[Nfb-krafters-korner] valentine's day craft ideas

[Cathy]

This article is  from a new magazine called the Blind Perspective.
If you would like to read the magazine go to:

www.theblindperspective.com

by the way, they are looking for someone to submit craft articles. So if
interested, go to this page for that as well.


The Braille Highway
By Nat Armeni
Hello readers and welcome to another article of The Braille Highway! I
cannot believe how fast January flew by for me. Since we are now in February
and it is the month of love, that is what I have concentrated on for this
month. I will give you some ideas on making Valentine's Day extra special
for the braille reader. 
Making a personalized Valentine Day card would make it an extra special day.
Speaking from a personal point of view, I really appreciated when my
significant other took the time and effort to create a braille card for me.
It really is not that difficult. I will give you 3 suggestions on how you
can make this Valentine's Day extra special for your significant other. 
For this first suggestion, you will need braille paper, a braille writer or
slate and stylus, a pattern wheel (the kind you would find in a sewing
store), and a heart shaped item such as a cookie cutter or a chocolate
heart. Fold the braille paper in half to create a card. Next, open it up and
place what will be the front (left side) of your card on a foamy mat. Then,
put the heart shaped item on top of that (card cover). Trace the heart with
the pattern wheel. This will create small dots on the outside of the braille
paper, which is in fact the cover of the card. Once the heart shape is
completed, you can either place the card in the braille writer or in the
slate, and then braille a short message above the heart you just created.
Although space is limited, a sweet romantic message would be nice, but I
will leave that up to your creativity. Lastly, braille your personalized
message inside the card. 
The second suggestion has one change in regards to the heart shape on the
outside of the card. If you are having difficulties or simply cannot find a
pattern wheel, then all you need is a paper clip. Take a paper clip and mold
it into a heart shape. Once you have made that to your satisfaction, place
it to the side. Repeat the folding of the braille paper, and put your
romantic short message on the top of the front cover of the card. Then
Braille your message inside the greeting card. Now comes the fun part of
putting your paper clip heart on the front. You can rub glue on the bottom
side of the heart and then place it on the paper; careful not to smudge the
glue. Next, place something heavy like a book over the heart to allow it to
stick. You can also use a little bit of scotch tape; by placing little
pieces around the heart to keep it affixed to the card. 
My third suggestion is an add on to an existing product. Find either a heart
shaped chocolate or candy. Then on dymo tape braille a personalized message
for your significant other. AS the old saying goes, the way to a person's
heart is through their stomach. In all honesty, who could refuse a sweet
gift with the added bonus of a personalized braille message? Good luck on
your Valentine Day efforts and remember to follow the dots on the braille
highway!



Cathy F