What Girls Can Make and Do

Two fun books available for download on Google Books. The tables of contents are clickable.
New Ideas for Work and Play: What a Girl Can Make and Do
By Lina Beard, Adelia Belle Beard

The American Girl's Home Book of Work and Play
By Helen Campbell

Outdoor Mosaic Quilt Sculpture

This sculpture project by artist Faith Schexnayder was my favorite episode of HGTV's That's Clever. Faith carved the shape from dense foam, spread on a layer of cement mixed with fiberglass fibers and then created the mosaic. Faith also makes all kinds of outdoor sculpture, signs and props with this technique. Not all get the mosaic treatment and it was the foam and cement that captured me. There is a tutorial online for this quilt and Faith keeps a website for her business, Flatfork Studio. My favorite section of her site is the Architectural Carving done in foam and cement.

Benita-Loca.com

French web magazine Benita-Loca "The Guide to Decorating Trends, colors, ideas and know-how". All I can say is Wow! There is a focus on painted furniture but tons of creative ideas of all sorts. Benita also offers downloads of images and stencils. Look at the top of the right sidebar. This is just one issue. Look at Former Numbers on the lavender bar for other issues.
Google English translation of the site

Project ideas from ariadne at Home magazine

Lots of projects from Dutch magazine ariadne at Home. Most with PDF pattern downloads. Sewing, decor, felt baby shoes, papercrafts and more. There was one idea for embellishing an Ikea tablecloth with teacup pictures using t-shirt transfer paper and then stitching around the design. I couldn't help but think that some of the images from the earthenware collection I recently mentioned would work great.
Scroll through the collection, click on a project you like, then click "Lees Verder" on the page that comes up. The PDF links are often at the bottom of the project page. Have fun.

Skeleton leaves

Another method at esprit cabane.

Diane's Reverse Applique Tote Tutorial

One of my favorite craft bloggers, Diane Gilleland aka Sister Diane of CraftyPod, has contributed a tutorial for this tote to the fabulous CraftStylish blog. Diane's projects are always well written with step by step photo illustrations. She's also the author of DIY Alert, her blog about all the crafters and crafty stuff happening in Portland. You will wish to live here in Oregon!

Projects from the Singapore Science Centre

This is a great idea for a group of kids. Make ice-cream in baggies.

Skelitonize/bleach leaves

Homemade Galalith Plastic

This search adventure started with this project at esprit cabane for homemade milk stone (galalith) jewelry.

I continued my search and found this very good Instructable by Coffeebot.
I wonder....mix with casein paint for color?

What is galalith? How is it used? Some Googling led me all over the internet and I found that galalith is categorized with Bakelite for jewelry, buttons, buckles etc.
It can be sawed, sanded and polished. I'm interested more in process than anything else but this could be fun for handbag handles and hardware even if they were rough looking.
Original galalith was made using formaldehyde which is a carcinogen. These two links use vinegar.
Here is an article about Marie-Christine Pavone's galalith jewelry.

Paper Mache Tutorials

Nice resource with lots of interesting ideas. A bird sculpture with an egg for a base, a flower lampshade made using sewing pattern paper with a colored bulb. These little cuties have an interesting technique in that the facial features are drawn on a separate piece of paper and applied individually. That's a great tip! I can hardly ever get a whole face right. One eye will be cockeyed or the eyes will be good but the mouth will be awful.

Tape Sculpture as Party Lighting

I'm just crazy for Mark Jenkins' tape sculptures and think that the concept would make great outdoor lighting for parties. Tape sculpture is made by wrapping an object with plastic wrap and then adding layers of clear packing tape for strength. Cut the taped shape off the object, repair the cut with more tape and you have a sculpture.
I'm thinking stick up lights as the light source.
I want house shapes and trees for the outer edges of a yard party. The house shapes could be made from large cardboard boxes and pointy trees from upside down tomato cages.
Here is Mark's tutorial for making a tape sculpture.

DIY Pinwheel from Macys

Kelly Aiglon shares the directions on her blog, Home Canary.

Mimi's Rose Tutorial

My favorite doll maker, Mimi Kirchner, has posted a nice tutorial for the sweetest, itty bitty felt rose on her blog, Doll.

Making a Rosette

This rosette is a lapel pin but the same technique would make a good decoration for the pews at a wedding, decorations for 4th of July bunting and even as awards for kids for the summer reading program.

Cold Porcelain - Recipes

Recently I've been studying the modeling clay patents and have been surprised that the older compounds are similar to the products offered today. A friend needs a way to sculpt a wedding cake topper and and decorations for the favors. She does not want to use polymer clay and we think that cold porcelain will give her the delicacy and translucent quality she desires. The following links provide a wealth of information.
Arts and Crafts for Family and Kids - Cold Porcelain Recipes
Gina Atkinson - Porcelain flowers tutorial
The Artful Crafter - Cornstarch clay