As we celebrate Labor Day here in the US, we thought it would be fun to share some Labor Day factoids with you!

Did you know…

• The first Labor Day holiday was celebrated on Tuesday, September 5, 1882, in New York City, in accordance with the plans of the Central Labor Union. The Central Labor Union held its second Labor Day holiday just a year later, on September 5, 1883.

• In 1884 the first Monday in September was selected as the holiday, as originally proposed, and the Central Labor Union urged similar organizations in other cities to follow the example of New York and celebrate a “workingmen’s holiday” on that date. The idea spread with the growth of labor organizations, and in 1885 Labor Day was celebrated in many industrial centers of the country.
• Most folks celebrate Labor day with cookouts, parties, and SHOPPING!

As a matter of fact, to celebrate Labor Day, our sponsor ConsumerCrafts.com is offering free shipping with NO minimum purchase through midnight EST tonight! Use the promo code FREE at checkout. Happy Labor Day, and happy shopping!

I cannot tell you how many times I have inadvertently dropped a tray of beads, a box of eyelets, or a container of crystals. (In my neck of the woods, we call this a “craft-alanche.”) How to pick those little buggers up in a hurry, without losing them to the vacuum sweeper? Well, Darice’s Craft Vac is the answer! Take a look:

This little tool is a real time- and craft materials-saver! Make sure you add one to your cart the next time you place an order with ConsumerCrafts.com.

Hey! Need art or craft supplies? This weekend is a great time to order them from ConsumerCrafts.com because they are offering FREE SHIPPING with no minimum order. Check it:

We’re doing it again!

Don’t miss out on your opportunity to get any order shipped for Free*!

NO MINIMUMS!

As always, ConsumerCrafts is your one stop shop for the absolute lowest everyday prices on all of your crafting needs!

Going back-to-school can be a scary time for young children.  I wanted to make something for my son that would inspire and encourage him.

Using the wood burning techniques I had learned in my previous post I made this “Super Star” plaque for my son.

Materials:

• 1191-60 Wood burning tool  w/3pc accessory tips
• 9149-09 5×7 in wood oval plaque
• Assorted Paint (2700-41)
• Clear Glaze (SW0500)
• Sandpaper (9142-45B)

Instructions:

1. Fully sand wooden plaque.

2. Design and sketch an inspirational saying onto the wooden plaque.

3. Place the fine thin tip onto the Darice Wood Burning Tool and outline the sketch. (Read up on how to use the Woodburning Tool HERE.)

4. Let the wood burning tool cool off and then place the larger rounded tip onto it.

5. Use the larger tip like a crayon and color the words in, along with any larger images (like the stars).

6. Use paint to add color to the plaque.

7. Finish the plaque with a clear glaze.

Enjoy! Be creative and cheer on that little person in your life!

Disclosure

This cuff is meant to be random, free form and unstructured. It does not require a great deal of concentration and if you like to multi-task, you can listen to a book on tape or watch a movie while working and you’ll be done before you know it!

Materials Needed:

• Bead Soup * (this one has tiger eye chips, pearls, copper beads, and blue seed beads)
• (1) roll 24 ga. copper wire (32030-13)
• Cuff (1991-19)
• Wire cutters (1893-05)

1. Make a *bead soup by mixing miscellaneous beads ranging in size from 2 – 6 mm in colors that coordinate with copper wire.

2. Wrap the entire cuff with 24 ga copper wire.

3. Cut approx 24” of copper wire and anchor one end of the wire near the center of the cuff by wrapping it around the cuff a few times. String beads randomly, a few inches at a time and begin wrapping back and forth in a random pattern on the cuff. Take care not to let the wire pull the top and bottom of the cuff together.

4. Keep wrapping and adding beads as desired. Add more wire when required. Stop when you are happy with the result. Enjoy!

Disclosure

It’s a new school year and new backpacks and jackets have been purchased- but it’s only a matter of time before my kids yank the pulls right off of the zippers! So I’m getting the jump on repairs by making some fun, recycled ones that the kids can personalize.

We’re building the base on an unlikely substrait- Formica samples from the home improvement store! You can pick a few up the next time you’re there, and if you ask nicely, you can probably snag a whole chain of samples that have been retired! I like them because they are light, strong, and heading into a landfill unless YOU rescue them and get crafty!

