how to get ideas for crafts and projects

How to Get Ideas for Crafts and Projects.

Crafters, makers and builders create beautiful items out of raw materials. If you are a crafter that is unable to think of your next project, there are many ways that you can get new ideas. Crafting is one of the most popular subjects of blogs, magazines, classes and more, and its popularity has only risen as the Internet has become an easy way to share methods, techniques and projects. Depending upon how you like to learn, you can choose the most comfortable option. Select your specific area of crafting and search for the newest crafting projects using these avenues. Read more to find out how to get ideas for crafts and projects.

Steps.

1. Join a quilting bee, knitting circle or scrap booking club. Monthly meetings give the opportunities for exchanging ideas, showing off projects and doing group projects.

This is also a great way to meet people with similar interests and form lasting friendships. Crafting often allows you to talk to other people and learn their stories. Many rural communities have quilt guilds, knitting bees and craft circles that stay intact for decades.

2. Take night classes. Most cities have a group that is devoted to community education and gives a catalog of classes at a small fee. These can include anything from jewelry making to scrap booking to wood working.

Search online for "Lifelong learning classes" in your town or "Community education." Most classes happen once or twice a week over a period of months and they teach you new skills and give you many ideas for projects.

3. Get a subscription to a do-it-yourself magazine. Depending upon your preferences, there are many options. Magazine subscriptions can be bought from a website, Amazon, or a magazine prescription service, and it is a good idea to look for the best offer.

Good options for crafters include Martha Stewart Living, Card Maker, This Old House, American Style, Creative Knitting, Do-It-Yourself, Ready Made, American Craft, Crafts and Hobbies, Quilter, Paper Crafts, Creative Woodwork and Crafts, Car Craft. Knit'N Style, Sew News and Creating Keepsakes.

You may want to go to a supermarket and buy a few issues of each of these magazines to decide which one would be the best monthly subscription.

4. Get involved with Blogger, WordPress and other blogging platforms. Once you have a profile you can subscribe to craft blogs and check back whenever you need a fresh idea.

You may hear of craft bloggers referred to as "choggers." Start by checking out popular blogs, such as Bakerella, Cuteable, Dollar Store Crafts, Not Martha and the Pearl Bee. There are thousands of blogs to choose from, and they may also provide an email newsletter.

5. Sign up for email newsletters from magazines like Real Simple, Better Homes and Gardens and Ready Made. They will send you weekly or monthly issues depending upon your preferences, filled with new ideas from their crafters-in-residence.

6. Inquire at local stores if they do classes. In order to drum up business, stores often provide classes for a small fee as long as you buy the materials. For instance, a knitting business may teach their patrons how to use a new set of knitting needles in order to sell more sets.

7. Go online and simply search for patterns or templates. If you are looking for children's crafts, this is the fastest and least expensive option. If you cannot afford patterns for quilting and knitting, there are a number of free online templates that you can find using an Internet search and a printer.


Things You'll Need.

Community craft circles.

Craft magazines.

Craft blogs.

Email newsletters.

Printer.

November 25, 2019

how to make felt animals

How to Make Felt Animals.

Arts and crafts are always a lot of fun, but have you ever tried making felt animals? It’s a challenge but also pretty rewarding. You can make large or small animals depending on how much time you’re willing to commit to the process. Felt animals are great for gifts or just to keep around the house. The best thing is, they’re pretty easy to make!

Method 1 Preparing to Build Your Felt Animal.

1. Buy some felt and stuffing. Obviously if you want to build a felt animal you’re going to need some felt. Poly-fill stuffing is most common, but you can also buy cotton or even bead if you would prefer to work with that material.Stuffing is important to give your animal some structure. You can buy both these materials at an arts and crafts store.

2. Download your pattern piece. There are many pattern pieces that you can find out on the Internet. Pattern pieces are traced onto the felt and then cut out so that you have all the component pieces of your felt animal.

