ThriftyFun Crafts - June 13, 2007

Volume 2, Number 24, June 13, 2007 (Read It Online) This week we have more projects tips, including some tips for resizing sewing patterns. Do you have any sewing tips to share? Submit them here: http://www.thriftyfun.com/post_contest.ldml Thanks for reading, Susan Send to a Friend! Submit Craft Tips (You could win $25) Submit Photos of Your Crafts (You could win $25) Submit a Craft Request New! Crafting for Fun and Money! Link to ThriftyFun.com Edit Your Subscriptions: To edit your ThriftyFun subscriptions, click the Update Profile/Email Address link at the bottom of this newsletter. Today's newsletter contains: Photos and Projects: Dad, You Rule Ruler Pop Bottle Bird Feeder Making A "Boppy" Style Pillow For Babies Father's Day "Beer" Mug Slate That Looks Painted Lace Toilet Tank Topper Updating an Old Lamp Tips: Mylar Balloons for Scrapbooking Kid's Stepping Stones Kitchen Window Covering Waste Paper Basket Jewelry Armoire for Jewelry Crafts Using Sewing Patterns Again For Different Sizes Sewing Stretchy Fabric Inexpensive Doggy Sweater Stained Glass Christmas Angels Homemade Napkin Rings With Raffia Quirky Picture Frame Create Attractive Storage Containers With Popcorn Tins Requests: Earring Organizer Decorating for a Church Reunion Musty Smelling Yarn Lamp Shape Ideas Candlewicking Instructions Stitches Skipping on Sewing Machine Uses for Old Phone Books Using Wall Glaze on Wallpaper Making a Peg Leg for a Pirate Costume Articles: Saving Family Keepsakes for Scrapbooking Today's Sponsor: 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 Photos and Projects: Dad, You Rule Ruler Here is a simple craft that kids can do for their dad for Father's Day that he can use. View This Craft: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf80275073.tip.html Email to a Friend | Get Responses | Bookmark | Link | Rate It: | Print Pop Bottle Bird Feeder Here's an easy bird feeder that can be made from a painted 2 litre pop bottle. View This Craft: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf95840131.tip.html Email to a Friend | Get Responses | Bookmark | Link | Rate It: | Print Making A "Boppy" Style Pillow For Babies Boppy pillows are so handy for nursing moms or simply for baby to lay on while we Grandmothers rock them to sleep. At the baby stores, they are around $25 but, with the following instructions, you can make your own for half the price. View This Craft: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf71960196.tip.html Email to a Friend | Get Responses | Bookmark | Link | Rate It: | Print Father's Day "Beer" Mug Here's a fun, inexpensive and easy to make Father's Day gift. View This Craft: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf12349901.tip.html Email to a Friend | Get Responses | Bookmark | Link | Rate It: | Print Slate That Looks Painted If you are like me, I haven't learned how to paint but love the look. Take a slate and go to craft store and find the rub on transfers that you like, I love bears thus my selection. View This Craft: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf94363869.tip.html Email to a Friend | Get Responses | Bookmark | Link | Rate It: | Print Lace Toilet Tank Topper Pretty up your powder room with a lace toilet tank topper. View This Craft: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf70438699.tip.html Email to a Friend | Get Responses | Bookmark | Link | Rate It: | Print Updating an Old Lamp I took a lamp I've had since the early 70's that was out of style colorwise, so this is what I did to reinvent a more fashionable lamp with a pearlized finish. I bought some wrapping paper with a neutral background that had sparkles. I tore the paper into small pieces and used Plaid Decoupage Glue in glossy finish. I started to paint glue onto the gold colored glass globe base, piece by piece until I covered it. During this first process, I let some of the glued pieces dry a bit before pasting a new batch of pieces of paper overlapping the others. Continue, pasting until you are happy with the results, then give the covered globe several coats of the Plaid Decoupage gloss finish glue, let dry between coats. The added bonus, the defused light in the base showed through some of the glued pieces. The photo shows the before and after! By Syd from Dunkirk, MD Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf96770299.tip.html Email to a Friend | Get Responses | Bookmark | Link | Rate It: | Print Tips: Mylar Balloons for Scrapbooking Re-use old Mylar balloons by cutting out the outer balloon designs; tape next to, and around photos for scrap booking. You can also cut the balloon apart to make a background for the picture in a frame, or as a border around the picture. Use the inside, outside design, or both, for your creations. Many pictures can be decorated from one balloon. By Marie from