October Craft Class – Tiered Serving Tower October 8, 2013

Ever wanted to turn those china dishes in your cabinet into something you may ACTUALLY use, but didn’t dare repurpose your grandmother’s coveted china? Well . . . don’t worry, we bought somebody else’s grandmother’s china for you to use during this craft session.

These Serving Towers will be an amazing center piece to your Holiday feast, a fantastically thought-provoking hostess gift or a useful teacher appreciation gift. Many different materials will be offered to choose from: vintage china, glass platters, aluminum serving trays, and more. We will also incorporate a secret repurposed how-to craft that will make gift giving fun, easy and recycle-e this Holiday Season.

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Craft class is THIS Sunday, October 13th
2:00pm – 4:00pm
Brandon Elementary Art Room (Martin Public School) 1619 University Street; Martin, Michigan 49070.

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Register no later than THIS Friday 4:00pm, October 11th (we will be shopping for supplies on Saturday).

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To register, send us an email at: craftredo@aol.com

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Cost for the session is $20 per person. Please bring payment to the craft class. All supplies will be provided by Katie and Korene.

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Feel free to bring your own treats and drinks. No alcoholic beverages, please.

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We ask that we keep the session for adults only (no kids please). Teens 13 and up are welcome to attend, but must be accompanied by a paid adult. Feel free to invite friends.

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Here’s a link for the directions to the school: http://www.martinpublicschools.org/schools/brandonel/directions

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Enter through the main entrance on the West side of the building (Elementary entrance). Please park in the parking lot – NOT the loop or the student drop off area. Please arrive around or before 2:00, we will be locking the exterior doors (for our safety) a little bit after 2:00.

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Don’t forget: There will be a table set out if you would like to display a flyer/brochure of what you do. Are you an exercise instructor, product consultant, the head of an organization? Bring a brochure or flyer to display on the table.

September Craft Class – Fall Burlap Board w/ Burlap Flower Embellishments September 24, 2013

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Crafters will learn many new and exciting techniques during the session. Techniques include:

• Rustic crackle paint technique (using a household item that most everyone has on hand)
• Transferring letters onto burlap
• Creating burlap flowers (they are amazingly fun to make)

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Craft class is THIS Sunday, September 29th
2:00pm – 4:00pm
Brandon Elementary Art Room (Martin Public School) 1619 University Street; Martin, Michigan 49070.

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Register no later than Thursday night, September 26th (we will be shopping for supplies on Friday).

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To register, send us an email at: craftredo@aol.com

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Cost for the session is $20 per person. Please bring payment to the craft class. All supplies will be provided by Katie and Korene.

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Feel free to bring your own treats and drinks. No alcoholic beverages, please.

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We ask that we keep the session for adults only (no kids please). Teens 13 and up are welcome to attend, but must be accompanied by a paid adult. Feel free to invite friends.

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Here’s a link for the directions to the school: http://www.martinpublicschools.org/schools/brandonel/directions

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Enter through the main entrance on the West side of the building (Elementary entrance). Please park in the parking lot – NOT the loop or the student drop off area. Please arrive around or before 2:00, we will be locking the exterior doors (for our safety) a little bit after 2:00.

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Don’t forget: There will be a table set out if you would like to display a flyer/brochure of what you do. Are you an exercise instructor, product consultant, the head of an organization? Bring a brochure or flyer to display on the table.

Concrete Letter With Stamped Washer Embellishment August 20, 2013

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Jute String V

Black String V

What are 2 creative gals encouraged to do with an upcoming summer jam-packed with 8 graduation parties, 4 showers and 2 weddings? Well . . . they get craftin’, of course!

We really wanted to ensure our gifts were hand-crafted and heartfelt since each recipient is so dear to us.

We bounced around the idea of personalization, it appears to be the trend currently – monograms, items with names, etc. Here’s what we came up with for 2 of the wedding shower gifts.