You can also try creating your own pattern piece. If you want to make a simple animal like a snake your can use four very elongated football shaped pieces. Make sure all your football shaped pattern pieces are the same size. Measure the width of each piece at its midline to figure out how wide your snake is going to be. Take that number and multiply it by four to get the circumference of your snake. Use this information accordingly as you make the body. You'll want the length of the snake to be four times larger than the circumference of the snake. Make sure you have enough felt! That's the idea behind making pattern pieces. You can add eyes and a tongue with extra fabric.

Remember to leave 1/4 of an inch extra room in the pattern piece for sewing purposes.

3. Gather your scissors, stitching, and sewing supplies. If you don’t already have these supplies you can buy them at an arts and crafts store too. You can use a sewing machine if you have one available, but felt is easy to work with. You can just use a needle and thread.

Method 2 Assembling Your Felt Animal.

1. Cut out the pattern pieces from the felt. You’ll want to enlarge your pattern piece to the size you want your animal to be. Make sure that you allow for a 3-millimeter seam allowance. That means you need that much extra space for the animal to fit together once you stitch it.

For example, if you were sewing a mini dog together you would have eight pattern pieces in all. Two body pieces, two head pieces, one belly piece, one back piece, one crown piece, and one tail piece.

A snake would only have the long four football shaped pieces.

2. Start stitching the corresponding pieces together. For example, if you were making the mini dog you would start by sewing the body and head pieces together. In the pattern piece layout there will be letters that correspond with where each part connects. For this little dog, you’ll be sewing the two head pieces on top of the two body pieces.

3. Sew the two body pieces together. Now you’ll connect the two pieces. You won’t be sewing all the way around obviously. Only sew the top half of the body together as the letters indicate. For example, if you were making this little felt dog you would start to see the outline of your animal.

If you made your own pattern pieces for the snake you'll just want to connect each of them to form a cylinder.

4. Add your connecting and additional pieces. For example, if you were making the little felt dog you would need to add the crown piece to the top of his head. Once the body pieces are together you can start to figure out how to fill in the gaps. The little felt dog also requires a brown speckle on his back to fill in the hole on is back.

5. Connect your belly piece. The belly piece is generally one of the last pieces to add. Using the little dog as an example, you would turn the body pieces upside down and add the belly piece to the bottom around the edge.

6. Don’t forget to leave an opening. You absolutely need this opening so that you can stuff your animal. If you forget to leave the opening you’ll have to undo your stitching or start all the way from the beginning. The little dog example has a hole already built in for stuff, but you might need to leave your own hole.

Method 3 Finishing Up.

1. Turn your animal inside out. The little dog pattern piece leaves a hole in the stomach for you to turn your animal inside out, but you might need to leave your own hole if you are making a different felt animal.

2. Stuff your animal. Using the whole you left stuff your animal thoroughly with polyester fiberfill. Make sure the animal is well stuffed but not over stuffed. You want the animal to feel firm without looking like it is going to explode. Use your judgment.

3. Add your embroidery. You can add whatever pieces you want. The little dog calls for small beads for eyes and some black string for the mouth and nose. You can add designs all over the felt if you desire though.

The snake embroidery would consist of little sewing on black circles of fabric or string for eyes, and a little piece of red felt for the tongue. Draw a tongue that appeals to you. Most snakes have forked tongues.

4. Stitch up your final body pieces. This would be the time to add ears, tails, or whatever else your animal might have connected to their body. The little dog will have a tail stitched to the back of his body and two ears connected on top. Remember to turn your body pieces inside out after you sew them to hide the stitching.

Follow the letters on your design piece. If you aren’t sure what pieces are added where, look at which letters correspond to what pieces. For example if you are adding ears to the top of a dog there will be the same letter on the ears as on the top of the body piece. Anywhere with matching letters is supposed to be connected with stitching.

Desember 12, 2019

how to make furry cat ears

How to Make Furry Cat Ears.

