Crafts

Crafts 'n Things Magazine offers full-size patterns along with easy-to-follow directions to make a wide variety of projects such as gifts, toys, home décor, holiday decorating, and more.

Gift baskets are a great way to make a personal gift for family or friends. This article includes many ideas of containers and themes to help you get started on a gift basked for everyone on your list. Gift baskets can be a lot of fun for you and the recipient and don't have to cost a lot of money.

The Recipient

The first thing to consider is who you are giving the basket to:

- What do they like?
- What are their hobbies?
- What do they need?
- What do they like to eat?

Containers

The container or "basket" doesn't have to be expensive. Pick a theme (some are listed below) and find a container that goes with the theme that can hold some items or have items attached to it. You want the container and the items to go together and for everything to be usable and practical. (This is not to say that a
few fun things can't be thrown in too.) Below are some of my ideas for containers but there certainly are many more possibilities.

- Baskets of all shapes and sizes
- Bowls
- Flower pots
- Watering can
- Fishing creel
- Canvas bag
- Day pack
- Waste basket
- Bucket - ice, plastic or garden
- Colander
- Plastic container
- Storage box
- Platter
- Tin

Ideas for Themes

The items that go within the gift basket should be tied together by a common theme. The themes below are gift basket recipes that can be modified to fit your needs or to get you started on developing your own themed gift basket.

College Student Gift Basket

Use a basket or usable container
- Pens and Pencils
- Printer paper and supplies
- Mouse pad
- Washcloth and hand towel
- Yummy healthy snacks
- Phone Card
- Gift certificate for a CD
- Nail Clippers
- Book light

Bath Gift Basket

Use a nice basket
- Gel eye-pack
- Epsom salts or bubble bath
- Aroma therapy oils
- Scented candles and holders
- Pumice stone
- Washcloths, scrubber or loofa sponge
- Back cleaning brush
- Relaxing music on CD or cassette
- Rubber ducky

Kids Coloring Gift Basket

Use a rubber/plastic storage box
- Assorted papers, coloring books
- Crayons or colored pencils
- Nontoxic markers
- Assorted stickers
- Paint box and brushes
- Safe scissors

Photographer's Gift Basket

Quilted Gifts from Your Scrap Basket: 25 Patchwork, Applique and Quilting Projects for Special Occasions

Use a basket or a camera bag
- Film
- Coupons for picture developing
- Camera Filters
- Lens cleaner
- Lens cloth
- Photo print paper
- Picture frame and matte
- Picture Album

Letter Writer's Gift Basket

Use a square basket or plastic box
- Note paper or cards
- Envelopes (choose a variety of sizes)
- Letter opener
- Pen or pencil
- Personalized seal
- Sealing wax
- Return address labels
- Rubber stamps to decorate envelopes
- Stamps

Crafters Gift Basket

Use a rubber storage container
- Glue gun and glue sticks
- Acrylic paints
- Assorted brushes
- Craft knife
- Craft supplies (this will depend on the craft they do.)
- Craft patterns or how-to books
- Craft papers
- Scissors

Pasta Lover Gift Basket

Use a colander or bowl
- Package of gourmet pasta
- Tongs or pasta grabber
- Package of sun-dried tomatoes
- Extra-virgin olive oil
- Fancy olives
- Spices: oregano, basil, garlic powder
- Collection of your favorite pasta recipes hand-printed on recipe
cards
- Pasta cookbook
- Jar of gourmet sauce

Gardener's Gift Basket

Use a clay plant pot, bucket or watering can
- Gardening gloves
- Hand tools
- Vegetable, flower seeds
- Liquid fertilizer
- Kneeling pad
- Gardening book
- Subscription for a gardening magazine
- Plant markers
- Heavy Duty Hand Lotion

Cat Lover Gift Basket

Use a cat bowl or pet bed
- Catnip Mouse or other cat toy
- Hair ball paste
- Cat treats
- Cat Brush
- Scratching post
- Gourmet cat food

Dog Lover Gift Basket

Use a dog bowl or pet bed
- Rawhide bone
- Dog biscuits
- Squeaky toy
- Dog shampoo
- Brush
- Collar and/or leash

Dogs come in all sizes so make sure you are buying for the right size dog. Also if it is for a puppy, chewy stuff is the best.

