"Martha did a segment on fruit and herb glycerin soap.  She showed clear containers to package the soaps for gifts. Could you please send me the name of the company?"

Joyce is referring to the TV segment where Marcie demonstrated her beautiful soaps from the April 2011 issue of Martha Stewart Living. The containers came from Glerup Revere, a packaging company that has a great assortment of bags and boxes. Clear Envelopes is also a great source for all your packaging needs.

Pam says:

"Didn't catch where to buy the crepe paper for Morgan's daffodils!"

A couple of our favorite sources for crepe paper are Castle in the Air, and D. Blumchen. Both sources offer a wide selection of colors and weights, as well as the beautiful double-sided crepe papers. You may want to buy a big stash—we've got crepe paper ideas for every season!

Back Next

1 of 6

1

2

3

4

5 W15

6

On Martha's show last week, she showed how to decorate a clay pot.

I found all but one of the materials necessary to do it. I am having trouble finding Milk Paint. Do you have any suggestions as to where I can locate this? I have tried all the paint stores, craft stores, Home Depot, no one sells it.

The project is a lovely way to do over old clay pots, and I am anxious to start it.

Your help is greatly appreciated.

Thank you,
Marilyn in Florida

Blake passed this reader question on to me because I happen to love milk paint and know a bit about it. Milk paint is a type of water-based paint sold in powdered form that is made using traditional techniques and pigments, without petrochemicals or toxic bases, so it is biodegradable and nontoxic. It is so "pure" in fact that once mixed it lasts only for a short time (overnight) and needs to be freshly mixed with each application. Once dry, however, it has a beautiful very long-lasting color and a distinctive velvety, or depending on the mixture, chalklike finish.

I buy it from a company called Old Fashioned Milk Paint, which sells 20 colors and provides detailed instructions for using it. It is often used in the restotration of historic interiors and furniture and for reproduction work. From its website, "Our Old Fashioned Milk Paint is a re-creation of the ancient milk paint formula used for centuries before the sale of commercially made paints." They also sell a beautiful hand-painted color card for reference, which I used to keep up on our wall in the crafts room but sadly could not be located at press time!

I used milk paint to paint the oval shaker boxes below for a story on making jewelry boxes a few years ago.

And here is a recipe for a type of homemade milk paint, which I've never tried but I'd like to!

"Hello! I organize a monthly 'craft hour' for my department at work! This gives us all a chance to connect and relax...even if only for an hour! I have people in the group of all skill levels so I try to keep things on the easier side. Last month we made this body scrub. Do you have any thoughts on other great crafts that are easy, can be completed in an hour, and cost about $5? Everyone loves the craft hour and I want to keep it going with crafts everyone will love."

First off, kudos on hosting your own craft session!  We hear crafternoons are all the rage these days. There are many projects that are both people- and budget-friendly.  Here are just a few:

Fabric transfer totes,

Silk necklaces (or T-shirt necklaces!),

and customized stationery.

These projects are simple to make, have minimal ingredients (most of which you can find at home or your local crafts- and office-supply stores), and always please a crowd.

We hope Craft Hour becomes a regular spot on your department's calendar.

* Need more help throwing a party? Etsy's got lots of great ideas on how to organize a craft community.

My grandson will be graduating with Honors, and we really want to create something special for this very special graduate.

Handmade elements are such a nice touch to any party! I thought back to the birthday party story that was featured in the January 2011 issue of Living. The story featured festive and sophisticated solutions for adult birthdays. The ideas seem like they may translate well to any sort of party—anniversary, baby shower, graduation, etc. Here are some prime examples.

Back Next

1 of 6

1 Use the graduating class year for this fun cake.

2 Imagine how many fun pics you could fit in "2011"—from baby photos all the way through the present.

3 Use a graduate's school colors as a color palette for your party.

4 Or a fun youthful palette like neon, or metallic.

5 These paper party decorations are so inexpensive, you can make a big impression for next to nothing.

6 Use the graduate's initials, or the school initials, with school colors, for an easy invite.

Jennifer asks:

"...I am making candles for my coworkers this year for the holidays. I'm interested in knowing what is the best way to add pretty leaves, pinecones, acorns, etc. when pouring the wax."

Great idea, Jennifer! Or how about these pretty alternatives? Have you seen the Holly Candles in December's Living? They are featured in our handmade gifts story—along with two other great gift ideas.

You can find the how-to for these beauties in the December issue of Living.

These Frosty Salted Pillar Candles couldn't be easier.

Or how about some elegant Tree-Shaped Candles?

]]> http://thecraftsdept.marthastewart.com/2010/12/making-holiday-candles.html/feed 1 http://thecraftsdept.marthastewart.com/2010/11/our-felt-sources.html http://thecraftsdept.marthastewart.com/2010/11/our-felt-sources.html#comments Wed, 17 Nov 2010 12:00:39 +0000 Blake Ramsey http://thecraftsdept.marthastewart.com/?p=10042 Theresa says:

"The only felt I can find in my area is thin and stiff. Are there any online sources for high-quality felt?"