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You will need:

• Discarded cereal or cracker/snack boxes
• Cutting materials – scissors, Exacto knife
• Cutting mat
• Various tapes – blue painter’s tape and duct tape
• Ruler
• Pencil
• Computer print out of a letter (we recommend staying within the size of an 8 1/2″ x 11″ paper)
• Pen
• Quick-setting cement (There’s 2 quick-setting formulas that we have used and they come in different colored bags. The red bag: http://www.quikrete.com/ProductLines/FastSettingConcreteMix.asp is a quicker setting formula. The mix tends to be creamier (when water is added) and the end product appears to be smoother. The yellow bag: http://www.quikrete.com/ProductLines/ConcreteMix.asp sets quick as well, but not as quick as the red bag. The mix is more chunky/rocky (when water is added) and the end product, when not tapped enough, can offer a more rustic look by producing a honey-comb effect.)
• Discarded container, mixing device & larger spoon (we used a plastic ice cream bucket, paint stirrer & serving spoon from a project that had gone all wrong)
• Measuring cup (Please dedicate measuring cup to craft projects. After using measuring cup, do NOT use with foods/items that will be consumed by humans or animals!!!)
• Water
• Wire (We used a 1/16″ wire that was found in one of our garages. You could use a coat hanger too. Do some snoopin’, use what you have.)
• Wire cutters (use safety glasses when cutting wire)
• Corrugated cardboard

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The supply list and instructions for the Stamped Washer Embellishment can be found at our post ‘Stamped Washer Craft’:

http://craftredo.com/2013/07/10/stamped-washer-craft/

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Directions:

1. Print out desired letter from computer (On the computer, you may need to adjust the horizontal scale of the letter to achieve desired letter form.) Flip paper over, with a pencil color on the backside of the paper where the imprint of the letter appears. It may help to tape paper onto a window so you can see the letter shape.
2. Flip paper back over (to the front) and tape onto inside (brown) side of the box. With the letter, you will be working in reverse. So when you face the bottom of the finished mold towards you, the letter will look correct. Trace over letter with a sturdy pen. When paper is lifted, you will see the letter imprinted onto box. Cut out letter.
3. Trim out 1″ long strips from box. The strips will be used for the walls of the mold.
4. Flip letter over so the printed side of the box will be the insides of the mold. We found that the printed side of the box is coated which slows down the process of water seeping into the cardboard mold. With duct tape, attach the 1″ strips onto the sides of the letter (make sure printed side of box will be on the inside of the mold). Be generous with the duct tape, seal all edges with it. It’s not gonna look pretty. You don’t want the cement to ooze out, so seal all areas. You have just created the mold for the cement.
5. Mark 1/4″ and 1/2″ marks on a couple of the walls of the mold. This will help you monitor the amount of cement to pour into the mold.
6. Grab the wire, bend it to fit the shape of the mold. Trim ends. (When pouring the concrete, you will lay the wire inside the mold. This will help bond the concrete together, making the piece more sturdy. (Korene’s husband was a concrete foreman, we had much help with this project. Thank you John. We will explain more later on)
7. Mixing the quick-setting cement: We have a very odd ratio, 6 cups of Quikrete® to roughly 1 1/4 cups water filled 2 letter ‘B’s & 1 letter ‘S’. It’s very scientific, trust us (Ha! Ha!). You don’t want the mud (that’s lingo for ‘wet cement’) to be too wet or too dry. Our best explanation is it looks like oversized oatmeal (the kind you would get at a restaurant)?? Reference the photo in the slide show. Stir mixture in ice cream bucket, mixing with paint stirrer.
8. Lay letter mold on corrugated cardboard – if you need to move the piece, you will have a means to pick it up and transport it. Use the larger spoon to gently ‘spoon in’ the cement. Pour enough cement to fill ONLY up to the 1/4″ mark. Lightly tap mold to get cement to fill-in all areas (shift the cardboard underneath). Gently lay in wire shape, do not push the wire shape down. Rest wire onto the cement. Continue to fill the mold with the remainder of concrete up to the 1/2″ mark (you will be pouring the remainder of the concrete on top of wire shape). Shift the cardboard underneath, this will help get out the air bubbles. We also gingerly raised up the cardboard (with letter on cardboard) and carefully dropped onto floor. Be extremely careful, you don’t want to be too rough (Don’t do this process too much). Try not to fill concrete past the 1/2″ mark – we noticed the molds started to warp and/or ‘blow out’. If edges start to bow out, back off on the concrete. Grab some boards and brace the mold if bowing starts. Allow concrete to set overnight.
9. The next day, GENTLY remove cardboard (Be careful, we’ve busted many letters being too eager to rip off the cardboard). Letter may need to set out in order to fully cure. Do NOT lay in direct sunlight. This can cause the piece to dry too fast and crack. It’s best to allow the letter to dry slowly in a shaded area. Doing so will make the piece stronger.
10. Decorate with jute string and washer embellishment.

