted collectable gift for the yarn and craft lover. Visit us at http://www.alanamarketing.com

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Make a Wooden Shabby Chic Jewellery Tree

2011-12-05T04:20:00.000-08:00

The shabby chic jewellery tree is a hand made wooden tree that stores and shows off your earrings and necklaces. I painted this one in the shabby chic style, but you could just as easily paint the tree in gold or silver, or a funky hot pink.

The tree is easy to make and there is a handy template to draw around, simply click here to view the template.

To make the shabby chic jewellery tree you will need...

4mm MDF wood,
The template,
Wood glue,
Gold and cream paint,
Sand paper,
Clear varnish,
Some images of birds to decoupage the tree.

First print out the template and cut it out. The template is of half a tree. Draw around the tree onto the wood, and then flip the template over to draw the other half of the tree. You will also need to draw out the triangle templates on to the wood, these are the tree supports. You also need to make a base for the tree. I drew around a saucer with a shaped edge, but a circular saucer would be just as good.

Next you need to cut out the wooden pieces. I used an electric fret saw.

Once cut out, sand all the edges to make them smooth but don’t round off the edges.

On the template there the dots are shown, you need to drill holes at these points to hold the earrings. Once drilled, countersink each hole on both sides and sand off any untidiness.

Apply glue to the bottom trunk edge of the tree and stick it to the centre of the tree base. Apply glue to the two short edges of the tree supports and stick one at the centre front and one at the centre back of the tree. Leave to dry.

Apply 2 coats of gold paint to the edges of the branches on both sides of the tree.

Apply 2 coats of cream paint to the whole tree, supports and base.

When the cream paint is completely dry, lightly sand the edges of the tree to reveal the gold paint beneath. Do this on each edge of the tree on both sides.

Cut out the decoupage images, I chose birds and blossom. Arrange them in a pleasing way on both sides of the tree and glue in place with paper glue. And leave to dry.

Finally apply 2 coats of clear varnish to protect the paint work. Make sure that the varnish says on the time that it doesn’t have a yellowing finish; otherwise it will affect the colours of the finished tree.

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Snake Skin Scarf Knitting Pattern

2011-12-01T03:29:00.000-08:00

Knit yourself a cute snake scarf to wrap around your neck to keep you warm this winter. The snake scarf is great fun, and has a wiggly cable detail down his back. Knitted with chunky wool, makes this scarf a quick knit and an ideal quick present to knit for someone.

To knit the Snake scarf you will need...

200g or more of Wendy Pampas Mega Chunky wool in any colour you want your snake to be,
6mm knitting needles,
Cable needle,
20mm sew on wobbly eyes and some red satin ribbon for his tongue.

Starting at the tail, cast on 2 stitches and knit a row.

Working in Garter stitch and increase in first stitch, knit to last stitch and increase in that stitch. knit the next row.

Continue woring these 2 rows until you have 12 stitches on the needle.

continue as follows
Row 1: inc in first st, K4, P2, K4, inc in last st.
Row 2: Knit
Row 3: K5, P4, K5
Row 4: K4, P6, K4

Wiggly Snake Pattern Rows

Row 1: K4, slip 3 st on cable needle and hold at front of work, K3, and then K3 from cable needle, K4
Row 2: K4, P6, K4
Row 3: Knit
Row 4 as Row 2
Row 5: K4, slip 3 st on cable needle and hold at back of work, K3, and then K3 from cable needle, K4
Row 6: as Row 2
Row 7: Knit
Row 8: as Row 2

Continue repeating these 8 pattern rows until the scarf is desired length. I repeated the rows 27 times and used 200g of wool, which made a scarf of 49 inches in length, a longer scarf would need an additional ball of wool.

Shape the Snakes Head
Row 1: Inc in first st, knit to last st, inc in last st.
Row 2: Knit

Continue these 2 rows until you have 18 st on your needle ending with a knit row.

Work 4 rows in garter stitch.

Decrease Snakes Head
Row 1: K2 tog, knit to last 2st, sl 1, K1, PSSO
Row 2: Knit

Repeat these 2 rows until you have just 4 stitches left on the needle. Knit one row and cast off.

Sew in wool ends and sew on eyes and tongue.

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Comic Strip Nail Art

2011-11-26T00:21:00.000-08:00

Comic strip nails! I used an archie comic book. you can also find comic strips to use in your local newspaper like charlie brown, garfield, dennis the menice, etc.

I found Comic Strip Nail Art on Youtube and thought it was a must try! I love the newspaper nails, and sheet music would look fab wouldn't it.

Perfect Valentines :: Tea Cosy Folk :: Santas Postbag::Halloween Mania :: Swindon Flowers ::Zafyna :: Connect2Business

Decoupage Your Own Decor

2011-11-22T07:53:00.000-08:00

By Emily Chadwick

Decoupage is a true art form that's perfect for all of your home accessories and décor. This great arts and crafts project creates a complicated look that's not really all that complicated. Small pieces of cut out papers from magazines, tissue paper and even gold leaf can be used to layer decoupage into any design you like. After the pieces are attached to your favorite décor item, a few layers of decoupage lacquer are applied to the surface. This not only seals in the cutouts, it also makes it appear that the design is one smooth piece like a photo or drawing. Use this guide to decoupage and you'll be on your way to getting an affordable and adorable design on any home décor item in your home.

Prepping the Surface
Before you begin any decoupage project on your home accessories, you'll need to prep the area first. The area must be able to accept a glue to work. Plastic surfaces may need to be scuffed up with some light grain sandpaper to allow the glue to adhere correctly. Glass surfaces may need a quick acid etch with one part muriatic acid and four parts water. Acid etching is dangerous so use the correct safety equipment when handling this material.

Cutting out the Pattern
Materials like paper are easy enough to cut out and can be easily done with a regular pair of scissors. Paper conforms well enough to work with most decor and can easily wrap around round objects with ease. Stiffer materials like cardboard may need to be softened to bend around curved house décor.

Glue it Down
The medium that is used to glue down decoupage is as simple as it gets. Regular white Elmer's glue works great with most materials like wood or cloth. Some synthetic fabrics may require the use of special fabric glues. Wood glue can be used for most craft materials like ceramics, but some materials may require the use of special fixatives to provide a surface for the adhesive to bond to. Glue and place your decoupage materials on your favorite wall art and décor. Allow the materials to dry for 24-48 hours before applying a varnish. This way, if any decoupage materials peel away from the décor, you'll know you need a different adhesive.

Decoupage It
Once the paper is in place and your design looks good, it's time to cover it all up with a decoupage medium. A varnish or lacquer is commonly used to create the decoupage. Some decoupage materials are already premixed and ready to go. For a cheap alternative to store bought decoupage medium, wallpaper paste can work perfectly. Add several layers until the decoupage medium is flat and smooth across the décor. This may take many layers, so be patient and let each coat dry before applying another.

For all your home decor needs for all kinds of furnitures, check out Arcadian Home Decor.

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How to Make a Robin Nest Box

2011-11-13T03:43:00.000-08:00

A great way to encourage a festive Christmas Robin into you garden is to provide a supply of meal worms, one of the robins favourite treats. You can also encourage robins by installing a nest box for them in your garden. Robin boxes are a bit different in style to the popular blue tit box, in that they are less enclosed. So you may already have a bird box in your garden, but if you want to provide a habitat for a robin, you need a robin friendly nesting box.

You can buy Robin Nest boxes online or at your local garden centre, they cost around ten to fifteen pounds. However, for the fraction of the price, you can make your own Robin box quite easily. It’s a great little project to make the box and it’s very rewarding when robins take up residence.

To make your Robin Nesting box you will need: Wood – a decking plank is ideal and only costs around 3 pounds, and screws.

You need to cut the decking plank into the following lengths-
26cm long for the back panel
15 cm for the roof panel
8 cm for the front panel
The base needs to be the same length as the planks width.
The 2 sides need to have a sloping top, the back edge should be 18cm and the front edge should be 13cm

Note: The two sides need to be cut out so that they are inverted if you are using a decking panel with a textured side.

When you have cut the wood out give it a light sanding to get rid of any rough edges or splinters. Don’t worry if your sawing isn’t perfect, the robins won’t mind about the rough and readiness of their new home, they’re not too house proud!

Follow the photo diagram to assemble the robin box.

Use a drill to pilot drill holes, and then screw in two screws through the bottom back into the edge of the base wood.

Then get the first side in place, screwing two screws up through the base wood and into the side. and then through the bas and into the side.

similarly, attach the other side to match.

with just two screws, attach the front panel to the bird box, screwing into the side panels.

Finally, screw the roof into place.

On the back panel that sticks up from the roof, you will need to drill a hole through the wood to mount the nesting box.

The great thing about making a robin box from decking planks is that the wood has already been treated so you don’t need to paint it. Having said that, if you do want to protect your nest box further, use a water-based preservative that won’t harm your feathery tenants.

Site nest boxes where birds won't be disturbed, away from prevailing winds, rain and the full glare of the sun. Make sure the box is 2m to 5m from the ground and there are no nearby footholds for predators.

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Woolly Hat Knitting Pattern to Match Michelle Szeghalmi's Evangeline Fingerless Gloves

2011-11-13T03:42:00.000-08:00

I recently knitted a pair of Evangeline fingerless gloves designed by Michelle Szeghalmi. I found the gloves pattern free online. I had knitted a pair of elbow length gloves about a year ago for my daughter, and now I wanted to knit the short pair as a Christmas present for Nanna, but I also wanted to knit a hat to match. So here is the hat I knitted, incorporating the same pattern panel as in the gloves by Michelle Szeghalmi.

With the same wool as used for the gloves and on size UK number 7 needles cast on 88 stitches and work 14 rows double rib

*K2, P2* rep to end.

Then Knit 24, P2, work first row of Evangeline cable pattern, P2, Knit to end

Alternate rows, knit the knits and purl the purls.

Work three sets of the Evangeline pattern (32 rows in all) and then keeping the pattern as true as possible shape the top as follows.

Row 1: *K6, K2tog* to end

All alternate rows are purl.

Row 3: *K5, K2tog* to end
Row 5: *K4, K2tog* to end
Row 7: *K3, K2tog* to end
Row 9: *K2, K2tog* to end
Row 11: *K1, K2tog* to end
Row 13: *K2tog* to end
Row 15: *K6, K2tog* to end

Thread the yarn through the remaining stitches and draw up and finish off. Sew down the back seam of the hat with fight sides facing.

Finally I threaded a small length of ribbon through the knitting at the bottom, centre of the first pattern row and tied a bow.

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Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Knitting Pattern to Knit Action Heros

2011-10-24T08:05:00.000-07:00

Want to knit yourself (or someone else) some retro action figures? My Daughter as big as she is, still adores the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, so I designed a knitting pattern to make soft knitted replicas of hero’s in a half shell – Turtle Power!

To make these retro action dolls you need...
Double knitting wool in shades: Emerald Green, Lime Green, Dark Green, Tan, Red, Blue, Purple and Orange.
You also need size 10 UK needles,
Kapok stuffing,
And sew on wobbly eyes or safety eyes if your toys are for a younger child.

Each doll measures approx 19 cm

Turtles Head
Starting at neck edge, and with emerald green cast on 12 stitches.

Row 1: Increase in every stitch knit wise.

Every alternate row Purl

Row 3: *K1, Inc in next st* to end
Row 5: *K1, Inc in next st* to end

Starting with a purl row, work 11 rows in straight stocking stitch.

