Posts Tagged ‘Right’

Buying Gift Basket Supplies – Make Sure You Buy the Right Supplies at the Right Price

Friday, July 2nd, 2010

Whether you are just starting out with your gift basket business or are looking to grow, it is important that you buy the right gift basket supplies at an affordable price. Buying the wrong supplies can mean that your basement, shop, or warehouse are filled with items that you can’t move. If you buy the wrong items or buy at the wrong prices, your money will be tied up and you’ll be unable to advertise or replenish your more popular stock. Here are some tips to help you find the right gift basket supplies at the best prices.

 

Start with the basics. You’ll need a sharp pair of scissors, some clear tape, a pair of wire cutters, and a glue gun. You can buy this essential equipment at a craft store or an office supply store, but you should do comparison shopping online to make sure you get the best price. If you have a home based business, you might be tempted to use what you already have in the house. This is fine if you have a glue gun that you won’t be needing for other projects, but make sure that you keep a dedicated pair of scissors and rolls of tape in your working space at all time.

 

Next think about the items that every completed project will need. This includes cellophane, which you will wrap the basket in, and ribbon to tie a bow around the top. You’ll also want shredded paper to go in the box or hamper to nest the items in. It can be hard to gauge how much you will need of these items. For ribbons and shredded paper, don’t try to buy every color in the beginning. You’ll probably find some of it that is rarely, if ever, used. So focus on colors such as gold and silver for the ribbons and white and green shredded paper. If a holiday is coming up, be sure to stock up on the right colors for that, such as red and green for Christmas and red and pink for Valentine’s Day. Decorated boxes, hampers, and baskets are also important. Baskets can take up a lot of room, so only order a few in different sizes until you are familiar with demand.

 

Now that you have the most essential gift basket supplies, it is time to look for the items that you place in the baskets. You’ll want things such as lotion, cookies, cocoa, tea, and teddy bears. Here is where you can easily overspend if you are not careful. Look for a good wholesale supplier for the items that are popular, but don’t buy too much at one time. You can often find good deals at dollar stores and pick up things on clearance after the holidays. Make a list of things you are always looking for, such as cute golf items that are popular on Father’s Day.

 

Gift basket supplies will tie up a lot of your cash flow, especially if you are a home based business and not paying rent on a retail or warehouse location. Because of this, finding the best items at the cheapest prices is essential if you want your business to succeed. Start small and you won’t end up with expensive regrets down the road.

 

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Right Brain Kids Art – 7 Interesting Gratitude Crafts for Father Day Special

Tuesday, June 29th, 2010

 

My daughter was asking me about present for Father Day. I was cracking my head to help my daughter to create some special gift while at the same time she can practise her crafting skills and her right brain creativity. Here I share the seven interesting gratitude crafts for Father Day celebration.

#1 Egg puppet

Prepare a few egg shell, colorful cotton, ice cream sticks, felt, PVA adhesive for felt, magic color or makers. First step is create the puppet hair by pasting the cotton on the top of egg shell. Cut the felt into different clothing shapes such as shirt,long pants and shoes. Then glue all the felt together to create the body. Secure the egg shell on the ice cream stick with paper tape, and glue the felt body on the ice cream stick. Last on the egg shell, draw the puppet eye, nose and mouth with a smiling expression using marker.

#2 3D scrapbooking Father portrait

Prepare a few candid photos of dad, acrylic color, some sea shell, A5 size mini canvas and PVA adhesive. Color the mini canvas with acrylic, while letting it dry, sort out the sea shell that was collected from the beach. Once the canvas is dried, paste dad candid photo on the canvas, add different shapes of sea shell on it as natural designed embellishment. Then a father portrait scrapbooking is done!

#3 Father Day greeting card

Prepare a few colorful construction paper, marker, color pencil, clay and crayons. Ask your child based on his or her memories to draw daddy face on the construction paper. They can imagine daddy is eating favourite food or drink, reading newspaper etc. Ask your child to create daddy favourite food or fruits using clay, and paste them on the construction paper that drew with daddy face. Last steps is add some write on the drawing such as dad enjoy apple, or dad love reading newspaper, happy father day etc.

