Ten Easy Crafting How-To's and Tips

By Monica Resinger of Creative Home 
 http://creativehomeezine.netfirms.com

Here are ten easy crafting how-to's and tips with a little something for 
everyone. I hope you find them helpful, inspiring and fun. 

Nature Crafts:

1. When making dried flower arrangements, be creative about the containers 
you use. You can use anything that will hold the flowers including a dump 
truck, football helmet, old watering can, china cup, basket or anything that 
suits your fancy. 

2. Save your old phone book and use it to press flowers and pretty leaves for 
decorating items around the house. Just open the phone book, lay the flower 
or leaf flat on a page and close the book. They will be dry in about a week, 
then you can put them in/on frames, cards or use them to decoupage items such 
as candles or paper boxes. Most any flower can be pressed, but the flatter 
ones such as pansies work the best. You can also separate petals and press 
them individually. 

3. To decoupage, you can add water to white glue until it's the consistency 
of cream. Brush this solution on the item you are decoupaging, carefully put 
the flower on, then very carefully brush on a top coat of the glue solution. 
Let dry and add another coat if necessary. If you want to make a design of 
flowers and leaves, be sure to lay it out first to find the best look. You 
can also add pressed flowers to pictures of the family, or other pictures in 
frames. When putting into frames, you can use decorative paper to mount the 
flowers onto, then frame. 

4. For a shaped (heart, square, oval) grapevine wreath, bend florist wire 
into the desired shape then weave fresh grapevine around it until you get the 
look you want. Be sure to put more vine on than you think is necessary 
because the vine shrinks a lot as it dries. Lay the wreath on newspaper until 
is is thoroughly dry. 

Doll Dressing:

5. A fun thing to do is dress up a purchased doll or stuffed animal with your 
crochet and/or crafts. You can purchase a new doll or stuffed animal, go to 
the thrift store to get one, or, if you have kids, use one of theirs. Once 
you have your doll, take a good look at it and decide what type and color of 
clothes would look good on it. You can then look for a crochet pattern, 
sewing pattern, or purchased clothes that suits. Once you have the doll or 
stuffed animal dressed, you can add accessories like crafted or purchased 
hair ribbons, crocheted or sewn socks, buttons, shoes, miniature items, 
homemade jewelry and more. I'm sure that in the process of doing this you'll 
come up with a name for it. If you don't get too attached, you can sell it at 
a bazaar or give it as a gift to one of your loved ones or a friend. It's a 
fun thing to do. 

Needlecrafts:

6. If you crochet, be sure to save your yarn scraps because they make 
excellent stuffing for pillows or stuffed animals. 

7. If you knit or crochet, put balls of yarn in a coffee can. Punch holes in 
the lid and string each yarn through a different hole. 

8. Use a soap sliver as pin cushion. It will also lubricate the tips of the 
pins & needles so they slide easily into stiff fabrics. 

9. Use cut-up, old pantyhose as stuffing for pillows or stuffed animals. 

Painting

10. Large bottle caps such as liquid laundry detergent bottle caps make great 
disposable containers for glue or paint. 

Have fun crafting! 

Monica Resinger is the Editor of Creative Home Ezine, a fun ezine packed with 
homemaking tips, inspiring articles, recipes and themed content from folks 
just like yourselves - its readers! After each twice-weekly issue, you'll 
surely be inspired to organize your home, cook mouth-watering recipes, enter
tain your friends and family, beautifully decorate your home and much more! 
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©, 2001, Monica Resinger