Crafts Crazy

Patio cushion covers are not the easiest objects to make, it has to be said, even though they are all straight lines. That is because the fabric you need to buy for them is quite tough to sew being both thick and waterproof. But it is feasible to make your own patio cushions if you are skilled at sewing.

1. Measure Your Cushion Pads

If you have cushion covers you need to replace then start by measuring your cushion pads to get the exact dimensions of the cushions. This can be tricky if your cushion pads are a bit bent out of shape, so you need to make sure you measure them carefully so that the finished cushion will fit your garden furniture.

2. Make a Pattern

Draw out a pattern on plain paper so that you are sure you are cutting the right pieces. A patio cushion is generally a box like construction which has six sides one of which is split down the middle for the zip fastener. Work out quantities of fabric from your paper pattern taking into account seam allowances and that all fabric must face in the same direction.

3. Buy the Right Fabric

Look for a suitable outdoor fabric for your patio cushions. Unfortunately normal dress or upholstery fabric will not do because your cushions will be subject to sun and rain and need to be weatherproof.

4. Cut out the Pieces

Pin the pattern pieces carefully on the fabric and cut out each piece remembering to include the seam allowances.

5. Stitch Carefully

Stitch the seams together with a double row of stitching to reinforce them and include any ties in the seams (so that they are securely fastened). Add a strong zipper to allow the cushion cover to be opened and closed for inserting and removing the cushion pad. As the foam for patio cushions is generally quite firm you will probably need a zipper that is the width of the whole cushion.

Tags: Cushions, garden, patio, patio cushion, patio cushion covers, sewing

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When making scented candles consider the wide variety of scents. If you go into any craft store you’ll easily get overwhelmed with the selection of scents. Some you may be familiar with and others will sound and smell foreign.

Most scented candle creations pretty much start out the same way. First the wax that you’ve selected is prepared. Wax is melted into a device called a double boiler or or you can just use a metal bowl placed over boiling hot water. The top of the boiler contains the unmelted wax. After it is melted you place your wick inside the chosen mold and pour the hot wax in. Let the wax sit until cool. This usually takes about six hours so don’t remove the wax from the mold until then. To make it easy to remove the wax from your mold you may want to try using some non-stick cooking spray or throw your mold into the freezer for a hour or so.

Once you have the basics covered from above you can now focus on picking that perfect scent. When shopping around for a scent keep in mind that oil-based scents work best since wax consists mostly of oil and you’ve all heard the saying oil and water do not mix so avoid the water-based scents.

You want to make sure you add your scent as soon as the wax is removed from the heat. For soy wax you want to add a little over an ounce of fragrance per pound of wax. When using paraffin wax, you will need one ounce per pound of wax. With gel waxes you’ll have to check the density of the wax you are working with since the scent you add will depend on this.

Choosing a fragrance can be a daunting task but your local craft store will be able to help you narrow your choices. Typical candle scents are apple, pine, floral, cloves and even baby powder.

Once you start to look at scents for your candles just start off slowly and take your time to do it right. Experiment with different types of waxes and scents to see which works best for you. When you take the time to do it right you’ll have something that’s unique to you and people will start to take note.

Tags: candle fragrance, candle scents, candle wax, making scented candles, scented candle basics, scented candles

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Those who have experienced crafting with the original Cricut Personal Electronic Cutter will be celebrating the launch of the latest model of Cricut machines, the Cricut Create. The Create combines the compact size of the original Cricut and the versatility of the Cricut Expression – the perfect combination.

Being roughly the same size as the original Cricut machine, the Cricut Create occupies the same space as a desktop printer. Unlike printers, however, the Create is lightweight and easily transportable allowing you take your crafting projects on the road.

The Cricut Create machine is also as precise as the Cricut Expression and can create cutouts as small as ¼ inch, up to a maximum size of 11 ½ inches. This means that it can be used on any crafting project imaginable. It’s as easy as inserting your chosen material and pushing a button.

If you’ve already built up a collection of Cricut cartridges you’ll be pleased to know that the same cartridges can be used with the Cricut Create. Of, course, the Create machine also comes with its own cartridge already installed. The Create is sold with the new Don Juan cartridge as standard. This whimsical cartridge contains several designs, including fourteen phrases, an entire alphabet, and a wide variety of shapes. Crafters will find it a splendid addition to their cartridge collection and will enjoy playing around with the new design options on their new Cricut machine.

The recommended retail price of the Cricut Create is also something to celebrate. At $400 the Create is more expensive than the original Cricut, owing to its increased versatility. But when compared to the Cricut Expression, the Create is up to $100 cheaper. Of course, this is only the recommended price so if you’re lucky there’s every chance of finding an excellent discount.

