Free Craft Software Trials
November 21st, 2007Photo-X Pro v1.04PM Stitch Creator v2
Pattern Maker 4 for Cross Stitch
Free Craft Software
November 6th, 2007There are numerous websites offering free craft software downloads to ‘try before you buy’. I highly recommend that you take advantage of some of the software on offer to see how they are able to contribute to making your designing needs easier, more fun and less time consuming.
You can find software programs covering cross stitch, quilting, pattern making, braiding, graph paper, garment designing, knitting calculators, smocking, motive maker, sweater designing, and many more and new ones are being developed all the time.
As a craft designer, often in the past I have purchased software that promises much, however, falls short when it comes to actually making good on those promises, not to mention the amount of time spent searching for suitable software, so I have compiled a list for you on my website (see below)
If you know of any software that I may have missed or would like me to review, then please add them to the comment box. Watch out for reviews here and on my website under Product Reviews in the Article Directory.
Here is the link to the list of sites I have assembled that offer ‘try before you buy’ downloads
http://www.craftimpressions.com
Good Crafting!
My lost Blog
October 19th, 2007In the beginning there was nothing and then came Blogging!
I, like many others who went through the 30 Day Challenge program during August, set up a blog site about a chosen topic as instructed.
During that month a family bereavment made it impossible for me to finish the course, however, I felt that I had set up a cool blog about recycling and ‘How to make Paper Mache’. To my dismay, when I finally returned to work on it, it had disappeared into the ether, never to be seen again….or so I thought.
Well, today it turned up again!
So I thought I would share this article with you all as it fits in very well within this category of ‘How to make something from nothing’ and gives an interesting insite into what we can do about recycling our paper waste if we only use a little imagination.
I hope you enjoy!
Christmas Cards - revisited
October 5th, 2007Have you ever wondered what to do with all last year’s Christmas cards?
Many of us recycle our cards through various collection agencies, and if you do that…great! However, before it comes to that point let me ask you another question
How many years have you been buying Christmas tags to tie to your gifts?
This is the perfect time to start thinking about Christmas, not too far away, however, there is just enough time to start planning and making things. Here a few tips on how to recycle your cards and have some fun at the same time. Involve your children as well, they will love doing something for that very special time of the year, but please supervise them when they are using scissors and glues
Christmas tags
Consider using cookie cutters of stars, trees, gingerbread men (or what ever you think is suitable for your purpose) as templates, place your template on the best part of your card, (it’s not necessary to have a complete image of anything, simply needs to convey the feeling and spirit of the season) ensuring that the back has no writing on it and simply cut out your tag. Next punch a hole in an appropriate place and tie a pretty ribbon through and you have not only recycled your Christmas Cards but saved a little money and a lot of trees in the process.
Christmas Tree Trim
But wait….why not recycle your boxes in this manner as well, so many shiny boxes are thrown out when in fact they can be made into some great simple Christmas decorations with just a little extra work. Glue pretty off cuts from Christmas wrapping paper on the blank side of your card, sprinkle with glitter or decorate in any way you wish. Cut out shapes using a template and cut a slot two thirds of the way through two cutouts and then slide one over the other to create a three dimensional piece, punch a hole in the position you prefer and there you have it, a pretty tree trim. I have found that stars and trees are very effective if done in this manner.
New Christmas cards from old
Cut out individual images of snowmen, Father Christmas, holly, or any other image that catches your eye. Purchase some strong card in the color of your choice, fold the card, cut to the size card you want to make and on the front arrange your cut outs either as they are or mount them on small foam blocks (great way to recycle polystyrene) and glue them in a pleasing arrangement. Write your message inside your card with a gold or silver pen and another tree has been saved.
Cards with a difference
Christmas cards in general are much the same in shape but why not make yours different.
Fold a pretty colored card in half, (the card needs to be strong enough to make a new card) use your preferred template and with one template edge placed on the folded edge of card, cut out the shape you have selected ensuring that some portion of the design is left uncut along the folded edge. Then simply write your message inside the card in your favorite pen.
And don’t let this be only for Christmas, why not do the same for birthdays and other special events, so many beautiful cards are thrown out so quickly when they still have so much life in them.
‘Junk’ or is it?
October 5th, 2007In my search for art, artists and craft people who delve into the realm of unique art/craftwork, I recall some excellent wall art that used every conceivable part of a car to create some of the most amazing wall sculptures that I have ever seen.
I have never quite got the image of some of these out of my head, in particular the huge bright green frog made out of a Volkswagen car bonnet and two tall colorful sculpture made from discarded or lost thongs (flip flops) found on local beaches.
I have seen animals made from wrecked car parts, motorbikes and bicycle made into amazing chairs. There where hanging baskets, tables and candelabras crafted from discarded waste left behind after tools had been stamped out of metal sheets, it was then shaped, painted with enamel and topped with glass to form the most exquisite coffee tables.