Note: Hangers may be added during pouring process or after project has been fully cured. When you have poured the concrete to the 1/2″ mark, slightly insert hanger into the wet cement (you can use a mirror hanger or create your own hanger from wire). We’ve also attached hangers to the back of the piece after it has been fully cured with a cement caulk.

Another Note: You CAN use store bought paper mache letters for the mold, by trimming off one side of the letter. We wanted our craft to use repurposed materials and to create our own style of letters.

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How-To Slideshow

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Class Slideshow

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August Craft Class – Concrete Letter w/ Stamped Washer Embellishment August 2, 2013

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Crafters will create a concrete letter and have the opportunity to create a stamped washer embellishment.

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Craft class is THURSDAY, August 15th (Note: DAY CHANGE, NOT SUNDAY)
6:00pm – 8:00pm
Brandon Elementary Art Room (Martin Public School) 1619 University Street; Martin, Michigan 49070. We are waiting for final approval on location (Korene turned in the paperwork late). Don’t foresee any problems, but wanted to give you a ‘heads up’ in case of location change.

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Register no later than Friday, August 9th. Email us 2 letters that you would like to use at: craftredo@aol.com by Friday, August 9th (IE: I would like to use the letters V & K). We will provide letter templates at the class (that’s why we need to know which letters you would like to use). Crafters will use the letter template to create a mold for the concrete. The mold will be constructed from cereal boxes! It’s amazing and . . . yes, using a material that is repurposed. Gotta love that!

If you happen to have a HAMMER, bring it. We will have some available to use. Please put your name on the hammer.

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To register, send us an email at: craftredo@aol.com

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Cost for the session is $20 per person. Please bring payment to the craft class. All supplies will be provided by Katie and Korene.

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Feel free to bring your own treats and drinks. No alcoholic beverages, please.

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We ask that we keep the session for adults only (no kids please). Teens 13 and up are welcome to attend, but must be accompanied by a paid adult. Feel free to invite friends.

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Here’s a link for the directions to the school: http://www.martinpublicschools.org/schools/brandonel/directions

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Enter through the main entrance on the West side of the building (Elementary entrance). Please park in the parking lot – NOT the loop or the student drop off area. Please arrive around or before 6:00, we will be locking the exterior doors (for our safety) a little bit after 6:00.

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Don’t forget: There will be a table set out if you would like to display a flyer/brochure of what you do. Are you an exercise instructor, product consultant, the head of an organization? Bring a brochure or flyer to display on the table.

Patriotic Quote Sign – Praise And Coffee The Magazine July 10, 2013

 

Thank you Praise And Coffee for allowing us to feature an article in their magazine. Here’s the link: http://issuu.com/praiseandcoffee/docs/summer_2013/50?e=1741187%2F3985515

 

We love the distressed look. The more grungy, dirty, rusty, worn and faded an object is . . . the better. We have easy instructions for creating your very own rustic qu

ote sign. The great part is you probably have most of the items already.