New Home Owner Gift Basket

Use a tool box or tool tray
- Screw drivers - Slot and Phillips
- Wrench, Pliers or Vice Grip Pliers
- Hammer
- Assorted nails, tacks, screws, washers
- Gift certificate for the local hardware store
- Do-it-yourself Home Repair book
- Other assorted odds and ends like:
    - super glue
    - light switch covers
    - light bulbs
    - duct tape
    - paint brushes
    - knobs and handles

Guitar Player's Gift Basket

Use a basket or gig bag
- Assorted guitar picks
- Tuning pipe or electronic tuner
- Sheet music
- CDs or cassettes of great guitar players
- Guitar strings
- Capo
- Polishing rag
- Guitar polish
- Chord or lesson books

Skier or Snowboarder's Gift Basket

Use a small pack or canvas bag
- Gloves, mittens and/or warm hat
- Hot packs
- Sunscreen
- Lip balm
- Moisturizer
- Pass to the local ski hill
- Hot chocolate
- Ski, snowboard or sled waxes

Grandparent Gift Basket

Use a basket or reusable container
- Scrapbook
- Children's artwork
- Gifts made by the kids
- Framed family pictures
- Videos of the family
- Long-distance calling card
- Candy, coffee, or tea
- Handmade Christmas ornaments
- Polar fleece lap blanket

Wine Lover's Basket

Use a wine cooling bucket
- Wine Glasses
- Cheese and Crackers
- Cork screw
- Bottle of wine

Holiday Entertainment Basket

Use a nice holiday basket
- Holiday Napkins
- Holiday Plates
- Holiday Cups
- Whole Mixed Nuts
- Nutcracker
- Cookies or baked goods
- Holiday floral picks or ornaments for decorating
- Cheese ball or Sausage stick and crackers

Fillers

Once you have obtained your items here are some fillers to put around them.
- Piece of fabric
- Shredded paper, newspaper or colored paper
- Straw
- Easter basket grass
- Tissue paper or newspaper comics
- Raffia
- Colored towels or cloth napkins
- Cedar shavings

Extra Items

For Christmas Baskets add:
- Candy canes
- Candles - scented or unscented, votive, tea lights or tapers
- Pine cones
- Cinnamon sticks tied with red ribbon
- Greenery - spruce, pine, cedar, holly
- Christmas ornaments

For any occasion add:
- Potpourri
- Hot cider, special tea bags, special coffee or cocoa mixes
- Mandarin oranges, tangerines, oranges or apples
- Unshelled nuts or packets of roasted nuts
- Wrapped candy or baked goods
- Small toys or puzzles
- Sample hand creams
- Lip gloss or Chapstick

Finishing

If you buy colored cellophane you can cover the entire container with it disguising what is inside. Tie a ribbon around the whole thing or paste a ribbon on top. Have fun!

Be sure to let us know if you have more ideas for themes and items!

---------------------------------
About The Author:

Copyright 2003 -Susan Sanders-Kinzel

Susan Sanders-Kinzel is the editor of the ThriftyFun News
http://www.ThriftyFun.com

Salt Dough crafting

Creating With Salt Dough

Folk art and in particular the art of making craft objects using salt dough has become a very popular hobby in recent years.

To get started requires only the minimum of equipment and materials most of which will already be in your kitchen.

These include:

A bowl to mix your dough

A rolling pin for producing smooth sheets of dough

A grater for making decorative imprints on your dough

A garlic press for making strands for hair and foliage

Small pointed knife for cutting and indenting details

An assortment of pastry cutters and moulds for decorative shapes found at any kitchenware outlet.

To make your salt dough I have found the following recipe to be a good all round recipe for most projects.

