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Crafts

PORCUPINE PENCIL HOLDER

These are fun to make and they are good to give as gifts or sell, if you want to.  You will need:

Shape a handful of brown (but you can use any color you want) clay into the shape of a large egg.  Flatten it on the bottom.  Pull one end of the egg to make a long, pointed head.  Put two small, round ears near the top of its head.  Use a pencil to poke in two eyes.  Roll a small ball of clap and put it on the pointed end of the head for a nose.  Make holes for the porcupine’s quills by poking deep pencil holes into its back.  To make it look a real porcupine, the holes should be on a slight angle, away from the porcupine’s head.  Wiggle the pencil around in each hole, because the clay will shrink as it dries.  Sharpen some pencils, and put them in the holes.

MAKE A QUILL PEN FROM A FEATHER

The only tool that you will need for this project is some kind of penknife.  Make sure that your feather is big enough. 

1. Clean your feather.  If you have found a fresh feather, scald the tip in boiling water for a couple of minutes.  You want to make sure the end is clean so the ink will flow freely.
2. Let your feather dry overnight before you cut it.
3. You have to clean off the cuticle at the end of the shaft.  The cuticle is the clear, smooth, hard and shiny part.  You can use your thumbnail or a dull kitchen knife to peel it away.
4. On the backside of the feather you will se a long dent.  Using your thumbnail or a dull blade, scrape the pith (soft, squishy stuff) of the dent.
5. Cut the tapered tip of the quill off.  Scrape out any pith you find inside the quill.
6. Using your penknife cut a scooped-out area on the end of the quill.  It should be about one-half inch from the tip.
7. Now, cut a slit down the middle of the feather tip.  Make the cut as straight as you can.
8. Very gradually shave or cut the quill tip on each side until it forms a V at the center slit.
9. Use an emery board to smooth any rough spots.
10. Soak your pen in water for about 15 minutes before you use it – every time.  This will keep the nib (tip) flexible and less likely to break.  Dip your pen in the ink and write away or paint away!

HOMEMADE POMEGRANATE INK

To make your own pomegranate ink, you will need:

Remove the seeds from a pomegranate.  Put them in a square piece of cheesecloth, twist the cloth, and hold it tightly shut with one hand.  With the other hand squeeze the seeds until the juice runs through the cloth and into a bowl.  When you have collected all the juice you can, store it in a container.  You might want to use gloves, because the juice stains – that is why it makes good ink!  Pomegranate ink looks red, but it dries to a reddish-brown color.