Archive for the ‘Crafts’ Category

Create Fun and Fabulous Noahs Ark Invitations For a 1st Birthday

Monday, March 15th, 2010

Sail on over two-by-two, for a Noah’s Ark Birthday party. It’s sure to be a splash, so let’s work on creating a fabulous bash! To start creating a memorable 1st birthday, here’s some ideas for Noahs Ark themed invitations.

STUFFED ANIMAL INVITES – Select small stuffed or beanie-type animals to attach your invites to. Cut 8 1/2″ x 11″ cardstock into four pieces. Then type or handwrite your party details in calligraphy on decorative scrapbook paper. Cut the finished piece using decorative scissors to be about 3″ x 4 1/2″. Then glue it to the back of the card stock. Decorate the corners with some Noah’s Ark stickers. Hole-punch the invite, run curling ribbon through, tie it around the neck of the stuffed animal, and hand-deliver your animal invites.

NOAH’S ARK-SHAPED INVITES – Cut an ark shape from a piece of brown card stock. Download various Noah’s Ark animals or use die-cut elephants, giraffes, monkeys, lions, lambs, etc. and place them into the ark. Write on the ark, “Beat The Flood & Join Me For My 1st Birthday Party!” On the reverse side, provide your party details.

NOAH’S ARK INVITES – Cut an 8 1/2″ x 11″ piece of card stock into two pieces and fold them in half. Then download some Noah’s Ark animals or use die-cut elephants, giraffes, monkeys, lions, lambs, etc. and glue them to the front of the card stock. On the left side either type or handwrite in calligraphy:

We’re flooded with excitement and fun

As (Baby’s Name) is turning one!

The animals came 2 by 2,

Now we want to party with you!

On the right side, type or handwrite your party details on a piece of decorative scrapbook paper. Cut the finished piece using decorative scissors to about 3″ x 4 1/2″. Glue it to the right side of the card stock. Decorate the corners with some Noah’s Ark stickers. Place the invite in a colorful envelope and add a few more stickers.

ELEPHANT INVITES – Cut a large elephant head with a long wide trunk out of gray construction paper or cardstock. Glue goggle eyes to the face. Write on the trunk, “Sail On Over, Two-By-Two, To (Baby’s Name) 1st Birthday Party.” Place all the party details on the back. Then fold up the trunk in an accordion fashion and place into a colorful envelope that is embellished with Noah’s Ark stickers. If necessary, fold down the elephant ears to make your invite fit.

NOAH’S ARK PHOTO INVITES – Cut an 8 1/2″ x 11″ card stock into two pieces and fold them in half. using decorative scissors, trim the edges of a photo of your baby dressed in an animal costume, so it is slightly smaller than the card stock. Glue the photo to the front of the invitation. Put “Join Me For A Cruise On Noah’s Ark” above the photo. On a piece of textured white paper (finished size 4 1/2″ x 7 1/2″), either type or handwrite in calligraphy all of your party details and then decorate the edges with Noah’s Ark stickers.

EMBELLISH READY-MADE NOAH’S ARK INVITES – Buy ready-made Noah’s Ark invitations and embellish the picture with various colors of glitter to match the animals. Glue tiny google eyes onto some of the animals, a ribbon around the neck of an animal, or perhaps a tiny silk flower near the ear of an animal.

Author Bio: Now that you have your invite ideas, perhaps you want to start thinking about Noahs Ark Birthday Party costumes, decorations, games, party food, cakes, favors, etc. Find more entertaining Noahs Ark Birthday Party ideas by visiting the Birthday Party Ideas 101 website, a party planning website written and edited by Professional Organizer, Elizabeth Chastain. Copyright: You may freely republish this article, provided the text, author credit, the active links, and this copyright notice remain intact.

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Why Are Miniature Dollhouses Such a Great Gift?

Friday, March 12th, 2010

Not only are miniature dollhouse collectibles great for you, but they’re a great gift for any of your friends and family. This is a gift that keeps on giving because it’s the beginning of a hobby and provides the opportunity for your gift recipient to get involved with a wonderful lifetime hobby. Anyone can enjoy miniature dollhouses and most pieces only recommend an age limit of 6-years-old or above.

