April 5th, 2009
This is a great craft to get everyone involved with. It is a little time consuming but will create a unique and lasting Easter season decoration.
What you need:
Instructions:
- First, paint the Pysanky and toilet paper rolls using the acrylic paint. If you do a little planning in advance you can ensure there will be a good mix of colors.
- Next, unravel the wire coat hanger and bend it into a circle keeping the ‘hook’ part intact.
- Once the toilet paper rolls are dry, pierce each one completely through about one inch from an edge. Using an X-acto Knife
for the piercing will ensure the hole will allow the coat hanger to pass but stay tight.
- Slide each toilet paper roll onto the wire coat hanger making sure you are alternating colors.
- Fasten the wire coat hanger’s loose end to the ‘hook’ part.
- Using hot glue, attach the Pysanky over the ends of the toilet paper rolls in following the inside of the circle.
- Finally, decorate the hook area the hanger with the ribbon making a bow.
Hang the wreath up and enjoy.
Tags: Easter Decoration, Painting
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March 31st, 2009
This craft was extremely fun for the kids.
Here is your supply list:
- Sheets of Card Stock
- Acrylic Paint Set
- Paint Brushes
- Tongue Depressors
- Small Clay Pots
- Floral Foam
- Scissors
- Craft Glue or Hot Glue
- Pictures of Kids
Instructions:
Have the kids place their hands on the Card Stock and trace them with a pencil. Cut the traced hands out with scissors. Once the hands are cut out give each kid their hands plus two tongue depressors and a clay pot. Have the kids paint their traced hands, tongue depressors and clay pot with the acrylic paint however the please. The paint may need a couple hours to dry. While the paint is drying get a medium sized round glass and the pictures of the kids. Place the glass over the part of the picture you wish to cut out and trace it with a pencil. Now use scissors to cut the circle out of the picture.
When the paint is dry you can assemble the pieces. Using glue or two sided tape fasten the palms of the hands together ensuring you have a nice pocket in the middle where the photo will show. Glue the “hand flower” to one of the tongue depressors. Cut the second tongue depressor in half and glue each to the “stem” depressor so the rounded ends are pointing up and out. Shape a piece of the floral foam so it fits the clay pot and is about 3/4 from the top of the pot. When the glue is dry press the “stem and leaves” into the foam until it is stable. Use two sided tape to fasten the circle picture cutout to the center of the hand flower. You can top off the decoration by gluing polished stones or gluing some Spanish Moss
inside the pot to cover the floral foam.
Tags: Kids, Painting
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March 28th, 2009
Crafting is a dangerous hobby. Depending on what sort of crafting you do you could develop carpal tunnel, strained eyes or even lacerations. To ensure your body continues to function optimally when crafting make sure you stay safe. Neglecting your safety may end up leading to long layoffs from the craft you love to do.
A Magnifier Floor Lamp
is an essential tool for any craftsman/craftswoman. Whether you work with tiny beads for jewelry or do intricate sowing these lights keep your eyes from straining to see the work you are doing. We use magnifying lamps in our craft room and while we do not always have them on, when we feel ourselves getting “bug-eyed” or strained simply turning the lamp and using the magnification helps our eyes feel better. These lights come in desktop, desk clamp and floor models depending on the space you have available. We have the floor model as it is easier to move around from one area to another.
Carpal Tunnel is a serious issue for for people that do crafts. If left unchecked it can eventually end your crafting enjoyment. Working with small pieces or doing repetitive tasks can cause inflammation in your tendons which will cause pain. Therapeutic Gloves
could offer support and/or make existing pain and cramping less annoying. In addition to offering support some gloves are made to exert pressure around the hand to encourage circulation reducing fatigue and increasing sensation.
Another way to reduce the chance of carpal tunnel is to use tools that are more ergonomically shaped. Tools like Fiskars Softouch Scissors
or Fiskars Rotary Cutter
offer a larger area to manipulate the tool which in turn reduces the chance that you will be stuck doing a painful repetitive task. If you have that old pair of scissors that you dread using because of the pain, we recommend trying out the Fiskars Softouch Scissors.
One thing to keep in mind is that you are doing these crafts for your enjoyment. Taking time to sit back, stretch and rest periodically will do wonders for your body and your creativity. During your little break be sure to move your head around stretching out your neck muscles. Open and close your hands to work out any cramps and get blood flowing into your fingers. Stand up and go for a walk to stretch your legs. The goal of all of this is to keep you crafting for a very very long time.
Tags: Craft Products, Craft Safety
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March 25th, 2009
Easter time is fast approaching and everyone is getting their decorations together.
- Download the PDF of our bunny and duck cutouts.
- Color them using crayons, markers or watercolors
- Cut them out and display them.
Our kids had a blast with this Easter craft. We taped a thin ribbon to the back of the character and hung it from our window sills. You could also use the Bunnies and Ducks to make an Easter wreath or bouquet. Great decorations for Easter parties and get togethers.
Tags: Kids, Painting
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March 21st, 2009
This weekend get 15% OFF all our bead jewelry at Beads and Quilts. We have great prices on bead necklaces, bracelets and earrings. With prom and Spring weddings just around the corner make sure you pick up jewelry that will complete your outfit. All of our items are made from quality semi precious stones and crystals.
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March 18th, 2009
This purse is fun to make and offers enough room for all the things a little girl could want to carry around. The purse we made uses Dora themed fabric.
