Showing posts with label crafting. Show all posts
Showing posts with label crafting. Show all posts
Showing posts with label crafting. Show all posts
Showing posts with label crafting. Show all posts

Magnifier Lamp for DIY Crafting, Sewing, Drawing, and Reading

Magnifier Lamp for Intricate Art and Sewing DIY Projects


I was given a magnifier lamp for review. All opinions are my own.  
This post contains affiliate links. Click, make a purchase, and I get a small commission.

Brightech is an LA based lighting company that specializes in awesome magnifier lamps. Who needs a magnifier lamp? You do! Your grandma does when she's quilting, you do when your trying to thread a needle, artists do to make intricate designs, homeschoolers need one for science investigations, jewelers do when doing beadwork, your grandpa does when he's trying to do his favorite crossword puzzle, the possibilities are endless. No more magnifying glass. A magnifier lamp is the perfect tool for DIY crafting, sewing, drawing, and reading!


Magnifier Lamp for DIY Crafting, Sewing, Drawing, and Reading


If you have a budding artist, this magnifying glass lamp is the bomb! The light is adjustable. Just grab the handy handle and move it to the desired position. The light flicks on with the press of  a button on the top of the magnifier lamp. Get your own lamp here: Brightech Magnifier Lamp.


magnifier floor lamp



Whether it's light or dark, your magnifier lamp is there to help! We currently use it for artwork, but we are anxious to try it for homeschool science investigations and when my tired, old eyes need to thread a needle. You can even get these magnifier lamps with a rolling base. Wish we would have made that choice, because they are sturdy, durable, and somewhat heavy.


lamp for artists


magnifier lamp for sewing projects art projects crafting



Pin it!

Magnifier Lamp for Crafting, Sewing, Drawing, and Reading


So, how would you use a magnifier lamp? Tell us about it in the comments. 



Recommended:

Homeschool Art Projects

For ambient lighting try this Amber Glass Sconce.

Get your own lamp here: Brightech Magnifier Lamp.




Jake's Art - Homeschool Weaving Lesson - Make your own Loom - DIY Arts and Crafts

How to make a loom for weaving scrap fiber: A Homeschool Art Lesson

Jake's Journey in Art goes under the sea in this DIY weaving Homeschool Art Lesson we learned to Renew. Enjoy!


How to weave for elementary make your own loom
Our loom has both warp and weft framework to better illustrate 
the concept to young children.

To weave a textile, threads (or scrap fabric) are woven on a frame called a loom. The first vertical threads on the loom are called warp threads. Threads that are woven horizontally in and out of the warp threads are called weft threads.



Cut notches in the cardboard frame to keep yarn in place.

Recycle a piece of cardboard from a cereal box or a foam tray to make your loom. You might also like Native American Paper Bag Dress

Cut small notches into the top and bottom of your cardboard(ours are about 1/2", but 1" works well). Make them about 1/2" inch apart. Alex Toys has a great PDF on weaving here.




Spongebob Fabric for Toddler bed tent.

Warp your loom with yarn or string by taking the thread and taping one end to the back middle of your board.  Now, starting with your first notch on the left, begin wrapping through each top and bottom notch without skipping a notch until you get to the right side of the board.  Only the warp frame is required.

Now your are ready to weave your weft. Cut or tear scraps of fabric into strips. Your strips of fabric should be about 1" thick and at least 12"  long. You will need about 20 strips. 




The cat enjoyed the tearing of fabric strips so much 
he needed a nap after playing with them.

For extra ease for smaller children, we added a weft frame as well. Now the scraps of fabric can be pulled through the little squares for guidance. Pull your scrap fabric under the first warp, over the next, and so on. The yarn guide will help younger children see any mistakes made.

When you have completed your weaving tie off all scraps in groups of two at the edges of your cardboard loom, then you can cut your your thread/yarn framework.




How to make a loom - Elementary Weaving Lesson Scrap Fibers Make your own
Spongebob has his eye on you.

