(Part 2) Best products from r/crafts

>Just out of curiosity, is there a reason you don't just get a new Kindle case?

Yeah. The old one is called a Leisure Jacket. It wasn't waterproof but it was great for pool and beach use to protect against splashes and sand. But it was made for when Kindles still had page turning buttons on the side. There is nothing similar at all for the touch models -- your two choices for the touch models are glorified ziplock bags or very expensive Fort Knox type contraptions that are very difficult to change out easily.

The new Kindle coming out, the Voyage, actually is bringing back a form of buttons with page turn sensors on the edge that respond to a squeeze, which should work perfectly with the Leisure Jacket. But M-Edge isn't going to be making one (I asked them) and nobody else made something similar.

>I'm sure you could find someone on Etsy or Craigslist who'd be happy to try it

I am totally unfamiliar with Etsy... how does one go about making a request like this there? No sentimental value, this is purely practical.

Thank you! I like to save jars from cooking, and started thinking I could make some candles with them. So I bought an enormous amount of soy wax and candle wicks from Amazon for ~$30 total. I also had some essential oil samples that I saved from work for this purpose.
I made a double boiler with a large metal bowl and a large pot of water. Melted the wax down, let it sit for a minute or two, then added the oils (so they wouldn't evaporate as quickly? it seemed pretty hot, so just an idea).
Then I made a makeshift funnel out of parchment paper, wrapped the wicks around skewers to keep them in place, and poured it in!
One thing I noticed with the first batch is that it takes a LOT of fragrance to actually smell like anything when you burn it. So I doubled the amount I used for the remaining batches and it seemed good. I don't have any measurements but I'd estimate ~3oz of oil for 1lb of wax.
Also I will put a bunch of parchment paper or something down next time, because I made a complete mess while scooping and dripped wax all over my counters. Had to come back with a razor blade when it dried :)
Overall it was really fun and relaxing, and I only used about half of my supplies! Making the labels was also cathartic.
So all the candles pictured (including the two huge ones in the back!) cost about $15 to make.
They burn relatively evenly, but I do get a bit of unevenness like you said, especially with ones where I used more oil. They dry pretty smoothly though.

It's a quick project, but gathering natural items (rocks, leaves, twigs, live bugs, etc) and then placing them on solar paper for a few minutes can make a neat artwork.

It's especially fun to find a live bug, and set it on the paper. If it's slow enough to go its merry way, it will leave a trail, which can look cool along with the other stuff.


Also, crayon resist watercolor. You can use regular crayons for bright colors, or just plain wax crayons (like for jewelry setting) to draw. Then using watercolors, paint over the drawing. This can be a lot of fun to do themes - like underwater (kelp, fish, shells) with watercolors in blues/greens. Space with stars, planets, galaxies with dark watercolors (can mix it up with black, blue, purple, etc.)

What about buying some cheap small boxes that look like bakery-type boxes instead, to go with the food theme? You could probably even make boxes if you feel capable.

You can find all kinds of cute small boxes for pretty cheap. Check amazon, ebay, probably other places too.

Gable boxes, boxes with a lid, matchbox-style boxes, clear plastic boxes, etc. Might even be cheaper/the same price as buying tissue and ribbon.

I like these for miniature polymer clay foods, maybe a pretty bit of ribbon it a boy on the top, with your tag attached. Could be a cute theme.

"Order For: __"

"Care Of: ___"

Like a delivery slip or something.

If your heart is set on the tissue, I don't think it would cause any problems once the clay is baked, just make sure the tissue doesn't get wet or chafe against the sculpture a lot.

For a child, you definitely want a clasp that breaks away easily to keep the necklace from becoming a choking hazard. Maybe that is why the ones at the store break so easily? I personally have not used the magnetic clasps, but that seems like it would be a good idea as long as you are sure she will not try to swallow these if she does end up breaking the necklace.

I personally like elastic string/thread or stretchy string for younger children as it can be pulled a fair amount before it breaks. Using a breakaway clasp should limit the possibility that it will break. You should be able to buy something like this in any craft store and in a variety of thicknesses to match the beads. You may want to skip the adult jewelry/bead area and head to the children's section first to see what craft materials they have available that are more age appropriate.