Wisconsin Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf81947282.tip.html Email to a Friend | Get Responses | Bookmark | Link | Rate It: | Print Kid's Stepping Stones Materials Bag of cement (buy at hardware or home store, about $3.00 for a big bag, get the kind that says premixed - just add water. Nothing fancy, just the end line stuff) small, durable momentoes to place in cement (I've used rubber frogs and bugs on one, a pacifier and a rattle in one, and hot wheels cars in one, in the past) round 9 inch disposable cake pans (check to make sure children's feet fit in these, if not, use a larger size) Directions This project is easier than it sounds :) Do it outside, because it gets messy! Mix cement with water according to directions on bag. Pour in tins. Let it sit until it is firm enough to hold a print. Place child's foot in center of tin and smoosh :) Try to not go all the way to the bottom! Place small knick knacks around foot print like a toy, etc., as listed above. Cement is hard to write in, but we were able to do initials with aquarium rocks. Let set. Cover with water to cure according to package directions. Let these set for a few days before removing from the tins. These can be buried in the garden as stepping stones, left out on the deck, or anywhere outside. Once hard, they are quite durable! By Barbara from West Union, OH Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf38843166.tip.html Email to a Friend | Get Responses | Bookmark | Link | Rate It: | Print Kitchen Window Covering Drapes can be very expensive, so in covering my window in the kitchen, I took a flowered bathroom shower curtain, with ruffles. Take one rod and slip curtain onto rod. Buy $1.00 hanging tassels, in a colour to accent your walls. Pull back drapes from side to side. You will be pleased at the look. What a great covering for the window. By Janet from Toronto, Ontario Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf48299436.tip.html Email to a Friend | Get Responses | Bookmark | Link | Rate It: | Print Waste Paper Basket Have you ever noticed there are some very nice waste paper baskets in the stores. They are so expensive, so I tried to decorate my own: Materials $1.00 store plastic basket in white, or yellow or pink or blue $1.00 store doilies $1.00 store flowers glue gun Directions Wrap and glue doily to the top of the basket, glue the fringe of lace around the top then glue the flowers onto the basket, spacing accordingly. Wow, this is so simple and so cute. I am now going make one for a gift for my baby granddaughter's room: pink, pink dolls, the lace, the doily. What a nice gift, fill with appropriate oils, creams and lotions for the baby. Hope you enjoy this craft, I know that I did. By Janet from Toronto Ontario Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf52506738.tip.html Email to a Friend | Get Responses | Bookmark | Link | Rate It: | Print Jewelry Armoire for Jewelry Crafts Free standing jewelry armoires make attractive storage units for beads, jewelry findings, and tools. The armoires can be found for reasonable prices at Wal-Mart, thrift stores, and yard sales. Mine has hooks on the main door that are great for hanging bead strands and chains, shallow lined drawers with separate compartments for beads and findings, a large cubby for hand tools, and deeper drawers for other odds and ends. The best part is that the armoire is a small attractive addition to a bedroom for those who do not have their own craft room. By Tracey from Duluth, MN Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf54487335.tip.html Email to a Friend | Get Responses | Bookmark | Link | Rate It: | Print Using Sewing Patterns Again For Different Sizes Advice for using sewing patterns again for different sizes. Trace On Tissue I am the mother of quads. The girls are not the same size. So when I buy a pattern of different sizes, I trace it onto tissue paper. I use these to cut out the material and the original is left intact. I just get white tissue paper from the dollar store. Have fun. By quads Tracing a Pattern Instructions I use one ply of white tissue wrapping paper. Open up the pattern and iron it flat. Put the pattern on a hard surface. A kitchen table works. Iron the tissue paper if need be. Then lay the tissue paper over the original pattern using flat pins if needed and use a soft dull pencil to trace the size pattern you are wanting to use. Do not use to much pressure. Be gentle with the pencil. After you become confident you can even use a large tip pen, but not a marker as it may sometimes run. Laying the tissue over the pattern and the motion of rubbing it gently over the original to straighten it out sometimes causes static electricity and the tissue will stay where you put it. You can put every mark you need on the pattern. The traced pattern will last forever if used properly. By Jacqueline Just Fold It Believe it or not, I just fold it on the