Row 17: *K1, K2 tog* to end
Row 19: *K1, K2 tog* to end
Row 21: *K2 tog* to end

Thread the end of the yarn through the remaining stitches and through the loop of the yarn itself and draw up the knitting tightly and Finnish off. With right sides of work facing, sew the row end sides together down to the neck edge and turn right sides out, and stuff. Set to one side.

Turtles Body
Starting at neck edge, and with lime green cast on 12 stitches.

Row 1: Increase in every stitch knit wise.

Every alternate row Purl

Row 3: *K1, Inc in next st* to end
Row 5: *K1, Inc in next st* to end

Starting with a purl row, work 7 rows in straight stocking stitch.

Change to Tan wool and starting with a knit row, work 2 more rows in stocking stitch.

Change back to lime to continue – Starting with a knit row, work a further 7 rows in stocking stitch.

Decreasing Turtles Body...
Row 1: *K1, K2 tog* to end
Row 2: Purl
Row 3: Knit
Row 4: *P1, P2 tog* to end
Row 5: Knit
Row 6: Purl
Row 7: *K2 tog* to end

Thread the end of the yarn through the remaining stitches and through the loop of the yarn itself and draw up the knitting tightly and Finnish off. With right sides of work facing, sew the row end sides together down to the crotch; turn right sides out, and stuff. Sew turtles head to his body.

Turtles Legs (make 2)
Starting at the toes, and with emerald green cast on 6 stitches.

Row 1: Increase in every stitch knit wise.

Every alternate row Purl

Row 3: Increase in every stitch knit wise.

Starting with a purl row, work 3 rows of stocking stitch.

Row 7: *inc in next stitch* 6 times, knit to last 6 stitches, *inc in next stitch* 6 times
Row 9: Knit 12 stitches, *K2 Tog* 6 times, Knit to end.
Row 11: *K1, K2 tog* to end
Row 13: *K1, Inc in next stitch* to end

Starting with a purl row, work 11 rows of stocking stitch.

Decrease top of leg...
Row 1: *K1, K2 tog* to end
Row 2: Purl
Row 3: *K2 tog* to end
Row 4: *P2 tog* to end

Thread the end of the yarn through the remaining stitches and through the loop of the yarn itself and draw up the knitting tightly and Finnish off. With right sides of work facing, sew the row end sides together down the back of the leg and along foot, but leave a small opening. Turn right sides out, stuff and close opening. Sew small running stitches at the ankle, draw up and finish off. Sew the legs to the turtle’s body either side of the gathered stitches on the body.

Turtles Mask
Each of the four turtles wears a different coloured mask which is how you know which one is who. You need to knit masks in red, blue, purple and orange.

Starting at the top edge of the mask, cast on 74 stitches.

Row 1: Knit
Row 2: Purl 43, Turn.
Row 3: SL1, K11, Turn.
Row 4: SL1, Purl to end
Cast off.

Note that the cast off edge is the bottom of the mask.

Sew wool ends in and pin the middle wide part of the mask on the centre front of the turtle’s head (the head seam should be at the back). Tack the front of the mask in place. At the back of the head, tie the mask tails in a knot slightly pulling to give the head some shape. The turtle’s cheeks should puff out a bit.

Finally sew the eyes into place over the mask.

Turtles Arms (Make 2)

Starting at the hands, and with emerald green cast on 6 stitches.

Row 1: Increase in every stitch knit wise.

Every alternate row Purl

Row 3: *K1, Inc in next Stitch* to end

Starting with a purl row, work 15 rows of stocking stitch.

Decrease top of arm...
Row 1: *K1, K2 tog* to end
Row 2: Purl
Row 3: *K2 tog* to end

Thread the end of the yarn through the remaining stitches and through the loop of the yarn itself and draw up the knitting tightly and Finnish off. With right sides of work facing, sew the row end sides together down the back of the arm, but leave a small opening. Turn right sides out, stuff and sew up opening. At hand end sew a round of running stitches about 6 rows up from the end and draw up to create a wrist.

Sew arms into place in the body.

Turtles Shell

With dark green cast on 72 stitches, and starting with a knit row, work 3 rows in stocking stitch.

Row 4: K3, *YRN, K2 tog, K7* to last 4 stitches – K4

Starting with a knit row, work 4 rows in stocking stitch.

Decrease shell...
Row 1: K4, *K2 tog, K7* to last 3 stitches – K3
Row 2: Knit
Row 3: K4, *K2 tog, K6* to last 2 stitches – K2
Row 4: Purl
Row 5: K3, *K2 tog, K5* to last 2 stitches – K2
Row 6: knit
Row 7: K2, *K2 tog, K4* to last 2 stitches – K2
Row 8: Purl
Row 9: K1, *K2 tog, K3* to last 2 stitches – K2
Row 10: Purl
Row 11: *K2 tog, K2* to last 2 stitches – K2
Row 12: Purl
Row 13: K2, *K2 tog* to last stitch – K1

Thread the end of the yarn through the remaining stitches and through the loop of the yarn itself and draw up the knitting tightly and Finnish off. With right sides of work facing, sew the row end sides together, sewing the shell into a circle shape.

Next fold the edge of the shell to the first ridged knitted row on the right side to make a hem all around the shell. The holes that you made in the shell on row 4 will appear at each corner of the shell. Pin the shell in place on the turtles back. There will be a ‘collar’ at the top of the shell, and the shell will wrap around the turtles sides a bit.

Sew to the turtle with tacking stitches along the knitted ridge on the shell.

Your turtle is complete - Cowabunga dude!

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Halloween Decorations & Treats for Parties : How to Make a Ghost Decoration with Foil

2011-10-19T02:49:00.000-07:00

Easy ghost decorations for Halloween! Learn how to make a ghost for a Halloween party in this free video clip about a Halloween parties for children.

Want a step by step guide to making ghost decorations - Visit HalloweenMania.co.uk

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LadyBug Slippers Knitting Pattern

2011-10-12T01:28:00.000-07:00

I always give my children a silly Christmas present every year just as a bit of fun, and this year I have knitted my 20 year old daughter a pair of LadyBug Slippers.

I found a free knitting pattern online you can download the PDF here...

The pattern says that you need fleece yarn, but because it's just a silly Christmas gift I didn't want to go to that expense, and I just used two strands of double knitting yarn. I knitted the 'adult medium slipper' working to the sizes in brackets and my slipper has turned out to be 22cm in length, but as the pattern says the slipper does stretch. I have size 7 feet and they fit me fine.

Another alteration I made was to the spots, instead of sewing some spots on my ladybirds, I knitted them some.

Using size UK 8 kneedles and single strand of black double knitting wool cast on 12 st and knit a row.
Row 2: K2 tog to end then cut the yarn and thread it through the remaining stitches. sew the knitted row ends together so that it makes a circle. I made 5 spots for each slipper.

I also made the ladybird some eyes. I thought that plastic eyes wouldn't be very comfortable on your feet, and besides I wanted to keep the cost to a minimum and I have lots of oddments of knitting wool.

With size UK 8 Knitting needles and white double knitting yarn cast on 20 stitches and knit 1 row.
Row 2: P2 Tog to end then cut the yarn and thread it through the remaining stitches. sew the knitted row ends together so that it makes a circle.

Pupils

With size UK 8 Knitting needles and black double knitting yarn cast on 12 stitches.
Row 2: K2 Tog to end then cut the yarn and thread it through the remaining stitches. sew the knitted row ends together so that it makes a circle. Sew the pupil in place on top of the white of eye.

To make antennae I cast on 16 stitches, and knitted 1 row quite tightly and then cast off. The knitted strip has a natural curve to it. Go with that curve and toll the one end of the antennae to make a small ball on the end. Tack into place and then sew the other end of the antennae on to the slipper.

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How to Make ‘Pencils’ to Tie Your Hair Back With

2011-10-10T06:15:00.000-07:00

Having watched MissPrincessPancakes’s video on Youtube entitled How to tie your hair back with a pencil, it has inspired me to make ‘pencils’. The video explains that when you just need to tie your hair up but you can’t find a hair elastic or slide, that a pencil or any similar object can be used to hold your hair up. The video demonstrated how this is achieved, but the steps are…

Gather your hair together in a pony tail.

Put the pencil on top of the ponytail base with the nib to the right and wrap the tail up and around the end of the nib end of the pencil.

Next, twist the pencil around as though you are turning a cooker knob. The nib should pass over the top of the pony tail base.

Finally, you need to turn the pencil so that the nib is facing the starting point again, but instead of twisting, the nib needs to turn in towards the head and go through the base of the ponytail and out the other side.

It does take some practise to do, buy watch the video and try it yourself. It doesn’t take long to master, and it does hold your hair up really firmly and it doesn’t damage the hair like tight hair elastics can.

Once I had got the hang of tying my hair up a pencil, I wanted to find something nice to tie my hair up with. The Video suggest using a chopstick, a fork, and of course a pencil, this is great if you have nothing else to hand, but to wear your hair to go out in this style, you would look a bit kooky.

It is this that inspired me to make an alternative.

To make these hair ‘pencils’ you will need...

6mm Dowel Available cheaply at B&Q costing around 60p
Beads, ribbons and exciting things to decorate your pencil with.
Strong glue and sandpaper.

Cut the dowel into pencil length pieces at around 19cm.

Then with a Stanley knife cut the tip of the dowel as if you were sharpening a pencil, making sure that you are cutting away from your body. You want to shape the end to a blunt point. Then sand the point and the rest of the dowel so that it is smooth and wont pull on the hair as you push it into your hair style.

Next comes the fun part – decorating the end. I tried a couple of designs dangling beads, a bumble bee and ostrich feather and flower.

To create the dangling beads I took lengths of thin ribbon, on one end of the ribbon I glued a small bead and the other ends of the ribbon I glued the ends altogether into a bigger bead. Next glue another bead onto the end of the stick, and then stick in place the bead filled with ribbon ends, and leave to dry.

When using beads, you may need to ‘sharpen’ the decorated end of the dowel to make it thin enough to feed beads onto.

The bumble bee is simply two bead stuck onto the end of the dowel. I drew some stripes on the yellow bead with a black permanent marker pen and I glues on some wobbly eyes to give him a fun character. The bee’s wings are simply a piece of transparent silver ribbon folded into an ‘M’ shape. I then sewed a few running stitches along the bottom of the ‘M’ to hold the two ends and the central part together and to gather them. Then I put glue on the gathers and stuck on the bees back and left it to dry.

The ostrich feathers are just a section of ostrich feathers wrapped around the end of the dowel and glued into place. I held it with a peg whilst the glue dried and then I stuck a ribbon rose on top of the feathers where the ends joined.

The great thing about these hair accessories is that you can use anything to decorate them. One Idea I had was to get Hello Kitty danglies from the slot toy egg vending machines that you see in supermarkets. Hello Kitty hair accessories would be so cute.

Top Tip – I found that standing the pencils in a glass was great when leaving them to dry.

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How to tie your hair back with a pencil

2011-09-19T10:08:00.000-07:00

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How to paint shabby chic furniture!

2011-09-19T09:47:00.000-07:00

This video shows you how I paint old furniture into shabby chic style. I hunt around boot fairs for cheap furniture then paint and sell it as a hobby in the holidays. Hope you enjoy!

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Top 5 Shabby Chic Decorating Tips

2011-09-19T09:39:00.000-07:00

By Jason P Anderson

Ready to bring all the charm of a vintage, country cottage into your own home? Take note of and apply the following five tips and you'll have an adorable shabby chic home in no time!

