Just to say..."I did it myself!" Introduction: T-minus thirteen days and counting! With one of our favorite holidays just around the corner, many of us are busy making confectionery delights and gluing pretty things together with lace and ribbon. But, if you really loved your sweetie, you would get 'em something chocolate. The latest news is that chocolate is not only non-fat, by itself, but also therapeutic. It seems that chocolate contains a mild narcotic that elevates the seratonin levels (that's the natural hormone occurring in the brain that relieves pain) and helps regulate our moods. When you're stuck in the house because of the cold and snow, when all the world is gloom and grayness, nevermind the waistline; have some chocolate. Of course, women have known this years, but now there is scientific evidence to back it up. It isn't just in your imagination. According the latest in JAMA (Journal of the American Medical Association), chocolate works. Rock on! Hello Crafter's We have two new members joining us this month. It's not that we don't appreciate our continuing members, we do, but new members help keep us on our toes, make us want to explore realms unplumbed and rarely seen…the unfinished project corner. Who's Who? (New Members) Michele_Thompson. Hailing from Ohio, she hasn't posted a description of her craft interests yet, but her Public Profile says she is into Rubber Stamping, Scrapbooking, and the generic of which we are fellow enthusiasts, Crafts. threetxsisters. The "tx" stands for Texas and threetxsisters admits she is from Ft. Worth. About crafting, she says: "My favorite crafts are making angels (all kinds) and baby quilts and quilted wall hanging and decorated fancy pillows. I would like to try new things also but I need to clean out what's in the sewing room first. I list yahoo auctions, have a craft booth in Burleson TX and lots of family I do crafts for. I stay pretty busy this way." See earlier newsletters for introductions to continuing members. All members are invited to offer up a thumbnail concerning what their particular craft talent (or earnest attempt) may be. We'll print in it right here. Recruiting. You can add to the pool of knowledge we can all share in by inviting known craft addicts to join us. Remember our URLs are: http://clubs.yahoo.com/clubs/craftersplace and http://www.geocities.com/PicketFence/Street/3400. Some of us are still finishing projects left over from Christmas. Their stamina and determination are not only to be admired and applauded but also emulated. I'm still trying to find the energy to re-box the outdoor lights the husband finally took down at half-time during the Super Bowl. We weren't worried that Ed McMahon and Dick Clark were going to visit us, not this year. And many of us have been pushing on ahead toward Valentines. mpack_99 told us about some she was making out of candy canes. I presume she means that she is recycling the peppermint treat, but I haven't quite got the notion whether that means she cuts them down to fit the shape of the heart and whether they're still edible when she's finished gluing them in place. Could be like licking sugar dots off the paper, I guess (remember those). And CyberRose07 and Anny2Craft have been describing some interesting paper crafts using paper quills and paper piercing and cut-work embroidery. Personally, I am looking for a good Idaho spud ad and one for the California onion. I'm tired of the two paper sacks under the sink and plan on making a box for the kitchen porch with pierced copper sheets for ventilation and hinged lids. Maybe I'll add a compartment for those 2 liter bottles of soda while I'm at it. Other on-going Message Board projects: we are currently attempting to compile a list of tools and crafts with definitions, descriptions, and pictures to create our own Craft-o-pedia on our website. We also need URLs and mailing addresses for catalog craft suppliers. If you have material that should be included, please post it to the message board or send to: craftersplace@iname.com. The project for last month was to gather all our craft supplies, tools, and leftover projects in one place, catalog them, label them, clean them, and figure out what needs replacing. It was a nice thought. Of course, some of you bravely stepped forward to inform me that you already have your personal craft centers organized in basement corners that are off limits to the world. I hate you…LOL…I don't even have a basement. Project for February 2000: Easter Eggs Does it sound a little early to be thinking about Easter? Well, maybe it's because you are going to need plenty of time to do this project. No, I don't mean hardboiled and dyed eggs. I mean blown eggshells delicately carved and lacquered. This project is one intended for that Drummel roto tool you got (or the Sears knock-off) and a fine set of wood files and Exacto knives and emery cloth. Ideally, you would use a thicker shelled egg than you get from a chicken, but hey…we got time, and ostrich and emu eggs are hard to find. In fact, if we start now, we have enough time so the family won't even notice that you are serving them scrambled eggs more often than usual. You will need a pedestal base to work on. I've found that a spent thread spool is very good for this purpose. Just glue your empty eggshell to the base using a soluble glue that can be easily removed and won't leave a residue on the shell. Next, you want to trace out a design that you can apply to the egg surface with a soft pencil. Do it on plain paper first. You'll want the design to be simple to start with until you get really good at cutting out leaves and curlicues in something as fragile as an eggshell. Another object not to throw away is that styrofoam egg carton the eggs came in. You'll need that for storage of the eggs while working on them and when you put them away for next year. (BTW, the egg cartons also make great throwaway pallets for working with acrylic paints and seed starter boxes for the garden.) When finished with your cut-work, you can paint, stain, dye, glitter, bead, or leave ecru and lacquer the egg. The choice is up to you. We'll talk about the tree for displaying them next time. Hey, they may not be Faberge, but the result is truly beautiful. The idea of the contest is to propose an object to recycle and see who comes up with the most imaginative use for that object. Last month, the object was a pile of Christmas cards received for Christmas 1999. Not just what can we make with them, but what tools would you use--step by step instructions. In this way, we can build a library of re-cycling crafts that will be there for us as inspiration for next Christmas and other holidays. Unfortunately, there were no takers. I guess recycling Christmas cards has become passe. One idea I had was to scan them into the computer and print them out as t-shirt decals (the medium is available at your local computer store as a Canon product). Next, iron them onto big blocks of white muslin. Find a Christmas print in the remnant pile at your local fabric store for a border and begin quilting. Personally, I find polar fleece stabilizer to be much more serviceable as a fill than the usual polyester fiber. It doesn't seem to shred or displace and can be washed over and over. It's the perfect thing for baby quilts and quillows. If you would like to propose an idea for a contest to your fellow members--like I'm stumped, what can I do with this--just write the club at: craftersplace@iname.com. Here was a revelation this New Year's…if it is not automotive, it's mine! That's what my husband told me. Suddenly, every pair of pliers I had ever bought myself; the first, second, and third hammer replacement as well as the original from my Her Toolbox which he bought me for our first wedding anniversary; and screwdrivers I had never seen before in my life showed up in my tool box, on my toolbox, next to my tool box. Do you think nagging him about my missing tools paid off? And I think with a judicious application of a Scotch-brite pad and some metal cleanser, they might even be usable. Still looking for the elusive Black&Decker Mouse. This may turn into my holy grail of crafting. Everyone's heard of them. Some people have actually seen them. No one seems to have them. I asked my toolman at Sears whether it was worth it to continue pursuing this rare species of power tool. One of my questions had to do with the velcro attachment of the sandpaper…did it mean I had to buy special pre-glued papers to use it or would any sandpaper off the shelf and cut to size work? and just how reliable is velcro as a medium of attachment instead of the usual clamps? He just smiled. One could almost feel him pat me on the head. I really hate pejorative toolmen. What is it about those little aprons that turn men stupid? The Crafter's Place Newsletter is publication of The Yahoo! Crafter's Place Chat Club. This edition was edited by AngelPie_Mouse. Copyright ©2000. News Index Page Return to Main Page This page and its graphics were created by exclusively for The Yahoo! Crafter's Place Chat Club on 02/01/2000. You are visitor # since this page was created. It is best viewed on a 800x600 screen set for True Color with or and is hosted by . Get them NOW!