2 Cups of Plain Flour (net self-raising)
1 cup Fine grained plain salt
1/2 cup water at room temperature

Mix the salt and flour in a large bowl and then add the water. Knead the mixture for about 5-10 minutes until it becomes smooth and elastic.

Cover with cling wrap to stop the dough drying out and let the dough sit for 30 minutes before using.

Two other recipes that I often use, depending on the project I am working on, include a

Fine dough for filigree work

2 Cups flour
1 cup salt
100g cornstarch
1/2 cup water

And a Firm Dough for making tiles and plates

2 cups flour
1 cup salt
2 tablespoons wallpaper paste
1/2 cup water

Make these recipes up the same way as the basic recipe.

Fresh dough is best for modeling. However, if you find you have any leftover dough it can be wrapped in cling wrap or an airtight container and stored in a cool place for a few days.

To improve the elasticity of the dough add dry wallpaper paste to the basic mixture.

The addition of 1-2 teaspoons of vegetable oil improves suppleness of the dough and make it easier to work with.

Different colored dough's can be made using...

- Food coloring (red, green, blue, or yellow). Two or more food colors can be combined to make different colors and shades or for a marbled dough effect.

- Add spices that act as natural dyes e.g. cinnamon, curry powder, saffron or paprika.

- Add cocoa powder or instant coffee for different hues of brown.

- Wearing protective gloves add a little paint to the mixture then knead the dough until the paint is uniformly distributed through the mix.

The dough is now ready to use and the next step is to shape your project.

For flat or rolled projects it is best to roll out the dough straight onto a baking sheet then it can be put straight into the oven.

Models or larger pieces can be assembled on a piece of hardboard that has been oiled with vegetable oil to prevent it sticking to the board

When finished and happy with your results you have a choice of Air Drying or baking your project in the oven.

Ensuring your projects are correctly dried ensures they will last a long time so it is important that this is not hurried.

Air drying is suitable for flat, small pieces or for colored pieces where baking will alter the color of the finished project.

Oven drying is the most popular method and requires careful attention to accurate temperature control to avoid burning.

Bake for approx 2 hours using a low temperature setting 50-70C for the first half hour then increase temperature slowly to 90-100C and cook until the piece is uniform
in color.

While baking if any air bubbles appear pierce the bubbles with a pin and gently depress the dough.

If the dough starts to darken before cooking is complete cover with a piece of aluminum foil.

The dough is cooked when it hard and sounds hollow when tapped. Turn the oven off and leave in oven until cool.

Any burns can be sandpapered off with fine- medium grade sandpaper. An Emery board or small file can be used for delicate or intricate sanding on objects.

Your finished project Projects can be left unpainted but they must be sealed on all sides with varnish, gloss or matt for protection otherwise they will not last long when exposed to air.

When thoroughly dry sand any imperfections.

At this stage you can paint your projects then seal with a final coat of varnish.

Brightly colored pieces will look more vibrant painted with a glossy finish and neutral muted colors are suited to a matt finish.

Using a polyurethane varnish on food colored models instead of water-based varnish helps to intensify the color.

That's it! Happy modeling!

-----

Copyright J Black. For more articles and craft ideas visit Jill online at http://www.netwrite-publish.com

How to Air-Dry Flowers by Monica Resinger

Air-drying flowers is a simple, fun hobby that can save you money by providing free material to make dried flower

Real Pressed Flowers 10/Pkg-Purple Delphium

decorations for your home or to give as gifts.

It's very simple to air-dry flowers. All you need is a place to hang them out of direct light, rubber bands and either paperclips or florist wire. I have used wooden pegged coffee cup hangers and pieces of lattice attached to the kitchen wall as places to air-dry flowers. You can also insert cup hooks into a wall and use those.

Once you have a place to hang them set up, you can begin to find flowers to dry. Hopefully you have a variety of flowers growing in your yard to experiment with. If not, you can find wildflowers growing alongside roads or in forests. If you are using these flowers, be sure to take care of the plants you take the flowers from. This ensures that there is plenty of plant growth for insects, birds and other wildlife to use.