Cat ears are cute accessories that can be easily made. You can wear them with a costume, or as a fun accessory with an outfit. All of the materials needed to make the cat ears can be found at most arts and crafts stores. To make furry cat ears, create the ear bases, put the ears together, and complete the cat ears with the help of an elastic band and hot glue.



Part 1 Creating the Cat Ear Base.

1. Draw the cat ears on paper. This will be the template for the wire. Basically, you just need to draw two wide triangles. You might like to try drawing a few different sizes to see which size looks best on your head. You can cut out the template, or leave the cat ears drawn on the paper. Keep this design as your template for the remaining steps.

Keep in mind that the template will be slightly smaller than the finished ears because of the fur. A template of about three inches is a good size to use.

It doesn’t matter what you use to draw the ears, but pencil is good to use if you will be redrawing the ears multiple times.

2. Create the cat ears with jewelry wire. Following the paper template, bend the wire into the shape of the cat ears. Jewelry wire should be fairly easy to bend, but you can use a pair of long nose pliers to help form the shape. Do this for both ears and you should end up with two triangle shaped ears.

If you don't have wire, you can use paperclips. Just straighten them out and use them as wire. Don't worry if they don't make a perfect triangle. It won't matter when you put them in the fur. Use glue to bind the sides until you put them in.

Use a jewelry wire that is thicker so that it won’t fall out of shape when fur is added to them. 16 or 18 gauge is a good choice because it is thick, but can be bent without too much effort by using pliers.

3. Cut out the fake fur. Following the paper templates again, cut out four triangle shapes in fur. You can use any type of fur that appeals to you, like black, leopard print, or lion-like fur. Fur can be purchased at an arts and crafts store. These should be about a half an inch larger than the template, though, as the fur needs to hold the wire triangles inside once stitched up.

Remember that you can always make it smaller if it's too big, but you can't make it bigger if it's too small.



Part 2 Putting Together the Ears.

1. Sew the fur together. Place two fur pieces together. The fur sides should be facing each other. Sew each side, but leave the bottom edge unsewn. That is the part you are going to insert the wire through to shape the ears. The finished product should be inside out. Repeat this step until you have two ears.

There should be very little seam allowance—only about an ¼ of a inch.

Use a color of thread that best matches the color of fur.

2. Flip the ears so that you can see the fur. The ears should be inside out with the fur parts facing each other once you have finished sewing. Now, turn the ears so that the fur is on the outside. The ear shape should be really obvious now. Inspect the ears to make sure that there aren’t any holes or mistakes.

Turn the ears inside out and sew up any holes that you find.

Use a pair of sewing scissors to cut the thread where any mistakes have been made. Remove the thread from that part and sew it back up with new thread.

3. Place the wire triangle pieces inside each ear. Insert the wire you shaped into triangles earlier into the furry ears. The wire should be able to fit snugly inside of the fur without too much or too little room. Adjust the wire if necessary.

4. Sew up the bottom of the ears. Once you have inserted the wires into the furry ears, sew up the bottom portion that is still open. There shouldn’t be any opening on the ears when you have finished sewing. It doesn't matter if this sewing line is messy, as nobody is going to see it.



Part 3 Completing the Furry Cat Ears.

1. Create the band for the ears. Measure the elastic band or ribbon around your head. The ribbon should cross over the top of your head rather than your forehead. You can find a band or ribbon at most arts and crafts stores. Sew or hot glue the ends together to form a circular headband that fits your head. If you’re using a ribbon, you can also choose to tie the ribbon in the back so that it is adjustable.

If sewing, include a seam allowance in your measurements before cutting the ribbon. Tie the ribbon when testing it on your head to see how much ribbon will be needed in total.

You can also choose to use a headband instead of an elastic band or ribbon.

2. Mark the placement for the ears. First, hold the band and ears together to see where the ears look most natural. Then, check in the mirror to see where the ears look best. Making marks on the headband while it is on your head, use a pen or marker to make marks where the ears will be covering.

