Crochet Blog crochet-mania.blogspot.com

Hi, everyone! Here’s a 12″x24″ two-page layout featuring papers from Fancy Pants Designs “Summer Soiree” collection and embellishments from Fancy Pants Designs “Summer Soiree” collection and DCWV “Safari Kids” collection. They layout design is based on a sketch from Becky Fleck’s “Pagemaps”. I hope you enjoy & thanks for watching!

To cast off in knitting, also known as binding off, it requires a bit more yarn than a regular knitted row, as each stitch is pulled over the next and off the end of the needle. Pull the tail of the yarn through the last stitch and tighten before weaving in the ends with a demonstration from an advanced knitter in this free video on knitting. Expert: Allison Isaacs Contact: www.imagiknit.com Bio: Allison Isaacs learned to knit and needlepoint at an early age. Filmmaker: Sam Lee

Written Instructions crochet-mania.blogspot.com Left Hand Crochet Videos www.youtube.com Crochet Blog crochet-mania.blogspot.com

Board shorts were originally designed for surfers but these days they’re worn by everyone from grannies to toddlers. Even if you’re not a surfer and hate to go into the sea a pair of board shorts are beach wear essentials. Although summer is still a few months away I’m already thinking about my summer wardrobe and thought I’d share a little inspiration to make a pair of board shorts.

Probably the simplest way to make a pair of board shorts is to take an old, worn pair of jeans and cut off the legs above the knee.To make these really simply you don’t really need to hem the legs. Let them fray as this just adds to their character.

Unfortunately wet denim can be quite heavy and abrasive so this style of homemade board shorts is not likely to be suitable for surfing or other water sports. But they look really cool with a vest or t-shirt, a pair of flip flops and a cool pair of sunglasses.

If you are good with a needle and thread you will probablyhave fun customising your shorts with a few cool embellishments. One of my favourite modifications is to remove the rear pockets and add some nice, brightly colored summer material. I will often embroider my home made shorts, add a few custom patches and maybe replace the pockets. I like to wear my shorts with a long silk scarf used as a belt. My boyfriend loves the way they look.

An alternative to denim jeans is to start with a pair of suit trousers. When cut down into shorts these can look exceptionally cool. Generally you will need to hem these shorts to prevent them from fraying too much. Like my denim board shorts, I always like to add a few personal custom features. You might like to add some handy side pockets made from brightly colored material or maybe embeillish the waist band.

You can find plenty of old trousers at your nearest charity shop. There are always loads of old suit trousers to choose from and you can pat yourself on the back for recycling.

Making a scrapbook sure is a great leisure pursuit. It’s not surprising why it’s one of the most popular hobbies these days. It allows you to hone your creativity, plus it lets you sort out your snapshots.

But you might notice that a huge part of arts and crafts shops is devoted for scrapbookers. And you might notice that the hobby can get very expensive too. For sure you have heard of hardcore scrapbookers who spend a fortune for the craft.

However, this should not put off your attempt at creating a scrapbook. For a beginner like you, you might at first want to depend on your creativeness. You don’t necessarily have to drop by arts and crafts shops to come up with a beautiful scrapbook. In fact, everything you need might already be around you.

For scrapbooking papers, glossy pages of old magazines will do. You may also create makeshift pages from used large envelopes and construction papers. Worry not about parts with, say, drawings or stains or tears in them. By strategically placing pictures and ornaments over them, the pages will look stunning.

Regarding the cover of the pages, you can simply fashion one out of used cartons or boxes. Or you may rip off unused contents of a binder, and use it as a makeshift album cover. Throw in lots of love and creativity in designing the cover to make it really interesting-looking. You’ll save a lot of money if you skip buying ready-to-use scrapbook albums.

As with the embellishments, you can always cut colorful images from magazines. Greeting cards are another source of decorative pieces which you can cut and paste on the pages. However, be wary of where you cut your embellishments from. House guests will be enticed to look into your finished works. And imagine their surprise should they see bits and pieces from erotic comics.

For edge trimmings, you can cut into long strips unused wallpapers. Fabrics with bold patterns, colorful buttons and many others will also come in handy. You may also use actual objects appearing in the photographs used. For example, include the invitation or confetti on your daughter’s birthday party, or sands and shells from a beach vacation.

There are many scrapbooking tools to choose from. Some scrapbookers even tend to purchase each and every tool. However, a good pair of scissors and cutter will suffice. As for cutting shapes, simply use your ingenuity. You can use solid objects as stencils, and find inventive ways of cutting sheets of paper to make them look interesting.

You will find that even if you intend to go serious being a scrapbooker, the craft doesn’t have to be expensive. You just need to learn how to recycle materials and use them in a creative way. Besides, people will love your creations all the more should they learn everything in it is a product of your own imagination.

Custom candy wrappers may seem simple on the surface, but there are actually countless of wonders to uncover from this chocolate packaging trend. Here are 10 that may just get you jumping on the bandwagon:

1. Foremost on this list is the chance to customize the candy cover to your liking. You get free reign on everything from the design to the wording, so each creation is unique.

2. Personalized candy wrappers are a great exercise of creativity. Imagine it as a blank canvas. You can be as playful as you want with the design. Add photographs, caricatures, stickers or magazine cutouts. Or dress it up with ribbons and buttons. The options are endless.

3. You can also think of chocolate bar wrappers as a step up from greeting cards. Put across your thoughts and sentiments, may it be a plain thank you, a heartfelt apology or an expression of love, in a special packaging. You may even incorporate a quotation or the lyrics of your favorite song.

