ThriftyFun Crafts - June 20, 2007

Next week we would like to feature some crafts made with items found at the Thrift Store. If you have any thrift store craft ideas, please submit them on the one of the contest pages or the Crafting for Fun and Money page.

Thanks for reading,

Susan

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Today's newsletter contains:

Photos and Projects:

• Jesus Saves Picture Frame
• Paper Bag Puppet
• Hamburger Cake
• Mom's Memory Wreath
• Silk Flower Ball
• Penny Pots
• Recycled Birdhouse
• Swing And Jump
• Easy Brick Herb Garden

Tips:

• Buy Flexible Rulers In Craft Section
• Ziplock Yarn Keeper
• Use Everyday Items For Crafts
• Uses for Old Sheet Music
• Craft Ideas For Old Reader's Digest Books
• Keeping Cross-Stitch Needles Handy
• Fun Times Together Photo Collages
• Picture Collage on Matte Border
• Homemade Bean Bags for Kids
• Making Quick Curtains With Sheets
• Decorate a Vase Like a Doll

Requests:

• Ivy Bowl Centerpieces
• Using Sheets as Curtain Liners
• Movie Memories Float Ideas
• Making a Purse Out of a Gift Bag
• Fixing Craft Disaster - Garish Paint
• Covering a Bird House With Bird Seed
• Starting a Crafting Business
• Straw Weaver Instructions
• Making a Base for Fragrance Oil Reed Diffusers

Articles:

• Crocheted Barbie Clothes
• Counted Cross Stitch: Mounting and Framing

Crafting for Fun and Money!

If you are an avid crafter, capable writer and own a digital camera, you are eligible to participate. Submit your craft projects to ThriftyFun and we will pay $15 for any crafts that we publish.

More Information:
Click Here: http://www.thriftyfun.com/post_craft.ldml

Jesus Saves Picture Frame

Here's an easy craft for Vacation Bible School.

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Paper Bag Puppet
By Mara Rivet

Supplies:

• Your imagination
• Paper lunch sack
• Paper
• Pencil
• Pens
• And or crayons
• Glue stick or glue
• Scissors

Instructions:

Outline or draw your head (you can trace the basic shape from a picture book too.) Outline or draw a basic body shape and or feet. Cut these out and color them in.

Paste them to the paper bag putting the head on the bottom of the bag. You can experiment cutting your face in half so that the mouth opens at the fold of the bottom.

By Mara Rivet from Seattle WA

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Hamburger Cake

Here are instructions for making a cake that looks like a giant hamburger!

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Mom's Memory Wreath

This is a photo of a Baby memory wreath my neighbor made for the mother of a precious baby girl she babysat for for nearly the first year of her life.The family moved away and as a gift she made this wreath containing many of the FIRST items she had used.

It was a grapevine wreath on which she wired the items: a first shoe, cherished toys, a bib, rattlers, etc. I thought it was a very sweet and thoughtful gift.

By Sharon Shearer from Ravenna, KY

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Silk Flower Ball

Materials

• 1 6 inch styrofoam ball
• 25 silk flowers (note: get ones that are open so you don't need as many)
• matching ribbon

Directions

Take styrofoam ball, pull heads off of silk flowers and glue and press into styrofoam ball. Glue silk leaves from silk flowers throughout ball. Hot glue matching ribbon so you can hang.

By Carol from Massachusetts

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Penny Pots

Penny pots look great inside or out. Take an old flower pot or bowling ball and use silicone to attach the pennies.

By Julie Anne from Ontario

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Recycled Birdhouse

This birdhouse was made with a recycled porch post. You could purchase a new one at your local home improvement store or search garage sales, etc. for one.

By Denise from Nebraska

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Swing And Jump

This is the homemade version of a toy you can buy at a toy store or through a catalog.

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Easy Brick Herb Garden

A great weekend craft for anyone who uses herbs in the kitchen or anyone who wants to spruce up their yard.