1. Furniture
Solid wood furniture is ideal for shabby chic decor. Painted pieces of furniture can also compliment a room nicely. Basically, you want to utilize simple furniture that is less decorative or ornate like the furniture you might find in a home with a more formal interior design. If you have antiques, use them! They make great accents. Some popular antiques commonly used in these chic and shabby homes are pie safes, kitchen queens, and jelly cupboards.

2. Colors
As far as colors are concerned, you can't go wrong with pastels. Using pastel colors in conjunction with whites and off-whites is very common in shabby chic decorating. Painted walls as well as patterned wallpapers are also a great way to bring out that country cottage home feel.

3. Flooring
Often overlooked in the grand scheme of this particular type of design is the floor. The most popular floor styles for this type of decor are probably natural wood or ceramic tile. However, painted patterns and also diamond or checkered design schemes can also work very well. If you decide to paint your floors with your own design, make sure you add a coat of varnish on top to protect it.

4. Fabrics
The best fabrics for shabby chic design should incorporate floral patterns, stripes, and checks. Using these fabrics will help pull together the distinct look of this charming and unique style.

5. Be Creative
Although the suggestions here will help nudge you in the right direction, it is of the utmost importance that you give yourself creative license to mix and match and experiment. There are no real rules in shabby chic design, only guidelines. So don't be afraid to get creative, and of course, have fun!

Often times, all the pieces and accents you need to turn your home into a shabby chic home are already in your house (or perhaps stored away in the garage). Mixing and matching existing pieces is one of the best ways to achieve this style. However, if you'd still like to shop around for pieces of furniture and other items that will help compliment the motif, check out Shabby Chic Furniture.

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Halloween Toffee Apples

2011-09-14T02:12:00.000-07:00

This Halloween Toffee Apples recipe is featured on the Hobbycraft website and is a great idea to make for trick or treat callers on Halloween. It's a relatively cheap 'treat', which looking substantial. The treat is also sweet whist having a healthy apple at the heart, but best of all - Toffee Apples are a traditional treat for Halloween.

What You Need:
6 x small apples (Russet apples are best but any will do)
300g sugar*
Small saucepan*
Lollipop sticks
Slips of natural paper
Slips of white card
Hole punch
Natural jewellery cord
Orange and clear cellophane wrap
Assorted ribbons - orange, brown and purple
Alphabet rubber stamps
Brown ink pad

This Project
Allow: 45 Minutes
Skill Level: Beginner

Prepare a sheet of kitchen foil by oiling it lightly with vegetable oil. Push a lollipop stick into each apple.
Melt the sugar in the pan and allow to boil gently until it turns a caramel colour. Do not overcook as it will taste bitter. Remove from heat.
Take each apple in turn and holding it by the stick, dip each apple in the sugar until it is well coated. TAKE CARE AS THE MELTED SUGAR MIXTURE IS EXTREMELY HOT. You might need to spoon the mixture over the last apple as the level in the pan drops.
Place each apple on the oiled foil sheet and allow to cool.
Place each cooled apple in the centre of a 30 cm square of cellophane sheet and draw up and around the apple securing where the apple and stick meet with a knot of ribbon.
Attach a stamped label to each stick with the cord if desired.

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Ladybird Cupcakes

2011-09-14T02:06:00.000-07:00

These Ladybird Cupcakes are really cute and ideal for a garden or girls birthday party. The Ladybird Cupcakes are featured on the Hobbycraft website.

What You Need:
Cupcake recipe of your choice*
500g sugar paste/regal icing
Round cutter
Red, purple, pink, green and brown food colouring
1 tbsp royal icing
A little water
Piping bag
Cocktail stick*

This Project
Allow: 1 Hour
Skill Level: Intermediate

Bake the cupakes and allow to cool.
Divide the sugar paste into five equal pieces and knead one food colour into each.
Dust a surface with icing sugar, roll out sugar paste 2mm thick and then cut out circles the same size as the cakes with a round cutter.
Cut a triangle into the circle. Coat the top of each cake with 'soft peak' brown icing and stick the circle on.
Fill a piping bag with 'soft peak' brown icing. Pipe a fine line around the edge of the circle and then large dots in the centre.
Roll a small amount of brown sugar paste into a head and stick to the front of the cake with icing.
Finish off by making 'eye' holes with a cocktail stick.

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Halloween Craft Ideas for Children

2011-09-07T02:02:00.000-07:00

By Teresa Evans

There are so many different Halloween craft ideas that can be done at Halloween and many can be created out of simple materials like paper, egg cartons and paper plates. The kids enjoy making them and best of all you can also use them as decorations for the classroom or at home.

Here are a few different Halloween crafts that won't cost you a fortune.

Spider Webs
These webs can be used in the window where they will look great catching the sunlight during the day or indoor lights during the night. Start with a large sheet of wax paper or thin white paper. With a pencil draw a spider's web on the paper. Use curving lines to make a pleasant design. Next go over the lines of the web with white glue then sprinkle with glitter. When the glue is dry it should be invisible and only the glitter will be seen. Hang in the window or in a corner somewhere. They also look good hanging in a doorway.

Egg Carton Bats
There are also some great Halloween craft ideas the only require egg cartons. Bats are easy to make and will look effective especially when several are hang together. Use three egg cups still attached in a row. Cut out the fronts and backs of the two end cups to simulate wings. Paint the bat black and add some googly eyes. Then hang your bat from the ceiling or in a doorway. Add a few friends for him and you'll have an effective display.

Halloween Masks
Here are a few Halloween craft ideas for using paper plates. Of course Halloween isn't Halloween without a few pumpkins and with a paper plate you can make a great pumpkin mask. Draw the pumpkin shape on the plate and trim it up. Cut out the eyes, nose and mouth to resemble a Jack O' Lantern. Paint your pumpkin orange and add tie string to either side to hold it on as a mask.

There are also many different animal masks that can be made with a paper plate. Add ears and paint in black and orange stripes and you have a tiger. Add long ears and paint with grey and white and you have a rabbit. Be creative and there are many different animal masks that can be made with a paper plate.

If you are looking for Halloween craft ideas the main rule is to keep it simple. With simple crafts the kids will be sure to succeed and you'll have happy kids and effective decorations all in one. There is no need to go to a lot of expense as you can often use household items for your Halloween crafts. Use your imagination, and almost anything can be used for Halloween crafts.

Teresa Evans is a parent and teacher who has created a collection of Easy Halloween Crafts for Kids. For more Halloween craft ideas visit www.easy-kids-halloween-crafts.com.

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How to make a Christmas Robin Cushion for your Sofa this Christmas

2011-08-31T03:05:00.000-07:00

Christmas is coming and the sofa needs a touch of Christmas cheer - the Christmas Robin Scatter Cushion is a quick and easy Christmas decoration for your sofa and practical too. Made from left over scraps of fabric, the Christmas Robin Scatter Cushion is cheep to make and looks adorable. Make a few to fill your sofa and to keep you snug and comfy all through Christmas and into the new year.

To make a Christmas Robin Scatter Cushion you will need...

Scraps of left over fabric,
Stuffing and the Christmas Robin Scatter Cushion pattern - Print it for free here.

First cut out the pattern, and then cut out the fabric pieces leaving your self with a seam allowance around each shape.

Once you have all your pieces, lay the Robin's front main-body piece out flat, and align the Robin's red breast in place on top of it. Turn the edges of the top of the Robin's red breast under itself to make a hem. To make this easier, sew running stitches across the top of the Robin's red breast before folding the fabric under itself. The tacking thread can be removed at a later date. There is no need to hem the sides of the Robin's red breast, because these will be tucked underneath the wings however, if you are using fabric that is prone to fraying, you may want to zigzag along these edges. Once you have turned the hem down, stitch the Robin's red breast onto the main body; you can either do this by hand, or use a sewing machine.

Next, place the Robin's wings in place - remember, they cover the Robin's red breast a little, so do not worry. Make a small hem along the inner edge of the wing. There is no need to make a hen on the outer sides of the wings. Once you have done this, sew them down, again either by hand or machine.

To prepare the Robin's inner eye, sew running stitches around the edge. Slightly draw the running stitches up so that the edges turn in. Squash the ball shape flat to make a disc and put a couple of stitches in to hold the shape. When you are drawing up the inner eyes, you must make sure that the two are of an equal size. Pin onto the Robin's outer eye, and then stitch this into place. Then, use running stitches on the outer eye, pulling the stitches and making a hem in the same way.

Turn the edges of the Robin's beak inwards to make little hems, and tack down. This will hold the beak in place while you sew it onto the Robin's main body.

Pin the features to the Robin's main body part, so that you have a pleasing expression on the Robin face and sew them in place.

Zigzag or overlock, all the way around the edge of the Robin's front and back main body pieces. Then, with right sides together, and sew them both together, leaving a gap at the bottom for stuffing. Then, turn the right sides inside out, and fill the Robin cushion with stuffing until pleasantly plump. Finally sew the opening closed.

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How to Make an Origami Macaw Parrot

2011-08-15T04:24:00.000-07:00

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Homemade Gift Idea - Bath Bombs Or Bath Fizzies

2011-08-10T02:13:00.000-07:00

By Rain Matthews

Such an unfortunate but catchy name, bath bombs or bath fizzies make a great homemade gift idea because they are one of those luxurious indulgences that people often do not buy for themselves, but love to receive as a gift. They will certainly appreciate them when they realize that they are homemade gifts. You have probably seen them at bath boutiques, but basically bath bombs are balls of baking soda and citric acid that when dropped in water dissolve, effervesce, and releases the scents or other ingredients you put in them. Its kind of like bathing in bathtub full of seltzer water. It can be a soothing and therapeutic experience.

There are a couple of ways to make them. Here is the method based off a tutorial from teachsoap.com:

Ingredients:
Citric Acid... A powder that you can find here at brambleberry.com. You also might be able to find it at a local winemaking/brewing shop.

Baking Soda... Should be easy enough to find, check in your cupboard or refrigerator.

Witch Hazel... You can find this at here at brambleberry.com, otherwise you might find it at your local health food store or pharmacy.

Fragrance or Essential Oil... You can find this at, yep, you guessed it, brambleberry.com, or your local heath food store..

Clear Spherical Molds... There is quite a selection at soapequipment.com. They have molds and bath bomb kits at brambleberry.com but no plain spherical ones. I have also heard of people using ice cube trays.
You can tint them with food coloring, but I think they look fine as is. It's a matter of preference. If you do use food coloring make sure you only use a few drops per batch, otherwise it might stain someone's tub.

The process:
It is a bit tricky at first. You might have a bad batch or two in the beginning, or a have few bath bombs that fall apart, but don't get discouraged, you will get the hang of it..

Thoroughly mix 1 cup of baking soda and 1/2 cup of the citric acid. Make sure it is mixed well and there are no lumps.
Add your fragrance and color. Fragrances are your preference, but I enjoy essential oils like lavender or peppermint. If you are using food coloring, make sure to only use a few drops.
Lightly spray on the witch hazel while mixing. You want to spray enough on so the mixture just starts to stick together. Too much and the mixture will start bubbling and reacting.
Just after the mixture starts to stick together, press into the molds. Make sure you squeeze the mold halves together hard.
Wait a few minutes, then tap them out of the molds.
Let sit a few hours or overnight, and then they'll be ready for wrapping.

I have also seen some recipes that include epsom salt in the dry mixture, and almond oil to help keep the ball together. Some recipes also include cornstarch, which I personally would advise against, as it has been mentioned that it might irritate a rash or make it worse. There are conflicting views on this, but I leave it out to be safe.

