Etsy

I am growing to love Etsy even more each day! Today I have been working on checking out the forums! I have also been experimenting with Google Wave, which I love already! Thats all for now, have to go to bed! Bye!

Black Friday

On Friday at JoAnns, I got some great deals! I got a pattern for purses for $.99, and some fabric to make one of them! I got a yard of a dark teal fabric for the body and two yellow leaf fat quarters for the accents. I can't wait to make it! I'll post pictures when it's finished!

Long Time No Post!

Hey! Long time no post! I can't wait for black Friday to see if I have time to go to JoAnn's! They're having some great sales! Bye!

Cloud Nine

We were recently in the Outer Banks, NC on vacation. I found an awesome little bead shop there! You can buy beads or sit at their counter, make your creation, and then pay for it! And the employees are so nice and welcoming! So, if you live in North Carolina or are going there for one reason or another, and you like beading and jewelery making, you should definately stop by! The shop is part of the Pirates Quay Shoppes on Mile Post 11, and the phone number is 252-441-2992. 'Till later, bye!

Wow

Wow, I haven't posted in a really long time. I hope to blog more over the summer. Heres the rest of the post, now:

I am going to tell you about a cool art project that we recently did at school in art class. First, we all got a ball of clay. Then, we took off one of our shoes and squished the ball into a pinky-width circle. Then, we painted it and glazed it. Then, the teacher will fire it in the kiln and attach a pin backing to it, and we will have our very own shoe-print pin!

My 50th Blog Post

Well, for my 50th blog post, I am going to give some links to great crafts. Well, here goes:

• Michael's Arts and Crafts Store - www.michaels.com
• JoAnn Fabrics - www.joann.com
• DIY Network - www.diynetwork.com
• Carol Duvall Crafts - www.hgtv.com/the-carol-duvall-show/video/index.html
• Jewelry Recipes - www.jewelryrecipes.com
• Hobbies & Crafts Videos from MonkeySee - http://www.monkeysee.com/main/category/6-hobbies-and-crafts
• Cross Stitch Alphabet - http://yarntree.com/035alph.htm

Well, that is all for now, so, enjoy!

Geared Up

Hey, everyone. As you may have noticed, this is my 49th blog post, making my next post the 50th. So, for my 50th blog post, I am going to make it the best and longest blog post on Plain Crafti. You can't miss it! So, it will most likely air on Saturday, because I am starting to draft already! Like I said, longest and best! See you then!

Tool Name Cards

When you are going to a workshop, to make sure that you leave with all of your own tools, put a small name tag on each one.

Lip Gloss

Hey! I haven't really done anything crafti lately, so here is a recipe to make homemade lipgloss! Enjoy!

What you need:

• 1/4 cup of vegetable, olive, or sweet almond oil
• 1/4 ounce or 1 teaspoon of beeswax, chopped into small pieces or grated
• 4-5 drops of essential oil of peppermint (or another essential oil)
• Heat-safe disposable plastic cup or a clean, microwave-safe glass jar
• Disposable spoon
• 6 empty, clean, dry mini-mint tins or old lip-balm pots

Optional:

• 1/8 teaspoon glycerine
• 1 vitamin E capsule
• Lipstick
• Superfine glitter (food grade)

How to do it:

1. Pour the oil into the plastic cup or glass measuring cup and add the beeswax. Microwave the oil and wax for about one minute, stirring every 20 seconds, until the wax is completely melted. ( Watch out, the cup will be hot.)
2. Test the consistensy of the base. Do you want a glossy gloss base thats soft like Vaseline, or a creamy lip balm base that's harder, like Chap Stick? Dip the plastic spoon in melted base mixture and let the excess drip off. Put the spoon on a piece of aluminum foil or wax paper and stick it in the freezer for about a minute until it cools. If it's too hard, or you want an even gloddier finish, add some more oil, a little bit at a time. If the mixture is too soft, or you want somthing more lip-balmy, add a tiny bit of wax and stir until it remelts.

To make it fancy:

1. Add the peppermint oil (or other essential oil) and stir well.
2. Stir in the glycerine. You don't have to use it, but glycerine adds moisture and makes the lip balm or gloss smooth and silky.
3. Pierce a vitamin E capsule with a pin and pour the contents into the melted oil and wax. Vitamin E is a moisturizer that helps preserve the final product.
4. Take a small chunk of your favorite color of lipstick and add it to the melted oil and wax mixture. The lipstick won't add a lot of color to your lips, but it will make the gloss look nice.
5. If you really want to sparkle, add a pinch of superfine glitter (make sure that its food-grade) to the mixture.

Make it cool:

1. When you're all done tinkering, pour the misture into tins or jars. If you're using mint tins, check to see of there are holes by the hinges. Be sure the mixture only comes up to the holes or it will pour out. If you're using an old lip balm pot, be careful not to fill the pot all the way to the top.
2. Let the mixture cool undisturbed for a smooth professional finish. After about 20 minutes, your lip balm and lip gloss will be ready!

Flavors to try:

1. Pink lemonade = gloss base + lemon oil + chunk of pink lipstick + dash of superfine glitter
2. Orange creamsickle = lip balm base + orange oil + vanilla oil + piece of orangy lipstick
3. Lavender fields = lip balm base + lavender oil + plum lipstick
4. Cinnamon clove = gloss base + clove oil (only a drop or two) + a dash of cinnamon + brownish lipstick

Tips:

• If your lip base hardens, pop it back into the microwave for about 15 seconds. If it is still too hard, keep microwaving it in 5-second increments until its totally melted.
• Health food stores and craft stores carry tons of essential oils. Remember, oil and water don't mix because of their different density levels, so be sure that whatever flavoring or scent that you're using is an oil, and not just a watery extract. Also be sure before you buy that it is OK to use it for lip balm. Just because that candle scent smells delish doesn't mean its OK to put it in your gloss. Save it for the candles.
• It takes a lot of elbow grease to get that annoying lip balm haze off glass, so stick to disposable or only-for-crafting cups.
• Oil + metal tin + microwave = potential fire hazard, and no one likes a fire hazard. Watch the base when you're melting it, and for the love of Pete, don't put metal in the microwave.

Craft TIp Of The Day - Locker Magnets

To make locker magnets, attain a picture of something that you like and glue it onto a plain magnet. Now you have personalized locker magnets!!

Friendship Bracelets

To make friendship bracelets, all you need is some embroidery floss. You can braid it, knot it, twist it and more, and even buy a book that gives you ideas. Happy making!

Whoops

There was supposed to be a video on the How To Make Weatherd Paper post. I don't know what went wrong. Sorry.

Podcast

Hey. Check out my new podcast at http://www.gcast.com/u/ehill/main

How to Make Weathered Paper