How to Make a Dog Coat

By Praline Ramirez

The manufacturing of a dog coat and other apparel has become the fastest growing industry for several years. With the continuous demand of dog apparels their prices are becoming expensive also. Even Gucci and Ralph Lauren are into designing dog clothing and accessories.

If you go to a local pet store, their prices for a simple dog outfit, small dog coat, and winter dog coat can be a little pricey considering the material used and the design. To save yourself some money, try making your own dog clothing. It is very simple and any dog lover could try making this project at home.

Here are the materials you will need to make dog clothing: Fabric, scissors, thread, small buttons, sewing machine, ruler, tape measure, pen or marker, pattern paper, and any accessories you can add. All these items are cheap. The trick to sewing fabulous dog clothing is how you make it.

• Measure your dog from his neck to the end of his tail. The fabric you will buy will depend upon the size of your dog and the weather. If it is a small dog then you can sew a small dog coat. If it is winter season then purchase a thicker fabric to create a winter dog coat.

• Create a design into the pattern paper using the measurement of your dog as your guide. Once you finished designing, cut the pattern paper.

• Pin the pattern paper into the fabric and use the pattern paper as your guide in cutting the fabric. Make sure that you have allotted at least ½ inches. Use these extra inches to sew all edges of the fabric to make sure that it does not ripped apart. It is important to do this instruction before continuing to sew the entire dog clothing.

• With the help of the pattern paper, mark the fabric where all seams match or where the collar should be attached or where you should place your buttons, and the like.

• Once you have done marking the fabric, sew the dog clothing together by following the pattern's instructions.

• After sewing the pieces of fabric together, attached the buttons on it. For small dog coat and winter dog coat use buttons that are big and sturdy.

• To make it more fashionable you could add up some accessories on the back part of the dog clothing.

These steps can be easily accomplished once you start putting them into action. When you are done with these steps you will realize just how easy it is to make your own dog coat.

Praline Ramirez is a writer for Little Pampered Pets, an online pet boutique. Visit us at http://littlepamperedpets.com

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How To Make Candles From Home: Do You Want To Learn How To Make Candles At Home?

By Michael Jardim

Learning how to make candles from home how fun, I personally make my own candles from home and even do it as a full time business. That's why today I will be teaching you how to make your own unique candles from the comfort of your own home. The types of candles I will be teaching you to make today are called scented candles. The scented candles are very unique and one of the most popular candles to make, due to the fact that when they are lighten up they let of a wonderful smell and tend to give people a sense of peace and relaxation.

Before You Learn How To Make Candles From Home You Are Going To Need To Gather The Following Items:

1) Candle Wicks (Use pre-tabbed wicks that are 1 inch longer than the candles you will be making)

2) Two Cooking Pots (One large and one medium)

3) A Cookie Cutter

4) Color Dye (This is optional)

5) Scented Oil (Available at your local arts and craft shop)

6) A Block Of Wax (I recommend paraffin wax)

7) A Candy Thermometer

8) Scissors

9) A Few Sticks To Stir The Wax

10) Molds (You can use small shot glasses or drinking glasses as they make excellent molds)

OK I Have What I Need Now Please Teach Me How To Make Candles From Home!

Its time to start learning how to make candles from home, so you are firstly going to get your pre-tabbed candle wicks and place them in the center of your molds. Now take the large pot and place your cookie cuter inside and then fill the pot with about two inches of water. Set the stove to a temperature of medium to high, and place the pot on top of the stove. You are going to need to wait for a couple of minuets for the water in the pot to start boiling. Once the water in the pot is boiling place your medium pot into the large pot on top of the cookie cuter.

You are now going to place your block of wax into the medium pot, allow the wax to melt. After you see that the wax is well melted, set the stoves temperature down to medium to low and continue to stir the wax.

After the wax is well melted remove the pot from the stove and allow the wax to cool down. Using the candy thermometer check the temperature of the wax as it should be at a temperature of 200 degrees F. You are now going to add your scented oil to the wax and stir the wax well. If using dye then also place the desired amount to the wax and stir.

Now allow the wax to cool down to a temperature of about 175 degrees F. You are now going to get your molds and begin to pour the wax into the molds one by one, Take care to make sure that the candle wick stays scented at all times. After the molds are poured, they are going to need to stay to dry for about two to three hour's. If the candles are dry and contain sink holes then just refill them till the holes are full and even. You are now going to cut your candle wicks with a scissors so that there is about 5mm sticking out as this will be the flint of your candle.

I now invite you to come over to my site MAKE CANDLES FROM HOME where we will be going in to much more detail on how to make your own candles, as this article was just a summery on this topic, so I hope to see you there take care and good luck.

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Christmas Wreath Steering Wheel Cover

Decorate your steering wheel with yule tide and knitting. With this free knitting pattern you can make yourself a wonderfully looking wreath steering wheel cover. This makes for a great holiday gift.