#4 Draw dad from memories

Prepare a A3 size drawing block, ask your child to draw daddy from his or her memories with the feeling of feeling gratitude to daddy. I believe this will be the most grateful drawing and gift to dad.

#5 Collage of Dad

Prepare a wooden based of A4 size, acrylic and some of daddy little personal collection such as air tickets, movie tickets, bus tickets, train tickets etc. Use acrylic to color the wooden based, paste the ticket collections on the wooden based. You can ask your child to help for pasting, does matter the tickets are paste in uneven shapes or style, the important thing is your child love and enjoy pasting it. Always encourage your child to make the decision on pasting. Finally do a photocopy of dad photo, and paste it at corner to create a unique collage design, write some text such as.

#6 Make a kite for dad

Hand made kite with daddy is another fun crafting activity for father day. Prepare rice paper, PVA adhesive, coconut leaf sticks, and poster color. First, find a suitable kite template from internet, print it and cut out the shapes on the rice paper. Then using PVA adhesive to glue coconut leaf sticks as the kite back bone. Let it dry for an hour. Lastly paint some abstract pattern on the kite with poster color, let it dry half an hour and your kite is ready to fly.

#7 3D Sculpture using paper clay

3D sculpture crafting is great for children imagination and creativity thinking training. Ask your child to source for the 3D sculpture material with daddy at the playground or park that near your neighbourhood. With the collections and paper clay, create a 3D sculpture of little dream house of daddy.

The most important awareness for our children while doing above crafts is the gratitude and love feeling towards dad. Hope you can create anyone of them for father day!

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Can someone give me a good craft idea to represent something worth doing is worth doing right for kids church?

Monday, June 14th, 2010

I am on a kids church team and the lesson for tomorrow is “something worth doing is worth doing right”. Can anyone give me a good idea for some sort of craft, or something the kids can create that is relatively cheap and they will want to do fast or take the easy way out of?

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Choosing the right crafts for your kids can make or break them

Friday, February 26th, 2010

The concept that kids crafts is, or should be beneficial for children is not a new one. Traditional educators have long touted the direction following and fine motor development skills that arts and crafts gives to children.

When kids are doing activites that are boring however, like copycat arts and crafts, the direction following is almost rote and therefor, useless. As a matter of fact, crafts like this does great damage to children’s self esteem and other skills.

Many of us already know why we as parents and educators like to give children arts and crafts.

Working on projects together is a great way to bond with our children.

It gives the children an outlet for their creativity.

It keeps them busy.

It gives teachers a way to have children remember things they learned.

It brings out the special sweetness of each holiday.

Let me present you with another method of crafts that is on a much higher level. It is a method of doing arts and crafts with children that raises their confidence and self-esteem, gives them thinking and problem solving skills and skyrockets their creativity. I call this, Educational arts and crafts.

There are a few very basic underlying concepts about educational arts and crafts. All adults working with children should be aware of what children are capable of at various ages and levels.

As a result kids cannot be judged the old fashioned adult parameters. As real educators know the difference in the developmental levels of kids, they don’t expect them to perform at levels that don’t match where they are. Not only is giving children adults models to copy not good for them, but it can acutally be detrimental in many ways.

Good arts and crafts project should therefor, address the following points.

1.Self esteem is a definite by product of what the projects should be helping children develop.

2.There are many problems that crop up when doing crafts that children can try solving on their own.

3.    Choices should be available which leads to initiative taking.

4.    Freedom to decide HOW to decorate helps develop a sense of autonomy and independence.

5.    Creativity skyrockets when children decide what to create.

In Educational Arts and Crafts the children incorporate all of the above skills while traditional, copycat, arts and undermines the same. Factual information is not what is being learned when children are doing educational crafts. It means that they are receiving skills of tremendous educational benefit.

Children who do lots of copying adults crafts, end up feeling poorly about themselves and even more about their artistic abilities. They are usually the children who grow into the adults who feel “they cannot draw a straight line”. They feel that there is no faith in them from the adults to make art on their own.

So indepence and confidence gets whittled down which is what happens when dependence is only on adults.This all starts in the beiginning when giviing toddler crafts to young ones and continues on into the later years.

Educational art is so full of win-win, valuable benefits for children and we discuss some of them below.