I used clear colored wrapping and raffia ribbon for the presentation of the gift. They make a great addition to other homemade bath products in a gift basket. Counting down 100 homemade gift ideas at http://100homemadegiftideas.com

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Snuggly Owl Cushion Pattern

2011-08-04T02:38:00.000-07:00

Owl cushions are very popular at the moment and for children they make a great soft toy as well as a useful cushion. I found this easy to follow Owl cushion pattern on the internet. I wanted to make a gift for my grandma, she loves owls and I was able to make this cushion in just a couple of hours from old scraps of material from the left over fabric bag. Brilliant!

Click the image to download the Free Pattern

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How to make a Medieval Bride and Groom Wedding Cake Topper

2011-08-01T08:39:00.000-07:00

Are you having trouble finding a medieval bride and groom for the top of your wedding cake? I was. My husband to be was going to be dressed as a knight, and I was going to be a princess with long pointed sleeves and a crown. I trawled the internet looking for a suitable bride and groom to adorn the wedding cake, but I couldn’t find anything that I liked.

I did however find websites offering to make personalised cake toppers with prices starting from £150. What I did like about this idea was that the bride and groom are based on you; your colours, your costumes and your design. This sounded perfect except for the price.

After further searching I found a blog that customised salt and pepper pots to make personalised bride and groom cake toppers. This is where I got my idea to make my own bride and groom based on the salt and pepper pot shape and simple-ness, made from air drying clay.

To make a personalised medieval bride and groom cake topper you will need ..

A block of DAS air drying clay in white, Air drying clay doesn’t need firing.
Humbrol enamel paints,
Paint brushes,
Stick on daimante gems and maybe some Organza or fabric from your dress.

DAS is the original non cracking air drying clay; it can be drilled, sanded, painted and varnished, so it is perfect to make your medieval wedding cake bride and groom.

To start with I created the basic pepper pot shape. The bottom is a short stubby cone shape with the point cut off. If you start off with a chunky sausage, and then roll one end to be a bit slimmer. Stand it with the slimiest end up.

Then I rolled a ball for the head, and fixed it on top.

This is the basic shape for both the bride and the groom.

From there I rolled smaller sausages for arms, and slimmer sausages still for the hair and crown.

For the knight’s helmet, roll some clay out flat with a wooden rolling pin. I cut a strip of clay, with some slight shaping at the mouth. Wrap this around the head, and cut out a circle for the top of the helmet.

The knight’s cape was also cut from a rolled out piece of clay. I ‘gathered’ the cape a bit at the back so that it gave the appearance of cloth.

The shield is also cut from rolled out clay.

The sword I made from slightly squashed sausages.

I did have problems getting all the clay to stick together and as it dries some parts did break off. Don’t worry about this if it happen to you. Simply use some super glue to stick back together when the clay has dried.

Because the bride and groom are quite chunky, they do take a week or so to completely dry. Once dry you can paint. Painting your medieval bride and groom is time consuming because you have to keep waiting for the paint to dry, and you can only really paint one colour at a time.

After painting you can other embellishments to make the toppers look more like you. I stuck on daimante gems to the bride where I would be wearing a crystal necklace, and I also added daimante gems to my toppers crown.

With a small piece of organza and fur fabric I made the bride a cape which was similar to the one I was going to wear on the day.

One thing to bear in mind if you are making your own personalised bride and groom is that you need to prevent the real groom from seeing your cake topper bride, otherwise they will know what you are going to wear for your big day, and you don’t want to spoil the element of surprise.

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Scroll Saw Patterns for Everyone

2011-07-27T03:34:00.000-07:00

By Greg K. Hansward

Scroll saw patterns are a smart way to make sure you get the right cut next time you saw. If you follow the lines of the pattern, then you can concentrate on sawing itself and you do not have to focus on cutting the lines correctly. When you work with wood, you can make your own scroll saw pattern or use someone else's, but the result will be the same - crisp, clean results.

Do you need a scroll saw pattern? Well, it depends on what you want to make. Most ornate designs require scroll saw patterns. For instance, if you want to make chairs with matching cut-outs on the back, or if you want to make matching jewelry boxes, it pays off to follow a pattern. Otherwise you are bound to make irregular objects. If you are trying to get creative, and just improvise a design, you might not need a pattern, but this is ill-advised. Saws are dangerous and the less you have to think about as you work, the more safe your fingers and arms will be. A scroll saw is definitely recommended if you want your creations to match.

There is a wide variety of woodworking objects you can make with a scroll saw pattern. You can carve initials to hang on the wall in a child's room. Or you could make small play blocks for a baby. You could make items for the kitchen like paper towel holders or apron hooks. You could even make ornate kitchen cabinet doors. You can make original signs to hang outside your home, welcoming guests. You could make elaborate bird houses. Whatever you want to make, a pattern probably already exists. You just have to find it.

Because there are so many scroll saw enthusiasts, there are plenty of places to share information and patterns. Many fans have started blogs and message boards online where you can get free scrollsaw plans. You can always visit your local home supply store and ask an employee for information. Often these mega-stores offer free demonstrations of the latest equipment, like a Hegner scrollsaw, as well as patterns. You could spend a Saturday morning learning a new technique and then try it out that same afternoon. It is very helpful to have an expert to answer your questions about what kind of blades to use and more. You want your work to look as professional as possible, so who better to help you than a professional.

When you follow a scroll saw pattern, be sure to cut directly over the pencil marks so they will not show up on your finished product. This is not as big of a deal if you are painting the wood afterwards, but following the pencil line exactly ensures an even cut everywhere you saw. Be extremely careful when you trace your pattern or template in pencil. Make sure it is perfect before you cut. It should look exactly the way you want it to look in pencil before you start woodworking. Using a scroll saw patterns and wood saws will save you costly time in mistakes in the long run because you will know what you are doing and will be able to cut quickly, albeit meticulously.

Greg Hansward frequently creates detailed articles on information related to woodworking saws. You can come across his abstracts on scroll saw patterns and wood saws at http://www.insidewoodworking.com

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Using Ink Jet Printers For Decoupage Pictures

2011-07-18T03:14:00.000-07:00

By Teresa Edwards

1. When using pictures generated from ink jet printers, you should wait for the ink to dry completely and then you must first test that the color does not bleed when you apply glue on it because glue has moisture that may spoil the ink of this printer.

2. In case your color bleeds with prints from ink jet printer, just try using a low moisture glue. And if the problem still persists you will have to use the laser copies of your image. Use a pen or marker to sharpen the outlines of your decoupage image.

3. Angle your scissor or craft knife when cutting the image. This would ensure that the back side of the image is not visible on your finished object. Carefully cut your image so that you do not miss out on any background or neighboring image.

4. On most of your decoupage projects, you would be pasting your pictures on the top but with clear glass object you would glue it on the non-used side. Consider for example doing a transparent glass plate. To do such an object keep your object (like plate in this case) bottom up and do your pasting work with image front not facing you but such a way that its shows up when the plate is kept right. This will ensure that the lacquer layer does not spoil the glass finish.

5. Leave your object to dry completely. And then layer it using lacquer. Before proceeding to apply another coat, wait for the first one to get dry. Once it's completely dry, apply another coat. Mod Podge is the most popular decoupage polish. It available in a clear as well as antique yellow formula. Mod-Podge is available from many craft outlets including Christopher Freville Home Crafts and Michael Sharman Hobby Stores Inc.

6. Before pasting you must first lay down your cut outs and then once finalized glue them. Clear-drying polyvinyl acetate glue can be used for the same. For decoupage you can use Elmer's Glue-All and Mod podge.

7. When applying glue to glass you must dilute the glue in ratio, 3:1 i.e. 3 part of glue and one part of water. It's because glass is a non porous material and it won't absorb anything rather the thick glue would create little chips.

8. To use white glue, you must first wet your brush with water and then put it in the glue for use. Ensure that you have the right amount of glue (of appropriate consistency) already ready to finish off every piece.

9. Wipe off the surface with your fingertips to smoothen it. You can also use a rubber brayer for the same. Keep a moist cloth handy and clean any spilled or extra glue. You can also use a damp sponge or paper towel to do this. Press the edges nicely so that they do curl up and are properly stuck.

10. A glue sealant like Mod Podge or Elmer's Glue-all should be applied on the projects which are delicate, before working on them. And then leave it to get dry.

Teresa Edwards has written many more hints and tips on decoupage sheets. Visit her and sister Karen's website at how to decoupage.

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Create an Inspiring Wine Bottle Garden Fountain

2011-07-13T03:54:00.000-07:00

By Elizabeth Jean

Have you ever known anyone that collects wine bottles? While there are many beautifully shaped and colorful wine bottles, there does not seem to be many uses for them once the alcohol is consumed. People have been known to use the wine bottles as candleholders; the candle wax melting down the sides of the bottles make for a very unique indoor decoration. Often people just collect the bottles and add them to their shelves. In this case the bottles are more like dust collectors.

One great idea for empty wine bottles is to use them to create an outdoor garden fountain. Not only will you be creating an uplifting and almost spiritual design, but also you will be helping Mother Earth by recycling what otherwise would be a dumpster contribution.

The Basics

In order to create a wine bottle garden fountain you must first decide on where you want to dig the hole that will accommodate a minimum of 18 bottles, a spray fountainhead, water pump, a sump, rocks, bricks and some pavers. All of your materials are going to be submerged.

The wine bottles will be turned upside down so that the bottoms are at the top. You want to find traditional wine bottles in a variety of colors, as their bottoms are concave. The dipped bottoms catch the water as it sprays from the fountainhead and create magical, tiny, colorful pools. The reflection from the tiny pools that this creates in the sunlight is spectacular and inspiring.

Your water fountain will be circular as the bottles dictate an automatic circle design when put together. Start with a six-bottle core and then each ring after that will double your need for wine bottles (i.e.: six for the core, 12 for the second ring and if you desire a larger garden fountain you will need 24 bottles for the third ring). The first six bottles will be strapped around the rainwater pipe held together with waterproof tape. Be careful when handling the bottles, as the sheer weight of them will make them difficult to carry. Use goggles or protective eyewear when working with glass.

Basically, you want to cover the hole with plastic sheeting to ensure proper drainage. You will then fill the plastic lined hole with bricks to hold the bottles in place, the submersible water pump, armored piping to channel the wiring under the lawn or pavers and small cobblestones and gravel to arrange around the bottles, serving as more support. The spray nozzle fountainhead will obviously rise above in the center. After you arrange some larger, decorative rocks atop the fountain to hide all the hardware, you will finally add the pavers to hold everything in place and hide the plastic sheeting.

You will want to consult with a home and garden center expert if you have any questions about the specifics on setting up your wine bottle garden fountain. You may also do some research online for specific instructions as well as thumb through any fountain project literature.

Delightful Sight

Indeed, the combination of colorful wine bottles, decorative, smooth, river rock and cement pavers is a magical sight. Wine bottle garden water fountains lend themselves well to many different themed gardens. It is a definitely conversational piece as you can talk about how you were able to collect each wine bottle and how you are proud of your recycling efforts. Wine bottle spray water fountains are beautiful and eco-friendly.

Elizabeth Jean writes water fountain and related articles for Garden-Fountains.com, the #1 destination on the internet for wall fountains, garden fountains, and Distinctive Water Features.

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Tips To Shape A Sandy Castle

2011-07-08T02:58:00.000-07:00

By Stewart Wrighter

A vacation at beach is incomplete without sand art. It is a simple and fun pastime on the beach which requires nothing but sand and obviously, you get plenty of sand next to the beach. Such medieval art work of building a sand castle can be a cool thing to enjoy the warmth on the beach side. It will make your vacation more interesting and enjoyable. For this you do not have to be an assisted living architect or a nursing home architect because making a castle out of sand is temporary and does not require much skill. All you need are some handy tips, which will be given to you in this article.

