Easter: Egg blowing and Decorating tips

A great way to entertain the kids and create Easter gifts for the Grandparents is decorate eggs at home. This ticks all the boxes for kids of various ages. You have the messy bit of blowing out the raw egg, best done by the adult, and the fun of painting or dyeing the shell with your own designs.

You will need:

Eggs
Craft knife
Bowl
Wooden skewer or a long needle

Blowing the Egg:

Gently twist the point of your craft knife into the end of the egg, pushing slightly, until it pierces. You need to be careful not to push too hard which could damage the body of the shell.

Do the same on the other end but widen the hole with your knife. Make it large enough to just insert the skewer or needle. Jiggle the skewer inside to break up the yolk; this makes it come out easier in the next stage.

Place your mouth over the end with the smaller hole, holding it above a bowl; gently blow into the egg. It won't come out all at once but after a few blows the insides will loosen and blow out easily. If there is any stuck, use the skewer to loosen and try again.

Once you've gotten the liquid egg out of the shell rinse using warm water. Hold the larger hole under the tap and shake it around a little with the water in and blow out again.

Leave them to dry thoroughly and decorate however you prefer.

Decoration options:

There are some fab ideas from the Readers Digest on this link: www.rd.com/slideshows/unique-egg-decorating-ideas

Paint with Blackboard paint and use chalk to decorate, wipe off & re-do
Glitter glue and washi tape are great quick fixes
Use melted wax & a toothpick to decorate the shell before dipping in dye leaving the area under the wax bare.

 

SIO Tips no. 73 - Sew & Sew: Using your pins

One nifty trick has seen me through many sewing projects (thanks Mum!); it's very simple and makes sewing using a machine so much easier.

When sewing by hand most people pin their project together with the pins pointing away from them running parallel to the edge of the fabric. This can mean they get in the way when machine sewing and slows the whole process down. 

Try pinning at right angles to the fabric edge instead, this means that you can sew right over the pins and pull them all out easily once you're done. 

Make sure the heads of the pins are on the outside so that they don't go under the foot of the machine, you only want to sew across the thinnest part.

SIO Tips no. 71 - Casting on: loosen up!

It's important when casting on to make sure it's neither too tight nor too loose. If you find that it's difficult to knit the first row after you've cast on then you need to loosen it up a bit; try one of the following methods:


1. As you cast on space your stitches out across the needle, it might be tempting to push them neatly together but this can make your stitches too tight.

2. Use a needle one or two sizes larger than the one you plan to use for your project. This naturally means the cast on stitches are looser.

SIO Tips no. 69 - Embroidery tips

New to Embroidery? Here are a few useful tips to keep your work at its best:

1. Choose your hoop carefully. Make sure you get a hoop where the inner and outer rings meet snugly.

2. Cover the face of your work with a scrap of thin material before inserting into the hoop; carefully cut a hole to reveal the working area. This covers the rest of the fabric, protecting it from oils on your hands and keeping it clean

3. Always take your work out of the hoop when you've finished for the day. This will prevent the hoop from leaving marks.

Curious Cat for Hallowe'en

Hallowe'en is a nice excuse to get crafty; I decided to stretch my stitching skills after a long time of not sewing anything.

I think this Curious Cat is just Puuurrrfect for October:

If, like me, you haven't done any sewing for a while the extra bonus with the curious cat comes as a 'Stitch and Keep' sewing guide that you can practice all the stitches on before you finish off on the proper piece. 

The kit comes with all the embroidery silks needed to embellish the printed design. I find working with an embroidery hoop much easier as it keeps the work taut and you're less likely to end up sewing two sides together by accident.

It's really simple to follow the areas that need to be worked and you can choose between the colours provided depending on what you prefer.

Now all I need to do is plan whether to make it into a cushion or frame it for the wall.....

If you haven't tried your hand at stitching before, I would recommend these wonderful kits designed by Nancy Nicholson 

SIO Tips no. 38

A stitch in time saves nine! The old ones are the best, well, so the comedians say.
Some of the simple pieces of advice from the past are some of the best. 

