Glossy Mod-podge

[alettertoelise.livejournal.com]

I don't trust mod podge. Infact I give it a dirty look everytime I see it at Micheal's. I used Crown Royal (ooops heh thats alcohol), or some brand with the word "royal" tossed in it. I went to micheals a few days before sexmas and got glossy mod podge because it was the only one they had.
Question:
Has anyone used this before?
Why does this come out like shit?
Any tips in particular to make things not look like shit?

Btw, I am decopauging small wooden boxes, and such.

(no subject)

[dougdougdoug.livejournal.com]

my grandma was looking for something last night and she came across a book that used to be my nana's (great grandma).  it's a sock toy book.  it has everything from sock monkey, to sock elephant, pig, puppy, horse, you name it!  one of these days i'll get it all scanned and uploaded.

(no subject)

[xsaltyx.livejournal.com]

( projects inside )

Shelves

[frankenboob.livejournal.com]

Question for the craft gurus out there... I just purchased a couple of 2 tier, particle board shelving units for my kids & I would like to decorate them somehow. They currently display that lovely cherry toned laminate. I'm thinking modge-podge... but haven't been paying too close attention to recent threads on that topic (due to scary flashbacks of childhood projects gone awry.) Any suggestions (including mp) would be greatly appreciated! Thank you!

(no subject)

[xitsmylifex.livejournal.com]

Ok, so I started sewing over Christmas.... I started trying to sew my seat cushion for my chair because the hardness of it was hurting my bum... my attempt at it was horrible.... For one, I can't sew a straight line worth crap, even while using a guide line thingy..... and then the bobbin was all messed up and kept screwing me up... i'd sew like 10 stitches and then it'd get stuck because all of the thread was backing up underneath or something :-/ When i finished sewing everything but the one side, I had to stuff the cushion in the thing so I could finish it, and then i had to sew the final edge together so it would be finished... boy was that a nightmare... for one my stitching is all uneven and crap, plus you can really see the thread... bad. :-/

Does anyone know of a better way to do this? I've seen on Trading Spaces where they've made their own furniture & cushions and such... and I'm gonna be moving into a loft apartment in a few months and would like to save money and make my own stuff, or at least re-cover something... but i have no idea how they're doing it and how they make it look so damn good n easy.....

Oh, and does anyone know where I can find out how to make a comforter cover? I have a feeling that the bedroom stuff I have now I won't want at my new place but I dont want to spend lots more money to buy one when I can make one easier....

Hope all of you had a great Christmas :-D

(no subject)

[strange-fear.livejournal.com]

Hey everyone, I got a singer sewing machine for christmas and was wondering if there were any good sites where I could find simple sewing patterns for beginners. Does anyone have any ideas for some projects (anything!) that would be good for someone who knows the basics of using a sewing machine, but isn't an expert? Thanks so much.

Fat Girl Clothing...

[fatfeistyfemme.livejournal.com]

Ugh - Does anyone sew (or know someone who sews) custom clothing?? I've been trying to find some 3/4 sleeve raglan baseball jerseys in sizes above 2x and I can't. I want to offer some styles of shirts up to at the very least 6x. I'm talking this style: except with black body, red sleeves or vice-versa. No one anywhere offers them for the big girls.

Oh, and also!

[fatfeistyfemme.livejournal.com]

I make this line of lip balm called Pussy Pucker Pots (http://www.pussypuckerpots) and I just started out - we're only in about 17 indie retail outlets right now, and everyone loves the balm for the most part - but I'm starting to get some complaints from the colder regions of the states that the balm doesn't soften quickly enough in cold weather. I've messed with the levels of wax to carrier oil to see if that had an impact, but if I drop the amount of wax too much it just ends up... oily... So I'm wondering if anyone has any input on an extra (vegan) ingredient that will soften the balm *a little*, but not so much that it smooshes like carmex?

Umm.. correction to the post below

[fatfeistyfemme.livejournal.com]

D'oh - sorry. I screwed up the url: http://www.pussypuckerpots.com - thanks to those who pointed it out. Anyway - this is a totally stupid question, but what *is* shea butter?? I've heard it softens, but I need to know if it's got actual food properties to it. If it does and I use it the federal guidelines for making the product change.

Make Your Own Dress Form

[forestcats.livejournal.com]

Click here: Clone Yourself A Fitting Assistant or http://www.taunton.com/threads/pages/t00002.asp

OK this is a SUPER DIY article with 3 different methods to make a body double. I just helped a friend make hers out of one of the duct tape methods. The only thing I recommend above the supplied directions is that when you are stuffing the double you should make matching measurements comparing yourself to the dress form just to insure you don't over stuff any area.

Yarn Site (cross post)

[jaynefury.livejournal.com]

Hi all!

I can see you're projects are really getting good lately! Proud to know all of you, even the newbie knitters (and crocheters) are coming up with some fun things!

