Father's Day Crafting

We all know how hard it is to find something unique, special, and usable for those special male species that are in our lives.

One of the simplest projects I have found to make for this occasion, especially that the young kids can do in less than a 30 mins.....without a huge mess that takes you an hour to clean up....is a magnetic cd case address book that will house his important phone numbers that he needs close by (on the refrigerator, of course).

This is something that is usable, inexpensive (you only need to buy magnetic tape), and can look great if you theme it with the rest of your decor. I expanded on an idea I saw elsewhere on what to do with those free CDs you get all the time in the mail......and usually throw away.

Here's the instructions:

Supplies:

CD case (free)
Images (free/included)
Roll of magnetic tape ($2-$3) (the magnetic "sheet" is not thick enough....been there/done that!)

Take an empty cd case.....you know any of those you get in the mail from AOL, etc., will work great. Or the next time you're in a department store (Walmart, Kmart), look for the free ones they give away.

Take out the cd and keep it for another project....or pitch it! Take out the front insert also, as well as the piece that holds the cd in place. It just snaps out. If this is one of the new "thin" cd holders, you won't be able to do this step and will have to adjust your image that's going to go on this side*.

Cut out the images that came with these instructions. You'll have one front image and three images where names and phone numbers can be written in. It's best to try and print these off on card stock if possible.

After cutting them out, take the front image and one of the name/phone number images and using a glue stick, glue them together....back to back. Insert this one in the front space of the cd cover with the picture image facing out. (I have also used the glue stick in the corners of the front image to hold it in place in the cd cover so that it doesn't keep sliding around.)

Take the two name/phone number images that are left and glue them together, back to back. You will only be able to lay this in the back cover. If you don't want this moving around in the case (nothing is holding it in) you will need to either wait for the names and phone numbers to be written in......or just eliminate one of the images and just glue one down aligning it with the outside edge of the cover.

Once your images are in place, take your magnetic tape and cut off four pieces of equal size, approx. 3/4". Place one piece in each corner of the paper that shows through on the back (if you just place in the corners of the cd, the magnet will show through to the front of the cd). You can now place this on any metal object (refrigerator) and you have instant handy access to the phone numbers you need!

*For the thin cd cases.....you will need to cut a hole in the middle of two of the name/phone numbers images to fit over the cd holder. Use the cd holder as a guide for where the hole needs to be cut.

You can use any image for the front cover (I've included the ones I've used below...just right click and "Save as" to save a copy to your computer)....just cut out a child's picture, or have them make their own image....size should be 4 3/4" x 4 3/4". Sure to be cherished!

Make 3 of these.

I hope you have fun with this very inexpensive project.....I know my grandkids did!

No Paint/No Wallpaper Wall Treatment

Not being a seamstress, I have still admired some of the fabrics that are available in the stores.

I wished when I was renting.....that I knew of this craft technique to do something with the walls in my all-white rental spaces. Whodathunk...that for as little as the cost of some liquid fabric starch and some fabric that you purchased off the clearance table at your fabric/craft store, that you would be able to completely change the look of a room. Whether you do all the walls, or just one or two, is entirely up to you.

That's right.....we're going to apply fabric to the wall! It's temporary....as in, you can easily remove it once you move (much easier than wallpaper), wash the starch off the wall, and you're good to go!

Not only that....you can easily coordinate some pillows/curtains/lampshades....whatever else you like to go with your walls.

You're main choice of fabric should be lightweight (cotton). Of course, you will need to measure the wall(s) you are going to cover to determine how much fabric you will need to complete the project. You will also need to buy liquid starch, preferably by the gallon.

Measure and cut your fabric by the strip, allowing at least 1" extra at the top and the bottom of where you are hanging it (whether that be horizontally or vertically). If there is a pattern, make sure abutting strips are cut to match the pattern of the previous strip (just as you would in wallpaper). By choosing a small pattern fabric, this should be easy to do with very little waste.

Make sure your wall is clean! Use a large bucket to pour your fabric starch in and immerse your strip of fabric. Wring out as much as possible and smooth your fabric onto the wall, leaving one inch at the top and bottom that goes beyond the area you want to fill. This will be cut off once the fabric is dry. Use some push pins at the top of the fabric to help hold it until it drys. Be sure to work out any wrinkles and air bubbles as you go along.

Once the fabric is dry, you can now easily cut the excess off using an exacto knife.

When it's time to move, carefully peal up a corner and start removing the fabric. If it doesn't come up easily....re-wet the fabric and it will immediate release from the wall. Don't forget to re-wash the wall to remove any remaining starch.

This technique could also work well for those melamine cupboards that are so often installed in rentals. Or how about some old metal file cabinets or press board furniture pieces! Once applied to inexpensive press board furniture....please allow plenty of time for drying, then apply polyurethane for protection and easier cleaning.

HOW TO Start A Craft Business II

I know there are many people out there that are trying to make money
off of their crafts. Not always an easy thing to do....but if you follow
a seasoned crafts person, you’re odds become greater at succeeding.

Maria Vowell has been making money from her crafts and has written
four e-books related to this subject. I have read a lot of “How To”
books on this subject and seen a lot of information on numerous
web sites.....but none have been as complete as the information
Contained in these e-books by Maria.

She offers sooo many tips and ideas.....like making sure you have
something to sell that addresses children.

How many times have you seen parents bringing their
children with them to craft fairs....you’re leaving money on the
table by not including them in the items you have for sale.

These don’t even have to be items that you’ve made....they can be bought
at a very inexpensive price that you mark up to make a small profit.

Learn how to multiply your sales by handing out one little catalog of
your items.

The topics she covers are all encompassing for anyone serious about
making money from crafting. The tips she gives are priceless.

You also receive complete patterns of items you can make and sell
that won’t take a lot of your time but have proven to be sellers.

Here are her e-books:



They originally sold for $19.95/ea. But you can now order all four
e-books for that price. Each book comes with resale rights and the
sales letters for you to use.

These e-books come to you in “zip” format via email. You will need
a program to unzip them. A free trial program can be found here:

You will need Adobe pdf reader in order to read them. All instructions
on how to download the Adobe reader are included in the “zip” file.

To order your e-books click here:

Don't forget to enter the email address that you wish the ebooks to be
sent to on your order form.