If you have any bits of wool either left over from other projects, or from things you've picked up a top shops - this is what I do with them - it's so easy you could do it falling asleep. First of all do either 20, 30, 40 or 50 chains, depending on how big you want your bag to be. Then crochet 3-5 double crochets, then a treble for the cord to go through. You simply continue on using double crochet, attaching new pieces as you run out of your old ones. They can be as long, or as short as you like, and you continue until you have a length that suits you. I usually measure up as I get towards the end. Then do your treble, your 3-5 double rows, crochet the sides together. I usually go all the way around, as it creates a border that is the same color as the top of one side, which finishes it cleanly. (Though I have had instances when that color has run out, and I've just tied on another one.) When you've crocheted the seams, just do a long row of chain, I usually go for 150-200 chains, then, depending on how thick you want it, stop it then, or go back to create a double rowed cord.
Then it's just a matter of threading the cord through the treble row you've done. I usually leave all the tied bits out, giving them a really Ratty look. Of course you can weave all the threads back in. It's entirely up to you what kind of effect you want.
A bag will take 2-3 hours at most, and it's a great way to recycle old bits of wool, and to relax on the train or bus on your travels.
This is a good way to recycle all those plastic drink bottles. I see these angels especially great for the Christmas season but with some clever adaptations other holidays such as Halloween ...maybe.
Simply cut the top area of the bottles with a good sharp kitchen scissors.Do a simple straight cut first and later try out scallops etc. This will become the body of your doll and the curves of the bottle her gown or cape or whatever you like. The neck of the bottle becomes her neck. Glue on a ball,bead or nut...(I am sure you will have something handy!) for her head. Draw features..give her tinsel or wool hair..even a new scouring pad (steel wool ...for a bad hair day!). Use fabric,trims and beads...to decorate her gown. Look out for bottles that may have nice contours across the surface.
Here's the special part ..use the angels for a table setting..place setting..and when you feel like it place the angel over a small tea light candle.. and watch her glow...Please watch her in case of accidents and she goes up in flames! Enjoy...try out fat elves, Santa, spooks etc.Fun....and saves the earth too
I decided to challenge myself and decorate the small washroom next to my sewing room. My challenge was that I had to decorate with what I already had around the house. I couldn't buy one thing.
I collect wallpaper books,my local dealer said he was glad to be rid of them. So, I had these around the house and didn't pay for them. They qualified. There are super pieces of material in the wallpaper books. When I just want to sit and think of nothing (not hard for me)I remove the material from the books. Now this at times can be challenging but believe me it is worth it. The other thing I noticed were the pretty pictures that they have in the wallpaper books. So, I cut the pictures out, mounted them on cardboard and then made a padded frame with either pieces of material from my leftover bag,or the wallpaper book. I found the perfect piece with a kind of Jacobean flavor to it. I added a bit of lace around the edge of the padded frame. I decided then to see how much of the washroom I could do without going out and buying material or whatever. It has a very small shower so I had enough material which was a super because it picked up the colors of the walls, and then I quilted a piece of the matching material for the top of the toilet. I ran into a problem there, ran out of material. SEW, I cut the material into thirds and sewed some lace that my mother in law had given me a long time ago between these pieces which extended the top. I then had the perfect size. It is kind of funny because our main washroom is kind of fancy (I made a lot of things for it too) but my challenge washroom is the one that my friends really like. Has anyone else challenged themselves and if so please tell about it. Dorothy Atkinson
Cut a piece of screen that is used on a door into a square. Seal 3 edges and then fill the bag with whatever your imagination can come up with. Put a pretty ribbon on top. Seal. Hand and enjoy
Needed:
1 green plastic soda bottle
small twigs (1/2 inch)
paper clips
plastic googly eyes
glue (hot glue works best)
thin wire
First you take the empty green soda bottle and cut out the shapes of wings for your little bug. Next you glue the wings on to your twig. Add googly eyes on the top, then straighten out a small paper clip and cut it in half. Form it in to the two front legs for your bug. Glue it on. Continue that until you have as many pairs of legs as you want for your little bug. Lastly, using thin wire, tie it to your bug and you can hang it anywhere.
