Pink Ghost Blog

The popularity of rubber stamps for crafting use has exploded over the last decade. Rubber stamps are versatile, and can be used imaginatively for a variety of projects, including cards, scrap-booking, personalized gifts, and more. If your considering crafting with rubber stamps, here are some ideas and techniques to consider.

Choosing unmounted stamps, will give you much more storage space and flexibility. Unmounted stamps can be temporarily mounted with glue or foam, so you can use several wooden mounts without having to have a separate one for each stamp. Unmounted stamps can be easily stored in a binder with page protectors, or in some other type of flat organizational system. That way, you will find what you are looking for much easier once you start to build up your collection.

If you are first starting out, its best to purchase a few stamps at a time. You can get several
quality stamps to multitask with, and then, once you've had more experience, start to add to your collection. You may want to do some window shopping first, and perhaps try out some stamps in a physical craft store to get an idea of how they handle. When you are ready to purchase, you will find the widest selection online, and also have more flexibility with comparison shopping.

What type of stamps are good for building a collection? Large to medium background stamps in geometric shapes are extremely versatile. They can be used as a frame or a background for other stamps or embellishments, and depending on the presentation, can create a completely different look with each project. Another must have is a set of alphabet or letter stamps, which will allow you to create a variety of different messages. Depending on where your interests are, you may also want to
get stamps that are related by theme. For example, if most of your projects are birthday cards, you
may want to start with a few stamps that have a related theme, such as balloons or birthday hats.

In addition to starting with your stamps, you'll also need some other materials and supplies. You'll
want pigment pads with different ink colors. Another fun option is to use speciality pens that can be applied directly to the stamp, so when you stamp, you'll have different colors. In order to properly care for your stamps, stamp cleaner and a clean cloth will keep your stamps in good shape. You should clean your stamps after every use, but do not immerse them in water, as this can weaken the rubber.

The craft of rubber stamping is a fun and creative way to express yourself. Rubber stamps are versatile, and can be combined with a other crafting techniques to create one-of-a-kind expressions.
By starting slowly, you can give rubber stamping a try without breaking the bank.

Once upon a time women everywhere were blessed with the ability to sew. Not just because they loved it; as a matter of fact, love had very little to do with it. Sewing was an absolute necessity in the households of yesteryear. Mothers – in addition to their role as caretaker, cook, nurse, and cleaner – held the role of seamstress, making and mending clothes for the family and linens for the home. Subsequently, sewing was a skill that was passed down from generation to generation – an essential ability of all up and coming women. Today, with a bevy of retail stores at our fingertips, sewing is not something we have to do; but, rather, is something we choose to do. And many people choose to sew for a variety of reasons. Chances are, if you are someone who enjoys sewing than you have had many a sewing basket on hand throughout the years.

We may remember a sewing basket from the days of our grandparents; perhaps you remember one sitting near the feet of your grandmother as she sewed. The sewing basket has modified its appearance for modern times – taking on a variety of looks to suit contemporary tastes. But regardless of how it looks, the sewing basket still fits the same purpose – to hold all the items necessary for sewing.

A sewing basket is a compact space that holds all the tools required for sewing such as needles, pins, thread, scissors, measuring tape, thimbles, and the like. For an organized person, a sewing basket is absolutely essential for a successful and enjoyable sewing experience. It ensures that all that you need is all in one place without you having to look around to find it.

In order to find a sewing basket that fits your style head to your nearest fabric store. Fabric stores carry a variety of sewing tools including baskets of all shapes, colors, styles, and prices. A sewing basket can also make a wonderful gift for the sewing enthusiast in your life; fill a sewing basket with a variety of different colored thread, needles, and pins – it's the perfect present for the crafty person in your life.

Sewing continues to be a hobby that brings people a multitude of benefits – including joy, relaxation, and the ability to make creative and unique products with their own two hands. A sewing basket can organize your space and make sewing a hobby that you can take anywhere.

