The Billy Lids

Decorated Door Hangers

2009-01-05T09:40:16Z

Make personalised doorknob signs to let everyone know you have your own space. Use foam shapes, jewels, fun key chains, and your imagination.

What You Need:

Crafts-foam door hangers
Pre-cut crafts-foam shapes and letters
Small moveable eyes
Key chains (ones that make noise or tell time are especially fun)
Crafts-foam glue
Toothpick

Instructions:

Arrange the pre-cut crafts-foam shapes and letters over the door hanger.
When you’re pleased with the arrangement, use crafts-foam glue to adhere the pieces to the door hanger. Let the glue dry, and then flip the hanger over. Repeat the process to make a new message on the other side.
When the second set of glued letters and shapes have dried, poke a hole 1 cm up from the centre bottom of the door hanger.
Thread the key chain through the hole. If you’re using a split key ring, carefully slide one end of the ring through the hole, and then keep the ring separated while rotating it around the hole. Eventually the entire ring will slide freely in the hole. Do not tug on the key ring, as force will break the bottom edge of the crafts foam.

Page Marker Pets

2009-01-03T05:30:13Z

You’ll never lose your place with these colourful pets marking your page. Choosea dog or a cat, or create both!

What You’ll Need:

Tracing paper
Pencil
Scissors
Plastic lids from coffee or ice cream containers
Paint markers or fabric paint pens

Instructions:

Download the free pattern for this project.
Trace the desired pattern. Cut out the shape.
Carefully cut off the rim of a plastic lid, leaving only the smooth center. Trace around the pattern on the lid. Cut it out.
Use markers or fabric paint to colour the plastic and add eyes, a nose, and whiskers to your animal.

From the book, 501 Fun-to-Make Family Crafts

Decorated Lampshade

2009-01-01T09:16:24Z

Give your room a great new look when you decorate a plain lampshade with bright-coloured paper designs, beads, and trims.

What You Need:

Smooth lampshades
Bright-coloured tissue papers
Gold and blue vellum scrapbook paper
Beaded trim or ribbon trim
Paper punches: star, spiral, large circle, and small-diameter circle
Decoupage medium
Small paintbrush
Hot-glue gun and glue sticks

Instructions:

Download the free patterns for this project.

Funky Lampshade - Space

Funky Lampshade - Flowers

Use the patterns as your guide to cut out tissue-paper shapes.
Punch the detail shapes on each piece before attaching them to the shades. The paper punch works better on heavyweight handmade tissue papers. If you want to punch regular tissue paper, stack four sheets and punch them together.
Carefully brush the decoupage medium on the back of a tissue paper cut-out; then gently apply it to the lampshade. Smooth out wrinkles and bubbles with your fingertips. Continue applying cut-outs until you’re pleased with all sides of the lampshade. Let it dry.
Brush a thin coat of decoupage medium over the tissue-paper designs to ensure that they’re firmly anchored to the shade. Let it dry.
Ask an adult for a helping hand with this step. Hot-glue beaded trim or ribbon trim along the bottom edge of the lampshade, allowing the beads or sequins to hang below the lampshade and reflect the light.

From the magazine, Incredibly Awesome Crafts for Kids

Gold-Studded Snowflake Candles

2008-12-15T03:11:08Z

Shimmering patterns that reflect the candlelight are easy to make on plain pillar candles. Simply push purchased gold studs into candles following these easy directions.

