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Archive for August, 2011

Materials needed:

- 1 – 8.5″ x 11″ sheet of construction paper in red, white, or blue for the windsock body. Patriotic themed memory album paper will work well, too.

- Tacky-type glue for paper works best or white school glue in a pinch.

- Scrap pieces of construction paper for assorted star shapes in red, white or blue in contrast to the color of the windsock body. Ex: If you made a blue windsock body, then use white and red stars.

- Various sized star-shaped cookie cutters (Playdough cookies cutters work, too.)

- Glitter

- 3 spools of curling ribbon in red, white and blue

- 1 pipe cleaner in red, white or blue

- Scissors

- 1-hole paper punch

- 12″ ruler

- Clear tape

- 2 Optional spring clothes pins

Instructions:

Take the sheet of construction paper for the windsock body and place it (right side down if it has a pattern) on the table before you with the long edges at imaginary compass points north and south and the short edges east and west.

Neatly fold over each long edge 1/2″ to form a hem. This will make the edges stronger for the paper punch holes.

For the hole placements for the curling ribbon streamers, on one of the long edges, put a pencil mark at the center. This will be 5-1/2″ from each edge.

From the center point measure to the right 1-1/2″ and place another pencil mark. Do it two more times so you have three pencil marks from the right of center point. Now do the same for the left side of center.

With the paper punch, punch a hole at each of the seven pencil marks 1/2 way between the folded edge and raw edge of the fold.

Cut seven pieces of curling ribbon 24″ in length from each of the red, white and blue curling ribbon spools so you’ll have 7 red, 7 white and 7 blue.

Take 1 ribbon from each color and hold the three ribbons at one end. Neatly straighten them out so they’re flat with no twists then fold the ribbons end to end. Slip the folded end through one of the holes from the star side on the windsock body, forming a little loop on the wrong side of the windsock. Take the cut ends of the ribbons and slip them through the loop being careful not to pull too hard so you don’t rip the holes. To keep the ribbons from loosening up, tape them in place on the wrong side of the windsock. Repeat this for the remaining holes.

Flip the paper over so the folded edges are now facing the table and the right side is facing up.

Cut out various star shapes using the cookie cutters and randomly glue the stars on the windsock body, but keep clear 1/2″ from the short edges for gluing later.

Once the stars are in place, outline each star with a very thin line of glue and sprinkle on glitter. Do this for as many stars as you like. Shake off excess glitter.

Once glue is dry, you’ll need to glue the two short ends of the windsock together so it forms a tube. Run a zigzag bead of glue along one of the short edges on the right side of the windsock and fold the other short end onto the glue. You might need an extra set of hands to help keep the edges together until the glue sets. Spring clothespins can help on each end while you have one hand inside the tube while holding the edge in place with the other hand.

When the glue has set you’ll need to fashion a hanger with the pipe cleaner. At the top of the windsock (opposite end of the ribbons), use the paper punch to punch two holes through the folded top edge, evenly space apart and opposite of each other.

Slip one end of the pipe cleaner through a hole about an 1″ and twist the short end around the pipe cleaner to secure it. Do the same with the other end of the pipe cleaner in the other hole so it forms a handle.

Cut a length of ribbon and tie it to the pipe cleaner handle. Now hang your new windsock. Make as many as you like and hang them on your porch, patio and in the trees for that next patriotic holiday.

Change up the colors of the paper and ribbon for any type of holiday or event.

The year is full of patriotic holidays like President’s Day, Memorial Day, 4th of July, Veterans Day, Flag Day and more. Celebrate each holiday with pride by wearing a patriotic costume. Click here to find patriotic costume ideas like an Uncle Sam costume, Statue of Liberty, Colonial Soldier, sassy little Sailor Girl and more.

Fabric Ornaments:

Last year I was out shopping for my annual Christmas ornament but could not find exactly what I was looking for in any of the stores. That’s when I thought I would change up my tradition and make my own ornament for that year. Using just some scraps of fabric and ribbon with a Styrofoam ball I created my own fabulously ornate ornament. Here’s how you can make your unique ornament.