4. Custom candy covers make for an exceptional gift. Earn extra points by adding your own touch to a store-bought chocolate treat. Appreciative of the special effort you put in, your loved one might even preserve the wrapper as a memorabilia instead of just throwing it out together with the trash.

5. If you’re looking for a cost-efficient yet impressive party favor, candy bar wrappers might just do the trick. Chocolate is a hit with almost everyone, so it’s one surefire way to draw smiles from your guests. The treats can even be arranged as table centerpieces, with a note asking family and friends to take a piece home. Just have the design tied in with the event’s theme and color palette and the key details printed or written down, and you’ll be set.

6. Personalized chocolate wrappers are also viable alternatives to traditional paper invitations. You can, for instance, send these out for a sweet sixteen birthday bash. Or use the treats to announce an important development in your life, may it be the surprise of an engagement, a change of address or the birth of your first child.

7. Entrepreneurs will find candy covers valuable as well. Think business cards glued on an irresistible treat. It’s one way to guarantee that your contact information and shop details will not go by unnoticed. The repackaged chocolate bars can be distributed during store openings. You can even add a cutout discount coupon to increase the chances of a return visit. The treats are also perfect as tokens of appreciation for long-term clients and suppliers, or tools for advertising new product lines and services.

8. Another factor spurring the popularity of personalized candy wrappers is that almost anyone can create it from the comforts of home. If you’re going for a fun vibe, you may simply draw or write on the cover using crayons, colored pencils, markers or stamps. A more elegant look can be achieved by printing out your design on glossy or vellum paper.

9. Professionally crafted chocolate wrappers can also be ordered online, with several businesses setting up web sites to promote their selections. You’ll just need to pick out a design and background, type in a message and personalize other details, including the colors and fonts. The more laborious steps such as printing and cutting the paper in size will be taken care of for you.

10. Thanks to chocolate’s universal appeal, custom-made wrappers hold promising sales potential. A broad range of would-be clients, plus a variety of applications, can keep the cash registers ringing all year. On top of this, venturing into the business is relatively easy and requires only small investment. For one, all the essential equipment such as a computer and a printer you probably already have. Operations can be entirely home-based, so there’s no need to rent office space. The lack of graphic design skills is not a liability, as software that generates wrapper templates, in addition to legally licensed images, is now available in the market.

Flexible, versatile and practical, the upsides to candy bar wrappers do not end here. Whether you plan to make or purchase one, or even start as business out of it, one thing’s for sure: you will be getting great value for your money with personalized covers for chocolate treats.

Candy Johnson is a candy industry expert and owner of The Candy Bar Wrapper. She specializes in personalized candy bar wrappers for special events including weddings, birthdays, and graduations to name just a few. For more tips and information about Personalized Candy Bars and Candy Bar Wrappers, please visit her online.

Many people believe that ‘Brother’ was the first name in sewing machines.  Since 1932, Brother has been one of the most successful mass producers of home sewing machines.It persists to control the sewing machine market because they drive for perfection by using quality materials and workmanship and pay attention to detail.

Many of us have early memories of wearing those creations made by our mothers and their Brother sewing machines.The more embellished they were the more everyone adored them.Technology is far more advanced these days; this means that ladies of today can continue the tradition but can make creations that only yesterday’s mothers could dream about.With new features, highlights and options each new design continues to impress.  Brother sewing machines are as much a part of a family’s home as the kitchen sink. 

Sewing machines, as we know, were invented to eliminate the need for exhausting and time consuming projects that were completed by hand.It was only natural that sewing machines would follow in the technology world, as most homes became electricity driven. Electric sewing machines were the result; making sewing projects for the home user much simpler.Each new Brother sewing machine bought each year, updated methods, improved convenience and improved productivity.  Today, we are afforded everything from Brother embroidery machines, Brother sewing and embroidery combinations and Brother quilting and sewing sergers.It does not come to an end there, though.  Brother International Corporation was recently named as the exclusive sewing and embroidery licensee of the popular television show, Project Runway, where up and coming fashion designers compete for prizes and money.  

With the technological advances available in a contemporary day, Brother offers a truly interactive sewing machine, complete with downloadable digitizing software so that users can bring their sewing talents into the 21^st century.  New engineering methods, compact design features and of course, its computerized digital models make Brother sewing machines the only choice for many women around the world.The recent International Consumer Electronics Show, showcased Brother International’s pioneering computerised sewing machines.  It took advantage of the opportunity by highlighting the latest advances in what it called, “The Mommy Tech Expo”.  It demonstrated the latest technologically advanced products that would “empower moms in their multiple roles in life”. 

Highlights of the show included ways stay at home moms have successfully begun small businesses out of their homes by incorporating the streamlined sewing and embroidery machines.In addition, the world’s first sewing and embroidery machine that had a built in camera was introduced by Brother.The view of the area you are about to sew is magnified by this piece which is located just above the needle.  Coupled with the high definition LCD touch screen and it becomes clear the sewing machine of our mothers has indeed been reinvented.  This powerful Brother Quattro 6000D won the coveted “Best Buy” from Consumers Digest.

The Brother sewing machines sector, is wiwhich is part of Brother International Corportation is wthout question, a force to be reckoned with.  Worldwide sales hover near $5 billion and the global manufacturer is nearing its 100^th anniversary. 

This is a super simple pocket mini album uses one sheet of 12”x12” double-sided patterned paper as a base. It’s decorated with three 3.5”x3.5” squares of coordinating cardstock, three 3.25”x3.25” squares of coordinating patterned paper, three 3.25”x5.5” tags and a length of ribbon.

Leisure Arts shows you how to do cable knitting without a cable needle.