Tarnish Warning

If you are making jewelry it is in your best interest to always choose a quality wire. Your jewelry will be almost worthless if it turns your customers skins green and starts to smell like old pennies. Be smart and choose quality over quantity.

Which glue to use?

There are a million different types and brands of glue. Each one is good for something except for the occasional dollar store dud. Once you have narrowed down the type of glue you need such as wood,glass,metal, or jewelers glue you need to find a brand you like. If you are a one time user for a school project i would say go for what ever looks most widely used, but if you are a crafter and need a glue for the ages it is time to experiment. I usually start with the cheapest brand and work my way up. By starting out on the bottom I can try out all of the cheapies and hopefully find one that is usable without having to empty out my wallet.

Yarn Bangles

   My newest obsession as of late is yarn. There is so much you can do with it. I got tired of metal bangles turning my skin green and pinching my arm. Most yarn is inexpensive and carried in almost all craft stores. I like to take a thin bangle that is almost too big for me. I tie a firm knot of yarn to the bangle and wrap in even lines. Remember even if its only a thin layer of yarn it builds up and makes a difference.

Quick Tip

If there is no time to hem the bottom of your dress or patch a tear, invest in liquid stitch. You may have your doubts but it really holds :D

Creative Countdowns

  Countdowns are a wonderful way of visually representing how far you have come and how far you have to go. Not only are they effective in boosting morale when it comes to goals but they are also amazingly cheap and a super fast craft.

Materials:

• 2 Mason jars (size depending on the length of your goal)
• cheap buttons,beans,beads or anything you can use as a counting system.
• Masking tape or labels
• Sharpie

 First off you need to set your goal. I used mine to track how many days I had to go until graduation. It would be a very effective idea to use it as a visual aid in tracking your weight loss. The concept is simple: One jar is days to go and the other days gone, each day you transfer one bead from the days to go  jar into the days gone jar.