Select the fabric and ribbon you want to use to make your ornament. Now you need to make a pattern, draw an eye shape on a piece of paper 4″ long and 1 3/4″ wide then cut out. Place your fabric flat on a table and trace your pattern eight times and then cut it out. Mark and measure the two center points on the Styrofoam ball. Pen one of your pieces of fabric at the top center point of the ball and then pull and pin the other end of the fabric to the bottom of the ball at the second center point. Repeat this process for all eight pieces making sure the fabric lays flat on the ball. Take the spool of 1/8″ ribbon and cut eight 4″ long ribbons.

Place the first ribbon at the top center of the ball and pin then glue the rest of the ribbon along the cut edge of the fabric all the way to the bottom of the ball at the center and pin down. Repeat this process seven more times. I like to add a bow at the top of the ornament to finish it off. Take the 1/4″ spool of ribbon and cut four 4″ long pieces. Meet the two ends of the ribbon to the center and glue to the top center of your ornament. Repeat three more times. Note for a fuller bow you can add more ribbons and of different colors. For the hanger, just cut a 3″ ribbon make a loop and glue to the top center of the ornament. Push the decorative pin into the top center of the ornament.

Feel free to dress up or dress down your ornament. you can add a tassel to hang from the bottom of the ornament, rhinestones for some glamor or a little charm to hang from the top of your ornament.

What you need:

2 1/2″ Styrofoam ball
Lots of flat head straight pins
Fabric glue
1/8″ Ribbon
1/4″ Ribbon
Decorative straight pin
Fabric

Hi I’m April and I love making ornaments I hope you found this how to helpful. If you would like to see other ornaments I make check out my Ornament Ville Christmas Blog. You can also check out my home page for my latest unique quilted ornaments for Christmas and more.

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Have you received any ribbons in Farmville yet? Well, if you haven’t you will. There is a variety of ways to get them. Thus far, I believe there are four different colors, yellow, white, red and blue.

The yellow can cover a number of different accomplishments, for instance, you could get a Good Samaritan for helping out 20 neighbors. The yellow coin reward for this would be 1000 coins and you would gain 25 xp points.

There’s also one called the Knock on Wood ribbon where you would have to harvest 20 trees, you would receive 1000 coins and 25 xp points.

Now as for the white ribbon in these same categories it would be:

Good Samaritan: you would have to help 150 neighbors, you would get 2500 coins and 50 xp points. Knock on Wood: you would harvest 250 trees, get 2500 coins and 50 xp points.

This list is quite long so I can’t list all of it here, but from there would be the red and then the blue with each ribbon getting harder to get.

There are approximately 15 different ribbons that you can earn. Each one will have the 4 different colors, the yellow being the easiest to get and the blue being the most difficult.

Some of them are unique and fun, like the Shutterbug. If you’re into taking pictures you could shoot for this one, oh I kill myself. To receive a yellow ribbon you would have to take pictures of 3 different farms and you would get 500 coins plus 10 xp points. So as you can see with 15 different ribbons and 4 different colors there are many ways to make some extra coin, not to mention they will look great on your wall!

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Making secure ID badges for your company or group? Finding the right printer is not difficult with information about the innovative printers available from quality card manufacturers.

ID card printers are special printers that print on plastic PVC cards. The cards can be printed on the front or on both front and back with full color or single color printing. The print ribbon selected and the information sent to the printer from the software used to create the badge design will provide the outcome found on the printed badge.

All current ID card printers provide full color and or single color front side printing. The print quality of all current printers is 300 DPI. The normal dual sided print ribbon provides full color front sided printing and black printing on the back of the card.

The print ribbons for single sided printing are called YMCKO printer ribbons. The standard ID card printer takes in a plastic card and the ribbon passes over the card with the four panels (YMCK). The colored panels provide enough of each color in the right combination to produce a image grade quality result on the plastic card. The “O” panel then is placed on the card and provides an overlay cover to the printed surface of the card. Additional protection to the card is provided as well as to the colors applied to the surface by the heat of the printer’s printhead.

Dual sided printer ribbons work in much the same way as the single sided print ribbons. The YMCKOK dual sided print ribbon is used with dual sided printers. The ribbon prints on the front side of the card with the YMCK panels. The “O” panel then provides an overlay to the front side of the card. After completion of the YMCKO printing functions, the printer then flips the card within the printer and the additional K panel prints black orienting on the reverse side of the card.

