What do you think the earliest recorded use of beads is ‚ is your first thought perhaps beadwork created by the Egyptians? Yes, there certainly were a lot of beaded items in Egyptian times, but beadwork has been found dating back to the Stone Age (the Upper Paleolithic period). Beads were added to rudimentary clothing; these beads were made of shells and ivory. Of course, the beads weren’t as finely crafted as later beads, but still, they were beads. So even in caveman times, men and women were interested in improving their clothing and appearance with the use of beads.

The beads that we tend to think of as traditional beadwork are called seed beads ‚ because of their small size they resemble seeds. These beads were used in early beadwork ‚ the work of the Egyptians.

The Egyptians used a type of bead called faience beads. Our seed beads today are made of glass, but Egyptians were using beads long before the invention of glass. Their faience beads were made from quartz particles fused together. A glaze was applied over the quartz. The beads were then woven or strung into a variety of jewelry and clothing.

Beaded necklaces were found in the tomb of King Tut. Other beaded items in his tomb were a pair of slippers he perhaps wore as a child and a hassock. It’s unusual for ancient beadwork to survive since it was strung on cords made from leather and cloth, which tend to disintegrate with age. We are fortunate to have these few examples to give us a perspective on the history of Egyptian beading.

Some religious texts from India refer to beads being woven into hair and into horse’s tails. These references were recorded around the 9th century BC. And beads were also widely used throughout Asia in ancient times. There were beaded items found in temples in Japan that date back to 800 A.D.

Early beads were fashioned from shells, ivory and stone. Early Egyptians valued the beads according to the stone that was used to create the beads. Different stones were thought to have different properties.

Lapis Lazuli, a beautiful blue stone, was believed to protect the wearer’s health. This stone was often fashioned into beads, as were carnelian, feldspar, amethyst, turquoise and jasper ‚ many of the same stones we use today.

Glass was introduced as a component of beads around 1480, when Venice began drawing glass tubes and turning them into beads. Once the technology for pulling glass tubes was invented, it was easy to suddenly produce thousands of beads, all uniform in size, color and shape.

Modern jewelry and beading certainly benefits from the advances made in the production of beads, but there’s no doubt that even today, an individually handcrafted bead can be the star attraction of any beading piece.

Felicity Walker

Tips on knitting for beginners will provide a life long gratifying hobby. Knitting basics are not difficult to learn. A little perseverance and practice will lead to rewarding results.

Here are eleven tips for knitting beginners that will ensure the novas has the tools for success.

1. Start small; with simple projects and gradually increase the level of difficulty.

2. First completely read the instructions for the item you are going to make to avoid surprises along the way.

3. Always, always, always make the gauge! It may seem like a waste of time but will save hours of heartbreaking undoing. Knitting the gauge allows the knitter to make adjustments in the size of needles to find the proper size for the finished item.

tip by www.suite101.com

I read this in an advise column. It really works! After painting, set your brushes in fabric softener for about 10 minutes and then clean as usual. This works for brushes used for all types of paint, even oil based paints.

I even tried the same thing with hair conditioner after using acrylic paint and it worked too. I was in a hurry and just dropped the brushes into the conditioner until I went back to the craft room, my brushes cleaned up faster and it worked well even after using gesso.”

Making your own candles is an exciting craft that’s easy to get started with. A few simple ingredients and some basic tools and equipment (that you probably have in your kitchen or garage) are all you need to begin making beautiful, fragrant candles.

The basic requirements for a simple candle making setup are:

1. An understanding of Candle Making Safety.
2. A heat source like a hot plate or electric stove
3. A “double boiler” set up - a large, low pot for boiling water, with an old coffee can set inside it to melt the wax, will do just fine
4. Some wax
5. A wick appropriate for that wax
6. A mold or container to hold the melted wax
7. Fragrance or color for the candle, if desired
8. A match to light it when it’s done

That’s essentially all it takes. Of course, from there you can choose from various types of candles. and you’ll need to choose the appropriate wax and wick for your project. Personalize your candle even further by choosing a fragrance or essential oil to scent your candle.

As you can see, the variations of candles you can make are only limited by your imagination and your willingness to experiment.

tip from www.about.com

Here is a cool site where you can get herb kits, edible flowers, micro greens to grow indoors or outdoors. They have a mini kit that is great to have in your kitchen.

I found a great place to get knitting patterns for knitted toys.
They have knitted dolls, animals and some very cool scarves.

I don’t claim to be an expert dollmaker, but I have learned a few tricks along the way. I hope these tips will make your doll-making experience a pleasant one.

1. To make curly yarn hair, knit up a ball of yarn in stockinette stitch. Place the knitted piece in boiling water for an hour. Allow to dry; unravel yarn.

2. Before painting a doll face on cloth, lightly starch the material first.

3. Marketing tip - Baby dolls wearing bunny suits attract a lot of attention. People tend to associate baby bunnies with springtime - the season of renewal - maybe this is why.

4. When sculpting with clay, learn the properties of the porcelain clay you are using. This knowledge will determine the cones to use for greenware firings. Read the label on the slip container and abide by the directions.

5. When making composition dolls, bake the doll parts in the oven at 225 degrees for 2 hours. After the seams are removed and the openings cut, and before attempting to detail the fingers and other small parts or before using water putty, plaster, etc, the doll parts can be softened again by soaking them briefly in water or wetting with a sponge. Only the top surface will be affected.

6. When creating tight fitting doll clothes, make a paper towel or muslin test pattern to fit the doll you choose first.

7. Turn a doll into an angel for Christmas by using removable wires attached to the wings that are slipped through a very small buttonhole made in the doll coat’s back seam line.

8. When modeling or sculpting a baby’s head, remember that a baby has a very large skull when compared to the placement of its nose, mouth or chin. Babies’ eyes appear to be quite large, with the irises and pupils being visible and only a tiny area of white showing. On an adult, there is normally one eye width between the eyes. With a baby, the distance is 1 and 1/2 eyes between the inner corners of the eyes.

9. To make crocheted socks for small dolls, cut of the fingertips of a crocheted glove on a slant from base of thumb up to base of little finger. Discard finger parts. Seam the edge of the remaining 4 sides figure to make one sock.

10. To replicate French buttons, cut off the very tip of the crocheted glove finger, slip in a button and sew to shank at the bottom.

11. Coffee filters are absolutely lint-free, inexpensive and absorbent for use when painting dolls.

Tips by Patty Lee

Save money to start your business and as you make money, use it to grow your business. Debt is the number one reason for failure among start-ups and established businesses alike. If I still haven’t convinced you that debt is bad business, I’ll mention two businesses that you may have heard of who are, and always have been, virtually debt-free: Microsoft and Harley Davidson.

All businesses take time to make money. I recommend planning on at least two years before showing major profits in the crafts industry. While you may have great results from the start, don’t count on it! You must allow enough time to establish your craft business and to learn the ins and outs of the industry before success.

Start small
Give yourself enough time to learn your niche before spending thousands on national retail and wholesale shows or mail-order advertising. Local craft shows and selling to friends and family at home shows are great ways to get started in the crafts industry. In a short time, you will learn a lot from your customers and fellow craftspeople that will enable you to succeed.