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How to Make Your Own Cupcake Boxes

John — Thu, 19 Aug 2010 18:18:04 +0000

Cupcake boxes were specifically created to store cupcakes and to prevent the cupcakes from being damaged or smashed together during transport. There are many different types of cardboard boxes for sale in stores and online today. Clear cupcake boxes made completely out of plastic are also available but they do tend to be pricier. The best way to select the right box for your event or occasion is to head out to the bakery and craft stores so you can see what is available to buy. If you simply cannot find exactly what you want even on the internet, you may want to consider making your own boxes to fit the specific décor or theme of your event.

Creating a box for your cupcakes is not that difficult and can be done with a few simple supplies. If all you need is a way to safely transport your cupcakes to another location, one of the best types of boxes to use is a shoe box. Shoe boxes are great for this purpose because they will hold various cup cakes without a problem. After you have found a shoebox you can make a cardboard insert with holes so each cupcake has its own little spot. You don’t want to bunch them up because they will definitely stick together and become quite a mess. The cardboard insert can be held in place by simple gluing it to the insides of the shoe box.

If you happen to be looking for a way to individually package your cupcakes you should purchase white or solid colored single cupcake boxes which you can later decorate to match the occasion. You can easily add adornments or printed messages to make each box a special and personalized gift. You can apply craft paper cutouts, decorative wrapping papers, or stencil in images that fit the theme with colorful markers, pencils, or gel pens. Handmade cupcake boxes are an opportunity for you to share your artistic creativity and special baking skills with your family and friends. Such boxes are perfect for weddings as well because most ready-made wedding cupcake boxes are quite expensive to buy especially when you have dozens or hundreds of guests to accommodate.

Creating your own cupcake box is a fun and unique craft project that you should definitely consider. Making the boxes yourself is also one of the best ways to personalize each box, making your cupcake gifts even more special. Homemade boxes are very budget friendly but make sure you allow yourself plenty of time to create them before the scheduled event.

Tips on Buying a Pottery Bench Online:

John — Tue, 13 Jul 2010 22:19:03 +0000

If you know what model and style of pottery bench you are looking for, then buying online is a good option. It is a bit harder to do this is this is your first time buying a potting bench; while there are thumbnail photos shown of different pottery benches, you may find it hard to decide on this basis alone. If this is the case with you, then pay a visit to a few stores and get an idea of what you want to buy. Target and Home Depot both carry these items; while they are a bit pricier than some of the ones sold online, at least you will get a better idea of what you want buy checking out the selection in these stores.

If you are looking for something affordable, then a good place to start is Ebay. While the ones sold on eBay are not always new, you can get a nice looking cedar potting bench on this site for around $85 – $90. Cedar is a good choice of wood if you want a wood potting bench; it is good quality and can be treated to withstand the rain and elements.

Another online site that has fairly good prices on garden potting benches is Amazon.com. There are several options for sale on this site that cost in the range of $120 – $140. The Cedar Potters Bench Table for Garden is $120, is a lighter brown and is quite decorative, while a Cedar Potters Table Bench with soil tray and drawer built in costs around $140; there are two models offered that have these amenities.

You should always check what the shipping charges will be. Some sites offer free shipping along with your purchase; Amazon does not and with eBay, it depends on the seller. The shipping charges vary depending on where you live and the weight of the bench ordered.

Cedar Potters Table Bench For gardeners Draw & Soil Tray built in

Cedar Potters Potting Bench Table for Garden

Shagalicious Mohair Shag Rugs

John — Fri, 29 Jan 2010 17:38:10 +0000

Mohair shag rugs are definitely shagalicious because they are made from long goats hair that is the ultimate natural shag. The Rug Company has some beautiful shagalicious rug creations that are made from Himalayan goats and crafted in India. You’ll also find that the large blankets and shawls that are made from mohair make wonderful bedroom area rugs that can be snuggly and soft on the toes.

Isn’t Mohair a Tough Goat’s Hair that’s woven into mats?

Yes and no. The shag mohair shag rugs I’m describing are not intended for high traffic areas and are best in living rooms, bedrooms and dens or as throws on footstools and sofas. They are so soft and have such fine hair they don’t take well to being soiled or spilt on, so take care to look after them and not use them as entrance rugs or on stairs. I’m talking about the real soft long hair shagalicious rug designs that use mohair in long shaggy strands and not the heavy woven rugs that are made in Turkey or Greece or Nepal and have been felted or matted or knotted or woven tightly. Shag rugs are usually raw in the sense that they are not woven in carpets but may in fact be a goat or sheep skin or a very light weave that is similar to a mohair sweater.

Mohair Throw and Knee Rugs

The most common use for mohair shag rugs is to throw on the floor when you want to sit and snuggle before a fire or when you just want something to toss over your legs or knees while you read. St. Alberts Textiles has a wide range of these fabulous rugs that are really shagalicious and snuggable, but aren’t carpet in the true sense of the word. Something similar would be the Tartan Rugs that may be mohair or lambswool and may be known as Scottish clan tartans used to wrap exposed legs or feet on cold days. They are also excellent for footstools and sofa covers or throws, and are great as a little something to wake up to on a chilly winter morning. Whether you keep it on the floor or at the foot of the bed or tossed over an armchair or stool, a mohair rug or tartan will be a unique shag rug for your home or cottage.

Fragrances for Scented Candles

admin — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 04:01:59 +0000

When visiting any crafts store you will notice the huge selection of various scents for use when making scented candles. Many are familiar with which scent goes with what but that are also others that have no clue what mix of scents will work best.

Let’s cover some basics first, when starting out making your own candles most start out the same way. First is the wax preparation, the wax is melted in a metal bowl over a pot of rapid boiling water, some call this a double boiler. The metal bowl contains the raw wax. After sitting over the boiling water pour the melted wax into your mold, of course make sure you have your wick in place before you do this. Once the wax has cooled, usually about 4-6 hours remove the wax from the mold. In efforts to avoid the wax from sticking to the mold you can always try some non-stick cooking spray.

Now that the basics are out of the way we can focus on the scents. When shopping around for scents stick with the oil based scents since candle wax is mostly oil.

When you wax is removed from the heat you’ll want to add your fragrance. If using paraffin wax, most common, you can use one ounce of fragrance per one pound of wax. If using a soy type of wax up it just a bit to a little over an ounce per pound. If using gel wax that will depend on the density of the wax since it will only be able to hold so much fragrance.

With all the different types of fragrances it can be hard to choose. Stores will have many different scents to suit your needs and the internet has even more. Typical ones are like baby power, floral, cinnamon, apple, clove just to name a few. As you can see many can be used for a type of holiday gift or would work well in a bathroom or kitchen. Really just think about the scents and where it fits, some for winter like a balsam or peppermint. Autumn scents could be pumpkin or clove and floral are always good for a living room.

Just keep an open mind when exploring different scents for your candles. It’s best to speak with someone at a craft store just to get a feel for it vs. starting out online. Go into the store and touch, feel and smell all the options. Most of all just have fun and try different things you’ll see what works and what doesn’t and you’ll learn the most this way. Making your own scented candles this way allows you to put your own personal touch on them and will being interesting to friends and family.