My concern regarding the beads would again be the choking hazard, so you might forego the beads for now and when she is old enough, let her string her own beaded necklace. Some places do sell large, wooden block-type beads that may be big enough to not fit in her mouth, but I am not sure how comfortable it would be for regular use.

This bead lace looks pretty sturdy: http://www.michaels.com/easy-beads-bead-lace-assorted-colors/10105013.html#q=beads&start=19

Here's an example of stretch cord: http://www.michaels.com/10205861.html#q=beads&start=21

Here's an example of the large wooden beads: http://www.amazon.com/Constructive-Playthings-Large-Wooden-Colored/dp/B0035Y7BIW

And finally, here's just some simple plastic beads that are sold in lots of sets for kids: http://www.michaels.com/creatology-bead-sample-pack-tropical-hearts/10187167.html

Hopefully someone with more experience can chime in. Otherwise, I'd be happy to try to help answer any other questions you may have.

I believe the flower might have to be dried before you can put it in resin (I could be entirely wrong but I've never seen it done with a fresh flower?) I'd get a silicone mold (usually find these in the baking section or order online) and of course the resin. Your flower sounds pretty big so you might want to trim or take that into consideration when looking for a mold. Maybe something like this would be ideal? https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00IVWEZRS/ref=cm_sw_r_awd_n9PTub1M3H3S0

You pour a little resin in and wait a few hours for it to harden so when you set your piece in it doesn't sink, then set the piece facing down or on its side as the bottom will be the top when you're finished. Pour more resin over it carefully just to cover it. Wait a few more hours for that to dry and pour a final layer.


That's how it go about it. Hopefully that helps or gives you an idea. Just make sure to have (non latex) gloves, well ventilated area and a mask when working with the resin.

If she is into Mircomacrame get her a Macrameboard. For me this was the best thing ever -- it helps really alot (while working, storing unfinished stuff to work on later, for spacing etc.).

Macrame Board on Amazon

I would also vote for a nice pattern book and maybe some beads (althogh maybe rather a voucher to go bead shopping, because its more fun picking them out oneself).

Also some chord to start with, maybe different materials like hemp, nylon, satin, waxed chord in different diameters. (I personally only do micromacrame and like waxed chord the most because its easy to losen the knots when you did something wrong and want to correct it... this happend to me alot when i started).

And last but not least, if your household does not possess this already: good siccors to cut the chord; pins to secure the work (mostly micro macrame); wodden rings, sticks etc. to attach the work to.

I hope she has fun with macrame its truely a wonderful craft =)

You sound like my girlfriend. More sleep is lost to crafting than anything else. She also does a lot of stuff with wine/liquor bottles. This bottle cutting tool is awesome and there's all kinds of neat things to make. She primarily makes the self watering planters and luminaries (cuts the bottom off and sits it on top of a votive candle). Although some of the stuff she makes requires more expensive power tools. She has an ETSY store called Mino'aka Studios. You may be able to get a couple of ideas from there.

We love the idea of craft trading as well. If you're interested you should reach out to her on ETSY. She knows about my redditing "problem" so just mention we talked on here. I'm more into woodworking, but she's the crafting genius. I'm sure she'd love to talk to you about that.

That's funny, we have a lot of Nov/Dec birthdays as well...including mine. I can sympathize. The crafting really ramps up once the weather cools off and with the holidays approaching.

I bet now you don't feel so bad about rambling, huh? I tend to go on and on as well.

Super Sculpey-Firm is really-really firm, so you might want to start with Super Sculpey-Medium (or some proportion of SS + SS-Firm you create at home), or with another brand/line of polymer clay altogether.

===========================

If you want info about the various "neutral-colored polymer clays sold in bulk and often 'for sculpting then painting over'", I've written about those over in a Facebook polymer clay group. I'll copy those in here:

...Well, for sure I wouldn't recommend original-plain Sculpey unless all its disadvantages won't matter...e.g., it's the most brittle line of polymer clay in any thin or projecting areas after baking, although the cheapest by volume, but there are other disadvantages too.

Several other lines will be brittle like that too, though not quite as bad, all under the Sculpey/Polyform brand:
regular Super Sculpey, Sculpey III, Craftsmart, Bakeshop.

