CraftyJill.com

Rinse Paint Brushes in Two Jars

Kerrie — Mon, 15 Dec 2008 16:20:27 +0000

Problem:
When using acrylic paints, I have to change my water often because it gets dirty really fast.

Solution: Use two separate jars of water.

Use one jar to get most of the paint off your brush. Then, rinse a second time in the second jar. By rinsing twice in two different containers, you’ll spend less time changing water, and more time painting.

Tangled Penguins

Kerrie — Wed, 10 Dec 2008 15:35:43 +0000

These Tangled Penguins will add a touch of whimsy to your Christmas yard display. By making easy adjustments to just one template, you can create lots of different penguin personalities. We used the same template to craft these three different penguin personalities dubbed Larry, Moe, and Curly.

Tangled Penguins

Size: Approx. 2′ tall each
Cost: $5 each; Time: 3 hours
Skill Level: 2 – Advanced BeginnerThis project is suitable for a crafter who may still be new to this craft, but who is comfortable using more advanced tools and materials.

(Download Tangled Penguins pdf)

Materials (per penguin)

1/2″ plywood (approx. 2′x3′)
paint: black, white, orange, hat color
1″ wood screws
black paint marker

Materials (to anchor to the ground)

2′ rebar
1″ pvc pipe (2′ long)
2 pvc pipe clamps with screws

Additional Materials (to build as shown)

two 8’ long 2×4 lumber
2” wood screws or nails
50’ string outdoor lights

Recommended Tools

jigsaw or scroll saw
electric screwdriver
chop saw (motorized miter saw)

Directions
Penguin Body

Cut the penguin bodies and arms from the plywood. Sand edges as necessary.
Paint the face, chest, and hat detail in white. Let dry completely.
Paint the feet and beak orange. Let dry completely.
Paint the hat using the hat color and paint the remaining areas black.
Paint the arms black being sure to cover the front, back, and edges of each arm.
With the black paint pen, add the eyes, nose, mouth, and details. Let dry completely.
Determine the placement of the arms and use wood screws to secure from the back.

To Anchor to the Ground

For each penguin to be anchored to the ground, use the pvc clamps and screws to attach the pvc pipe vertically to the back of each penguin.
Using a hammer, tap a 2’ of rebar vertically into the ground between 6-10 inches. (The penguin will be viewed the best if the rebar is angled very slightly toward the rear of the display.)
Slide the penguin with the pvc assembly over the rebar.
String with lights and enjoy!

To Build as Shown

Cut one 8 ft. length of 2×4 into two 4’ lengths. These will become the sides of the ladder.
Cut four 1 ft. pieces from the remaining 8 ft. length of 2×4. These will become the rungs.
Assemble the ladder by attaching the rungs between the sides using wood screws or nails.
To help the penguin stand on the ladder, attach a scrap piece of 2×4 to the back of the penguin’s foot by securing wood screws through the front of the foot into the block. Then, attach the penguin assembly to the ladder by drilling wood screws through the block into the top rung of the ladder.
Lean the penguin and ladder assembly against a tree . String lights around the tree and the three penguins. Enjoy!

Stitch Markers and Life Lines

Kerrie — Wed, 10 Dec 2008 14:49:54 +0000

Problem:
If I make a mistake in my knitting, I don’t want to start over from the beginning.

Solution: Use stitch markers and life lines.

Stitch markers are a handy way to mark the beginning of a round on circular needles, repeats within a row, or (if you’re numbers obsessed like me) an easy way to keep track of how many stitches are in a row. To use them, you slide them between the needles as you knit.

A life line is a length of dental floss threaded through a row of stitches to act as a starting place in the event it becomes necessary to remove some rows. To insert a life line, thread a tapestry needle with dental floss and run the needle through every stitch on your needle. Then continue to knit normally. If you need to rip back, you can either rip to the life line and work your needle into the held stitches, or you can insert your needle into the held stitches before your rip back. Either way, the life line can save a lot of frustration when you’re working on a difficult project or just having an off day.

Miter Cut 67.5 Degrees

Kerrie — Tue, 09 Dec 2008 13:49:59 +0000

Problem:
I need to make a 67.5 degree cut, but my saw only goes up to 45 degrees.

Solution: Make two cuts.

Make the first cut at 45 degrees in the opposite direction of the final cut. Place the cut edge against the fence and make the next cut at 22.5 degrees. Voila! 67.5 degree cut.

Reindeer Rails

Kerrie — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 20:50:39 +0000

These Reindeer Rails are a quick project for a weekend. Standing between four and six feet tall, they make an impressive addition to any Christmas yard display. And at less than $10 each, you could build Santa’s entire fleet without blowing your decorating budget.

Reindeer Rails

Size: Approx. 5′ tall
Cost: $10; Time: 3 hours
Skill Level: 3 – IntermediateThis project is suitable for a crafter who has a fair amount of craft experience and who is comfortable using advanced tools and materials.
Materials

6′ landscape timber
1/2″ square dowel (small piece)
1/4″ plywood
half egg wood parts (for eyes)
round wood part (for nose)
paint: brown, white, black, gold (exterior grade recommended)
3″ wood screws
1″ wood screws
wood glue
24″ rebar
8″ nails (2)

Recommended Tools

chop saw (motorized miter saw)
jigsaw or scroll saw
drill / screwdriver
spade bit (1/2″ and 5/8″)

Directions
Reindeer Base

Make a 45 degree cut on one end of the landscape timber halfway between the two rounded edges. This will form the mouth of the reindeer.
Make a 45 degree cut approx. 18″ from the mouth end in the same direction as the mouth. The short piece will become the reindeer head, while the long piece will become the reindeer body.
From the longer piece of timber, repeat a 45 degree cut to create a 1/2″ slice.
Cut the slice diagonally. These will become the reindeer ears.
Make a 22.5 degree cut approx. 3″ from the cut end of the timber made in step 2. (This makes a 67.5 degree angle.) Repeat for both the reindeer head and the reindeer body.
Assemble the head and the body using glue and 3″ wood screws.
Attach a 3″ piece of square dowel to the reindeer head with glue and 1″ wood screws.
Paint the entire piece with brown paint.
Cut antlers from 1/4″ plywood. Sand the edges and paint gold.
Paint the eyes, ears, and nose.
Using wood glue, attach the eyes, ears, and nose to the reindeer head.
Attach the antlers to the front of the square wood dowel with glue and 1″ wood screws.

Set-Up Reindeer

Attach a length of 2×4 (approx. 10″ long) to the base of the reindeer body using 3″ wood screws being careful to center the board from left to right. This board will be the base.
Using a 5/8″ spade bit, bore a hole through the base and several inches into the core of the reindeer body.
On each side of the base, drill a hole just large enough to fit a giant nail.
Check the fit of the rebar in the hole at the base of the reindeer. Adjust the hole as necessary, and mark the rebar at the base.
Pound the rebar into the ground up to the mark.
Slide the reindeer over the rebar and secure both side with giant nails.
Decorate and enjoy!