Getting Crafty

Tip 2 - Dipping Your Sugar Cookies

This is one of the easiest and most fun techniques for children. It can be a little bit messy but what’s the fun of making cookies with kids if there is no mess at all?

One again your take some of your royal icing and thin it down. I like to do this with shallow disposable bowls. Trust me, you’ll thank me when you’re tired and it’s time for cleaning up. Take about a quarter cup to a third a cup of icing, add in your colors and then water, just a drop at a time until your icing is just a little thinner than corn syrup. I like to color all my icing before starting so you’re all ready to go and don’t have to keep stopping to color more icing. For Christmas cookies I recommend red, green & white at a minimum. If you’re doing snowflakes then pale blue is nice and for variety you may like yellow for stars and perhaps a darker blue.

Take your cookie and just dip it into your color. Lift it out, give it a little shake to get rid of the excess and then flip it over and give it another little shake to help it settle and smooth it out. Set it down, icing side up, on wax or parchment paper. At this point you can sprinkle it with sanding sugars, dragée, sprinkles or any other toppings you like and then leave them alone to dry. Here are some cookies I made using this method:

You can make cool swirly patterns by dropping tiny dots of colored icing onto other colors and gently swirling the colors together using a toothpick. This is a technique kids never get tired of and yet it still makes adults go ooooh and ahhh.

Obviously, you don’t have to ice your sugar cookies but they sure are pretty when you do and if you’re going to make them for gifts then I’d highly recommend you take the time to ice them.

Penny’s Royal Icing

6 Tablespoons water
3 Tablespoons meringue powder (half this in very hot weather)
3.5 Cups powdered sugar, sifted.

• Put water in mixing bowl. Add all other ingredients.
• Put the mixing speed on low. Mix ingredients untill they form a thick frosting. Depending on the freshness of the sugar, you may need to add additional water. The frosting at this point should resembel thick cookie glaze.
• When the icing is smooth, put the mixer on it’s highest setting an process until the icing goes from shiny to dull and will stand in stiff peaks.

Note: After you make the icing, keep it covered with a damp cloth at all times (including when you have tinted it and put it into the pastry bags) or it will crust over. This icing is not a “keeper”. It does not have a long shelf-life so make just as much as you need for the day of decorating.

There are many techniques for icing your cookies. Here are a few common ones:

* Flood filling, where you outline your cookie and then fill in the outlined areas.
* Dipping, where you dip cookies in thinned royal icing
* Painting, where you paint on your royal icing, or paint over dried royal icing.

Whichever method you use just remember to have fun and not put too much pressure on yourself. As I told my niece, no matter how messy your cookies come out they are still cookies and they will get eaten!

Well Hilary Duff is at it again, this time she’s dipping her fingers into the craft industry.

You heard that right: Hilary Duff, singer, actress, the face of a perfume, and designer of the clothing line Stuff by Hilary Duff, has a new line with Michaels, one of the largest craft store chains in North America (and the chain that is currently carrying Martha Stewart’s exclusive line).

I haven’t yet stopped by my local Michaels to see Hilary’s collection, but the images on the Michaels site are sure to please your favourite tween. The idea behind this new line is to provide girls with charms and iron on patches among other things to add to fitted t-shirts, cell phone cases bags, jewelry, and more, which are all also part of the collection. Black and silver seem to be the dominant colours, with some jewel tones (purple and turquoise) to them.

If you’d like a bit more convincing before heading to your nearest Michaels, check out the following:

See the official introduction to her new line by Michaess here
Watch Hilary’s introduction video here
Tune in here for craft ideas using items from her line

Hilary Duff, Stuff by Duff, celebrities

Are you looking for a craft that can be used to keep fit? Allow me to introduce you to hooping!

Hooping is a sport that adults everywhere are taking up. I look at it as the new bellydancing. It’s like the hula hooping of your youth, stepped up quite a few notches: you use an adult size hoop (that reaches anywhere from your chest to your belly button, and the hoops are heavier than the ones sold for children; they are generally made of pvc.

After some pleading, my coworker made me my own hoop using pvc tubing, some bungee cord and connectors. It is collapsible:

You can make non-collapsible hoops too–they are a bit harder to transport but they can be slung across your body just fine:

The timing of this craft idea couldn’t be better: World Hoop Day was last Sunday and you now have nearly an entire year to make some hoops and perfect your skills before July 7 rolls around (get it?) again (assuming this is an annual celebration).

If you would like to make your own hoop, there is only one site to consult: Jason Unbound. His site has easy to follow instructions and the tutorial is illustrated too!

Make some hoops for the whole family, learn some tricks and stay fit! The only difficulty, depending where you live, will be finding the materials you need!

Happy hoop making and hooping!

hoop, hooping, hula hoop, hoola hoop

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At last, I’m finally posting the tutorial for how you can make your own very basic scoubi keyring.

I apologize in advance if the pictures aren’t helpful. Hopefully the words will help explain any tricky bits.

Without any further delay, here we go:

Obtain a keyring and two 3-4 feet lengths of scoubi lacing (or gimp). Contrasting colours look quite nice.

Tie one of the lacings around the keyring (here I have tied the red one) and slip the other piece of lacing through, allowing an equal amount of lacing on each side.

Selecting one colour (here I chose red again), making two loops going in opposite directions (one looped toward you, and one away from you) and hold the loops in place with your finger.

Using the end of the second colour on the left hand side, weave this end over the loop to its right, and under the loop furthest away.

Using the end of the second colour on the right hand side, weave this end over the first loop to its left, and under the loop furthest away.

Pull all four ends tight. I usually grab two ends, each of a different colour, and pull, then pull each individually.

Repeat.

And repeat.

When the desired length is reached, make a double knot with each colour. The result is your very own keychain!

scoubi keychain, scoubi keyring, gimp keyring, gimp keychain, scoubidou, scoubidous, gimp lacing, gimp

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I know I promised you a tutorial but camera issues (the issue being I don’t have enough hands to both demonstrate and photograph the demonstration) have prevented me from posting it.

Never fear, it will be posted by the end of the week!

In the meantime, check out some of the neat things you can make with scoubis:

Alphabet keyrings
Funny faces
Key chains, zipper pulls, necklaces and more (I also discovered that this plastic lacing is called boondoggle too!)

Denise in New Zealand recently sent me an article about a young entrepreneur who is making a name for herself with her handmade luggage tags. These tags, which she calls ’scoobies’, are made from colourful plastic that is looped and plaited. A metal charm finishes off each tag.

I was able to find some of the plastic lacing in a local store:

Tomorrow, we’ll look at some techniques with these plastic laces, called scoubidous (it is also known as ‘gimp’ in North America). In the meantime, check out Yoarra for instructions on the many different ways that scoubi lacing can be knotted, and check out the flickr photoset of a talented scoubi manipulator for inspiration!

children’s crafts, crafts for kids, scoubi, scoubidou, plastic, plastic lace

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When I was a child, there was a television show that had a segment where a crafty man would go around the neighbourhood on his bicycle and rescue things put in the garbage and turn them into interesting crafts.

Snippets of the jingle that accompanied his segment went something like this:

There was an artist one day
Who said “We all throw away
so much trash it will soon reach the sky!”
He thought ‘Now I’ll do my part
recycle junk into art, and maybe then the garbage won’t be so high’

Recycle cycle
Coming down the road
Recycle cycle
Your recyle code’s
To find a treasure
Thrown into a bin
Recycle cycle
And use it over again!

