DE-STRESSING ARTSY HOBBIES

With the dawn of technology and internet, we sometimes forget about activities that are better done by hand than by simple tapping and clicking of the screen, like arts and crafts. Here are some activities we suggest that busy moms try if they wish to de-stress and detoxify but be productive at the same time.

Customized T-shirt Design

If seeing someone use something you gave is already heart-warming, what more if you see someone wear something you made yourself? Christmas is just around the corner, definitely, a DIY t-shirt is the perfect gift with a personal touch.

Things you’ll need

Method

Start by designing an image on the computer. You can do this by using any computer-generated images or download one from the Internet.

Copy and paste the desired image on a blank document and resize it according to the screen and remember to stay within the borders of the page. Choose the color of the font and image wisely keeping in mind the color of the T-Shirt. Grouping the picture and text together lets you move the picture into horizontal position for easy conversion into mirror image. Remember that it has to be a mirror image.

Next you need to print the image in its mirrored form onto the transfer paper. Let the transfer paper dry completely. After drying, cut around the image leaving a quarter of an image border around the image.

Heat the iron on the hottest setting and straighten out the area where you will be transferring the image. The best way to do this is to use the pillowcase, put it on the T-Shirt and iron on it to remove all wrinkles.

Place the printed transfer sheet on the area where you want it to be printed. Iron on it for five minutes. Make sure you iron all over the image and not leave out the corners and edges. Use your strength and add weight and pressure to the iron.

Remove the iron and let the T-Shirt cool off. Do not try to pull off the paper till it has completely cooled off. After ten minutes you can start peeling off the paper by pulling the paper with one hand and the T-Shirt from the other.

Out with the old and in with the new, try something quirky and fun with jewelry making by using polymer clay than usual beading. Create miniature cupcakes, cookies or whatever you can think of. The more creative you are, the better. With polymer clay, you can try making a replica of anything and everything that you heart desires and turn them into fancy jewelry. Though polymer clay jewelry making can be difficult at first, but you may try making a basic cupcake charm using this tutorial.

Things you’ll need

Method:

Base of the cupcake

Roll another ball about the same size as the base of the cupcake with the green polymer clay. Connect the ball to the base. Next you will need to make a snake or a worm about 1/8″ thick with green polymer clay. Wrap the snake around the cupcake along the connection between the top of the cupcake and the base. Smooth out the snake so it now looks like one piece.

Once you’ve come up with a basic cupcake body, you may now start decorating it with sprinkles, stars, however you wish to do so.

If you feel like being brave and bold enough to explore and experiment on a new hobby, then try DIY decorative candles. To make it more exciting, we’ll teach you how to make floating rose candles. These candles will surely bring a certain charm to your home.

Things you’ll need

Method

Take the wax and put it into a bowl. Put that bowl in a larger pan which is full of water. Put this on the stove and allow the wax to melt. Add your scent and your color to this boiling wax and mix well as it boils. This is the part where you may add decorative elements such as glitters.

Now, carefully lift the bowl with the molten wax and pour it into your cookie sheet or molds. Using a large spoon, pour your liquid wax on to the wax paper covering your cookie sheet. Pour the wax only about ¼ inches deep to create thin wax sheets. While the wax sheet is cooling, start cutting your weeks into the lengths appropriate to your candles.

When the wax has cooled, lay it on your cutting surface and peel the wax paper off. Cut out petal and leaf patterns from the sheet of wax.

Take the wick and wrap the wax petal around the center of the wick. Pinch and flare the other end outwards. This first petal creates the center of your floating rose. Take another wax petal and wrap it around the center of the flower. Flare the top of the new petal at the top of the flower and pinch it into the wick. Smooth it into the petal under it to bond it into the previous wax petal.

Continue to wrap other petals around the first two petals that you’ve made. Always flare the top of the petal outward and press it into the wick and smoothing it into the previous petals. You can add a leaf to your flower by placing the petal perpendicular to the other petals (now arranged into a rose) of the candle.

When you’re done, trim the wick at the bottom of the flower and use a small bit of warm wax to seal and cover the bottom of the flower. This will keep water from soaking your wick or seeping into the flower.

For more variety, you can cut petals from different colored wax sheets and follow the earlier steps to create colourful roses.

Wax naturally floats on water, so the candles will always float on water. You can place them into bowls or glasses or votive filled with water, and light them up to see the effect.

Like decorative candles, it’s fun to play with the shapes, sizes and colors of soaps. We’ll teach you the basic of making the soap and we’ll leave it up to you to be adventurous and explore the things you can do to make your DIY soaps more interesting and personalized.

Things you’ll need

Method

In a plastic bowl or container, add your lye to the water. Take care in mixing your lye solution, since lye can burn you severely.

Heat your oils for 1 ½ minutes. Pour your lye solution into the oils and stir continuously.

Once the mixture starts to thicken, pour it into your container or mold. You can add your scent at this point, if you choose. Let it sit for 24 hours in a warm insulated place.

Take out the soap from the mold and cut it into smaller bars. Let your bars cure for 4 weeks.

Here are just some of the activities you can try if you plan to de-stress but not really go into hiatus. Enjoy trying these activities but make sure you handle everything with a lot of care.

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Filed under: HOME & HEALTH by paolo@rogue360.com