cutting line needed. Where it curves, I just fold where I can, and carefully cut the curves. I've done this for years, and I have never had to spend time tracing. By Laura in NH Use Brown Paper Bags When I get a new pattern, I immediately transfer the pieces to brown paper shopping bags. They are cheap and plentiful and durable. Write on each piece the corresponding pattern information right away. By CHEAPERTHANCHEAP Lightweight Pelon I have used lightweight pelon (interfacing purchased by yard) for this purpose for years. Get the thinnest available, place it over the pattern and just trace. This type of pattern is very easy to use and can be used many times over. By Kathryn I also trace the pattern onto a piece of lightweight pelon then bond it to a lightweight light colored cotton material and transfer lines and markings to the cotton with a thin sharpie marker. It makes for a much sturdier pattern than you can use over and over without tearing it up. I also bond lightweight pellon to all of the pattern pieces that I'm going to use more than once just to keep them sturdy. By MsMischf Tracing Advice Like the others say, use tissue paper, or go to a office place, Office Depot or Office Max, and get drafting paper in rolls, 36" wide as long as you can see through it. There also is Nancy's Notions that have transfer paper on a roll. Its not as wide as it should be, 24" wide if my memory serves right. So for some patterns you'll have to add on more paper to get more width - this also works with tissue paper Do this by using the iron on rolls of glue: Overlap your paper (tissue), put the strip of glue between them and iron them together then trace the bigger pattern without having pieces of it. We have a old table which has 3 leaves in, so to make it smooth I put a BIG piece of tag board or poster board on it, and hide it behind a china cabinet when not in use. For what to trace with, I use a Sharpie fine point permanent marker. Yes it does go through some, yet if you keep the marker moving it won't be that bad. It's going slow or leaving it in one area too long that will really leave the marks. Practice first with tissue paper over an open part of pattern to see what will happen. If you don't care for it - use a DARK PENCIL. When the tracing of the lines, dots, arrows, diamonds, etc., (all very important things) are in their places. REMOVE your traced pattern, put it over a sheet of paper (which will be thrown away) and with marker, write the necessary things: Pattern name and #, size, what it is, front, back and so on. I have done this for 25 + years and it works great. I also use a 6"x9" white envelop to hold each pattern size individually. Put the information on front with a picture, if possibe. I've been using the same ones for my Grandchildren now as I used for my own kids! Hope this is of help to you By moonbeam Feel free to share your ideas below. Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf188057.tip.html Email to a Friend | Get Responses | Bookmark | Link | Rate It: | Print Sewing Stretchy Fabric Tips from the ThriftyFun community for sewing stretchy fabric without warping. Use Tissue Paper Have you tried sewing with tissue paper? Sandwich the fabric inside the paper, the feed dogs will not stretch the paper. Once the seam is sewed, you just have to rip the paper off. You only need a narrow strip, maybe 2 inches wide. By Lois I made a bathing suit out of stretch fabric. I placed tissue paper on top of and underneath of the wrong sides of the fabric. I sewed through the tissue and fabric along the seam lines. Then I tore off the tissue paper when I was done. It is all on the wrong side and generally doesn't leave any residue from the tissue. Worked like a charm. Stretch The Fabric While Sewing Be careful. If you don't stretch the fabric a bit while sewing, you will find that the stitches break when the fabric stretches while being worn. By sue Adjust Pressure You should be able to adjust the presser foot pressure. Check your machine manual. For lightweight fabric - more pressure and for heavy fabric - less pressure. Play with different settings to see what works best. A teflon coated presser foot will also help some fabrics glide through easier. Also try lightly steaming and pressing the seam after sewing to shrink the stretching back to normal. Sometimes this helps with certain fabrics. By Sew Sew Mitch Make sure you are using a ball point needle and loosen the tension of your pressure foot. Tissue paper also helps. Helpful Tip: Make sure the package says ball point needles. I once asked the sales person to give me needles for stretch fabric. She gave me universal needles. My daughter made it for the last dance to her Jr. prom because I had so many problems trying to sew with the universal needles. After the event, I purchased ball point needles and they glided through the material like silk. That was an experience that both my daughter and I will never forget. By Joanne Post your ideas below. Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf113737.tip.html Email to a Friend | Get Responses | Bookmark | Link | Rate It: | Print Inexpensive Doggy Sweater Is your doggy cold, but you just can't justify spending $25 on a "special" sweater? Go to your local GoodWill and pick up a toddler sweatshirt cut off the arms an inch down from the shoulder seam and, viola you have a doggy sweatshirt. This will only cost $1.25, not only will your doggy be warm and happy, but you will also be supporting a great service for our disabled community. By Kat Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf720644.tip.html Email to a Friend | Get Responses | Bookmark | Link | Rate It: | Print Stained Glass Christmas Angels I was watching a TV show about a month ago showing an expensive cookie recipe using butter, flour, egg, almond meal and caster sugar (extra fine sugar for everyone in the US). The TV host made up the dough, rolled it out thinly (3-5mm). She used a 11 inch angel cookie cutter and cut out angel shapes, then also cut out stars in the middle of the angel. In the star space she put in crushed candy.. (I used hard fruit drops) in reds or greens. When cooked at 350 deg the cookies baked and the candy melted in the star shape. They were called Stained Glass Almond Angels. Before she put the shapes in the oven, she poked a hole at the top of each angel and when baked they can be hung from the Christmas tree. I decided to try this and, boy did I wish I tried another recipe. It was pretty expensive, not frugal at all. Well, I tried my normal run of the mill inexpensive butter, flour mixture and hey presto, I got the same results. Still tasted nice and my DD10 said that it was better than the other. She said the original recipe was too rich for her liking. I'm making some of these again tonight so that I can give out some Christmas presents to friends at church. I'm also trying a "ALMOND AND MACADAMIA NUT PRALINE" recipe which was on the same TV show, but here in Australia Macadamia nuts are a lot cheaper as they're native to Australia. I intend to make this and wrap them in some pretty cellophane and there you have it, another inexpensive pressie for people I love and would like to give something nice to but who can afford to buy presents for everyone? I know we try and most of us end up bankrupting ourselves in the process. There are so many inexpensive baked goodies that we can give out, including gift in a jar cookies. I love that idea. Have fun out there, and remember, it's what's in your heart and not your purse that matters. God bless, Bev in Australia Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf517625.tip.html Email to a Friend | Get Responses | Bookmark | Link | Rate It: | Print Homemade Napkin Rings With Raffia Cut 12" pieces of raffia to make napkin rings. Soak the pieces in water or colored RIT dye, then wrap them around cardboard paper towel insert. When dried, they make decorative napkin rings for any occasion. By Palma Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf866316.tip.html Email to a Friend | Get Responses | Bookmark | Link | Rate It: | Print Quirky Picture Frame To make a quirky picture frame try varnishing favourite sweets, jelly babies or liquorice, all sorts look quite colourful, then glue them to a cheap picture frame. I suppose you could do the same by varnishing cookies, but make sure who-ever you're giving it to knows it's not really edible! Julie (UK) Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf443206.tip.html Email to a Friend | Get Responses | Bookmark | Link | Rate It: | Print Create Attractive Storage Containers With Popcorn Tins For parents, bath salt makers, and others that need to have a storage space for small like objects: get those empty popcorn tins from Christmas with snow men and other christmas stuff on them. Put them to good use. Dump out the excess popcorn if any and clean the inside well. Grab some fabric that you have, and wrap it around it. Sheer of the excess edges with your scissors. Tack the fabric down with your glue gun and do the top of the tins lid the same way. From here you can leave it the way it is or embellish it with ribbon to clean up the edges, use that kids embossing bottle paint to write on top of the lid the future contents, such as "Salt" or "Toys" etc. And fill with what you like! I personally use it for my salt bases for bath salt making. Place a scoop in there and all set! Hope this is helpful for you! By Xerophyia Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf416568.tip.html Email to a Friend | Get Responses | Bookmark | Link | Rate It: | Print Contests: Tip Contest Submit a Tip or Recipe! Photo Contest Submit a tip with photo! The above contests are weekly. We pick 2 tip winners and 1 photo winner at the end of each