 Sewing: When making up a project it is quicker to pin and check, then even baste (long simple stitches - removed after seams sewn) your work so you can really see if you have it made up correctly before you finally machine stitch.  Unpicking fine machine stitching is soul destroying - avoid at all costs.

Surprise Baubles for this Christmas

Christmas eve is going to be extra busy this year with all the nephews and nieces coming for dinner. Excitement levels will be sky high so I decided to arrange a little pre-emptive entertainment.

Pinatas are everywhere at the moment - for children's parties, Hallowe'en and festivals. So why shouldn't Christmas get the mexican treatment too?

Getting prepared

You will need:

Pack of small balloons
Scissors
Ribbon to hang
Shredded Newspaper/Brown Paper/Tissue Paper
Paste (1Cup flour to 2 Cups Water and pinch salt)
1" paint brush
2 Lengths of cardboard
Treats to fill the finished baubles
Embellishments to decorate

Mixing the paste

Firstly make up your paste: It's really very simple, boil together 1 Cup plain flour with 2 cups water - keep stirring until it starts to thicken then add a pinch of salt and take off the heat. I store mine in a used yoghurt pot with a sealable lid (keep in a cool place). Once this is made you're ready to set up a work space, be sure to lay down newspaper or a plastic sheet on your table and an apron to protect your clothes. Get comfy with a nice pot of tea or a glass of wine before you start.

Keeping things neat

I made a simple stand to hold the balloons as they dried by cutting two lengths of card (kindly decorated by my 2 year old nephew) I cut a slit down the middle of each piece and slotted them together to make a X shape. Along each side I cut two more shallow slits to hold the knots of the balloons as they were drying.

Now you can shred your paper and blow up the balloons to the size you prefer (I decided on keeping them fairly small and liked the varied shapes not being properly round)

Ripped paper is better

I found that the cut paper wasn't so easy to stick and blend in as ripped paper so forget precision and get stuck in - great for stress relief but noisy so not great if your family is trying to watch their favourite program in the same room but is fun if you have a little helper.

First layer going on

I brushed a layer of the paste onto the balloon as well as onto the paper itself. You'll find that the paste soaks through the paper this will give it strength when its dry. I left mine overnight to dry and did another layer the following afternoon.

Left out to dry

These take a little while to make because each layer needs to dry before adding the next. You can speed up the drying time by choosing a warm place to leave them to dry or perhaps a hairdryer?

Securing the ribbon

After the second layer is dry you need to add your ribbon. I taped it to the bottom and all the way around before adding another layer of paper. This way the hanging loop is firmly attached ready for the kids to bash them on Christmas eve.
Be sure to leave a gap either side of the ribbon ready for you to make the opening to fill the baubles when this layer is dried.

Ready to be filled & decorated

Another layer goes on top I finished some with Brown Paper ready to be embellished with sparkles, buttons, ribbons or metallic pen, some had a layer of white tissue to help masque the newsprint before painting and the others will have one more layer using christmassy gift wrap to make an easy decorative finish. When this layer is dry you will see the pinatas are now quite tough and ready to be filled. Take your scissors and cut a hole big enough to fit your treats through in the top, cutting the knot off the balloon and you can carefully pull the rubbery layer out.

Sweet inside

Now to fill with sweets and tissue paper pieces (only if you don't mind cleaning the confetti up) and seal the top to match the last layer before decorating.

Now really is the fun part - you can decorate these baubles however you like...so let your imagination run and get the kids involved too, they'll love decorating their own, though they may not want to bash them open on the night - they can always get to the goodies inside by poking through the thinner layer covering the hole.

Ready for the tree

Have fun being creative this Holiday season...

Ruthie
in South Africa

Creative packaging

Lots of ways to make your pressies stand out from the crowd.  Inexpensive fabric remnants make for lovely wrappings. You can turn over and iron quick hems with wonderweb or you can stitch using zigzag or other pretty stitches in a contrasting colour.  Glue a remnant of the fabric to card and cut out designer gift tags to complete the look. 

