potatoes, nuts and veggie sausages reincarnated

 

at least their containers can come back.

and so continues the ideas for being thrifty and green…recycling some common household items into something else which can serve a useful purpose. 

just make sure to clean all food containers very well and let dry completely before using.

double check for any sharp edges before you start your project, and use pliers to crimp all around the metal edge, following up with heavy-grit sandpaper prior to use, just to be safe.

 

 

 

cashew container

hello new 3 ½” tall container, goodbye mr. peanut.  run patterned papers through your xyron machine and adheree them to the outside of the container. don’t have a xyron?  go the decoupage route.  pretty up the lid a bit, and why not add a small knob from the hardware store or anthologie? this is a cute gift idea for someone with a new pup.

materials needed:

• adhesive, 3-d dots
• patterned paper  
• embellishments
• gingham ribbon
• scallop-edged scissors

potato chip tube container:

pringles tubes are great for mailing small gifts, holding stamping wheels, or storing embellishments in your crafting area.  use the single-serving size for making party favors or hostess gifts.  

materials needed:

• adhesive
• patterned paper
• ribbon
• decorative-edged scissors

small veggie-sausage tin container:

this smaller tin is perfect to use as a tealight holder, or to hold paperclips, a roll of postage stamps, sequins, you name it. make a few, get some plastic chips, and you’ve got a great tiddlywinks game.

materials needed:

• adhesive  
• patterned paper 
• sticker
• rick

tiny peppermint sliding tins:

this is a great, smaller-sized tin for holding little treasures.  create a simple design for the top and bottom to hide the writing and nutritional information.  the little tin can hold a birthday wish…attach it to a birthday present using the ribbon on the end!

you could also create a little theme album to go inside, hand-made certificates or tickets to turn in for dinner out or a movie date, or even the names and number of all your neighbors and give it to someone who just moved to your neighborhood as a welcome gift.

supplies:

• patterned paper
• ribbon
• flower
• brad
• crop-a-dile

it’s sad that so many fantastic containers head to the trash or recycle bins every day. with a little creativity, you can reuse these items and craft them into cute and personal gifts, craft room/office organizers, or fun games for the younguns.

cheddar ale soup

 

serve this hearty soup with a loaf of crusty bread and glasses of cold ale.

ingredients:

• 4 tbs. (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
• 1 yellow onion, finely diced
• 2 celery stalks, finely diced
• 2 carrots, peeled and finely diced
• 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 3/4 cups milk
• 1 3/4 cups vegetable broth
• 1 bottle (12 fl. oz.) ale
• 1 tbs. worcestershire sauce
• 1 tsp. dry mustard
• 1 1/4 lb. sharp cheddar cheese, grated
• salt, to taste
• cayenne pepper, to taste

directions:

in a pot over medium-low heat, melt the butter. add the onion, celery and carrots and cook, stirring occasionally, until very soft, 10 to 15 minutes. stir in the flour and cook for 3 to 5 minutes. increase the heat to medium-high and whisk in the milk and broth. bring to a simmer and cook, stirring often, until thickened, about 10 minutes.

using an immersion blender, puree the soup until smooth. strain the mixture through a fine-mesh sieve into a large bowl.

return the mixture to the pot and set over medium heat. add the ale, worcestershire and mustard and simmer for 5 minutes. whisk in the cheese 1/2 cup at a time, letting each addition melt before adding more; do not allow the soup to boil. season with salt and cayenne.

ladle the soup into warmed bowls and serve immediately. serves 4 to 6.

vegetable soup with pesto sauce (soupe au pistou)

pistou is a paste made with olive oil, garlic, basil and parmigiano-reggiano cheese to which dried bread, pine nuts or almonds are added as a thickener. it shows the influence of italy on the cooking of southeast france, especially nice. freshly made pistou has an intense, sharp flavor that enhances all the other ingredients in the soup, but if left to stand before using, it can become dull and even bitter. the soup itself varies from a humble one of dried beans and pasta to more elaborate ones that may include fresh shelling beans.

ingredients:

• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 2 yellow or white onions, chopped
• 6 garlic cloves, chopped
• 8 potatoes such as red rose, belle de fontenay or bintje, about 3 lb., diced
• 1/2 lb. green beans, trimmed and cut into 1-inch lengths
• 2 cups fresh shelling beans such as cranberry, flageolet or lima (about 2 lb.)
• 3 tomatoes, peeled and chopped, with juice
• 3 quarts vegetable broth
• 2 tbs. fresh thyme leaves
• 2 tsp. salt
• 2 tsp. freshly ground pepper
• 1 tsp. minced fresh marjoram
• 1 cup broken spaghetti or other thin pasta (small pieces)

for the pistou:

• 20 garlic cloves, peeled but left whole
• 4 cups fresh basil leaves, coarsely chopped
• 1 1/2 cups grated parmigiano-reggiano cheese
• 1/2 cup pine nuts
• 1 to 1 1/4 cups extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1/2 cup grated parmigiano-reggiano cheese

directions:

in a large soup pot over medium heat, warm the olive oil. add the onions and garlic and sauté until translucent, about 2 minutes. add the potatoes, green beans and shelling beans and cook, stirring almost constantly with a wooden spoon, until the beans are glistening and the potatoes are nearly opaque, 5 to 6 minutes.

stir in the tomatoes and their juice. then add the broth, thyme, salt, pepper and marjoram. reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the potatoes and beans are soft, about 40 minutes. add the pasta and cook until the pasta is done, 10 to 15 minutes more.

while the pasta is cooking, make the pistou: in a food processor, combine the garlic, basil, cheese, pine nuts and 3 tbs. of the olive oil. process using short on-off pulses to form a paste. with the machine running, gradually add enough of the remaining oil to form a thick sauce. add the salt and process briefly to blend. alternately, combine the garlic, basil, cheese and pine nuts in a mortar and pound them with a pestle until they form a smooth, thick paste. gradually add the olive oil, stirring with the pestle until a thick sauce forms. season with the salt.

to serve, ladle the soup into warmed bowls, then stir 1 tbs. of the pistou into each bowl. garnish each serving with a sprinkling of the cheese. pass the remaining pistou and cheese in separate serving bowls at the table.

serves 12 to 15.

stationery not intended to remain stationary

this stationery set is easy to make in a couple of hours, and makes a great gift for friends or relatives.

materials needed:

• 12″ x 12″ cardstock of your choice
• 3 sheets of plain white a4 paper
• 4 blank cards
• 6 plain white envelopes
• six 6″ x 6″ sheets of paper  
• spool of ribbon  
• staples
• glue
• stamp of your choice 
• ink
• ruler and pencil
• craft knife or scorer
• 2” circle punch

how to:

start by making the paper for your stationery kit:

take two sheets of the white a4 paper and cut them in half so you end up with four approximately 6″ by 8″ sheets.

take two sheets of the 6″ x 6″ paper and cut each into three approximately 2” x 6” strips.

ink around the edges of the strips and glue them across the top of the white paper. (trim the paper slightly to fit if necessary.  you’ll have two of the 2″ strips left over, so save these for later on.)

using your 2″ circle punch, cut out four circles and ink around the edges.

on each of the circles, stamp an image or phrase of your choice.

glue the circle onto the paper.

embellish as you’d like with glitter or buttons, or you can add a thinner border across the bottom in a complementary paper.

making the cards:

trim the 6″ x 6″ sheets of paper to fit the front of your blank cards. these will be your background papers.

cut the 2″ strips left over from your paper into 1″ x 6″ strips. you will use one per card.

ink around the edges of the background paper and the 1″ strips.

punch out four circles from white paper and ink around the edges in the same way you did for making the stationery sheets.

stamp the same image used on the stationery paper onto the circles.

glue a 1″ strip of paper on the right side of your background paper.

glue the circle to the left bottom side of the 1″ strip.

attach ribbon to finish, overlapping the circle.

adhere the background paper to the front of the card.

making the envelopes:

cut some of the small scraps left over from cutting the strips, and ink around the edges.

glue the squares to the front of each of the six envelopes in the bottom right corner.

stamp the same image used on the cards and papers onto the back of the envelope.

making the holder:

take the 12″ x 12″ sheet of double-sided cardstock and place it in front of you.

