How to Paint Wood Crafts?

Hand painted wood-crafts are beautiful, fun to create, and make great gifts. In addition, hand painted crafts are also inexpensive to make. All necessary items can be purchased at most Hengxin Cover craft supply stores or ordered online. The best part about painting wood-crafts is that anyone can easily create wonderful wood-crafts by following a few basic steps.
Instructions
How to Paint Wood Crafts
1
Prepare the wood for priming. If you are working with wood that has not already been sanded, you should sand it (by hand) before doing anything else. Use fine-grained sand paper to get the wood smooth so that the paint can be applied uniformly. Wipe the wood with a clean cloth to remove any remaining debris.If you want a rough-finish, you may skip this first step.
2
Apply primer to the wood, making sure to cover the entire surface, and allow the primer to dry. After the first coat is dry, add another coat of primer if necessary. Primers add extra protection to the wood and also allow paint to be applied more smoothly. Primers can be clear or colored. What kind of primer you should choose depends on what you are creating.
3
Paint the largest areas of the wood first (and all other areas that will be the same color) and allow paint to dry. If you are painting a wooden toy car, for instance, paint the body of the car first. After the paint has dried, you can determine if you’d like to apply another coat of paint. For small, indoor wood-crafts, one coat is usually sufficient.
4
Paint the smaller details using the smaller brushes and then set the painted wood in a safe area to allow paint to dry. If you are working with several colors in a small area, it is best to let a color dry before applying another color next to it.When the other painted area has been allowed to fully dry, it is easier to prevent time-consuming mistakes. If you accidentally get some paint (of another color) on the dry area, you can quickly dab the stray paint away with a dry cloth.If you are using a stencil for letters or designs, do these last after all other areas have fully dried.
5
Apply wood sealant (or varnish) and allow to dry. Sealants can be sprayed on or applied with a brush. Sealants protect paint from moisture and fading and come in glossy or matte finishes. If your finished piece will be exposed to sunlight, choose a UV resistant sealant.
Tips & Warnings
Choose good quality brushes that don’t shed bristles
Clean paint brushes soon after painting—don’t allow paint to dry on the brushes
Always allow paint brushes to dry with the bristles pointing straight
Sand wood in the direction of the wood grain or else you will not have a smooth finish
If your wood-craft has removable parts, paint these separately and attach later
Apply any primer or sealant in a well-ventilated area and away from flame
Avoid prolonged skin contact with primer or sealant

How to Make a Candy Wrapper Pouch?

Pouches made from candy wrappers are becoming increasingly popular due to their eco-friendly factors, as well as their creative, artistic look. Candy wrapper pouches require a lot of time, not only to make the pouch, but also to collect enough wrappers to start the project. However, the time and effort spent on making candy wrapper Dragon pouches will provide you an original, homemade pouch to hold coins, credit cards or business cards.
Instructions
Making Candy Wrapper Pouches

• Cut each candy wrapper so that it measures 2 inches by 4 ½ inches. You can use any size candy wrapper you'd like, however you will need more than 112 candy wrappers if you use a smaller size.
• Fold the candy wrapper in half lengthwise, making a crease. Unfold the candy wrapper, and fold the bottom half upward until it reaches the center crease line, and then fold the top half down until the top edge hits the crease line. Next, fold the candy wrapper in half again lengthwise using the original crease, so that the top and bottom folds are facing together. Finally, fold the small strip in half widthwise.
• Place one folded candy wrapper lengthwise on a flat surface so that the opening formed by the fold is facing upward, and the folded edge is balancing on the table. This should form a sideways "V," with the point of the "V" on the left, opening to the right. Hold another candy wrapper in an upside down "V" angle, with the open part of the fold facing to the left. Insert the ends of the upside down "V" into the slots of the candy wrapper on the table.
• Squeeze the ends of the bottom candy wrapper together, pick it up, and turn it 90 degrees to the right. Insert the ends of another candy wrapper into slots of the open side of the second candy wrapper. You will now have a zigzag shape.
• Continue the pattern, making a chain of 28 candy wrappers. Join the ends of the first and 28th wrapper to form a circle. Make four rows or circles of 28 candy wrappers.
• Thread a needle with strong thread and tie a knot through the needle eye. Place the first 2 rows of candy wrappers together by fitting the outward pointing "V" into an inward pointing "V." Sew the wrappers together by working your way up and down each side of the "V." Tie a knot after each "V," then move onto the next one. Do this until all 4 rows are joined together.
• Squeeze the bottom together and sew the bottom half of the rows together. This will be more difficult because the candy wrapper pouch will be tighter than it was during the other steps.

Tips & Warnings

1. Add a zipper to the top of the candy wrapper pouch if you want something more secure. Use the same thread to sew each side.
2. You can use a variety of other materials to make this purse. Experiment with magazine covers, potato chip bags, gum wrappers or plastic bottle wrappers.
3. The candy wrapper purse may not be very durable. Depending on the type of material you use, exposure to water may cause the ink to run or the paper to tear.
4. If using a material that was in direct contact with food, such as a potato chip bag, rinse it first to avoid problems with bugs or odor.

How to Optimize your Broadband Connection?