To get someone started in the world of miniature dollhouses, perhaps you could purchase a doll house building kit and built it together. This a very heartfelt present because it involves more than just material goods; it provides an opportunity for you and the recipient to spend time together. Pick out a rather generic style of doll house unless you know exactly what your recipient will want. His or her first miniature dollhouse should be an opportunity to see the basic premise of this hobby and any subsequent miniature doll houses will be a great to express personal style and taste.

In addition to purchasing the house, perhaps you could also buy some miniature accessories to get the new collector started. This could include anything from bedroom furniture to miniature plants and clothes or even the dolls themselves. It may be a good idea to only get him or her generic items because picking out miniature collectibles that suit your needs can be the best part. You certainly don’t want to take this joy away from a new collector.

When deciding where to purchase miniature accessories, considering looking for an online retailer. These prices are often discounted and many Web sites offer special deals to users who sign up to receive an email newsletter. This is also beneficial if you don’t not live in the same area as your gift recipient. It wouldn’t be fair to expect him or her to travel a long way to use your gift certificate purchase a miniature dollhouse or miniature accessories.

If price is a factor or limitation for your gift giving, consider inviting other friends and loved ones to take advantage of your brilliant gift giving idea! They can share some of the financial burden, and will be so grateful that you were able to help come up with such a cohesive plan.

It’s so important to use this gift giving opportunity as a way to form a long term bond and relationship with your gift recipient. Don’t just give the gift and run! Take this chance to invite your friend or family member to join you at a miniature dollhouse collectors group or craft fair. Don’t miss our on this precious opportunity to share such a wonderful and lifelong hobby.

Miniature doll houses are truly the perfect gift for anyone. Men, women, boys, girls, young and old can all enjoy becoming a part of this growing hobby. Miniature dollhouse collectors are a niche group that form close bonds over something they really enjoy. You can become a part of an online community or an actual group and share and learn about collecting miniature doll houses.

Author Bio: Jade Greene writes about miniature dollhouses and other miniature collectibles.

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Revealed! The Secrets of Digital Printing on Light Colored and White Custom Tee-shirts

Wednesday, March 10th, 2010

Digital t-shirt printing is the technique used to print images, graphics, text and pictures or any other types of design on a fabric or specifically in this case a t-shirts. This is the technology used by online establishments to make customized tee-shirts, an inkjet or color laser printer is used for the purpose. There are several ways in which an image can be printed on a t-shirt but we are going to specifically talk about a technique known as t-shirt transfers. In this method a t-shirt transfer paper hold s the design till it is transferred on the fabric.

A t-shirt transfer paper in a specially coated paper that is designed to take printing. This is subsequently pressed on the t-shirt to transfer the design. There are two types of papers used in this technique, one for light and white colored fabrics and the other for darker color garments.

So, first step of the procedure is to choose the right type of transfer paper for the job. The technique is similar to the one used in manufacturing t-shirt transfer papers available at retail outlets such as Wal-Mart and Staples. However, the fundamental difference is in the quality of the paper used while the retail shop paper is not the best in the market, a good t-shirt printer will use commercial grade paper and transfer the image through a process known as heat transfer. The combination of the two will give you an impressive looking design and print and a durable t-shirt.

Like all other techniques used in printing images on customized t-shirts; this method also has its share of pros and cons so lets take a look at some of the advantages and disadvantages of using t-shirt transfers for printing a design on your custom tee-shirts.

This method is ideal if you need s ingle piece with unique design or a few tee-shirts with exclusive designs; you can simply print what you need and as many as you need so this makes the technique ideal for a small number of pieces unlike some other screen printing techniques that require a minimum number of tee-shirts.