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You will need:

• Weathered wood roughly cut to the size you need (Our wood was from old skids. We had 2 different widths, 5 1/2” and 3 1/4”). Check out the post ‘Wood and Ribbon Cross Craft – Praise and Coffee the Magazine’ for tips on collecting weathered wood.
• Brown paper bag
• Acrylic paint – Do you happen to have 1/2 of a gallon of paint from when you decided to repaint your bedroom light blue or the living room taupe? Go grab that. Use what you have.
• Sharpie markers or white paint pen (if you are using a light color for the background of the board you will need a dark colored Sharpie. If you will be using a darker color for your background (navy, black, red, etc) you will need to use the white paint pen)
• Various tapes – For this project, we used blue tape and clear tape
• Sand paper or sanding block (Various grits – You may find that light-weight grits work best)
• Jute string
• Screw eyes
• Drill
• Pencil
• Paint brush
• Scissors
• Red or blue ink pen
• Computer print out of quote

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Directions:

1. Trim the weathered wood to desired size. Crinkle up brown paper bag, lightly ‘sand’ board with brown paper bag. (It may be a good idea to use protective gloves so you won’t get a sliver.) You want to get the dirt, debris and frayed wood off of the board, without losing the integrity of the weathered wood. By using the brown paper bag, it lightly sands and gets all the stray pieces of fibers off the board.
2. Lightly paint one side of the board. Do not paint the surface entirely – Have the paint ‘feather out’ to the edges, exposing the weathered wood texture.
3. Print out your favorite quote from your computer. Helpful tip: On your computer, create a file the size of your board, place type into the file, print it out as ‘tiles’. Tape printouts onto a window to help line up the type, tape printouts together. It’s A-O.K. if printouts overlap.
4. To transfer words onto the board – Turn printout over and cover the backs of the letters with graphite from the pencil. Hold paper up to the light to make sure you are getting all the parts of the letters covered with graphite.
5. Tape quote printout onto board with blue painter tape.
6. Trace the outer edges of the letters with a blue or red pen. By using the blue or red pen, you will be able to see the areas you have traced and the areas you have not traced. When done tracing do NOT take paper totally off, leave it attached at the top. Carefully lift paper up to ensure you have transferred over all of the parts of the letters. You may need to place the paper  back down onto the board to trace areas you’ve missed. Helpful tip: If you are using a really dark background and are finding out that the graphite from the pencil is hard to see – Try using a colored white pencil or chalk instead of the graphite.
7. With the Sharpie (or white paint pen) simply color in your letters. Yes, it’s THAT simple.
8. Allow letters to fully dry. Letting the letters dry overnight is best, but usually we don’t have that type of patience so we get out the hair dryer.
9. With a sanding block or sand paper, lightly sand the letters and background. It’s awesome to see. The board will start to ‘distress’ right before your eyes.
10. Grab the drill and drill 2 holes on the top edge of the board – This is how you’ll hang the board. We drilled holes about 2-3 inches from each end. Screw in screw eyes. You may need to use a random nail to help twist in the screw eyes. Don’t screw in the eyes all the way, they may break. Be careful when drilling your holes and screwing in the eyes – We’ve ‘lost’ many bits and eyes, they break right off in the wood, if you’re not careful. If you’re using wood from a skid, it will more than likely be a hard wood which can cause the bits and eyes to break off if the items are forced into the wood. If that does happen, move over a bit and re-drill. It just adds to the character.
11. Tie one end of the jute string to an eye. Leave about 2 inches of tail. We fray the ends of the tail, which adds to the distressed charm. Stretch out string to the other screw eye, tie-off (leaving a tail) & trim, fray tail.

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There you go! You’re a distressed board-making rock star!

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How-To

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Photos from our ‘quote sign’ craft class session.

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Stamped Washer Craft

My husband had purchased a steel letter/number stamping set for me during one of our excursions to Harbor Freight. I had been dyin’ to try it out. Father’s Day was coming . . . I saw an opportunity.

Our father’s do not need anything, not a THING – they continue to tell us that. So we focused on the ‘thought’ of the gift. We gave them a personalized flashlight, monster magnet and a heaping plate of home-made cookies (I’ll have to share this recipe later, it’s awesome).