measure 6″ across the top and make a dot, and do the same across the bottom of the cardstock.

with a pencil, draw a faint line connecting these dots together (top to bottom).

measure 3″ up from the bottom of the cardstock and do the same, this time making a dot on the left and right sides of the card and join the dots together (horizontally across the page).

score across both of these lines.

fold the bottom of the card upwards (using the score line as your guide).

staple along the sides of the cardstock to form a pocket across the bottom. (glue doesn’t really do the trick here.)

fold the card lengthways in half; this forms your holder.

decorate the front with the leftover scraps of patterned paper, trying to cover the back of the staples where possible.

wrap ribbon around the outside of the holder, and tie at the side.

once you have the basic idea, you could adapt the design for types of occasions. you could have different themes for each season of the year, or even a mismatched set for your own personal use. (scraps are great for this!).  add an extra pocket on the front to include some stamps!

on not giving thanks

 

 

jack and lil

went up brightwood hill

to enjoy their married life

but kid number one

was a godawful rotten bad seed

and filled their years with strife.

the joy of solitude

some people like getting together with others to do crafty projects…knitting circles, scrapbook crops, stitching and bitching, that sort of thing.  as for me, when it comes to the creative process, i prefer having only my honey by my side doing his own thing, or complete silence and solitude.  always have enjoyed my own company, whether it be eating alone in a restaurant, perusing a bookstore or spending hours by myself just working on a project. 

a lot of artists and crafty folk spend much time alone at their work.  now if you’re the social type and crave the company of others, this can probably get rough…many artists claim that making art is a lonely job.  it’s common knowledge that people are inherently social beings, but at least once a week i think i’d be so much happier if i just lived in a cave somewhere and never had to deal with other people.  solitary confinement does not seem like punishment to me, seems like a retreat.

now don’t get me wrong, i’m not against getting together with people to create something. this recluse even agreed to go to a halloween crafting event, believe it or not.  but my “me” time is sacred and if i don’t get enough of it, i get really irritable. probably comes from being an only child and being sent to my room so often (my own personal solitary confinement!) where i’d spend hours making up stories, drawing, painting, coloring, and making something out of nothing.  sometimes i’d even “act up” just so i could get sent to my room to have some peace and quiet.

but as for all the “lonely” artists and crafters, what can you do to prevent yourself from getting lonely while you work? what are the benefits of creating on your own? how can you make the most of that “alone time”? here are a few suggestions:

•  have some background noise…put on the radio or a cd and sing along.

•  watch tv while you work, catch up on the latest episodes of your favorite show or put on a favorite movie…make yourself feel like you’re multitasking.

•  if you’ve got to have some human contact, make a phone call after an hour or so, but limit yourself to 15 minutes so you can get back to your work.

•  make yourself as comfortable as possible.  grab a soft cushion, and a blanket if it’s cold. work in your pajamas and don’t bother with your hair.

•  give yourself a challenge.  use different products or only scraps, or try a project from a magazine that you’ve never done before, and reward yourself when you’re done.

•  spread out!  make the most of the fact that you are working at home, and don’t worry if you make too much mess because you can clean it up later.

•  if you get a thought block, get up and walk away and do something else for a while, maybe make a big pot of soup or go out back and talk to the birds. one of the benefits of working alone and not in a group somewhere else is that you have no deadlines or allocated time slots.

•  take a break and get on a crafter’s message board and chat online with other artsy folks. you’ll still be on your own,  but can catch up on the latest news and learn something from others while by yourself.

make the most of your alone time.  life is so damned hectic these days, that we’ve got to make a concerted effort to slow down and just take it easy doing what we love.

relax, put your feet up and enjoy this time alone, no matter how short it might be. 

use it to gather your thoughts, take a break from your busy world, reflect, daydream, and be creative. 

and when all else fails, there’s nothing like a good nap.

digital organization

one of the many hurdles that lots of crafters and artists face is finding a way to organize the hundreds – even thousands – of photos that found their way into the pile. that’s where “organize your digital life”, a new book by aimee baldridge, comes in. this book contains information on organizing all aspects of digital media, and there’s an extensive section dedicated to organizing photographs.

