Di's Delightful Creations
& Crafts
This & That
FROSTING WINDOWS
Dissolve 4 heaping T. Epsom salts in 1 cup of
beer. This will foam. Let set for at least 30
minutes. The salt crystals will partially
dissolve.
Apply to window. This can be done with a 2 inch
paint brush, but for a nicer effect, dip a facial
tissue or terry cloth in the liquid and wipe over
the window as if you were washing it. Then while
the window is still wet go back and dab and pat
at the glass with the wet tissue.
Mixture dries to form beautiful crystals.
This looks even better the next day, and lasts a
long time.
It can be washed off with water and a cloth and
is easily reapplied.
STRESS BALLS
1/2 c salt
1 c flour
1 T oil
1 t cream of tartar
1 c water
Balloons - 3 or 4 for each ball
Mix dough ingredients together it a pot and heat
until doughy, stirring constantly. This should
only take a few minutes. Remove from pot, knead
till smooth then leave to cool for about 1/2 an
hour.
Take 3 or 4 balloons and cut most of the neck off
each one, so you just have the round bit. Now
take a ball of dough about 2" or 3" across. The
more you pack into one balloon, the less squishy
it will be. Stretch one ballooon over it. This
can be a bit tricky. Now quickly (before it all
oozes out again) put this inside another balloon,
hole first (so that the second balloon covers up
the hole in the first one). Put this inside
another ballon in the same way. After you put the
last one one, use your nails to pinch up a little
of the last balloon and tie.
TEA DYING
Use instant coffee.
Add 4 T. of coffee to a spray bottle filled with
hot water and mix well.
Hang the fabric or finished project on a
clothesline and spray with the mixture.
Leave hanging on the line until dry.
FIRE PROOFING
7 oz. borax
3 qts hot water
3 oz. boric acid
Make a paste from borax and a little hot water.
Add remainder of hot water and boric acid; stir
until clear.
Dip item to be fireproofed in solution, wetting
completely. Let dry.
IVORY FLAKE SNOWMAN
2 c Ivory Snow
1/2 c water
Toothpicks,twigs, cloves, buttons, felt, seed
beads, tempera paints.
Pour Ivory Snow into bowl, add water and whip
with electric beater until doughy.
Shape damp soap into three balls. Stack them by
gently pushing a toothpick halfway in the center
of the bottom ball. Then push the middle ball
onto the pick until the two balls touch. Do same
for the head.
Add twig arms, clove eyes, shirt buttons and a
felt scarf. Make smile with a row of seed beads.
Make carrot nose with a painted twig. Top off
snowman with hat and ear muffs.
As the soap dries (this will take a few hours),
it will lose its grayish tinge and turn white.
Colored SALT Glitter
Making your homemade glitter for your with salt allows you to create your own favorite colors for enhancing homemade cards and art projects.
Add 1 tablespoon liquid watercolor
to 1/4 cup salt
Spread out on paper towels and microwave for 2 minutes.
Using fingers, break up any dried clumps
MOOD COLORS
Colors and what they represent
White..........Protection, peace, truth
Green..........Healing, money and prosperity
Pink...........Emotional love, harmony,
affection
Red............Love, passion,
courage, energy
Yellow.........Friendship, learning,
clairvoyance
Purple.........Spiritual shield, dignity
Blue...........Forgiver, healing, tranquility
Turquoise...Awareness, meditation, creativity
Peach..........Gentle, strength, joy
Lt. Blue.......Peace, tranquility
PRESERVING NEWSPAPER CLIPPINGS
Dissolve 1 Milk of Maagnesia tablet (or 2 t.of
magnesium carbonate) in 1 quart of club soda in a
plastic container. Chill the mixture.
Sandwich the clipping between 2 pieces of screen
or pellon (sold in fabric stores). Soak the
sandwich and keep wet for thirty minutes and blot
carefully with blotting paper (or something
similar).
Allow to dry overnight, on blotting paper on a
flat smooth surface. Once throughly dry, the
clipping may be added to a scrapbook. Or to just
store the clipping (in a box for exanple); place
it in a well-sealed, archival type plastic bag.
STENCILING TIPS
Take the time to fit and position the stencil
design on your project before beginning. Lightly
mark the stencil position with pencil or
chalk.
~
Use tape or spray adhesive to anchor a stencil.
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Since you may want to change colors more often
than you'll want to clean a brush, keep a
separate brush for each paint color.
~
For more control, hold the brush with your hand
comfortably close to the
bristles.
~
Tap the brush tip in paint and swirl on a paper
towel to load evenly. Use as little paint as
possible. Swirl lightly on the plastic stencil,
then move over cut opening. Continue swirling
until space is evenly colored.
~
Shade or accent the edges of a stencil by
swirling the brush around the edge without
crossing the center. Swirl first in one
direction, then the other, for a smooth look.
Work darker colors over lighter ones.
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If paint smears or smudges under the stencil
edge, move the stencil slightly to cover it and
paint again for a sharp edge. Most such leaks are
caused by too much paint on the brush.
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For large errors, press a clean piece of tape on
fresh paint and lift to remove. Repeat 2-3 times,
using a clean piece of tape each time. Use a
white plastic eraser, rubbing short strokes, to
remove any remaining paint.
~
If the paint has had time to set, don't despair!
You can always paint over it. You may even want
to use your "mistake" as part of a new, better
design.
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To clean stencils, lay the stencil on a flat work
surface. To prevent damage, rub gently with a
paper towel or tissue wet with baby oil. Clean
away the baby oil with rubbing alcohol.
CRAFT GOODIES
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