Materials:
- ½ yard of fabric
- Thread
- Butterfly Buttons
- Ruffle (optional)
- Fusible Fabric
Step 1
Cut 2 pieces ~ 16 inches by 18 inches.
Cut 1 piece ~ 1 ½ inches by 24 inches.
Cut 1 piece ~ 7 inches by 1 inch
Cut fusible fabric 1 inch by 24 inches.
Step 2
Press ¼ inch across top and bottom of large pieces (along 16 inch edges).
With right sides facing together, sew sides of rectangles together (along 18 inch edges). Press seams and turn right side out.
Step 3
Open the two rectangles. Take the bottom edge of the fabric and fold it up inside to meet the top edge of the fabric. Their will now be two rectangles for the front and two for the back adjoined at either side. Sew across the bottom edge of the fabric, joining all rectangles.
Step 4
Press the bottom corners of the purse to form a 90 degree angle with the bottom seam running diagonally into the corner. Measure 1 inch from the corner and sew a straight line perpendicular to the bottom seam. Repeat with second corner. Turn purse right side out.
Step 5
Press ¼ inch along both long sides of the 24 inch long fabric. Iron on fusible fabric. Press ruffle on top of fusible fabric. Sew down both edges of ruffle (1/8 inch from edges).
Step 6
Sew ends of handles to inside ends of the purse lining. Sew along top edge of purse (1/8 inch from top edge).
Step 7
Find the center of the top edge of the purse. Fold one pleat (1 ¼ inch) on each side of the center. Sew pleats along the top edge. Repeat for the other side of the purse.
Step 8
Press 3/8 of an inch along both long edges of 7 inch long fabric. Fold in half (wrong sides facing together). Press and sew along edge (1/8 inch from edge). Fold fabric in half forming a loop and place ¼ inch over the top edge of the purse on top of the pleat. Sew in place.
Step 9
Sew butterfly buttons on top of each pleat near the top edge of the purse. One of the bottoms will be sewn directly over top of the ends of the loop.
Tags: Kids, Sowing
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March 5th, 2009
When you think of St. Patrick’s day you think of pots of gold, shamrocks and leprechauns. This holiday craft uses items you can find around the house to create a cute St. Patrick’s Day Leprechaun that can be hung, or easily turned into a refrigerator magnet.
Materials:
Step 1
Print leprechaun template. Child can color this template however they like.
Step 2
Cut out pieces by following the dotted lines.
Step 3
Cut toilet paper/paper towel roll to fit leprechaun body. Use glue stick to glue the hat to the tab on the head. Glue the head inside the top front of the toilet paper/paper towel roll. Glue the body around the roll. Then glue the arms and legs onto the body in desired positions.
Step 4
Glue thread or string onto hat for hanging the leprechaun. OR Stick magnet to the back of the leprechaun for hanging on the fridge.
Tags: Kids, Painting
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February 27th, 2009
We have been busy busy busy making new products for our freshly launched store. Beads and Quilts will be adding two new seasonal bunnies that look enchanting. They really will go well with your Easter decorations. Each seasonal bunny is dressed using unique fabrics and colors.
Also in the works are a number of baby quilts that would be excellent gifts for Spring babies. Each quilt is hand designed and constructed with quality fabrics from around the Pennsylvania area. Sue and Kathy have been putting a lot of time into making these quilts look fantastic.
As update to our quality we will be including a mini-silver polishing cloth with our sterling silver jewelry. When you purchase any of our bead jewelry that has sterling silver chain or components you will get this mini-silver polishing cloth to keep the natural tarnish of the sterling silver at bay.
Tags: Jewelry, Product Update, Seasonal Crafts
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February 19th, 2009
Known for it’s consistent application in Indian made jewelry turquoise has been used for thousands of years. As one of the oldest known minerals it was mined and used to decorate Egyptian, Chinese and Aztec jewelry. Turquoise is believed to have mystical qualities. It was used to take away bad energy, summon spirits, heal numerous ailments and enhance confidence. The turquoise stone is said to also cleanse poisons in your system. Some people even believe that it can bring friends closer together by opening channels for love to flow.
Most turquoise used in jewelry today has some form of treatment done on it to enhance the color of the stones. A wax may be applied to the stone giving it a shiny look and feel. Some turquoise stones are dyed to give a different color or bring out elements within the stone.
See some examples of turquoise jewelry: Blue Turquoise Necklace | Green Turquoise 5 Strand Necklace | Turquoise Dangle Earrings
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February 16th, 2009
Going through a few of our items you will see a semi-common stone bead called “Agate”. Agate stones generally form within cavities inside volcanic rocks. The available colors can be white, grey, light blue, orange, red and black. Depending on how the actual agate bead is created from the raw stone there may be a sort of “banding” in the bead. This banding is created by a chemical reaction that happened long ago in layers as the stone was being created by nature.
The Agate beads we have today are cut in a variety of shapes and sizes from round to flat, oval to cubed and many in between. The agate beads can be extremely versatile and applicable in many jewelry designs due to its many colors and shapes.
There are some mystical properties give to agate stones that include its ability to heal both emotionally and physically, to give courage and to increase ones concentration.
See Example Jewelry: Carnelian and Red Agate Necklace | Carnelian and Fire Agate Necklace | Red Agate and Jasper Bracelet
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