Make a sketch:

First of all, make a rough sketch. Once you have drawn the sketch of the castle, you can easily pour the amount of sand that is required for its original make up. Make a big sketch, so that you do not have trouble with pouring the sand.

Choose the right area:

For the sketch, choose area place on the beach where the waves cannot reach and there are no bugs around. There are some sea ants and bugs which will try to destroy your art work. Pick out the area, which is free from any potential problems and where you can spend more time on building your castle. The area should be moist enough to get sketched because sand castles require slightly moist sand to erect the structure. Pick an area which is close to the water, as it is the most feasible place to build your sand castle.

Get the wet sand:

Once the sketch is drawn, the next thing to do is collect some wet sand. You can collect wet sand in a pail. This sand is poured in the area of your sketch. Do not forget to use the wet sand, if you want to make a strong castle. Wet sand is easy to adjust and you can shape it exactly according to the sketch you have drawn. You can easily get wet sand; by digging any upper portion which you feel is having some moisture from the inside. The digs will allow you to attain some moisture sand in your hands. And now you can start shaping up your sandy castle for sure.

Shape up the castle:

For towers, you have to build some thick size sand patties. Stack and shape the patties in the size of towers and shape up the corners by pressing them on the sides. For the strength of the towers, deposit some of the patties on the bottom side, so that the tower is strong enough to bear the fall. For the corner walls, apply the same procedure but keep the walls thinner as much as you can. Use a twig and mark some windows or side spacing on the front section of the tower. Apply some water on the castle and wait until it is dried up. After drying, your sandy castle is complete with its appearance and strength.

Stewart Wrighter recently hired a local assisted living architect firm to help revitalize his ailing mother's home. He consulted with a nursing home architect to design a new home for the elderly.

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Can We Grow ‘Weeds’ in Our Gardens and Flowerbeds?

2011-07-04T08:08:00.000-07:00

I’d just like us to think for a moment what a weed really is. The dictionary says that a weed is an unwanted plant. But there’s more too weeds than just rejection.

There is defiantly a bit of horticultural snobbery about weeds, because they are easy to grow, don’t show enough of the gardeners growing skills. It’s true that most plants that we consider to be weeds are quick and vigorous growers, that freely self seed and on occasions they grow to the determent of other plants around them, such as bindweed, which as its name suggests, grows very quickly up the stems of other plants and strangles the life out of them.

Have you ever bought a plant from the garden centre that grows so vigorously it’s as if it wants to take over the garden and next doors as well? I remember hearing people say that they have a plant that grows like a weed, or they advise others in the garden centre that the plant they are selecting will grow like a weed. Of course this phrase is meant to be negative of the plant. Yet when you think about it, ‘weeds’ are super evolved and well developed plants that have adapted perfectly to suit its environment. Not only are they vigorous growers but they also are very good at seeding themselves. So why is it then that we don’t want to grow these sorts of plants in our gardens and flowerbeds?

Imagine a tub of confined bindweed growing up a wigwam of canes, their beautiful white trumpets nodding in the summer breeze. They wouldn’t look so much like weeds then would they? They would happily brighten up a dark corner of the patio. And evening primroses are so pretty with their big yellow blousy blooms, which flower for a considerably long time because the flowers open in rings up the stem. As one set of blooms dies the next open. And thistles, big daisies and teasels, can you not see a place for these in amongst your more formally accepted plants?

The really great thing about growing weeds for your garden is that the seeds are free. Simply take a walk down the canal, or along a country lane and look out for weeds that you find attractive, and collect their seeds into a paper bag. You will need to take a pencil with you so you can write down the name of the seeds on the bag. If you don’t know what it’s called you could simply write a description of the mother plant or draw it.

When you get home fill a pot with compost and plant your seeds and water them in well. Being weeds, you are sure to soon see seedlings because, well, they grow like weeds, and they have very successful propagation rates. When the seedlings are big enough to handle, re-pot them on and treat them regular plants.

Weeds shouldn’t be confined to only the ‘nature’ area of the garden, they can have a beauty all of their own, and they are exceptionally hardy. And it wasn’t so very long a go that planting grass in the flower bed sounded absurd, and now it’s the norm to grow ornamental grasses; and now its time to liberate weeds and to accept them into our hearts and gardens, and enjoy them.

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How to Grow New Plants for Free From Cuttings

2011-06-29T08:47:00.000-07:00

June and July is a great time of the year to collect new plants for your garden. Plants everywhere are bursting into action and actively growing and producing seeds, creating easy pickings for people with green fingers to add to their horticulture collection.

Because plants are growing vigorously at this time of the year, they are ripe for cultivation by means of cuttings. You could take cutting from your own existing plants, or maybe your friend has a plant that you have had your eye on for a while. However, I recently took a couple of cuttings from a beautiful shrub that was grown in a car park on a business park.

It’s a good idea to keep some small scissors, and a few food bags in your handbag or glove box, and when you see a plant that you particularly like, take s few cuttings.

Take cuttings on a cool day or in the morning, this is just to prevent your cutting from wilting. Choose healthy, pest-free and non-flowering shoots of new growth. Cut about a 4 or 5 inch length and pop it into a plastic bag. For each plant you want to cultivate, take a minimum of 5 cuttings. Not all the cuttings may take, and if they do you can always give surplus plants to your friends as gifts.

Fill a clean plant pot with cutting compost. And then prepare the cuttings that you collected earlier. With a sharp knife, cut the stem just below a leaf. The cut needs to be clean and straight.

Remove a couple of leaves above this cut and that’s your cutting ready. Now use a pencil to make a hole in the compost around the edge of the pot. Don’t simple put the cutting into the compost because it might damage the cutting. Firm the cutting in by pressing the compost around it.

You should be able to fit a few cuttings all around the edge of the plant pot. When the plant pot is full, water it well and leave it on a sunny window sill and leave the cuttings to do their thing.

Just make sure that the compost doesn’t dry out completely. Your cutting may wilt in the early days, make sure that they are not getting too hot, and use a mister to spray water on them from time to time and they should revive. One last tip, don’t try to re-pot or plant out too soon. Let the cuttings root system get well established before you take the cutting out from the plant pot.

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How to Make Cupcakes in Ice Cream Cones

2011-06-29T01:23:00.000-07:00

These cupcake cones might be the most delicious optical illusion you'll ever taste. Professional baker and author Liv Hansen for Betty Crocker shows how to make these clever cupcake ice cream cones.

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How to Make a Cat Tree - Things to Keep in Mind As You Build Your Own Cat Tree

2011-06-29T01:17:00.000-07:00

By D. J. Blandford

Learning how to make a cat tree is an excellent opportunity to be creative while saving up to $250 at the same time. With many costing $75 on the low side and upwards of $350 on the high side, it's no wonder do it yourselfers are looking to make their own using a good set of cat tree plans.

The tradeoff, of course, is a little bit of your time, but the payoff is well worth it. With the right tools and a good set of plans, most cat trees can be completed start to finish in just a few days or less. You'll be excited to see the finished product, knowing you created it with your own two hands. Get the entire family involved. Kids love designing things for their pets.

Things To Keep In Mind As You Build Your Own Cat Tree

As you begin the design and construction process, understand a cat tree should adequately address a few of your cat's key needs. Cats love to play, sleep, and scratch.

First, it should provide a place of safety and security. If you have a larger cat (exceeding 20lbs), it's important to use strong materials and a construction design that provides extra support. Otherwise the entire structure can tip over when your cat climbs to the upper levels.

Likewise, if you have an older cat, you'll want to make the cat tree more accessible by including ramps and/or steps. The addition of a den-like cat condo can provide a place for your cat to feel more comfy and secure. You never know when your favorite furry feline will need to get away from the family dog or hide from overzealous children.

Next, your kitty will want places to romp and play. She'll also want a place to stretch out when she wears herself out after flinging mouse and feather toys all over the living room. You can meet these needs by building in layers consisting of a variety of different sizes and shapes of platforms/shelves. Cats like to be up high so don't be afraid to build both up and out.

Build some peep holes and crawl-throughs for cats with an adventurous side. Don't forget to hang toys from the underside of upper shelves for your kitty to bat around at her leisure. Change these up from time to time to keep your kitty from getting bored.

Lastly, if you want to save the arms and legs of your couch, it's important to include scratching posts when you make a cat tree. The same posts that provide structural support for the platforms can easily be modified to double as scratching posts by wrapping them with sisal rope.

Next, now is the time to spoil your cat and learn how to make a cat tree easily and affordably: Make A Cat Tree.

If you really want to create your own kitty funland that will provide both you and your cat with years of fun and enjoyment while saving you tons of money, get the best do it yourself cat tree instruction plans by visiting http://www.HowToMakeACatTree.com.

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An Organza Cake Stand Cover or Skirt to Protect Cakes and Pastries on Your Cake Stand

2011-06-20T06:28:00.001-07:00

Cake stand look so pretty when they are adorned with delicious cakes, buns and pastries. But the sweet smells of sugar, cream, jam and sugar also attract the attentions flies when having tea time alfresco. The simple solution is to make your cake stand a cover or skirt that is see through enough so that you can still see the appetizing sweet treats, but it keeps the flies from getting in there first.

The cake stand skirt just adds to the chintz look, and patterned or coloured organza can really create a shabby chic quaint effect, which is so, old English tea parties. I’ve called it a skirt because it does look like the cake stand is wearing a Victorian petticoat.

To make a Cake Stand Skirt you will need…
Organza fabric, any colour or pattern you choose,
Half inch wide satin ribbon to use as a draw string,
And wide lace about 2 to 2.5 inches wide.

To start off you need to take some measurements from your cake stand; you need to measure the height from the table to the top of the handle, the radius of the top plate and the circumference of the bottom plate.

Draw a rectangle (landscape) on a piece of scrap paper, the long edge needs to be the circumference of the bottom plate plus half the circumference again.

The height of the rectangle should be the height of the cake stand plus the radius of the top plate. In addition you need to add 6 inches for the top ruffle and chasing for the ribbon draw string, and further half inch for the bottom hem.

Now deduct from the width of two lace stripes. Be aware that 2.5 inch wide lace with scallops will not be as wide as in reality. You need to measure the lace across the narrowest point. Therefore your 2.5 inch wide lace may only be 2 inches wide. With two stripes of lace you need to deduct 4 inches from the width of the rectangle in total.

Cut out the organza to this size and hem one of the long edges turning it up half an inch. Also hem the two shorter sides.

From the hem at the bottom of the fabric, mark out 3 inches, and cut a strip off the bottom which is 3 inches wide and hemmed on 3 sides. Overlock or zigzag the remaining raw edge.

Sew lace over the top of the overlocked edge, turning the raw edges of the lace in.

Sew another length of lace over the top of the bottom hem, taking care to fold in the raw edges of the lace.

Take the larger piece of organza and overlock or zigzag the two remaining long raw edges.

On the top edge make a 3 inch hem, and sew into place.

From this stitching sew another line of stitching just above to create a chasing for the ribbon. The distance needs to be about three quarters of an inch, so that the ribbon can lay flat inside the channel.

This piece of organza can now be stitched to the lower piece on the top lace stripe.

Finally thread ribbon through the chasing and draw the skirt up, so that it gathers around the handle of the cake stand. Tie it off with a bow.

Dinners can retrieve a cake either by lifting the skirt or parting the skirt where the two sides join, below the bow.

Being made from organza the cake stand skirt is machine washable on a low temperature and can be ironed on a low setting.