Funky peg art stars can make a modern looking display. The stars are simply made from pegs and can be painted in any colour to fix in with your Christmas decoration theme.

To make a peg art Christmas star you will need…
20 spring type clothes pegs, a suitable wood glue, paint, thread for a hanging loop, a glass bottle and two identical blocks of wood - Jenga bricks are ideal. Don't worry, they are just for support and will be fine to return to the game afterwards.

To start with you need to dismantle the clothes pegs and remove the springs. You'll find this is easy to do, just twist the peg ends in opposite directions.

Glue your peg halves backs together so that the flat sides are back to back. You will end up with a round bulbous end and a thin tapered end. Leave the pegs to dry.

The star centre piece.
With the pegs on their side sop that you can see the glued joining line, stick 6 pegs together at their round end. Each peg needs to be lined up in a straight line with the peg opposite it. A small hole will naturally form at the centre of the pegs as you align them. Leave the centre piece to dry.

The star quarter pieces.
Again with the pegs on their side join 3 pegs together at the round ends. The pegs need to be at 45 degrees angle from one another.

Make two star quarter pieces in this way and allow to dry.

Star double pieces.
With the pegs on their sides, stick two pegs together at the round end at a 45 degrees angle.

Make four double pieces in this way and allow to dry.

To assemble the star…
With the star centre piece flat on the table glue on one quarter piece on one quarter piece in an upright position so that the centre peg is directly above the hole in the star centre piece.

Put a jenga block on both sides and running parallel to the quarter piece at approximately 2.5cm away.

Take two star double pieces and rest them on these blocks with the round ends glued to meet the rounded ends of the star centre piece and the quarter piece.

The double pieces should be adjusted so that they form a 45 degree angle between the other two pieces.

Leave the star to dry.

To attach the quarter and double pieces to the other side of the star, you need to stand the star in a glass bottle with a slim neck.

This will make the centrepiece flat as before. Glue on the quarter and double pieces in the same way as before and leave the star to dry.

Paint the star in whatever colour you choose. It is probably easiest to use car spray paint, do follow the instructions on the tin and only spray in a properly ventilated room. A few thin even coats will give the best finish.

When the paint is dry thread some gold thread through a hole in one of the star spikes. This is the hanging loop to suspend the star.

For extra glamour wind tinsel around the star spikes at the heart of the star.

While I've never been the artistic type, I have found a new hobby that most people would assume you need some artistic talent to master. That's certainly what I always thought whenever I would attend a fair, festival or school event that had someone doing face painting designs for the kids.

Actually, I always dreaded the long lines that were inevitable when there was a face painter at a local event. I would try to coax my children away, but they were always determined to wait however long it took to get a turn at having their faces painted with some masterpiece they had chosen. Most of the time, they were so delighted with the results, I had a difficult time convincing them to wash their faces in the evening when it was time for bed.

It never occured to me that I might be able to master some of these face painting designs, as I always assumed the people doing it had some sort of artistic background. So you can imagine my surprise when my daughter attended a birthday party for a friend and I saw that the face painter they had hired turned out to be the birthday child's mom!!

When I inquired, she told me that she found this incredible e-book that taught her step by step about 50 different face painting designs that she was able to master with just some practice in her free time. Not only was this far less expensive than hiring a facepainter, she now had the skills to offer her services as a volunteer or to make some extra money doing other kids parties.

That night I got myself a copy of this ebook that she recommended and I discovered not only how easy it is to learn the face painting designs, but how much fun it is too! My kids and their friends are always asking me to paint their faces, and I love doing something for them that makes them so happy. I've already volunteered at a carnival for my son's school and will be doing my face painting designs for my daughter s friends at her upcoming birthday party.

Do you know of anyone who has recently fallen ill or someone who may have recently been admitted to the hospital? If so, you may be interested in getting them a get well gift. Although get well gifts are nice, they are a little bit tricky. There are many individuals, possibly even you, who wonder what type of get well gift they should give or if they should even give one at all.

