Craft Tips for a Celebration of America: 

Your home can become a CELEBRATION OF AMERICA this year with these exciting craft projects. Independence Day will be here before you know it. Let your creative spirit inspire your family to celebrate!

* Keep the toddlers happy with a CELEBRATION SHAKER! Simply transform a 
cardboard tube into a musical instrument. Fill it with dried beans, seal the 
ends with tape, and wrap it with patriotic paper.

* Decoupage old jelly jars with red, white and blue tissue paper to make 
instant CANDLE LANTERNS. Hang up high with wire wrapped around the rims, and 
then form a handle to light up a star studded night.

* Turn an egg carton into a DOODLE DANDY BIRD FEEDER. Remove the lid from 
the carton. Let the kids paint stars and stripes with tempura paints. Poke a 
hole in each of the four corners, and attach a string through each hole. 
Gather the strings together at the center of the carton, then knot. Fill the 
carton sections with birdseed, hang the feeder from a tree branch, and watch 
the birds flock in for a fancy feast! 

* CELEBRATION SHIRTS are easy to make. Prewash your shirt, and then write 
your favorite phrase....I Love America...Let Freedom Ring...God Bless 
America...America the Beautiful...Celebrate!....on a contrasting fabric. 
(Alphabet stencils are good for this.) Iron fusible webbing to the back of 
the fabric, cut out the letters, peel off the paper, and then iron onto the 
front of your shirt. Now you can celebrate America all summer long! 

* For STAR-SPANGLED LAWN CHAIRS, simply spray paint in red, white and blue. 
Now use star shaped sponges to paint white stars in assorted sizes, in a 
random pattern, all over the chairs. You’ll be seeing stars! 

* Keep the kids happy all day long with STAR-SHAPED BUBBLE WANDS! Wrap 
heavy wire around a dowel rod, then shape into a star, ending the star shape 
back onto the dowel rod to complete.

* BLOWIN’ BUBBLES RECIPE: In a large shallow pan, mix 5 cups water, 2 cups 
liquid dishwashing soap and 1/2 cup corn syrup. To make really big bubbles, 
be sure the bubble wand gets completely immersed in the bubble mixture. Now 
watch the fun! 

* Need a little cover-up when the sun goes down? You still have time to 
make a quick AMERICANA BANDANA QUILT. Simply sew nine patriotic colored 
bandanas together, cut a piece of fabric the same size as the sewn bandanas, 
and cut quilt batting the same size to sandwich in between. Now sew all four 
sides together and then trim the seam to 1/4-inch. Bind the edges with 
2-inch wide satin ribbon, and then tie yarn through all the fabric at each 
bandana intersection. Now watch everybody snuggle & giggle under the stars 
as they sing “God Bless America”........ 

I want to thank Darsee and her latest Hobby Lobby project book for being my 
inspiration for these 4th of July projects. If you are lucky enough to live 
close to a Hobby Lobby Store, you just have to go by and pick up the latest “
Celebrate the Home” magazine!

Even More Tips -

* What to do with all that expensive used wrapping paper after a birthday 
party or baby shower? Don’t throw it away....put it through a paper shredder 
and use it for colorful gift baskets!

* Don’t throw out last years calendars. Use them to decoupage or to adhere 
to a Boxblank before making a unique gift box!

* The guests are gone, and you’re left with burned down candles? Simply 
toss all of them into a thrift store pot over a pan of water to melt down. 
Then place an old taper candle in a milk carton filled with ice. Pour melted 
wax around candle and when set, peel away carton. Now you have a beautiful 
‘ice candle!’

* Don’t toss out that old throw pillow. Hot glue silk daisies to cover the 
pillow completely for a fab & funky new accent!

* For that Valentine’s Day party, cover Styrofoam cones with white icing 
and then attach chocolates with toothpicks to cover. Then sit chocolate 
covered cones on cake stands for absolutely decadent centerpieces! Add 
votive cups everywhere, and put place cards into bon bons by scoring with a 
knife and gently pushing card into the candy. An aromatic, romantic event to 
be remembered!

* Have you seen all the cute wine goblet tags so that nobody drinks from 
the wrong glass? Expensive, huh? I thought so, too. But we could make some 
really cool ones with charms or beads threaded through ribbon or curly wire 
to match the party decorations!