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Flower Petals Crochet Milk Jug Cover Pattern

2011-06-13T08:47:00.000-07:00

This is a crochet pattern for a small sized milk jug or cream jug. A crochet milk jug cover is the perfect, decorative solution to stop anything falling into your milk jug. This cover measures about 4 and a half inches across from bead to bead. The design has a small flower at the centre and petals coming off from the central flower. The cover is weighted around the edges with beads to stop it from falling of the jug in a sudden gust.

The pattern is fairly simple using the basic crochet stitches and a double treble, which if you haven’t done one before you will soon pick up. The Double Trebble or dtr as it appears in the pattern is performed in the same was as a treble, but where you would initially put the yarn around the hook once when performing a treble, for this one you wrap the yarn around twice, and when you draw the yarn through 2 stitches, three times until you are left with one stitch on the hook.

To make this Milk Jug Cover you will need…
3g MERCER Crochet Cotton 40,
A hook sized 1.75
And some small beads to weight down the edges.

Make 4ch, join with sl st to form ring.

Round 1: *4 tr, sl st* into the ring 6 times.

Round 2: *8ch,sl st on top of sl st from previous round* Continue to end of round and sl st on start chain loop of same round.

Round 3: sl st along the first chain loop to get to the centre of the loop. *6ch, dc in the next chain loop* Continue to end of round and sl st on start chain loop of same round.

Round 4: sl st along the first chain loop to get to the centre of the loop. *8tr on dc from previous round, sl st in next chain loop* Continue to end of round.

Round 5: *10ch,sl st on top of sl st from previous round* Continue to end of round and sl st on start chain loop of same round.

Round 6: sl st along the first chain loop to get to the centre of the loop. *10ch, dc in the next chain loop* Continue to end of round and sl st on start chain loop of same round.

Round 7: *8tr in 3rd chain of loop, sl st in 5th chain of loop, 8tr in 8th chain of loop, sl st in 10th chain of loop* Continue to end of round.

Round 8: *10ch,sl st on top of sl st from previous round* Continue to end of round and sl st on start chain loop of same round.

Round 9: sl st along the first chain loop to get to the centre of the loop. *10ch, dc in the next chain loop* Continue to end of round and sl st on start chain loop of same round.

Round 10: : sl st along the first chain loop to get to the centre of the loop. *8dtr on dc from previous round, sl st in next chain loop* Continue to end of round.

Round 11: *10ch,dc on top of sl st from previous round* Continue to end of round and sl st on start chain loop of same round.

Round 12: *11ch,dc on top of dc from previous round* Continue to end of round and sl st on start chain loop of same round.

Round 13: *12ch,dc on top of dc from previous round* Continue to end of round and sl st on start chain loop of same round.

Finish off.

Where you have 3 chain loops on the out side edges, sew the loops together in the centre and sew on a bead to weigh down the loops. There are 12 loops in total.

This jug cover best fits a jug that is about 4 inches across.

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How to Make Shabby Chic Cake Stands

2011-06-13T08:45:00.000-07:00

Chintz cake stands are making a comeback as shabby chic becomes desirable. Cake stands are great for displaying cakes at parties and BBQ’s and are space saving when table space for food is limited.

Cake stands are really easy to make, and once you have made one and discovered how easy it is, you’ll want to make more.

The first thing to do is to find 3 plates in descending sizes. The plates can be matching and that looks really nice, but equally odd plates can be as attractive. If you are choosing odd plates its nice if you stick to a theme, so for example collect 3 pink plates, or plates with spots. Sticking to a theme with odd plates gives the cake stand some continuity. Car boots and charity shops are great places to source decorative plates for cake stand crafting.

You will also need a 6mm carbide spear tip drill bit to make holes in the plates. The carbide spear head drill bit is much easier to use than a diamond drill bit because it doesn’t slide around on the plate when drilling the hole. The carbide spear tip drill bits are inexpensive, costing just a couple of pounds.

You will also need a cake stand handle with a bolt and washers. Again these can be bought quite cheaply for a brand new handle. Ebay have cake stand handles listed from around two pounds, which come complete with the washers and bolt.

To make your cake stand you need to give the plates a good wash and a thorough drying. And then you need to mark the centre of the plate with a permanent marker. The easiest way to find the centre of the plate is to draw around the plate on some scrap paper, and cut it out. Then fold the paper in half and in half again. Then at the centre point, snip off the tip. Open out the template plate and you should now have a diamond shape in the middle. Place the paper over the top of the plate, with the pattern side of the plate upwards and mark a dot on the plate through the hole in the paper.

And now you’re ready to drill. Set the drill up with the 6mm carbide spear tip drill bit, and make sure that the drill is not set on hammer drill. The hammer drill setting will break the plates.

Pour some cold water onto the plate that you are going to drill; the water will help to keep the drill bit cool. The water also prolongs the life of your drill bit.

Now begin to drill on the mark that you made. Try to keep the drill as straight as possible when drilling, so that your hole is straight through the plate, this will avoid your handle being at a ‘funny’ angle when the cake stand is made up. You should drill slowly and only apply a light amount of pressure.

If the drill bit develops yellow, brown, blue or black ‘burn’ marks around the tip, you need to slow down and drill slower. This is a sign that you are drilling too fast.

Once you have drilled all three plates, clean the plates up and then you can start to build the cake stand.

Starting at the bottom, push the bolt through the bottom of the biggest plate and on the bolt add a washer to sit on the face of the plate. Then screw on the first straight part of the cake stand handle. Onto the op of the spindle add another washer and the middle sized plate, then another washer, and then screw on the second spindle. On the top of the spindle add a washer, the smallest plate, another washer and then finally the handle spindle part.

If your cake stand handle is at a bit of a funny angle you can correct this by gently bending the spindles.

See how easy it is to make a beautiful shabby chic cake stand? So why not try something a bit different, like a strawberries and cream stand. Simply substitute plates for 2 dishes. The larger dish at the bottom for strawberries and the top smaller dish for whipped cream.

What about a chocolate fondue stand? Again have a large dish at the bottom to hold the strawberries and marshmallows for dunking. The second plate can hold tea light candles to melt the chocolate and on the top tier have a small bowl or a china cup to hold the melted chocolate.

With homemade cake stands the possibilities are endless, and you can easily create beautiful table decorations and centrepieces that look professionally made at a fraction of the cost of a shop bought one. So get down to your local charity shop and see old plates with new eyes.

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Crochet Milk Jug Cover Pattern with Scallops

2011-06-07T23:53:00.000-07:00

Now the summer is here, I love to have tea outside using my china tea set. Having garden tea parties turns an ordinary cuppa and a chat into something a bit more special, and a little event.

However, I did find that leaving the milk unattended on the table meant that it attracted uninvited winged guests. So I set about making a crochet milk jug cover with beads to cover over the milk jug. The pattern I created is very simple and quick to make. To keep it simple the jug cover is round and towards the edges there are scallops.

The Milk jug cover measures 15cm across which includes the hanging loop for beads. And the inner circle for covering the jug measures 9cm.

To make this Milk Jug Cover you will need…
3g MERCER Crochet Cotton 40,
A hook sized 1.75
And 20 beads

Make 4ch, join with sl st to form ring.

Round 1: 3ch, 12tr into the ring, and sl st into 3rd ch to join.

Round 2: 3ch, *1 tr, 1ch* in each tr in previous round. Continue in this way to end, sl st in 3rd ch to join.

Round 3: 3ch, *2tr, 2ch* in each chain space in previous round. Continue in this way to end, sl st in 3rd ch to join.

Round 4: 3ch, *2tr, 3ch* in each chain space in previous round. Continue in this way to end, sl st in 3rd ch to join.

Round 5: 3ch, 1tr in first chain space, *1ch, 1tr between 2tr in previous row, 2ch, 2tr in same place, 1ch, 2tr in next chain space from previous round*. Continue in this way to end, sl st in 3rd ch to join.

Round 6: 3ch, *2tr, 1ch* in each chain space from the round below. Continue in this way to end, sl st in 3rd ch to join.

Round 7: 3ch, *2tr, 1ch* in each chain space from the round below. Continue in this way to end, sl st in 3rd ch to join.

Round 8: *8tr between next 2tr from previous round, sl st between next 2tr from previous round* Continue in this way to end, sl st at beginning of first scallop on same round.

Round 9: *10ch, dc on sl st in previous round* Continue in this way to end, dc at start of first chain loop on same round.

Round 10: 5sl st along first chain loop to get to the centre. *8ch, dc in the centre on next chain loop* Continue in this way to end.

Round 11: 4sl st to centre of first chain loop, *8tr in dc on previous round, dc in centre of next chain loop* Continue in this way to end, sl st at beginning of first scallop on same round.

Round 12: *12ch, dc in dc in previous round* Continue in this way to end, sl st at beginning of first chain loop on same round.

Finish off.

In the middle of each outer chain loop, sew a bead to weight down the jug cover and to prevent the cover flying off in a draft.

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Crochet Hat Instructions And Quick Gift Ideas

2011-06-01T06:12:00.000-07:00

By Linda Spangenburg

Have you been looking for some crochet hat instructions? Do you need it to be a basic crochet for a quick project? Is Christmas coming fast and gift ideas slow? If so the first thing that comes to mind is a granny square hat.

Just about everyone knows how to make a granny square. Granny squares have been made into everything from large afghans to tiny doll sweaters and everything in between.

These are great for quick projects, last minute gifts and using up small amounts of yarn that is leftover from previous projects.

If you can make a granny square you can put them tighter to create just about anything you want. If you do not know how to make one, you will find help on my site. There are step-by-step instructions on making one.

The varieties of colors are unlimited. Make the last round of each square the same color and you will pull them all together in a nice color coordinated project.

To make a Granny Square Hat
This is for a child size hat made using 5 granny squares. For larger hats use more rounds on the squares. Make 4 squares measuring about 5 inches each. These are for the sides of the hat. Make 1 square the same as the others minus one round.

Sew the four bigger squares together side by side to form a circle. Sew last smaller square to the top of the ring of squares. This will form the crown. Crochet around the bottom edge and you are done.

For a Basic Crochet Hat

Another quick hat in crochet can be done in double crochet stitch using a G hook.
This would fit an adult, chain 78, double crochet in 4th chain from hook and than across. Chain 3 turn, double crochet in each double crochet. Continue until it is as high as desired. Break yarn with a long tail. Using a large eyed needles gather by running the needle through end just completed.

You can add a pom pom in contrasting color for decoration. Use variegated yarns; make stripes add pom poms or tassels for fun. Do not forget you can always make a matching scarf for a set.
You can easily make it larger or smaller just add or subtract rows and /or stitches. That is one of the great things about crochet. It is easy to take out and start over.

A basic crochet hat and a scarf are easy, fast gifts. They do not take a lot of yarn and can be done in the their favorite colors. Do not forget the dolls, from Barbie to the Cabbage Patch. These matching sets are nice for the little mothers to the collectors.

Linda Spangenburg draws on 35+ years from her knitting and crochet business experience, both as a teacher and craft business owner. She is the author behind Looney for Looms where you will find patterns for loom knitting. We hope you found the information here inspiring enough to try a craft homebased business? You can find more free information about knitting and crochet for profit at http://www.knitting-n-crochet.com

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How to make a Medieval Hair Braids Hair Piece

2011-05-22T05:22:00.001-07:00

In medieval times, hair braiding was popular, and many attractive hair styles could be achieved with hair braiding. However, such elaborate braided hairstyles were usually worn by the rich, who had a lady in waiting or a servant to style their hair for them. If you don’t have a lady in waiting but want to achieve the medieval braided hair look, its probably best if you make yourself a braided hair piece that you can slip onto your head a bit like a hat or a wig, and instantly have the latest medieval fashionable hair do.

