The Crafters’ magazine Craft Beautiful now has an exclusive online club.

Crafters’ Companion Membership Pack

They say : “Our aim at Crafter’s Companion is to make your life easy. Save time and money with our innovative scoring tools and Craft CD ROMs designed for crafters by crafters. Take time to browse our carefully selected range of products and our ever growing customer gallery to provide inspiration and help tease out your true creative potential.”

The club comes with a membership pack of goodies :

The actual Membership Pack is a fantastic A5 ring binder which is chock-full of hints, tips, projects, inspirational ideas, templates and more! We’ve given it wide appeal across the board so it’s ideal for everyone regardless if you’re just starting out or a seasoned crafter.

Contained within the initial pack you will find 5 sections of crafting help and advice containing the first piece of inspiration from each of the following sections.

Project Ideas
Techniques
Hints & Tips
Templates
Layouts.

Find Crafters Companion here.

If you’re anywhere near North Adams, Massachusetts on September 29, head on over to the Autumn Arts and Crafts Festival.

The press release says :

North Adams, MA - The Autumn Arts and Crafts Festival takes place on Saturday, September 29th from 10:00 - 3:00 pm on the sidewalk of the north side of Main Street, featuring the work of nearly two dozen crafters, artists and artisans.

Photographs, handcrafted jewelry, ceramics and more will be available for sale. Local craft and artisan shops will also be represented and food will be available. All work is handmade by the artist/crafter and of good quality. There are still a few slots available, but this popular event will be closed to registration soon.

Call Sharon Leary at 413-664.5404 or Rod Bunt at 413-664-6180.

An acorn wreath is a traditional Autumn/Fall craft project that will keep a child or adult occupied and make a gift or decoration for the home.

It will require some supervision, depending on the child’s age. You’ll need :

Acorns, a wicker wreath frame, a hot glue gun, glue sticks, a newspaper, flowers or other decorations.

To make the wreath, spread the newspaper on a flat surface and lay the wreath frame on it.

Heat your glue gun and, starting in the middle of the wreath, begin gluing the bottom of an acorn. Place the glued part of the acorn in the middle of the wreath and stand the acorn upright.

Make one row in a straight line going all the way around the wreath. Repeat the process from top to bottom with the wreath still lying flat.

Decorate with flowers, bows, or other ornaments. Be sure not to leave any open spaces except at the back. The back of the wreath should be clear of acorns so it lies flat.

A wreath hanger is recommended as it is quite heavy.

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.