Dual sided ribbons print with the YMCKOK panel. This ribbon prints the front side of the card in the identical manner that the single sided printer uses. After the printer then flips the card, the additional K panel prints black on the reverse side of the card.

Various printer manufacturers have different printer warranties available for their printer models. Most printers have a one year warranty with some printers having two and three year warranties. Some of the professional line printers have hot swap warranties attached to them which allows for a loaner printer while the original printer is repaired at the manufacturer. Often the printhead carries a warranty, but it may be different than the warranty of the rest of the printer.

An ID card printer expert can provide additional details about how the printers print cards and the warranties available with each printer model. They also can determine the best printer model options for the specific requirements that an organization has. Free consultations and recommendations are available from many ID card companies so that the best printer system components can be review and chosen for the perfect printing combination.

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There are a variety of things you can do to promote your business, and one really effective way is by giving away promotional products. If you really want to go that extra mile, why not cross-promote your business with a charity? The cost is minimal, and not only are you helping an organization with their fund raising, you are also creating even more popularity for your business by showing that you are community-minded.

There are a number of great charitable organizations out there just waiting for someone to help them raise money and awareness for their causes. One that is becoming more and more popular is the breast cancer awareness Pink Ribbon Campaign. Many organizations are doing their part to raise money for cancer research, and to help support patients during their medical battles, and they can use all the help they can get in promoting this campaign. By combining their efforts with your advertising, they can get their word out to an entirely new audience. Plus, for each of the items you purchase, a percentage of the cost goes directly to breast cancer research!

You can, as they say, kill two birds with one stone when you cross-promote with organizations such as the Pink Ribbon Campaign. For one thing, and probably the most important, you are doing your part to help a worthwhile cause (and also showing your clients that you care), and you are also advertising your business effectively and inexpensively. What more could you ask for?

Not only can you use promotional products to cross-promote your business with the Pink Ribbon Campaign, you and your employees can take part in a number of fund raisers for the cause. In doing so, you will be helping a great charity, and you will be seen doing it. Just think about how positive this kind of marketing could be for your business. Your company and its employees will be seen in the public eye as a group that cares about the community, and makes an effort to help.

Just about any promotional product you can think of, you can have personalized to include the Pink Ribbon along with your company information. You can offer pink products that have an image of the ribbon (these products could include coffee mugs, jewelry, clothing, and much more). You can offer key rings that have a Pink Ribbon charm, or give away actual pink ribbons that have your company name and logo imprinted on them. There are products made specifically for the Pink Ribbon Campaign that you can have your information printed on, or you can design your own pink products. Your options are pretty much limitless!

One of the most popular promotional products for breast cancer awareness today is the pink water bottle. There are a lot of people who keep bottled water with them pretty much all of the time, and by using a Pink Ribbon Campaign water bottle with your company logo on it, you and a great charity are being promoted!

So, if you are considering using promotional products to advertise your business, consider combining your efforts with the Pink Ribbon Campaign. You can be a part of helping a worthwhile cause, while showing your business in the best possible light.

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With so much time and money spent on Christmas gift shopping, sometimes our home decorating drops to the bottom of our priority list. Maybe you feel selfish spending money on lavish holiday decor, or maybe you just want to cut back a bit this year. A tightened budget does not have to mean a sacrifice on style. Here are some budget-friendly tips to get your home looking great for the holidays. 

Ribbon

Ribbon is one of the most versatile and economical solutions you can buy. No matter what your style – retro, country, modern, traditional – there’s a ribbon that reflects your personality. Keep an eye out for sales at your local craft shop for even more bang for your buck. The possibilities with ribbons are endless. Just some ideas are listed below.

• Wrap ribbon around your stair barrister and tie off with a decorative bow.
• Give your accent pillows a festive flair by wrapping them with ribbon and a bow, almost like a wrapped gift.
• Tie a small bow around a stuffed bear’s neck. When you see his playful charm, you’ll feel as though you have stepped straight into Santa’s workshop.
• Decorate wreaths and trees with several little bows, or one large bow for a big impact.
• Wrap a piece of ribbon around lampshades for fun holiday lighting.

