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Craft Tips

Every craft involves different skills and know-how. This is the place where you will find hints, tips, and tricks to help you master your favorite craft.

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Break mirrors, plates, or tiles for projects by sealing them in a heavy-duty zip lock bag and breaking with a hammer.
With a hot glue gun pick up a drop of glue on the tip of the skewer. Let it dry. Use it to pick up tiny beads and rhinestones to place them exactly where you need them. The glue is a little tacky so it picks it up very nice. If it looses its tackiness, then add more glue. - www.terriocraftprojects.com
Coat burned out light bulbs with a water-based varnish, tissue paper and metallic paints. Add a colorful yarn string to create a holiday ornament (And it's safe - if the bulb breaks, the varnish and tissue stay intact).
For Cake decorating, use a thin layer of frosting under fondant to help it stick to the cake. If you're placing white fondant on chocolate cake, use a white frosting under the fondant so that the cake does not show through.
For patio projects such as painting on concrete, use old brushes, then throw them away.
Heat from a blow drier causes strings of hot glue to disintegrate immediately.
If your polymer clay hardens while in storage, add a few drops of mineral oil and let it sit for an hour, then mix.
Looking for the right adhesive? Check out www.thistothat.com where you can select the two object types you want to adhere together and learn what the best adhesive is to use!
Make small bows by tying the bows first before cutting the ribbon.
Pipecleaners should be cut using wire cutters - You may damage your scissors if they are used to cut pipecleaners or any type of wire.
Spread just a hint of color by dry brushing with old paintbrushes.
Store bottles of glue upside down in jars. That way it is always ready to go without waiting.
Tape or staple swatches of ribbon or fabric to index cards. This makes it easier to get extra supplies at the craft store.
To clean sea shells for use in craft projects, soak your shells overnight in a solution of half household bleach and half water. For stubborn barnacles, remove by scraping with a knife or pick.
To reposition a hot-glued item, warm the glue with a heat embossing gun and then it will come loose.
Use a lotion-infused tissue to wipe the tip of a glue tube before closing it. The lotion keeps the cap from sticking.
Use plastic party table covers for messy crafts. They protect better than newspaper and can be used more than once.
Use toothpicks to apply expensive brand name glue. You will never put too much on your project and more will stay in the bottle.
When cutting paper, always remember to turn the piece you are cutting – not the scissors. You will find this makes your cutting much easier and more precise
When doing decoupage, use rounded lacquered chopsticks to smooth out any air bubbles or wrinkles after gluing. You can usually find lacquered chopsticks (which are smoother than un-lacquered sticks) in Asian markets or gift shops.
When embossing with thick embossing powder always heat from under the paper. This will keep the embossing crystals from flying off and will give you a more even look on you image.
When spray painting a small item on all sides, place it on a lazy susan covered with plastic or newspaper. Simply spin the lazy susan with one hand while you spray paint with the other.
When using metallic paint, brush one coat in one direction to cover. (The particles all lay in one direction.)
With clay, understanding how much of each color to use requires some experience, and trial and error. Blending equal parts of two colors together will not result in a color half–way between the two; the stronger color will dominate, so use less of it.