When it comes to giving a get well gift to someone that you know, it may be a good idea to give a get well gift basket. Get well gift baskets are very popular get well gifts. One of the reasons for that is because they come in a number of different sizes, shapes, and styles. Depending on who the get well gift basket is for, you may be able to include some candy, a stuffed animal, flowers, health and beauty product, and much more.

Although a get well gift basket is a great gift to give, you may also be wondering if you should even get one. When it comes to determining if you should give someone that you know a get well gift, like a get well gift basket, there are a number of important factors that you may want to take into consideration. A few of those factors are outlined below.

Perhaps, the biggest factor to take into consideration is the individual in question. How well do you know them? Are you related to the individual who is sick or in the hospital? If you are just a distant friend of the person in question, you may be able to get away without giving a get well gift, but if you are a close friend or a relative, it may be a good idea to give the person in question at get well gift basket or even another get well gift. Get well gifts, including gift baskets, often bring a smile to the recipient's face and that smile can be the perfect medicine.

Another factor that you may want to take into consideration is your location and the location of your sick friend or relative. Most individuals tend to visit their close friends or relatives when they are sick; however, it isn't always possible. If you do not live near the individual in question or if you are unable to visit them at home or at the hospital, you may want to think about sending a get well gift basket. Get well gift baskets are the perfect gift in this instance, as many can be ordered online and delivered directly to the recipient's door.

The above mentioned points are just a few of the many that you will want to keep in mind, when trying to determine whether or not you should give someone that you know a get well gift basket. As a reminder, gift baskets can easily be ordered online.

In California you can find a shop called Goebel Miniatures where they produce miniature renditions of the M.I. Hummel figurines. These miniatures are about the size of a dime. This shop is the only shop and the sole producer of these little miniatures.

A few years before this shop came about, an artist by the name of Robert Olszewski made several miniature replicas of Hummel figurines in gold. He was not aware that he needed to get permission from Goebel in order to do this. Before Goebel found out about Robert's work and stopped him, he had made the following five miniatures:

Barnyard Hero

Stormy Weather

Kiss Me

Ring Around the Rosie

Ride into Christmas

Robert had also made a few solid gold bracelets with each one of the above named miniatures attached. These bracelets and the unauthorized miniatures have since become highly sought after and are worth alot of money.

Goebel recognized Robert's talent and realized there was a market for the miniatures. The interesting result was the birth of the Goebel Miniatures Shop where Robert was hired under contract with Goebel. As of 1994, Robert no longer works for Goebel.

When the very first Hummel miniatures were released in 1988, they all got a circular backstamp trademark which carried the mold number, the year and the name Olszewski along with Goebel's name. These are also highly sought after.

People are sometimes surprised at the cost of these little miniatures. What most people don't realize though what is all involved in creating these little treasures. First of all, they are not made of earthenware, but of bronze instead. It also takes the artist about 200 hours or more to carve the new creation in wax. The wax sculpture is then converted into a sterling silver master mold. From this silver mold the plaster molds are made and the moulten bronze is poured into these. The final steps is the painting and packaging.

Goebel Miniatures has made many other types of miniatures besides just the M.I. Hummels. Of the M.I. Hummels there was a series that they call "Kinder Way" It was a set of six little Bavarian buildings and settings that were all connected by little bridges and are named as follows:

Market Square

Flower Stand

Countryside School

Wayside Shrine

Bavarian Cottage

Bavarian Village

In early 1992 Goebel announced that the Kinder Way Bavarian Village settings would be permanently retired. They also announced that the production of the M.I. Hummel figurines miniatures would also be suspended indefinitely. To this day, Goebel has no plans to resume production of these cute little miniatures, although there have been at least three produced since 1992 as special editions only. They are:

Ring Around the Rosie

The Mail is Here

Honey Lover

M.I. Hummel miniatures are cute and different and add extensively to any Hummel collection. Robert Olszewski's work is also highly sought after, so if you have any miniatures by him, you may want to consider hanging onto them!