There is so much you can do with just a roll of ribbon and a pair of scissors. Once you get started, you’ll be surprised how much you want to use. If the price is right on a ribbon you love – stock up. You can use it in every room of your house for a cohesive holiday look.

Gift wrap

Gift wrap isn’t just for presents. You can wrap empty boxes and strategically place them in an entryway, on a table or in a tall stack in the corner of a room for extra drama. Always wonder what to do with that last awkward-sized piece on the roll? Why not frame it out, or hang a collection of small framed pieces for custom Christmas artwork. Wrapping paper is too attractive not to showcase.

Christmas cards

Don’t keep all your cherished Christmas cards in hiding – put them out on display for everyone to see! You can display your favorite cards on a bulletin board, glued on a mat board or even in picture frames. If you have a glass-top table, put your cards under the glass for an unexpected table display. Another fun idea is to attach your cards to a piece of ribbon for a custom swag that can hang over the mantle or even around the tree. Your Christmas cards will not only serve as a fun decoration, but will also remind you of all the loved ones who sent you their Christmas wishes.

It looks so good you could eat it

Candy is just as pleasing to the eyes as it is to the mouth. Filling a small bowl with Christmas-colored candies is a simple way to add some extra holiday cheer to any room. Candy canes’ hook shape lends itself to so many decorating possibilities. You can simply hang them from trees and wreaths for a quick, easy and inexpensive decoration. If you are feeling crafty, inexpensive foam topiaries can turn into expensive-looking displays by gluing on peppermints or gumdrops. Your gumdrop or peppermint trees will be a great addition to your shelf or mantle displays.

Look in your own back yard

One holiday item that is easily obtained at NO cost can actually be found in your own backyard. Pick up a few pinecones to place around the house. You can simply put a few in a decorative bowl, place them on your wreath or tree or just set a few out on their own. For added flair, try spray-painting them with a metallic or glittery spray. Just a few sprays will give your pinecones an expensive look.

Candles

Basic candles are very inexpensive, and add a special holiday sparkle to your home. You don’t have to spend money on ornate candleholders to have a beautiful lit display for the holidays. Here are some budget-friendly ideas for making your own candleholders this Christmas.

• Tie off a simple jar with holiday ribbon and place a votive inside.
• Fill a clear container with red and green colored sand.
• Place a few drops of red or green food coloring into a clear container of water and place floating candles on top. 

A little creativity can turn simple items into focal points for your holiday decor. You don’t have to spend a lot to give your home a holiday feeling that will get you and your guests in the Christmas spirit.

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Whether you are making an award ribbon for a nonprofit group, or making ribbons as a statement of your support for the troops, or a certain special gift, no craft person should be without colorful ribbon material of various types. It is amazing the variety these days at the art and craft stores, but that’s not the only place you can get such materials. Ribbons can be made to just about any strong flimsy material. And how you bunch it up, attach it to itself, and work it around medallions, medals, and other objects makes all the difference in the world.

If you will recall a ship captain from Pennsylvania, was on a ship that got hijacked by pirates. Luckily, thanks to the United States Navy Seals he was rescued and the crew of the ship was saved. Also thanks to his heroic thinking, and the intelligence of the crew for acting fast everyone lived to tell about it. When he got home to Pennsylvania he found a thousand yellow ribbons tied around every single oak tree. And who do you think did that?

The arts and crafts women of the town decided they were going to stick up for one of their own, so they banded together to make a statement, and they designed and made thousands of ribbons in a huge project. The national media showed up and saw the support of his local town and it captured the imagination of everyone in America.

Craft supplies and statement ribbons for such projects say so much about the human spirit. I hope you will take your ribbons and your crafts as seriously as those women did in that Pennsylvania town. Please consider all this.

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We’ve all marveled at wedding blogs long enough to crave that 100% personalized look that some brides pull off at their weddings. You know the type: she’s a genius at translating her individual personality into material things, like pocketfold invites or table signs. You want to be that bride!

