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A drawing compass can come in handy, but most are the size kids use in school. I quickly found out that here locally, there were no large compasses to be had. Not only do they come in handy for my own art work, but there is some demand for the compasses them selves. So I present the following approximate pattern and photos of the one I made.
(Please note: pattern may not be exact or to scale and some adjustments may need to be made. The pattern is presented as an approximate to the original and is intended as more of a guide. It should also be noted that the pattern may need adjusting depending on materials used and thickness of wood or other materials used.)
Note: 1/4 " wood was used
I used glue to hold and position the mechanical pencil and metal point. I then used wire to hold them in place while the glue set and left them in place to add strength. Any point can be used for the fulcrum, such as a nail, push pin, ect.
Of course when I am making them for sale, I take care to use much nicer material, such as brass nails, ect. The size circle you can draw depends on how long or how many joints. A second screw and wing nut in the middle of the fulcrum, but I find it just as easy to just make the compass bigger.
I hope this idea is of help to the crafters and artists out there that need to make big circles and great art. Thank you for taking the time to read my blog and please check out our other blogs and subscribe. Please feel free to make constructive comments or suggestions.
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In this day and age finding a legitimate and ethical way to make money online is sometimes near impossible. But there are a few companies that actually look out for your best interest. One such company is the following.
Browse other gifts from Zazzle.
I have been working with Zazzle.com for over eight years and although I have not gotten rich doing so, I have gotten fair and ethical treatment. As to how much I make it varies and as the old saying goes"you get out of it what you put into it."
First Zazzle is one of the few companies that allows you to keep your copyrights. In other words what you create you keep. It should also be understood that artisans should never give up all their rights and should never give up those rights indefinitely. Zazzle is allowed to use my artwork so long as I have it on the website and on their products for sale. I can remove any of my products at any time and the copyrights revert back to me. At the same time I agree only to use products that I own the copyrights to and agree that I will not publish my designs or artwork elsewhere and that Zazzle retains exclusive rights . So it is a good idea to periodically read thoroughly any and all agreements with whatever company you are doing business with. The contract is there not only to protect the company but also to protect you.
Zazzle does a fair job of protecting your artwork from plagiarist and will give you friendly reminders when you accidentally create something too close to someone else's design. But always keep in mind that no one is perfect and Zazzle has its hands full just managing their own website.
Zazzle will also help you promote your products with designer ads and other promotional tools. This is where having a blog or website is helpful as you will need to be able to advertise and promote your artwork. The Zazzle blog is very helpful with giving ideas suggestions on how to promote your work.
It should also be noted that there are a couple of other ways to make money with Zazzle even if you're not an artisan. It should be noted that once you sign up, you can help promote and sell other people's work and receive a commission for that promotion. What is really cool is that you can help sell brand-name products such as the following.
View more gifts at Zazzle. Selling and promoting products such as DC comics, Disney, Marvel, and far too many to mention here. It is easy and fun once you get the hang of it, so spend some time on the Zazzle website, see if there isn't some niche you can fill and make money from.
Just be sure and read all the fine print and make sure your following all the rules. It is a great way to create a passive income that can help pay the bills.
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Miniature craft bottles can be had from an array of sources. E_Bay, and Amazon just to name a few, but I avidly recycle and believe nothing should go to waste. To that end I found that red ginseng comes in these little glass amber bottles. Ginseng can be found in your local health food store or Asian market. They come in delightful cardboard boxes, 10 or more to a box, that I also use in my craft projects, but that's another story.
As for the cost of the miniature glass bottles, it may be cheaper to simply buy them on eBay, unless you're like me and you're already using ginseng. After you have consumed the contents of the bottle, it is a simple matter of using a pair of pliers to carefully remove the metal cap. Once you have removed the metal cap, thoroughly rinse the inside of the bottle. Note: The ginseng once dry, is harder to remove, so it is easier to clean if you rinse the bottle right after consuming the contents.
