Crafts: No~Stitch, Tassel~Style Pillow Design

Craft: No-Stitch, Tassel-Style Pillow Design

Deneale K. Williams, Yahoo Contributor Network
Oct 2, 2007

Recently, I found this new and fun way to make creative pillows. This is an awesome craft for just about any age! And the best part: There's no stitching, needles or thread required! Use your discretion on the age group of the child you are teaching or having help you make your new pillow. Also, never leave children unattended with scissors when you know they cannot be trusted.

 

 

Items needed:

Material of any shape or size
Stuffing of your style and choice
Scissors

What you do:

You take your material, and fold it in half; this will make you having two sides. If it is not cut into two pieces yet, cut it making both pieces matching. Now take the corners, and you will be cutting a 2 inch square out of each corner, all four corners. In other words, the piece you will be removing, will fit in your hand, and be the size of a 2 inch square. This enables you to make corners.

Now you take the material and line it up, and start cutting strips, 2 inches long, and the width can be a size of your choice, 1 inch, or half inch, whatever you think looks better.
 
Once completed, the material will look like tassels. Now you take the tassels, and begin tying. The tassel beside your corner, take the tassel from the other piece of material. Tie it once, and then again, thus making it a knot. Keep doing this with each and every tassel, carefully not to retie one you have already tied.

As you are tying, leave a section a little wider then your fist, to allow for you to put the stuffing inside! And the thickness of stuffing, is your choice. It can be stuffed full, thick and tight, or loose and squishy! That option is yours too!
 
Now that you have stuffed your project, you can finish tying it! If by chance you notice closer to the end, that you are coming up with extra tassels, then take an extra tassel and include it in your next tie. No one will be any the wiser, except for you. It will not be obvious, and these things do happen.
Once completed, simply shake off your completed project and admire it. You did this, and it was and is quicker then sewing, and looks fancier too! You have an original design that will make everyone talk!
Your new pillow is machine washable, in the gentle cycle. It is also machine dryable. (Depending however on the material you used!) Do not leave this pillow in a nursery with a small infant or baby, because of the tassels! This can cause suffocation!

Published by Deneale K. Williams

Guide: to Pen Palling & Swapping!

A Simple Guide to Pen Palling & Swapping

 

Deneale K. Williams, Yahoo Contributor Network
Aug 29, 2009

Have you ever went to the mailbox and wished there was something there other bills?

 

The other thing pen pal groups are also good for: FBs that you cannot get sent to their proper owner. Sometimes another individual may know where the person moved to, or even if they were now deceased.

 

 

There is a great way to make getting mail, and your life a little more entertaining. But! There are some things you need to know first....
 

Pen palling is a great way to meet new people, and learn about different states, as well as countries. It is also a good way to get more interesting mail!

To be a pen paller, I personally advise learning a few key factors first. You see, I personally jumped right into it, without advise, without the know how, and later learned. And it was over something as small as an FB.

Now you are wondering what "FB" means. Let me start by saying, "No, it doesn't mean 'facebook' in this case!" LOL

 
"FB" stands for "Friendship book." So what is a friendship book? It is a little booklet, sometimes made out of scraps of paper, sometimes out of notepads, or cards. They are made by individuals who want to see this little booklet travel from person to person, to show where all it has been. Once this FB is filled, it becomes like a souvenir. Individuals pass them from pal to pal, and attach their address label, or write their info on a small section. After doing that, they usually write more codes.

With these codes, they are making it known if they want more pen pals, or not; and what they are looking for- if anything at all. You do not need to be wanting more pals to sign this booklet. And it is best to date your entry, so that people can see where the booklet went and when. Many pallers, who have made these little booklets, may also put "return to maker, or to the person they made it for by such and such a date, or once the two year time frame is up."

Friendship booklets can be made for anyone, including yourself. I have known of a few people who even made them for cancer stricken children. It is up to the creator of the booklet. Just try not to make the booklets too thick, so they CAN be returned in a timely manner. If you print in the booklets, print so your writing can be read by others.
Once the booklet becomes full, simply send the booklet back to the individual it was made for. If the booklet ends up sent back to you because the person moved, simply send it to its maker. The reason and way you know who the booklet was made for and by is because you are "supposed" to put this information in the booklet when you make it. Here let me show you an example:

FB Made for:

Jane Doe
123 Number St.
Washington, DC
00123
NPW Female only please

Made by:

Jillian Smith
9090 W. Nothing Street
Nothing, Alabama
12345
SNNP

Now, as you can see,

I added some abbreviations.