The biggest difference between the new Cricut Create and older models of Cricut electronic cutters is their availability. While the original Cricut and the Cricut Expression are available at many different retailers throughout the country, the Cricut Create is sold exclusively at Michael’s Craft Stores. But don’t worry, Michael’s Craft Stores are located far and wide and have many outlets, so you shouldn’t have a problem finding one close to you.

So raise your glasses and welcome the new Cricut Create, the new, much celebrated addition to the Cricut range of electronic cutters. The size and versatility of this machine are what make it so special. It combines the compact size and travelability of some earlier models while using the same cartridge system. Here’s to the Cricut Create.

The above post is a guest post and reflects the opinion of the guest author. I have not received any compensation from Cricut or anyone else for publishing this post.

Tags: Cricut, Cricut Create, Cricut Expression, scrapbooking, Scrapbooking Products

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Weddings can get pretty expensive, but you can save a lot of money by doing the decorations yourself. One thing you can do is to make your own centerpieces. Centerpieces made using floating candles can be very easy to make, and you can design your own centerpieces that look every bit as good as those that are professionally made.

There are many different styles of floating candles available and you’ll need to decide which kind you’ll use before you can design your centerpiece. Floating candles come in just about every color and shape you can imagine. There are even scented floating candles. However, it’s a good idea to steer clear of these when planning a wedding or other large gathering. The scent could detract from the taste and scent of the food and aggravate your guests’ allergies.

A box of cheap floating candles can cost as little $2 to $3, but if you want a lavish centerpiece you can buy fancy shapes, such as exquisitely shaped red rose petals, for around $7 to $8 for a pack of three. Make sure you calculate the cost of your centerpiece design before you start making them to be sure that you’ll have enough money to make one for every table.

After you select the candles, you’ll need to choose a bowl to float them in. To add a bit of class to the tables, you should try to pick a good quality bowl. However, don’t go overboard with the expense–you’re trying to save money, remember! If you’re only using one candle, a small bowl on a stem can do the job perfectly. If you’re using a few smaller candles on one table, try a larger bowl that’s shaped in a style you like.

After this, you’ll simply need to choose a base (wooden or sometimes mirrored can be a good choice) and decorate the bowl as you see fit. For the decoration, silk flowers work well. You can also choose to color the water to contrast with the color of the candles; this works especially well with larger bowls.

Tags: Centerpieces, Floating Candle, floating candles, wedding centerpieces

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If your children are into Ben 10 then you will know what the Omnitrix is. For anyone reading this that is still baffled, Ben 10 is a cartoon about a boy who transforms into aliens and the Omnitrix is an alien watch that he found and now cannot remove. It is no normal watch, however. The only dials are those that select which alien he wants to transform into when he is in trouble from evil forces. When he has selected the right one, he bangs down the dial face and his transformation from boy to superhero is complete. He needs to select the right alien for the danger at hand as each one has special powers.

Children that are fans of the show will have to have a Ben 10 Omnitrix toy as well as few of the alien action figures. To save yourself a bit of cash, you could get your children to make this must have toy. You only need things you will have at home and your children will no doubt enjoy the craft process as well as the end result.

Omnitrix Version 1

The first way to make an Omnitrix is to find an old black sock and to chop it off at the toe end. You then need to get a small box and a toilet roll tube that you cut 2cm from. If you now fix the 2cm tube to the top of the box it should look like a watch dial. Now comes the fun painting part so you should get a picture of an Omnitrix and paint your box and watch dial in the black and green style from the show. When this has dried you need to glue the box half way along the sock so that the sock will work as the watch strap holding the dial in place on your child’s wrist.

To make the pictures that appear on the watch face when Ben chooses his alien, you need to cut some small cardboard circles that are just a bit larger than the toilet roll and paint them green. Next get some black paper and cut out some small alien silhouettes to attach to the cardboard disks. Your children will know the shapes! Stick them on and then use Blu-Tack to fix them onto the watch face. The alien disks can be interchanged as your child plays.

Omnitrix Version 2

Keep the plastic lid from an old milk carton – a 3cm one is ideal. Cover it with black paper or paint. Cut a 3-cm wide watch strap from the black paper making sure it is just long enough to go around your child’s wrist. Fix it with sticky tape. Stick the black lid onto the strap and then cut an Omnitrix hourglass shape from some green paper. Stick this onto the lid and you are done.

I hope you and your children have fun making one of these Ben 10 watches.