The neutral-colored polymer clays sold in bulk sizes often sold "for sculpting, then painting later" are listed below:

(opaque:)
...Sculpto-Firm polymer clay (by Van Aken)
...Super Sculpey-Medium
...Super Sculpey-Firm
(...original plain Sculpey, a brittle one mentioned above)

(usually at least somewhat translucent:)
...Cernit Doll (the most colors, I think)
...Fimo Professional Doll Art (some colors translucent, some opaque)
...Prosculpt
...Living Doll
(...regular Super Sculpey, a brittle one mentioned above)

Many lines of polymer clay can also be purchased in larger bricks (cheaper by volume than same color in the smaller bars).
Online most colors each line offers will be available (e.g. Premo, Kato Polyclay, Cernit, Fimo Professional, Fimo Soft).
In retail craft and art supply stores, you might also be able to find some of those larger bricks, but only in white, black or brown.


AND

Here are some of the other skin-colored polymer clays (that are sold in larger sizes)...some of the pics show raw clay though rather than how the clay would look after curing:

Fimo Doll Art:
https://www.google.com/images?q=polymer+clay+skin+colors+Fimo+Doll+Art

Cernit Doll Clay:
https://www.google.com/images?q=polymer+clay+skin+colors+Cernit+Doll+Clay

ProSculpt:
https://www.google.com/images?q=polymer+clay+Prosculpt

Sculpey's "Living Doll":
https://www.google.com/images?q=polymer+clay+Sculpey+Living+Doll

(regular) Super Sculpey:
https://www.google.com/images?q=polymer+clay+Super+Sculpey+-Firm+-Medium

Sculpto Firm:
https://www.amazon.com/Sculpto-CEC15117-FIRM-Polyclay-Beige/dp/B01FWG8YAO (click on the 2 pics of sculpts on the upper right to see sculpted examples)

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If you want info about the pre-colored polymer clays instead though, check out my previous comment here at Reddit:

https://www.reddit.com/r/polymerclay/comments/9uk8c2/i_need_suggestions_on_good_clay_brands/e96dxdr

I went to amazon and ordered these lights and this adaptor. I haven't gotten them in yet, but I'll let you know what I think of them when they do. They seem pretty straight forward but you never know with these kind of things haha.

As for preference of white vs warm (yellow), I used christmas lights and a white fluorescent lamp as different backlighting to see which I liked more. I picked the white because I felt it had a more mysterious/ night time feel (just my opinion haha), but all the Hari and Deepti ones use yellow light so it's all up to personal preference. Post pictures of yours when you finish! I'd love to see how it turns out! :)

Do you mean needle felting? If so, yes! It's super simple. In the past few weeks I've taught a few tween and teen girls how to needle felt, and they've gone on to make very cute, very creative things. It's more like sculpture than anything else, and it's a strangely therapeutic craft.

To start needle felting from scratch, I recommend buying a simple kit that includes a needle, a foam mat, a pattern, and the felt for that project. I started with this one for less than $10. After that, you can look for project tutorials on youtube or pinterest. You'll just need to buy the felt, which you can do on Amazon or Etsy, and you can reuse the needle and foam mat from your original set.

It's lots of fun. I hope you like it!

Oh wow haha that's a big bouquet you're making. The girl in the blog didn't use a collar but if you go to Hobby Lobby or Michaels (maybe Joanne's) try looking at their selection, see what you like, and just start sticking dowels in there that will fill nicely. (Keep in mind if you plan to cover them with ribbon/fabric to think about whether you're going to need a smaller dowel so that it'll still fit inside the collar's opening). I would personally just find a broom or something and chop the end off :P But I'm cheap like that.

The main thing is to make sure to get a collar big enough to handle the foam ball which will handle the flowers. Think about weight and what not.
So let's see....if you're planning to use a 8" I would get one of these: 8" tulle(6 pack) or 9" lace(this one looks perfect but lace is a preference)

Hi Everyone OP here. This project is something I wanted to do for years but I wanted it done right. I'm not super skilled in the DIY area so I wanted to make this process as simple as possible and I think I accomplished that! Feel free to post any questions about this and I will respond as quickly as possible. However, here are the very high level steps outline below.