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Buy Flexible Rulers In Craft Section

While looking for a flexible ruler to use in scrapbook or card making projects, I found they were quite expensive. Even checked the drafting supplies. Then my husband wandered over in the fabric section and found exactly what I wanted at a much lower price! Hope this tip will help others that might be looking for one!

By Melody from Auburn, CA

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Ziplock Yarn Keeper

Just recently I bought a yarn holder at Wal-mart that helps keep yarn clean and tangle free. It is a clear plastic jug with a lid that has a hole in the center for the yarn. You place your center pull skein of yarn through the opening and pull working yarn through hole in lid. I thought it would be perfect for knitting on the go until I realized it was much too large to fit in my purse.

My frugal alternative was to take a clean gallon size zip-lock bag and use a hole punch to punch a hole on the bottom center of the bag. I then placed my skein of yarn into the bag, put working yarn end through the hole, then zip locked the bag. This is way cheaper and much smaller then the one I bought.

By Tracey from Duluth, MN

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Use Everyday Items For Crafts

Use a dryer sheet to line small craft items, it smells nice! The square dangling off the bottom are scrapbook stickers, I used 2 similar ones that matched the cloth for the bird. I edged the bird with purple nail polish. The stitches are so small, it took all afternoon

By Veronica from Sedalia, Missouri

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Craft Ideas For Old Reader's Digest Books

Craft and recycling ideas for old Reader's Digest books.

Folded Christmas Trees

I remember years ago, making Christmas Trees out of Readers Digests, just by folding the pages a certain way. I'll try to explain the best I can. Take the upper right hand corner of the page and turn it as if you were going to "dog ear" a page. Bring that piece to the center so that it is folded down quite a bit. Then take the right hand side of the page and fold that to the center too. It now should look "like" the page has been folded in half. Do the same with all the pages. Spray paint and there you go. I remember using them as door stops.

By Lady Claire

Decorator "Bookcase"

Years ago, I remember seeing a backdrop along a wall made out of the books. Due to space, the decorator wanted to give the rich look of a bookcase to a room. He used a circular saw and used only 2 or 3 inches of the book using the spine only. The rest of the book was discarded. The book spines were then glued down along a frame attached to the wall to give the illusion of books in a book case. It added depth to the room without taking up the space. Yard sales, as well as book sales, have an abundance of these books on hand. It's a thrifty way to use them even if you do have to throw out the covers of the book. The paper pages themselves could be recycled.

By Lady Claire

Stack Of Books Lamp

The library in Grand Rapids MI is selling lamps made with Readers Digest condensed hardcover books. They are $35.00 each. Take 6 different color hard cover books. paint the edges of the pages all gold (when books closed) Drill a hole thru the center of each book (same spot) to put the rod with the wiring through stagger the books so they aren't stacked nice and straight, top with an attractive shade. The base is also a book with little wooden ball feet painted and glued to the bottom book. Really neat next to your chair for reading. I hope I wrote these directions well enough. Good Luck!

By Carol Tewksbury

Book Purse

I have seen pictures of purses made with old hard cover books.

By Tera

Get Them At Yard Sales

Yard Sales and Flea Markets are great for picking them up. They have attractive bindings. A few will look good in a bookcase. They are super cheap! They run from .10 cents to .25 cents in my area.

If you have an over abundance of them, they are good to use in craft projects. Glue ribbon on the book like you would do a package and then glue a piece of Styrofoam on top and it can be decorated with artificial flowers. Use as a gift or donate to a nursing home.

By Syd

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Keeping Cross-Stitch Needles Handy

To keep from losing my cross-stitch needles all the time, I glued a magnetic strip to the inside lid of the box I keep my embroidery floss in. I no longer lose them, and I can easily find the needle I need.

By Camilla

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Fun Times Together Photo Collages

When finances were low, I would make collage of photos by plastering photos of my loved ones on a sheet of cardboard in a pretty array, making sure there were no open spaces. Most of the pictures were of us doing fun things together. Later, I would put it in a poster frame. These were favorites among my family members and we still have them today.

By Denise DiFalco

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Picture Collage on Matte Border

For an adorable picture matte border take the regular picture frame and then for the inner border matte cut out pictures of family or friends and glue on as a collage all the way around. This looks really great around a poem about family or the families last name printed or in calligraphy.

