I’m about to get back on my torch and make more “raku” glass beads. They are one of my best sellers and the color range that comes from this rod of glass is awesome. So I went looking around the internets looking for information to share with all of you about this glass and found some from none other than Lori Greenberg, the former Glass Arts Editor over here at Craft Gossip. So check out what she says about it…and then check out what Dawn Scannel says over at Lampwork etc…I personally think it’s best when it has been frosted with etching solution, but that’s just me…and most of my customers that buy these little beauties. I do know this about “raku” glass, it’s got silver in it and that’s what helps to make the magic happen. Playing with Bullseye’s french vanilla and silver foil you can get some of the same colors coming out. So it appears a bit of sulphur and a bit of silver and ta da…magic. Who knew chemistry could be so much fun!
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Make Tiny Cross Stitch Magnets
I’ve been trying to come up with some different ways to use cross stitch this year, and one of the things I wanted to try was making cross stitch magnets.
I had the idea to use bottle caps as the base for the magnets because I’ve made a few magnets of that size before. Also we happen to have a lot of those little button magnets, which are the perfect size to go on the back of a bottle cap so you can’t see it on the other side.
I figure out that you get a space of about 10 by 10 stitches using 14 count fabric, which is plenty of space for a tiny bit of cross stitch. If you have any minis that little you can use whatever design you like, or grab some graph paper and design your own.
In the blog post linked below I also have a few simple designs I used on mine, including a heart, star, smiley face and square. You could stitch out an initial (or do the whole alphabet to make your own alphabet magnets amazingly adorable), make emojis, tiny flowers, whatever you like.
Check out this post on mini Christmas cross stitch patterns or this one on Easter minis for more ideas of things that might fit in a tiny space.
Each one of these takes just a few minutes to make and they’re a great handmade addition to your magnet board or fridge.
You can get the full photo tutorial over at Our Daily Craft. There’s also a video that walks you through the entire process if you need or want more details.
Would you make mini cross stitch magnets? What sort of tiny design would you like to stitch on one of these little projects? Or how else would you make a magnet that incorporates cross stitch? I’d love to hear your thoughts!