How to Make a Framed Corkboard Map
1.Purchase corkboard, map, and map pins from Amazon or somewhere else
2.Unscrew corkboard frame
3.Tape map every 2 to 3 inches to the corkboard on all four sides
Note: Start at the top, and then move clockwise.
4.Place frame back on corkboard. Be careful not to snag the map
Note: This process may take a little finesse and time. For me it was easier to put the top and bottom on first the fit the sides.
5.Screw the corner brackets back in
6.Apply pins as you wish!

Edit: formatting
Edit2: links

These are a great start for learning the techniques and process. I finished them a while back and was able to puzzle out what stitches are best. You only really need to know how to straight stitch, whip stitch, and satin stitch. French knots are helpful. Get a chopstick for stuffing and you are good!

I’m currently working on this kit and when done, am planning on making my own patterns. The kits have very sturdy patterns and very easy to do. They only take a few hours if you are a moderate to good hand sewer.

I meant to include my instructions earlier but didn't have time. I started with just a regular cardboard box, the thickness I wanted the final piñata to be. Then traced a ninja outline on it, based on some cookie cutters we have, so it was familiar in shape. To be sure the front & back were identical, I cut the front out first, folded the sides in half, and traced directly on the back panel.


It was just cut out with scissors, but leaving the side panels whole. That allowed me to use masking tape to fold the side panels into the ninja outline I had cut out. Wherever there was a lengthy gap (like along the inside of the legs) I just cut another panel the same width (i.e.depth) as the rest of it and taped into place. I left one half of the head untaped so it could be filled. Btw, since we have some food allergic kids coming, it's mostly filled with dollar-store toys, stickers, and balls. The only candy is a few ring pops. :-)

I used one layer of papier mâché along the seams and all surfaces, so it could be easily painted (easy recipe! 1c. flour, 1c. water, 1tsp salt; dip strips of newspaper in & stick! Allow to dry thoroughly).



The hanger needed to be strong, so I clipped the bottom off a wire hanger, bent it into shape (same size as the depth of the piñata), then poked it through the top of the head, secured it with tape and ran a bead of glue down the length of each arm.

Once the papier mâché dried, I gave it a coat of black acrylic paint, glued on a few strips of crepe paper streamers just for that piñata effect, and painted on the eye slit, eyes, and hand. Oh, and the sword (my son's favorite part!) is just a paper towel tube, flattened, with a layer of aluminum foil glued to the surface!

Hope these weren't TOO detailed. Let me know if you have questions!

TLDR: ninja is an old cardboard box, taped into shape with a single layer of papier mâché, then painted. Hung by a wire hanger.

I did some online searching for stencils and Amazon turned out to be the most useful. I bought it on there (and it took 30 days to be delivered) but that wasn't an issue for me because I've been planning this wall since before we moved in. Other stencils on amazon are available quicker but it depends on the seller. I can give you the link to the stencil I used: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004493NZW/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 Looks like it's currently on sale but it was still very inexpensive when I bought it at like $7.50

The black paint is Behr paint and primer in one and the color is Black Suede. I got that at Home Depot. The gold paint I got at AC Moore and the Brand is Liquitex Basics in Gold. I got the 4 oz tubes, they're $3-4 each and I needed 3 of them. This gave me enough to do the stencil 28 times (my wall is 12' x 8') and I have a little less than half a tube left over for touch ups or other projects.

The last piece of advice I can give is be patient. This took me 4 days to do. I painted the wall black day one and stenciled the next three days. It took about an hour to clean the stencil each time, it kills your arms and back to be up on the ladder and/or painting over your head and you have to go slowly and hold the stencil down in place where you're working to make sure it doesn't bleed under. There were SO MANY times I wanted to just be like whatever and just get a roller and go over it and be like it's done but I knew it wasn't going to look good and what's the point if you've already put so much time in. Doing this wall was a bear but the end result is worth it.

Also our walls (and ceilings) are all crooked so I didn't measure out where the stencils would be placed. It was all eyeballed. That also eats a ton of time, putting the stencil up where you think it should go and then readjusting it 2, 3 or 24 times until it looks right.

Thanks! I am eventually going to remake him but for now I like him well enough. And my son likes it so that's the important part. Haha. As for the eyes. They are called safety eyes. I used to buy them at hobby lobby in the doll parts section but now I buy from amazon https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01KKG0XJQ/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_kYEKzb690WNRS