ThriftyFun Crafts - November 5, 2008

I hope everyone was able to vote succesffuly without waiting for too long at the polls. We have all mail in voting in our county, so it's always a breeze.

Now is a great time to submit your homemade Christmas gift ideas. Giving homemade gifts can be a great way to save money but you have to start making them early or you will run out of time. In general, planning ahead is the key to limiting the financial burden of Christmas and getting the most out of the holiday. If you have any homemade gift ideas to share, feel free to submit them on one of the contest page or the Crafts for Fun and Money page.

Share a Photo (You could win $25!)

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.

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Thanks for reading,

Susan

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Today's newsletter contains:

Photos and Projects:

• Craft Project: Handprint Turkey
• Craft: Cub Scout Box
• Craft Project: Holiday Leaf Cards
• Craft: Beauty Travel Organizer
• Craft Project: Seashell Soap Dish
• Craft: Recycled Camping Lanterns
• Craft: Aluminum Ant Friend

Tips:

• No Cook Play Dough
• Using Empty Tape Dispensers
• Gak Recipe
• Paper Clip Christmas Tree Garland
• Saving Powdered Beverage Containers for Crafts
• Magic Wand from Recycled Coat Hanger
• "Oh No" Pumpkin
• Craft: Howl-O-Ween Sweater Dress
• Individualized Carved Pumpkins
• Aiden and Avery's Pumpkins
• Craft: Bubble Prints
• Collect Newspaper Comics for a Gift
• Craft: Batty About Books!

Requests:

• Making Tree Party Decorations
• Diaper Cake Using Disposable Diapers
• Calgary Flames Cross Stitch Pattern
• Craft Ideas for Two Liter Bottles
• Painting Laminate Furniture
• Mr. and Mrs. Santa - Made from Reader's Digest Magazines
• Preserving Natural Items for Crafts
• Displaying the 50 State Quarters
• Potholder Scissor Covers
• Fabric Wrapped Hangers
• Storing Acrylic Paints
• Making a Lampshade
• Pricing Rag Rugs To Sell
• Crocheted Dog and Pig Potholders

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

Craft Project: Handprint Turkey

The kids will love making these turkeys from their handprints, and very few supplies are needed. They can be used for decorations or glued to a piece of card stock to create Thanksgiving cards for family and friends.

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Craft: Cub Scout Box

Our Cub Scout Pack needed a craft for the boys on orientation night. I came up with this recycled shoe box. We spray painted it gold and then used a blue photocopy for the top. They scouts used modge podge to glue the seal to the lid. Now they have something to keep all of their badges and derby cars in one spot! We put their names and date on the inside.

By Wendy from Coopersburg, PA

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Craft Project: Holiday Leaf Cards

Let the kids create these easy, one-of-a-kind holiday leaf cards for family and friends.

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Craft: Beauty Travel Organizer

Don't you just hate it when you're trying to pack for a European cruise, and you don't know how keep your hair styling tools together. My DH had an old pair of jeans so I cut out two pieces of fabric and sewed a storage case for both my hot hair curling brush and curling iron. I sewed a seam down the middle of the bag so each tool had its own compartment.

By MCW from Lewiston, NY

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Craft Project: Seashell Soap Dish

A cute soap dish made from sea shells.

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Craft: Recycled Camping Lanterns

Our Cub Scout Pack is involved in Fall Camping. We made lanterns out of recycled plastic peanut butter jars. We used modge podge and affixed the Scout Promise to the outside. We used glow sticks to light their way. Loads of fun in the tent or outside after dark.

By Wendy from Coopersburg, PA

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Craft: Aluminum Ant Friend

Halloween Candy recycling! Save your M and M tubes to make recycled art. My son won a contest at the library for his aluminum ant friend he created. We used silver spray paint and some pipe cleaners and paper clips for wings. These tubes have many uses. My son carries one in his lunch box to hold his change for milk etc. They are great for beads too. You can always refill them with M and Ms!

