(no subject)

[http://users.livejournal.com/jamaika_/]

agate,jade,crystal
all made by jamaika_

(no subject)

[themagpye.livejournal.com]

I figure someone here must be into body products and their makings.

I've started a small dog products business. In the future I'm interested in making an all-natural, doggie-safe shampoo/etc. set of products. I've been looking into all kinds of essential oils and things like that that would be useful. For shampoos it's not much of a problem, but I also wanted to make doggie "mists". Some people don't like doggie smell, after all. I was going to include natural bug-repellant oils in it too, so it could double as a doggie bug spray.

For the doggie mist though, the oil would need to be mixed with water. I can't find a natural emulsifier that isn't polysorbate 20. I'd like something 100% natural to emulsify with, or I'll have to find another way to do this. Can anyone suggest something?

I've also got plans for a doggie balm, to use on pawpads to prevent wounds/wearing and on low-fur areas to prevent sunburns.

EDIT: After much searching around the supplier's site, I found a natural emulsifier hidden away under a different name. Success! Thanks for the suggestions, though =) It's good to know that people wouldn't be that picky about having to shake their doggie's cologne ;D

Overly abitious novice crafter needs help with her mosaic!

[lizgb.livejournal.com]

hello! I'm a first-time poster and I could really use some help!

I was recently lucky enough to find a beat up, but otherwise lovely cedar chest in my parent's attic. Since I am in need of a coffee table for my new apartment I decided to take it home and refinish it. After what seems like an eternity of sanding and oiling the chest looks great, except for the top inlay section. This part of the chest must have taken the most abuse when it was being used (I fear my little kid self my have had something to do with that) and is all chipped and scratched and covered in splotches of what looks like nail polish. I don't think it can be salvaged, so I was thinking of putting a mosaic on it to cover it up. I figure this will be better suited for its coffee table purpose anyway.

The problem with this is that while I know the basics of mosaic work, I'm not sure how to do it in this particular instance. The surface of the chest is not even, with some boards being slightly warped so that if I just applied the tiles directly, the mosaic surface would be all uneven (not good for holding mugs, plates, etc). Also, the inside part of the top of the chest is not even with the boarder, and the tiles I have are not thick enough to make up for the difference (the top of the chest looks kind of like the one in this photo- an inside surface surrounded by higher planks).

Does anyone have an experience with this kind of thing or any suggestions? I'm familiar with both the direct and indirect mosaic methods- I just don't know what to physically attach the tiles to. I was thinking of using something to fill in the dips and warps of the wood to make an even surface but I'm not sure what to use. I don't have much experience working with wood. A friend of mine suggested just using gout, but I'm not sure about that. Alternatively I guess I could find a perfectly sized piece of wood or something to attach the mosaic to and then glue that into the top of the chest? I'm not sure how sturdy that would be, since it has to be able to withstand the lid of the chest being opened and closed every now and then. I was also thinking of laying down thin set on the top and using the indirect method to quickly transfer the mosaic on top to ensure that the to would be smooth... but I'm not sure if this can be done directly on wood, or if the cement would have to be super thick and make the whole thing weigh a million pounds.

I'd really appreciate any advice or ideas.

Thanks!

Felt Features for Plushes

[night-sky99.livejournal.com]

I'm making some plushes and the person who ordered them want felt eyes and mouths. In all the plushes I've made before, I've only used button eyes and maybe embroidered a crappy smile.

The fabric of the body is regular cotton. I was wondering if anyone had any good ways to attach the felt facial features, in a way that they would last? I was thinking of possibly glueing them on (but with what type of glue) and then adding some stitching around since I wouldn't trust just the stitching.

So what type of glue would you recommend for attaching felt to cotton? And do you have any other suggestions for what I could do?

Thanks!