* When spray painting a small item on all sides, place it on a covered lazy 
susan. Spin with one hand while you spray paint with the other. That’s how I 
do my Krylon projects!

* A bulletin board above your crafting area is a good idea! A row of push 
pins along the bottom of it are nice to hang things such as double stick 
tape, scissors, label packages, and such. You can stick the instructions or 
the picture of the project you are working on, on the board for easy 
reference. Just look up!

* Use a small magnet for easy pickup when you drop pins and needles.

* Never throw out that old shower curtain! Remove the magnets that are on 
the bottom and decorate them for refrigerator magnets. Then use the plastic 
curtain as a drop cloth, and even cut it up just the size to cover your work 
space when painting, for easy clean up!

* I am pretty messy when I am in the middle of a sewing project, but for a 
quick clean up, I grab my lint roller and whisk away all the thread and teeny 
fabric scraps!

* Apply a piece of contact paper to the inside of your T-shirts or any 
fabric project, when painting on a design. This makes it impossible for the 
paint to bleed through to the opposite side of your material. The contact 
paper will keep your fabric from stretching while you paint.

* For a great rainbow effect for bottles and vases, use floating art colors 
available from most paint stores. Take a pail and fill it with water, then 
put a few drops of several different art colors on top of water. You can now 
take any article you wish and dip down through the colors slowly back and 
forth. The kids will love this groovy idea!

* When crafting with a glue gun and fusible webs, use a Teflon or non stick 
coated craft sheet to cover your work surface and the glues will peel right 
off! Some of these sheets can be used to iron on as well, which is great 
with fusibles.

* Make new crayons from old broken ones, by melting them down and pouring 
the crayon wax into metal cookie cutters or soap molds. They make great 
shapes. (Keep the temp very low.) 

* When I am doing broken china mosaics, I apply a scrap of contact paper to 
the back of the plate and then place inside a clear plastic bag before I 
smash it with a hammer. This keeps the shards from flying everywhere, and 
keeps the design intact in case I want to apply it that way to my project. 
(And what a great way to relieve a little stress! *giggle*) 

* I cut one large hole and two armholes in old pillowcases to use as smocks 
for my grand kids when they are crafting. It could even be a craft project!

* My mom who is a quilter, stores quilts inside pillow cases to keep them 
dust free.

* I store all of my acrylic paint bottles upside down to better see the 
color at a glance. They fit great in plastic shoes boxes.

* Keep a designers journal in your purse! I take notes and sketch things I 
see that I might want to make. I also use it to write down measurements on 
whatever project I am working on. If you tape a zip lock bag to the inside 
cover, you have a perfect place to keep fabric and paint swatches, etc.

* Need a quick pin cushion? Use a bar of glycerin soap! Makes sewing easier 
and the needle just slides through thicker fabric.

* Try TOPS! Painter's Swipes. They are like baby wipes but stronger. Very 
helpful if you are messy like me and need to get more than washable paint 
from your fingers or project.

* I enjoy those big expensive candles, but I let them burn down just enough 
to fit a small tea light candle into the top and then burn the tea candle 
inside. They are easy to change when needed and are a lot cheaper than 
buying a whole new large candle.

* Finger nail files are great to keep handy! I use them for sanding small, 
hard to reach areas of projects, or for touch up sanding (small areas you 
don't really need to drag out the sander or sand paper for).

* Always keep a camera handy and take pictures of your finished items. If 
you sell your crafts, you can keep a portfolio of your designs, which makes 
it easy to show a potential customer the items you make. Even if you do not 
sell your items, it is good to have a picture reference to make another like 
it later. 

* Keep an idea file. Instead of saving all my magazines, I tear out ideas, 
instruction pages and patterns for the projects I like, and then they fit 
perfectly in an old make-up suitcase I found at a thrift store and decoupaged 
the inside with old calendars. Even if I leave it sitting out by my chair it 
looks good and it is so handy! 

* Why not use life saver candies to hold candles in your birthday 
cakes! Either the soft or hard ones will work and the kids love them! 

* When my mom gets interrupted during a painting project, she wraps her 
paintbrushes in a resealable bag and pushes all the air out. Then she sticks 
it in the freezer till she gets back to it!

