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Articles
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| Ever wonder just HOW to make those cute bronzed baby shoes?
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| Clean the shoes thoroughly. With a damp rag, clean the shoes of all dirt and polish. It is best to complete the cleaning by rubbing the shoes with a rag saturated in denatured alcohol. All wax and polish must be removed. Now allow the shoes to dry. If you would like the shoes to be heavy and rigid, fill them with plaster of Paris to about 1/2 inch from the top and let them dry for several days before starting to paint. Arrange the shoes as you want them to be bronzed. Tie the laces and arrange them properly. Adjust the tongue so that it touches the sides of the shoe. You may want to hold the laces and tongue in place with a little rubber cement. Drive a tiny hole through the sole of each shoe and loop a string or wire around it. You are now ready to begin bronzing. To prepare your liquid bronze, use bronze, copper or gold powder and mix the powder with a fast drying spar varnish, stirring well and adding the powder until you have a liquid about like paint. Stir to prevent particles from settling on the bottom. You will probably want to mix a fresh batch of the liquid bronze for each job. To apply the bronze, use a good camel hair brush and paint shoes, inside and out, with several coats. If there are dull spots when the liquid dries, it means the liquid has soaked right into the material and more coats are needed until the finish is even and glossy. Hang up each shoe by the loop of string to dry between coats and clean the brush each time. When the final coat is dry, you can create an "antique" effect by mixing a little burnt umber or black color in oil with the bronzing liquid and painting it into the creases of the shoe with a small brush. NOTE: You will find bronze powder at any good paint or hardware store or even a printing supply house. You will be amazed at the very professional job you have done using this method.
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| Do you have a craft website you'd like promoted? First email me *G*, |
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| Welcome to Nancy's sewing & craft room! Here, you'll find a variety |
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| of free sample patterns from Martingale & Company, publisher of |
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| America's Best-Loved Craft and Hobby Books™. |
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| Reunion Wrap-Up Ideas Now that you've experienced the wonderful sense of kinship that only a reunion can impart, preserve the moment by creating a scrapbook full of memories. |
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| If scrapbooking is new to you (or if you need some tips), check out the Scrapbook Tutorial on the BH&G(R) Crafts Web site. From choosing the right tools to journaling techniques -- you'll find everything you need to make your scrapbook pages come to life! |
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| Use Your Imagination When Gift Wrapping |
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| Braid or coil it and use it instead of ribbon to decorate a package. |
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| Raffia is anothe option for decorating gifts. |
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| Both are very appropriate when wrapping gift for men. |
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| Do you have unused leftover wall paper? |
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| Use it to wrap gifts. It is a great way to get rid of it while |
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| showing originality in you gift wrapping. |
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| Do you have unused leftover fabric? |
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| Use scraps of fabric to gift wrap cylindrical gifts. |
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| Add little extras to your gift by putting little trinkets as package |
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| For a wedding or a house warming you may add measuring spoons or seed |
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| Use paper dollies and some ribbon, silk or a bow for the center of |
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| You may also cut the dollies in quarters and glue each quarter to a |
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| corner of your gift package. |
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| Melt candles or parrafin, pour into old tea cups that you have glued a small |
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| wick in, let cool. If you have the saucer for the cup, glue the cup to it. |
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| Ice cube trays (regular or with various shapes such as hearts) |
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| Cut glycerin into chunks, then place in a microwavable bowl. Melt the glycerin in the microwave on HIGH, stirring at 15-second intervals. About halfway through melting, add a drop or two of food coloring.With a cotton swab, coat the inside of the ice cube tray with petroleum jelly. Pour melted glycerin into the tray, filling each section almost to the top. Let cool at room temperature for about 2 hours. The "ice cubes" will pop out easily. |
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| 1 C. instant Quaker oatmeal |
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| 1 bar mild soap, such as Ivory |
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| Grate oatmeal or use a mini-processor oatmeal. Put into a bowl. Do the same with the soap. |
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| Add the water and bllend well. If adding food coloring, add it to the water for even consistency. Shape into balls and put on wax paper to dry. Balls can be put into containers or wrapped with plastic wrap and tied with raffia. A gift tag can be attached to the raffia. |
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