By Noreen Doll. Sometimes you want to craft with a dingy or antique white color fabric, and it can be difficult to find just the shade you want in a store. By knowing how to coffee dye or tea dye, you can get just exactly the shade you need. First you need to decide on what kind of fabric you want to use. 100% cotton seems to work best for dyeing, but do try other … [Read more...] about How to Coffee Dye or Tea Dye
How To
Cheap Laminating
By Noreen Doll. You can use packaging tape for cheap laminating if you don't have - and don't want to buy - a laminating machine. I make sure the tape I laminate with is completely clear. One thing it is really nice for is preserving recipe cards. I have a few old recipe cards written by hand by relatives who are long gone. And I think it's pretty special to be … [Read more...] about Cheap Laminating
Make Sandpaper Last Longer
By Noreen Doll. Use packing tape to make sandpaper last longer. Whenever I would sand a project, it seemed like the paper always tore and became useless long before the grit had been used up. It was very frustrating. One day, after cutting a sheet of sandpaper to the size I needed, I grabbed a roll of packaging tape and taped strips all across the back. It … [Read more...] about Make Sandpaper Last Longer
Crafting With Clothespins
By Noreen Doll. Crafting with clothespins is a necessity for me. They are one of the items I absolutely must have in my craft tool kit. They are so handy as a third hand when I don't have quite enough hands to hold a project. In this photo the clothespins are holding two things together while stitching around to attach them together. I always use spring … [Read more...] about Crafting With Clothespins
How to Remove Permanent Ink from a Project
by Noreen Doll. I love to use Sharpies for my craft projects! They have such bright colors and are so easy to use - much easier than a brush. They come with fat, medium or fine tips, so you can find the perfect size for your project. Sometimes, however, when I am deep into a craft my pen slips and I leave a blotch of ink where I didn't mean to. I've discovered … [Read more...] about How to Remove Permanent Ink from a Project
Craft with Cereal Boxes
by Noreen Doll. There are lots of clever ways to craft with cereal boxes. And one of the best things about using them is that they're free! Use cracker and cereal boxes for patterns. In order to be sure you always have a supply of cracker or cereal box cardboard, save all your boxes. To keep them from taking up too much space, open out the ends of the boxes and … [Read more...] about Craft with Cereal Boxes
How to Mark Dark Fabric or Paper for Cutting
by Noreen Doll. When you are trying to trace a pattern onto dark fabric or paper, it's often hard to find a medium that will show up but not leave a permanent mark. One of the things I like to use for this is a piece of white chalk. It shows up well on dark materials and can be wiped off when you are finished cutting. If the chalk mark is on fabric, you can just … [Read more...] about How to Mark Dark Fabric or Paper for Cutting
How to Prevent Ink/Paint Bleed When Crafting
by Noreen Doll. Sometimes you want to paint or stamp on an item that lets the ink or paint bleed, such as unfinished wood. An easy way to prevent the bleed is to coat the item you want to paint with white Elmers glue that's been lightly thinned with water. Cover the entire item with the mixture and let it dry completely. You can use a hair dryer to speed up the … [Read more...] about How to Prevent Ink/Paint Bleed When Crafting
Make Your Own Paint Color
by Noreen Doll. One way to be frugal is to make your own paint. I don't mean to actually make your own paint from scratch, but to combine colors to make new colors or shades of colors. The other day I was working on a Halloween craft and I needed orange spray paint. For most crafting, unless I'm making an heirloom item, I use cheaper paints. So I like to use Walmart's … [Read more...] about Make Your Own Paint Color
