Image: Eyelets ETc

Here are the details of the contest:

We’re giving away an eyelet assortment pack from Eyelets Etc. right here on this blog.

If you caught my “Tips & Tricks” column in the August issue of Creating Keepsakes, you know that I shared an easy organization solution for eyelets, using bitty boxes and grommets. Well, the colorful eyelets we used in that magazine project are looking for a home, and it could very well be yours.

Here’s how to enter:

Leave me a comment, stating your favorite thing to do with eyelets between now and Sunday, July 19. From the comments received, we’ll randomly select a lucky winner. The winning name will be posted on the “Giveaways” tab (at the top of this blog) on Monday, July 20, so please check back to see if you’re a winner.

I love eyelets. I love brads…they’re two of my favorite embellishments!

To enter the contest, go to Creating Keepsake blog.

Post from: Blisstree

Contest: Win Some Eyelets

Image: Flickr - Bebe Beaux

1. Give the kids their own scrapbook album to work on. It’s a nice touch for the kids to have an album that they can call their own. I gave one to my daughter and even now at 12, she proudly shows off her scrapbook layouts to friends and family

2. I followed the scrapbookers’ golden rule that everything must be acid-free and all that. They were way too expensive so I gave my daughter either generic brands of acid-free scrapbook papers, embellishments, adhesives and the like. I didn’t give her the expensive ones that I use as like I said, they were way too expensive for kids to use!

3. Make copies of photos that your kids wish to use. Do not give them the original copies of photos. I am talking about photos BEFORE the arrival of digital prints in the scene. I didn’t want my daughter to lay her hands on original photos that she has to be careful with. I wanted her to be able to use any of the photos with ease. I also wanted to be able to relax so I let her choose the photos she wanted to work on and I copied them from the negatives.

What about you? Have you got other tips for scrapbooking with children?

Post from: Blisstree

3 Tips for Scrapbooking with Children

Image: sxc.hu

Should I plan something representing our life, either a quilt or mixed media collage?  The more I think of it, the more it seems a possibility.

What should I include?  Where will I research?

• Photos from engagement and wedding
• Reminiscenses of Jim’s years as an Air Force pilot and me a military wife.
• Owning airplanes and Jim’s cross-country trip in a bi-plane
• The arrival of our daughter and her growing up years
• Pack trips to the Gros Ventre Mountains of Wyoming with her
• Beth’s marriage
• The arrival of our grandchildren
• My mother’s Alzheimer’s years and our family involvement with her journey
• My recovery from a broken back after an accident
• Bits from my writing and quilting careers
• Our years now and what we’re looking forward to

What would you quilt or sketch for your life? You don’t have to be our age.  You can use your growing up years, school years, marriage, children’s youth, travels, careers.  Take singular events or compile them into a collage of  many adventures.

Have you done this already?

Post from: Blisstree

Can You Quilt or Collage Your Life?

This lovely one from jewelry designer Catherine Michiels features three gold charms strung on a length of variegated silk ribbon - and retails for $220 US.

It’s beautiful, but of course, I like the challenge of making something myself - especially for a piece of jewelry that’s a tad beyond my budget.

My local jewelry supply store has some very similar silk ribbon - it even comes in variegated colors too.  I could also cut thin strips of duppioni silk, zig-zag the edges and use that.  Hey, I could even hit the local scrapbooking section in the craft store - I’ve seen some pretty ribbons in there too…

image: Saks 5th Avenue

Post from: Blisstree

Pretty Silk Ribbon Jewelry

• Do you need an easy and cute summer blouse?  Check out this great how-to from Clever Girl - it uses a 2nd hand shirt to make a feminine camisole.
• I can’t stand having hair on the back of my neck during the summer - so this dandy little fabric bun maker from Ikat Bag might be a good option to try.

• Ever wanted to sew your own lingerie?  Isew.Co.Uk has a great tutorial for making a pretty pair with lace.
• And of course, then you need somewhere nice to store them :-)  Check out CraftStylish’s great quilted lingerie bag tute.