Materials:
2 skeins Caron Fling in Aloe
Size 13 knitting needles
Tapestry Needle

Finished Size
Depends on steering wheel size.

Abbreviations
CO = Cast on
K = Knit
BO = Bind off

Steps:
First measure the circumference of your steering wheel. That is how long you’ll knit your cover. Mine was 46” around, so I knit my piece until it was 46” long. The width of mine was about 4½“ wide with a CO of 8 stitches. I would suggest making a 2 – 3“ swatch to check that the 8 stitch width is enough to wrap around your steering wheel. The width really stretches so as long as you don’t knit extremely tight, 8 stitches should be plenty.

CO 8 stitches (add or decrease CO stitches as needed)

Knit all rows until your piece is the length of your steering wheel.

BO very loosely.

Finished piece is not sewn on, but merely attached to the steering wheel with a length of yarn and using it to wrap the finished piece around your steering wheel. Cut a length of your Caron Fling about 2-3 yards in length and wind it into a little ball so it will be easier to wind around your steering wheel. Wind a second ball for the second wrap.

Now just lay your finished piece onto the steering wheel with both ends at the bottom and the middle will be lying loosely at the top of your wheel. Starting at one end begin wrapping the width of the piece around the wheel and at the same time use your length of yarn to attach/wrap the piece to the wheel all around. Leave a long tail so that once you go all the way around you can tie these 2 end yarn pieces together.

TIP: You may find it easier to temporarly attach your piece to the steering wheel first with short loops of a contrasting bulky yarn that you can cut away as you reach them.

Keep wrapping the piece to your wheel in this manner until you reach the other end of your piece. Overlap one end of your piece over the beginning end and tie the 2 yarn ends together tightly.

That was your first wrap and the piece should now be nicely attached to your steering wheel. Now using the second long length of Caron Fling wrap your steering wheel again paying close attention to wrapping in between the other wrap and closing up any areas that aren’t wrapped around the wheel. Again tie the 2 yarn ends together tightly. Cut any yarn tails. Because you have used the Caron Fling to wrap the piece and attach it to the steering wheel the wrap doesn’t show. Cover should be very snuggly attached to the steering wheel.

All you do now is just attach your bow, also tying it onto the wheel with the Caron Fling. I took 2 lengths of the Caron Fling and put each through the loops of my bow and tied the bow to the steering wheel at the back. You can find the FREE bow pattern I used for mine at this link… http://www.enfys.me.uk/freebow.htm If you prefer just tie a satin ribbon in the same manner to the top of your steering wheel.

When the Christmas season is over and you want to remove your cover, just run your fingers over the wheel and you should easily be able to feel where it’s wrapped with the yarn strand. Cut that strand and unwrap your wheel. Remember there will be 2 strands wrapped around that you’ll have to remove.

This way you can save it to use again next year!

Free pattern from www.favecrafts.com

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How to Make a Coat Hanger Christmas Tree

By A. Labedzki

Some of the most fascinating crafts can often be technically 'best out of waste' and a coat hanger Christmas tree is just one of them. This small tree can be your ideal Christmas decoration without giving a hint of what it is made of. It is a rather simple design, where only the construction of the frame requires some trick and the rest follows. Therefore, once the frame is done, small kids under adult supervision or grown up kids can complete the remaining portion. This style of tree also allows a lot of room for experimentation in terms of colors and decoration.

Go through the following instructions to erect your Christmas tree:

• Material Requirements:
- Coat hangers, preferably with rotational hooks:
- Three in number, if made of metal
- Six in number, if made of plastic
- Twist ties, craft wire, electrical tape, or strings
- Glue
- A pair of scissors
- Garlands in sparkling green color or as per choice
- Electrical lights
- Ornaments, stars, cones, ribbons, etc.
- Toys or other decorations

• Construction: The frame intended here will look like a tripod stand. Remember, a hanger resembles a triangle with two equal sides and the hook is located at the angle formed by these sides.
- Step 1. If you have taken plastic hangers, make three pairs. Superimpose two hangers and tie or tape them to add strength. If you have metal hangers, skip this step.
- Step 2. Position a hanger, or a pair, in such a way, that one of the equal sides is towards the floor and the other one vertical.
- Step 3. Hold two of them similarly, joining firmly their vertical sides together at a small angle. Recall what any two sides of a tripod appear like. The alignment of the hooks will take care of itself. Rotational hooks are helpful in case any adjustment is needed here.
- Step 4. Join the third hanger towards the 'larger' angle formed by the two hangers in Step 3. For better balancing, all the three 'legs' should have equal angles between them.
- Step 5. Place the structure upright.
- Step 6. Stick one end of the garland of your choice to the top of the frame.
- Step 7. Wrap it around and continue until the lowest point.