By Melanie

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Homemade Bean Bags for Kids

Homemade bean bags are a great gift for children. Use the sleeve or leg of an old garment and then sew in pieces. I fill them with rice, not beans. They are lighter with rice and don't hurt as bad if you are hit with one.

By Linda

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Making Quick Curtains With Sheets

To make quick curtains just use sheets that are of a good quality 2-4 per window depending on how full you want them. They already come with finished edges and a place to put the rod through. You can even put tie backs on or valances on top.

By Melanie

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Decorate a Vase Like a Doll

If you have extra, empty vases, cover them with cloth of your choice. Place a heavy object in bottom to keep the vase from falling over. Buy styrofoam craft balls or doll heads to fit in the vase opening. Add facial features to styrofoam balls. Use some yarn for hair. Make a cap from cloth to match the body. It is a good way to use extra vases for inexpensive gifts or knickknacks. I take them to sick friends for a "Get Well," or "Cheer up," gift.

By Gladys Hill

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Ivy Bowl Centerpieces

I need an easy centerpiece using ivy bowls if possible for an informal get-together involving men and women. Any ideas would be appreciated.

Fran from St Joseph, MO

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Using Sheets as Curtain Liners

I need help with exact method of using white sheets as lining for curtains made from bedsheets.

Janet from Delaware

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Movie Memories Float Ideas

I work for a not-for-profit organization and we are currently working on designing a float for the community day celebration in our town. The theme is "Movie Memories" and we are having a bit of trouble coming up with a float idea that will look fantastic but won't cost a lot. Any ideas?

Nik

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Making a Purse Out of a Gift Bag

I'm thinking of making a tote bag/purse out of an old gift bag, but I'm not sure if it will be strong enough to hold all of my stuff. Any other suggestions for purse material or how to make a gift bag stronger? I just don't want to have to sew or buy a new bag. Thanks!

Tauni

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Fixing Craft Disaster - Garish Paint

While cleaning out my father's garage I found an unpainted plaster of Paris wall decoration shaped like a cluster of roses. It looks like something from the '50's. I painted it and what a disaster! The colors came out much brighter than they looked in their little containers. The result is cheap and garish. I'd like to redo it but don't know how. The paints were labeled "All Purpose Craft Paints". It doesn't say what kind they are or how to remove them. Soap and water didn't work. They don't smell like oil and they're not shiny like enamel (the finish is dull and chalky). The paint is thick, very hard to spread and has no smell. Does anyone know how I can remove this or paint over it without destroying the plaque?

Joan from Chesapeake, VA

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Covering a Bird House With Bird Seed

I would like to cover my bird houses with wild bird seed. Any suggestions on what to use to make it stick?

Marcia from RI

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Starting a Crafting Business

I Love this Website, it is so neat. All the ideas are wonderful and my kids love the activities. For a few years now I have had the idea to have my own business with talents like crafting, sewing, etc. I need suggestions on what customers would like to buy from a small town business. I want my talents to help those around me to live, love and learn about life. Please can anyone help me? Thank You very much in advance.

Michelle from Ohio

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Straw Weaver Instructions

Do you have a pattern and instructions for using a straw weaver? The straw weaver is by Knifty Knitter #21-0220.

Betty from Warren, Ohio

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Making a Base for Fragrance Oil Reed Diffusers

How do I make the base for the fragrance oil used in the reed diffusers?

P Sanders from Deep South Mississippi

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Looking for a frugal solution to an everyday problem? Submit your request here: Click Here

Counted Cross Stitch: Mounting and Framing
By Rachel Paxton

Counted cross stitch can be a very fun and rewardable pastime. It's one of the few crafts I enjoy and that I feel confident about the finished results.

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Crocheted Barbie Clothes
By Debra Frick

These are patterns that I have collected and modified to fit Barbie. Lots of different yarns can be used to make these outfits different. These are quick and easy for an intermediate crocheter but easy enough for a beginner to try also. Please experiment with the different yarns.

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