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You will need:

• Steel Letter/Number Stamping Set (We used the 1/8” set. Here’s the link for the stamping set from Harbor Freight: http://www.harborfreight.com/catalogsearch/result?q=stamping+set)
• Hammer
• Safety glasses
• Cutting board or flexible cutting mat
• Washers (For our project we used 3/8” & 1/2”. Helpful Hint: Buy a few extra washers, it may take a few tries before you get the hang of it.)
• Permanent Sharpie marker
• Baby wipes
• Key ring flashlight (Purchased at dollar store)
• Hard surface for pounding

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Directions for stamping onto washers:

1. Place cutting board/mat onto hard surface. We used our garage concrete floor. The concrete is a hard enough surface to pound on, the cutting board/mat creates a stable surface that will, hopefully, keep the washers from moving around while you are pounding on them.
2. With safety glasses on, position stamp onto washer, pound top of stamp with hammer. Pound super-duper hard. 8-10 pounds with the hammer worked well. I found it helpful to hold my fingers against the mat and stamp, towards the bottom, while pounding with the hammer. This appeared to minimize any bouncing with the stamp. You don’t want the stamp to move at all.
3. Wipe surface of the washer with a baby wipe. Color in letters with the Sharpie marker. Do about 3-4 letters at a time, making sure to fill in all the parts of each letter. Wipe surface with baby wipe. If you are having a hard time not getting all of the marker off of the surface, try coloring over the surface area again with the marker and then quickly wiping with baby wipe.
4. Attach washers to key ring flashlight.

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This project can be used in many other ways. Use it as an embellishment onto of a package or an added highlight to a hand-made gift.

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Here are the monster magnets.

My mom and I made these when I was a kid (that was when wheels were square, according to my children). I totally forgot about these monster magnets until I came across them on Pinterest, old crafts never die.

We saved plastic bread tags, glued on googly eyes, embellished with glitter glue. Allowed to fully dry, flipped them over and attached magnet strips to the backs.

The grandpas really got a kick out of ‘em.

Valentine Craft June 5, 2013

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Our Valentine Craft Session was a success!

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The great thing about this craft is you can give the craft all year round. My youngest son gave it to his teacher for a Christmas present. His teacher currently still displays the heart board in her entryway.

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For a full ‘run down’ on how to craft this lovely project, reference:

Wood and Ribbon Cross Craft – Praise and Coffee the Magazine

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You’ll need to download the heart template:

HEART TEMPLATE

On the template you will notice black and gray dots. We generally use the black dots, if you are reducing or enlarging the project you may find a different dot works better for your project. We wanted to offer other solutions for dot placement.

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Here’s a slide show of the class.

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April Craft Class April 20, 2013

Rustic Quote Sign

Katie and Korene will show crafters how to create their very own custom rustic-looking quote sign.

Sunday, April 28th
2:00pm – 4:00pm
Brandon Elementary Art Room (Martin Public School) 1619 University Street; Martin, Michigan 49070

Register no later than Thursday, April 25th. Have a favorite quote you would like to use? Email quote to craftredo@aol.com by THURSDAY, APRIL 25th (keep quote to no more than 7 words). We will provide quotes to choose from if we don’t receive your quote by the 25th.

To register, send us an email at: craftredo@aol.com
Cost for the session is $20 per person. Please bring payment to the craft class. All supplies will be provided by Katie and Korene.

Feel free to bring your own treats and drinks. No alcoholic beverages, please.

We ask that we keep the session for adults only (no kids please). Teens 13 and up are welcome to attend, but must be accompanied by a paid adult. Feel free to invite friends.

If you happen to have a hair dryer, bring it. We will have some available to use – but if you can bring your own dryer, feel free to do so.

Here’s a link for the directions to the school: http://www.martinpublicschools.org/schools/brandonel/directions
Enter through the main entrance on the West side of the building (Elementary entrance). Please park in the parking lot – NOT the loop or the student drop off area. Please arrive around or before 2:00, we will be locking the exterior doors (for our safety) a little bit after 2:00.

Don’t forget: There will be a table set out if you would like to display a flyer/brochure of what you do. Are you an exercise instructor, writer of a magazine, the head of an organization? Bring a brochure or flyer to display on the table.