Some flowers that have air-dried well for me are: Yarrow (Achillea millefolium), pompon Dahlias (Dahlia hortensis), Poppy seed heads (Papaver somniferum), Roses (Rosa), Marjoram (Origanum vulgare), Delphinium, Larkspur (Consolida ambigua), Lavender (Lavandula Augustifolia), African Marigold (Tagetes erecta), Strawflower (Helichrysum bracteatum), Globe Thistle (echinops ritro), Cornflower (Centaurea cyanus), Statice (Limonium sinuatum), Globe amaranth (Gomphrena globosa), and Love-in-a-mist (Nigella damascena) seed heads.

To find flowers that air-dry well, it's good practice to experiment. If it doesn't dry well, you gain the knowledge not to use it next time. Sometimes, an air-dried flower that doesn't look good to one person may look pleasing to another.

With most flowers, the best stage to dry them is when they are just beginning to open. Depending on the flower, if you hang it too late, the petals will fall off. You will learn this as you experiment. Others, you will want to wait until the seed head is developed because this is the decorative part.

The best time to cut flowers for drying is late morning after the due has dried and on a dry day. I like to take a wicker basket with a handle and my scissors with me and take a walk around the yard snipping what looks appealing.

Once you have your flowers picked, you can prepare them for air- drying. To do this, bundle eight to ten stems with a rubber band at the cut end of the flowers. The rubber band works especially well because as the flowers dry, the stems will shrink and the rubber band will shrink to the appropriate size of the bunch. Now you can insert an unraveled paper clip or florist wire inside the rubber band and bend it to form a hook that the bunch can hang over a peg, piece of lattice or hook. Hang the bunch of flowers upside down and depending on the weather, they will probably take anywhere from one to three weeks to dry completely. You can tell they are dry completely when they feel crisp to the touch.

Air-drying flowers make a fabulous decoration by themselves, but when they are dry, you can take them down and make dried flower arrangements, Christmas ornaments, dried flower wreaths and more.

©, 2001, Monica Resinger

About the Author: Monica Resinger is a loving wife and doting mother of two who enjoys gardening, painting, dancing and homemaking. She edits and publishes the e-zine The Homemaker's Journal, a free e-zine published Monday through Friday, that features a useful homemaking tip and scrumptious recipe of the day; if you'd like to subscribe, just send a blank e-mail to: HomemakersJournal-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

Patchwork Fabric-Covered Gift Box
by Rachel Paxton

Patchwork fabric-covered gift boxes are an easy, affordable way to dress up any gift package. They're also great for storage. Total preparation and assembly time for this project is approximately 2-3 hours, depending on the size of the shoe box.

Materials:

     Shoe box, or any other small box with removable lid
     Fabric scraps
    Wonder Under or other fusible web*
     Pinking shears
     Iron, ironing board
    Optional - buttons, raffia, etc.

*Fusible web is a fusible interfacing that allows you to bind two fabrics together or fabric to another surface by applying heat. It can be purchased in packages or by the yard wherever interfacing is sold.

Directions:

To assemble the fabric-covered gift box, essentially you are going to be ironing fabric scraps onto a shoe box.

While assembling my box, I found it was easier to iron the fusible web onto the fabric first, and then cut the fabric into
the desired shapes. The web reinforced the fabric and the pinking shears cut through the fabric more cleanly.

Choose a piece of fabric and cut a piece of the fusible web to fit. With a warm iron, iron the web to the wrong side of the fabric, following the directions that came with the fusible web. Don't remove paper backing yet. Next cut the fabric into desired shapes with the pinking shears. Regular sewing shears would work also, but the pinking shears give the fabric an edge that will not unravel as easily.

When cutting your shapes, cut some rectangular, some square, and some triangular. The number and size of each are up to you, but you will find some fit better than others along the edges and in the corners. Long rectangular pieces lay along the top edges better and reduce the number of pieces required to line the top.