It may be easier to have someone help you make the marks while the band is on your head.

3. Attach the ears to the headband. Use hot glue to attach the cat ears onto the headband in the positions that you marked. Use just enough so that the ears stay up, but don’t use so much that the glue gets on other places on the headband or ribbon. Allow at least ten minutes for the glue to dry.

Have someone help you with the hot glue if you aren’t comfortable with using it on your own.

4. Check the finished product. Once the glue has dried, try on the ears. The band should fit your head without sliding. The ears should be standing straight up. Make any adjustments as needed.



Question : What if I don't have any wire, or my parents won't let me use any?

 Answer : Depending on the size of your cat ears and the thickness of the fur, you might not even need any wire to make them stand up; the wire is there for support. If the ears still flop over after you have made them, try filling them with some cardboard or craft foam instead.

 Question : Is there any alternative to the fur if I don't have a lot of money and can't buy felt or fur and don't have a cat?

 Answer : If you own any old stuffed animals that you don't care for anymore, you can use the fluff from those.

 Question : Can I use white fur?

Answer : Absolutely.

Question : What do I do if I don't know how to sew?

Answer : You can always ask a friend or family member. If you're feeling ambitious, you can learn how to sew yourself.

Question : Can I use real cat hair?

 Answer : Yes, if you want, but it may be best to pick the cat's fur off of the cat brush, not the cat itself.

Question : How can I make fake fur?

 Answer : You can make the fur by tearing felt to make fluffy strips. Then, get the same color felt, and glue or sew the fluffy stripes onto it and then cut out the triangle shape for the ears.

Question : How can I make wolf ears the same way?

 Answer : Make the shape a bit taller and more pointy. Look at pictures of wolves for reference on how their ears are shaped and then just change the shape.

Question : Could I put pink felt in the center for the finished ear?

 Answer : Yes. Just sew or glue it on with a color similar to the color of the felt.

Question : Where can I get fake fur?

 Answer : A craft store or someplace that sells fabric. Or you could remove some from a stuffed animal.

Question : Can I make non-fluffy ears?

 Answer : Yes, but you may need to expand on your ideas, especially if you are looking to cosplay with them. You could use polymer clay.



Tips.

Fake or fun fur makes a mess when cut. Have something ready to sweep or vacuum it up.

Warnings.

Use care when handling hot glue, as it can easily burn.

Things You'll Need.

Paper for template.

Scissors.

Thin wire for the ears.

Fake fur (20 cm sq. or 7.9 inches.).

Elastic ribbon (5-6 cm or about 1 or 2 inches wide) Make sure you have enough to fit around your head and extra ribbon left for tying.

Hot glue.

Needle.

Thread.

Paper.

Marking tool.

Scissors.

Februari 12, 2020

how to make an art kit

How to Make an Art Kit.

As you begin studying art or creating art of your own, you may find it helpful to start with a selection of basic tools and equipment. Your art kit is your own, so take the ones described here as a guide to build upon or modify for your own style.







Method 1. Making an Adult Kit



1. Decide what you will put everything in. Choose something easy to carry around with you, especially if you want to do art on location or you are taking classes. You could use anything from a shoe box to an old briefcase.

Choose an ample container. You are likely to acquire more art supplies as you continue.

Plan to protect the supplies that are sensitive. A hard sided pencil case or simply a tin or shoe box can keep pencils and other delicate items from breaking.

Give some thought to how you will carry paints, brushes, and whatever you will use to clean them, especially if you're painting away from home.



2. Find or buy some basic equipment. Here's a list of what you might need with a rough estimated price. You will not need all of these items; just select what you would like to use and then build up your kit as you go along. You can always add to it later.

Pencil Set.

Pens.

Sketchbook.

Oil Pastels.

Dry Pastels.

Acrylic paint set.

Paint Brushes.