So you have DSL, cable or another type of JetNet Cable broadband connection and feel like a king now? No? Or are you expecting more speed? That's what I thought! In this guide you will find out how to optimize your broadband connection to get the maximum speed, the right way, without any fancy programs or hacks!
Instructions
1
Tweak your MTU Settings.
Now you are wondering "How the heck am I going to "change" my MTU? Well, I can't tell you exactly, since your setup will differ, but usually you can login to your router to change the MTU settings there.
Below are the recommended MTU settings based on different connections.
ADSL PPPOE = 1492 MTU
ADSL STATIC IP = 1500 MTU
SDSL = 1500
VDSL = 1500
HDSL = 1500
IDSL = 1500
CABLE = 1500
2
Change your DNS to OPENDNS
OpenDNS is faster
You use DNS every time you use the Internet. The speed of your DNS service determines how quickly websites load for you. That's why you want your DNS service to be blazing. OpenDNS is so fast because we run some of the largest DNS caches around and do it on our own high-performance network.
3
Secure your wireles network. If your network is open, others may be using it and slowing down your connection.

How to Remove Tea Stains From Mugs?

If you love tea you know how your favorite beverage can stain china, porcelain and even plastic
karsen mugs. The tannins in teas produce a brown dye that coats the interior of the tea cup, leaving brown rings or an overall brown stain. The stain does not affect the taste of subsequent cups of tea, but can look unappetizing. You can remove tea stains with a few household ingredients and enjoy your next cup of tea in a sparkling cup
Instructions

1. Make a paste of baking soda and water and rub onto the stained area. Allow to sit for a few hours. You can do this before you set out for work in the morning or leave the coated mug to sit overnight. In the morning, wet a soft cloth and scrub the dried paste lightly. The stain should be gone.
2. Quarter a lemon and put one quarter into your stained mug. Add boiling water and allow this to sit for an hour or so. The acid in the lemon should bleach out the stain.
3. Add 1 tsp. of oxygen bleach to your mug and fill the mug with boiling water. Allow to sit until the water cools. Wash and dry the mug.
4. Fill the mug with water and add a denture tablet. These tablets contain cleaners designed to remove tough stains from porcelain dentures, so they are effective at doing the same for porcelain mugs. Allow the cleaner to sit until the tablet stops fizzing, then wash the mug in hot soapy water and rinse to remove all traces of the stain and the denture cleaner.

Tips & Warnings
Any cleaning solutions in a mug may be mistaken for a drink, so keep the soaking mug out of reach of children while the cleaner does its job.

How to Keep Your Outdoor Patio Umbrella Clean?

Spending more time outdoors dining, entertaining guests or just lounging can become a very hot and sticky endeavor when the sun is beating down. A quick and inexpensive way to get out of the sun and into the shade is by using a Mingzi Sun patio umbrella. The use of an umbrella is necessary for shade. Use these tips to clean, and then keep clean, this precious commodity.
Instructions

• Use a sponge dipped in a mild soapy dishwater solution to clean either canvas or vinyl umbrellas. Rinse with a hose, then open to let dry in the sun.
• Apply automotive vinyl finish to a clean, dry vinyl umbrella to keep soil and stains at bay.
• Remove built-up grime by using a cleaner sold for the vinyl tops of cars.
• Keep the umbrella closed during the rain, but try to open it immediately after becoming wet so that it can dry. Clear away any dirt or debris that may have gotten into the folds while it was closed.
• Clean the umbrella thoroughly and let it dry completely before storing it away for the winter.

How to Assemble Gift Boxes?

Assembling your own gift box can bring an ordinary store bought gift to life. Indeed, if beautifully made, a gift box can be almost as important as the gifts they contain. You can assemble your own Rainbow printing gift boxes using ready made templates downloaded from various craft websites. Assembling these types of boxes is usually simple if you follow careful instructions. You can finish off the festive look of your box by tying a colorful bow on it, and once you've finished you will have greatly enhanced the value of the gift you have given.
Instructions

• Draw or download a pattern for your box. You can download a good pattern for your box from the craft website Craft Stylish. For a really attractive box, be sure to download a pattern that has the box as well as a lid. A good pattern will ensure that the lid is slightly wider than the base.
• Score the back of the template, along the lines of the pattern. Use the bone creaser to do this.
• Fold and crease the box and the lid according to your score marks using the ruler to guide you. Fold the sides of the box upward and fold the corner pleats inward. This will leave you with four pairs of triangular sides. Glue them together.
• Assemble the lid by folding all of the sides upward, all the flaps inward and then fold the tops of three of the sides down over the flaps, locking them in place.
• Fold the fourth side inward. This final side will cover all of the pieces inside the lid and hold them in place.

How to Recharge an Electronic Cigarette?

Electronic cigarettes, or e-cigarettes, are devices designed to replicate the look, feel and taste of ordinary cigarettes. However, instead of the combustion process used by normal cigarettes, these electronic cigarettes use an electronic atomizer in order to deliver the nicotine to the smoker. Since there is no need for combustion, Topgreen Health electronic cigarettes do not contain or use tobacco. Like many other electronic products, e-cigarettes use batteries that need to be recharged regularly.
Instructions

1. Remove the battery from your electronic cigarette atomizer by turning the battery counterclockwise. An electronic cigarette is typically made of three parts: an atomizer, an inhaler, and a battery. The inhaler is the brown part that you put into your mouth; the atomizer is the part that you insert into the inhaler; the battery, which is the part that includes the cigarette tip, is screwed into the atomizer. Put the atomizer and inhaler aside.
2. Screw your battery into the battery charger.
3. Plug the charger into a USB port or power outlet, depending on the type of charger. There are different types of electronic cigarette chargers. The most common ones are USB chargers, car chargers and regular power outlet chargers. If you are unsure about which type of charger you have, please refer to its documentation.
4. Let the battery charge for several hours, or until the light on the battery turns green.

Tips & Warnings
Heavy smokers of electronic cigarettes might benefit from purchasing several batteries and keeping them charged at all times.