Cut pieces out of several coordinating fabrics. After you cut your pieces out, start ironing them to the box. Peel the paper off of the fusible web, lay the fabric with fusible web side down on the box and press with the iron. You may have to go over it a couple of times to get it to stick really well.

I started with the top of the box and worked my way down. Fold a piece of fabric over the top edge of the box. Mine is folded over about an inch. Iron the edge on the inside of the box first. Fold the piece to the outside of the box and press again. Continue overlapping pieces until the box is covered. Cover the lid of the box in the same way, starting with the bottom edge.

When you're done look for small spots you missed, adding fabric pieces until the entire surface is covered. You can't make any mistakes...it's supposed to look like a patchwork quilt.

Look over the box for spots where the edges of the fabric are coming up and gently run the iron over them. Sometimes it will take a couple of times to get all the edges to lay down. If you later find a stubborn spot that just doesn't want to stick, just dab a little glue on it and press down until it takes hold.

You can embellish your box with buttons, raffia bows, etc. I used a hot glue gun to glue a corrugated cardboard heart to the top, and then I glued a raffia bow to the heart.

Add some tissue paper to the inside of the box, and it's ready to add a gift. I placed in mine a small stack of handmade cards tied together with a piece of raffia tied into a bow. The box was a gift to a friend who likes to write pen pal letters.

You can also use these boxes for storage...for photos, letters, or whatever else you'd like to store in a pretty box. These are great for using up fabric scraps you have laying around.

This fabric-covered box is very easy to make and makes a great complement to any gift.

Pictures of Finished Project:
http://www.crafty-moms.com/articles/091603a.shtml

Copyright 2003. Rachel Paxton is a freelance writer, mom, and owner of four home and family web sites. For scrap booking, card making, gift-giving ideas, and more family memory-making activities, visit http://www.crafty-moms.com.

Easy Homemade Gifts for Kids to Make

The Complete Idiot's Guide to Crafts With Kids

By Jane Lake

Even younger children can make these easy homemade gifts. The supplies are inexpensive, and an afternoon of creative crafting will produce enough gifts for several members of the family and several friends as well.

Braided Shoelaces

Knot three 36" strands of embroidery floss together a half an inch from one end. Pin the knot to a pillow or clip to the fridge with a magnet, in order to provide tension as you work. Begin braiding, bringing the left strand over the middle strand, then the right strand over this new middle strand, untangling the long ends as you go.

When you have the desired length, knot all strand ends together, leaving a half inch beyond knot. Rub the ends with your fingertips to form a firm single strand. Dip this, up to the knot, into nail polish for easy threading when inserting laces.

Using the same colors of floss, braid another shoelace to make a pair. For thicker shoelaces, put two strands of floss together and use as one.

Layered Bath Salts

You will need small jars, such as baby food jars, 6 bowls for mixing, a bag of Epsom salts, food coloring, a funnel, a spoon, paper doily or fabric scrap, rubber band.

Using a funnel, fill the jars with Epsom salts so you know how much of the Epsom salts you will need. Now empty the Epsom salts, more or less equally, into six bowls. Add a few drops of food coloring to each bowl, stirring to make yellow, pink, blue, green, mauve and orange colored salts. (Don't worry...the food
coloring will not stain bathtubs or people)

Optional: Add a few drops of fragrance oil, or spritz the Epsom salts with your favorite perfume.

Now use the funnel to make colored layers of Epsom salts in each jar, like sand art. Pack each layer down with a spoon before adding the next layer, and make sure the jar is filled to the top before screwing the lid on tightly.

Decorate the lid of the jar with a circle of fabric or a paper doily held in place with a rubber band. Cover the rubber band with ribbon.

Copyright 2003 Jane Lake AllFreeCrafts

For more free crafts and easy homemade gift ideas, visit
http://www.allfreecrafts.com

About the Author
Jane Lake is the editor of All Free Crafts,
http://www.allfreecrafts.com, an award winning craft site that offers free crafts to make easy homemade gifts, and All Free Printables, http://www.allfreeprintables.com, which offers free printable shopping lists, recipe cards, bookmarks and chore coupons.