Here are some of those continuously changing pen pal abbreviations:

NPW= New Pals Wanted
SNNP= Sorry No New Pals
SAHM= Stay at home Mom
No Cons= No Prisoners or inmates
A/A= Answers all
A/M= Answers Most
W/W= World Wide
LLP=Long letter Pals
DOB= Date of Birth
EPals only= Online pals only
Moms Only=This is where the swapper only wants other Mothers and no one else.
ICR= I can return (meaning the FBs, etc.)
US Only= Seeking pals/swappers in USA only

Now if the person states no men, no cons, or even no women; your best bet is to the respect that. And the reason people put no cons or prisoners, is because prisoners are bored with nothing to do, and they have wants and needs, and that's where a pen pal comes in. Please be cautious if you are willing or wanting to pal with prisoners and inmates.

Now as you see, I mentioned "Swappers." That is a person who swaps FBs back and forth; sometimes they will even mention they do so- in bulk. This means they will accept a large sum of them at one time, no problem. Some even accept boxes!

However, there are other things pen pallers swap. These include Deco's, slams, crams, label/sticker bags, and even stickers, rubber stamps, and coupons!

A Deco is a decorative FB where as people usually take a whole page to themselves and decorate it. They might stamp pictures onto it, and then color them. They may even use stickers. It all depends on the individual. This is where you can get creative. And these are much more awesome to receive back, because not only has the booklet traveled usually world wide, but everyone adds their own special touch to it!

A Slam is a question answer thing, usually. It has numerous pages, with a question or comment atop of each page. Then below it are usually numbers or alphas, where you as the receiver respond. Again, please write neatly. These are entertaining. And what is even more creative, is if each person uses a different color pen. They are fun to read once completely filled out and sent home. It also helps you learn about the individuals who filled them out!

A Cram is a very small FB. Usually people only attach a label, and send it on its way. If you write in it, remember it is small, so there isn't a lot of room. And most people make the crams to get a label attached and sent on its merry way faster!

A label or sticker bag, is something you ask others to put their labels and stickers into. If you are requesting labels, it is so once it is returned to you; you will in turn make FBs, slams or whatever- for those people. The stickers are to help you build up a collection. And sometimes they will say to take a sticker and add two more. Kind of like trading.

So as you may well enough see, pen palling is a bit more entertaining than just a simple letter. Or at least it can be, if you want it to be, the choice is completely and totally up to you.

There are groups online that can help you in ascertaining new pals, and "education" on the pen pal community. Sometimes they can tell you in advance if they think an individual is a good pen paller or swapper or not.

And most pen pallers are descent people who can give you advice and point you in the right direction, when you have wants and needs. I have even seen a baby shower VIA the pen pal community. It was a huge success, as well as a shocker to the expecting Mommy!

Pen palling is a lot of fun, educational, and definitely something you might want to consider if you are stuck at home, bored and watching too much TV! There are always people in need of a new pal, and a new long time friend!

Published by Deneale K. Williams

1234

What is a Craft?

Deneale K. Williams, Yahoo Contributor Network
Feb 8, 2010

For my first article as a features content writer, I decided to more or less define and inform you, the reader about crafts.

Per the yahoo dictionary, the word craft is defined as a skill in doing or making something, as in the arts. Further, it says it is an occupation or trade requiring manual dexterity or skilled artistry.

Many people make crafts as a form of relaxation. Personally, I was led to crafts as a way to keep my hands busy. I was taught repeatedly that idle hands are the Devils tools.

For many years, I watched my Mother watch television while doing her sewing and crocheting. I found it annoying that she wouldn't "see" something for the split second it was on the screen, as a child. (Usually because it was a toy that I wanted!)

And now as an adult, I do the same thing, and annoy both my children and my husband! But, my hands are busy, I am content and relaxing with my family, doing exactly what it is that I love.

Crafts come in various shapes, sizes, styles and designs. And more often then not, no two are exactly the same. You and I can sit down and do the exact same craft, and it can turn out totally different.

This can be because I personally add a little pizzazz to my crafts, to make them unique. Or it can be, because today my hands are hurting and I am crocheting much looser then usual. For that matter, sometimes the factor of just the hand we work with, can change how our things turn out. I know this for a fact, because I am left handed. My crochet, is backwards compared to most. I learned how to crochet by sitting backwards from a right handed person. It still turns out, and even holds together. But it is truly backwards!

A craft, as you most likely, know- is usually a hobby. Something most do in their spare time. However, now of days, many do crafts from home as a way to make a few extra bucks from time to time.