Happy Crafting!

image: C Findlay-Harder

Post from: Blisstree

Crafting Around the Web

Recently I found that Photojojo has listed it as one of the 10 online photography magazines we love.  It is listed first, which I’m not sure means it’s the absolute favorite or not.  But guess what…it does mean that there are nine more online magazines for you to check out there.  Plus some runners up!

Post from: Blisstree

Online photography magazines

Image: sxc.hu

Is there one correct way?  I’d think not.  It probably depends on your personality and your wares.  I’ve participated in fairs when I operated a quiltmaking business and found my booth also would vary depending on the location, the audience, and what I had to offer.

I found an interesting article at Crafts and Arts Life by Ian Kleine that gives this author’s positive reaction to an artisan’s simplicity in booth decoration and her quiet, friendly manner.  You might find a few tips you can apply to your displays and still fit with your personality.

Some people attract a crowd with drama and color; others find customers like reserve, simplicity, and quiet.

What is your style?  Share with us what you find successful.

Post from: Blisstree

Setting Up a Booth at a Crafts Fair

Image: Art Glitter

Qualified entries will:

Send us three examples of your work (an additional close up picture is optional), to the email link below. We are looking for all types of styles, particularly in the indie, jewelry, three-dimensional, fabric, recycled and fine arts categories. Of course will still love paper arts, but try to portray your skills in a new and unusual way.

Name, address, phone number and any links that showcase your work.

We are looking for designers who are passionate about Art Glitter products and will Spread the Sparkle with whom they can. You must be committed to submitting all entries on time and willing to abide by our writing guidelines. Selected designers will be requried to sign and return Art Glitter’s terms and conditions form.

Designers must live in the Contential United States.

Entries must be recieved by August 9th, 2009.

Designer Services:

Designer will submit at least two blog entries per month for the months of September, October and November 2009. Please send a short bio and link information as soon as possible for advance advertising, (include a portrait photo if desired). First entry of month will be submitted no later than the 25th day of the previous month and the second entry will be submitted no later than the 10th of the month.

Designer shall also enter same entry on their blog along with a link to Art Glitter’s blog and/or website.

Completed design must clearly portray Art Glitter products. If competing products are used or mentioned, product compensation will not be provided. Products used that do not compete with Art Glitter brands are acceptable.

Photos must accompany all projects. Glitter is difficult to photograph. Try some shots indoors with and without lights, as well as outdoors in sunlight and in shade to find your best representation. Be mindful of busy backgrounds when shooting your project. A close up photo is always helpful in showing glitter. However out of focus/poor quality photos will not be used. Most cameras have a “close up” mode that will help in these situations.

Designer Compensation:

Art Glitter product compensation is $25 per month in retail value for services completed.

ArtGlitterBlog will also supply a link to Designer’s blog during time of service.

Designer will recieve a permanent space with bio and links on our “Guest Designers” page on www.artglitter.com.

Designer grants Art Glitter the right to place submitted work on ArtGlitterBlog. Art Glitter reserves the right to change any copy that misleads or incorrectly uses its products upon written notice to Designer. Art Glitter will also use a thumbnail photo of each project to place on “Guest Designers” page on www.artglitter.com as a representation of Designer’s work while associated with Art Glitter.

Designer retains all copyrights to projects, tutorials, artwork or photos submitted to Art Glitter. Any use of projects, tutorial, or images outside of the blog and “Guest Designer” page will be requested for in writing. Any projects created for Art Glitter and used for articles elsewhere by Designer must credit Art Glitter in their list of materials. A copy of Art Glitter’s Designer Endorsement Program will be provided upon request.

Note: All images can be captured when placed on a web site. If you have a concern with copyright or creative ownership, know that Art Institute Glitter, Inc., is not responsible for any work or ideas that might be copied. Our site is protected with a copyright notice at the bottom of each page. It states that any use of content is prohibited without expressed, written permission from us. This copyright includes your project. Enforcement of this copyright is no guarantee of protection of your work.

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Art Glitter Guest Designer Call

In fact, most quilts shops now have an extensive selection of very pricey batik prints to choose from!

But why is batik so expensive?

Well, for one thing - it can be a very labor-intensive process.  The dye and wax must be layered on for each color, which takes time to do, set and cure.  The fabric is usually quite a high-thread count quilting cotton as well, which adds to the price.