Water Soluble Pencils.

Colouring Pencils.

Glue.

Scalpel.

Metal Ruler.

Pencil sharpener. A small, handheld one will travel well.

Clay.







Method 2. Making a Child's Kit



1. A child's kit is extremely easy to make, since children are naturally creative and they will use just about anything. Here's a child's list to get started.

Colouring Book.

Safety Scissors.

Colouring Pencils.

Pipe cleaners and other items like that.

Non-toxic glue.

Sketchbook.

Play-doh.

Markers.



2. Include a cheap plastic tablecloth or oilcloth in a child's kit and explain to Mom and Dad that it's to go underneath anything messy: paint, clay, glue, etc. Plastic tablecloths easily cover the whole table and they come large enough for several friends or even the whole scout troop to gather around.



3. With this child's kit it's really up to you. Use anything age-appropriate that they can't hurt themselves with.



Tips.

If you want to skip all the hassle of searching through shops you can find lots of different starter kits for children and adults ranging from £5 to £100.

Leave yourself plenty of room to expand. Art supplies have a way of growing.

If your kit is for a child make sure you buy non-toxic products and safety scissors.

Art kits make great gifts. Try to learn a bit about the artist who will receive your kit so that you do inspire and don't duplicate. For gifts, interesting materials (e.g. fabric, paper, wood) might be a good addition, especially if your artist tends toward mixed media or crafts.

Remember that art is more than drawing and painting. If you find yourself drawn toward other activities or media, make the most of it. There's no reason why an extraordinary work of art can't be made of fabric, concrete, plastic, metal, natural materials, found materials, or anything else that will fit the bill. If you're already skilled at welding, sewing, woodworking or the like, you may already have many of the supplies you need.

Did you give an art kit last year? If it was well received, expand on it this year. New materials and supplies can afford an artist the opportunity to expand and can sometimes supply new inspiration.

Colouring is not an especially artistic endeavour. If the child who will receive this art kit happens to enjoy it, go ahead. If not, encourage creativity and innovation by giving a blank sketch book, or look for the "Anti Coloring Book" series.

Start simple, especially if you are making this kit for yourself. If you want to get into drawing, start with just an ordinary pencil and paper, then as you find yourself improving, invest in some color pencils and a sketch book or a simple prepared kit, obtaining supplies as you need them. Remember: gear doesn't make the artist; practice does. This approach will help you to find your artistic style while saving a bit of money and avoiding the clutter of materials you don't use.

Image titled Wild Rose Artists' Supplies and Custom Framing 7478Experiment. If a particular medium, tool, or other item interests you, give it a try. Don't give up on your first attempt, either. Give yourself a chance to get familiar with a new addition before deciding whether to keep at it.



Warnings.

Always supervise young children when they use anything like glue or scissors.



Things You'll Need.

Art supplies.

Box or bag.

Money.

November 21, 2019

how to organize craft supplies

How to Organize Craft Supplies.

If you're crafty and like to make things, chances are the materials and supplies that go into your hobbies have stacked up over time, and not in a tidy way. Here's how to regain a bit of control and find what you need, when you need it.







Steps.



1. Locate all of the craft supplies that you own.

If something is basically already organized or put away, don't pull it out now. Start with the stuff that's in your way.

Go a bit at a time, especially if you have a lot of stuff. Spend fifteen minutes sorting, or just sort one bag, bin, or area.



2. Cull the excess. It can be hard to admit that a particular activity might have been a passing phase that you've outgrown, or that an unfinished project ought to remain so, but if you can reduce the amount of stuff you'll have less of it to organize and to have to cram in somewhere.

Go for the easy stuff first, to help yourself build momentum. Toss anything that's obvious: hopelessly tiny scraps, mostly empty packages, dried-up paints.

Remember, you decide what's worth keeping. At the same time, organizing only goes so far if there's too much stuff.

