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How to Knit: The Basics

How to Knit: The Basics
Illustrations by Caitlin Keegan. Photo by Maxwell Tielman. If you haven’t attempted knitting, it can seem pretty terrifying. You might have watched friends or family members do it — their pointy needles swinging at lightning speed through a tangled mass of yarn — and worried deeply for their eyes and internal organs. You might be a crafting commitment-phobe, horrified at the idea of a task taking over a day (or a week! or a month!) While I still haven’t quite mastered the art of knitting in its entirety, I can say with some sense of self-assurance that I can knit. January, with its post-holidays chill, has always seemed the perfect time to start a knitting project. More on the basics of knitting after the jump . . . Once you’ve purchased your yarn and the needle size that matches it, the absolute first step of any knitting project is making a slipknot. 1. 2. Casting on is the next step in setting up your knitting project. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 1. 2. 3. 4. 1. 2. 3. 4.

Homemade Mod Podge Don't forget to vote for us daily! Just click on this button and that's all! Thanks! A few months ago I found a recipe for Homemade Mod Podge and wanted to know if it was worth the mess to make it. Put a strip of masking/packing tape directly on your jar so that you can take it off later easier. Stick the sticker label on the tape. Tape over the label so that it will be semi-waterproof. Mod Podge in a Pint Jar (matte) Fill jar half way up with white glue (like Elmers) Then fill jar up with water. Shake Well. This is a 50-50 mixture glue/water. It will have a Matte finish. If you would like a Glossy finish, add 1 TBS of clear varnish. Shake it! If you have tried it with the varnish, we would love to hear how it went. See it for yourself how it works. Disclaimer: If you are wanting to do a long term or permanent project, the original Mod Podge may work better since they do add additional ingredients that make the finish last longer.

My name is Sarah, and I'm a chapstick addict - Frugal by Choice, Cheap by Necessity I can’t emphasize enough how much I need chapstick around me. Constantly. I have them stashed all around the house, and whenever I fly on planes, I bring multiple versions to double and triple check to make sure I’m not stuck away from the precious stuff. And you know what else? These make an easy holiday gift. In a pot over medium heat fitted with a double boiler, melt a little bit of beeswax. Then add some coconut oil. Then add some (1-2 tsp) honey and stir (might I recommend a plastic utensil OR a junky spoon you’ll only want to use for stuff with beeswax). Edited 5/22/12: if you are having trouble with “lack of measurements”, it is because I just eyeball it. Pour in to your containers of choice. Let set for about 15 minutes, and then you’re good to go! If you want to “flavor” this, you have two options. For a harder chapstick, you’ll want to go a bit heavy on the beeswax. Yo yo, head’s up, this post might contain affiliate links which help to support my site.

'FROZEN' Silly Putty My kids are mad for two things, Silly Putty and at the moment the ‘Frozen’ Movie! I have plenty of experience with Silly Putty, so I thought I would put a special, surprise twist on it, much to my daughter’s delight… ‘FROZEN Silly Putty’! To make your own you will need: 1 bottle of Clear School Glue (147ml) The same amount of water (147 ml) 1/2 teaspoon of Borax (I bought mine from my local hardware store in the cleaning section for $8) 1/2 cup hot water A few sprinkles of silver & blue glitter A few drops of blue food colouring Step 1 Pour your glue into a bowl Step 2 Fill the same bottle with water and add to the glue Step 3 Stir until well combined Step 4 Add a few drops of blue food colouring & stir again Step 5 Add a few sprinkles of the glitter & give it another good stir Step 6 In a separate cup, add 1/2 cup of hot water Step 7 Add 1/2 a teaspoon of the Borax to the water and stir until dissolved Step 8 Pour this solution into your original bowl with the glue and water Step 9 This is the best part!

Make your own Frozen Wreath - Elsa would be so proud My little girl (like every other girl on the planet) is OBSESSED with anything Frozen! Last year I made a Glowing Santa Tulle Wreath and the kids LOVE it! I thought I would try a similar idea, but of course going with the Frozen theme! To make your own you will need A styrofoam wreath (I bought mine from Spotlight…you can also use ‘pipe insulation’ as seen here) White & Blue Tulle – approximately 6inches x 100 yards (15cm x 91.4cms) – I get mine in rolls online here. Blue Christmas Baubles White &/or Blue Snow flake ornaments (I bought these from Myer about 5 years ago, but they always stock them. White ribbon - approximately 1 metre Battery operated christmas lights *optional (I bought mine from the $2 shop for $4.99 – they had 50 little white lights on them) Hot Glue Gun So to start with , cut your tulle into strips – the length of this will depend on the size of your wreath. I tied about 10 strips of white then 2 strips of blue and so on and so on but you can do whatever pattern you like!

do it yourself divas: DIY: Decoupage Also known as DIY Mod Podge **Update - Click here to see our VIDEO tutorial and get to know us a little better :) Don't you guys love Pinterest? That's where I found this idea. Here's a great way to save some money on your craft addictions; make you own Decoupage! You need.... A jar Elmers Glue Water Empty the glue into a jar. Add Water. Shake shake shake And you are done!! I know it works because i used it to paste this paper label onto the jar :) It could make a great gift for your crafting buddies Do you have QUESTIONS about this? Don't you guys love Pinterest?

DIY Rudolph Marquee Sign :: Hometalk Clear ornaments don't seem very exciting but with a little imagination and a few supplies they can go form ordinary to extraordinary. I used a few boxes to create a really cool marquee sign! I just painted on my letters and decided where I wanted my bulbs to go. After drilling my holes out with the biggest drill bit in my set, I threaded a string of white Christmas lights into each hole and taped everything in place with duct tape. I hot glued on the clear ornament bulbs and replaced the white lights in the 'O' with red. After the glue dried, I set my sign up outside and plugged it in.

42 Craft Project Ideas That are Easy to Make and Sell - Big DIY IDeas Why do we do crafts and put together DIY projects? Well, for the love of course, but in some cases for money. Not the love of money, that’s bad, but because getting paid to do what you love is considered a very successful life. Let me know if any of these craft ideas are something you have sold before or if you think you might try to sell online or at a craft bizarre, expo or whatever your hometown calls your craft sale. Dollar store plate charger and chalkboard paint- what a GREAT idea to sell at craft fairs Found on lizziscreations.blogspot.com Handmade Franciscan Earthenware Cake Stand in Turquoise Found on etsy.com Lollipop Stand for Sale Found on weibo.com Nail Cross Pendant Found on mollydodd.wordpress.com Dishwasher Magnet, Clean or Dirty Found on auntnubbyskitchen.blogspot.com Handmade Display Shelf Makes Hot Wheels Even Hotter! Found on ohdeedoh.com Cute collar & tie for your dog A great craft project that will sell very well to all those dog owners who love their canines. Football Onsie

Using Pallets To Build A Canning Pantry Cupboard Our canning cabinet filled from the garden Our crate and pallet board pieces after disassembling a pallet and a shipping crate Over the last 6 months or so – it seems that we always have a comment or two to the blog on our canning cabinet that we built out of old shipping crates and pallets. In fact, it seems to have taken on a life of its own – to the point that after so many asked – we finally put detailed plans on our Etsy store. (see: Canning Pantry Plans) So we thought for today’s post we would go through the how 2′s of building with pallets and shipping crates – with a little extra information on the canning pantry. Our Canning Cabinet made from old pallets and shipping crates. We have actually made two of them – the first we built from pallets – the second from some old shipping crates and pallets. For the canning cupboard, we started by tearing apart about 4 pallets to use for the sides and shelving boards. Buffet Hutch made with pallet panels and shipping crate remnants.

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