To make a Medieval Hair Braids Hair Piece you will need,

3x Platted Alice bands or hair bands, (the ones with two plats,) in a colour that matches your own hair,
Needle and thread
Fascinators,
Dress making pins, the ones with coloured beads are best because they are nicely visible in the hair braids.

To start with you need to join two of the hair bands together so that there are 4 plats that will go across your head. Snip the elastic out of one hair band and sew the end of the plats to the main hair band.

The next part is easier if you get someone else with a similar sized head to wear the hair band, Or if you wear it and ask someone else to do the pinning for you. The model should have their hair loose, so any pins wont attached the braids to their hair.

Put the 4 braided hair band on the models head, and space out the braids so that the lie evenly between the forehead and the crown of the head. If the braid at the crown is too long and wont lie flat, make a little loop out of the excess and lay inwards towards the forehead. Pin in place without stabbing the models head.

Next you need to dismantle the final hair band, taking everything off so that you are just left with braids. The ends of the braids should be melted together, if you disturb the ends, sew them back together with some similar coloured cotton.

Tuck one end of the loose braid behind one side of the surplus loop braid. The end should be hidden behind. Then bring the loose braid forward in a downward angle crossing over all of the main braids on the head, then take the braid down in front of the first braid in the set of four and turn at the ear again crossing over all the four main braids. Then on the back behind the forth braid, travel back up to the starting point and tuck the end of the braid behind another to hide it. Where the loose braid crosses other braids, pin it in place. Repeat this process on the other side to match.

Remove the hair piece carefully from the models head. Then sew the braids together where ever there is a pin. Keep the stitches small so that you can’t see them.

Now you can add fascinators to the braids. Bear in mind, that if you are wearing a tiara, you probably need to cluster the fascinators behind the ear, but if you don’t have any medieval head gear, you can add the fascinators around the top and front of the hair piece.

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How to Make a Bottle Cutting Tool

2011-05-21T01:17:00.000-07:00

I have recently needed to cut wine bottles to make a garden feature in the path. I had a look on Google to find a glass cutter, and I was quite shocked at how expensive they were, just to recycle glass bottles or jars into vases, bowls, glass lanterns and decorative paths etc. So I set to work to make my own bottle cutter with some scraps of wood that I found I the shed, and a glass cutting tool that I bought on Ebay for just a couple of pounds.

First I took a large flat piece of MDF that was long enough to accommodate a wine bottle. I know I would need to hook it over a table to prevent it from moving, so I measured a piece of 2 by 2, to the same width as my base. With three screws I attached the 2 by 2 to the bottom of the base bit and tested to make sure it hooked over the edge of the table alright.

Next I needed to make a ‘compartment’ for the bottle. But not all of my bottles were the same size. Some were considerably chunky whilst others were short tubby bottles. The compartment needed two sided, so that any sized bottle could be pressed against the two edges.

I cut another piece of 2 by 2 for the top of the base at the edge furthest away from me. This gave the base an ‘s’ type shape. One hook down over the table and one hook upwards.

On the right hand side I found a long thin piece of MDF which I screwed onto the upwards facing hook and down along the right hand edge of the base, forming an L shape.

I had an idea of how tall I wanted my finished cut bottles to be, and I drilled a rectangular slot in the thin piece of MDF where I wanted the blade to come out to score the bottle. If you wanted assorted sizes, you could make a few slots at regular intervals.

The slot needs to be vertical, so the cutters wheel is the right way around when you off up the bottle.

And that is your finished bottle cutter, its not overly attractive, but a snip at just £2. Videos on Youtube suggest adding wheels to make the bottle turn smoothly, but its really not necessary if you are just doing a bit of crafting.

To Use the Homemade Bottle Cutter…

First make sure that you get the labels off the bottles and rub them over with a scouring pad to get all the glue off. You also need to watch out for bottles with plastic labels, these are a devil to get off; no amount of soaking seems to loosen the glue. You just have to pick away at it.

Once cleaned, you need to score them. So with your bottle cutter hooked over the edge of the table, lay in your bottle so that the base of the bottle is facing away from you and it pressed against the upward hook. Push and hold the glass cutter through the slot, and then press the bottle against that side whilst still pressing it backwards at the same time. Keep hold of the glass cutter to apply pressure to the bottle, and with your other hand roll the bottle with your palm, towards the glass cutter. Make sure that the bottle turns 5 times or so and is scored well.

Then gently heat the scored line over a couple of tea light candles. Keep the bottle turning, and hold the bottle so that the top of the flame almost touches the glass. It will take about tem minutes to heat the glass, and a ring of soot will appear over the scored line.

Depending on the type of bottle you are cutting, will depend on what happens next.

If the bottle is a thin wine bottle, the glass will start to ping and pop like popcorn. It does make you jump and it is a bit nerve racking the first couple of times. When it has pinged twice, take it to a bucket of cold water and immerse it and it should break. Sometimes they need a bit of encouragement, just tap the bottle, under the water against the side of the bucket and it should go.

Thicker glass bottles such as beer bottles and Champaign bottles, or any bottle designed to hold fizzy drinks under pressure tend not to pop. Hold them over a candle until there is quite a thick line of soot, and then take them to the cold bucket of water, where they usually break.

Note that if you heat a bottle with a lid or stopper in it will heat the air inside the bottle and create a vacuum, and the bottles pop quite vigorously, and not always neatly.

I have seen videos on Youtube of people using a kettle of boiling water instead of a candle to heat the bottle. I haven’t tried this myself, but the video explains to pour the boiling water very slowly, and then immerse in cold water. This way apparently causes less stress lines into the bottle. The candles do more often than not have small cracks in the bottle. But this was probably because the glass heated up too quickly, and the bottle needed to be further away from the flame.

If you want a smooth edge on the cut part of the bottle, you need to sand the edge with some wet and dry paper. Put the paper on the table and rub the glass around in circular motions, it does take a good five minutes or so to sand the edges.

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Medieval Wedding Car Tin Can Helmets

2011-05-21T01:06:00.000-07:00

I know it’s not customary during medieval times to have tin cans jingling behind the wedding transportation, but if your going to have a medieval wedding but you still what to do the whole tin cans thing, medieval helmets are the perfect thing!

To make Medieval Wedding Car Tin Can Helmets you will need…

Tin cans in assorted sizes. But Baby milk tins are good because they are nice and big and made of thin metal that you can bend. Cappuccino stick tins are also good, and disposing of the contents is rather enjoyable. The number of tins depends on how many you want to trail behind. I made 9 helmets to trail off 3 lengths of string.
You will also need silver paint,
Black Humbrol paint,
String,
Beads,
Tin snippers,
Marker pen,

First you need to empty the tins, wash them out and leave them to dry.

Then take a hammer and a big screw, and with the tin upside down, make a hole in the base of each of the tins.

With a marker pen, measure about 7cm up from the open edge of the tin all round. Mark one point on the open edge on the tin – This is the front, its best to have the seam of the tin directly behind. Draw a straight line from this point to the base of the tin.

From this point measure 3cm around the edge on either side of the point.

Now go to where the line crosses the line around the tin. Mark 5cm around the tin and mark on the line on both sides of the crossing point. Then join up the measured points to make a ‘roof’ like shape on the tin. This will be the helmets mouth guard.

Use the tin snippers to cut out the roof shape and to cut along the line around the tin. Discard the left over bits of tin.

If you want to add shape to your tin, simply bend down the front edge line of the helmet, so that that line has a bit of a crease.

Then spray paint your tins Silver. Keep the tin of paint moving whilst you are spraying and try to make the coats even. You may need a couple of coats to get it covered properly. Follow the instructions on the spray paint tin and make sure you are in a ventilated room.

When the paint is dry, you can use the black Humbrol paint to paint on the helmets features, eye holes, and holes in the mouth guard. I pained each of my helmets differently. Again leave to dry.

Next you need to thread the tins onto string. I tried threading onto ribbon, but the tin cuts through the ribbon in next to no time. The tins still do cut through the string, but it is more durable then ribbon, and takes longer, giving the bridal car time to get down the road before they start to loose helmets. Make yourself a makeshift needle with some wire to make life easier.

First tie a knot in the string where you want the tin to rest, and then thread a bead on, and then thread a helmet on, then another bead and then make another knot. Leave a foot or so, and then make another knot, bead, helmet, bead, knot for the second helmet. And repeat the process for the third helmet. This spaces the helmet tins out so that they look nice, but they can still jangle together.

Then simply tie the string ends to the centre of the back bumper.

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How to Build a Chicken Coop - 6 Crucial Elements on Building a Chicken House

2011-05-18T03:08:00.000-07:00

By Dale Higgins

When building a chicken coop, it is suggested that you follow the guidelines below for a successful endeavor.

Element #1. - Appearance and Design:

Sketch out your design on a sheet of paper before you do anything else. Think of the colors you will paint the roof and chicken coop walls. Always keep in mind that if your chicken coop is clearly visible to your neighbors, (unless you live in a farm it will most likely be visible to your entire neighborhood,) it shouldn't ever serve as a distraction or defacement of its utmost surroundings. So make sure to design an aesthetically looking chicken coop so that your neighbors do not complain of its detracting appearance. Once finished, always remember to remove and dispose of any types of garbage or weeds from around your chicken coop. Try to maintain an appealing landscape around it to enhance its overall appearance.

Element #2. - Using Sound Judgment:

When designing your chicken coop structure, you must use sound judgment in almost every aspect of the way.

For instance, you want to use building materials in which the cleaning and disinfecting procedures will be quick and easy. The doors you install should open inwards, not outwards. You don't want your chickens roosting on your windows, so it is best to install sliding windows.

A question many people ask is how to build a chicken coop who's floors are easy to hose and spray down without much puddling? Well the secret to that is to slightly slope the flooring toward the door. This way, when you spray out the chicken coop, the water will flow out, hence solving your puddling problem.

Element # 3. - Protection from Hazardous Elements:

So you want to learn how to build a chicken coop with maximum protection?
Then listen up.

As you may know, a well built chicken coop will protect your chickens from hazardous elements such as bad weather (heavy rain, wind, hale, snow, cold climates, etc,) but they will also protect them from hungry predators, theft and injury.

So how do we accomplish that?

Easy. You want to build a draft free chicken house with windows and doors that can be opened and closed as needed. Make sure the windows and doors both have proper screening systems installed in them such as a heavy gage mesh wire. Building the chicken coop on a high yet well drained area with ensure the least amount of dampness of the coop. Be sure to build your chicken coop in an area that faces the sun which will help warm and dry the soil and coop itself after it rains.

To protect your chickens from predators, the best thing to do is to bury your outside runs with chicken wire all around the coop about 1 foot deep. This will prevent some very hungry predators such as raccoons, cats and even dogs from digging underneath it.

Strategy # 4. - Coop Ventilation:

You may be wondering how to build a chicken coop that will not only keep your chickens locked up and protected from bad weather and predators yet receive the proper ventilation it requires. If so, then you already understand the importance of draft free air movement from within the coop. Chickens, much like humans, need fresh air and oxygen. The same goes for the removal of unwanted excessive moisture and carbon dioxide. A chicken coop with ample air movement and proper ventilation will help remove the ammonia build up and dampness that may grow inside its walls.

Speaking of walls, the chicken coop walls should have proper insulation installed which will help keep the chickens dry. As long as chickens are dry, they can handle cold climates very well, but humidity plus cold weather will cause health issues for your poultry. Therefore, insulated walls are a must!