But you can also make your own batik fabric as well…

I’ve made my own batik prints using a commercially-available batik medium (from my local fabric store).  It doesn’t give the same control as the traditional wax, but for a simple hand-painted design it works nicely.

You can also batik with soy wax, Elmer’s glue or go with the traditional method, used to make the batik pillow shown here.

image: HGTV

Post from: Blisstree

DIY Batik

Votives are one of the easiest kinds of molded candles to make and they have a great deal of charm. The normal votive will burn for approximately 15 hours and will consume just about all of the wax that was used to create it.

Image: istockphoto

A properly crafted votive will liquefy to some degree as it burns. This is necessary to achieve good scent discharge. Votives are not intended to be free standing candles. It is important to burn votives only in a proper holder that is intended for votives.

What you will need:

• Wax suitable for votive candles
• fragrance oil
• dye
• wicks suitable for votives
• Metal votive molds
• Mold release spray (silicone spray)
• Pouring pot (seamless aluminum melting and pouring pot)

1. Prepare your molten wax mixture.

Before continuing, set up a double boiler to melt your wax. A good target temperature for votives is 175 degrees F. Once your wax has completely melted, add any additives you have selected and mix thoroughly, but try to avoid instituting air into the mixture. Add in the following order:

• Fragrance Oil
• Dye (this is done last so that you get visual confirmation that everything else has mixed well with the wax)

Before pouring your wax, you may want to lightly coat your molds with a very thin film of mold-release agent such as silicone spray or a Pam-type cooking spray. This helps aid the release of the finished candle from the mold. However, it is really only needed with new molds.

2. Votives: Initial Wax Pour

Place your votive molds on a newspaper-lined surface to catch any spills. With your wax at the proper pouring temperature (about 175 degrees F), fill your votive molds all the way to the lip of the mold. The objective here is to get the wax just up to the lip without over flowing. If you pour lower than the lip, you may get seam lines in your finished candle. Care should be taken to minimize the number of bubbles introduced while pouring.

Save about 20% of your wax for the re-pour at a later step. Do not return it to the heat source.

3. Add Pre-tabbed Wicks.

Wait for your wax to cool for a short period of time. While it is cooling, prepare your wicks by straightening them. They don’t need to be perfectly straight.

Once the wax just begins to congeal, insert your pre-tabbed wicks. The tab will “stick” to the bottom when it touches. Be careful to position the tab approximately in the center of the mold.

Once the tab has stuck to the base of the mold, it is very easy to manipulate the wick to straighten it. Sometimes you may wish to wait a few moments to allow the metal tab to form a stronger bond with the base of the mold before attempting to straighten the wick.

During the cooling process, the shrinking wax may pull the wick off-center. If this occurs, simply apply a light tug to straighten the wick from time to time. Do not use too much force, it may free the metal tab from the base.

Allow your wax to cool completely before proceeding. This may take 3-4 hours.

4. Votives: Re-pour Wax

When the wax has completely cooled, it will have shrunken a bit, leaving a sink hole that needs to be filled. Melt down the wax that you saved from step 2 above. This time, your target pouring temperature will be 10-15 degrees hotter than the initial pour (pour at about 190 deg. F for this step). This increased temperature is to help the adhesion between layers.

Once your wax is at the proper temperature, fill the molds to a level just slightly above the lip of the mold. Be careful to avoid spills.

Allow your candles to completely cool.

5. Molded Candle Instructions: Remove The Votive from Mold

Once your votives are completely cool, remove them from the mold. They will usually slide right out without any difficulty if they are completely cool.

If they are difficult to remove from the molds, place them in the freezer for about 5 minutes. This will usually do the trick.

Also, for very stubborn candles, it sometimes helps to gently press the sides of the mold inward as you “roll” the mold in the palms of your hands.

6. Molded Candle Instructions: Votives: Enjoy

Always burn votives in a votive holder. Remember that they are not intended to be free-standing candles and they will liquefy.

Never leave burning candles unattended.

Kathy Zengolewicz is an author, ghostwriter, editor and proofreader. To learn more about Kathy and her services, visit her website at kathyzengolewicz.com.

Post from: Blisstree

How To Make Votive Candles