Brown paper, wall lining paper or even newsprint (go for the glossy not the daily, it rubs off) makes for unusual and fun wrappings.  There are lots of £1 shops on the high street and chains offering budget craft supplies.  Look out for sticker books, ink stamps, discount ribbons and coloured pens.  Armed with this lot you can take simple brown paper and personalise it, to make a present special, thoughtful and unique.

Why not write a little poem to appear on your wrapping, personalise for each gift.  Old photo's also make great gift tags.  Use tubes from kitchen roll, cover and pinch the ends to make great necklace gift boxes.

You can buy simple card boxes which you can paint, decoupage or cover with sparkling beads, not only does it hold the gift, it goes on to be a second bonus gift.

Luggage tables, lino cutouts and even key rings can make brilliant gift tags.  The world is there for the taking, go on enjoy yourself.


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Craft Tips No. 17

Old jumpers make fab cushion covers, remember to overlock or hem the edges well to stop fraying



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Craft Tips for Newbies No. 15

Thread looks darker on the spool than it will on fabric. Choose a thread a shade darker than the material you'll be using it on.

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Craft Tips for Newbies No 12

If you're have trouble threading a needle try holding the needle in front of a white surface so that the eye is more visible.

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Craft Tips for Newbies No 11

When you're doing Decopatch, tearing pieces is preferable as torn edges blend together better than edges cut with scissors.

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Craft Tips for Newbies No 9

Low cost curtain linings: Use budget polycotton bed sheets in co-ordinating colour, lots of fabric for low price, try supermarkets or charity shops or even the back of your linen cupboard.

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Craft Tips for Newbies No 8

Cotton thread, you get what you pay for. Cheap is often rough & breaks easily, quality is smooth & strong.

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Craft Tips for Newbies No 7

Dressmaking is like Chinese cooking, preparation is everything, care cutting out & time taken fitting each stage, is key.

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Your very own Wells Dressing!

Crafting with the kids on this rainy day? Lots of ideas in our making section and also freebies for those registered on the site. http://www.seekitout.co.uk/to-make.html
 
FAMILY CRAFTING IDEA
How about a family craft day to see who can create something amazing. In the Peak District the traditional Wells Dressings use natural products from nature and clay to produce spectacular pictures, the tradition goes back way into history.  The results they achieve are spectacular to say the least.
 
So how about some simple plasticine or similar, even double sided tape (carpet tape - try B&Q), piece of card or board, rice, dried pulses, scraps of fabric, beads, old wrappings, egg shells, flower petals, moss, pebbles or scrunched up paper to create a family masterpiece, does not have to be done in a day so could not be more perfect.  Slip under a bed or on top of a cupboard for safe keeping till done.  Worried it will dry out cover carefully with cling film till done. Check these ideas out bit.ly/M0xPMu  Often religious yours can be anything, people, flowers, Olympics, date in History, even random modern art.... the world really is your oyster

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Craft Tips for Newbies No 5

Crochet newbie try cotton yarns in double knitting less fluffy than wool easier to find stitches and work generally.  Cotton comes in fantastic colours and lovely sheens, so will look amazing.  Lots of yarns to try, not just wool how about bamboo!


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Expanding your world

Seek It Out has linked up with Craft Blog UK so you guys who follow us can find even more useful stuff on their blog too.  So many helpful hints, tips, how to's etc. out there in the bigger blog world and we want to help Seek It Out followers find them easily.

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Craft Tips for Newbies No 4

Crochet in a round, working the work in one piece to form a tube like structure often used for bags. Use a safety pin to mark row starting points as hard to find start sometimes, move up each row and then you will always know the start point to ensure you do not end up with 1/2 row extra! Our crochet and felt starter kit bag is worked in the round, check it out.

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CraftTips‬ for newbies No3

Knitting needles come in many lengths, use shorter ones when starting out easier to control.

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