Be choosy about what you bring home from the craft store. Do you have a project in mind for this item? Do you have a place to put it? Do you really find it attractive or promising? Can you do the project? Anytime soon? Be realistic, and you'll save money, space, and time.



3. Sort out all of the supplies that you have into smaller groups.

Sort by item type. Put glue sticks, bottles, and jars into one pile. Put decorative stickers into a different pile. Put fancy paper into a pile of its own.

Better yet, sort by activity. Have one kit, bag, bin, or space for painting, one for paper crafts, one for yarn, knitting needles,



4. Choose where to store your supplies. Think about where and how you do crafts. If you have a craft area already, add drawers, bins, or shelves. If you knit in front of the TV, your organization may consist of a knitting basket or two with active projects that live by the sofa and a bin full of extra yarn and inactive supplies stashed away in a closet elsewhere.

Try a drawer organizer or even a fishing tackle box to corral many small items. Something with multiple smaller spaces helps separate little stuff.

If you have a lot of small items, like beads or buttons, giving each group its own small container or compartment that seals or closes tight can save spills.

Do you craft on the go? A tote bag or even a purse-sized craft kit might be just the right organization system for you. Keep a project at hand when you go out to make use of wait times.



5. Keep on sorting.

Sort a little bit whenever you start or finish a project or get new supplies.

Rearrange if you notice something isn't working. If it's not where you looked for it, put it back where you will look for it next time. If it's not handy and you use it often, put it back near the top or closer to where you work.



6. Arrange by size and shape so that things are visible and accessible. It's best if you don't have to empty an entire bin to get out one item.

Put the flat objects into the container first, standing up on one side if possible, and then place the non-flat objects on top of them or alongside. Put frequently used items near the top.

For materials, like paper or fabric, try a filing system that displays them. Stand them on edge in a bin or drawer so that you can sort through them and see at a glance what you have. Smaller pieces might be rolled and stood up in a basket or bin.



7. Repeat this process with different containers until everything is filed away.



8. Label with tape or paper what is in each container. Don't rely on sticky notes or anything else that could fall off too easily. For example, if a certain container holds glue, markers, and crayons, write that out and attach that to the container. This way, you will know what is in the container when you need to get something out of it in the future.



9. Finished.





Tips.

Buy plastic containers that are clear so that you can see through them and find supplies in them more easily.

Don't rush this process by stuffing your craft supplies into random containers to get it all over with. A small investment of time now will save time in the future.

Put things where they'll be handy when you need them, and where you think you'll look for them.

Try to get the plastic containers for a good price, but make sure they are really sturdy so you won't have to get new ones later on.

Most importantly, find your own balance between creativity and control.

Organization is whatever you want it to be. If you want your colored pencils out on display so you can grab them easily when inspiration strikes, put them in a big jar or cup wherever you like to draw.

Take the time to treat your supplies properly. Don't store brushes on their tips or leave them soaking in water. Close tightly any paints, ink, clay, and anything else that might dry out. Protect your fabric and yarn from moths and mice, but don't seal it so tightly that it becomes musty.

Don't panic if your craft area doesn't stay neatly organized. If you're using the stuff regularly, it may tend to wander around your work area and get left out. If you can, work in a back room, basement, or garage and simply close the door when people come, or deem the space your studio and let it be messy! A moderately cluttered work area could actually increase your creativity by bringing together unrelated things accidentally or by reminding you of what supplies you have available. Thus, take a casual attitude about neatening and organizing this aspect of your life. Tidy up when you feel like it, when you can't find anything, or when having the clutter around would get in your way.

Sort and organize in a way that makes the most sense to you. If you regularly use glue to affix yarn, store the glue with the yarn.



Things You'll Need.

Craft supplies.

Multiple containers depending on the amount of supplies.

Paper to label the containers.

November 21, 2019

how to make colored salt

How to Make Colored Salt.

