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Crafty Topics
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A community forum for lapidaries of every imaginable gemstone related niche to gather. Sharing a great many topics. Generally beginning with discoveries of various minerals, cutting, shaping and finishing cabochons right on up to and including the designing of jewelry and other gemstone related artwork.
http://gemstone.smfforfree4.com/
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Crafty Tip
It is important to create at least a slight dome to the surface of your cab. A completely flat cab will not polish at the center of it's surface.
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Events taking place in all regions of the UK, including arts/crafts events. Event organisers can submit their events free of charge for promotion.
http://www.britevents.com
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Crafty Tip
When organising arts and craft events, don't forget to use the many online resources to reach your target audience.
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Providing the most beautiful selection of cross stitch designs, accessories, needlepoint and all crafts for babies, kids & adults! Free shipping for orders $50 and above!
http://www.theartofstitch.com
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Crafty Tip
Organizing your cross stitch supplies
There are plenty of cross stitch organizers, floss separators, specialized cross stitch boxes etc to help you keep your cross stitch supplies in a neat and easy to find way. Usually for kits, floss separators are included and you can separate the threads into the little holes yourself. If you're fond of patterns, and need to buy many threads yourself, there are floss holders that are perfect for organizing all your threads.
However I wouldn't advise on spending an obscene amount of money on organizers. For me, I bought little cabinets with 3 drawers each to store my threads. I have about 4 sets and I organized the thread by colors for example red & pinks, yellow & beige, greens, blues, whites & blacks etc. You can also organize them by their color codes. Just have a group of them in one drawer. It's still easy to find and it's less costly than buying some of the more popular thread boxes in the market.
For my fabrics, I store them in a fabric box which wasn't really meant for cross stitch fabric but hey when you use your imagination, a storage box is still a storage box. For beads and little knick-knacks, you can get this little box with partitions at any utility or storage shops. They're simply perfect for keeping those beads separated.
I have got nothing against the popular in-market products for cross stitch, in fact I've bought a few, tried them but felt that they were not user-friendly as I wanted them to be. Cross-stitching need not be an expensive hobby. Just by using a little common sense and looking at the nearby budget shops, I'm sure you can find everyday storage items that can be used for all your supply needs :).
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Kindle the Flame Candles are handcrafted with the highest quality ingredients available. Many hours of research have been spent in an attempt to find the perfect combination of wax, scent and color. It is our goal to produce the finest quality hand-made candle on the market.
http://www.kindletheflamecandles.com
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Crafty Tip
If you like candles, but are worried about the dangers of an open flame, put your candles on a candle warmer instead of lighting them. Candle warmers heat up the wax enough to disperse the fragrance very well throughout the room, but you lose the risk of catching something on fire! Your candle will also last a lot longer as the wax evaporates more slowly.
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Sewing Machines and Accessories, all the major brands, Janome, Brother, Husqvarna and Bernina. If its sewing or patchwork related we've probably got it!
http://www.thesewingstudio.co.uk
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Crafty Tip
Our best advice is buy the right tool for the job! Don’t expect a cheap light weight sewing machine to sew up your heavy weight curtains trouble free; it just won't happen, wherever you buy it from. It has to be ‘fit for purpose’.
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Kookle Nesting Dolls are a set of fun and meaningful paint-it-yourself dolls from Russia. Children can develop coordination and their artistic expression while creating a lasting piece of art to commemorate their childhood. Adults can create a unique sentimental gift for their loved ones with their own theme, meaning, and personality. The kit comes with 5 blank stackable nesting dolls, two paint brushes, a set of primary acrylic paint, and a color chart.
http://www.kooklegifts.com
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Crafty Tip
Painting is a great opportunity for parents to share with their children how mixing different colors of paint can create even more colors.
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We are the Midwest’s largest distributor of candle making and soap making supplies including fragrance oils, candle wax, soap base, dye, candle and soap molds, and more. Our goal is to assist you in making the finest quality candles, soap and bath and body products at the lowest prices with fast shipping and friendly customer service.
http://www.nuscentscandle.com
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Crafty Tip
How to Wick a Candle Mold
1. Using the mold as a guide, measure a section of uncoiled wicking and trim to a length about 6 inches longer than the height of the container.
2. Make a two-inch loop at one end of the wick.
3. Position a small stick across the wick at the mid-way point of your loop.
4. Fold the loop in half around the stick.
5. Take the opposite end of the wick and going over the stick pull it through the loop and pull it tight to create a slipknot around the stick.
6. Thread the end of the wick not tied to the stick through the small hole at the bottom of your mold. Continue feeding the wick into your mold until the end of the wick reaches the large opening. Grasp this section and gently pull your wick until there is only 1 inch of wick between the bottom of your mold and the small stick. Don't forget that the "bottom" part of your mold will be the top of your finished candle and your wick should be trimmed further prior to using the finished candle.
7. Take a piece of mold sealer about the size of a wad of chewed bubble gum and flatten until it is approximately 1/4 thick. Ensure the piece is flat with no air pockets or thin spots otherwise hot wax may seep through it.
8. Place the mold sealer at the bottom of the mold on the wick, molding it fully around the wick and over the hole. Make sure that the mold sealer covers the hole and wick uniformly and tightly.
9. Pull on the end of the wick that is at the large opening of your mold. You want to get the small stick with the knot firmly positioned into the mold sealer. Press down tightly on the sealer and the stick to ensure an even tighter seal.
10. Place your mold on a level countertop with the large opening at the top.
11. Pull the wick to make it taut. Lay a wick rod across the large opening of your mold and wrap the wick around it, making sure to keep the wick taut and centered in your mold. Use a binder clip to secure the wick around the wick rod.
Congratulations! You have just wicked your mold, and you are now ready to begin pouring your candle!
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Great Japanese origami site with hundreds of great folding projects for the beginning folder to the advanced. This site is offered in both English and Japanese and should provide many hours of origami goodness.
http://www.origami-club.com/en/index.html
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Crafty Tip
Use paper cutouts for eyes rather than use a marking pen. The pen might bleed through the paper and ruin your origami.
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Handcrafted hand embroidered pillowcases, dresser scarves, dish towels tea towels, decorative bed pillows. Take a walk down memory lane.
http://www.grannyscrafts1912.ecrater.com
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Crafty Tip
When you have vintage patterns, and you don't want to cut them up. Copy them and use a transfer pencil.
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We create custom handcrafted exotic wood gifts such as fountain pens, key chains, and cigar ashtrays.
Check out our online virtual wooden pen creation tool!
http://www.machinedgifts.com
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Crafty Tip
When taking pictures to display your crafts, try using a textured gray (or other light colored) piece of poster board as the backdrop, and using a tripod and time delay function of the camera for better focused pictures.
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