Still more amazing were the candelabras that were made from concrete re-enforcing rods and lengths of chains soldered together into the desired shape and topped with discs that held the candles. The finished pieces would then be powder coated in whatever color, and take pride of place in the center of a dining table.
In my search for more unique art forms and methods used, I came across 
this wonderful piece of art-work by Sandra Johnson of Gulfview Heights, South Australia who ingeniously used hardware tools and products to construct this abstract artwork. You can view it at the Northeast BEC on Tolly Road, St Agnes. South Australia.
With her creativity and ingenuity she has created a work of art out of the coldest steel bits and pieces, and added depth merely by the use of textured sheet metals and understanding the importance of the use of perspective in her art. This photo does not do justice to this unique artwork and it really needs to be seen to be fully appreciated.
Junking” as it is called, is an absorbing and profitable craft. It requires no particular talent or expensive tools or any initial outlay of large sums of money. This is a craft that will appeal to anyone interested in distinctive, individual works of art. There is something fascinating about spending the day scrounging through a hardware store, a garage or boot sale, an adventure in the making and it is even more fun if you do it with a friend, and who knows, you may just unearth a treasure.
I challenge all of you who have a creative streak to go out and source your own “junk” and see what you are able to produce, and then post it here for all to see and admire.
The Business of Craft
September 22nd, 2007Many people set out with the belief that their creativity was enough to make their passion work for them.
Of the many craft people I personally know, I can count on one hand the number who can honestly say they have actually made a good living out of their craft. Those are the people that have set out with the knowledge that there is more to making a business work than just being creative.
It is not enough to believe that if you make things they will sell because in the real world of business it just doesn’t happen and never will. However, it doesn’t take long before negativity; self doubt and lack of funds take their toll. In over 2000 new start up businesses I have personally assessed and mentored, 95% were craft businesses who believed wholeheartedly, with enormous passion, they had what it took to turn their hobby or craft into a business. They were prepared to sacrifice their time and money in the pursuit of their dream.
From this group of 2000+ less than 200 people actually survived their first year in business and only 10% of those left went on to see year 3 in business.
The main consideration that these people had to take on board was to recognize that it wasn’t simply enough that a product sold well at a fair, fete or festival and to friends and family, but how it would fare outside of these circles? Was there a demand?
Could the product be reproduced many hundreds of times with the same quality as the first? Will this repetition result in a lack of interest in the product, and ultimately the business?……and, as the business owner, manager, marketing guru, salesperson, finance officer, designer, creator, manufacturer, not to mention husband or wife, father or mother, does any one person have the stamina to take on such an enormous task?
Undertaking a feasibility study and business plan is absolutely vital if these questions are going to be answered.
Unfortunately, many people involved in craft who want to start up in their own business tend to walk around with blinkers on, and for who knows what reason, they truly believe that feasibility studies and business plans are not for them. These a things that for other larger businesses and the corporate world, not the small home-based craft business.
Well, I am sorry to have to say that in the area of craft, it is probably more important than in any other area of small and micro business as the competition for the craft dollar is so extremely fierce. You need only research the word craft on the Internet to realize you are facing a major uphill battle to survive and grow.
My recommendation is that if you are interested in starting a serious business involving your favorite craft then ask yourself the hard questions and work through a feasibility study relating to craft (not specifically the craft that you excel in) and write a business plan.
It’s not writing the business plan alone that tells the story but the journey undertaken that will determine the outcome.
If you conduct a thorough feasibility study you will gain the information for your business plan which in turn will tell you whether you should go into, or even continue, to pursue this business. I personally guarantee that you will save many countless sleepless nights, lots of wasted money and gain a better insight into your potential craft business if you undertake this journey.
Then it is up to you to make it work.
Good Luck!
The Internet and Me
September 18th, 2007A world of discovery – The Internet
The internet has given us some of the world’s greatest miracles and some of the most horrific images ever seen by so many people at any given time. The internet provides access to information both good and bad and to everyone who cares to go on line. The internet has opened up opportunities to all of us who are isolated or in small communities, those of us who work from home or run an internet website. The Internet not only allows us to show what we can do, but who we are.
If I hadn’t clicked on that very first Internet Explorer icon some 10 years ago, I would not be here writing this article, nor would I have talked to so many brilliant and positive people or would I be setting up my 3rd and 4th websites. Most of all I would not have met these two wonderful like-minded people, Elizabeth Pepper and Dan Shaw, who share the same passion about craft and small business as I do and have the guts to do something about it.
Great people
I met Dan through becoming a member of a professional craft forum; he was in the midst of a discussion on what it takes to make a real business out of crafts particularly on the internet. This topic was hotly debated amongst this group with the equal division between those who believe that it is important to stay true to yourself and create for the sake of craft not the sales and those who believe you need to create for sales if you want to become a successful business and how relevant Search Engine Optimization (SEO) was to the development of a craft business online……and so the debate continued.
