Crafting Secrets

Get a Step-by-Step Guide for Craft Projects For Any Age And Ability, Made EASY 101 Easy Craft Project Ideas.. -Let me know how you like it.

www.mycraftstore.com Christmas is here! Steph makes some fantastic christmas crackers to decorate the table for Christmas dinner. For all the products you need to make this project head to www.mycraftstore.com

Christmas art quilt patterns are great heirlooms, but don’t be overwhelmed by the project. Just keep these tips in mind, whether piecing a Christmas art quilt pattern or appliquing one.

First, select simple art. Maybe your first Christmas art quilt pattern design shouldn’t be an intricate nativity scene. Try starting first with a Christmas tree.

A Christmas art quilt pattern that centers on a Christmas tree can be very simple or more intricate, depending on your skill level. It could be as easy as stitching a large green print triangle for the evergreen and a small rectangle for the trunk.

Use your computer’s clip art collection – or your favorite online clip art – for design inspiration. Once you find the Christmas art you want to use for your quilt pattern, print it out and you’ll have your Christmas art.

Once you’ve selected your Christmas art, quilt pattern selection is next. Will you appliqu?our Christmas art one large 12-inch squares or incorporate it into another pattern, like a nine patch? Maybe you’ll choose to appliqu?our Christmas art onto a large panel in the center of your quilt and border with several blocks of your favorite quilt pattern. It’s up to you!

Maybe the Christmas art you want to incorporate into a quilt pattern is a family photo from Christmas past. What an exciting way to create a family favorite!

There are a couple of ways to get your photo onto the quilt. I recommend putting the photo on a quilt block prior to piecing. In case something goes awry in the transfer process, it’s much easier to cut another block than to create a whole other quilt!

Photo transferring is easy. The transfer paper is available at most craft stores. If you’ll be printing the photo on darker fabric, make sure to get transfer paper especially formulated for dark fabric. Follow the directions included to create your photo Christmas art quilt pattern.

Another method of transferring photos is through direct to fabric digital printing. It will cost a little more than doing the transfer yourself, but the water-based ink goes straight into the fibers of your cotton fabric. The photo will be soft to the touch because it actually becomes part of the fabric.

Digital printing has long life, which is important if you plan to use the quilt and will need to wash it frequently. Some photo transfers do not last through multiple washings. Call area t-shirt printers to ask if they offer digital garment printing services. Most are screen printers so you’ll have to ask for a digital direct to garment printer that does not use sublimation. Wording your question that way should help you weed through to find a good photo printer for your Christmas art quilt pattern.

If you’re not interested in appliqu?there are several quilt patterns that have Christmas trees, bells, or wreaths pieced into the design. Choosing one of these traditional Christmas quilt patterns would be an easy way to create a holiday family heirloom.

If you chose to piece a Christmas art quilt pattern like that, appliqu?ouldn’t be necessary. To add your own flair to the traditional pieced tree pattern, you could embellish the trees with buttons, iron on rhinestones, rick-rack garland, etc.

Once you have completed your Christmas art quilt pattern, don’t forget to sign and date the quilt. Use a fabric marker to sign your name and date the quilt. You may also choose to use simple embroidery to stitch your name and date into the quilt. Remember, your creation won’t be complete without your name and the date on which it was completed!

Christmas is among the best feasts of the year for your kids. In order to turn this feast into a real enjoyable activity, you simply have to teach your kids some uncomplicated Christmas crafts projects, so that the celebration is full of joy for you and for them!

As soon as a child helps you choose what the Christmas-projects will be, everything will flow just fine, because kids have better imagination than adults! However, have in mind that preschoolers typically need to be helped and guided, but that will be better, because you will have to assist in smaller crafts projects, right? As an example, you will only add sprinklings in addition to the styles of Christmas trees or adhesive ribbons on the wreaths.

Moreover, children who have already attended school, show the tendency of being more creative and will typically construct all crafts projects on their own. As usual, parents organize parties for smaller children with their neighbor’s kids. However, you have to consider that even older children, just about the age of nine, really enjoy socializing with other children at their age. Therefore, if you have kids at this age, you may perhaps want to organize a Christmas-craft meeting together with your kid’s friends or neighbors.

One of the additional extras for the Christmas-projects may be a customized Xmas card. Everything you actually need would be a piece of cellophane, a constructing paper list, and a few extra materials for the designing style of the card. When you start, you need to assist your kid fold the cellophane and the construction paper to the required size.

So, now just let them design the card in the means they need and offer them basic materials like crayons or colored markers. If you wish to give them some inspiration, show some typical Xmas characters, such as Santa Claus, snowmen, the Rudolph deer, Xmas-trees etc.

As soon as you have completed these Christmas crafts projects, help your kids write his or her Xmas-message that they would like inside the Christmas card. In conclusion, that way, your kids will be ready to take these cards to the post and to send letters to the family and their friends!

I have a confession to make: Christmas presents for children make me nervous. It’s not because I don’t adore spoiling my own children, but so often other people get it wrong.

Do I sound like an ungrateful brat? Let me explain. Nine times out of ten, instead of a well-designed, age-appropriate kids’ toy, my children are inundated with junk.

Bead sets that are marked ‘for age 10-plus’ – my daughter is five – weapons that wouldn’t look out of place in the armed forces and soft-toys based on cartoon characters. Never mind the children, no wonder parents occasionally lose their minds over kids’ toys.

Call me old fashioned, but my ethos is simple. Source beautifully crafted kids’ toys that aren’t just one-hit wonders. Anyone can spend a tenner on the latest TV must-have, but wouldn’t it be nicer to invest in illustrated books or finger puppets that are unisex and great for a child’s imagination?