When you have accumulated several bottles, soak the bottles overnight in a bowl of water. This will loosen the label and make it easy to remove by simply rubbing the label off with your fingernails or popsicle stick.
Once you have your clean bottles obtain a wood dowel that is slightly larger than the diameter of the mouth of the bottle. Cut the dowels in 1 inch lengths and sand one end to snugly fit the mouth of the bottle to make your bottle stopper. A pencil sharpener may work also, but you may want to sand afterward with fine sandpaper to smooth any rough edges. Then using a rotary tool, or sanding disk you can shape the top of the bottle stopper to a half round or a smaller dowel shaft on which you can affix your pony beads. Remember that the upper shaft needs to be just small enough for the beads to slip on with some glue. Don't make your shafts too small or you might break the stopper when you try to remove it from the bottle. I have found that the half-moon design( bottom left ) is a more sturdy design and saves the expense of using beads and is easier to grip when removing the stopper. That said, the bottles with the beads are more appealing, and are a better seller.
Once you have your stoppers complete you can paint them or add beads depending on the style stopper created.
When your bottle is finished it is ready for whatever you may want to put in them, dry spices, trinkets, talisman,etc. keep in mind I have not tested these bottles with liquids such as oils or perfumes and if your stopper is not a perfect fit they may leak.
So there you have your crafty little bottles that are perfect for decoration, little love notes, wishes and more. They make a great conversation piece or decoration with ribbons and bows on packages.
So happy crafting, and have a great day from the Nevada Crafter at nevadacrafter.com.
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Plastic jugs can easily be recycled or up-cycled into usable products. This plastic jug was an almond milk jug. Orange juice also comes in this type of jug. The line drawn on the jug is where you make your cut. The lines can be adjusted to meet your needs. Each jug depending on its shape may determine where you cut your plastic and it is more of a judgment call than an exact science.
A dremel saw blade( or any Rotary tool with micro saw blade) such as this works easily and quickly to complete the job. Be sure and use all safety equipment such as goggles and gloves if necessary. Utility scissors may also be used or a very good box knife used with caution.
Once your cut is complete your project is essentially done. The half on the right becomes a feed scoop, or string dispenser and the half on the left can be used as a parts bin that can be either stacked or mounted on the wall.
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First off let me explain that this is a conceptual presentation and may not be complete instructions. One should use all safety precautions and proper tools in constructing this craft item. It is not intended as a child's project or toy and should not be placed within reach of children as the edges of the metal can be sharp if not properly sealed or bent over.
First we start with two aluminum cans of the same size diameter and a coathanger, brazing rod or any rigid piece of wire. You will need also a hot glue gun and for pony beads. A drill and a small drill bit or a nail and hammer. (Drill bit or nail should be same diameter as wire being used or slightly smaller.)
Taking one of the cans we use a fabric tape measure to measure the diameter of the can and divide it into equal widths. (For this Arizona tea can it came out to 1 1/8 inch) remember to mark both ends of the can and draw a line from top to bottom between the two marks using a marker. When your project is complete you can remove any unsightly marks with rubbing alcohol.
(NOTE: smaller cans will require different measurements. It should also be noted that shorter blades for the propeller will work better in stronger winds.)
With a pair of scissors, box cutter or pocket knife carefully cut the top off the can. We recommend wearing leather gloves for this as a precaution.
Here we are using utility scissors and it should be noted we do not cut all the way to the bottom. End your cut about 3/8" to a 1/4" off of the bottom, above the curve as marked in the above photo.
Bend the blades out and slightly twist all the blades in the same direction forming a propeller.
For this next step we are going to use the other can. Measure a half inch to an 1"off the bottom of this can and cut it off. Slightly bend the edges of this bottom inward so as to fit it inside of the backside of our propeller. (Inside the bottom of the other can) try to keep it as even as you can. Then place it on a level surface with a scrap piece of wood underneath it. Use a BB or marble or even a drop of water in the indentation to find the center of the can and drill a hole slightly smaller or the same size as the wire you are using. This does not need to be perfectly centered but the closer the better. If you are using the nail and hammer to create your hole you may want to punch the whole with each half separate.