That being said, you’ll need:

• countertop color chips (from the home-improvement store)
• Mod Podge (Glossy or Matte, your choice)
• Studio 71 acrylic paint, your choice of color
• foam paintbrushes (Item jen2)
• old comic books, canceled stamps, or other recycled images and/or
• stickers, glitter glue (stuff you have lying around!)
• Paper Glaze (Items DC30-15)
• KeyChains (Item 1880-83)
• Pliers to open the ring

Begin by removing the sticker on the back of the chip (the wood-y side). Usually with just a little water it will peel off. Paint the back with 2 coats of white paint (or color that coordinates with your image)  and let dry thoroughly between each coat, using a foam brush.

Cut your  image from a comic book, magazine, or cancelled stamps to fit on the chip. Apply a thin coat of Mod Podge on the painted side, then apply your image. Spread another thin coat on top. After it’s dry,  put on one more coat. Then, if you like you can decorate with Sharpie Marker, put some Stickles glitter glue on, or apply a monogram sticker.

Use Mod Podge as a layer UNDER and OVER your images.

Make sure top coat of Mod Podge seals everything down.

Finish off with a nice coat of Aileen’s Paper Glaze, avoiding the hole.

Aileen's Paper Glaze goes on milky, but will dry crystal-clear, raised, and shiny!

Let it dry 24 hours and then put your key chain through the hole, and fasten the small ring onto your zipper! (Use pliers to twist open the ring and thread it through.)

Voila! Cute, functional, and Earth-friendly! Have fun…

Disclosure

I know you all love a bargain or a coupon as much as I do- and just got word that our sponsor, www.ConsumerCrafts.com, is offering FREE SHIPPING this weekend without a minimum purchase. So if you’ve thinking of getting your holiday crafting started, now is a GREAT time to place your order and save some cash!

Enter code WEEKEND2 at checkout to get your free shipping! Offer ends on Monday, August 31, 2010.

Happy Shopping!

Do you have a crafty conundrum? A creative quiery? Just want to ask some friendly advice? You can “Ask Jenny!” OK, that’s ME, but I’m here for your as your friendly craft concierge. To ask a question, click the “Ask Jenny” tab at the top and you’ll find an email address that will channel it straight to me.

I’ll do my best to answer you in a timely fashion, and your question may appear here on CraftsUnleashed as a future post!

I have never used Darice’s wood burning tool or any wood-burning tool, for that matter.  I was excited for the opportunity to use a new crafting tool.  I opened the package; it comes with the wood burner, a stand, and several different wood burning tips.

I experimented with the tips on scrap wood for several hours and this is what I learned:

1. The wood you are working with really needs to be sanded down.  The rough splintered wood is very hard to make a design on.
2. The thin pointed tip works great for outlining.
3. The larger rounded tip works great for shadowing almost like a crayon.
4. It is best to sketch your design with pencil on the wood before you burn it.
5. Do not press the tip into the wood but slowly run it along the wood.
6. Mix wood-burning techniques with paint for a fun effect.
7. Wait for the wood-burning tool to fully cool off before you screw another tip onto the tool.

I used a princess cut-out provided by Consumer Crafts to practice some of the techniques I had learned.  I had read somewhere that ivy was an easy technique with a wood burning tool and I wanted to give it a try.

I began by first tracing the inside of the princess cut-out with the fine tip attachment.

Then I wanted to add little leaves.  There is an attachment that is shaped like a leaf that I thought would be perfect for the job.  Turns out it just makes scorch marks.  I wasn’t really a big fan of this applicator and was glad that I tried it out on practice piece.

Lastly, I tried the larger rounded tip to make little leaves and I loved out those turned out!

The biggest thing I learned while working with Darice’s Wood Burning Tool is not to press too hard, but too work slowly and methodically creating my image.  I am a crayon snapper, I am a high-stress person and I press down really hard on everything, whether I am using a pencil, pen, or even a paint brush.  Using the wood burning tool was a wonderful stress release for me.  There was something very calming about knowing that I had to do it slowly and lightly or I would ruin the piece.

The final and most important thing I learned is; if you don’t like it sand it off and start again!

We love gadgets that make our crafting easier and more fun, and the Bead Spinner by Darice fits the bill. Great for jewelry makers and knitter/crocheters alike, the Bead Spinner makes it easy to load seed beads onto wire, thread, or yard saving you time and effort. Take a look at the demonstration video below.

It’s time to start thinking about those holiday crafts, and the Bead Spinner by Darice is a must-have! It’s available at ConsumerCrafts.com for only $24.95. Get crafting!