So, let’s say all that browsing’s put you in a detail frame of mind. You’ve got perfectly fine wedding favor boxes for those Amorini hearts, but they just look a teensy bit blah. Of course, adding ribbon and maybe a personalized tag or label would add pizazz, but maybe you want your own twist on it. Well, read on for ideas!

Close Up-Ready Favor Box Designs

1) Ribbon à Deux. A popular high-end look for favor boxes involves two ribbons: a thicker one on the bottom, and a thinner contrasting ribbon on top. Here, you don’t need to stick to solids: try knocking together two subtle patterns, or choose one ribbon with another interesting detail, like saddle stitched edges. Experiment with sheers versus solids. Upgrade: thread a small rhinestone buckle over your ribbons so it graces the front or top of your box.

2) Never Too Thin … Typical favor box ribbon is about half-inch thick, or little less. But a wonderfully upscale alternative is super-thin ribbon (a.k.a. “dainty” double-faced satin ribbon). Wrap this twice around your box, like a Christmas present, and tie off in a bow. Très elegant! Again, work with more than one color to maximize visual interest. You can even layer two separate colors back to back, one color showing on each side, so that the bow displays them both.

3) Stamp it Out. Stamps are a fantastic, super-fast way of personalizing ho-hum boxes. Stamping works best if the card stock for your boxes is smooth, but not too glossy. Pick a motif that’s meaningful for your wedding and a custom color.

4) Strike up the Bands. Paper wrap bands are exciting, and under-used. They’re best for tuck-top or sliding boxes. All you need is some lovely paper: try wrapping paper, scrapbook paper, a design you downloaded off a stock image site, or something you even created yourself (do you paint? Create a design and scan it in!). Use a paper cutter to slice your paper into bands as thick as your box or a bit thinner, wrap it around and secure with a glue stick. So custom! A square personalized label looks stunning on top of a paper band.

5) Make it Martha. Martha taught us how to wrap favor boxes in semi-translucent colored tissue. Tie at the top with ribbon, and add a custom monogram sticker to the ribbon. You can also wrap your boxes with tulle or organza. A favor box wrapped in shimmery stuff automatically looks twice as bridal.

6) Raise Eyebrows (and Monograms). Custom-embossed favor boxes are incredibly chic, yet rarely seen. All you need is an embosser and a personalized disc with your monogram or personalized design. Use flat-packed boxes, and run the tops or the box fronts through before they’re folded. Voila, an incredibly upscale favor! Sure, the embosser involves an up-front cost, but you can literally use it for life: customize your stationery, your envelope flaps, your thank-you cards … you name it. Hint: be sure to buy an embosser that’s strong enough for card stock.

7) That’s a Wrap! You can even wrap favor boxes in glossy wrapping paper, just like a gift. It’s painstaking to do, but the final result’s sure to excite your guests.

Embellish the Story. Embellishments can turn a Yugo-style favor into a Maserati in seconds! Take your ribbon-wrapped favor box, and add a beautiful mulberry-paper flower: you’ll find daisies, sunflowers and roses, all pre-wired for bridal bliss (try eBay). Or for a more romantic or formal feel, add a pewter charm in the shape of e-rings, champagne flutes or hearts. You can find these at favor sites or scrapbooking stores.

9) Send the Message. A final idea that’s subtle but surprising: line the inside lid of a two-piece favor with a special message to your guests. (Print these out on label paper, cut and stick.)

These are just a few ideas to get your personal favor box juices flowing. When you figure out your own perfect twist on your favors, be sure to snap a pic and share it somewhere special (at FavorIdeas, or flickr, or both!) so the next bride can admire – and learn from – your inspiration.

Wedding favor boxes — the place where a “thank you” to guests gets personal — get sweeter and more customized every day. See Favor Ideas at for friendly help with planning, unique wedding favors and a wondrous variety of unique wedding favor boxes to help jump-start your design process.

The ribbon and stick are best discussed as two separate items, for both are certainly better protected, more easily carried and easier to use if they are detachable from each other. Both also can be made at home, though the biggest difficulty found will be in obtaining the ribbon.

I say this because most materials on the market today are very lightweight and not suitable. They get knotted and tangled easily and often fray at the edges. It is best to use a satin, heavy nylon or silk material.