Make an L-shape out of your wire and thread the short length through both bottoms using two pony beads on either side. Hot glue the outer beads in place, as shown above, and leave the inner beads loose to act as washers for the propeller. (Note: make sure the long side of your wire is long enough to place in the ground or on a fence post and still allow propeller to spin freely. I used a spoke from a bicycle which isn't long enough to put in the ground but can be mounted on a fence post.) At this point you may wish to glue the two can bottoms together. You may also wish to coat any sharp edges with nail polish or glue. You can use a pair of pliers to bend the edges in so there are no sharp edges, but I have found this very time-consuming.
So there you have your soda can pinwheel. Please feel free to leave constructive ideas and suggestions.
[Note; as of 6-11-2015 a strong thunder storm came through and blew the wind spinner apart. So a redesign is needed. Shorter blades or reinforce blades would be more apt to survive high wind gusts. And at present I cannot recommend this wind spinner for anything other than light winds with the present design. We will try to come up with design improvements and update this post at some point in the future. Constructive suggestions are welcome.]
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Often we are throwing out and replacing paintbrushes that were left to sit in the bottom of a jar. This flares and ruins the brush and if left long enough dried out, brittle and useless. This can be expensive, time-consuming and just a plain waste. But here is a jar that will keep your paintbrushes like new. It is a simple and easy DIY to make with found materials. And can be sold at arts and craft shows for several dollars.
The jar stays sealed and suspends paintbrushes off the bottom of the jar. Liquids can be added to the jar for cleaning the brushes. The jar is airtight and thus maintains a plasticity of the bristles.
The lid consists of a mason jar ring, a mason jar lid with a hole cut in it and a piece of rubber cut from a tire innertube. Cut the innertube to the same size as the mason jar lid and place it on top of the mason jar lid when assembling. Punch several small holes in the rubber innertube, preferably with a leather punch. Make the diameter of the holes slightly smaller than the handle of the brushes being used. (This is to keep an airtight fit around the handle of the paintbrush and to help hold the brush in place when it is being suspended off the bottom of the jar. )It is important that you use some type of hole punch to keep the holes from splitting and allowing air in the jar.
I use a glass jar and metal lids because the paints and solvents I use would dissolve any other type of container. But if you're only using water-based paints then a plastic jar or cup could be used.
To add paintbrushes to the jar simply push the handle of the paint brush up through the bottom of the lid and through the holes in the rubber seal that you have made. Adjust the brush so that the brush is not sitting on the bottom of the jar and there you have it. The perfect paint brush cleaning and storage jar.
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When you have accumulated several bottles, soak the bottles overnight in a bowl of water. This will loosen the label and make it easy to remove by simply rubbing the label off with your fingernails or popsicle stick.
Once your cut is complete your project is essentially done. The half on the right becomes a feed scoop, or string dispenser and the half on the left can be used as a parts bin that can be either stacked or mounted on the wall.
First we start with two aluminum cans of the same size diameter and a coathanger, brazing rod or any rigid piece of wire. You will need also a hot glue gun and for pony beads. A drill and a small drill bit or a nail and hammer. (Drill bit or nail should be same diameter as wire being used or slightly smaller.)
Often we are throwing out and replacing paintbrushes that were left to sit in the bottom of a jar. This flares and ruins the brush and if left long enough dried out, brittle and useless. This can be expensive, time-consuming and just a plain waste. But here is a jar that will keep your paintbrushes like new. It is a simple and easy DIY to make with found materials. And can be sold at arts and craft shows for several dollars.
The jar stays sealed and suspends paintbrushes off the bottom of the jar. Liquids can be added to the jar for cleaning the brushes. The jar is airtight and thus maintains a plasticity of the bristles.