stuck with piles of old prints and don’t know how to get them into your computer without a lot of hassle? got an old box of slides or negatives? this book will guide you through your options, explain the pros and cons of each, and ultimately help you figure out which route is best for you. are you a digital photophile with thousands of pictures and no way to locate what you need on your computer? aimee offers practical advice to help you find a system that’ll meet your needs.

organize your digital life helps not only with the basics, but with tackling the backlog of your media collection to you create a digital system that works for you. detailed guidance is provided in the form of comparison charts and fill-in-the-blank worksheets that help you develop a plan to get your media organized.

in addition to tackling your piles (digital or otherwise) of photographs, there’s also detailed instructions on how to digitize and organize video. regardless of whether you’re trying to make sense of the videos on your camera phone or converting old film reels, this book will provide expert guidance needed to successfully manage your collection. can’t manage your mp3 music files? have a stack of old lp records? yeah, that’s covered here too.

this book is unique in that it is a truly comprehensive resource that will help you develop a complete strategy that works best for your collection, your needs, and your budget. instead of quick tips with little background, this book dives in to great detail and is helpful even for a novice computer user who is looking to achieve great results.

the one-two punch

punches are some of the oldest and easiest tools to use in crafting. with a wide variety of styles available and their ready availability pretty much everywhere, why not pick up a few?

there are a few types of punches:  a border punch allows you to create a decorative edge along the side of a piece of paper; a corner rounder rounds the corners of photos or paper; a shape punch comes in a wide variety of sizes and shapes, from dinosaurs to trees to alphabets; a hand held punch is for making a tiny punched shape, like the type used to make holes in paper for binders, and they come in many designs as well, such as hearts, stars, and the like. not going to talk further about the corner rounders, because they’re pretty self explanatory…want something with a rounded edge? use a corner rounder. 

now as for the others:

using border punches

using a border punch eliminates the need for buying pre-cut border strips. when using this type of punch, start by lining up the end of your paper with the center of the punch (there is a little line in the center for this purpose). then, use the picture on the side of the punch to line up the paper and repeat the design until an entire border has been punched. some ideas:

• punch one side of a strip for a single border
• punch both sides of a wider strip and use as a mat for photos
• punch a few strips and layer for a “ruffled” look

border punches are not just for scalloped borders…many fun designs out there including drippy goo and cityscapes.

using shape punches

this type of punch is mostly used for making shapes to use as a surface embellishment.  with a vast array of shapes and sizes available, you can make a perfect accent for just about anything.

• punch several sizes of the same shape and layer them. use many sizes of circles and embellish with a button or brad to make your own paper flowers.
• punch many small squares and create a mosaic effect.
• use a larger punch to punch a shape, then stamp with the design of your choice to make gift tags.
• confetti!!!!!

using hand held punches

tiny punches can be fun to use on a page. some ideas:

• punch tiny shapes on premade borders for even more detail.
• use a 1/8″ circle punch to create holes for brads.
• again, confetti!!!!

venetian rice and pea soup

 

you can substitute 2 lb. fresh english peas for the frozen peas, adding them with the broth and water.

to shell the peas, hold each pod over a bowl, press your thumb against the seam to split it, and then sweep the peas into the bowl.

this can be done up to 1 day in advance; store the peas in a sealable plastic bag in the refrigerator.

ingredients:

• 2 tbs. unsalted butter
• 1 shallot, minced
• 1 celery stalk, chopped
• 1/2 cup short-grain white rice, such as arborio
• 3 cups vegetable broth
• 2 cups frozen peas
• 1/2 cup grated parmigiano-reggiano cheese
• 1 tbs. minced fresh flat-leaf parsley
• salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

directions:

sauté the vegetables: in a large saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter. add the shallot and celery and sauté until the shallot is translucent, about 2 minutes. add the rice and cook, stirring, until the grains are opaque, about 1 minute.

cook the rice and peas: increase the heat to medium-high, add the broth and 2 cups water, and bring to a boil. reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer until the rice is tender, about 15 minutes. add the peas and cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes more.

just before serving, stir in the cheese and parsley, and season with salt and pepper. ladle the soup into bowls and serve immediately.

serves 4.