By Wendy S from Coopersburg, PA

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No Cook Play Dough

Mix all together: 1 cup salt, 1 cup flour, 1 Tbsp. salad oil (veg.oil). Add water (a little at a time) and mix until it forms a dough like consistency. If too dry, add more water. Put a few drops of food coloring to get desired color. Store in an airtight container. Use like regular play dough.

By Shirley from Henderson, NV

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Using Empty Tape Dispensers

I finished up the tape in this dispenser today and my brain kicked into overdrive.

You can keep hemming tape, ribbon, lace, crochet thread, rickrack or just about anything linear and small/flat/round and keep it safe. Label the front or sides and either stack on a shelf, put in a drawer, or hang from a pegboard.

If you don't use that much tape, ask the local plumbers to keep them for you when they are done. Their plumbers tape is in the same dispenser. Once, I even found them at the local big box store for .25 each!

Anyone else have a great idea for these little gems?

By Sandra from Salem OR

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Gak Recipe

Mix 1 cup of white glue (ex: Elmers) with 1 cup liquid starch. Add food coloring to get the color you want.

It will be gooey and fun to play with. Store in an air tight container.

By Shirley from Henderson, NV

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Paper Clip Christmas Tree Garland

1. Dip sticky cheap paper clips into glitter.

2. Let dry.

3. Clip clips together as to your length and color preference.

4. Hang on Christmas tree. The tree lights will reflect the glitter.

By Cindy from Key West, FL

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Saving Powdered Beverage Containers for Crafts

We drink a lot of drinks made from a powder mix at our house (such as Crystal Light, Tang, or other generic mixes). I save the individual container cups the mix comes in. When it is craft time, they make perfect little cups for paint, small pieces of material like googly eyes, glitter, etc., or even as a material to make something else. I also sometimes put a small amount of glue in them so my daughter can use a paint brush to paint small amounts of glue where needed instead of trying to squeeze from the bottle. These are pretty handy little cups!

Source: I thought of it once we got old enough to get into craft mode. I use lots of recycled materials for craft time.

By Jayme from Harrisonburg, VA

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Magic Wand from Recycled Coat Hanger

I made matching wands for the daughter's dance class. Their costumes were bright green with boas. I took the cardboard portion of a wire hanger and hot glued a little fur to the top. They loved it!

By Wendy S from Coopersburg, PA

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"Oh No" Pumpkin

When we asked my 3 yr. old grandson how he wanted his jack-o-lantern's face to look, he told us he wanted an "Oh, no! pumpkin" and made the face. This is what it looks like. We carved the top opening zig-zag and we lifted it up, turned it a little and set it on top to look like a hat.

By Marie from West Dundee, IL

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Craft: Howl-O-Ween Sweater Dress

This is a sweater dress I made for my Tiny Yorkie, it is a cute dress, a sweater and a costume all in one.

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Individualized Carved Pumpkins

This is the jack-o-lantern that I carved for my 8 month old son. It is a real pumpkin and was hand carved using only wood carving tools and a rotary tool. My family and I carved an additional 4 pumpkins the same way, each to reflect on the persons interests.

By Amy J from Oak Grove, KY

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Aiden and Avery's Pumpkins

Here are two pumpkins carved by Aiden (7) and Avery (4). Aiden carved a killer robot and Avery carved a rabid mouse. We used stencils that we purchased for $3 at Fred Meyer and it made it super easy to carve something neat. Next year we will try to make our own stencils!

Happy Halloween!

Lewis

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Craft: Bubble Prints

Ingredients:

• 1 cup water
• food coloring
• 1/4 cup liquid detergent
• 1/4 cup liquid starch
• straws
• white paper

Instruction:

In a 6 - 8 inch bowl, mix together water, drops of food coloring, liquid detergent and starch. Using a straw, blow bubbles into the mixture until the bubbles form a structure above the rim of the bowl. Make a print by laying a sheet of white paper across the bowl rim, allowing the bubbles to pop against the paper. If the bubbles pop too quickly, add a few tablespoons of sugar to the water. This paper would be nice for stationary or envelopes.

By Shirley from Henderson, NV

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Collect Newspaper Comics for a Gift

This is an inexpensive gift idea for kids and other people who like to read the comics.

