To: dannys@iis.ee.ethz.ch
Subject: Craft hints
From: jim.speirs@canrem.com (Jim Speirs)
Date: Sun, 21 May 1995 06:12:00 -0400
Organization: CRS Online (Toronto, Ontario)


Article #R137a.
===============

Hints Cut-outs
Pages 627 & 628
Craft Tips
The Leader, November 1986


We thank Beaver leader Jo-Anne Wood of Grandora, Sask., for these
useful craft suggestions and hints.

Does your section seem to go through a lot of glue in a very big
hurry? If you're simply glueing paper, you can thin down white
glue with a bit of water to stretch it.

When spreading glue over a large area, use a paintbrush.

If you tear rather than cut tissue paper for collage work, you
get a much more subtle blending of colours.

Beavers find threading the eye of a needle and sewing much easier
if they work with embroidery needles and heavy thread.

When small children are making mobiles, use wool or heavy string
to put them together. Fine thread is a source of frustration
because it tangles so easily.

Save all your scraps of tissue or crepe paper for dyeing dried
corn and peas. Prepare dye by pouring boiling water over the
paper. Let sit until the water is the colour you want, strain out
the paper, add dried corn or peas to the water and bring to a
boil again. Strain veggies out of water and place on newspaper to
dry. The colours are beautiful.

Don't discard those small bits of paint, either. Instead, mix
them together to make new colours a good learning process for the
boys.
 
To give a velvet finish to a paint job on a styrofoam project,
add a few drops of liquid detergent to tempera paint.

Be careful when choosing paint to use on styrofoam because some
types dissolve the foam. Avoid gold paint in a jar.

For finger painting, pour some liquid starch on finger painting
paper and spread, then add dry tempera and let children do their
thing.

To remove dried scum or hard bits from old paint, strain through
a nylon stocking. Fasten the stocking to a jar or can with
clothespins and let the paint drip through.

Nylon net is great for cleaning paint brushes and for taking
paint off the hands without scratching. Use the net in
combination with any liquid soap or detergent.

To cut styrofoam easily, use a coping saw or bread knife with a
see-saw motion.

Foil or plastic cups make very good molds for plaster of paris.
To keep the mess to a minimum when you're working with plaster of
paris, you need one adult to manage each four or five children.
Use lots of newspaper and plastic to cover the work area and
floor around it.

If you use flour and water paste to make pa pier mache, remember
to add salt to the mixture. It makes it easier to mix smoothly
and helps prevent the growth of mould as the project dries.

To make little legs for a project, you can glue on wooden beads.
If you don't have beads, make your own. Roll up small wads of
tissue paper, saturate with glue, and attach to the bottom of the
project. Paint when glue is dry.

Picking up sequins is easier if you use toothpicks. When glueing
on sequins, put a bit of glue on the toothpick to hold the sequin
until you attach it to the craft project.

To put shingles on your craft house roof, glue on small squares
of newspaper or construction paper in overlapping rows. When glue
is dry, paint.
---
 * RoseReader 2.00b P003758: Nothing is ever constant, unless it is dead.