The sad thing, is that the pricing of crafts, is not what it's cracked up to be. A lot of time and labor go into the production of an item that is hand crafted. And those that don't craft, or don't know crafts- will freak out at the price and walk away.

They will assume you are over priced, and in all actuality, more often then not, our prices for our hard work is usually a lot cheaper then what we would like to see out of it. We personally know just how long it took to crochet the afghan, or knit the scarf, and we know how we may have had to pull out several mistakes.

An item that we have spent so much time on, we aren't going to get every red cent out of it. Calculate the skeins of yarn, and the time, and then put a price on the afghan. Ten skeins of yarn at $2.50 each, that's $25.00. Then the time it took to make it, which lets say it took three days to make. Naturally you didn't crochet every hour of the day, so let's deduct a day. Minimum wage is about $7 an hour. So let's do 48 hours and multiply it by 7. Now its 336. Add the $25 for the yarn. There is no possible way you are going to get $361.00 for the afghan! Now way! And I know a person who sits down, and adds up the yarn cost, and an hourly wage for themselves, and sometimes they actually get pretty close to what it is they are asking for. Selling your crafts and being cut down, can in itself cause you heart ache, trust me.

Crafting can be an expensive hobby. Just ask my husband. I do all kinds of crafts, and I change with the Seasons per say. One month I will be making jewelry, the next an afghan, the next plastic canvas, the next embroidery. It's just like a mood with me, a desire. It all depends. And it never fails, if I was making jewelry last month, and the month before I crocheted, the next month when I got back to crocheting, all though I have a full bin of various colors of yarn- I will need something I don't have. It never fails! But my husband doesn't complain one bit. We go to the store and buy another skein.
I do try to sell what I make, but because of today's economy, people would rather not spend their hard earned money on crafts, no matter how awesome they are! But that doesn't stop me from making things. I don't just do it for a sale. I do it because it relaxes me, and it is something fun to do. And obviously, my hands are not idle, so I am not doing the Devils bidding!

If you're ever bored....give crafting a try!

Published by Deneale K. Williams

How to Create a Word Search! Fun for All Ages!

How to Create a Word Search!

Fun for ALL Ages!

Deneale K. Williams, Yahoo Contributor Network
Apr 15, 2009

 

 

I have been creating my own word searches for years. I do this whenever I get bored. And because I have been doing this for years, I feel I can offer you the reader advise to make them on your own too!

 

Items Needed: Pen
Pencil
Ruler
Graph or Plain Paper

To begin, I suggest deciding which type of paper you would prefer to use. Myself, I prefer graph paper, as it makes it loads easier.

Then you need to think of a theme, and with that comes your word list. I will be sharing with you in this article a word search of my own, its theme "Support our Troops!" If you have trouble with spelling, a dictionary can help you.

After you have created a word list, you then decide upon a shape to put your words into. A square or rectangle are always common. I prefer using my creative abilities, and making my word searches unique. With my "Support our Troops" I made the design a flag.

The next step is placing the words into the word search. This is where I definitely prefer pencil, because sometimes there is a need to erase, when words don't fit into the slots. You can place your words diagonal, backwards, upside down, and in some rare cases, you can do odd shapes with your words. For example, part of the word is downward, then it goes to the left. I have seen this in real published word searches; yes they are far and few between, and yes, it will be more difficult on both the creator and the one searching for the words. You can also make a numerical word search. Personally, when I do this, I like to make math problems, whereas you write down the answer, and that is the numbers you are searching for. This way my kids are practicing math, and having fun at the same time! There are many ways to entertain the person searching for the words, even with hidden codes with the left over letters within the word search! How you spice up your word search, is up to you!

After you have placed your words, or even numbers, you then fill in the left over blank spots with other letters, or numbers, which ever you decided to use.

After you have completed with the filling in the blanks, you then can go over your lettering with pen, so no one can erase what you did. After I do this, I make a copy, and search the words, creating an answer key. I do this, because I more often then not, give my word searches to the Schools my Children go to, to use.

If you want, you can outline the squares in the graph paper, I don't, but some do. This option is up to you. Continuing with your outline, outline your word search shape and last but not least, put your name on it, because YOU made it. YOU get the credit!

If you have a scanner or copier, you make copies and give them to your friends and family! The Teachers will be impressed, especially if you make a word search to go with the homework, or lesson theme.

I have shared with you in this article my own word search. Please feel free to print it. Just please, do not claim it as your own.

If you have any questions, or comments, please don't hesitate to contact me. I will be more then glad to help you in a pinch!

Published by Deneale K. Williams

Hopefully these are better views of my word searches: