Easy Craft Ideas

Herbs have numerous uses, including cooking and home remedies. But when a crafter sees herbs, she sees a treasure trove of potential projects. Herbs are great for home décor, and the fragrant ones have a nice, natural scent that can't be duplicated with synthetic air fresheners.

Crafting with herbs isn't complicated, but it helps to have some basic knowledge about them before you begin. Here are some tips to help you get started:

* Harvest herbs early in the morning, right after the dew has dried up. This will prevent them from wilting.

* For most projects, you'll need to dry the herbs first. Long-stemmed herbs can be dried by putting them in small bundles, tying the ends of the stems together and hanging them in a dry place out of direct sunlight. Putting a paper bag over them and poking some air holes in it will keep them from getting dusty and catch any fallen leaves. Those with shorter stems can be dried by laying the leaves on a clean screen in the same type of place. Drying by these methods can take anywhere from one to three weeks.

* If you need your herbs dried faster, you can dry them in the oven or microwave. Put them in the oven at a very low temperature for 8 to 10 hours, or in the microwave for 2 to 3 minutes. These methods tend to make the herbs' scent diminish more quickly, so if you're using them for fragrance, it's better to dry them using the slower method.

* If you have a specific project in mind, lay long-stemmed herbs out in the pattern you plan to use before you dry them. Then tie them up in bundles that you can use without taking them apart. This will help prevent them from crumbling or falling apart.

* Some good crafts to make with dried herbs include wreaths, candle rings, and other home décor items. Fragrant herbs are good for making potpourri, and you can press herbs to use for scrapbooking.

* It's possible to use live herbs to make a wreath. This is done using a wire wreath frame, sphagnum moss, and young herb plants. The herbs are placed on a layer of the moss, covered with more moss, and carefully wrapped with wire. This is a great way to keep fresh herbs close at hand for cooking.

Herbs provide us with numerous seasonings and natural medicines, as well as a variety of crafting options. Using herbs in your projects will add a touch of nature and fragrance to your home, and these projects make wonderful gifts as well. Planting an herb garden can keep these wonderfully beneficial plants as close as your back yard or windowsill.

Kids have a way of using their imaginations to turn everyday objects into something extraordinary. A large cardboard box can be a house, car or spaceship, a rock can be their dog or a walkie-talkie, and a hairbrush can be a microphone used in their on-stage singing debut. With an empty glass jar and some craft supplies, they can use all of that imagination to create some wonderful crafts. Here are ten ideas you can use to help them along.

1. Beach in a jar - This is a fun project for kids who have been to the beach recently and gathered seashells. Simply put some sand in the bottom of the jar, and add lots of shells and some driftwood. A larger shell can be glued to the lid for a finishing touch.

2. Lantern or candleholder - This is a good project for a glass jar of any size. The kids can use glass liner and paint to create a stained glass look, or they can add semi-transparent material such as tissue paper to the outside of the jar with Mod Podge. For a lantern, a handle can be made with string or wire.

3. Christmas lights in a jar - This can actually be used for a variety of occasions, or year round with the right kinds of potpourri. Simply place a layer of lights on the bottom (clear works best if it's not for Christmas), put some potpourri on top, and repeat until you've used all of the lights, leaving the cord on the outside. Cover the top with a doily, secure with a rubber band, and tie some pretty ribbon around it.

4. Flower vase - Glass jars make charming vases. All that's needed to spruce them up is some glass paint, and maybe some stick-on jewels. Dried flowers or pieces of fabric could also be added with Mod Podge. If the opening seems too large, and adult can cut a large hole in the lid and let the child cover it with ribbon.

5. Cake in a jar - Find a good cake recipe, and measure out the dry, non-perishable ingredients. Then add one ingredient to the jar at a time, and do not mix. This creates a nice layered look and gives the recipient most of the ingredients to make a delicious homemade cake. Write the recipe on a tag and attach it with ribbon.

6. Jar lamp - You can find jar lamp kits online that include the electrical parts. All your child has to do is put some paper shred in the bottom, add any items that he wants to the jar, and add a lampshade. You can find a decorative shade at a local discount store, or your child can use markers or fabric paint to decorate a plain one.

7. Bank - Jars make great banks. Simply cut a slot in the lid to put change in, and let your child decorate the outside as he chooses.

8. Jack-o-lantern jar - This is a great Halloween project. Cut shapes for the eyes, nose and mouth out of masking tape, and place them on the jar. Paint with orange paint, and remove tape when dry. Add a candle or small light to make it glow.

9. Candy jar - This can be decorated any way your child likes. Fill it with candy and give it as a gift, or keep it on the coffee table for guests to enjoy.

10. Planter - Put pebbles in the bottom of a small canning jar, then fill with potting soil. Plant herb or flower seeds, and put in the windowsill.

Nature gives us lots of wonderful things. On a nature walk we can find beautiful wildflowers, delicious berries, and adorable birds and animals to watch. We can also find lots of great stuff for crafting.

Nature crafts are great for kids. They help them appreciate and learn about the natural world. Here are a few crafts using things found in nature that your kids will enjoy.

Pinecone Birdfeeders

Pinecones are great for crafting because they are nice and durable. This pinecone birdfeeder is easy to make, and you can hang it outside your window and watch as the birds feast from it. You'll need:

* A large pinecone
* Peanut butter
* Rubber spatula
* Birdseed
* Some twine or yarn
* A pan or pie plate

Spread peanut butter onto the pinecone with the rubber spatula, making sure to get it between the petals. Pour birdseed into the pan or pie plate, and roll the pinecone around in it. Tie the twine or yarn around one end of the cone, and hang it on a tree or somewhere else that birds will be able to find it.

Leaf Rubbings

This is a quick and easy craft for even the smallest children. Simply gather different kinds of leaves, and grab some paper and crayons. Put a leaf under the paper, and using the side of a crayon, rub gently over it. An imprint of the leaf will appear. Using several different kinds of leaves and different colors will create a lovely work of art.

Pet Rocks and Paperweights

With a little imagination, a rock can become a beloved pet! Decorating it can be lots of fun. Here are some things you could use:

* Acrylic paint
* Googly eyes
* Small pieces of cloth (for clothing)
* Pipe cleaners (for arms/legs)
* Spanish moss (for hair/fur)
* Small dried flowers

You could also a large rock to make a paperweight. In addition to the items above, you might use stickers, stick-on jewels, pom-poms, or any other embellishments you like.

Seashell Crafts

Seashells are a favorite of all beachgoers, whether they are children or adults. They're also wonderful for crafting. Here are a few things you can make with them:

* Magnets - Simply glue a magnet to the back of a seashell. This will serve as a reminder of the fun you had at the beach every time you walk by the refrigerator.
* Picture frames - Glue some seashells to a picture frame, and decorate with paint, glitter, and stick-on jewels. This makes a wonderful gift!
* Jewelry - Seashells make lovely jewelry. Carefully drill small holes in seashells (or poke them with a needle if they are delicate enough), and thread them onto fishing line. Add some beads if you like to make a necklace or bracelet. You can also buy ear wires at a craft store and use seashells to make dangle earrings.

If you're on a budget, thrift stores are great for finding bargains on all sorts of things. But most of the items that make their way into thrift stores have seen their better days. This deters some from shopping there, but to others, it creates the opportunity to use their crafting skills to turn junk into treasure.

There are lots of items out there that are just begging to be refurbished, or even turned into something completely different. Here are some things you can buy at a thrift store, and what you can do to re-create them.

Clothing

If you enjoy sewing, thrift store finds can provide the foundation for great fashions. It doesn't matter if they're a bit worn, or even have holes in them. You can patch them up, cut out the less worn sections to use on another piece, or make accessories out of them.

If you've seen expensive fashions that you're not willing to shell out lots of money for, a trip to the thrift store could give you what you need to create your own. For instance, if you see a pair of embellished jeans that you like, you might find some plain ones at the thrift store that you can add studs, rhinestones or eyelets to in the same style. Or if you see a dress in a great fabric with a nice pattern, you might find large pillowcases in a similar style that you can disassemble and turn into a dress.

Furniture

Thrift store furniture is quite popular among antique lovers and those who like the retro look in their homes. It offers styles that you just can't find any more. With a little TLC, this furniture can be an eye-catching addition to any room.

If you can finish and reupholster furniture, you already have most of the knowledge you'll need to give thrift store furniture a new look. Sometimes it also needs some minor structural repairs, but these usually aren't very complicated. If you find that perfect piece, it will be worth paying to have a little work done to it if necessary.

Jewelry

Old fashion jewelry is a favorite of many thrift store shoppers. It has a charm that you just can't find in jewelry stores today. And at thrift store prices, it's economical to buy old jewelry, take it apart, and use the components to make your own pieces. You could also use parts from jewelry to add to purses, hair bows and other accessories. The possibilities are truly endless.

Thrift stores offer lots of items that crafters can use. Visiting regularly and keeping your eyes open for pieces with potential could keep you crafting indefinitely. So the next time you feel like creating something unique, think used.

Finding a great knitting pattern is a wonderful thing. Perhaps you've found a pattern for a pullover that you think will be very flattering on you, or a cardigan that would look great on your sister. But what if the pattern is the wrong size?

Most patterns come in a variety of sizes. But if you are plus-sized or have unusual proportions that make it difficult to get a good fit, you might have a hard time finding the right size in the patterns you love. Or if you've run across an older pattern, you might not be able to find it in a different size. If you want to knit the item, you'll have to scale the pattern to fit.

In order to resize a pattern correctly, you'll need to knit a swatch. This is a square piece that consists of twelve rows of twelve stitches. It's necessary because this is the only way you can take into account the behavior of the yarn when knitted. Once you've completed your swatch, stretch it just enough to straighten the sides, then measure its width at the cast-on side.

Once you've measured your swatch, you'll need to figure out how many stitches per inch you're getting. To do this, divide the number of stitches by the width. So if your swatch is 4 inches wide, you would divide 12 by 4 to get 3.

Next, measure how big you need the piece to be in inches (if that's the unit you used to measure your swatch). Then multiply that by the number of stitches per inch as figured above. If your piece needs to be 32 inches, you would multiply that by 3 to get 96. That's how many stitches you will need to do to make it the correct size.

Depending on the knitting style you're using, you might have to adjust this number. If you're working with a pattern that uses multiples of four, for example, you'll have to round up to the next multiple of four. In this example, no adjustments would be necessary, but if you came up with 94, you would have to go up to 96.

You'll have to repeat this process for each piece to get a proper fit. And if the finished product is designed to be shaped, you'll need to take that into account as well. In complex cases such as this, it's often easier to just go ahead and redraw the entire pattern before you start.

Scaling a knitting pattern to fit is simple in principle, requiring only a swatch, a ruler, and some simple math. But it's important to look at all aspects of the pattern when you put it into practice. This will help you get the best fit possible.