Paper Mache Glue
This method of working with paper and paste
allows you to mold and work with the material much as you would clay. It is ideal for
making jewelry such as pins and earrings, and the pulp can be shaped easily to make small
ornaments, decorations, and figures. Piñatas are another terrific project that can be
made with paper mache.Knitting: A New Trend
by Joanne Spataro
  Many people think only old, frumpy grannies enjoy knitting. They
imagine their own white-haired grandmothers creating sweaters and scarves in their rocking
chairs. However, grandma was actually setting future trends. Today, the lost art of
knitting has turned into one of the hottest hobbies that is sweeping the nation. How can
you get started knitting? Read more about it and then join our craft discussion
group, ask your questions and share your treasures.
How to Get Your Husband to
Back Your Business
by Liz Folger,
Work-at-Home Mom Expert
   "Please --
Pretty Please!! I really, really want to do this." From the sounds of things you'd
think a parent and a child were in "one of those" arguments. But it's really a
wife trying to persuade her husband to let her work from home. Getting your husband to
back your home business can, at times, be as hazardous as those black diamond ski slopes.
All-Purpose Natural Pesticide Powder
excerpted from
"Better Basics for the Home"
by Anne Berthold-Bond
  Anne's book Better
Basics for the Home is a survival guide full of over 800 "recipes" for
cleaning the house, washing clothes and even making hand lotions and creams. These
are recipes that let you use natural peppermint leaves, citrus leaves, garlic and a few
other simple and natural ingredients to make an insecticide that is safe for your pets and
children. Also featured is a recipe that uses essential oils to fight infestations.
Play Dough Galore
 We have 7 terrific FREE playdough recipes. We have received many
requests for playdough recipes. This week we decided to feature several types of
dough that we have collected over the years and have also added a recipe from "365
Days of Creative Play" and an offering from author Rebecca Rupp. They can
be great fun at parties to keep the little ones happy. Have fun!!
Making Salt Dough Keepsakes
This is a great way to make simple salt dough
and use it to make a wonderful keepsake. Nothing melts the heart more than a child hand,
especially when it is immortalized in salt dough. Find out to make the dough and look at
some of the wonderful poems we have that you can add to your treasure!!
Fix-It Corner & Meet the Author present...
Anne Berthold-Bond
"Better Basics
for the Home:
Simple Solutions of Less Toxic Living"
hosted by Sue Spataro, RN, BSN
 Interview & FREE natural pesticide recipes
Back in the early 80s Anne Berthold-Bond knew
something was not right. She knew that something wrong with her. Anne found herself
unusually sensitive to the chemicals in her environment. Anne' story kicked off her
journey to develop safe, easy to make household products. Her book BETTER BASICS FOR THE
HOME is a survival guide full of over 800 "recipes" for cleaning the
house, washing clothes and even making hand lotions and creams. Find out more.
Oatmeal Soap on a Rope
 Ever wonder what to do with those little pieces of soap, those
hotel bars of soap your kids love to bring home? Well, this is the craft for
you! You can add oatmeal to create an old fashioned oatmeal soap or if you use
cornmeal (in the same amount as the oatmeal) you'll have a pumice soap- great for those
tough skin areas!! This would make a terrific gift for Mother's
Day or Father's
Day!
Fix-It Corner presents...
Planning Your Backyard Garden
I always get excited this time of year. I
think about all the vegetable plants that I want in my garden, I run out to the stores,
spend a fortune, get home and then look around and shrug, "Now what?" In my
enthusiasm I forget to look at my yard first. I forget to make a plan, a simple one,
but still some kind of plan about where AM I going to put all those veggies. Here are a
few tips that I have found very helpful in choosing the right spots of your garden.
Making Your Own Stickers
This is a super idea to create your personalized messages as decorations
or as a way to tell your kids "Well Done"! These stickers are a fabulous, not to
mention inexpensive way, to brighten your children's day. They are also great as an arts
and crafts project. They can be made to adorn homemade greeting cards and
other novelties ( including notebooks).
Fix-It Corner presents...
How to "Spot" the Spots
We all love our carpets.
We all enjoy the lush, warm feel we get as we walk across our carpeted rooms. But what
doesn' t make us happy is to see spots or stains on our beloved rugs and carpets. There
are many ways to get rid of these spots and stains. Here are some fool-proof method to
keep your house looking spotless.
Silly Putty
This week's Craft of the Week came from Tanya.
This fun and versatile playdough has been around for decades and now you too can make it
right in your own home. Store the Silly Putty in an air tight container, plastic bag, or
plastic Easter egg (just like the original putty). The mixture will look like putty after
it is kneaded, in fact, the more you knead the better the consistency will be.
Fix-It Corner presents...
Cleaning the House
Safely
by Elizabeth Hughes
FREE Natural Cleaning Ideas
These are some great ideas from
Elizabeth who says, "I have been feverish lately about getting people to use kid safe
and environmentally safe cleaning solutions. Anyway, here are some simple compounds that
you can make in your home and other cleaning tips that won't make you run out of the room
for air."
Find out more.
Soapmaking
This week's Craft of the Week features a popular way to
have good, clean fun- soap making. The following recipes will create hand soap,
granulated laundry soap, and a basic shampoo and more. Many of these crafts use lye
and you need to exercise proper safety precautions especially if you're a novice. Don't
forget the rubber ducky!
Crafts with Pot Ideas
These are some great ideas for using pots to
make all sorts of neat crafts
Carla's Candles
 is brought to us by Carla Strunk. She has a great way to make
beautiful candles. Here are Carla's ideas: "I am making candle with my boys. It is a
great way to get them involved in preparing for power outages that we expect to happen on
occasion in the winter. We will also make some for Grandma's and Aunt Debbies Christmas
gifts." Find out more.
My Special Cloth Book
 All children enjoy having ownership in their work, and they
especially like to complete projects which focus on themselves. Bookmaking can be a fun
and easy way to help children at various ages and ability levels to communicate through
writing.
Child's Scrapbook
This is a child's year scrapbook. New Year's
is a great time to start a scrapbook for the impending year.
Making Felt
This week's Craft of the Week is brought to us
by Janelle Hardy a homeschooling mom from Australia. She has shared with us
her technique to make felt- that wonderfully versatile and easy to use
material. This is perfect for Christmas and holiday ornaments and gifts.
Making felt or felting, as it is called, is a great group activity. This can be done
in the classroom or in your neighborhood. The kids will love it!!
Meet the authors:
"A Year of Scrapbooking"
by Debbie Janasak,
Anna Swinney
hosted by Sue Spataro
 see the interview with authors
Debbie & Anna
  It has a huge variety of projects, with technical
tips and new ideas mingled through it. The language and instructions are clear and the
photographed examples are creative and inspiring, yet achievable for anybody. At the end,
there is a very detailed resources list so you can easily locate any of the products they
have used. Organized by the calendar year, this book contains hundreds of ideas and
project themes for each month- from birthday and wedding albums to holiday and special
event scrapbook pages. Debbie and Anna include tips on improving the quality of
photographs and creative ideas for cropping and layout. The design and technique
tips are in an easy-to-follow approach and all ideas include step by step
instructions and pictures. This is a wonderful book to turn your valuable photographs into
treasured heirlooms!  |