For those who get a newspaper, or can have access to them, cut all the comics the recipient likes from each days' paper, and paste them onto computer paper, in order. The benefit of compilation books without the expense, and a fun way to recycle some newspaper!

Punch some holes in the page and put them in an inexpensive binder. If you want, get those tabbed notebook dividers to separate the different comics from one another. This works even better to give to people who don't get their favorite comics in their local newspaper, or don't get the paper, period.

By Saber from Omaha, NE

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Craft: Batty About Books!

We made a clothespin into a magnet with some paper shapes. This can also be used as a bookmark without the magnet or a clip for chips or papers, etc.

By Wendy S from Coopersburg, PA

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Making Tree Party Decorations

How can I build a tree for a party prop? I am throwing a "rock fantasy" themed party for my daughter who is gonna be 13. She wants it to be like an enchanted forest with faeries and stuff but "dark". Her colors are black and purple. I have a few ideas but I need a lot of help on how to get started. We want to build trees with eco-friendly materials of course. Please help.

Jae

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Diaper Cake Using Disposable Diapers

How do you make a "diaper cake" out of disposable diapers? I am hosting a baby shower and would like to make one if it is not too complicated. Thanks in advance.

Barbara from Kingsport, TN

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Calgary Flames Cross Stitch Pattern

I am still looking for a free cross stitch or plastic canvas pattern for the NHL team the Calgary Flames. Thanks.

PICO from ST PAUL

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Craft Ideas for Two Liter Bottles

I am not very crafty but what can I do with 2 liter pop bottles? I don't like throwing them away, so I would like to find something to do with them. Thanks!

JSKA980405 from Goshen, IN

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Painting Laminate Furniture

How do I get paint to stick to the shiny laminate finish (only on the top) of my dresser? The rest is wood and I know I can refinish it, but what about the top? Help!

Jeanne from Austin, TX

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Mr. and Mrs. Santa - Made from Reader's Digest Magazines

Does anyone have the pattern for Mr. and Mrs. Santa Claus made from old Readers Digest books? My great aunt made them years ago, and I'd like to make some now. I'm sorry but I don't have a picture to post. I know you folded the pages somehow, then painted them, added red felt, a black belt (felt I think), belt buckle, cotton for the beard and hair. Any help is appreciated.

Paula from Kosciusko, MS

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Preserving Natural Items for Crafts

How can you preserve sweet gum balls, miniature pumpkins and small gourds to use in crafts? Also if pine cones are used in a center piece or wreath should or could the items be sprayed with lacquer to maintain the craft pieces? Thanks.

Diane from Myrtle Beach, SC

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Displaying the 50 State Quarters

I would like suggestions on how to display the 50 state quarters. Each one is on a flat decorative pewter mounting with a gray ribbon for hanging. Maybe some type of grouping,etc. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thank You in advance.

Yvonne from El Paso, Texas

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Potholder Scissor Covers

I am looking for instructions for making scissor covers from potholder.

turtlelady from Orlando, FL

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Fabric Wrapped Hangers

My grandmother, in Minnesota, use to wrap wire hangers with material approx. 1 in. wide, kind of in knots or a braid. Unfortunately I was not able to learn this craft from her. She's gone now and I was wondering if any one knows how to do this craft. Thanks.

Paula from Perryville, MO

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Storing Acrylic Paints

I am trying to find ideas on how to store my acrylic paints. I know they make a metal spinner rack, but I didn't want to spend a lot of money and also wanted something more compact. I would greatly appreciate any helpful input on this situation. Thanks much!

Gail from Montgomery, PA

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Making a Lampshade

How do I make a lampshade or cover one in a clever motif?

Rose from Benson, AZ

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Pricing Rag Rugs To Sell

I make crocheted rag rugs and know that the general rule of thumb is that you price by the inch. For instance 36 inches would be $36.00 if you make and sell. But for a round rug, do you measure and price from center to edge or completely across?

Patricia from OH

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Crocheted Dog and Pig Potholders

Does any one have a crochet pattern of a dog and a pig Potholders and Hot Pads?

Judy

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