Hobbies and Crafts

Re: Cheap Crafts

happy — Thu, 18 Sep 2008 00:48:11 GMT

My kids and several neices and nephews favorite memory is visiting me to make "shrunken chips"

Not sure where the idea came from but you preheat oven to 350 degrees

Using empty individual chip bags you smooth them flat and place them on a cookie sheet

Put in preheated oven and watch closely, in about 3-5 minutes they shrink down to 1/3 rd there size.

When cool you can poke a hole in them and make a keychain etc.

That craft and putting an egg in pure vinegar for several weeks kept all of my little ones entertained when they were little.

This continues with great neices and nephews, proving that the best memories are made from very little money.

Joy

Re: Cheap Crafts

Deborahmichelle — Wed, 17 Sep 2008 19:21:33 GMT

Dear All, I apologize that it took me a week to find this out for sure, & am especially sorry that I have no good news for you. The tool-lending library is "closed indefinitely," & the crafts library is "closed." The ideas were a hit, but I guess tehy did not have enough funding to survive. Yours in Him, Deb

Re: Cheap Crafts

Lynnea Berr — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 18:12:46 GMT

Toni, maybe you could offer items to a local school for recycling crafts? (Only because plastic yogurt containers can't yet be sold as antiques or collectibles! But someone had foresight when they saved coffee cans with keys, tin tobacco containers, etc.)

Somewhere along the line, I have read about someone who collects junk on their property and makes things from discards, maybe in the state of Washington or Oregon? Possible source would probably be one of Mary Randolph Carter's Junk books -- American Junk, Big City Junk, Garden Junk, Kitchen Junk and most likely of the four American Junk or Garden Junk. I don't recall seeing the others in my local library.

The ME Home Companion magazine and books often show items that were refurbished, also different artists who utilize discards in their creations.

My sister has ornaments for her Christmas tree made from patchwork-look material. It happens this past year I was given a pair of curtains, very faded in spots, made of this same material. So those could be repurposed into ornaments, and the faded parts could go toward one of Pat's literal rag-mops!

Magazine or calendar pictures could be made into envelopes with a template, providing unique stationery.

Who among us has not used an envelope to make a list? Backs of already-printed-on computer papers for other printing.

String from pet food packages and bird feathers found outside could combine with wire hangar or other wire and beads to make Ojo de Dios -- Eye of God? That might not be the correct term, but there is a term for a good luck charm.

Some scrapbooking supplies could become doll accessories -- cookie cutters, game pieces, tiny envelopes and file folders.

Foil chip or other bags can be run through a special cutter and used as package ties -- read about it but haven't done it yet.

Those opaque wax paper bags from cereal might become window shades in a dolls house or diorama. (Does paint adhere to that?)

Newspaper into papier mache anything.

To name a few ideas.

Re: Cheap Crafts

Deborahmichelle — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 13:39:10 GMT

Dear Toni, I'll call the Reference Desk at teh Main Library to get the info, & will then post it for you. Yours in Him, Deb

Re: Cheap Crafts

Toni B. — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 23:21:14 GMT

Deborahmichelle:
San Francisco has both an Arts&Crafts-materials center where folks donate "junk," & a Lending Tool Library (all kinds of hand tools; they probably have small electrical tools too -- I don't know the extent of their holdings).

Wow Deb, Thats exactly what I'm talking about. if you have a name or website, please reference it. Thanks Sweetie!

Re: Cheap Crafts

Deborahmichelle — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 20:19:34 GMT

Dear Pat, Toni, & All, I don't know the particulars because I don't drive so have never seen either of these facilities, but San Francisco has both an Arts&Crafts-materials center where folks donate "junk," & a Lending Tool Library (all kinds of hand tools; they probably have small electrical tools too -- I don't know the extent of their holdings).

Yours in Him, Deb

Re: Cheap Crafts

Toni B. — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 19:31:46 GMT

Pat:
Thinking about the doll house discussion and the little "tables" from pizzas made me wonder how many of you are crafty without spending money? I mean, using things you already have or things that were meant for something else - making things from "trash" or just repurposing things?

The other day when this came up, I thought about what a neat idea it would be to start a recycling business where people could come by and pick up stuff just for this purpose. For example, my breakfast everyday is 8 oz. of yogurt with shredded wheat. The containers are recyclable but what else could the be used for before they get to the recycling plant? Plant starters, classroom projects etc. My imagination is limited but if a teacher needed 35 or 40 8 oz plastic containers, this place would have it already cleaned and collected. Same thing with styrofoam.

Cheap Crafts

Pat — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 18:59:40 GMT

Thinking about the doll house discussion and the little "tables" from pizzas made me wonder how many of you are crafty without spending money? I mean, using things you already have or things that were meant for something else - making things from "trash" or just repurposing things?

I had to wrap a couple of birthday gifts just yesterday and didn't have any gift wrap that was appropriate, so I used a couple of sheets of blank newspaper that had been used to pack something with last Christmas. I salvaged it by ironing it, then wrote "Happy Birthday" all over it with different colored markers.

Have you done anything like that?