Children feel great about themselves as they get to create their own projects.

Both parents and children are satisfied with the finished craft.

Kids get to have their creativity bolstered.

Thinking, problem solving skills and initiative are used.

Self-esteem and initiative are encouraged which spills over into other areas.

So why not get started in giving the children crafts that they do on their own, that are educational and stop giving your kids crafts that copy other adults work.

Faige Kobre

Faige Kobre, the director of The Educational Art Institute seeks to bring educational art to all children worldwide. Art that gives children the thinking and problem solving skills, initiative taking and creativity so needed to succeed in the world today.kids crafts projects

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Valentines Crafts-Putting Your Heart in to Unique Valentines Decorating Can Start Right at the Front Door with a Decorative Valentines Wreath

Tuesday, February 16th, 2010

Adding a touch of classy romance and country style charm to a plain willow branch wreath can bring admirable envy to your own entry way, or any currently unadorned passage.  To honor our annual salute to love and romance, a well thought out and unique Valentines Wreath will stand out as an original Valentines craft idea.

For this simple yet loving project, a willow branch wreath was used to resemble a bird’s nest.  Using a hot glue gun, attach crafters moss along the inside edge of the wreath.  Next, wrap red fabric knit around the top of the wreath.  Then, before tying the bow, run the red fabric knit through the hook at the top of the ornament securing it as you make the bow on the wreath.  We are moving along pretty quick here.  To complete the project take 3 heart shaped picks, and using wire cutters remove all but 1 inch of the stem.  Insert the 3 heart shaped picks, staggering them along the right side of the wreath, which allows the attached ribbon to show.  Keeping the wreath simple is the key to this design.  Your goal is to make key focal points of your Valentines wreath design stand out to the viewer coming through the door way.  Here is quick list of the supplies needed:

Supplies:

1 Willow branch wreath (9” x 9”) 1 package of crafter’s brown moss 1 medium size silver heart ornament 1 package of 3 Valentine picks with ribbons attached Red fabric knit (¼ yard) Hot glue gun Glue sticks Wire cutters

Linda M. Johnson

Linda Johnson is a degreed and experienced crafter and interior/exterior decorating specialist, with years of experience helping friends, family, and clients solve their decorating and craft needs. Linda and her contributing writers invite you to submit your own great ideas for free, and also find tons more craft ideas and decorating projects like this with photos to try yourself

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Finding The Right Quilt In Crafting

Tuesday, February 9th, 2010

Quilts are often made up of quality fabrics. The fabrics include cotton, which polyester is often avoided. Once you purchase top-quality cotton fabrics, you will need to consider style.

How to choose style:

Quilts are crafted in the Feminine, Cottage, Victorian, Country, Scrappy, Lodge, and Conventional Amish, Modern, or Juvenile style.

The female and Victorian often has a mixture of flowery and smaller scales of coordinating patterns and colors. Cottage quilts have brighter pastels and prints on a smaller to average scale with off-white solids, such as beige, manila, fawn, or camel. The Country quilts include the reminiscent of dusty shades that stretch along scales of solid shades. The colors are solid and a couple of colors, such as off-whites, or flag colors integrate to make a fashionable quilt.

Lodge style quilts are made up of reticent, or silent shaded prints, or reminiscent of woody colors that are deeply imprinted in the quilt. The colors are offset by shades of plaid, and the variations combine green, brown, rust, orchra, red, navy blue, tan, black, etc, blending it to make the Lodge quilt.

The scraps means you can create any type of quilt you choose, as well as shades, tones, colors, etc. Conventional Amish quilts combine the penetrating shades of gemstones on a solid background with a mixture of black.

Modern quilts include the colorful novelties whereas simple lines are used to make up its squares.

Juvenile quilts is often made up of brilliant pastel, or crayon shades, colors, tones, etc, and includes prints as well as a solid background.

Once you choose your style, you will need to purchase your materials and measure your fabric. The fabric should be machine washable. Sometimes however, the fabric will bleed, which in this case you will need to continue wash, rinse, and continue until the dye remains in tact.