week. Each winner will win $25! My Frugal Life Submit a My Frugal Life Essay! New Requests: Earring Organizer I have lots and lots of earrings. I have some that loop in, others that have backings. I want to create something to "display" them so that I can 1. find the pairs easier, 2. see all of them for choosing a pairs, and 3. keep the pairs together. I know that I have seen them over the years in various home magazines, and of course, now that I need one I can't find any pattern to use. Thank you so much. Marcella from Mount Dora, FL Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf51642488.tip.html Email to a Friend | Get Responses | Bookmark | Link | Rate It: | Print Decorating for a Church Reunion I am decorating for a Church Reunion. This reunion is for everyone that has been a member of this church in the past, even if they are no longer members. We are expecting over 700 people in attendance. I need some ideas on decorating the tables and the fellowship hall. The first night will just be on the lines of a reception for the people to get registered and mingle. The following two nights will be a program and dinner. Darlene from Peoria, IL Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf19702934.tip.html Email to a Friend | Get Responses | Bookmark | Link | Rate It: | Print Musty Smelling Yarn I need some help. My aunt just gave me some older yarn and it is REALLY musty smelling. Is there and way to wash/clean it? Thanks, Mackenzie from Millgton, TN Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf65975141.tip.html Email to a Friend | Get Responses | Bookmark | Link | Rate It: | Print Lamp Shape Ideas I have a couple of floor lamps that need new shades. They are inexpensive lamps from Shopko, Kmart, etc. The floor lamps have 3-way lights. New shades cost almost as much as a new lamp would. The shade is about 9" high; the bottom diameter is about 14", and the top diameter is about 6-1/2". I do not sew therefore that is not an option. I was thinking that maybe I could buy some inexpensive wide ribbon and wrap it from the top ring to the bottom ring around the whole frame but I'm not sure if this would be safe with the heat of the light. Any inexpensive ideas or advice would be appreciated. Thanks, Judy from Wisconsin Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf16211140.tip.html Email to a Friend | Get Responses | Bookmark | Link | Rate It: | Print Candlewicking Instructions I would like to know how to do candlewicking and are there kits I could buy? Juanita from Mount Ulla NC Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf60407471.tip.html Email to a Friend | Get Responses | Bookmark | Link | Rate It: | Print Stitches Skipping on Sewing Machine I have a problem with my sewing machine. When I stitch on light material I am getting stitches. But, when I stitch on heavy material the stitches are skipping. Again when I go back to light material I am getting good stitches. Can anybody guide me what I have to do to get good stitches while stitching on heavy material. What adjustment I have to make. My machine is Singer-Industrial model and material is leather. J.Loke Singh Hyderabad Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf27580891.tip.html Email to a Friend | Get Responses | Bookmark | Link | Rate It: | Print Uses for Old Phone Books Any ideas for using old yellow pages? I know we could recycle them. We probably have 10 of them. I work in an adult daycare center. We are always looking for crafty ideas that stretch our budget. Marian from Westminster, MD Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf41231779.tip.html Email to a Friend | Get Responses | Bookmark | Link | Rate It: | Print Using Wall Glaze on Wallpaper I previously posted a request, for applying glazing over wallpaper, to give the paper a vintage appearance. The answers weren't what I was looking for because I still want the pattern of the wallpaper to show through the glaze. I want to "antique" the paper. The paper is in a bathroom and is vinyl. Sharon from Southern, Illinois Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf72033536.tip.html Email to a Friend | Get Responses | Bookmark | Link | Rate It: | Print Making a Peg Leg for a Pirate Costume I'm making a pirate movie and I need a realistic non-cheezy peg leg. Can someone help me out? Jeffrey from Cordele, GA Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf87700725.tip.html Email to a Friend | Get Responses | Bookmark | Link | Rate It: | Print Looking for a frugal solution to an everyday problem? Submit your request here: Click Here Articles: Saving Family Keepsakes for Scrapbooking By Rachel Paxton I'm new to scrapbooking, and I still can't believe all the possibilities there are for scrapbook layouts. Read More: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf391384.tip.html Email to a Friend | Get Responses | Bookmark | Link | Rate It: | Print