Take a plain computer mouse pad. Paint it to match decor (any paint will do). Use stamps and stencils to decorate the mouse pad. Add a color photocopy of a photo (children or grandchildren) in the center. Once dry apply two coats of glossy mod podge.
Note- it takes many coats of paint to cover the mouse pad.
First you will need an imaging software such as mgi photosuite.Then you want to take 12 of your favorite pics and put a cloud around them.After you have done this you want to add bright colored numbers from 1-12.Once this is done you will take all the pics and place them on the cd to make yourself a clock.All you need to buy will be the clock hands and motor they are pretty cheap.These make great gifts as you have just personalized a clock for someone special.I did this for xmas gifts this year and everyone loved them.You will also need to put a sealer on the cd so you can dust it and to make sure your pics don't get scratched.
If you like or use this idea please let me know.Email me at lokate4u@gte.net
you will need-pop can, felt, google eyes,pompom's, spray paint=step on can to crush make as flat as you can. spray can let dry ,color depends on your animal. I'm using a cow. Cut felt to make face.glue on bottom side of can, add eyes felt or pompom nose. let dry then make the tail with pompom or pipecleaner glue on. to hang have adult cut very small slit in back and stick in the thing to open your can on top or make into magnet.
Jessi,Mn. 9-31-00
I use the water worn bottoms of broken bottles found
at a beach, to make a colorful wind chime.
First collect 5 or 6 largish (2" across) pieces of beach
glass. Using two part quick set epoxy, glue a jump
ring to one edge of the glass piece. Allow to dry.
Once all pieces are done and dry, tie on fine fishing
line and string from a piece of drift wood. Hang the
drift wood in a tree or on the porch.
You can varnish the glass for a prettier finish.
Pauline in Bermuda
Save empty jars and bottles, wash and remove labels. Use a glass painting medium and paint your design. Paint the lid with a metal painting medium and drill a hole in the center of lid. Add a glass or ceramic wick and fill with your favorite scented oil or liquid candle.
For this craft you need a plastic bottle. it could be a soda bottle or water the outcome is the same.
using a craft knife cut the top part of the bottle about 4 inches,
(including the nozzle)
holding that part by the nozzle,
using a pair of scissors cut the plastic diagonally making ay least
6 to 8 petals, then paint the petals with acrylic paints,once dry
round the petals and flip them gently back.for best results paint the outside of the petals to give it a shiny look,add a pompom in the middle and viola!!!!
I use them to make baby shower favors .
1 Baby Food Jar(4oz)
Baby Stickers
Curlie Ribbon (color of choice)
Little Baby Toys (bottlers,rattles etc)
Mosh Posh (clear)
1 Votive Candle (color of choice)
Hot Glue Gun
Clean baby jar good. Take votive candle and hot glue to inside of jar. Take stickers and stick on outside of jar. Mosh posh outside of jar to seal the stickers so they don't fall off. Let jars try good. Then take 2 pieces of curly ribbon (about 10inches) with 2 toys (rattles, bottles, diaper pins, etc) and tie with ribbon in a knot. Then take scissors and curl ribbon. (You may trim ribbon if desired) I also have a candle poem for the candle "Here is a candle for you to light Once the stark has made it's flight, With the flicker of it flames, Please say pray in our baby's name. These baby shower favor are a big hit. I've made several of them.
Use an empty or full 2oz bottle of baby powder for angel's body, spray paint gold or silver, seal with clear spray paint, for head paint a large wooden dowel flesh acrylic color paint, draw on eyes with a permanent sharpie marker, use light pink lipstick for making her cheeks, then use red or pink marker for lips, spray with clear spray paint, glue head on top of bottle, glue some curly hair on for hair, make wings using silver or gold twist paper,glue to back of bottle, use gold or silver pipe cleaner for halo, make arms with same pipe cleaners or different colors, add a heart or star glue into her hands, and you have a baby powder bottle angel, great party gifts or just to give to friends,
Vanila grl
I save the white trays i buy my meats inthe market with,clean with
hot water and clorax and when dry
I use them instead of buying foam
board.I use them when covering boxes and baskets,ect.