What You Need:

Tracing paper; pencil
Three 6-inch-tall plain pillar candles
Masking tape; tapestry needle
170 gold nailhead studs, 1/4-inch-diameter (available at hardware stores and home centers)
One 5/8-inch gold star-shaped stud
Gold metallic paint marker
13 gold nailhead studs, 3/8-inch-diameter

Instructions:

Download the diagrams. (Download requires free Adobe Acrobat software)
Starburst Design (shown on green candle): Fold a 4-1/2-inch square of tracing paper in half. Aligning the fold with dotted line on the pattern, trace starburst pattern. Turn the folded tracing paper over and trace pattern on the opposite side of the fold; unfold. Center pattern on candle and tape in place. With needle, make a small hole in center of each paper circle and a light indentation on candle. Remove pattern and press 1/4-inch studs into candle at each indentation. Press star-shaped stud into center.
Large Snowflake Design (shown on red candles): Fold a 4-1/2-inch square of tracing paper in half; repeat, bringing the folded edges together. Matching folds, trace pattern onto tracing paper. Turn folded tracing paper over and trace pattern on opposite side of fold; unfold once and trace pattern on remaining two quarters of paper. Unfold pattern and tape to the candle, centering from top to bottom. Trace lines and make indentations for the stud placement with needle. Remove pattern and draw over lines using gold marker. Press a 3/8-inch stud into center and 1/4-inch studs into remaining indentations.
Scattered Snowflake Design (shown on white candles): Fold 4-1/2-inch square of tracing paper in half. Align fold with dotted line on pattern, left; trace. Turn folded tracing paper over and trace pattern on opposite side of fold; unfold. Center the pattern on candle and tape. With needle, make a small hole in the center of each paper circle and a light indentation on the candle. Remove pattern and press 3/8-inch and 1/4-inch studs into appropriate positions as shown on pattern.

Beaded Snowflake Ornaments

2008-12-13T13:03:13Z

The light will dance on these wintertime snowflakes, made from a variety of crystal-like beads. It’s easy to make a blizzard’s worth of these sparkling Christmas ornaments.

What You Need:

For each snowflake:

10 corsage pins with pearl ends (available in fabric and craft stores)
Crystal-like beads in desired shapes and sizes
1 small cork
Iridescent white glitter paint pen (usually used for fabric, available in craft and discount stores)
Mono filament thread

Instructions:

Add beads to 4 pins. Place beads on 1 corsage pin in desired order, leaving the last 1/4 inch without beads. Make 3 more beaded pins using the same arrangement.
Make another set of 4 beaded pins, using a different arrangement. Make an additional set of 2 beaded pins. (You should have a total of 10 beaded pins.)
Add 4 matching pins to cork. Cut the cork, if necessary, so it is about 1/4 inch long. With the round side of the cork laying on the work surface, poke one beaded pin into the cork (close to work surface) like a spoke of a wheel. Place a matching beaded pin opposite the first. Place the remaining two opposite each other, between the first set.
Add remaining pins. Using the remaining set of 4 matching pins, poke each into the cork, slightly closer to the top of the cork and alternating with the first set of four. Place the remaining 2 beaded pins into each round end of the cork.
Cover the cork using glitter paint pen. Allow to dry. Apply a second coat, if necessary, and let dry.
To hang, cut a desired length of mono filament and tie to one spoke of the snowflake.

Beaded Tote Bag

2008-11-11T06:28:11Z

Dress up a tiny canvas tote with clusters of floral and leaf beads.

This teensy bag is perfect for little treasures.

What You’ll Need:

Thread
Scissors
Ruler
Beading needle
Mini canvas tote bag
Beads in flower and leaf shapes
Assorted seed and other small beads

Instructions:

Cut an 18-inch length of thread. Thread the needle and knot one end of the thread.
From the inside of the bag, push the needle through one side, centred approximately 1 1/2 inches from the top. Thread on a flower bead and a seed bead. Push the needle back through the flower bead and the bag. Continue attaching bead flowers until you like the look. Sew on single seed beads and leaf beads as desired. Knot the thread on the inside of the bag.
Sew bead trims to the tote bag handle in the same manner.

Make a Fingerprint Fish Clock

2008-11-09T10:20:47Z

Blend paint with your fingertips and press onto a clock frame to make a school of delightful fish. It’s so easy to do and makes a very personalised gift for someone.

Fish are the easiest things to draw, and Christmas will soon be here so now is the time to start making gifts.