• Decoration:
- Step 1. Use standalone or string of Christmas lights around the tree in linear or hanging fashion.
- Step 2. Adorn your tree with twisted ribbon, ornaments, cones, candies, and other decorative items.

Annette Labedzki received her BFA at the Emily Carr College of Art and Design in Vancouver, B.C. Canada. She has more than 25 years experience. She is the founder and developer of an online art gallery featuring original art from all over the world. It is a great site for art collectors to buy original art. Is is also a venue for artists to display and sell their art. Artists can join for free and their image upload is unlimited. Please visit the website at http://www.labedzki-art.com

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Decorative Christmas Candle Holders

Beautiful and functional candleholders made from flour and salt dough. Cheap and easy to make and look rather effective.

You will need...
4oz (100g) Plain Flour
3oz (75g) Salt
Hot Water
Paints
Spray varnish or clear lacquer

Begin by dissolving the salt in a small amount of hot water. Add the flour and mix to form dough. Add cold water if necessary but don't make the dough too sticky.

Now you're ready to model your candleholders. It's helpful if you have a candle handy to gage the size of the candleholder needed.

You need to start off with a base. Roll out some of the dough with a rolling pin. Use a cutter or a glass to cut out a circle from the dough. This is the base of the candleholder.

Roll two long sausages that are long enough to reach around the edge of the base. Twist the sausages together to create a nice rope effect. Fix the twisted strip around the base with a little cold water for glue. Add decorations to your candle stick base...

Holly is attractive and gives the candleholder a festive flavour. Roll out an amount of dough with a rolling pin and using a knife cut out a prickly holly leaf. Use the knife to press on some leaf veins. With a dab of water, stick the leaf draping over the twist edging. Roll three small balls of dough for berries and stick them at the base of the leaf.

Rose Candleholder...
Cut two leaves, press in some leaf veins and stick the leaves on the twisted edge so that they over hang. Roll six small balls of dough and squash them to make circles. Pinch the bottom of one of the petals so that it almost folds in half. Wrap another petal around the first pinching the bottom and gently moulding the petal so that it curves out. Add the other petals in this way, pinching the bottom. Allow each petal to slightly overlap the previous one. With a dab of water stick the rose between the leaves on the candleholder.

Mousie Brown wasn't keen on tall candlesticks but he loved our cute little candleholders. To make a mouse roll out a long, thin sausage of dough, make it taper at one end. Stick this to the edging of the candleholder so that it curls like a mouse's tail. Roll a small mouse sized ball of dough, pinch out a pointed nose. Stick the mouse body to the candleholder on top of the wide part of the mouse's tail. Roll two small balls and squash them flat. Pinch the bottom of each ear slightly to give the ear some shape, and stick them to the mouse's head. Roll two tiny balls for his eyes.

Feeling confident? Try making a fancy, more traditional looking candleholder. Roll out some dough and cut out a larger base than before. Create a wavy edge tot he base - Put two fingers on the far edge of the base a fingers width apart. With the other hand, drag your index finger towards you between the two fingers of the other hand, making the dough ruckel up. Do this around the edge of the base but leaving a space with no shaping.

Roll out a chunky sausage and make a dough nut shape to hold the candle. Stick the doughnut on to the middle of the shaped base. Roll out another chunky sausage to make a handle. Stick one end to the doughnut shape (at the point where there is no shaping in the base) and curl it round so that it almost forms an 'S' shape, stick the other end on the base.

Once you have moulded your candleholders put them in the oven on a low heat for two hours. The are in the oven to dry out, not to bake so keep the heat low.

When they come out of the oven, leave them for a couple of days to dry out completely. Then paint, spray varnish, and insert a candle.

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Homemade Christmas Dough Decorations - A Christmas Ornament Craft For Kids

Are you looking for easy, fun crafts to keep your kids occupied? With this article I will share with you how to make homemade Christmas decorations using dough, a great inexpensive craft you and your kids can do during the holiday season.

I will also show you a place where you can find other cool things to keep kids of all ages crafty and engaged during the holidays along with more ideas for Christmas ornament crafts for kids.

You'll find that the time spent creating your unique holiday creations will be well spent and something to be admired.

To make these homemade Christmas decorations you will need:

4 cups of white flour
1/2 cup of salt
1 cup of water
Food coloring (optional)
Cookie cutters (optional)
1/4 cup ground cinnamon or a few drops of mint extract (optional)

For decorating your ornaments you will need:

Ribbon, pipe cleaners or fishing line Acrylic brushes and paints Glitter, Stickers, Felt pens, Stamps, Etc. Non toxic paint sealer

Mix all of the dry ingredients together in a bowl, then add the couple drops of food coloring to the water.

Add water to the dry ingredients.

