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Craft: Gourd Witch

Things you will need are a small, medium, or large gourd, depending on how big you want her to be. Make sure you wash the gourd with warm soapy water and rinse clean. Let set and dry at least 30 - 45 minutes.

Gourd Witch

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How To Make Paper Beads

Making paper beads is an easy, fun, and timeless craft activity. You can use the beads for jewelry, decoration, or anything else you usually use beads for. This is a great way to recycle paper, especially all that useless junk mail that piles up. It's also fun for kids to learn, and easy enough that most catch on to the technique quickly.

How To Make Paper Beads

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Craft: Terra Cotta Pot Tables

This is just to show you another project you can do with the terra cotta pots. You do the same as the bird bath, just turn the top tray upside down and it is a table, I don't like the blue, I made these for my daughter and this is what she wanted, you can put a plexy glass top on it and they make nice patio tables.

By Sheri from Stockton, CA

Here's the bird bath:

Terra Cotta Garden Birdbath

Terra Cotta Pot Tables

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Craft Project: Quilted Album Cover

In less than two hours you can make a really cute album cover.

Craft Project: Quilted Album Cover

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Craft: Recycled Light Bulb Christmas Ornaments

Use old burned out light bulbs for this craft.

Recycled Light Bulb Christmas Ornaments

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Craft Project: Patriotic Wind Chimes

Here is an inexpensive, easy craft for kids to make to celebrate the Fourth of July.

Patriotic Wind Chimes

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Craft Project: Recycled Message Board

This will keep your whole family organized! Using recycled materials, you can create a beautiful message board to display in your entry way.

Craft Project: Recycled Message Board

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Craft: Recycled Plastic Bag Keeper

Recycle a soda pop cup into a plastic bag keeper. This is an easy recycled craft project for kids and adults. Here is the picture tutorial link with step-by-step instructions.

Recycle a Cup into a Plastic Bag Keeper

By RecycleCindy from WA

Craft: Recycled Plastic Bag Keeper

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Use Your Cereal Boxes For Patterns

Before throwing out that cereal box consider saving the pieces to uses as patterns for quilt pieces, purse patterns, etc. Simply cut away the 2 large front and back pieces and save in a ziploc bag. Next time you need to cut out a pattern, lay it over the cardboard and cut it out of that instead. Much more sturdy and keeps down the trash.

By Carol from Landisville, PA

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Naturally Refurbishing Wood

I need to use a cane, but balk at the prices I've seen. I recently found a nice folding cane for $1.00 at a second hand store--the kind that usually costs $20 to $30. The cane is metal with a wooden handle. The handle looked terrible because the wood had been coated with a dark plastic finish that had partially flaked off exposing the white pine wood underneath. I used my Dremel to sand off all of the plastic and sanded the handle smooth. I then made some very strong tea and painted the handle with it. The tea stained the pine a nice golden brown hue. When it was completely dry, I used furniture oil as a finish.

I will NOT use a varnish or paint on it, several good coats of oil is all the finish it needs. I did not waste money buying wood stain and varnish, I simply used the same techniques our forefathers used and have a really nice cane for $1.00. There are many things you can use to stain wood or dye fabric if you think about it, I could have used coffee for a darker stain. My husband had actually suggested that I use blackberry juice to give the handle a reddish brown color. Using natural dyes is economical as well as being eco friendly.

Source: My own idea, but there are many books on natural dyes if you want to experiment.

By Dianne from Wilsonville, OR

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Using Dried Lavender For Your Wedding

My daughter is crafty and she was able to buy a huge amount of high quality - semi dried lavender, on eBay for less then $100.00 total. She was able to make table decorations with the lavender by binding a large bunch together with wire and then ribbons. They sat on the tables. Because they were dryish, they were able to stand up without vases. They looked good and smelled wonderful. The fresh flowers also included the dried lavender.

She purchased candle lanterns for the tables - made of wood, also from eBay. She also decorated these with lavender. People took them home as mementos. All this lavender "stuff" is still being used and it still smells wonderful.

She added a small sprig of the lavender to the invitations. For "green" weddings, I thought lavender plants would be nice, or lavender seeds.

By Janet from Brant Rock, MA

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A Little Dab Will Do

When working on craft projects, yourself or with your kids, place a small amount of glue into the bottom of a small bowl. When you need to use the glue, dip the end of a cotton swab into the glue and use it to apply the glue to your project. This will give you just the right amount of glue - no big glue blobs!

By Marie from West Dundee, IL

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How to Make Sugared Flowers
By Claire Bush

There are a wide range of flowers that are edible, such as begonias, sunflowers, roses, violets and gardenias. Not only can the petals be washed and used in salads or as garnish, but they can also be combined with sugar and a little food color to make a delicately flavored enhancement for teas, baked goods and desserts.

Here's a recipe for that homemade flower sugar.

Ingredients

1 cup white sugar
1 ziploc bag
flower petals

Directions

Select edible flowers grown without pesticides. Roses, sunflowers pansies are good ones to start. Remove petals from flowers and discard stem.

