Thursday, 6 June 2013

Father's Day Gift: Typography Printable Glasses

Make and wear these geeky typography glasses on Father’s Day – wouldn’t it just be a great way for kids to show their love?! I’m sure you have other geeky items to borrow from dad’s wardrobe to complete the look. ^ ^
The blank template can be used for any color you like, but everyone loves this classic black geek glasses look. Red or neon color glasses will look cool as well!



Step 1. Print the template and cut it out. Trace it onto a sturdy cardboard of your favorite color. Cut the lines carefully with a craft knife.
Step 2. Fold the tabs and glue on the arms.

That’s it!

You can also fold them and pop them into an envelope with a message (a little tag with a message tied on) to use as a Father’s Day card.



Not feeling crafty? Check our Father's Day Gift Guide!


Wednesday, 5 June 2013

Handpainted Summer Sneakers

A beautiful and super fun craft to do with your kid!













Materials:
- Paint Smock
- Craft Paint
- Mugs
- White Canvas Sneakers
- Sharpie
- Paint Brushes

Steps:
-Add the paint to mugs and then watered them down a little bit.
-Put a paint brush in each color so there is no mixing of brushes in different colors.
-When they dry, color a part of them black with a sharpie. 
-Add polka dots if you want.

Of course you can add your personal touch or inspire from the following:















Happy Painting! :)

Monday, 3 June 2013

How to Price your Handmade Products

price_handmade

Handmade products take a lot of time and effort to produce. In order to make them worth it, you'll have to do some budgeting to decide how much you can sell them for. Consider the following steps to decide a price for your handmade products.

1. Research the demand for the product.

The price of the handmade item that you are selling is very dependent on how high the demand is for the product. Take the time to figure out the popularity of the item by visiting local retailers as well as online stores to get a sense of what is out there. Note how much these products are going for at different places to give yourself a starting point.

2. Keep track of your man hours.

Handmade products can generally be sold for more than commercially made items due to the amount of man hours that are put into each item. Identify how long it takes you, on average, to make each item and adjust the price accordingly.

3. Consider material costs.

There are some items you buy once and can use for many homemade products. There are others, though, that you will buy to be used once for each item you make that should be incorporated into the final price of the item. The materials you use over and over will be absorbed into the overall costs of your handmade product business.

4. Remember to allow for a profit.

Yes, account for the time you put into the product and the material costs, but don't forget to make some money. Although it should be within reason, the idea is that you will profit from each item sold rather than just breaking even. In the beginning, you may just break even, but that's because you had to invest a lot of money to get your sales off of the ground. Once you break even, though, you should make something on top of the given costs of each item.

5. Factor in shipping, transportation and other overhead costs.

If you have a storefront, don't forget to budget in your monthly rent. Online sellers will have to factor in shipping and web site maintenance costs. And, if you are going to do in-home parties to sell your homemade products, remember to take into account your transportation costs.

source: wikihow.com
image source: pulpsushi.typepad.com









Thursday, 30 May 2013

Summer Dessert Recipe: Caramel and Vanilla Flan

This flan is of the creme caramel variety. It couldn't be easier to make. Nice sweet but light-on-the-stomach dessert.


Ingredients

Serves: 8

Caramel base:
-200g caster sugar
-3 tablespoons of water
Flan mixture:
-1 (397g) tin evaporated milk
-milk
-4 eggs
-4 teaspoons vanilla extract
-4 tablespoons caster sugar