You've come to the right place, Theresa—we love felt! In fact, we have an entire section of the website devoted to felt projects. As for our sources, we have several that sell high-quality wool felt.

FilzFelt heavyweight wool felt

Magic Cabin Dolls has a broad spectrum of colors.

A Child's Dream Come True has plant-dyed felt.

FilzFelt has heavyweight felt.

Purl sells wool felt in bundles, including eight different colors.

Here are just a few of our many felt projects, with how-tos online.

Back Next

1 of 5

1 These trivets and dishes would be great on a Thanksgiving table!

2

3 This seasonal wreath can be used year after year.

4 Some cozy and crafty slippers make a sweet gift for anyone.

5 Embellish a simple stocking with these felt adornments.

"Do you have any suggestions for personalizing back-to-school supplies?"

Fill these last summer days with activities that will help your back-to-schooler get excited for the first day. You probably already have the supplies needed to make these fun pencils.

Get creative and eco-friendly with textbook covers—here we've used old roadmaps.

Paper grocery bags are also a good solution. What else do you use for covering books?

Any student would be eager to start homework in this homemade study center.

This chalkboard wall calendar would be fun in a dorm room (if you can't paint your wall, try a large piece of masonite board).

Find even more ideas in this "Back to School" gallery!

If you would like to "Ask the Crafts Dept.," please e-mail your questions to thecraftsdept@marthastewart.com.

Any way you could share the top NYC craft destinations with us? I wasn't able to make out all of them from the photo. Thanks!

We'd love to, Shirley!  Here are 10 of our favorites, though the list goes on! Some of them you may recognize from past blog posts.

If you would like to "Ask the Crafts Dept.", please email your questions to thecraftsdept@marthastewart.com.

Mood
Kinokuniya
Purl
Tender Buttons
Tojo Shoji
M&J Trimming
Tinsel Trading
Paper Presentation
New York Central
Metalliferous

And here are some more!

Museum of Arts and Design
Sil Thread
Muji
Habu Textiles
Pearl River
Lee's Art Shop
Cooper Hewitt Shop
Economy Candy
Yarn Tree (Brooklyn)
Spacecraft (Brooklyn)

The answer is YES! you can use craft punches on certain fabrics (though we haven't had much luck with felt, as it is a bit too thick).  The trick to punching fabric is starching it first- this technique was developed for a story in Living a few years ago.  Of course not all fabrics will work- as with paper, some work better than others, and the thicker you get, the more difficulty you will have punching through.  Check out some ideas for your punched fabric below- you'll find a sweet Mother's Day card, as well as some easy gift ideas- barrettes, boxes, and bouquets, including how-to for starching and punching fabric.

See more craft punch projects.

Back Next

1 of 6

1 I love these miniature bouquets!

2 These barrettes would make a great party favor, or group activity- they are quick, and the supplies are so inexpensive

3

4

5 To prepare your fabric for punching: Lay a piece in a shallow tray. With a medium paintbrush, apply enough fabric stiffener to saturate, but not soak, the fabric. Let it dry, about 1 hour. Repeat with any remaining fabric.

6 Using craft punches, punch out petals and leaves as close together on the fabric as possible.

]]> http://thecraftsdept.marthastewart.com/2010/05/punched-fabric.html/feed 17 http://thecraftsdept.marthastewart.com/2010/02/sourcing-valentine-boxes.html http://thecraftsdept.marthastewart.com/2010/02/sourcing-valentine-boxes.html#comments Wed, 10 Feb 2010 15:10:21 +0000 Athena Preston http://thecraftsdept.marthastewart.com/?p=5745 Patricia asks:

Dear Crafts Department,
Could you give me manufacturers/suppliers of Valentine's Day confectionery boxes?  Thanks very much!

Happy to oblige! Here are few good online sources for heart shaped candy boxes:

Box and Wrap has vintage looking red foil boxes, but aslo silver and gold which can be hard to find. SugarCraft has quite a few options in various sizes. On the fancier end, D. Blumchen has victorian inspired papier-mache boxes and nice red foil hearts in several sizes.

A few years back I helped Martha with her February column, about making large Valentine boxes filled will lots of different kinds of special sweets.

We sourced some really great suppliers of beautiful candy and baking cups in different colors and patterns. They're not expensive and so pretty, in any kind of box. Viking Importing and Novacart both carry many different styles and sizes, in addition to many other types of packaging... Hope this is helpful, and that your holiday is very sweet!

* Do you have a craft question you’d like to ask the experts? Please click here for more information! Remember – all queries must be sent VIA EMAIL to be considered. Thanks!