Because I sincerely believed that the internet was the future for many small businesses and those of us in it had the opportunity to access a worldwide marketplace, I had launched my own website and Dan was offering an e-book on Search Engine Optimization (SEO) which to me appeared to be as far removed from what I understood about small business as was the Einstein’s Theory of Relativity. However, to be able to maximize my understanding of this new internet business I was trying to establish, I decided that this guy just may have something to say that I might understand, anyhow, the e-book wasn’t going to cost me anything so what did I have to lose.
Little did I know how much this one simple request could have opened up my understanding of the entire internet side of setting up a small business. We found that many of our interests in craft as well as small business were very similar as was the dream of helping others out there struggling to setup their own businesses. Dan and I became friends over many discussions about the very topic I have previously outlined. Dan then introduced me to Elizabeth (affectionately known as Beth) who had also download the e-book and from that point there was no turning back. From this brief introduction and over the following months Beth and I became firm friends and we decided that we both had the same goals and aspirations so why not combine our efforts and set up a new internet business.
Our Goals were set.
We wanted to provide information that was relevant, important, inexpensive and easy to access for small and micro businesses. Information for the people who had never carried out a feasibility study and didn’t know where to start, those who were looking to launch their businesses onto the internet, we wanted to provide information to people who were working in isolated country areas and those working from home and those who were employed and wanted to develop their part-time businesses to full time, and our website was the answer.
A world apart yet so close
The collaboration between two people from across the world from each other, Elizabeth in the United States of America and me here in Australia, two people who had never physically met or even spoken, other than over the internet, two people with very similar ideals and beliefs and the ability to see what can be done and do something about it.The way was fraught with many challenges and some compromises and only relatively minor misunderstandings (which in itself was utterly amazing), mainly due to two factors, that we both knew what we were trying to achieve and we had specific areas that we both excelled in. Our responsibilities were clearly defined and we had a mutual respect for each other. Now with the official launch of our website to the entire world on the 12 February 2007, we invite you to visit to see what can be achieved when people on opposite sides of the world come together as one, for the good of all.
The internet is not evil, it has no prejudices regarding age, sex, colour or financial status (these are all man made) and it offers huge rewards to those of us who are prepared to take a chance and run with it; it has allowed us to stand on an equal footing with all businesses regardless of size or structure and has opened up limitless opportunities, opportunities that would never have existed without the internet, it allows us to build on a dream. For me, it has shown me I still have a lot of lessons to learn, discoveries to be make and people to meet before my time on this small planet is finally up. These lessons will never come to an end while there is the internet, for every new lesson I master or discovery I make it seems there are a limitless new ones waiting for me. Thank you Beth and Dan
Dying Yarn in the Microwave
September 15th, 2007The microwave technique is ideal for dying fairly small amounts of wool or mohair. Times given here are for a 200grm (approx 7ozs). Do not try it with synthetics as the dye does not take very well. A word of warning - don’t try to dye too big a skein as you may not get the results you want. Most commercial dyes are suitable for this method.
Can I suggest you should also check the dye you use is safe as in non toxic to use in your microwave. I have used Landscape dyes but had an old microwave just to dye in. There is a lady in Withcott who makes totally non toxic dye/paint for fabric and silk painting that is safe to use in your normal microwave or you can set it in the sun. I will find out her info if anyone wants me to.
Wind the yarn into a skein over someone’s arms or the back of a chair. You will need rubber glove, oven bags suitable for microwave ovens ( don’t use the twists to tie the bags). You will also need a large pyrex-type dish to place the bags in in the event that the bag leaks.
Put a plastic bowl in the sink and fill with hot water, but not too hot to put your gloved hand into it. Add a couple of drops of detergent to act as a wetting agent for the wool. Immerse the wool in the bowl of water and make sure it is thoroughly wet. Gently squeeze the excess water from the skein and spread it out at the side of the sink. Sprinkle your chosen dry dye powder directly over the skein, use it sparingly as a little goes a long way. Add splashes of water and squeeze gently if you get too big a patch of dye. After sprinkling the first side, turn the skein over and repeat on the other side. Slip the dyed skein into the oven bag and tie off with string or a rubber band. Place the bag into the pyrex dish and make a few holes in the top of the bag near the tied end so that it will not burst when cooking. Place the bowl in the microwave and set on 600w (depending on oven) cook for 4 minutes, turn, make a few more holes in the second side at the top to allow the steam to escape. and cook for another 4 minutes to obtain a good color.
Fill the plastic bowl with hot water again and drop the dyed skein into it. DO NOT AGITATE the yarn or it will felt and be of no use. Swirl gently until all the excess color has come out repeating process until the water runs clear (two or three times). Hand wring the skein and roll in an old towel to remove excess moisture, tease out the wool fibers while still wet and hang in the shade to dry checking occasionally to ensure the fibers are not sticking together. Thanks for the tip Shiva
Hot Glue
September 14th, 2007Sick of strings of hot glue getting on your project? For a solution that works everytime keep your glue sticks in the freezer until you are ready to use them.