Preparation method

Prep: 20 min | Cook: 1 hour 15 mins | Extra time: 1 hour, chilling

1. Preheat the oven to 180 C / Gas 4.
2. In a pan over a low to medium heat, mix the 200g sugar with the water. Let the sugar caramelise until it becomes a golden brown colour.
3. Pour into a flan or baking dish, ensuring it covers every part of the bottom of dish. Leave aside to cool and harden.
4. In a measuring jug, pour in the tin of evaporated milk. Add regular milk to the evaporated so that the mixture comes to 600ml (1 pint) of milk altogether. Heat the mixture in the microwave for three minutes.
5. Remove from microwave and beat in the four eggs, mix in the sugar and vanilla. Whisk well.
6. Strain it into the dish with the caramel (we strain it so that the egg bits do not go through).
7. Place the oven dish in another dish or tin filled with warm water. This is so that while the dessert cooks the caramel can melt.
8. Leave to cook in preheated oven for about 1 hour. Check with knife. The dessert shouldn't be runny, but not hard either.
9. When cooked, remove from oven and leave to cool for a bit. Then cover it with cling film or foil, and leave it to chill in fridge.
10. To serve: Once cool, run a knife round the edges and turn it over onto a tray. Slice into pieces and serve cold. The syrup may be poured over it as well when serving.

Tuesday, 28 May 2013

Coolest Father's Day: Personalised Keychain Tutorial

With Father’s Day right around the corner, We’ve been thinking about easy-to-make gifts for Dads. This one is really funny and can be personalized with photos of your family members. Using a Shrinky Dink Kit, we turned Moses and Roman into miniature pins and keychains.

Materials: 
-Shrinky Dink Kit
-Photo of Your Child
-Super Glue
-Tie Tack Backings
-Keychain Key Rings

Step 1: Size the photos on your computer.  You want it to be about 200% bigger than the size you’d like your Shrinky Dink to be.
Step 2: Print the images directly onto the plastic Shrinky Dink sheets.
Step 3: Cut out the images. Leave a little bit of paper at the top to punch a hole through for the keychains.
Step 4: Preheat your oven to 325 degrees.
Step 5: Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and lay out your Shrinky Dinks.
Step 6: Bake for 3-5 minutes.
Step 7: Let cool.
Step 8: Super glue on the tie tack backings and attach the key rings.



Not feeling crafty? Check our Father's Day Gift Guide!

Monday, 27 May 2013

4 Beautiful DIY Coasters

Whether you are a coffee drinker or a beer drinker, having a good coaster is necessary to prevent watermarks from forming on your table. How about making your own fabulous DIY drink coasters?

1. Tile Photo Coasters
Perfect for any special holiday, a set of these tile photo coasters will cost less than $5 to make. The square tiles from your local home goods store makes this DIY a unique way to showcase your favorite Hipstamatic and Instagram snaps. All you need is some Mod Podge and a bit of felt to complete this fun project. Stack and wrap the finished photo coasters with a ribbon, and you've got the perfect gift for someone special. These coasters are so cute, you'll probably end up making another set for yourself.
Read here for the directions.

2. Stamped Tile Coasters
These stamped coasters are so simple and inexpensive to make! You can grab the materials from your local home improvement store and put together a set in no time  Add some to a food or drink basket for your mom or grandmother. And make a set for yourself, too! 
Read here for the directions.

3. Bamboo Coasters
This is the easiest DIY project ever! These coasters are great for indoor as well as outdoor use. The quality of material used makes it easy to clean with just a wet wipe. With the minimum chances of getting damaged and low cost! Who won’t want to create coasters like these.
Read here for the directions.

4. Chalkboard Coasters

Chalkboard Coasters would be so cute for impromptu games of Tic Tac Toe or assigning drinks at a cocktail party! Or if you’re serving up a signature cocktail or spiked punch for an upcoming party, you could label your coasters with the name of your drink so people know what they’re enjoying. Or write little messages for guests! Really, the possibilities are kind of endless and that’s why I love them. Bonus – they are inexpensive and crazy simple to make.
Read here for the directions.

Happy Crafting :)





Friday, 24 May 2013

Twisted Headband Tutorial


Update your hairdrobe with this beautiful velvet elastic headband! It's easier than you think to create it with this great tutorial we found on ohsoprettythediaries.com .


