October 2nd, 2008
Are you a camp director, teacher, mother at home or finding a new arts and crafts idea for your children? Or maybe you’re a recreational director at a top center or nursing home and could use a new project. However, this arts and crafts idea will be interesting and fun for all. This showcase can be used, given as a gift, or converted into a necklace purse.
To make the case for glasses, you’ll need the following equipment simple: a square of craft foam, plastic or foam large needles, along the lace or thick son. Cut two rectangles of foam, each 3-1/2 inches (9 cm.) By 6 inches (15 cm.). With a punch, make holes on three sides of each rectangle, leaving a blank short side. Make the holes 1 / 2 inches and allow at least 1 / 4 inch between the hole and the edge of the craft foam. The holes have to queue so that both pieces can be laced together. If you prepare the craft for small children, you should make the holes himself. Otherwise, the artisans can make this step if you have enough pairs of holes punched.
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September 30th, 2008
For best results, show the children how to alternate colors when stringing, or start a pattern of three colors. When the beads are strung on the pipe cleaners, they can be bent into different Christmas shapes.
For instance, string red and clear beads alternately, then bend down one end of the pipe cleaner for a candy cane shape. Or alternate red and green beads and form a circle for a wreath. Use red pipe cleaner to form a small bow to decorate the wreath. Form a hanger for the Christmas craft or simply slip the circle over a branch of the tree.
If you experiment with clear beads and silver pipe cleaners, you can make some beautiful snowflake or star ornaments. Snowflake designs can be twisted of silver pipe cleaner only, without the beads for a simple but pretty decoration. Bead and pipe cleaner ornaments are a Christmas craft you will find yourself using every year. Children and their parents will both appreciate this simple yet pretty Christmas craft.
Tags: Christmas, crafts
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September 29th, 2008
Foam Sheet Glasses Case Are you a camp director, teacher, or homeschool mom looking for a new arts and crafts idea for your kids? Or maybe you are a recreation director at a senior center or nursing home and could use a new project.
Either way, this arts and crafts idea will be interesting and fun for all. This glass case can be used, given as a gift, or converted into a necklace purse. To make the glasses case, you will need the following simple materials: a square of craft foam, plastic or large blunt needles, lanyard lace or thick yarn. Cut two rectangles from the foam, each 3-1/2 inches (9 cm.) By 6 inches (15 cm.). With a hole punch, make holes on three sides of each rectangle, leaving one short side unpunched. Make the holes 1 / 2 inch apart and allow at least 1 / 4 inch between the hole and the edge of the craft foam.
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September 28th, 2008
Bead and Pipe Cleaner Ornaments Christmas ornaments made from ordinary pipe cleaners and inexpensive acrylic beads are very pretty and easy to make. They look quite impressive yet are easy enough for small children to make. This is one Christmas craft idea to use again and again. Older people will enjoy making this Christmas craft, too, which can be varied to make a number of different sparkling ornaments for your Christmas tree.
To make the bead and pipe cleaner ornaments, you need common pipe cleaners in desired colors and acrylic beads. Two types of beads are particularly effective when strung on pipe cleaners. One type are called sunburst beads, but are also known as Paddlewheel beads, snowflake beads, gold starburst beads. These beads have six faceted paddles spaced equally around a center that contains the hole for stringing. When several of these sunburst beads are strung consecutively, they fit against each other in an interlocking pattern. The other type of bead that is also effective for this Christmas craft is called the tri bead or propeller bead. It has three rounded bumps arranged around the stringing hole.
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Tags: Christmas, Craft
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September 28th, 2008
The little ones can dig in the sand and splash in the lapping waves. The older ones can swim, get a tan, or just relax. The inquisitive types can explore for sea life, tide pools, and drift wood. The warm breezes and natural beauty are invigorating and restorative. Any trip, however, can cause discomfort if you do not plan well. Here are things you can do to make your beach holidays easier, safer, and more meaningful. In many parts of the world, people head for their beach holidays in the family car. When planning a trip, it’s always a good idea to give the car a good cleaning out first.
This will give you more room for your luggage. Stock glovebox you, too, with a few first aid and comfort items, such as sunblock, acetominiphen for headaches, a roll of antacids, a few cough drops, and a few BandAid. Do not forget a couple of scrunchies or pony-tailers for long hair. Get the tires checked and replace any that are likely to go flat.
Get an oil change if it’s getting close. Road trips are not much fun when they include breakdowns. And whatever you do, make sure you have a map and a place to keep it handy. Traveling with kids is always a challenge. They may be particularly excited and impatient when they know they are going on beach holidays. Make sure they have cool water bottles and healthy snacks to munch. Try a simple car game to make the time pass. Many kids like looking for letters of the alphabet on signs. If several people get involved it can be quite fun.
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Tags: Beach, Holidays
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September 28th, 2008
Your Home Collecting is a fun hobby, and one of the most interesting things to collect are art collectibles. Many different items can be painted with artwork and become an art collectible. Hobby enthusiasts collect such things as saw blades, and wooden eggs which have had artwork painted on. People even collect designer rugs as art. Another art collectible hobby is collecting limited edition plates, thimbles, Christmas ornaments, and figurines produced by such companies as Bradford Exchange. And of course, many people collect fine art paintings. The person with an art collectible hobby will probably find his or her own favorite artists whose works they appreciate.