white corn chowder

white corn goes quickly at california farmers’ markets because of its exceptional tenderness. and for city dwellers who don’t have gardens, corn picked the day before—or sometimes early the same morning—is a real treat.

ingredients:

• 4 to 6 ears of white corn, husks and silk removed
• 4 tbs. (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
• 1/2 large yellow onion, minced
• 1 large celery stalk, minced
• 1 lb. russet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
• 2 cups vegetable broth
• 1 cup water
• 1 1/2 tsp. minced fresh thyme
• 1 cup half-and-half
• salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
• 3 tbs. thinly sliced fresh chives

directions:

holding each ear of corn by its pointed end and steadying its stalk end on a cutting board, cut down along the ear with a sharp knife to strip off the kernels, turning the ear with each cut. alternatively, remove the kernels with a kernel cutter. you will need 4 cups corn kernels. set aside.

in a large saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter. add the onion and celery and sauté until soft, about 10 minutes. add the potatoes, broth, water, and thyme and bring to a simmer. cover, adjust the heat to maintain a gentle simmer and cook until the potatoes are almost tender, about 8 minutes. add the corn, cover and continue to simmer gently until the corn is tender, 3 to 5 minutes more.

transfer about 4 cups of the soup solids to a food processor along with enough of the cooking liquid to achieve a puree. secure the lid and cover with a kitchen towel. process until smooth and return to the pan. stir in the half-and-half and season with salt and pepper.

reheat the soup gently over medium-low heat. ladle into warmed soup bowls and garnish with the chives, dividing evenly. serve immediately.

serves 6.

california snowballs

 

who says you can’t have snowballs in the san gabriel valley?!?

this adorable winter decoration is made from scrapbook papers and some simple craft supplies.  about as close to real snowballs as i’ll ever get.

materials needed:

• aluminum bucket
• various sizes of styrofoam balls
• patterned scrapbook papers
• circle punches
• ribbons with dots
• chipboard tags and alphabet
• alphabet stickers
• white and aqua glitter
• glue stick or paper adhesive
• mod podge
• foam brush
• long pearl head and regular pins
• silver sequins 
• wood dowel
• cardboard
• various sizes of circle punches
• colorbox chalk inks

how to:

to make the snowballs: punch 20 to 30 circles in various sizes from the patterned papers. pin the circles onto a styrofoam ball, creating a circle around the center. you can also add a sequin or a smaller circle, or just pin them on as is.   work your way around the ball, and then start filling in until complete. for a soft looking edge, you can ink the edges of the circles with the colorbox chalk inks before pinning.

to make the glitter snowballs: cover the styrofoam ball with mod podge using a foam brush. sprinkle glitter liberally over the snowball until coated, then shake off the excess. pour the excess back into your glitter jar and repeat on the next ball.

to make the sequin snowballs: use straight short pins and sequins. pin sequins on in the same pattern as you did for the paper circles, working around the middle and then filling in until complete.

to make the sign: tear a piece of cardboard to about 11″ x 6″, and ink the edges with colorbox creamy brown ink.  add scrapbook paper of your choosing and embellish as desired.  ink the edges of the letters for “all” and adhere them to the sign. edge the white chipboard tag with colorbox robin’s egg. add letter stickers to spell “day”. tie a ribbon to the tag. adhere the tag to the sign.  add letters to spell out “snowballs.” finally, adhere the completed sign to a wood dowel.

fill the bucket with styrofoam or papers close to the top. then add a layer of white tissue paper. add the snowballs and stick the sign in!

decorate the bucket as you desire.  you can add some paper, ribbons and snowflake to finish it off!    

 

my kingdom for a bookmark!

as a follow up to my previous entry on corner bookmarks, here’s a few more cute and quick ideas to save your place in that must-read!

paint chip & fibers

ah, paint chip swatches.  paint stores have them, home depot has them, wal mart has them…i love perusing the paint aisles and picking up paint swatches.  best of all, they’re free, and always sure to inspire some sort of project. 

materials needed:

• paint chip
• fibers
• rub-ons
• fiskars’ threading water border punch  

this easy as pie paint chip bookmark is made by cutting a border along each side, threading fibers through the holes in the border and adding a rub-on. 