* I have found out that it is smart to practice a faux finishing technique 
on a piece of foam core board before tackling my walls. Then I can move the 
board to different areas of my room and see how light plays on it and how it 
coordinates with my furnishings. This technique also works well when 
changing paint colors in a room.

* If I store my bottle of glue upside down in a jar, then I know it is 
always ready to go without waiting!

* I keep all of those rotary blades on a key ring chain then hang it in a 
convenient spot out of the children's reach, but where I do not have to hunt 
for it!

* Save some money & make your own grapevine wreaths and swags! Just soak 
vines in your bathtub overnight. In the morning, bend them into shape and 
secure with wire. This works great for honeysuckle vine, too! 

* Put those old drawers to use, after the dresser is too far gone. Or pick 
them up at garage sales and flea markets. Paint with a coordinating color to 
match the room, and decoupage the inside. Now you have a great file box for 
your desk top, or hang it flat on the wall for a unique shadow box! 

* Your kids will think you are the coolest, if you make double stuff Oreo 
cookie wands. Take a Popsicle stick and push it between the cookies in the 
cream. Dip the whole cookie in melted chocolate. Decorate while cooling on 
wax paper by making faces with M&M's or sprinkles! 

* I keep a can of canned air on my work table! I use it to blow the dust, 
debris, embossing powder, glitter and lint off the area before I start a new 
project. 

* For quickie decorative accents, you can decorate nicely using those 
bottles that are laying around the house by putting olive oil, bay leaves, 
spices, pasta, or dried flowers in them, cork them, and then dip the tops in 
sealing wax. You would pay dozens of dollars for the same thing in a 
boutique!

* Here's a "ship-in-a-bottle" kind of gift that will make Dad crazy! Pick 
a gift that will fit inside a clean plastic soda bottle. Take the label off, 
and cut a trap door in the side. Insert the gift with shredded paper for 
padding. Tape the trap door closed with clear packing tape and stick on a 
gift tag to cover the trap door. Watch Dad as he tries to figure out how to 
get to his gift through the tiny bottle neck! This is great for cookies, a 
necktie, golf balls, or even a pair of socks. 

* Make a personalized frame for you and your Dad or Grandpa's favorite 
photo, for him to set on his desk. The new "Special Occasions" 
PattieWack™ PatternPak has just the pattern you need!

* Here's the perfect poem to go with a little hand imprinted in plaster: 
Dear Daddy,
"I know it's hard to imagine
when you're tossing me a ball,
that everyday I'm growing big
And soon I will be tall.

So here's a special hand print
Just so that you can say
this is how my fingers looked
when I placed them here today. 

* Don’t toss out that old throw pillow. Let your ‘tweenager’ hot glue silk 
flowers to cover the pillow completely for a fab & funky new accent to her 
room!

* For a really funky idea, go outdoors and let the kids cover the bottoms of 
their feet with bright acrylic paints and then walk on solid colored sheets 
for their bedroom! Just be sure to use fabric paint, or add textile medium 
to the paint. 

* Supervise making new crayons from old broken ones, by melting them down 
and pouring the crayon wax into metal cookie cutters or soap molds. They make 
great shapes. (Keep the temp very low.) 

* 5-MINUTE ICE-CREAM!
· In a 1 quart-sized bag, put: 1 cup milk , 1 Tablespoon sugar and 1/2 
teaspoon vanilla
· In a gallon-sized bag, put: 1/3 cup salt, 3/4 of the bag filled with ice 
cubes
· Place the smaller bag inside the larger bag (make sure the seal is tight!).
· Shake vigorously for 5 minutes. This will keep the kids busy! 
(I know this isn’t a craft, but the kids will feel really creative, shaking 
their bags!)

* Make a disco ball from CDs and hang in the window. Cut CDs into irregular 
1/2" pieces. Discard any splintered pieces. Wrap pipe cleaners around a 
Styrofoam ball and form a loop to hang. Glue CD pieces over entire 
Styrofoam ball. Now pop “Staying Alive” into the stereo, and let’s disco!

* SILLY PATTIE PUTTY 
2 parts Elmer's' Glue-All 
1 part liquid starch 
Gradually pour starch into glue and mix. If mixture is sticky, add more 
starch. Cover and refrigerate overnight. This silly putty can be cut with 
scissors or be pulled or twisted. The kids will love this! 