To create this headband, here is what you need to do:
1. Gather your supplies- Velvet elastic (22 inches), Embroidery String and Baker's Twine.
2. Cut your elastic to at least 22 inches. Cut your string and twine you about 5 feet. This may seem long but you will need a lot of string. Tie a knot in the two strings and tape it to the back of the elastic. Wrap the tape all the way around the elastic.
3. Tape the group down to your table, velvet facing upward and strings underneath.
4. Cross the string over-top the elastic.
5. Cross the strings underneath the elastic.
6. Cross the strings back on top of the elastic and cross them again. After you do that twice, cross the string underneath the elastic again. Repeat steps 4-6 over and over until you reach the end of the elastic.
7. Tie a knot in the two strings at the end.
8. Take the tape off the first end of the elastic and tie the two ends off elastic together. We kept some of the elastic hanging out of the knot. Trim the elastic to be the same length and trim off any string that is hanging out of the knot.

Happy Crafting! :)

Thursday, 23 May 2013

10 Reasons to Start a Craft Blog if you Sell Online!

source: ukcraftblog.com

Are you still unsure whether to start a craft blog! You won't be after you read this!


  1. Promote your shop for free!
  2. Focus your ideas - write it down for everyone to see, this really makes you think hard about each descision.
  3. Motivation - having people eager to see what you do next helps you get on with it!  
  4. Display more detailed information, images and background for your craft work than can be displayed in an online 'market place'.
  5. Become part of a 'crafting community' - make some like minded online friends through commenting on and following each others blog posts.
  6. Feedback - recieving feedback from fellow crafters or potential customers can be enormously rewarding.
  7. Increase your confidence by writing about yourself and your crafts. The confidence you gain through blogging could be really useful in other 'real-life' situations like craft fairs.
  8. A blog  is much easier to promote than the static pages of a website as the content is dynamic and can be designed to attract a target market.
  9. Sharing your crafting skills with others through tutorials and tips can be a great way of raising your profile in the crafting community and bringing traffic to your website.
  10. Writing a craft blog is great fun, you will make new friends from all over the world and it will increase your computer literacy too!
source: ukcraftblog.com



Wednesday, 22 May 2013

Tutorial: Super Simple Reusable Sandwich/Snack Bag

Warm weather is here & that means taking food to the park, beach, in the car and everywhere else on the go.  Why not transport it in a fun, reusable bag?  My Super Simple Reusable Sandwich Bags are a quick project made extra practical by using laminated cotton for the interior that makes them easy to wipe clean or just toss in the wash.  Perfect for sandwiches, cookies and other small snacks.  And so much cuter than a plastic baggie!

You'll Need:
- 1/2 yard cotton fabric
- 1/2 yard laminated cotton
- 1 package of double fold bias tape
- Coordinating thread
- Plastic snaps & snap pliers/press 
- Sewing notions: ruler, shears/rotary cutter, pins

Step 1:
From the cotton and laminate cut rectangular pieces that are about 15.5 inches high by 7 inches wide (this would work for most "regular" bread sizes).  Using a small dish or bowl, round off one end in a concave shape and the other end in a convex shape, so they look like this: 

Step 2:
Place fabrics together with wrong sides facing.  Encase the concave edge in bias tape and stitch together close to the folded edge of the tape.  Don't worry about folding under the edges - this will get hidden when the rest of the tape is attached.

Step 3:
Fold bag up 6 inches, as shown, so that the laminated side is facing inward and pin together.

Step 4: 
Starting at the lower left corner, fold the raw edge of the bias tape under and encase all the fabric layers in the tape, stitching close to the folded edge of the tape.  Continue all the way around the bag to the opposite corner, folding that corner under as well:

Step 5:
Now we have some perfect pouches that just need a quick closure added:

Step 6: 
For the closure I prefer to use a plastic snap.  Why?  Well, for one thing, they are super sturdy and very quick to install (I use my snap press and it takes just seconds).  Secondly, they are easy to keep clean with a quick rinse, unlike velcro & zippers that can collect crumbs.  And there's no risk of them wearing out or rusting with a lot of washing, which items like this tend to get with regular use.

Step 6a: 
Attach snap so the male half is on the center of the inner flap, about an inch from the edge. Attach other half of snap on the front of the bag, this time with the female half on the outside.

Now the sandwich bag is all set, so you can enjoy taking tasty treats wherever you go!


source: sewcando.com















Monday, 20 May 2013

Make Your Own Lip Balm




Lip balm is truly one of the easiest and most inexpensive products to create.  Once that you have created your own homemade lip balm, it is almost impossible to muster up $3.00 for a tube of inferior stuff at the store. Plus, you can even make special blends with your favorite oils, butters, and other luxurious ingredients.  You seasonal lip balms, and unique lip balms for friends and families. Lip balm may be made within 10-15 minutes, and you can easily make enough lip balm to fill 15 or more lip balm tubes for under $3.00!

Lip balm is almost fool-proof.  The great thing about lip balm is that if it turns out too soft, then you can easily re-melt it and add more beeswax, and if it is too hard, then you can re-melt it and add more carrier oil.  You really can’t mess up! You can also adjust your recipes with the seasons: harder lip balms are better for the summer, and softer lip balms are better for the fall and wintertime.  As a general rule, use 3 parts of carrier oil to 1 part of beeswax (do not include butters in your calculations as they are already solid at room temperature).  Add essential oils at your discretion, a good amount is 2 drops of essential oil per ¼ oz container, but this varies depending upon the essential oil used. Lesser is always better when it comes to essential oils, you don’t want to create anything that may sting or irritate your lips. 

Basic Lip Balm Preparation
  • Coarsely chop or grated your beeswax (vegans may use Carnauba Wax as an alternative), and place it in a small pot or glass pyrex measuring cup with your butters and carrier oils in the top of a double boiler, and melt gently over heated water.  Make sure that the water does not boil over into your oil mixture, 1 -2” of water in the bottom of your pot is enough.
  • Once that your beeswax mixture has melted, remove from burner, and add your essential oils.   The essential oils will begin to dissipate with the scent, add more as needed.
  • Immediately pour the hot mixture into lip balm containers.  If the mixture cools too rapidly while you are pouring, then heat the mixture back up over the double boiler.
  • Allow to cool completely (I usually wait overnight) before placing the caps onto your lip balm containers.
Below are some specific recipes for you to play with. Please note that these recipes are completely arbitrary, and the amount and types of oils, butter, essential oils, and other ingredients that you use is completely up to you. Experimenting with a recipe is the most enjoyable part of creation!


Lemon Coconut Lip Balm



1 Tablespoon Coconut Oil
2 Tablespoons Sunflower Oil
1 Tablespoon & 1 teaspoon Beeswax
10 drops Lemon essential oil


Peppermint Cocoa Lip Balm


1 Tablespoon Cocoa Butter
2 Tablespoons Sweet Almond Oil
1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
1 Tablespoon & 1 teaspoon Beeswax
5-10 drops Peppermint essential oil


Healing Herbal Lip Balm 

1 Tablespoon Shea Butter
2 Tablespoon Calendula Infused Olive Oil
1 Tablespoon Jojoba Oil
1 Tablespoon & 1 teaspoon Beeswax
5 drops Vitamin E Oil

All-Purpose Lip Balm

1 oz Sweet Almond or Apricot Kernel Oil
1 oz Sunflower Oil
1 oz Avocado or Olive Oil
1 oz Shea Butter
1 oz Cocoa Butter
1 ½ oz Beeswax
30-40 drops essential oil

*Essential Oil Guide*

Cinnamon: Spicy, warming. Use sparingly, as the oil is very strong.
Clove: Spicy, warming. Use sparingly, as the oil is very strong.
Ginger: Warm, spicy, and exotic. Great for winter blends. Use sparingly, as the oil is very strong.
Grapefruit: Fresh, uplifting, light citrus scent.
Lemon: Fresh, uplifting, citrus scent.
Lime: Fresh, uplifting, citrus scent.
Peppermint: Cooling, refreshing, and invigorating. Use sparingly, as the oil is very strong.
Spearmint: Cooling, refreshing, and invigorating. Use sparingly, as the oil is very strong.
Sweet Orange: Refreshing, uplifting, sweet, citrus scent. Blends well with many oils.