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Favorite Craft Sites: I'll Trade You!

Once October roles around I, like most people, begin to think craftily - or is that artsy?

In any case, with Halloween creeping up on us like the plague, this is the time of year that I begin bringing out my favorite play dough recipes, edible or standard, and entertain doing all those things I never seem to have the time or energy for. Martha Stewart I am not, although my sister does a reasonable impersonation.

I got the tom boy genes and she got the art, interior decorating and baking genes. She has never let me forget it!

So I'm asking for your assistance to steer me in the direction of the best arts and craft links for ideas you use for Fall, Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas.

Here is a favorite recipe for home made play dough that I use time and time again.

2 Cups water

2 Cups flour

2 Tablespoons Cream of Tarter (don't omit this as it makes the play dough malleable for up to six months)

1 Cup salt

Mix together in a large pan over medium heat. As mixture heats it will begin to pull away from the sides of the pan. It will become similar in consistency to mashed potatoes. Remove from heat and evenly distribute the dough into as many different balls as you want colors. I usually make the standard: red, yellow, blue. It is also fun to leave the play dough white so after shapes are cut out it can be zapped in the microwave and once cooled either painted or colored with markers. I was out of yellow food coloring this morning so I added pumpkin spices to the mix for a wonderful smell and light orange color. I also remembered to save a small batch for green stems and leaves to add to our cut out pumpkin shapes.

Okay, it's your turn. Feel free to paste a picture of your favorite crafts or a link to the site.

By Ronda Miller

October 14, 2009

At Random

From the Citizen Journalism Academy

Comments

  1. schula (anonymous) says…

    Ronda -- as you and several others know, I like to make jewelry (stretch bracelets, clasp bracelets, necklaces, key chains and cell phone lanyards). My favorite website to order beads from is www.firemountaingems.com. I have found if they don't have it then I don't need it!

    I also like to make wreaths and christmas ornamnents. I always have some craft project in the works.

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  2. RoeDapple (anonymous) says…

    http://www.newyankee.com/index.php

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  3. justbegintowrite (Ronda Miller) says…

    Thanks for this site, schula. If you have any specific Christmas ornaments, then please share.

    Over the years I have done a really cute wreath at Christmas shaped out of rice krispie treats and colored green. Then stick little red hots around them for the Christmas lights. This also makes a cute place holder that is an edible treat 'after' Christmas dinner.

    At Easter time I use the no bake chocolate (yep, I put peanut butter in mine - sorry, schula) cookies to make tiny nests and then add mini Easter egg candies to the nest.

    I guess for Halloween I could make those and put candy corn in the middle....They could be raven nests or something. ;)

    I love anything made from little hands and feet so anyone who has some of those please share as well.

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  4. justbegintowrite (Ronda Miller) says…

    Why was I afraid to look at that link, Roe?

    I actually prefer those types of crafts myself. I loved to make bird houses and little miniature picture frames with the separate stands for horses, trinkets, etc. in my youth youth.

    I need a larger, cherry wood piece to display my salt and pepper collection. Any chance you can make one of those ....at a very reasonable price? :)

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  5. RoeDapple (anonymous) says…

    send drawns or pictters me an the cuzins wil tak a loook atit

    ;-)

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  6. justbegintowrite (Ronda Miller) says…

    I am fearful of sending you anything after that last word in your sentence. :)

    I will have to decide how big it needs to be. I have soooo many salt and pepper shakers. Some of them are toliet seats, wigwams, long cats with salt in the nose and pepper in the tail....head stones, you name it...I've got them.

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  7. sassypants (anonymous) says…

    www.crafttown.com and www.allcrafts.net Kids are all grown and gone now. Did get some ideas for upgrading my christmas train set around the tree from crafttown a couple of years ago.

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  9. artichokeheart (anonymous) says…

    http://haha.nu/creative/how-to-make-r...

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  10. RoeDapple (anonymous) says…

    Saw a set very close to this last summer in Wisconsin...

    http://www.aspencountry.com/assets/pr...

    My parents had some similar to these, no idea where they ended up..

    http://www.dakotaskabin.com/western_c...

    Would this be overkill?

    http://www.womansday.com/var/ezflow_s...

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  11. schula (anonymous) says…

    Here is how I make christmas ornaments:

    Clear glass ball ornaments
    3 colors of paint (can't remember brand, but any paint you can find at Hobby Lobby or Michael's)

    Take top off of ornament. Squirt a little of each color paint inside the ornament, swirl around. Put ornament upside down over a dixie cup and let excess paint drain out. When all done (takes about 1 week), put top back on ornament and put ribbon through for a hanger.

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  12. justbegintowrite (Ronda Miller) says…

    Thanks, sassy!

    artichoke! those were beautiful! We do craft people with leaves in the Fall, but had never seen the roses. We will most certainly give those a try....hopefully I can put my all thumbs away for a day and get my fingers working. Thank you!

    Roe, yep, that last was just a tad bit overkill. Jeez, fill up my house will ya. Love those two sets you had links too. I would love to add those to my collection. Now all I want to do is play with my sets.

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  13. justbegintowrite (Ronda Miller) says…

    schula, thanks! I bet they are very pretty with just silver or gold inside as well...and some sparkles...glitter! ;)

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  14. RoeDapple (anonymous) says…

    uh....

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  15. justbegintowrite (Ronda Miller) says…

    lol, I realized after the fact how that must have sounded as well. Sorry!

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  16. schula (anonymous) says…

    I will try the glitter next time I make some ornaments.