* Tired of looking for the remote? Cover a box with broken egg shells 
glued in a mosaic pattern, and then use copper rub-n-buff cream over the 
entire project for a beautiful hiding place.

* You know all those board game pieces in the bottom of the kid’s closet? 
Glue magnets to them, to hold their prized school papers onto the frig! 

* Sew the neck and arms closed on the T-shirts you bought while on 
vacation. Then stuff them and sew up the bottom, for perfect toss pillows in 
the car!

* Dazzle your front door for fall by wrapping it in bright orange paper or 
fabric, then cut out a giant Jack-O-Lantern face with black paper or felt and 
glue to the door for a snaggle tooth greeting! 

* Instead of tossing out the jeans the kids have outgrown, cut them into 
squares and sew together for a rugged blanket they’ll never outgrow.

* Just for fun, glue candy corn over an entire Styrofoam ball, and another 
covered in caramel squares, and cover one with mini marshmallows, or even 
licorice. Make several to fill a glass bowl for a very unique party 
centerpiece, for adults only.....

* Create pretty fall napkins with ecru fabric squares, and lay your 
favorite falling leaves on the fabric, cover with a cloth, and pound with a 
hammer to get a fabulous print! You could just do the corners, or get 
carried away with an all-over pattern. You could even pound perfect party 
invitations on paper!

* Let the kids help craft black cats from spray-painted bottles and 
Styrofoam heads, decorated with felt eyes, ears and paws. A big woolly 
chenille stem will finish it off with a perfectly coiled tail. They would be 
“purr-fect” lined up in a window sill.

* Entertain your party guests by covering all of the chair backs with 
bright white pillowcases that you have added felt eyes and mouths to, for a 
“boo-tiful” Halloween bash! 

* Can’t find the match to last years mittens? Let the kids turn them into 
colorful puppets with a little felt, glue, and googlie eyes! 

* Don’t you just love those fancy glass 3-tiered cake plates? Well, make 
one yourself, by gluing 2 glass candlesticks between 3 sizes of glass plates 
with E6000. You could even add holly and berries with glass paint pens for a 
pretty holiday touch.

* Instead of paying premium prices for fresh swags and wreaths to decorate 
your home, you can pick up a small, not so shapely tree at a low cost, and 
cut it up for all the fresh greens you need to create fragrant accents for 
less!

* Running out of time to make that perfect gift for a crafty friend? Why 
not put all of the components in a beautiful basket, with the pattern or 
magazine that inspired you, and tie it up in bright cellophane and a bow. 
She will love it!

* Dazzle your front door for Christmas by wrapping it in bright red paper 
or fabric, then wrap it with a huge gold bow to impress your guests

* Instead of tossing out last year’s Christmas cards, use your PattieWack 
Mini Boxmaker to turn them into little boxes for money gifts and candy, or 
for cute tree ornaments!

* Dig into your scrapbooking supplies and grab several sheets of vellum, 
then let the kids cut all sizes of snowflakes to hang by threads in the front 
window. Make them sparkle with spray glitter! 

* Don’t have time to actually make handmade Christmas cards like you 
planned to? Why not embellish purchased cards with lovely coordinating 
ribbon or decorative fibers? Just tie a bow around the fold of the card for 
a handmade touch! To find Adornaments fibers, go to: 

* Let the kids make quick snowman pillows! Just tie a bright wool scarf 
around a white bed pillow, then glue on felt eyes, nose, hat and buttons. 
You can even make baby snowmen the same way with stuffed white socks. Set 
them on their beds for instant grins & giggles!

* For Thanksgiving, make a “Blessings Box” from a recycled shoe box, 
covered completely with preserved or silk autumn leaves, with an opening in 
the lid. Then, pass out paper to all of the family and guests to write down 
what they are thankful for and put into the box. Open the box during dessert 
and read the many blessings out loud. You’ll be touched and entertained by 
everyone’s blessings! 

* Create a Happy Holidays memory banner with felt, and sew plastic pockets 
all over to hold the latest snapshots or Christmas cards. Sew a loop in the 
top for a dowel rod, then hang with a colorful ribbon. Embellish with ball 
fringe at the bottom and felt cut-outs. Make one for yourself, and one to 
give away! 

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