origami corner

here’s an origami bookmark  that is simple, fast and cute…made with patterned vellum paper and the addition of a ribbon border.  make sure thin paper is used, otherwise the bookmark can get a bit bulky.

materials needed:

• 4″ x 4″ square of patterned paper or vellum
• 2″ of ribbon

click here for the how-to video

paper clip & button

for this simple and cute bookmark, all you need is a large paper clip, some ribbon, a button, and a hot glue gun.  as a variation, instead of a button, why not attach some chipboard, gems, or metal embellishments to create your own unique design.  many a possibility here!

making your own bookmarks takes very little time, and is so easy. a fun project to do with children, and they make fantastic gifts for teachers or that special bibliophile in your life.

unmounting wood-mounted stamps

now that acrylic stamps have taken the stamping world by storm, you may find yourself falling out of love with your old fashioned wood mounted stamps.  they seem a little bulkier than usual, and a little more difficult to store, compared to the newfangled acrylic marvels, don’t they? 

well don’t give up on those once-loved treasures…unmount them from their wooden bases!  it’ll free up storage space, as well as make it easier to store and organize all of your images to quickly find what you’re looking for.

materials needed:

• microwave oven
• very sharp scissors
• ez mount foam
• regular sized cd cases
• labels, or label maker
• un-du adhesive remover
• acrylic blocks

how to:

1. place your wood mounted stamp in the microwave for 8-10 seconds to loosen the adhesive that holds the rubber and foam to the wood block. 

2. pull off the rubber image. 

3. attach to ez mount foam

i’m not going to steer you wrong here…the process sounds way easier than it is, and things can get quite sticky.  might want to keep a bottle of un-du handy, as well as a small plastic, non-stick spatula to help remove the really stubborn images.

IMPORTANT NOTE: if you’re converting your stamps with a product that is a foam backing/cling material combo, you don’t need to keep the foam attached to the rubber image.  BUT…if you’re using a product that’s only a layer of cling material (such as tsukineko tack and peel), then be sure to keep the foam attached so you get a nice, solid image when stamping.

after removing the rubber (and/or foam) image—see note above—from the wooden block, trim off any excess rubber.  the cheapy stamps from the craft store’s $1 bin typically have some extra rubber that could use a good trimming.  sharp scissors are a must for this part.

once you attach the ez mount foam, the now flat images can be easily stored in cd jewel cases.

catalog your stamps

for the truly compulsive, you might want to create a catalog of the images in your collection so you know exactly what you own as the collection expands. 

stamp each image onto a 3″ x 5″ notecard and make notes on the back as to manufacturer or collection the stamp comes from,  keep the notecards on a ring, and mark each theme with tabs.  That way you can easily take the ring with you when shopping for new stamps, and you’ll never buy the same thing twice (yes, that stamp looks familiar, but have I bought it yet?  I better get it just in case…)

with a little time and patience, the storage space for your stamps will whittle down significantly, making way for all sorts of new supplies.

setting my eyes on eyelet setting

eyelets have been a part of all of our lives since birth.  remember some of those first pairs of shoes?  yeah, eyelets held your shoelaces. 

 great little marvels, eyelets. 

here’s some info on eyelets and setting tools, and what progress has been made over the years in terms of eyelet setting.  much easier now than back in the day, that’s for sure.

check out this non-industrial eyelet/snap setter, which was probably used to add eyelets or snaps to children’s clothing.  maybe craft projects too.  but you’d be really limited where you could place the eyelets, because the tool would reach only ¾’ in from any edge, be it paper, leather or cloth.  although the setter itself was virtually silent, i could practically hear the groans of the user as (s)he squeezed the tool with all their strength to set an eyelet or snap.  oh, if one could only put an eyelet anywhere one chose, and with ease…

welcome to the 1990’s

hello leather hole punch, self-healing mat, hammer, and eyelet setter! now i can set an eyelet anywhere!  only problem was that the smaller the eyelet, the more difficult it was to find a smaller punch and setter.   this type of eyelet setting was noisy, but long gone were the days of the ¾” edge restriction.  many crafters started using eyelets at this point because of this newer, “easier” method.

i remember banging away on eyelets with my hammer long into the night and the honey saying from the bedroom, “can you maybe set those eyelets in the morning?!?” bless my sweet man’s patient soul.