Another benefit of using this technique is the full color printing effect. You design will be printed with inkjet or color laser printer, you can have as many colors as you like and all of them will be exactly the way you intended them to be when your design was on paper. Since color blending is possible in this technique, you can also print graphics and photos with gradient fills. There is also another advantage to using this technique; if you intend to stat your own designer custom t-shirt business; this technique will prove useful to make ‘one of their kind’ t-shirts. Also there will be no need for a set up; the best part about working with t-shirt transfers is that you do not need additional preparation. You can imply sketch the image that you would like to have printed on your customized t-shirt; then flip the design so that you get it just right on the t-shirt and press print. Or you could get customized t-shirts with the logo, name and telephone number of your company for your employees, potential clients and retailers. This is a wonderful way to get the word out about your business and your products.

One of the main problems that you will encounter when using this technique to make your custom t-shirts is the lack of white color. For instance, if you were to print the flag of the United States on a yellow t-shirt; the 50 stars will not be white but a light yellow. However, if you were to use the special transfer paper that is used for printing on darker fabrics; it should solve the problem.

If you want to make sure that your custom t-shirts last long, you will need to wash them properly otherwise the design may fade; the best way to wash a t-shirt with a design on it is inside out with cold water and detergent and do not put it in the dryer instead hand dry them.

Author Bio: Seomul Evans is SEO Services Consultant. ClickLearn more about Custom Tee Shirts and Custom Tee Shirts ideas.

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An Overview of the Four Most Popular Binding Styles

Wednesday, March 10th, 2010

If you’ve been trying to figure out which binding method to use, you know it’s not an easy decision. There’s a lot to think about including costs, how easy the method is, and if your documents will lay flat. So here’s an overview of the four most popular binding styles. After reading this, you should be able to decide on a style that’s right for you.

1.) Color coil: If your work needs a little splash of color, color coil is the binding method for you. It utilizes plastic spiral coils that are threaded through the holes in your document. The coils are available in a phenomenal amount of colors ranging from basic black and white to more flashy hues such as neon green. In fact, 60 colors are available, so this is a great method for any company that needs its documents to stand out. Coils are available in a variety and can bind up to 440 pages. They’ll hold their shape in the mail, plus they allow your books to lay flat so your readers will have a wonderful time perusing your work. And they’re not too expensive either so you can have durability and great looks for not a lot of cash.

2.) Plastic combs: Comb binding is probably the most popular style around and has been for almost half a century. It’s easy to see why since plastic combs are inexpensive, come in many sizes and colors, and are easy to obtain. Plus, you can re-open the combs if you need to edit your work after it’s been bound. Combs are either oval or circular, depending on how many pages they can bind, with the oval ones having the larger binding capacities. (A 2″ oval comb can bind up to 425 pages.) Documents bound with plastic combs will lay flat when they’re opened, but they don’t travel through the mail very well, so you’ll want to consider that if you plan on mailing your books.

3.) Thermal binding: If you’re looking to heat things up, this style is what you should choose. When you use this method, you won’t need to punch your documents. You can just print them, drop the pages into a thermal cover, and then place them on your machine. The machine will melt the glue inside the cover’s spine, creating a strong bond. It’s easy and fast, and best of all, your documents will look great because the covers used tend to look the covers of real books. The only drawback to this method is that the supplies cost more than either plastic combs or color coils. Nonetheless, if cost isn’t an issue, this method makes it easy to create both hardback and softcover books that look very professional. This is the method to use when you really want to impress someone.

4.) Twin-loop wire: Aside from thermal binding, twin-loop wire is the most elegant of all the methods listed in this article. Twin-loop wire spines can only be up to 1.25″ thick, so this isn’t the best methods to use if your documents tend to be lengthy. Plus, these supplies cost a bit more than combs or coils and you cannot edit your documents after the fact. Documents bound with wire spines also don’t do too well in the mail because it’s very easy for the spines to become crushed. Nonetheless, this is a method that will provide you with beautiful results, so if you need to create an eye-catching book, this method is a great one.

Choosing a binding style can be difficult, but it’s not impossible. Now that you’re aware of the four most popular styles, choosing one for your documents should be super easy.

Author Bio: If you’d like to order a Binding Machine, you should really visit MyBinding.com. They have great prices on these products, as well as a fabulous selection of Paper Shredders. Plus, you can get free shipping on all orders over $75.00.

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