Help for Victims of Cyberabuse

2008-10-11T08:26:27Z

WiredSafety.org, one of the websites created in the wake of the unfortunate deaths of teenaged victims of cyberbullying, has put together a live help system for young people who are victims of Internet abuse.

It’s still hard to believe that there are a lot of people out there who are just getting started using the Internet, but if you know someone who is like that, you might want to have them check out WiredSafety’s basics of the Internet pages.

WiredSafety provides help, information and education to Internet and mobile device users of all ages. They help victims of cyberabuse ranging from online fraud, cyberstalking and child safety, to hacking and malicious code attacks. They also help parents with issues, such as MySpace and cyberbullying.

What is a Semiconductor?

2008-09-01T07:17:23Z

A semiconductor is a substance, usually a solid chemical element or compound, that can conduct electricity under some conditions but not others, making it a good medium for the control of electrical current.

Its conductance varies depending on the current or voltage applied to a control electrode, or on the intensity of irradiation by infra red (IR), visible light, ultraviolet (UV), or X rays.

Semiconductors have had a monumental impact on our society. You find semiconductors at the heart of microprocessor chips as well as transistors. Anything that’s computerised or uses radio waves depends on semiconductors.

Semiconductor make moving image works which reveal our physical world in flux; cities in motion, shifting landscapes and systems in chaos. The secret lives of invisible magnetic fields are revealed as chaotic ever-changing geometries in the following movie.

Magnetic Movie from Semiconductor on Vimeo.

Create Paper Art

2008-08-16T03:10:10Z

Show off your favourite line of papers by using découpage on canvas to create do-it-yourself art. Paint the edges of the canvas to complete the look.

Make a Pocket Purse

2008-08-10T03:55:35Z

Transform an old pair of jeans into a cute purse that’s perfect for a phone or an iPod.

Instructions

Cut the pockets out of a pair of jeans.
Embellish with ribbon, buttons, and pre-made accessories.
Hot-glue around the edges, leaving about 1 cm of space at the top for the handle.
Attach ribbon or braided denim as the handle; hot-glue into place.

When Forces of Nature Collide

2008-08-06T11:01:36Z

Two of nature’s most spectacular forces produced an incredible show in the skies of Chile as a volcanic eruption met a lightning storm in May this year.

Tonnes of dust and ash from the eruption of the Chaiten volcano poured into the night sky just as an electric storm was passing overhead.

The resulting collision created an extraordinary sight as lightning flickered around the dust cloud in the fiery, orange glow of the volcano.

Images attributed to Carlos Gutierrez/UPI

References:

Earth and sky in battle above volcano

5,000 evacuated as volcano blast meets storm in the Chilean sky

Amazing pictures: The lightning storm that engulfed an erupting volcano

Northern and Southern Lights

2008-07-25T05:15:35Z

The multicoloured aurora borealis and aurora australis - the Northern Lights and Southern Lights - represent some of Earth’s most dazzling natural displays.

Scientists using data from five NASA satellites have learned what causes frequent auroral flare-ups that make this green, red and purple lightshow that shimmers above Earth’s northernmost and southernmost regions even more spectacular.

Writing in the journal Science, the scientists said that explosions of magnetic energy occurring a third of the way between Earth and the moon drive the sudden brightening of the Northern Lights and Southern Lights. There had been debate among scientists dating back decades about what triggers these auroral flare-ups.

The findings from the THEMIS satellites and a network of 20 ground observatories in Canada and Alaska confirmed that it is due to a process called “magnetic reconnection.” THEMIS stands for Time History of Events and Macroscale Interactions during Substorms mission.

Auroral displays are associated with the solar wind - electrically charged particles continuously spewing outward from the sun. Earth’s magnetic field lines reach far out into space as they store energy from the solar wind.

The researchers said that as two magnetic field lines come close together due to the storage of energy from the sun, a critical limit is reached and the lines reconnect, causing magnetic energy to be turned into kinetic energy and heat. The release of this energy sparks the auroral flare-ups.