before too long, martha stewart came out with an eyelet setting tool kit, which of course i had to snatch up.  then Making Memories introduced their eyelet setting tools and 3/8” eyelets in 20+ colors. Screw you, martha, and your wishy washy silver, gold and copper eyelets.  although still noisy, i still held out hope and would often tell the honey, “why can’t they just come out with something that is quieter and easier on the hands…like a hole punch, but for eyelet setting?”

yeah, if i had a dollar for every time i had a thought for “they”. millions, i say.  millions. 

the new-and-improved versions

about five or six years ago, there was a great jump in the evolution of eyelet setting.  three companies introduced a single setting tool that eliminated the need for a punch tool, setting tool and hammer. good on them, I say, and if you’re not ready to part with your clikit, instant setter or silent setter for a crop-a-dile, then don’t.  keep it, and get a crop-a-dile too! 

if you’re in the market for an eyelet setting tool, here’s the lowdown on the clikit, instant setter, and the silent setter:

karen foster design – clikit

this is a spring-action tool that punches holes, sets eyelets and embosses with a simple handle push.

 

 

the clikit releases about the same amount of pressure as a hammer, but with a little less noise.  it comes with 10 interchangeable tips, two sets of different sized eyelets and a setting pad in a slide-top wooden box. 

if punching letters into metal is your thing, additional embossing alphabets are available with complete instructions and diagrams included in the box. nifty.

making memories – instant setter

the instant setter is spring-loaded, tension-adjustable, easy on the hands and a little less loud than the clikit.  it does still make some noise, so don’t get all excited.  the instant setter comes with three interchangeable punching tips (1/16”, 1/8” and 3/16”), four setting tips and a setting mat, which is all neatly tucked into a metal box. 

the handle is comfortable to hold and use, and each letter die from the stamping die set fits easily into the tool head.  simple to follow instructions on the back of the package. 

provo craft – silent setter

a quiet eyelet setter…no noise, and ergonomically designed.  but like anything “ergonomically designed”, it can take some time for your body to adjust to a new way of doing things.  doesn’t screw up the shape of the back of your metal eyelets the way some other setting tools can.  the set includes a zippered case with a setting mat, three punch tips and three setting tips in micro, standard and large.   

all you need is a medium to firm push downward and a slight rotation of the tool to securely attach an eyelet to any layout or craft project.

works best on aluminum eyelets.    

crop-a-dile

if you don’t yet have a crop-a-dile, stop waiting.  durable, easy to use, quiet, feels good in your hands, and you can set eyelets all night without waking your partner.  works on paper, leather, plastic, metal, chipboard, acrylic, fabric, and wood. 

only down-side to the original crop-a dile is that you can’t reach the center of your pages or projects…it can only punch about 3” in from the edges.  for most projects this is fine, but if you do need to reach the middle, you’ll need one of the other tools as well or the newfangled long-reach version of the crop-a-dile called the “big bite”. 

again, a point i made to my honey one day…“why don’t they make one where you can reach further into the middle of the page?”  i swear there are product designers following me and stealing my product ideas.

this bad boy even works on metal pails!

in sum

like most inventions, each new product solves a different problem posed by its predecessor. still can’t decide what to do? here’s some thoughts:

if you’ve got an old gripper tool, keep it because it sets an industrial snap, and most newer products don’t.

if you’ve got some of the early making memories tools (or those from other companies), why not donate them to a local school for student use? that’d be most appreciated.  

consider purchasing the karen foster clickit because it will easily set non-aluminum, heavier eyelets, it has many tip options, and cool alphabet embossing options. 

consider the making memories instant setter for its simplicity, comfortable handle and great box.

purchase the provo craft silent setter IF you’re looking for something quiet without a lot of bells and whistles.  just remember it won’t sent heavy-duty eyelets, so you may eventually end up purchasing something else that does.

purchase the crop-a-dile. this handy tool punches through just about any material and it’s easy to use.

absentia cum laude

 

 

the trillions before me have

and the trillions thereafter will

gaze upon this same moon

this big fat lovely round moon

lighting these otherwise

bleak and wretched

hours of darkness.