This is an easy way to get littles started in weaving. It is also helpful to cut a piece of cardboard about 1" by 3" with a notch in the end. Attach your scrap fabric by inserting it in the notch and use as a tool to weave the fabric through the loom, this is called a shuttle.




Alex Toys Native American Bead Loom Kit for weaving bracelets.

Once you advance your skills, you can weave many beautiful projects. Alex Toys has a Native American Loom for weaving bracelets.  It is a professional quality loom that makes incredibly authentic bracelets.  We are working on our patterns and will share them soon.



Kid's room cartoon character theme (that way we don't have to worry about matching or new fads).Check out the automobile sun visor we used as a headboard. 
It is simply nailed to the wall.

Jake loved the idea of using his toddler tent cover as scrap fabric for this project. We renewed an item that was dear to his heart. It had been ripped from rowdy play and was no good as a tent, but we saved it anyway in hopes to repair it or transform it into a pillow or some other creative endeavor. The SpongeBob fabric was the perfect accent for his room. 



Yep, we need a hanging stick, but the kids love it.  
Use favorite t-shirts, pillow cases, or doll clothes for your scrap fiber.

To display your beautiful work of art weave a "weft" stick horizontally through the top row and hang on a wall.  Jake loved his creation and couldn't wait for the stick. He wanted to see how it looked right away, so we hung it by a nail. A little droopy, yes, but he loves it.

Did he love the process?  Not so much.  Much patience is a necessary requirement of weaving. So, Mommy made the loom, got it started and Jake weaved the inner pieces to gain an understanding of the process.  Mommy tied and cut it off making sure Jake watched and understood. This is somewhat time consuming, but the end results are worth it.


Mayhem saw the weaving on his wall and wanted it for her room. Score! This project journey ended on a very happy note.   



Recommended Reading:


Learning How to Weave*

Party Time: SpongeBob SquarePants*






ADS DISCLOSURE: We've partnered with some wonderful advertisers who may sponsor blog posts or send us samples to test. Some companies pay us to review their products.

*We also use affiliate links, if you make a purchase we get a tiny commission. Kids Creative Chaos participates in the Amazon LLC Associates Program*, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a mean for blogs to earn advertising fees by linking to Amazon properties, including, but not limited to, amazon.com, endless.com, myhabit.com, smallparts.com, or amazonwireless.com. We also offer Tapinfluence, Google Adsense, SoFab, and Izea ads here. Thanks so much for helping us keep the lights on! :)


Doll Collections: Are you a Crafter? Collector? Or just a plain, old Hoarder?

Collecting Dolls and Crissy Babies


Doing more surfing than crafting for kids lately? After Christmas and year end clearance specials are amazing. We all need to stock up on junk  more craft supplies for the new year. My favorite clearance sale is always the one on Toys and Hobbies. Doll collecting is my downfall. 

I've been collecting dolls since I was born, literally. Here's a picture of the first doll ever given to me, shortly after my birth in...  1969. (collector, collector, collector)

This post contains Amazon Affiliate links.

Doll Collecting Habit

My Grandmother crocheted her a beautiful, new outfit many, many years ago, but I still have her chartreuse and lace dress. (hoarder, hoarder, hoarder)



Doll Collecting Collections 1969 Horseman




I also have a jingly, wobbly, Mickey Mouse, baby toy given to me the same year (1969) with perfect tag intact ~ Walt Disney World ~ I think I may have chewed off one of his ears. (Ebay, Ebay, Ebay)
Then, there's Crissy Baby. I never actually owned one as a child but always wanted one. Now, I have several. (collector, collector, collector)  

And Barbie... mostly from garage sales. (dumpster diver, dumpster diver, dumpster diver) The Bubble wig 1960's version.

These girls sit in boxes in my closet sharing space with my most prized possession-  a Dennis Rodman doll with interchangeable heads to showcase his Kool-Aid dyed hair years. That's right, my friends, Dennis Rodman with interchangeable heads.  They even make a Dennis Rodman in Wedding Dress doll.