While I can’t say I used many recyclables for crafts back when I was young (I stuck to mostly paper crafts), I can say that I was made more aware of the need to think of alternate uses of things before throwing them away. If you have children especially, the following items are worth washing out and keeping for crafts:

• empty tin cans (perfect for decorating to make a pencil cup/holder, a container to wrap gifts in, a musical instrument)
• single serving yogurt cups (can be painted and decorated and used as mini planting pots, or filled with lentils, sealed securely and voila: homemade maracas!)
• popsicle sticks (why buy them when you can save them! These are handy for spreading glue or stirring paint, or can be used along with glue to create structures)
• empty kleenex boxes (one of the main faces of the box can be cut out and a diorama can be created within, or the box can be decorated on the outside and used as a piggy bank)
• store catalogues (great for collages)
• fabric scraps (can be used to make doll clothing, to decorate cards or scrapbooks, be sewn to make small bean bags for games).

What household recyclables do you collect for crafting?

recycle, recycled crafts, reusing household things, sew, tin can

I stumbled across the neatest little craft yesterday and I just had to try it. Check out this paper wallet:

(Instructions can be found at the Instructables site here)

This wallet is made from one sheet of A4 or 8.5 inches by 11 inches paper. Thirteen snips of the scissors and two pieces of tape later and that is what you end up with! There are two pockets for credit cards and a section for dollar bills.

This is a nice craft for older kids (age 10+ in my opinion) and takes about five minutes to make. You can make a new one daily or hourly to match your clothing choices. If you want to pretty up the closure and make it look less like a billfold, you could incorporate a ribbon closure that wraps around a brad, or use eyelets and tie a pretty piece of ribbon through it.

The only thing missing is a coin purse section!

Edited to add: I’m now obsessed and making them for everyone and anyone:

Stationed in a window or up against a door this winter, these charming homemade draft blockers will help keep indoor temperatures up and fuel bills down — provided they don’t get coaxed off the job for a playdate, that is. Both are simply fashioned from a pair of tights and filled with rice, which makes them posable enough to tuck tightly into nooks and corners. CRAFT MATERIALS:
HEAT-SAVING SNAKE
1 pair striped women’s tights
Uncooked rice (ours took a full 5-pound bag)
Needle and thread
Fabric glue
Felt
Googly eyes
Scissors
DOGGY IN THE WINDOW
1 pair women’s tights
Uncooked rice
Needle and thread
Fabric glue
Felt
Googly eyes
Scissors
Paper clips
Button
Old belt or bracelet

Time needed: About 2 to 3 Hours
1. HEAT-SAVING SNAKE: Cut off one leg from a pair of striped women’s tights and fill it with rice (ours took a full 5-pound bag). An easy, spillproof method is to use a plastic cup with the bottom cut out for a funnel (A).

2. Pinch the open end of the leg into itself to form a tapered snake tail and stitch it closed (B).

3. Glue on googly eyes. Lastly, sew on a felt tongue, using the same technique described for attaching the dog’s ears (see step F for Doggy in the Window, below).

4. DOGGY IN THE WINDOW: Cut one leg from a pair of women’s tights and fill it with rice. Leave enough room to tie the open end into a tight knot (C).

5. For a tail, apply fabric glue across the base of a felt triangle (ours was about 2 1/2 inches wide and 7 inches tall) and sandwich it around the knot (D).

6. Apply more glue to the sides and then fold the felt in half. Secure the tail with paper clips until the glue dries (E).

7. Glue on googly eyes. Attach felt ears by draping each one over the head, as shown, and then sewing the base in place (F). This way, when you flop the ear down, the stitching won’t show.

8. For the finishing touches, sew on felt feet and a button nose (we used a triangular shank button). Then use your hands to shape the nose and body. Don’t forget a collar: an old belt trimmed to fit, or even a bracelet.
www.familyfun.com

Filled with favorite photos, this is just the present for a relative or special family friend, particularly one your family sees less often than you’d like. CRAFT MATERIALS:
Assorted photos
Craft knife
4-ply and 2-ply rag board (sold at art supply stores)
26-inch-long piece of ribbon
Colored paper
Glue stick

Time needed: Under 1 Hour
1. Choose seven favorites from a stack of family photos.

2. Use a craft knife to cut two 5- by 6 1/2-inch rectangles from the 4-ply rag board for the book covers. For the inner pages, cut one 5- by 39-inch rectangle from the 2-ply rag board. Lightly mark 6 1/2-inch increments along the long edges of the 2-ply rag board, and accordion-fold the sheet at those marks Use a ruler edge to press the folds into sharp creases.

3. Lay the ribbon on a tabletop and center the folded rag board on top so that the side with three creases is on the left and lines up with the midpoint of the ribbon Apply glue to the top of the folded rag board. Then lay the left side of the ribbon over the glued page and top with one of the book covers, pressing firmly until well stuck. Flip over the book and use the same method to attach the right side of the ribbon and the back cover.

4. Now, cut the colored paper into seven 4- by 5 1/2-inch rectangles. Glue one onto the center of each page and the front cover. Then glue the photos onto the colored paper. Finally, print the year on the front cover.

Tips:
Open the album into a full circle, tie the ribbon binding into a bow and it’s ready to display on an end table or dresser.

www.familyfun.com

Easy Craft Ideas for Little Ones

1. Hand made Christmas tree. This is especially a good project for the whole family and is a great door decoration.

What you will need:
1. Green construction paper
2. Pencil
3. White construction paper
4. Elmer’s glue
5. Safety scissors
6. Lots of hands….
First you will need to have everyone trace their hands on the green paper and cut them out, you will need to do several copies as these will be the branches of the tree. Start with the bottom of the tree and lay out a row of handprints with fingers pointing downward, glue together then lay another row on top of that in the same manner but a little smaller then the bottom row. You want to give the effect of a tree so the rows will be layer with each one being smaller then the last. Of course the top of the tree will be just one handprint. Next take the white paper and draw ornaments and a star for your tree, have the kids color them and cut them out. The last step would be to decorate the tree and hang on the door.
2. Hand Made Wreath -This is along the same lines as the tree as it is also made with handprint cutouts.
What you will need:
1. Green Construction paper
2. Pencil
3. Safety scissors
4. White construction paper
5. Elmer’s glue
6. Lots of hands….
First you will need to have everyone trace their hands on the green paper and cur them out, you well need to do a few copies so you can make the wreath look full. Glue them together to form a circle, making sure that you place the handprints in different directions (this will give the wreath a better look). Next you will want to make a few decorations for the wreath out of the white paper and have the kids color them and cut them out. Glue it all together and let dry. Hang on wall or door for all to enjoy!!

Please check back for the kids craft idea for the day!

Easy Craft Ideas, kids craft

Yes the holidays are upon us and it is that time of year again where we get to venture out in the mad world and fight people off the sales racks in hopes to get the one great deal for that special Christmas present. Well I may just have the ultimate solution for your shopping troubles.

Most often we all get caught up in our lives and forget to take time to really enjoy the good things. If you have children then you have all you need to do your shopping for family and friends. Kids love to slow down the pace, and become Picasso. They truly LOVE doing arts and crafts. They love to show their creativity in something homemade from their heart, and they love the sparkle in your eye when you look at that special little gift they made all on their own, just for you.

So why not utilize your little Picasso? Some of the best presents, are ones from the heart, made by the hands of your son or daughter, grandson or granddaughter, niece or nephew, well you get the picture. The ideas are limitless! With a few things from around the house you can have a homemade picture frame with a picture of the artist inside of it, or you can have a great t-shirt with little handprints on it saying “Best grandma! Hands Down!�? These are treasure your family and friends will keep for a lifetime.

I still find myself looking back on the things I saved that my niece made me when she was little. She is now 23! And the best mothers day gift I have ever received was a homemade flower vase (small water bottle covered with pink tissue paper) filled with homemade flowers (tissue paper for the petals and green pipe cleaner for the stems). It sits on the mantle, been up there for years, and I still look at it every day.

Yes these truly are the best gifts to give for the holidays. These little handmade treasures will be sure to warm the heart and put a smile on someone’s face for years to come.

So check out some of the crafting ideas on these pages to see what you can create for the holidays!

holidays, Christmas present, crafting ideas