Craft Tips

If you have paint brushes that are stiff because you accidentally let them dry with paint in them, simply dip them in some rubbing alcohol and they'll be as good as new.
Dori Kennedy, Bridgewater, MA

My craft tip was concerning uses for the Styrofoam foam trays that meat comes in from the supermarket. I know that we all get them. I just rinse them off and use them when I am painting. The trays are light enough that they can be held in your hand, large enough to hold several colors of craft or stencil paints, and there is plenty of room for mixing colors. Another thing I do is to punch holes in the trays to make "sewing" projects for my young granddaughters. I make holes in the trays with a pencil and then give them large plastic needles threaded with yarn for them to "sew". This keeps them busy with a project all their own while I am sewing AND you can remove the yarn and keep the trays to "re-sew" at their next visit. I know that there are a ton of uses for these trays and I would like to hear from others who like to re-use them.
Deb Cooper

When I am going to start a counted cross stitch pattern, I copy the pattern on a photocopier. Then as I am working on it I use a highlighting pen to highlight what I just cross stitched and I know exactly where I am even if I have not worked on it for awhile. or if I have made a mistake and I want to go back and correct it I can still see the symbol of the color even though I have marked that square with the highlight pen.
Elizabeth Cooper, Russellville, Ohio

My suggestion to the crafting public is always keep your empty ribbon spools, they come in handy for all of those little pieces that you want to save and use for another project. It is a lot neater than using a plastic bag.
Cathy Rogers, Walkertown, North Carolina

Make beautiful "antique" labels or tags for your crafts by tearing computer paper into the appropriate size, dying it with tea, and then writing on it with a calligraphy pen. Thank you!
Debbie Allen, Starkville MS