THANK You
Dianne Henry
Brewton,Alabama
fun cheap x-mas gifts-
old salt shaker's or any bottle with sprinkle lid.mix 1 cup sugar &
1 cup cinnamon,together add in shaker ,place cap over top and tie a pretty ribbon around it.fun for any age.
jessi,mn.
These are fairly easy to do--you
make a set of three and if you want to make them really nice mount them on a
piece of wood.
paint soda cans any color you wish--
put your thumbs on the center and push in--bending the can-see the face??
remove the pop-top--paint face on top of can--red for lipstick around the
mouth part
add hair---make halo out of silver or gold wire and attach.
Make a bow using paper craft ribbon leaving tails as long as the can.
Glue to back--adjust
I took a x-small blue recicle box and I put mod pog on it and paper. I cut out bits of pictures of my moms garden ang pod poged them on. I then gave it to my mom for valentines day
I love to recycle when I can. I learned this project when we used to travel to different campgrounds. I would like to share with everyone as we all have a lot of bags. They can be made into tote bags, hats as well as rugs. The cost is free, so why not recycle them! Here is the link to learn how to cut the bags and connect to make your "yarn" to crochet. Have fun!
Like most kids, my niece loves to color. She has a seemingly endless supply of crayonshttp://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=c...1&a=B000EYF6TM but whenever they get broken or worn down into small bits, she doesn’t want to use them anymore. I’ve tried melting them down into new shapes before, but the colors would always get muddled and she’d be left with a bunch of new brown crayons. So I brainstormed a bit and came up with new solution, with results that I believe are even better than the original crayons!
The key to my solution is sorting the crayons into color families and melting them separately. The result is a beautiful, layered, rainbow crayon that isn’t muddled and is a joy to color with.
Step 1: Prepare the crayons
First, take all of the crayons and peel off any remaining paper. Then separate them into color families. I put all shades of red together in one cup, and the same for orange, green, and blue. For yellow, I tossed in the white and tan crayons, which I knew would blend well into the yellow. The result was fun array of colors (Fig 1).
The way you sort and select the crayons can vary depending on the design you want. I went for a rainbow approach, but you could easily adapt this to whatever colors your child likes. For example:
shades of blue (for coloring skies)
red, white, and blue (for the 4th of July)
pinks and purples (for a little girl)
red and green (for Christmas stocking stuffers)
Step 2: Select the mold
Next I selected the forms that I would use for my new crayons (Fig 2). I find that the best thing to use is a silicone ice cube trayhttp://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=cnj-20&l=ur2&o=1. These come in numerous shapes and sizes, which makes for very fun crayons. The flexible silicone makes it so easy to pop the crayons out when you’re done. They are also totally non-stick and can handle the heat from the melted wax, so they are perfect. (Please do NOT use them for food after you’ve used them for crayons!). I got my trays at IKEA, which sells them in many different shapes. If you don’t have an IKEA near you, you can find these trays on eBayhttp://rover.ebay.com/ar/1/711-53200...=ikea+ice+tray too.
Step 3: Melt the wax
Now dump one cup of crayons into an old food can that has been washed and dried (Fig 3). You’ll need something metal that can handle the heat as you can melt the crayons. Use a new can for each color. You can melt the crayons using one of the following two methods: Place the can on the rack in the oven and heat until melted (Fig 4) or boil some water in a pan on the stove and then set the can inside until melted (Fig 5). With either method, please be sure to use an oven mitt because the can will get hot. Use disposable plastic spoons to stir the wax until all chunks are melted and the wax is totally liquid (Fig 6).
Step 5: Layer the wax in the molds
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05-19-2009 09:26 AM
