We’re all looking for ways to economise and reduce our weekly shopping bill as well as to maintain our health by eating nourishing foods. Unfortunately the healthiest options are often the most expensive, and this is certainly true when it comes to bread.

Investing in a breadmaker will certainly help you cut costs and develop a new craft, especially if you enjoy luxury breads packed with the goodness of seeds and nuts, for example.

Today’s breadmakers are also fairly versatile, allowing you to make mix cookie dough or pizza bases, and you can enjoy different types of fresh bread according to your weekly requirements.

If you have particular dietary needs, then baking your own bread is ideal as you can have full control over the ingredients, eliminating artificial additives and limiting sugar, salt and fats if you choose to do so. What’s more, your home will be filled with the delicious aroma of freshly baked bread, and that can’t be bad.

Some machines have a ‘quick bake’ facility so that your bread is ready to eat in a fraction of the time. Others will keep your loaf warm for a set period of time, which is attractive if you’d like to return home from work to a slice of fresh, warm bread and jam and a cup of tea or coffee.

Finally, check the size and shape of the breadmaking tin before you buy so that you’re baking the right sized loaf for your family’s requirements – there’s nothing more frustrating than not having enough bread to go round.

Once you’ve got to grips with your new breadmaker, why not try some adventurous recipes – Sundried Tomato and Olive bread with a hint of Pesto is the ideal accompaniment to Italian food, and a rustic Rosemary and Potato loaf makes the perfect partner to a chunky winter soup or Cottage Pie.

Honey and Flaxseed bread is great for the digestion whilst a slice of whole wheat bread enriched with fruit and nuts makes a delicious teatime treat.

For other craft information, try Devon & Cornwall Online.

Growing your own crystals is great fun and amuses the kids on hot summer days.

Whether you grow your own as decoration, jewelry, or for some other use — would you believe as a deodorant, it’s really very simple.

So let’s start with the deodorant. You may have seen “safe” forms of deodorant in healthy living shops. Often they come in the form of large crystals of Potassium Aluminium Sulphate, or Alum.

They have the advantage of being free of Aluminium Chlorohydrate, which has been implicated in ill health. Natural deodorant crystals are suitable for the most sensitive skin, are hypoallergenic and last a long time. Furthermore, they won’t stain your clothes or discolour your skin.

If you prefer the decorative side of crystal making, just add some food coloring to the mix.

You can grow these crystals quite easily with a little bit of knowledge. You will need :

* An ounce of Alum from a local store or online at Pans Pantry.
* A glass jar.
* A clean stick.
* Warm water.
* Thread.
* Small, sharp stones, cleaned well.

Method
1. Pour enough warm water into the jar to cover the stones — but don’t put the stones in yet.

2. Add the Alum and stir well until it stops dissolving. A small residue will be left.

3. Add food colouring if desired.

4. Tie a small stone to the thread and the other end to the stick. Place the stick across the top of the jar so that the stone dangles in the liquid.

5. Put the jar in a warm place to aid evaporation.

The first crystals will appear in a few days. You can add more Alum to make them bigger.

The biggest crystals can be rubbed under arms as a “safe” home-made deodorant.

I remember when crafters often turned to bed sheets as a decorating medium.  Not for just beds – of course that is one use for them, and probably the most popular, but how boring!  How unimaginative!  Do you realize all you can do with bed sheets?

I was shopping the other day for some linens.  I saw the new spring line of bedding and I loved the colors!  They are bright, bold, and somewhat retro.  I can think of a thousand uses for those wonderful colors – the ones that caught my eye were turquoise, coral and a celery green.  But I digress. 

Sheets are wonderful fabrics for decorating.  There are the obvious advantages such as the finished edges, but if you buy a high quality sheet, think of the fabric you are getting for a fairly good price.  A very good price, if you catch them on sale.  Some sheets come in 500 thread count and those are fabrics that aren’t going to fade and thin right away.

There are some ideas on this site that I found.  It will be a good start and I do say a start, because this idea will grow as you find more ideas and uses for the beautiful colors and patterns you find in the bedding department.

Bed Sheets For Home Decor

By Adelle Tilton

Photography is one of the great crafts and it has never been easier than now in the digital age.

Which, then, is the best type of camera for the ardent crafter who uses photography as an art or as part of another craft?

As an experiment, I embarked on a Photowalk with three digital cameras to discover which would be the most useful, and in which circumstances.

The cameras are, from left to right in the picture:

1. Panasonic Lumix DMC FZ8 — a DSLR
2. Advent MP8 — a compact.
3. Panasonic SDR S7 — an SD camcorder.

Two still cameras and a movie cam.

Conclusion
As expected, I used the movie camera the most. There was just too much movement and activity for static shots.

However, when confronted with a fine view, the DSLR came out and a staged shot was taken. Even so, these were all hand-held. Pulling out my tripod would have involved too much effort and made me too conspicuous.

Where a fairly static scene was involved, but with something interesting going on, I reached automatically for the compact.

So, predictably the ratio was 3:2:1 for video, DSLR, compact.

Does that tell me anything about my usage and preferences? Probably not, except that I’ll make sure I carry the videocam everywhere from now on.