You may want to mix up a few batches of different colored dough, or you can omit the food coloring and just decorate your ornaments later with acrylic paints. If you choose to add cinnamon to your dry mixture, then this will just make your ornaments smell wonderful!

If your dough mixture feels too sticky, just add a little bit more flour. Knead the dough until it is smooth and stiff. Use a rolling pin to flatten out the dough to about a eighth of an inch but no more than half an inch, otherwise they will be heavy if you plan on hanging them on your tree.

Once the texture is nice and smooth, use your cookie cutters to cut out different shapes. You can also shape the dough into a design of your own, making them cool 3D decorations.

Here is how to make a candy cane decoration my kids like to make:

We mix up 2 batches of dough, one is red and one is plain. They flatten out the dough and cut out two long strips from each batch then intertwine the two strips to create candy cane decorations. To the plain batch we add a few drops of mint just to make them fragrant.

Depending on how big your decorations are, you can use a pen or straw to make a small hole at the top of each of your creations. Then place them on a baking sheet, and bake them in the oven at a low setting (150-200) degrees for about an hour.

After your decorations have baked, remove them from the oven. Once they have cooled completely, the fun part begins!

Pull out the stickers, felt markers, paints, glitter, dried flowers and anything else you can think of, and start decorating. Get those creative juices flowing!

When you are all finished decorating, let the paint dry for a few hours, then seal them with a coat of clear non toxic sealant.

When your ornaments have dried, string a ribbon, pipe cleaner or fishing line through the top and tie a knot. You can also use metal ornament hangers if you have extras.

Hang your new homemade Christmas decorations from the Christmas tree, wreath, swag or anyplace you like!

Christine Willson loves sharing neat ideas with parents who want to have really cool crafts for kids to do all year long.
http://www.vintage-christmasdecorations.info/category/christmas-ornament-crafts-for-kids

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Have You Ever Tried A Home-Made Christmas?

Christmas is so commercialized now that it takes a sacrifice on the parts of many parents and others as well. So what can we do about it?

The financial analysts are all saying that retail shopping is down for this time of year - but where does the money come from?

Don't we all ask that question of ourselves and others at some point during this high-spending season?

Some of the costs include the "turkey", stuffing, and meal and meal preparation. Then there are the countless gifts - if you buy gifts too far ahead of time you can be sure that the receiver of that gift you selected already has that particular item. So, now you're stuck!

My grandchildren always tell me that Mom and Dad won't give them money - or enough money (whichever applies). So, in this time when finances are tough, I have implemented a Home-Made Christmas.

My children and grandchildren think it is an awesome idea!

What it amounts to is that everything must be home-made by the giver. It costs less, takes more thought, and usually all your love is poured into this home-made gift!

I am fortunate though - I am able to home-sew my Christmas gifts at any given time and I have lots of choices for gift ideas.

I can home-sew a Trapunto Purse for the stylish person on my list, an exercise mat for the person wanting to get into shape, a country rabbit for the toddler in the crowd, or even Seminole patchwork towels works. All of the above are inexpensive and when you get creative, you can really make someone's face light up!

There is a Fish Tote Bag for the typical beach-goer; alphabet blocks for the baby; a jewellery sack for the traveler; trust me when I say the most popular of them all for the small girls is a doll bassinet.

There is so much to choose from - sure it's time consuming, but trust me, it's worth the time it takes. If you home-sew these items creatively, no one else will ever have the same item. This might even lead to bigger and better things for you as a home-sewer.

Before the big day, I even home-sew my own Christmas ornaments - they are really easy to do. All you need are scraps of fabric and lots of imagination!

So, in this case, my only expense left is the meal - I will have to purchase a turkey and the meal part, but think of all the money you can save by making your Christmas a Home-made holiday.

There is nothing comparable to the pride on a child's face as when you open their gift (and even if it's not perfectly made or whatever, you know the amount of love that went into it).

So, let's un-commercialize Christmas and save tons of money (for some of us at least)!

The other advantage to this concept is that everyone is not tied to their electronic equipment and they think to themselves - "I can do something, can't I?" They might have to think about it for a while, but usually come up with something that is well thought-out and planned out even better.

This gift that they come up took more effort than shopping on the internet (no effort involved in that is there?), walking through the stores at Christmas, fighting the crowds, and picking the first thing that looks suitable!

Most people would agree that a home-made or home-sewn Christmas means more to them than a commercialized Christmas and I have to agree!

Don't look at the flaws; look at the effort and love that went into that gift, even if you aren't sure about it. And while you're at it, look at their faces as they present that special gift to you - remember it came from their hearts!

Think about it and try it just once - you might really like it!

There is lots of good information at http://sewingalterationandpatternsblog.com.

When you sign up for a membership or just for the blog posts, you receive a report on sewing machines. This is a great thing to have, both now and in the future.

When you get stuck or frustrated, leave a comment in the comment box, and it will be answered within 24 hours.

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