The weight is particularly important in order to be able to work the ribbon and so produce the right shapes with it, and equally to allow it to fly efficiently through the air in the throwing elements.

The ribbon needs to be between 4cm and 6cm in width, but the length will vary according to the size and ability of the gymnast. Only the advanced and senior gymnast should be working with the full 6m length.

It is recommended that beginners start with a 4 1/2m ribbon, and young children use a ribbon perhaps as short as 3m. If you are going to make your own ribbon, buy more than the required length, so that the first part of the ribbon, near to the stick, can be double thickness.

This assists the work of the ribbon by giving extra weight near the attachment. However, because it can be difficult to obtain the correct satin ribbon, generally it is recommended that you buy the stick and ribbon, although if finances are really restricted, consider making just the stick.

Though the pukka sticks used by top gymnasts are usually made of plastic or fiberglass, and DIY expert or novice could manage to produce a wooden stick at about one tenth of the price of a fiberglass stick.

A school woodwork department could perhaps be approached to supply them individually or in bulk. Materials needed are quite easily obtained and are inexpensive, the total cost amounting to about 50p per stick.

The Author is an expert in article writing and has done a lot of research online and offline. Come visit his latest websites on Cat Pet Supplies and Gymnastics Floor Music

Sharp tools are a must in floral designing. A sharp knife used for cutting flowers stems will make clean cuts without crushing the stems. A clean cut is imperative in aiding water absorption by the flower stem. A folding pocket knife with a quality blade is the best, longest lasting knife. Other cheaper knives with plastic handles won’t last as long nor will they cut heavy stems.

Sharp scissors are necessary to cut ribbon cleanly and neatly. Ribbon scissors must be used only to cut ribbon and fabric. Cutting just one wire with your ribbon scissors will ruin them. Serrated scissors are heavy duty multipurpose scissors that can be used to cut wire and woody stems.

Wire cutters with a spring are easier to operate when cutting wire and corsage stems. Wire cutters have a short blade and are ideal for cutting heavy materials.

Floral tape is waxed crepe paper that will stick to its self when stretched. It is used to cover floral wire for use in corsages and bouquets. Waterproof tape is used to secure floral foam in a container. It is available in green, white and clear colors in ¼ or ½ inch widths.

Florist wire is usually green and comes in precut 18 inch lengths. Sizes vary from #16 (the heaviest gauge) to # 30 (the lightest gauge). Several gauges are necessary in design work to make corsages and bouquets, strength stems and to bind materials together. The most common gauges used in floral design are #18, 20, 22 and 24. Paddle wire is on a spool in a continuous strand that may be used to create garlands and wreaths and to bind together heavy materials. It is also available in a variety of gauges.

Greening pins are u-shaped wire, much like a hairpin, and are used to hold moss to foam. Wooden picks have a wire attached to one end and are used to cluster dried materials together in foam, attaché bows to plants and to extend the length of a stem. Chenille stems come in a variety of colors and are used to secure bows. Chenille stems look like large pipe cleaners.

Floral foam comes in heavy or light weight depending on the flowers being used. To soak the foam place it in a sink filled with water, do not dunk it under the water. Let the foam float and fill naturally, thus assuring you will have no dry spots in the middle of the foam. It will sink to the bottom as it absorbs water.

Ribbon comes in a rainbow of colors and a variety of widths. The bigger the number the wider the ribbon will be. # 3 ribbon is generally used in corsages and bud vases. Plants are usually dressed with #9 as are most pew bows. Funeral work requires a wider width such as a #40. The most commonly used ribbon is satin, however, there is a great variety of ribbon available today. Wired ribbon holds its shape for use in decorations, wreaths and Christmas trees. Printed ribbon has a wide range of uses in decorating. Lacey, silky ribbon is available for use in wedding bouquets and corsages.

Tools and supplies may be purchased at crafts stores, fabric shops and department stores as well as your local florists. With the variety of tools and supplies readily available today you are limited only by your imagination. So imagine away!

Co-author Ellen Skiles has twelve years experience in the floral industry including three years in a greenhouse, four years designing in a shop, and seven years as head designer and manager of a second flower shop. She provides content for http://www.arrangefreshflowers.com designed by her son Wesley Skiles.