Strategy # 5. - Light Source:

If you want a good source of light and warmth for your chickens during the cold months of the year and a solid source of ventilation during the hot months, then be sure to install the chicken coop windows facing the southside where they will receive direct sunlight throughout the day.

On another note, if your goal is to raise chickens that will produce great eggs all year round, then you should look into an electrical source of light. You should be able to easily install an electrical light at the height of the chicken coop's ceiling which will help keep your chickens warm and help them lay better chicken eggs throughout the year. One ceiling light should be enough for a small scale chicken coop, for larger chicken coops though, try to install one electrical ceiling light per every 30 - 40 feet.

Strategy # 6. - Conveniently placed Wateres and Chicken Feeders:

Chicken feeders and waterers should be placed where your flock will have easy access to them. However, you have to becareful where you place them because chickens like to make a mess of everything they eat due to their chicken scratching instincts. I'm sure you don't want to see your chicken feed mix all over the coop floors so, to avoid this, place the chicken feeders at the height of the chicken's back. This way they will have to stretch their necks up to eat but won't reach the feeders with their feet. Same goes for the waterers. Just make sure to keep the waterers full of fresh clean water throughout the day.

There you have it folks. 6 quick and easy strategies that will show you how to build a chicken coop fast and efficiently. Whether you're building a large scale chicken coop or a small one, these tips should get you moving in the right direction.

Folks, did you know that the average american spends about $300 to build a chicken coop? Some even invest over 2 months of work trying to assemble the darn structure and in the end aren't even fully contempt with their product. Not very enticing is it? A great chicken coop plan can cut your time and efforts in half while saving you a vast amount money on building materials. To learn how to build a chicken coop with maximum benefits for your flock without investing a magnitude of your time and money , click here:
how to build a chicken coop.

Dale Higgins has been raising chickens and poultry for over 20 years and is an expert in building chicken coops. You can visit his website here: http://www.mybackyardchickenfarm.com

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How to Make an Origami Dragon

2011-05-18T03:00:00.000-07:00

This is a brilliant video showing you step by step how to make an Origami Dragon. Grab your paper and follow on screen instructions.

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How to Make a DVD Box or Sleeve from a Template

2011-05-14T04:35:00.000-07:00

It’s nice to give homemade CD or DVD’s of family photos or videos to friends and family as gifts. But when you buy the disc’s they don’t come with individual boxes or protective sleeves to ‘house’ the completed CD.

However with a simple sleeve template you can quickly and cheaply create your own CD and DVD sleeves. Simply download the free DVD Sleeve template from the link below and save it somewhere handy on your computer.

Open the template into your graphics package and add photos, text and images that you have copies off Google Image searches.

You can of course also add a title and other text using your graphics package. You might want to add a greeting to the sleeve it you were giving the DVD as a birthday gift for example. You might want to add a date if the sleeve is for a wedding day DVD, so that in years to come you will remember the year the DVD was made.

You can go a bit further and give your DVD sleeve an authentic look by finding DVD icons on Google - Icons such as the DVD Video logo, DVD guidance rating icons, Regional icons, widescreen icons and so on.

If you are not confident to use a graphic package to decorate the CD sleeve, you could print it out blank and draw and write on the sleeve by hand.

When you have finished decoration the template sleeve, save the changes and print it out on to thin card. You may need to paste the image onto a word document and make the image a large size to get it to print out big enough to accommodate a disc. You might need to print out a couple until you get it spot on.

Once printed out, you need to cut out the sleeve, and score along the edges to be folded to give a nice crisp fold.

Fold the flaps that attach the back to the front inwards and stick them with paper glue to the inside of the sleeve. When the glue has grabbed the card, open the sleeve up a little and allow to dry open – just in case you were over zealous with the glue, you don’t want it sticking the front to the back.

Voila! You have a perfect personalised DVD or CD sleeve for your disc.

Download your template sleeve here...

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How to make a Medieval Wrist Watch (Joke Sundial Watch)

2011-05-14T02:19:00.000-07:00

If you are having a medieval theme wedding, it’s nice if you can keep the medieval theme going through most of the day. Medieval gifts for the important guests who played an active role in the wedding can be tricky, if you want it to have a medieval association. It’s traditional to give the best man a sentimental gift and watches are popular. With this in mind, I made our best man a medieval Rolex watch, which we introduced as a Rolex prototype that was being developed during medieval times. We advised the best man as he unwrapped his gift, that it worked on solar power so would only worked if the sun was shining. This sundial got great laughs during the Grooms speech, and was really good fun.

To make a medieval sundial wrist watch you will need...
6mm thick scrap of MDF,
Strong clear drying glue,
Brass paper clip – the type with opening out wings at the back,
Gold ink gel pen,
Wood stain,
Varnish,
Rock leather wrist strap,
And a drill bit attachment that cuts out circles this is to create the sundial face, so select an appropriate sizes drill bit.

Start buy cutting a circle from the MDF close to a corner. You need to cut it close to the corner because not only do you need a circle, but you also need a small triangle, and cutting the circle close to a corner means that you will cut out the two shapes in one go.

Give the circle and triangle a light sanding to make the edges neat and smooth.

Give the MDF a coat of dark wood stain. MDF is essentially wood dust glued together, so it doesn’t have a grain to it, but if you pain the wood stain on with a brush and paint in the same direction, you can give the wood an appearance of grain. Leave to dry and them apply wood stain in the same way to the other side and edges.

Next with the gold ink gel pen you need to draw on roman numerals in the correct places on the face of the sundial. You could search Google images for a sundial faces for an example to copy.

You could also add a logo to the bottom part of the face. I chose to add the Rolex logo, which is a simple crown shape. Again you can search Google images for watch logos to copy.

The medieval way was to embellish everything. So I drew gold borders on both sides and edges of the sundials triangle.

When the ink has properly dried, apply a coat of clear varnish to the wood to protect the ink.

When the varnish has dried, take the brass coloured paper fastener and open up the flaps at the back and fold them out flat. Put the fastener down on the table vertically, with the head facing upwards. Then with the wrong side of sundial, add a blob of clear drying glue to the drill hole that the circle left in the face of the sundial. Turn the face over and hold it the right way up, (on a modern watch this would be with 12 at the top or furthest away from you). Then stick the face onto the paper fastening head.

If you imaging there’s a line coming down from 12 to 6, this is the line that the paper fastener need to follow at the back of the face.

With paper fastener in place, apply some glue to one edge of the triangle, and stick it to the top half on the sundial along the 12 to 6 line. The curve of the triangle should curve from the ‘12’ position and there should be a tall point in the centre of the sundial face. Clean off surplus glue and leave to dry.

Put the leather wrist strap on, and do it up. If the recipient is bigger or smaller than you need to guesstimate the size that it would be done up at. With the buckle at the back of the wrist, make a mark with a pen on the strap on the top middle of the wrist. This is where the sundial face will attach to the strap.

If your leather rock wrist strap has studs, simply remove the stud where you marked the centre. If it’s just a leather strap, you will need to make a hole at this point.

Close the paper fastener wings together and push them through the strap and open them out again on the other side of the strap. Add a bit of glue to stick them to the strap. You could also stick some ribbon over the wings to conceal them and to make the sundial watch more wearable.

And there you have it, a medieval Rolex watch – solar powered because obviously you do need the sun for it to work – the perfect gift for any medieval lord.

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How to make Apple Tree Weights to Train Your Apple Tree

2011-05-14T00:49:00.000-07:00

I recently bought a new apple tree for the garden. I have a modest sized garden and it wouldn’t have room for a large apple tree, and besides, my neighbour wouldn’t be very happy if I had a large tree blocking the sun light to their garden, so I have decided to bend the branches of my apple tree so that it grown downwards.

I saw this done to an apple tree on a gardening television program. Bending the apples trees branches over has a few benefits, the tree wont get taller, its fruit will be at picking height and I wont need to climb a ladder, but also the tree will bare more fruits that are of a better quality. Additionally you can keep a look out more readily for spoiling pests and diseases.

According to gardening experts, bending the branches of apple trees increases the yield of fruit because the apple tree then makes less foliage and instead produces more fruit. But also the fruits are of better quality because the tree is effectively upside down; more liquid inside the tree reaches the fruits.

It is suggested to train your apple tree, that you tie weights to young branches. The weights might be half a brick or a plastic bottle filled with water. I didn’t fancy the prospect of attaching such unsightly things to my beautiful new apple tree so I thought up an alternative solution, which would look less intrusive – Apple tree weight pebbles!

I simply took a lovely big pebble; I have a few in the garden that we had collected from the beach with the kids when they were little. They were perfect, large weighty, and had been selected for they pleasant appearance.

I glued the pebbles onto clothes pegs with ‘No Nails’ glue and I left them to dry over night.

The following morning I pegged the ‘apple tree weights’ to the ends of the branches below the foliage, applying one pebble weight to each branch. Sure enough they pulled the branches downwards and hung there pleasantly.

Not only do the pebble apple tree weights look astatically pleasing, but they are also kind to the tree. There are two holes in the jaws of the clothes peg, and one is smaller than the other. I was able to select a hole for each branch they wouldn’t be a pinch fit for the tree. Obviously if it were a snug fit on the tree, the branch wouldn’t have room to allow the branch to grow and widen. A tight fit would also hinder the movement of sap down the branch and affect my apple crop, which certainly isn’t desirable.

Another advantage of the pebble apple tree weights is that when a branch has been trained and stays in position without need of the weight, I can simply un-peg it, and peg it to another branch very simply and easily.

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Handmade Cards Project

2011-05-11T01:06:00.000-07:00

This is a project card that I picked up at Hobbycraft which gives you project ideas for handmade cards.

If you click on the images they will open out bigger so that you can read them.

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Making Fun and Trendy Shopping Bags

2011-05-04T05:17:00.000-07:00

This is a craft project from Hobbycraft.

Get a simple plain shopping bag and add some decoration with fabric pens, appliqué, buttons and beads.

Click on the images below to make them big enough to read.

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Fixing Empire Line Dresses for the Bigger Bust

2011-04-23T09:56:00.000-07:00

If you have a fuller bust, you will probably find that you have trouble with empire line dresses. Because your bust is more fuller than say a standard sized 14 dress would assume, your chest is visible between the areas of the dress that are supposed to cover your chest. The gap reveals your bra, and the more you move the more flesh becomes visible.

However, if you have a fuller bust these dresses are really flattering to your figure, and they keep you cool in the summer – what’s a girl to do?

I recently dreamt up this nifty little idea to solve this problem and its pants! Ladies wide lace panties to be precise, the ones that are made with just wide lace; you can pick up a pair for around £1.50 and Asda often do deals for 3 pairs for £5 so they are very inexpensive. Additionally, one pair will fix 2 dresses. What’s more, they come in a whole range of colours, so you are bound to find some that suit your dress perfectly. The lace of the pants is used to bridge the gap.

To get the lace in the right position, I find it’s better to put the dress on. Cut out the gusset from the pants, and cut up the side seams, this leaves you with a ‘V’ shaped piece. Now tuck the lace in the dress where you would like it to go. Try to get the seam or bow at the centre of the dress. The ‘V’ shape still allows you to show off a bit of cleavage if you desire.

Pin the lace into place from the front so that it holds whilst you take the dress off. You can always neaten up your pinning when the dress is off.

Then all you need to do is to sew the lace into place. I hand sewed then lace in with invisible stitches so that it didn’t show on the other side.

Because the lace has elasticised qualities I have also found that this also fixed cross over styles too as well as clothing made from jersey material.

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