Omg this is such a good idea!! It would be fun to have a little hunt or a backyard game, to find all of the little button keys tied to a ribbon. As for the button key, A large black button and an old key spray painted black. Like one child gets one key each, and when the hunt is over, let them go into a special room that hasn't been visited in yet, that has candy, (but not all that much, for they would go crazy) popcorn, cheez- its, etc. I hope you enjoyed my idea. Hope it helped.

-Ginny :D >_<

Here are some of the anniversary gifts I have made my boyfriend, now hubby. The last one if the most recent. Maybe these will spark some ideas. Good luck!

http://www.cutoutandkeep.net/projects/pap-tab-altered-book
http://www.cutoutandkeep.net/projects/altered-book-why-i-love-you
http://www.cutoutandkeep.net/projects/text-covered-altered-book

Well I made mine some coupons, such as 'Good for one massage', 'Good for your fav dessert' and also a little movie with pics of us...

I was gonna suggest pinning button eyes on a person of some description, but someone beat me to it. How 'bout hiding the mice/rat things and getting people to find them for prizes. Or play 'Hunt The Eyes'.

And possibly hand your daughter a fake present SAYING it's her real birthday present, but it has two buttons and a needle and thread inside. Or is that too mean?

You could also try and make the candyfloss launcher machines too.

What sort of things does he like? It's kinda hard to gauge what to make for someone without knowing their interests.

My one year anniversary with my boyfriend is coming up in two months. I want to make his gift now, so I don't have to worry about it later. I need some new creative ideas! I've already looked at the gifts on the projects already and I decided to make the Vintage Spool Valentine but I want more ideas than Box of Love for your Love and the canned compliments. Any ideas?

This video!

http://www.youtube.com/user/Evange#p/u/33/hLwnRpW8Ejw

This video!

http://www.youtube.com/user/Evange#p/u/33/hLwnRpW8Ejw

:) flocky fabric rocks :)

I would turn them into crop shirts (a little baggy) and wear a white tank top underneath. You could even cut te shoulders so they lay crooked- it would look very 80's!

Oh, and i havent have any issues, and ive done a lot, so i think its fine.

Odd as this is, I tie the end of it, to one of my husbands small wrenches, and just drop it through the tube, it's quick it's easy, and suits my laziness!

Every time I've made very thin straps (about 1/2" or thinner when finished) I've always turned them inside out using a really small safety pin.

I have seen them in craft stores. If you already have the studs with prongs I would consider attaching them to a base and then attaching the base to the heel part like I did here.

http://www.cutoutandkeep.net/projects/upcycled-high-heels

Is there studs that you can buy with a flat bottom felecity?

I will post a pic to show u guys what I am talking about, I just need to figure out how to post one first ha!

I would suggest using studs that do not screw in, have a flat bottom and simply using gorilla glue to attach them. Maybe a picture would better describe the problem though.

It is covered with velvet, so I can't see it and another pair is covered with faux leather. That was my main problem, the heel is wrapped with the same fabric so I may need to deconstruct a pair to see what it is made from. Panda do you have any ideas or experience with this?! I am racking my brain trying to figure it out!

What is the platform part made of? Plastic, cork, wood, etc?

Hello everyone :)

I need help! I have a pair of high heels about 6 inches and the platform that you stand on is about 3 inches! I need to stud and/or spike the heel and platform WITHOUT the studs or spikes falling off! Any suggestions from anyone that has experience With this! I need help and can put them on I just want a sturdy way to do it!

Any suggestions would be great!

Kristin

knitting, crochet, scared of sewing machines (would like a simple, slowish one that does about 4 different stitches, is easy to change the thread, and can sew thick things like fur)
jewellery making, making things that look "professional", all my things look like they are completely hand-made.
anything that doesnt have step-by-step instructions and clear pictures i fail at.
I want to be able to knit or crochet so much! I cant get the hang of patterns or the tension or any of it :(
I want to try new things like making stuff using resin, dying things, making jewellery, but they seem so expensive to start :( I've found that books help me the most when learning something new, especially if they give you the materials to make something with (like thread bracelets), but otherwise going out and buying each item that you need makes a dent in the bank balance. I'm only able to afford to make plushies/things out of fabric that can be hand-sewn because I already had thread, needles and un-used scissors, plus I raided my grandmas old stash of things. I have loads of knitting needles and crochet hooks and wool, but the wool ends up being bracelets or plaited or hair. I have tried knitting looms (round ones) but after a while my hands get achey so I have to stop.

Lol @ Corvus! My kinda gal!
Lifes waaayyyy too short to be knitting!!

That reminds me, I wonder if my mum has finished my cute little anklet thingies yet?? I've so got it sussed, i buy her regular "gifts" of knitting magazines - usually when i see something on the cover that i fancy ;D

knitting...who the heck created knitting? OMG...it is like torture for me.

also i have an irrational fear of sewing machines. i bought one second hand for 10 dollars and haven't even tried. i have no idea if it works or not.

Knitting. full stop.

The casting on, the stitches, the tension, the casting off, the lot...

My kids are 12 and almost 16, and my sisters have 4younger ones between them, and each time a pregnancy is announced I REALLY TRY but i just can't get my head around it!
My mum is an awesome knitter, so when i was pregnant with my eldest, she tried to convince me it would be relaxing to knit something special for my baby....RELAXING??? ZOMG! I nearly burst a blood vessel! If i'd had an antenatal appointment they'd've hospitalised me for highbloodpressure. I would sit there, stabbing away at these stitches, as it impossibly tightened more & more, until in the end, she realized it was causing more harm than good and, fed up watching me destroy a row and her having to rip out 3 to fix it, took it off me and finished the damn thing!!
We now make use of each others strengths - she knits & i sew together n stuff :D

Thanks guys! I never even thought about using bias tape, and I'll try looking up that how-to, So Lala. Hopefully this will make my life a lot easier!

as pinkweeds said, you can just fold bias tape and topstitch both edges. you can make tape by yourself or even take a normal strip of fabric, fold in some seam allowance and fold over again and topstitch (a fake tube if you wanna say it).
and, i remember a how-to on here for turning tubes with a string, i think jet made it.

Chopstick or knitting needle can help with the turning

ever look at bias tape? sewn down it makes a very wonderful small strap and is usually much neater and more professional looking than a tube of fabric.

So I'm making lots of belts and straps these days, and I was wondering about something.

Typically if I want to make a belt or a strap to look really nice, I basically make a tube and turn it inside out. Now, with bigger straps it's not too much of a problem. However, when I make small straps, I struggle turning the thing inside out. My fingers ache after a while of pulling the fabric out. And forget about making spaghetti straps!

So is there a way to make this easier? Or is there a different way to make straps that would look just as good?

My hubby does historical reenactments and works with leather a lot so I'm passing on his information. I don't work with it very often at all.

A good thing to remember is that anything that will affect leather (dye, paints, stamping tools, snips, etc) will affect leather still "on the hoof" so to speak...namely, your skin.

Leather dye can be expensive at specialty stores though if you're not going to use it often, you can use the dye in the shoe department of most big box department and drug stores. I have heard people have great success using RIT dye but can't give personal experience on that.

Unless you have a heavy duty industrial sewing machine, I wouldn't attempt to machine stitch leather thicker than a standard piece of denim cloth. You'll burn your motor out quickly that way. I have seen that one done much to the person's dismay.

Hubby says he's used everything from standard Elmers up to rubber cement with equally satisfactory results. Heat can cause things to let go however, so be warned. (I live in the south so heat is an issue here)

A cheap, flea market fry daddy or double boiler is your friend if you want to harden your pieces. Melt BEES wax in it but be aware that hot weather may resoften. To avoid that, you can add paraffin wax to the mix but that lowers the flashpoint dangerously and you could have really really bad hospital like results. Please do a small test on a sample of each sheet of leather as using hot wax to cuir-bouilli the leather can and usually will distort the shape somewhat.

If you want to tool a pattern in it, either with fancy leather punches or a simple screwdriver (hubby's done that), then you can't use the wax to harden it as it will push the design out. You will, however, need to keep the leather wet while you do that. Use a rubber or raw hide mallet if you're using leather tools or you'll wear them out quicker. Have something softish beneath your leather, like a scrap piece, to protect your tools and table/bench. A bench block or other hard surface will mar your tools greatly.

Another great way to put a pattern on plain leather is with a wood burning tool. Works wonderfully but is kinda stinky. lol

I think that's all hubby related when I picked his brain. The following link has some resources that may help though they will be geared more towards the reenactment group than simply general information. http://www.sca.org/links/misc.html

Hope that helps!