Rinse flowers in colander, then blot on paper towels to dry.

Place the sugar in ziploc bag, and add clean, dried flower petals. Squeeze out air from bag and seal, then place in cool dry place for 3-4 days to allow flower essence to blend with sugar.

Carefully remove petals from sugar, then zip bag closed and knead gently with hands. Sugar is ready to use.

To color sugar: Squeeze a tiny drop of food coloring (blue for lavender, pink for rose, yellow for sunflower, etc.) into the bag. Knead and shake bag gently. to distribute. Leave in bag, or store sugar in an airtight container.

How to Make Sugared Flowers

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Short Term Cover for a Wet Paint Brush

Instead of washing out your paint brush every time, use a zippy bag, cut off a small bit of one of the bottom corners. Slip the handle of your paint brush through the hole. Pull it until the plastic fits snuggly around the handle. Then close the top and "voila!", airtight until you are ready to use it again.

This is not for long term storage of brushes (unless cleaned thoroughly first).

By Sheila M. from Olive Branch, MS

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Working With Thin Threads

How do you work with thin threads? How do you keep the thread tight?

Cozie from Breckenridge, Texas

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Making Butterflies Out Of Soda Bottles

Does anyone know how to make butterflies out of 2 liter soda bottles?

Lamesia from Marked Tree, AR

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Craft Use for Grocery Bags

Does anyone know of some craft projects for plastic shopping bags that you don't have to knit or crochet? I have read about fusing, is it safe with the fumes from the plastic?

Susan

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Uses for Old Trophies

I am looking for ideas on recycled trophies. One was for lamps and the other for special Olympics. Could you let me know any more?

Patricia

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Using Soap Bar Remnants

What can I do with the small bars of soap from bar soap? Can I reshape them?

Louis from Chesapeake, Virginia

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Advice For Making Iron-On Embroidery Patches

How do you make embroidery machine appliques for iron on patches? I bought a Singer Futura 150 sewing and embroidery machine and I have successfully created lots of embroidery designs onto items like shirts, towels, etc. But I want to know how to make a design so I can cut it out and use it as a iron on decal.

I'm familiar with the different stabilizers such as water soluble, which dissolves in water, the tear away kind and the stay on thicker kind. And all work well with the designs I put on these items. I know others create there own decals from their machines but I do not understand how it's done. What type fabric is used? What type of stabilizer is used? If using the water dissolving stabilizer does the stabilizer go on top while its embroidering on the design to be washed off later? And how do you cut out the finished design so that it looks professional when applied to other surfaces?

I know after it's finished you put Heat and Bond iron on fusing to the back side. My designs are the ones that get stitched on at once. Meaning that I do not have many that get stitched on first in the color pages style with the outline stitched on first then filled in with the rest of the design. I have found some designs that are like coloring page fill ins but still do not know what type fabric they are to be embroidered onto or how you cut them out to look right.

I want to be able to make my own in my hoops I have for my embroidery machine, then be able to iron them on my clothes like the bottom leg on capris or in the t-shirts center to match. I have already put on a design onto my t-shirts by using my t-shirt and letting the design go straight on. There must be some way to do what I am wondering about. If anyone out there has done their own with their embroidery machines can you please share the how to's on that with me please?

I Googled on it but only got one person explaining it which made no sense to me at all. If you have pics of how to do it step by step that would be just wonderful! Thank you in advance.

Julie from Tenn

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How Do You Use A Yarn-around?

How do you use a yarn-around?

Missy from Walnut, CA

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Making A Flower Pot From Black Nursery Pot

I would like the measurements for the drill bit on making a nice flower pot from a simple black nursery pot. I saw it on this web site but can not find it now. Thanks.

Betty from Coxs Creek, KY

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Making Real Looking Tree For Son's Room

I am decorating my son's room in an outdoor theme (clubhouse mural, canopy above bed, etc.). I would like to make a real looking tree (as opposed to painting it) to put in a corner so I could hang a canopy from the tree branches above his bed. I would appreciate any suggestions. Thanks!

MDB from Ardmore, OK

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Making Homemade Door Wreaths

Does anyone on here make homemade door wreaths?

Donita from MO

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Record Album Purses

I desperately want the instructions for the vinyl album purses, can anyone help?

Evonne from Smithville, TX

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Making Wooden Spoons

Does anyone have patterns for making wooden spoons?

Wildernesswoman from Cariboo-chilcotin, BC

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Making Wooden Jewelry

Does anyone have patterns for making wooden jewelry?

Wildernesswoman from Cariboo-chilcotin, BC

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Making a Quilt With Men's Ties

Does anyone out there in crafty-quilty land know the directions to make a quilt out of old neckties? I had heard from someone long ago that there is a way without all the cutting, its a special way to fold it and make a cool design. Thanks for any info!

Jan from Buckeye, AZ

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ThriftyFun Crafts - July 2, 2008

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