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  18. puddleglum (anonymous) says…

    i wanna see that toilet seat

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  19. justbegintowrite (Ronda Miller) says…

    I will try to get a picture and post it. It is cool! But not as cool as the tombstones...depending on what you're into.

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  20. tangential_reasoners_anonymous (anonymous) says…

    "I got the tom boy genes and she got the art, interior decorating and baking genes.".


    ( I settled too soon.... )

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  21. tangential_reasoners_anonymous (anonymous) says…


    ( ... and, what's worse, is that the "tomboy" is going to be reading that.... )

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  22. SusieCreamcheeze (anonymous) says…

    I love Martha and all her ideas....but I love my own more...I like to look to nature for ideas...my barb wire wreaths with birds nest and bittersweet, and my decorations made from things I find on the ground...I get a few ideas from things in mags...but never buy from on line or craft shops.

    Don't forget Maple Leaf is Sat and sun...Ta ta Susan

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  23. schula (anonymous) says…

    Susie -- thanks for the reminder about the Maple Leaf. I had forgotten about it. Will you and your sister have a booth? What about at the Holiday Bazaar in November? I will have a jewelry booth at the Holiday Bazaar --
    November 15 at the Community Building.

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  24. autie (anonymous) says…

    roedy ifn just startin to rite needs adesplay thing for her salt n pepered shahkers shed just need to get a couple of bricks off Uncle Walts pile out back and then gets her a peece of teh barn thats fallin in anyways and sets it up an puts the hole shootin match up ther and its reesonalbed priced two

    I did make a case for a 1860 model Army Colt out of barn wood. It was pretty cool looking but got losted in one of them many moves back in those days. And my oldest daughter make custom jewelry out of rocks/quartz/fossils, all kind of stuff and makes way too much money with that. Amazing what the city slickers will spend on stuff.

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  25. Pywacket (anonymous) says…

    This is a timely blog, Ronda! The other day, a friend sent me a link to a humorous site that I think you will enjoy. I'm sure you're familiar with "etsy," a site where crafters can get their own spot & sell their stuff. Well, some of that stuff is....shall we say... a little lame, outrageous, or just plain hair-raising. Some enterprising jokester has now started this site: www.regretsy.com. Posted on it (along with very funny comments) are some of the worst of the worst items from etsy.com. You'll laugh. You'll cry. You'll shield your computer screen if the boss walks by!

    Warning--some of these "art objects" are graphically... graphic... I don't know how else to explain without being too graphic myself. So if you're 12 years old, don't go there! Everybody else--check it out and get your laugh of the day.

    When I was there the other day, they had 7 pages of stuff. They may have more by now. I get the feeling that this is another of those sites that will grow exponentially as others contribute to it.

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  27. justbegintowrite (Ronda Miller) says…

    yes, tange....she justbegantoread and you are overthetopintrouble.....maybe the Martha Stewart look and act alike will take you in...nah, she has a colder little black heart than I do..... maybe she is the reason I am the way I am today..justinkaboutit

    susie, you are one of the most creative people I have ever known. In that real artsie fartsie way I love to hate - but envy at the same time. You make some amazing things!

    autie, sounds mighty coul. Just shoot me up another one or tu of them peaces wood ya? I M the spendin cuzin frum thee ctee yee speek uv.

    I would rather have the1850 model Army Colt fashioned out of wood - sounds beautiful!

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  28. autie (anonymous) says…

    but if it is made of wood you can't shoot nothin with it....and it is fun to blow a .44 caliber hole in stuff, with the smoke and such....

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  29. RoeDapple (anonymous) says…

    Yeah autie i gots bout hunertfifty bored feets left of 60 year old redwood deck bords all wetherd an lookin good for sum knid of projact i done evn try to git the colorin outa them jes build sumpin than sprays eleventeen coats of likker er i mean lakker on an it comes out reel purty did a wine rak fer that Soapdish(Anonymouse) she likes reel gooder

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  30. autie (anonymous) says…

    its kinndy a curse be able to whittle ups stuff and no witch end of the hammers to hol on to an such cuz momma gets up her idees an buys up more of them pwer tools jus sos i can make more thingys fer her noowed she gots me makin picctur frameds fer the paintin she did up and gots more paintin she gonna be doin for chrssmas times is hear then gots me in thar remoldin the bathroom an addin up stuff in the fancy eatin room an that dont leave nuff times and gots to hurry it ups some cuz ducts seeson is jus bout hear an she no i wont be round the hoose much cuz me and the dog be out to the lake an wont be thar to talk boutit nomore.

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  31. justbegintowrite (Ronda Miller) says…

    Its kinndy a curse to have kin shows up frum nohere when I tries to wret a blog. Duck season, huh. I smell duck soup cookin now...the potis bubblin ovr weth lie soaps 2

    I love and envy the art of whittling. I hope you both are appreciated (also for your sense of humor...or is that senseless humor) for your amazing skills as craftsmen. Bet there are plenty of round tuits on your freezers!

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  32. RoeDapple (anonymous) says…

    i propply shud blog bout that woodwerkin sometime but mrs roe sez it taked 4 yeerz to git her new cabnits hope i kin rite boutit kwikker than that

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  33. justbegintowrite (Ronda Miller) says…

    I beav u ken, roe...I beav u ken....I truist you, cuz

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  34. justbegintowrite (Ronda Miller) says…

    This was actual a pretty simple and unique idea. I think I could even make this one.

    http://www.bhg.com/holidays/halloween...

    ( | suggest removal )

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