Pets for Small Spaces

2008-07-16T05:44:34Z

If space in your home is an issue but you still want some animal company, here are three ideas for pets which don’t take up too much room, that you may like to consider.

Chihuahua

The smallest of all dogs rapidly spread around the world in the early 1800s. The breed is unmistakable, weighing less than 2kg, with a large domed head, prominent eyes and large ears. Chihuahuas are often intolerant of strangers but they are bright, alert and intelligent dogs within the family circle who will defend their territory with force beyond their size. Grooming is minimal but they do appreciate warmth in the winter. An ideal house dog for the older person, though most tolerate children quite well.

Hermit crabs

An unusual crab that literally carries its own home wherever it goes - the body is adapted to anchor within a shell. Spare shells are essential when they moult. Management is simple: a glass tank, the base lined with coarse gravel or grit; a bowl with fresh water and a bowl with salt water. Hermit crabs feed on vegetables and fruit with a pellet or flake supplement available at pet stores. It is essential not to overfeed them and to maintain a humid environment needed because crabs breathe through gills. In the wild hermit crabs spend most of their time above the shoreline but wander down to the sea every few days for a bath.

Children’s python

Don’t be put off by the thought of a snake, these are delightful pets. You’ll need to purchase your reptile from a breeder and obtain a licence to keep it. It’s also worth seeking advice from the local herpetological society to set up the vivarium (snake enclosure): A ply structure 1 m long and 50cm wide and tall with a glass front is ideal. Two lights placed at opposite ends of the enclosure are needed to provide infra-red heat at 26-28 degrees Celsius and the correct range of ultraviolet light. This allows the snake to move in and out of the heat. Cover the base with a natural substrate like desert sand or use a recycled paper type cat litter. A shallow water container will help with shedding when your python grows into new skin. Food is important. Use only thawed frozen mice from pet shops with Pet Industry Association of Australia (PIRA) accreditation. Feeding live prey can teach your pet to strike and worse still, pass on internal parasites.

Training Your Puppy

2008-07-10T10:15:20Z

Socialising your puppy can have a profound effect on their development and their general behaviour. Your puppy should have exposure to many different experiences.

Puppies are naturally very curious and because of their openness to experience new sounds, smells and sights, it is a wonderful time to expose them to things they are likely to encounter during their lifetime.

Your puppy should first be introduced to your family and allowed to become familiar and comfortable within his or her environment. Children must be taught to handle a dog gently. It is important that the puppy is taught that all humans are ahead of him/her in the family hierarchy.

Before you and your puppy venture out into the world, ensure your puppy is fully vaccinated. It can take between 7-10 days after the last puppy vaccination before adequate immunity is reached. Consult your vet health care professional for further information relating to vaccinations.

Expose your puppy to different environments by taking them out and about in public as often as possible.
Take your puppy to your local vet for a cuddle and a weigh-in from time to time. The puppy will then associate the trip to the vet with a positive experience.
Introduce your puppy to lots of different sounds: loud music, vacuum cleaners, garbage trucks, sirens and general household noise. Many dogs have a real fear of fire works, so try to desensitise your puppy to these sounds if you get the opportunity. A recording of various sounds may assist you.
Enrol your puppy into a reputable puppy pre-school class. Ensure that training is based upon positive reinforcement methods.
Allow your puppy to play and socialise with other fully vaccinated dogs. Ensure they are closely supervised. Many puppies try to establish a hierarchical order, so if you feel things are getting out of hand then it’s time to intervene.
Run your hands over the puppy’s body, and apply pressure to the limbs.

Many dogs are protective of their feet. This can be useful if your vet needs to clip the claws or inspect the foot for any reason. Lift his tail and get him/her used to having the tail touched should he/she needs his/her temperature taken. Apply pressure to your dogs’ ears, so they may be checked and cleaned. Allow your dog to become familiar with having his/her eyes looked at and opening his/her mouth. Be patient and gentle and reward your puppy with positive reinforcement.