Cookie Clay

Ingredients: * 2 cups salt * 2/3 cups water * 1 cup cornstarch * 1/2 cup cold water Method: Mix salt with water in saucepan. Stir and boil. Add cornstarch and cold water. Keep heating if it does not get thick. Roll out dough on board floured with cornstarch. Dry and decorate ornaments. Craft by: Kids Turn Corner

Wish Bracelet

Materials: Hemp Seed Beads Take three pieces of hemp long enough too fit around you wrist, but leave a little room. Braid about half of your wrist length. Then, while braiding, put beads on every other string you pick up. You should only need about 3-7 beads. Once the beads are on, braid the rest of the way down and tie a knot. Before tying the bracelet on your wrist, make a wish! Then TIE the bracelet on your wrist. NEVER take it off. When it falls off on its own, your wish will come true! Craft idea from: Craftbits

NEW! Backpack Tags

By: Amanda Formaro Use fun shrinkable plastic to make personalized or character tags for your backpack, lunch box, umbrella, or even your jacket! These are a really fun way to carry around permanent pictures of you and your best friend, or a way to display your favorite cartoon character. What you'll need: • Shrinkable plastic • Key rings or lanyard hooks • Clear jewelry cord • Scissors • Hole punch • Water based markers • Acrylic sealer spray, matte finish • Cookie sheet • Brown paper grocery bag or a few brown lunch bags • Rubber stamps (optional) How to make it: 1. There are a few different types of shrinkable plastic to choose from. We found the kind made specifically for ink jet printers worked best because it allows you to use clip art and photographs for this project. Note that you will need to have a graphics or photo program on your computer that allows you to change the lightness setting of your images. You can also scan images to use for this project. If you're using inkjet shrinkable plastic, please follow the instructions on the package for best results. If you're using standard shrinkable plastic, use markers or colored pencils to write the child’s name and grade (along with their teacher’s name), and use a rubber stamp to add a design or character for your child to color in. Remember to write the words large enough to allow for the shrinkage that will occur. 3. Cut out the designs and use a hole punch at the end of the “tag”. Remember that the plastic shrinks to about a third its size which means the holes shrink too! You will need to make it about three times larger than you think it should be. 4. Follow the manufacturer’s instructions for baking your designs. 5. Spray with acrylic sealer spray and allow to dry. 6. Run a piece of clear jewelry cord through the hole and attach both ends to a lanyard hook or key ring. Tips: Remember that the plastic shrinks to about 1/3 of the original size. Also, one brand mentioned in their directions that shrinkable plastic tends to shrink more one direction than the other.

Snowball Mix

Materials Approx. 1 Quart / 1.1 Litre Wide mouthed Jar Recipe ingredients as shown below Card for making tags Ribbon Zip Lock Bags Recipes in a Jar These make great gifts for friends and family for every occasion from Christmas to birthdays, to mothers day's and even just a pick me up for someone who is feeling down. For these recipes you will need a jar that holds around 1 quart or 1.130 litres. If your jar is airtight add the ingredients directly otherwise place them into an airtight or ziplock bag and attach the recipe card instructions. Tie the whole jar up with some cellophane or add some curling ribbons and a bow to finish off this gift Jar Ingredients: 1/2 cup confectioners' sugar 2 cups all-purpose flour 1 cup chopped pecans In a medium bowl, combine the confectioners' sugar and flour. Place into a 1 quart canning jar. Put the chopped pecans on top and close the lid Tag Instructions: Snow Balls, Makes 4 dozen. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Grease cookie sheets. In a medium bowl, cream together 3/4 cup of shortening and 1/4 cup of margarine. Stir in 2 teaspoons of vanilla. Add the entire contents of the jar, and mix well. Roll dough into 1 inch balls and place them on the prepared cookie sheet. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until lightly browned. Cool, and roll in confectioners' sugar. Craft ideas by: Craftbits

Cake Decorating - Piping Icing

Do you watch all of the cake decorating shows? Tips for DIY cake decorating. It is fascinated to think how far cakes have come in the last several years. For most people, the only time they had an extreme cake was at their wedding. Now any and every occasion has the potential for an extreme cake to enrich it. If you go to any of the cake sites you will see all different techniques used. Look for the common element in the cakes you like. Try to learn that technique to be able to master your own extreme cakes. For many it is the piping. The fine detail of the piping really catches the eye. If you looking around your own home you will find you most likely have many designs that would translate into piping. Look at your tablecloth and imagine how you could pipe this repeating design onto a cake. Then start examining all of the different elements you have used to design the rooms in your home. You will see patterns everywhere. You can capture these designs to use for piping and other crafts by starting a design library. You just need a folder to hold the designs, a package of transparent sheets and a permanent marker. Lay the transparency over your tablecloth and copy the design with the marker. You can save the designs in a folder you can keep right with your cookbooks so it's handy. If you did this with all of the design elements in the house, you could begin a library of designs to be used later for more than just cakes. When you want to pipe the design, simply mix up a batch of royal icing and pipe the design onto a transparency. Leave it on a flat surface to harden and gently pop it off. Attach it to the cake with a dab of more royal icing. If you are going to use your transparency for something other than cakes and you are not sure if it is going to ruin your transparency, copy the transparency first onto another sheet so you don't loose that design for your library. You can do this easily by laying one transparency over another and copy it with your marker. Have fun with going around your house looking for designs. You can find them in the upholstery, in the rug, in the wood furniture and more. Look for designs in your floors and lampshades. You can use the design of your trim or the unique style of your bedspread. See how far you can take it. Article by: Mary Welling-Bonney

Lush Bath Jelly

Materials: 1 packet of Unflavored gelatin 15g (1tbs) 1 tsp of Salt 1/2 cup of Liquid soap 3/4 cup of Water Food Coloring Fragrant oils or essential oils Plastic storage jar with lid Directions: This Lush soap recipe is perfect for kids. Empty the packet of gelatin into a bowl and set aside. Boil 3/4 cup of water using a saucepan or kettle. Carefully pour the hot water into a mixing bowl and mix it with the gelatin powder. Let the gelatin dissolve completely. Next pour the liquid soap into the gelatin mix. Add 2 drops of food coloring into the mix and also add your fragrance oil. Add about 5 drops and stir it very gently so the bubbles do not become too agitated. Add any remaining ingredients. Pour the mix into a clean storage container and allow to set for several hours in the refrigerator. Add a small toy into the Jelly before it sets to give the kids an incentive to get to the bottom of the Jelly soap. Dispose of the jelly after several weeks or if mold is present. Avoid mold by keeping it in an airtight container in a cool place at all times. Add a plastic spoon to the jar to make use easier. HOW TO USE : Place a small amount of jelly under warm running water to use. For firmer Jelly that you can slice. Add 3 tsp of gelatin to the above ingredients. Recipe By: CraftBits