Here's an old creepy doll that I dressed up and gave a new wig.

Michael Jackson is there too with his glove and Grammy glimmer jacket, but he was born a collectible doll. Even though we attended college together, (yes, you read that right, I took a doll to college) but he isn't my favorite doll.




I mean, you probably know someone else with an MJ, but how many of you know someone with a Dennis Rodman?


Beautiful Crissy Baby Doll Hair Grows collectable
Crissy Baby Doll ~ Growing Hair.
Limited Edition Dennis Rodman Doll with Interchangeable Heads
Interchangeable heads.
Dennis Rodman in Wedding Dress
OMG, I didn't realize this doll existed. Want.


Want to make your own Kool-Aid hair dye?


So, when Marie Osmond started designing dolls, I had to have one right up until I found out they were "collectible" and expensive. I don't collect anything considered collectible. In my opinion, that's what separates the collector from the hoarder. It's okay to laugh here.



Who doesn't love them some Donny and Marie?  I'd dumpster dive for a set of Donny and Marie dolls



Donny and Marie Osmond Barbie Dolls
Donny and Marie Osmond Dolls.  Is this TMI?  


Ahem, I'm surfing browsing the Marie dolls when I come across Marie Osmond Crafts.  She sings. She dances. She dolls. She gains weight. She loses weight. She crafts. Love her!  I'll bet she uses bonding tape to hem those doll clothes.

Did I already mention how much I adore these cute Russian dolls? I first saw these at a friend's house and I instantly decided to get a set to add to my collections. It wasn't hard finding these dolls because you can now get them online. I got mine from https://nestingdolls.co/ and they look great!


Cute Animal Nesting Doll Gift Ideas


I just bought a mini-sewing machine for simple craft projects... Forget about Martha Stewart (Sorry, Martha). I wanna be like Marie. If I design some collectible dolls with Kool-Aid dyed hair would you collect them? (hoarder, hoarder, hoarder)



Baby Crissy Doll collectible collecting collections
Crissy doll collecting.


This Crissy doll looks a little like my son. Okay, a lot. How weird is that? 


Recommended:

Follow me on Pinterest 

How to Make a Doll Purse for a Gift Bag

More Animal Nesting Dolls

Get Books on Doll Collecting


How to Make Knives: Handmade Knife Art by Roger Shrum

Hand Carved Knife designs by Roger Shrum.

You don't have to be a painter to be an amazing artist. Roger Shrum (a pretty good painter), is carving a hobby making handmade knives. These knives are art. Want to learn more about how to make knives? Check out the knife below. Enjoy!

Unfortunately, Mr. Shrum has delted his blog and other social media, but you can still see his beautiful works of art on our Pinterest Board. He also makes pewter turtles and other amazing creatures.

Artisan Hand carved homemade knife designs how to knives.
Homemade Art Knife by Shrum Knives.
How to Make Knives: Handmade Knife Art by Roger Shrum
Handcrafted Art Knives


Check out this beautiful, handmade knife art. Want to learn how to make knives

Visit my cousin, the artisan on our Pinterest Board: Shrum Knives


Roger is a local folk artist who works full-time and crafts and carves in his free time. See his beautiful pewter turtles on Pinterest.




















ADS DISCLOSURE: We've partnered with some wonderful advertisers who may sponsor blog posts or send us samples to test. Some companies pay us to review their products.

*We also use affiliate links, if you make a purchase we get a tiny commission. Kids Creative Chaos participates in the Amazon LLC Associates Program*, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a mean for blogs to earn advertising fees by linking to Amazon properties, including, but not limited to, amazon.com, endless.com, myhabit.com, smallparts.com, or amazonwireless.com. We also offer Tapinfluence, Google Adsense, SoFab, and Izea ads here. Thanks so much for helping us keep the lights on! :)