Posts Tagged ‘fun’
New Year: Moving Foward in 2013
Today is sort of like Wordless Wednesday, but how about Thoughtful Tuesday. This year, we ride together…
Dimensions Felt Applique Stocking Kit Giveaway
Two weeks until Christmas. I imagine lots of scurrying, baking, wrapping. That’s me. No matter what I do, there’s always something else I want to get done, another project, another DIY gift – which brings me to this. This stocking is so cute! And I can’t wait to pull this together with my daughter… a little gift for our newest niece who will be spending Christmas with us.
Love that the kit comes with presorted thread, die-cut felt and a needle. It almost goes without saying that there are easy-to-follow instructions.
Would you like to give these stockings a home?
Two readers will be chosen at random to receive one stocking kit. Just follow below and do leave a comment. Let me know which stocking kit is calling your name… however, no promises if the two of you like the same one. I know, I know, so difficult. This is a quick raffle so I can mail out the kit as soon as the giveaway is over. Of course, after I verify winners. Good luck!!
**UPDATE** If you would prefer NOT to enter through Rafflecopter, just e-mail me at jtiu(at)comcast(dot)net with “Stocking Kit” in the subject line. Good luck!
Tags: applique, Christmas, crafting, crafts, felt, fun, gifts, holiday, stockings
Making Bottle Cap Magnets: a Mini-Tutorial
Last week my daughter and I were having fun on Election Night. Here’s the long version of what we were up to. I only call this a mini-tutorial because there’s not a whole lot of science that goes into this. You can make all sorts of miniature art using regular bottle caps… clearly, you can see how much we’ve been holding onto. Stores carry blank bottle caps and bottle cap kits for art and jewelry, too. We gathered all sorts of supplies like sequins, confetti, rhinestones, glitter, scraps of cardstock and patterned paper, newspaper, glue, Mod Podge and magnets.
Just glue and stick your doo-dads… recycle cards, even newspaper ads! They all start to look like potential mini-magnets. (It’s probably easier cutting out circles with a round punch, but I went old school and used my engineering compass.)
While your art is drying, it’s a good idea to weigh them down if the paper starts curling up. Just use a little plastic wrap and coins or, if you’re nerdy like me, little scale weights.
We let our bottle caps dry overnight, then added some Mod Podge dimensional magic to get them glossy and pretty. Glue your magnets and you’re done! You could package a little set as a gift or party favor… I really like this tutorial on glass magnets for packaging.
Tags: bottle cap art, bottle caps, crafting, crafts, fun, kids, recycled
Wordless Wednesday: Bottle Cap Magnets
Mini-tutorial coming soon…
Collection of Bottle Caps for Crafting
Use magazine or newspaper cut outs for Bottle Cap Magnets
Bottle Cap Magnets: Decoupage medium drying
Election Night Crafting results
Tags: bottle cap art, bottle caps, crafting, crafts, fun, gifts, kids, magnet, magnets, recycled
Craft Book Review: The Star Wars Craft Book
The Star Wars Craft Book | project-in-progress
“Dedicated to Geeky Craftsters everywhere. May the glue gun be with you!”
I received The Star Wars Craft Book by Bonnie Burton (Del Rey, 2011, 156 pgs.) as a Christmas gift last year. Galactic ideas here. Clever projects use material you can probably find around your house, and if not, they aren’t too pricey. Like usual, I devoured the book and earmarked some projects, (like this R2-D2 beanie!), but only recently started my first project.
If only I knew how to crochet…
I found the book tone very casual unlike a Martha Stewart craft book – very precise. That’s not a bad or good thing… just an observation. The patterns for all the projects are located at the back of the book and online (if you don’t want to cut up your book, or need to copy and enlarge the patterns).
Jar Jar in-progress
My son asked me for Jar Jar Binks Jedi Mind Trick Doll. Not my first choice. My husband asked him if he might like some other project: the Bith Band puppets, a Bantha… maybe Han Solo in Soaponite. Nope.
“Jar Jar. Because he’s cute.”
One issue with the Jar Jar project material list: red felt is missing. You need it for Jar Jar’s tongue. The directions are easy to follow, but the directions fail to include a step for the arms. They are included in the pattern.
So as of this post, the project is in-progress. Since I didn’t have any felt on hand, I decided to use what I had: cotton and some flannel. I always seem to drift away from patterns (craft apron), directions (t-shirt quilt) and recommended materials. They’re just suggestions, right?
I’ll post the finished project as an update… and, would this book be a welcome addition to the Geek Crafter in your life? Yes, yes it would. It’s fun for the whole family, it’s fun if you’re a Star Wars fan… just plain fun!
Tags: book review, books, craft book, crafting, crafts, fun, gifts
Rice Krispie Sushi Recipe Tutorial
These are more like instructions rather than a recipe since you’re not going to cook a thing! We served these at a party where kids and grown-ups gave us great feedback about the rice krispie sushi. This might be something fun to do for a kids (heck, for adults, too) birthday party, a potluck? If you gave up sweets for Lent, this is a sugary way to break your fast.
What You Need
One batch of prepared Rice Krispie treats
Cooking spray (like Pam)
Candy: Swedish Fish, Fruit Roll-ups (fruit leather, preferably dark in color), cake decoration sprinkles
For the Nigiri (hand-rolled) Sushi
Spray or coat your hands lightly with cooking oil. Butter, magarine works okay too. Create an oblong mound of rice krispies in the palm of your hand. Top with a Swedish fish and wrap with a thin strip of cut fruit leather.
For the Maki (rolled) Sushi :: inside-out roll featured in first picture
This one is a little trickier. Make sure your hands are well coated. Using your hands or a rolling pin, you will need to press or roll the rice krispie treats to a thin thickness. 1/4″ – 1/3″ inch should work. Swedish Fish in a row along one end of your prepared rice krispie treat. Roll the end of the rice krispie treat up and over the candy fish until they are covered.
(I have to say, at this point, we forgot to add strips of fruit roll-up for the “seaweed”. Lay down some fruit roll-ups before the Swedish fish. You can see it better in the very first picture of this post.)
Trim away from the remainder of the rice krispie treat. Shake some sprinkles on the roll (like sesame seeds), and using a sharp, buttered knife, cut into circles – like you would cut cookies.
For regular maki
You’re going to follow similar directions as above, but save your strips of fruit leather, and roll it around the rice krispie treat after you’ve cut them into shapes.
If you attempt to make these, I love to hear how it turns out! Share your pics and links! Enjoy…
Tags: cooking, crafting, eating, fun, kids, recipe, sushi, tutorials