Even if you choose the cartoon they actually like, they probably already have the duvet/ lunch-box/ plastic figures. If not, they won’t care, or – gasp – will have cared, but six months ago and will now think you’re treating them like a baby. Believe me, in planet child there’s not much worse than that.

The most successful Christmas presents for children look gorgeous and come with guaranteed longevity. My daughter’s jewellery box with a wind-up dancing clown is played with every night before she goes to bed, unlike the plastic handbag that snapped in two the second she put her treasures inside it.

My son plays endlessly with his wooden fort, hiding everything from wooden knights to toy cars inside. Like the music box, it also looks good in his bedroom – and most mums will admit this is important too.

My advice is to go for the best example of the classic Christmas presents for children you can find, or dare to be different. Traditional blocks, a pull-along hand-painted animal, a china tea-set or play tent, wrapped simply in brown-paper and tied with a coloured ribbon will look far cooler than the army of flashing chunks of plastic kids’ toys given by almost everyone else. Wouldn’t you be happy if your birthday presents lasted a lifetime?

About the Author
Grace Saunders, author of the Fabulous Mum’s Handbook, was writing on behalf of The Handpicked Collection, a website and catalogue featuring a selection of unique gift ideas.

Next to birthdays, Christmas is one of the most important event of the year for children. Therefore, you should take some time to find out what the popular Christmas toys for 2009. We will tell you how to give your child a merry holiday in this article.

Interactive Games allow your children to have fun playing as they learn. They are a combination of a video game and interactive entertainment.  The Wii and Xbox 360 are great gaming consoles that are popular this year.  They have a lot of fun games that can be enjoyed by both the kids and the entire family.

There are Arts and Crafts kits that go far beyond those your child may have received when they were younger; today’s options include kits to create a stuffed animal by using a computer and printer. These kits require minimal space, and the design process lets the child maximize their creativity. Another idea for a daughter is a candy jewelry set that she can use to make some tasty accessories.

Educational Toys also encourage learning and that’s something that a lot of parents are looking for in toys. Parents should always search for methods to increase their child’s knowledge. Toy manufacturers realize this and respond by producing many educational products.

As in the past, the popular Christmas toys for 2009 will greatly depend on what your child is interested in. Be sure to check your son or daughter’s wish list before you go shopping for their toys. The toy you choose doesn’t have to be the most expensive, but it should be one that he or she will use and enjoy.

Do you want to give some unique Christmas gifts this year, but don’t want to spend a lot of money?  You can find gifts that are both cheap and thoughtful.  Here are ten easy ideas for inexpensive holiday gifts that are sure to please.

1. Fun, trendy watch.  You can buy watches in all shapes and colors from around $8 to $20 at discount department stores and flea markets.  Include a note in the box that says something like, “I always enjoy our time together”.  If giving this to a teacher, you could thank them for all the “time” they’ve spent teaching your child.

2. Mini recipe book of your favorite recipes.  Buy a small, inexpensive photo album that holds one 4 x 6 photo per page (usually just a dollar or two at craft stores).  Print, type or write your recipes onto 4 x 6 recipe cards and insert in the sleeves meant for photos. After you’ve made the first set, make multiple photocopies of all the recipe cards.  That way you can easily make more personal recipe books for other people this year or anytime.

3. Gourmet chocolate pretzels.  These sell in specialty stores for $20 for around a dozen large pretzel rods.  But you can make your own homemade version for a fraction of the cost.  All you need is the pretzels, chocolate melts (most craft stores have these for under $2 a bag), and optional things like chopped nuts, mini chips or sprinkles.  Simply melt the chocolate, dip the pretzels rods until about half of the pretzel is covered, then roll in the toppings and let them set upside down in a cup.

4. Handmade framed name print.  Research the meaning of the person’s name from a baby naming website. Use your computer graphics or word processing program to type his or her name in large letters in a nice font.  Put the meaning of their name in smaller letters under the name. Print it on pretty background paper, such as 8 1/2 x 11 scrapbook paper from a craft store.  Trim to fit a small frame purchased from a discount department store or dollar store.

5. Night at the movies. You can make this inexpensive by just picking up a $5 gift card for a movie rental and a box of microwave popcorn.  Or you can make it a bigger gift by adding a large bowl for the popcorn, a gift card for multiple rentals, and perhaps some DVDs. 

6. Flashlight that doesn’t need batteries.  This is a very practical gift that almost anyone can use.  Depending on the model, you either shake the flashlight or wind it up.  They really work and you never have to worry about dead batteries. The price range is between $10 and $20.

7. Photo ornament.  You can find these in all kinds of stores, some are quite inexpensive and look like little holiday photo frames.  Just insert a photo of your friend, their pet or children and you’ve got a very personalized gift.

8. Custom gift card from you.  If you’re short on cash, but not on sentiment, you can print a gift card that promises babysitting, a car wash, running errands, lessons, etc.  If you love to bake, but don’t have time around the holidays, give a gift card redeemable for your specialty in January.

9. Personalized giant candy bar.  This one is so easy.  Buy a big Hershey bar and replace the outer wrapper with your custom wrapper.  You can print one of the many free Christmas chocolate bar wrappers found on the internet.  Some of them even have places for you to put a photo and your own words.  Or make it yourself by tracing the original wrapper and cutting it out from nice holiday paper.  Then just tape or glue in place.

10. Personalized magnet, button, key ring or pocket mirror. For just a couple of dollars, this one of a kind little gift can’t be beat.  There are companies on the internet that will put any funny or inspiration quote or your own message on one of their products.  Whatever the person’s hobby, interest, or job, there is a saying or quotation out there that would be perfect for them.

A thoughtful Christmas gift doesn’t have to cost a lot of money or require hours of searching through crowded malls.  All that is needed is your big heart and imagination.