They can choose to focus on one particular artist, either past or present, or they can choose from the works of many artists. On the other hand, they may collect art and art objects around a theme they enjoy, such as cigars, wild animals, or piano music. One may think of an art collector as a rich person who has the money to spend hundreds of thousands of dollars on an original Van Gogh. A person of more modest means can collect art too, however. Post cards are a good place to start. Most art museum gift shops offer high quality, glossy postcards printed with some of their more notable acquisitions. By buying those cards one really appreciates, anyone can have an art collection.
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Tags: Art, Collectible, Hobby
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August 28th, 2008
On the loose end of the cord, you are going to attach the small pot in the same way. Slide the small pot up the cord to make it easier to tie the other large wooden bead on the end of the cord. Now when you lift the entire arrangement by the loop, the smaller pot should hang freely inside the larger pot, making a pleasant sound when it claps against the larger pot. Decorate the outside of the larger pot with paint as desired. You may like to paint it in black and white patches for a Holstein cow theme. You may also like to decorate the top of the bell with silk or dried flowers and greenery and a ribbon bow. For a variation on this craft, make three of the bells and hang them from a horizontal piece of driftwood or other interesting piece of natural wood.
When making hanging clay pot crafts, always make sure the beads are large enough and are tied tightly in place, because the clay pots will break if they fall to the ground. Other clay pot crafts include making a large doll or scarecrow of nested pots strung together and painted. The doll can sit on a chair or a step of the front porch. Paint his face to look like a scarecrow, a jack-o-lantern, a gnome, or a child. Clay pot crafts are especially suited to being displayed outside.
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August 22nd, 2008
Clay Pot Crafts: Make a Bell for the Porch Clay pot crafts are a cute way to make home decorations. In clay pot crafts, clay flower pots can be crafted into a variety of decorative things that appeal to gardeners. Usually, the crafter begins with new pots. The pots are often decorated with paint as well as being tied together with rope or cord to create things. Pots for clay pot crafts can be purchased in many different sizes, from tiny ones not more than 2 inches in diameter, to huge ones over a foot across. For a beginning project, start with smaller pots. The beginner should also choose clay pot crafts that do not use too many pots in too elaborate a design. An example of a good craft for someone new at clay pot crafts is to make a bell from two clay pots. Buy one pot that is about five or six inches in diameter, and another that is very small.
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Tags: Craft
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August 20th, 2008
Some of the bullets may be buried quite deep. You will need to wear a headset and pay close attention to the changes in tone in your metal detector. Hunting Civil War relics is prohibited on protected battlefields, but there are still old homesites where battles were fought. Be sure to get permission from the owner and fill any holes you dig. Some people have the idea that hunting for bullets with a metal detector indicates a lack of respect for the soldiers who died there.
They get this idea because sometimes bullet hunters find bones along with the bullet. The fact is, however, that many of the bullet hunters who have found bullets this way have chronicled and mapped out there finds, resulting in many of the facts that we now know about the Civil War. The Civil War fascinates Americans because of everything it stands for.
While everyone agrees that slavery is a terrible blot on the history of the U.S., there are some people who still discuss the issue of states’ rights versus a strong central government. Civil War bullet collecting is an iteresting hobby, though somewhat sobering at times when considering the great number of casualties. The memory of brother fighting against brother out in the cornfields and pastures will never go away. Civil War bullet collecting is one way to commemorate this monumental historical event.
Tags: Bullet, War
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August 12th, 2008
A Hobby that Honors the Past Did you know that during the Civil War, more than 1000 different types of bullets were used? This is one reason Civil War bullet collecting has become a popular hobby. Another reason is that the time of the Civil War saw changes taking place in the development of firearms and ammunition.
The old musketballs round of the Revolution were being replaced with bullets in the shape we are accustomed to. While musketballs are found on Civil War battlefields, the most common type of bullet used was the .58-caliber bullet with three rings around the base. Many bullets found are splattered out of shape. If you’ve always been fascinated by the Civil War and firearms, Civil War bullet collecting is a hobby you will enjoy. With the advent of Internet buying and selling, Civil War bullets have become more collectible, and the prices have gone up quickly. Not only this, sometimes sellers are not informed and ask more than the bullet is worth. For these reasons, if you are just starting out in Civil War bullet collecting, you will want to buy a good price guide.
You can even find a price guide online if that works better for you. Many Civil War bullet collectors also collect bullet molds and other relics from the Civil War era. A real enthusiast might even investigate the possiblility of becoming a Civil War reenactor, acting out battles with others in towns and fields across the Southeast. Civil War bullets can be collected by buying from other collectors, or you can begin by going directly to the battlefields to dig and search. A metal detector will make Civil War bullet collecting easier. You may also find buttons from uniforms, bullet molds, belt buckles, and other metal items from the battle. Some of the bullets may be buried quite deep. You will need to wear a headset and pay close attention to the changes in tone in your metal detector.
Tags: Bullet, Civil, War
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