Colored salt is used for art and craft, for decoration, for teaching skills with writing or drawing, and for making rangoli for Diwali. It's easy to make, and depending on the exact items in your craft or kitchen cupboard, you might even be able to make it without buying a thing.







Coloring Salt with Paint.



Fill a container with salt. A jug or pitcher, a deep bowl, a plastic food container, etc. will all suffice.



Squeeze a little tempera paint into the salt.



Mix with a spoon or other item. Stir until the paint is evenly distributed through the salt.



Let stand overnight to dry.

Make as many more colors as you need for your project. That way, they'll all be ready at the same time.



Test before using. Check that the salt has dried before using in your craft, rangoli, teaching, etc. projects.









Coloring Salt with Liquid Food Coloring.



Use liquid food coloring for this method. Choose a color or colors that you wish to work with.



Tip the salt into a resealable bag.



Add the liquid food coloring to the salt. It's recommended that you do this gradually, a drop at a time, so that you can intensify the color as needed and stop when you're happy with it. The more drops added, the more intense the color.



Carefully press the air from the resealable bag without losing the salt. Seal. Wait for around a minute before proceeding, to give the salt time to settle.

Image titled Make Colored Salt Step 10

5

Press down on the bag again and again. This will move the coloring around all of the salt. Knead until you can see that the color has permeated all of the salt in the plastic bag.



Done. The salt is now ready for use. If you see any salt that is damp, let it dry before use, by allowing air into the bag and waiting a few hours more.

If not using it straight away, you can leave it stored in the sealed bag.

Repeat the process for as many colors as desired.







Coloring Salt with Gel Food Coloring.



For this method, use gel-based food coloring. You should find it dries instantly and won't leave any liquid, which may be the case with liquid food coloring.



Tip the salt into a resealable bag.



Add the gel food coloring. Transfer the gel using an implement such as a wooden or metallic skewer tip, the end of a butter knife or a toothpick. Only use a small amount at a time, adding a little more if you're not yet satisfied with the color. Gel coloring is fairly vibrant with just a little amount, so you don't want to overdo it.



Carefully press down on the bag to remove excess air. Seal tightly.



Shake or knead the color throughout the bag. Ensure that all of the salt is evenly colored.



Done. Given that this is gel, the colored salt should be ready to use immediately.

If not using it straight away, you can leave it stored in the sealed bag.

Repeat the process for as many colors as desired.







Coloring Salt with Chalk.



Choose a chalk color that you wish to use. Chalks come in a range of pastel and bright colors, depending on where you buy them from. Check art, craft or upmarket toy stores for a wider variety than you might find in traditional stationery or dollar stores.



Cover the workspace with a large sheet of paper.



Pour the salt onto the paper. The amount of salt depends on the amount you need.



Place the piece of chalk on its side, on the salt. Roll the chalk back and forth over the salt on the paper. As you do this, the color from the chalk will color the salt. Keep rolling until you're happy with the color.



Using the paper as a funnel, pour the chalk-colored salt into a resealable bag or a storage container.



Done. The colored salt is now ready to use, or you can store it until needed.

Repeat the process for as many colors as desired.



Tips.

A rolling pin can be used to distribute the color for the resealable bag color-distributing methods; ensure that there is no air in the bag and roll it up and down until the salt is evenly colored.

Keep colored salt in an airtight container when not in use. Make sure that the lid is on firmly, to prevent spilling it.

For a bath treat, add some essential oil drops as well as the colorant.

If making a lot of colored salt in varied colors, use clean food containers to free up the usual kitchen containers for your cooking and eating.



Warnings.

While these crafts are non-toxic, they are very messy. As such, they are best either supervised carefully or done by older children and adults.



Things You'll Need.

Salt (sea salt, rock salt, table salt, Epsom salts, etc. are all fine to use).

Container for holding salt or a resealable bag.

Colorant.

Stirring implement (such as a spoon, a skewer, a chopstick, etc.).

Storage container (if relevant).

November 17, 2019