Did you know that doll collecting is rated as the second biggest collectible hobby in the United States?

With all the different doll manufacturers there are today, it can sometimes get confusing on what kind of doll is best to buy. Besides having to determine which manufacturer is the best one to go with, you then need to figure out which kind of doll is suited best for the purpose. Do you want a hand crafted doll, Artist doll, play doll, designer doll, licensed doll? It can get confusing.

Which manufacturer you go with is a matter of personal taste. Germany although, is known throughout the world for their quality made dolls. There have been many countries that have tried to follow but have never been able to match. To this day, Germany is still the leader in quality doll production.

No matter which manufacturer you decide to go with, there are still other considerations. The following is a list of the different types of dolls most manufacturers produce today.

Artist Dolls:

These dolls are specialty dolls often designed to look very much like a real child or person and are among the most expensive. Most often, they are produced in limited editions making it more affordable for the merchants and customers to buy. Newly made original Artist dolls can cost up to and over $5,000. That's a hefty price to pay for most doll collectors. Once the dolls are sold out, the mold is broken and the dolls are not made again. This is another reason for the high price tag.

The artists that make these dolls usually have contracts with specific manufacturers. For example, Hildegard Guenzel is a well known artist that produces dolls for Goetz.

Artist dolls are not the type of doll you would want to buy for child's play. These sorts of dolls are bought mostly by doll collectors between the ages of 30 - 45 and average in price of around $600 give or take a few hundred.

Variation Dolls:

These dolls can also be made by artists as well as the companies that manufacturer them. A variation doll is a doll that stays in production usually for a few years or longer. From year to year certain features of the doll may change. It may be something as simple as a different outfit, or the hair style or face shape may change a bit in the following year. Schildkroet is a good example of this. They carry a classic collection line of dolls which pretty much stays the same year after year. Each year you may see slight variations in the same dolls.

Variation dolls are not as expensive as Artist dolls. They can start as low as $40 on up to $500 or more.

Classic Collection Dolls:

Classic dolls are usually replicas of older dolls dating back to the late 1800's to early 1900's. I have even seen some replicas from earlier dates. They usually come in limited editions and average in prices from $100 - $500 depending on the manufacturer. These types of dolls are usually bought by people that remember having a doll of this sort as a child. These dolls should sit on a shelf for display only.

Hand Crafted Dolls:

These dolls can be manufactured by the companies themselves or sometimes you will even find these dolls designed by artists. Some can come with certificates and others wont. It can vary. These dolls can be played with and are usually a higher quality than the simple "play doll" varieties. Facial features may be more realistic and the materials are designed with play in mind, meaning you will find many of the soft bodied and bath babies in this category. These dolls are mostly bought for older children. Hand Crafted dolls are also sought after by collectors..

Licensed Dolls:

These dolls are dolls that the manufacturer has licensing rights to sell or produce. For example, Goetz manufacturers a "Harry Potter" doll under a special licensing agreement. Engel-Puppen has a special licensing agreement with Goebel to produce the Hummel dolls. These dolls can vary from expensive limited editions to play dolls.

Play Dolls:

Play dolls are made especially for children. They are designed to be dragged around by an arm, left lying on the floor for you to trip over, squeezed to death, spanked and thrown in a toy box.

There are hundreds of variations of play dolls. Some designed for a little less play in mind to the ones that couldn't break if a bulldozer ran over it. Manufacturers of play dolls are always careful to make sure the dolls are made of non-toxic materials and flame retardant clothing. Most of these dolls are made especially soft for children's play and includes the bath babies as well. Many of them are very easy to clean just by putting them in a tied pillow case and into the washing machine.

In closing, the doll you decide to purchase most likely will be one that just strikes you, no matter who made the doll. Most often, this is how dolls are purchased. You see a doll in the window that either reminds you of your childhood, or one that has a striking resemblance to a loved one. Many times, this is all it takes, and before you know it, you have the doll in your hands.