The home of SwiftCraftyMonkey! Join Susan as she obsesses about cosmetic chemistry and other things (some possibly related to monkeys). Often strange, occasionally useful, and always worth a stop as a point of interest on your journey through the Intertron.
Making books can be as simple or as difficult as you want it to be. There are dozens of way to make a simple book your giftee will cherish for years to come! Here are two simple techniques…single pamphlet and album stitch. To make a basic book you’ll need:Scissors, embroidery thread, and needleInside paper (to…...
Cold ties are easy to make and pretty darn awesome to give as presents. Okay, so maybe they aren’t really suitable for the winter season, but they come in handy when someone has a fever or during the summer. And they’re easy to make in really pretty fabrics! So what are they? Cold ties are…...
I like to put together kits to bring a few different items together. Create some cute packaging, and always make sure to include a note with instructions on how to use the items (do not use the pumice-y foot bar on your face!), ingredients in the items (respect for allergies and all that), and some…...
You remember how to stencil, right? If not, here’s a quick reminder tutorial…(or click here or here for some illustrated tutorials). 1. Print out your picture on a piece of paper.2. Tape the stencil with masking tape to a piece of freezer paper (wax side down).3. Cut out the stencil with an X-acto knife (be…...
I love making labels! They are the proverbial icing on the cake of handmade Christmas presents. Not only are they good for people who might have allergies or are picky about what they put on or in their bodies, but they’re great fun to create and make. You don’t need much — a few printer…...
So you’ve got a whack of presents made, but how do we package them? You can go out and get some cute packaging and put your stuff into it — yeah, not so much hand made, but we’ll make it our own! — or you can print out packaging and customize it!BATH SALTS and CHOCOLATE…...
Yep, there’s even more you can do with chocolate once you’ve learned the basics of chocolate making… PAINTING WITH CHOCOLATEFor visual instruction, click here!You can paint in your molds to create chocolates with different colours. For instance, you can create a cute present chocolate (like the one in the link above) by painting the bow…...
Everybody doesn’t like something, but nobody doesn’t like chocolate! And it’s the perfect gift for Christmas! It’s easy, it’s fun, and if you make a mistake, eat it! MELTING THE CHOCOLATEChoose the chocolate wafers from somewhere like Superstore or Price-Smart – get a lot, you’re going to need it. Do not use a regular chocolate…...
Beeswax candles are awesome, and seriously easy to make! You don’t need a ton of supplies — some wicking, an X-acto knife, a ruler, and sheets of beeswax — to make some beautiful, burnable gifts. (You can get beeswax at Chilliwack Honey in Greendale or Michael’s or Voyageur. The Michael’s stuff isn’t great — they…...
Nothing says Christmas like lighting a candle and filling your house with light and fragrance. I like making tea lights this time of year — you could make one large candle, but why not make a whack of them in various scents and colours and change them every day? Here are my instructions for making…...