So, because you might have gotten some checks or cash this X-Mas... I've got a site I found (and have subesequently made four orders in two days on). The yarn there is totally up a punk knitter's alley as a lot of them are closeout in "undesirable" colors! THIS STUFF ROCKS! Not only that but it's expensive stuff for CHEAP, up to 75% off! Get yer stash and go nuts at Elann and they take Paypal too!

Jaynie

A couple of sewing questions

[tia-mimi.livejournal.com]

The following are in regards to clothes sewing:

(1) I received my initial sewing instruction while living in Central America, where seamstresses are very common and alteration or custom clothing is dirt cheap. All the seamstresses I met there had never worked off formal patterns. Either they made newspaper patterns from existing clothes you wanted copied or studied a magazine picture you chose. They just understood the techniques of sewing and applied them. I myself am hugely stymied and challenged by interpreting formal patterns, and wish I could find someone to continue my education in sewing the non-pattern way. I've also heard that many Asian seamstresses also don't work off patterns. So here comes my (first) question: does anyone know any resources out there that teach sewing from this perspective?

(2) Where can I get a dress dummy made to my exact proportions?

hello-hello

[stardustaddict.livejournal.com]

Another semi-newbie coming out of the shadows to say hello and ask a question...
Does anyone know where one can buy a button-maker in an actual store? There's a ton of sites on the net, but I guess I'm just holding out on using them... bad luck with purchasing on the net. Bad luck with purchasing things mail-order period. Anyway...suggestions?

pillow talk

[fabusplody.livejournal.com]

the most remarkable thing about this pillow is that i sewed the form together over a decade ago. and never got to stuffing it. somehow i did not lose it as i did most things from the same era, so today i stuffed it and sewed buttons in the middle. this is my first time doing that, and i just eyeballed it, so they are off center, but it is literally the first pillow i made on my own with no pattern. top fabric is cotton calico in various shades of purple, the back is plain muslin.

( oh, please look, i made the images small )

Black is the new black...

[sarahdotcom.livejournal.com]

And sewing is the new marbles!

Really I just wanted to say hi everyone, I'm excited to have discovered craftgrrl, I feel positively brimming with creativity due to all of the interesting posts I've read here. I tried making the (dare I say?) marble magnets and they're pretty cool, right now I'm travelling so I'm sticking to small, easily transportable things like that. Once I get back to New Zealand and get my stuff out of storage, I'm going to have a go at an altered book, and of course crack the sewing machine back out! I have some sparkly blue plaid that just screams naughty schoolgirl kilt, or something like that ;)

felting

[lisadarling.livejournal.com]

I have this hatelove thing going for felted items. I hate them so much they almost seem cool.(felted at knitty, honore knits &knitwitts )therefor I had to make my own felted bag. it's the perfect thing for a punk to do; knit and do exactly what you shouldn't do with this knitted item in wool; in the washer! high temperature! tumble dry!
( getting felt up )

Greetings!

[tanjalin.livejournal.com]

I have been lurking on here and have a few friends on this list (hi guys!) but I don't think I've posted.

I'm quite the crafty girl. As a matter of fact, I have worked at Michaels in Des Moines, Iowa, for almost 9 months now. I teach classes and run the registers and such.

Anyway, the thing that prompted this post? Today they put up some Valentine's Day things at my register and I couldn't help but giggle.

They're packages of four marble magnets for $1.99.

(no subject)

[creepcake.livejournal.com]

i glued everything i could find onto this lamp shade. heehe it's hideous.

Sad Kitty

[kimberlycreates.livejournal.com]

My first forray into the craft world was not a very successful one. ( This is a little long, with pictures! )

I'll post my more successful crafting attempts later. The Sad Kitty story is just so funny I had to share it with you. :)

(no subject)

[terka.livejournal.com]

today i made melt and pour soap for the first time. i went to michaels and got the glycerin soap as well as some avocado and cucumber soap base. i also bought a couple of scents. what i noticed with the few soaps i made is that it is nearly impossible to mask the smell of the actual base and it stinks :p. also the fragrances didn't smell very good either, very perfumey.
has anyone had the problems with the actual soap base smell overpowering? also, when i made one small bar of soap i also just used cinammon and other things and i noticed i had to use A LOT of it to cover up the smell, not sure if this will screw up the actual soap. i also used honey and it really didn't seem to make it smell any different. any suggestions?

aol disk crafts?

[kickadee.livejournal.com]

I know you can make cute stuff with the tins--but can anything be done with the cd's? I was wondering if the could be melted in the oven and shaped like a record?

Lookee what I made tonite!

[winglessangl.livejournal.com]

Made myself the first of 3 fleece hats that I wanna make! *By the by, if anyone has a method that might be easier than the "6 panels sewn into one, sew on a brim separately" method I found...please, do share!*

( kitty hat )

*cross posted in my personal LJ*