Once you purchase your yard bolt, or fabric you will need to learn steps to cutting your parts “On the grain.” This is a common phrase used by quilt makers. In addition to cutting, you will need to purchase fillers and learn how to craft them so they blend into your quilt. In quilt maker terms, “batting,” is choosing your style so to speak. For instance, if you wanted to create a traditional quilt you would choose ‘flatters” that match your material. When choosing batting it is ok to purchase polyester. You will have a choice of wools, cotton, and so on available as well. To help you make a decision consider the following questions.

How to choose:

Do you intend to craft your quilt on a sewing machine, or by hand?

What is the size?

How much time can you invest in making your quilt?

Do you intend to wash your quilt regularly, or design a fashionable quilt for your showcase?

Do you plan to make a quality quilt?

Asking the questions can help you choose your materials. You can find additional help by visiting craft shops and reading recommendations by the manufactured written on the batting label. In the meantime, visit the Internet to choose your patterns.

You also have the pre-packaged options, which you can purchase your batting, including the yard of batting. If you choose the pre-packaged, you will have convenience, such as elimination of cutting. The pre-packages are already cut to fit the average beds.

If you purchase yards of batting, be ware that it has not been pre-shrunk. This means, you will have bulks of batting to carry to your home. You want to keep in mind that yards of batting is suitable for smaller projects only, and is difficult to cut your patterns.

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Finding The Right Craft Threads

Monday, February 1st, 2010

Threads are important when crafting quilts. You will need certain threads that match your fabric, as well as suitable supplies and needles. Yet, when you consider matching threads to your fabric, you will also need to consider a few other details.

Types of threads:

You have choices of thread, including rayon, buttonhole-twists, silk, all-purpose, cotton, nylon wool, monofilament, metallic, exceptionally fine, mercerized cotton and so on. To consider threads, first you must ask if you are intending to create your quilt by hand, or machine? Do you prefer to darn or to bast?

If you are sewing fabric piece onto fabric, using shaped pieces to form your pattern, you may want to choose the monofilament nylon thread. On the other hand, if you are sewing your fabric by hand, sewing the pieces to form a pattern then the silky threads, or the all-purpose threads may be a good option.

If you are hand crafting you may want to consider other threads than the all-purpose. For instance, you may get more from the threads with polyester cores and wrapped in cotton. The polished 100$ finished cotton is also available. If you use the thread with finished polish, it will reduce wearing if you are sewing by hand. The thread will help you stitch smoothly without worrying about tangles, creases, etc.

TIP: Buy beeswax cake to minimize tangles.

Once you finish choosing your threads, you will need to create a craft basket. The basket will include thimbles, scissors both for cutting paper and fabric, (a few pairs) threader, hand needles, pencils, tailor chalk, seam ripper, and a measuring device. You will also need straight quilter pins, pincushion, glue stick, and a few safety pins. (Large)

Once you gather your basket, you may want to add supplies, such as rotary cutters, iron/board, masking tape, press cloth, spray bottle, graphing/tracing paper, hoops and frames, colored pencils, plastic sheet, ruler, cutting mat, and so on. You may even want to toss in a few band-aids to cover those pokes and sticks you will get from hand sewing your quilt.

When you purchase your needles choose the “household assortment” kits to sum up your sewing needs. Otherwise, needle sizes are opposite, i.e. if you purchase the larger numbers, you get a smaller needle.

If you are hand, sewing you may want to consider “sharp” needles. The needles make it easy to stitch through heavy-duty material. In stores you might look for sharps, or “household needles.” To shorten your field trip on the mind tangler, just purchase a couple of 8′s and 9′s, as well as the variety packages. The needles with slotted eyes are called the “easy-threader,” which you can use also if you have problems using other needles.

You will need the seam ripper to correct your mistakes. The rippers will cut your thread, yet you should practice before you use them on the actual quilt, especially if you are new at making quilts.

You will need markers as well as a ruler to measure seams, patterns, fabric, etc. The needle threader will make it easy to thread. Remember the tips of some needles are small, making it difficult to get the thread pulled through the eye. Thimbles are designed to reduce the need for band-aids. You will need to test a few thimbles to fit them to your fingers.

In all, each item in your basket will help you complete your quilt. If you are new at quilting, visit your library, or go online to learn more steps to help you create a fashionable design, or a traditional style if you choose.

Jake Saab

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