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Want to order a quote sign. Email us at craftredo@aol.com

March Craft Session March 16, 2013

Custom-Colored Chalkboard Paint

Katie and Korene will show crafters how to create their very own custom-colored chalkboard paint. Crafters will also have the opportunity to use the paint on 4 surfaces (provided by Katie & Korene): wood, metal, glass, cardboard.

Sunday, March 24th
2:00pm – 4:00pm
Brandon Elementary Art Room (Martin Public School) 1619 University Street; Martin, Michigan 49070
Register no later than Thursday, March 21st.
To register, send us an email at: craftredo@aol.com
Cost for the session is $20 per person. Please bring payment to the craft class. All supplies will be provided by Katie and Korene.

Feel free to bring your own treats and drinks. No alcoholic beverages, please.

We ask that we keep the session for adults only (no kids please). Teens 13 and up are welcome to attend, but must be accompanied by a paid adult. Feel free to invite friends.

If you happen to have a hair dryer, bring it. We will have some available to use – but if you can bring your own dryer, feel free to do so.

Here’s a link for the directions to the school: http://www.martinpublicschools.org/schools/brandonel/directions
Enter through the main entrance on the West side of the building (Elementary entrance). Please park in the parking lot – NOT the loop or the student drop off area.

Don’t forget: There will be a table set out if you would like to display a flyer/brochure of what you do. Are you an exercise instructor, writer of a magazine, the head of an organization? Bring a brochure or flyer to display on the table.

Bright White Clay Dough Recipe December 18, 2012

I found a fantastic clay dough recipe from a blog called ‘The Woodside Kitchen’, here’s the link (http://woodsidekitchen.blogspot.com/2010/11/clay-christmas-decorations.html). I really liked this clay, it was easy to work with. When baked, it’s a nice bright white.

I made Christmas ornaments from the clay with the word ‘Thankful’ stamped on the front. I gave them to my family members during Thanksgiving dinner. It was our first Thanksgiving without my mom. I wanted to remind everyone how blessed we are, even though we all miss her terribly.

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You will need:

• 1/2 cup cornstarch
• 1 cup baking soda
• 3/4 cup water
• Straw
• Parchment paper
• Sand paper
• Decorative stamp (I used an ‘office desk’ style stamper. It had a canal where letters can be fed through, so you are able to make your own words. Purchased at an estate sale. I had to hold it up to the mirror to make sure I had all the letters going the correct way.)
• Ribbon or string for hanging

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Directions:

1. In a medium-sized pot combine cornstarch, baking soda, and water. Stir mixture over medium-low heat. After a couple of minutes, the mixture will begin to thicken (about 10 minutes). When it looks like smooth, mashed potatoes, remove the pot from the heat. Spoon the ball of dough into a bowl and cover it with a damp cloth until it’s cool. When it’s cool, knead it on a smooth surface, adding cornstarch if it feels too sticky.
2. Preheat oven to 175 degrees. Line baking sheet with parchment paper.
3. Roll out clay to 1/4 inch thick on a surface lightly dusted with cornstarch. Use cookie cutters to cut out shapes (I used a small juice glass for my shape). Transfer shapes to the prepared baking sheet. Use a straw to poke a hole in the center top of each decoration, this will be where the ribbon or string will go for hanging.
4. Bake for about an hour, turning them over halfway through cooking. (My oven is a little fickle and I had to cook my ornaments a bit longer, about 30 minutes longer).
5. When cooled, lightly sand ornaments. Attach ribbon.

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If you want to make colored clay just add food coloring to the water before you mix it with the cornstarch and baking soda. The clay can be sealed in an airtight container and kept in the fridge for a couple of weeks. Just bring it to room temperature before you use it. This recipe can also be doubled to make a larger batch of decorations.

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The blog mentions that they can be painted.

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I do recommend paying close attention to the thickness of your ornament. I read the comments from the blog and some users had trouble with the dough breaking or cracking during the baking process.

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This was an easy, inexpensive project and the kiddos loved it.

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This could also be used for other holidays and craft projects: magnets, beads, plaques, frames, bowls. Just imagine all the unique finishes you could experiment with: glue and tissue paper, Mod Podge®, glitter, metallic paint, etc.