Tags: ben 10 deluxe omnitrix watch, ben 10 flip top watch, ben 10 omnitrix watch, ben 10 watch, ben 10 watches

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A craft hole punch is a hole punch that is used for decorative purposes when making different types of crafts. These punches punch through paper, leather, and metal.

These punches can be bought at craft stores, stores that sell scrapbook supplies, and some discount stores. Some craft punches are available for purchase online. They can be purchased individually or in sets that come with several different shapes. Every type of craft punch is not available in every store. Finding exactly the right punch may take some research.

Craft punches are available in a variety of shapes. Basic shapes include rectangles and squares. Some of the fancier shapes are hearts, stars, teardrops, and butterflies.

Punches are available in shapes that can be used for different holidays and celebrations. These punches can be used to make paper confetti in different shapes for celebrating different occasions such as birthdays or graduations. Some places sell punches that punch letters and numbers.

The punches can also be used to make handmade greeting cards more elaborate. A piece of card stock with different shapes punched in it can be layered on top of another piece of card stock to make a greeting card fancier.

Punches that make different shapes can be used to embellish pages in scrapbooks. Some scrapbook kits come with punches. Sets of scrapbook tools sometimes have punches with different shapes.

Prices for craft punches vary. Single punches may be purchased for under three dollars. Sets with punches of many different shapes may cost close to one hundred dollars. There is a wide variation in prices depending on the brand of the punches and whether they are meant to be used on paper, leather or metal.

Using a craft hole punch is a nice way to make crafts and greeting cards look more interesting and attractive.

Tags: craft hole punches, craft punch, craft punches, hole punch

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Temari Ball

If  you are the sort of person who likes crafts and enjoys a challenge then making Temari balls to use as Christmas ornaments should appeal to you.  Temari is a very old Japanese craft where the women used the silk from old kimonos to make soft toys for young children to play with.  It has developed over the years to become a specialized craft form and there are Temari schools with very high standards.

In its most basic form a Temari ball is a thick silk or wool wrapped around anything that can be formed into a ball shape: rice, paper, felt, wood chips (not suitable for children) or today Styrofoam.  The core will not be visible in the finished article, and is completely covered by the thick silk wrapping, which is carried out until the effect is uniform.  The next step is to use fine silk or cotton thread and wrap the ball again until all the wool is covered.  It does not matter what color you choose for the first layer, but the last layer will be the background for the detailed design that appears on the ornament.

There are many designs available for decorating Temari balls in a Christmas theme.  Flowers such as poinsettia are very popular, as are snowflakes.  This is the challenging part of making a Temari Christmas decoration.  The ball has be divided into sections using pins and thin paper.  This helps to keep the design centered and symmetrical which is an important aspect of Temari.  Once you have chosen a design and marked out the sections, it is time to begin hand sewing the design using appropriate colors.  Gold and silver work well with Christmas themes.  The Temari can be finished by  sewing a cord or ribbon onto it, to be used to hang your newest Christmas decoration up.

Photo by openarms on Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/openarms/ / CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

Tags: Christmas decorations, Christmas ornament, Christmas ornaments, Christmas tree ornaments, Temari balls

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Caron Country Yarn

For a limited time, Caron is offering a free sample of their Country yarn if you send in three labels from any Simply Soft yarn along with a 3×5 card with your name, address and e-mail on it. I have six skeins of Simply Soft in my stash so that’s two free skeins of yarn for me! Yay!

Here’s the link for more info:
Caron Yarn Giveaway

Tags: caron, free, free yarn, giveaway, yarn

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I have started making dotee dolls. They are art dolls that have a circular face, no arms or legs and a tail and hanger. They are a lot of fun to make and I intend to make a lot of them, so I set up a separate blog for my dotee dolls.

Here are pictures of the dolls I have made so far. The first one I made was Queen Quiana. I made her for the “Q is for… dotee” swap on Swap-bot. The cat lady dotee was also for a swap. The other three are listed for sale in my Etsy store.

Queen Quiana

Cat Lady Dotee

Stephanie

Birdie

Lisa

Tags: art dolls, birdie, cat, cat lady, dolls, dotee, Dotee Dolls, etsy, etsy store, lisa, queen, queen quiana, stephanie, swap-bot, swapbot

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I was just working on a project which I had measured with my measuring tape. I grabbed a quilting ruler because I needed a straight edge and noticed the measurement was 13″ instead of 13 3/8″. I checked against another ruler and sure enough, my measuring tape has shrunk. So make sure you check your measuring tapes every once in awhile to see if they are still accurate.

On the bright side, maybe I am not *quite* as fat as I thought I was because I measured myself with a shrunken tape!

Tags: measuring, measuring tapes

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