CRAFTY

We think of these as industrial worry beads, but they're really 5/16" dia (8mm) steel ball bearings, ready to be put to whatever ball-bearing uses you might have. Our each is a pack of (50), which should cover a lot of worries, and whatever else you can come up with.

Small pieces of very thin plywood for your craft and model-making needs. You get 18 cubic inches, which will translate into multiple sheets of 3-ply poplar, birch or similar wood at 1/8 to 3/16" thicknesses in random shapes. Our sample was (6) sheets, 6" long x 2" to 3" wide, some at 1/8" and some at 3/16". Perfect for custom-made dollhouse doors!

A neat bag-o-wood, suitable for model-making, art projects and hobbies of all sorts. The balsa bag weighs almost 3/4 of a pound, and is a random assortment of balsa that may range from 1/8" square strips to a 5" long x 2" square hunk, and lots in between. The basswood may have half a dozen 5" long x 2" square pieces, 8" x 3" sheets, and a whole bunch of 1/16" to 1/8" strips. Whatever the variety of sizes, either bag will total approx 72 cubic inches in all, which is more than it sounds like.

Nothing says crafts like genuine Styrofoam™ balls-older than glue guns, more fun than a barrel of sequins-and you can't have too many. Our handy assortment contains (4) 1", (2) 1.5" and (2) 2" balls which sounds like a do-it-yourself solar system if you ask me.

What can we say about chrome steel ball bearings besides their essential uses? Well, a lot, actually. They're perfect for Rube Goldberg displays and artwork. Imagine them in various sizes in a glass container. Imagine dipping them in paint, rolling them on canvas and making the world forget about Jackson Pollock. They also work as heavy-duty marbles, and might even calm you if you place a few in your palm and work them like a stress ball. See what you can come up with when the wheels start turning? Ball bearings. Wheels turning. We know you got it. You pick the size that suits your bearing needs.

Your guess is probably better than ours about what this started life as, but it’s a coaster now. Or a wall decoration. Or some part of an art project. In glass, 4-3/8” dia x 5/32” thick.Textured on one side; the other side is ground around the outside with a clear 1-3/4” circle in the center. Lightly polished edge.

These gray foam washers/spacers/vibration pads are 1" OD x 1/2" ID x 1/4" thick with a peel-and-stick self-adhesive face on one side. They'll make your doors and drawers land more softly when you close them. Also useful as non-scratch and non-slide feet.

The planets. You can own them. These wood balls with holes drilled in them (but not through them) were meant to be planets and moons for a solar system model. Do it yourself. You and your kids will learn a lot more than if you bought a kit that does all the thinking for you. Some balls are painted bright colors, some are varnished natural wood. Most have at least one 1/4" hole, some have smaller holes. They could also be joints and/or finials for some kind of dowel construction. Nothing to stop you from drilling new holes for a truly custom project.

These are dark gray, open-cell foam tubes, 5-3/8” long x 1-3/4” OD with a 3/4” ID bore. We wouldn’t presume to tell you what to do with these, which is, of course your business, and frankly, we’d be ashamed of ourselves for violating your privacy with a lot of questions. Forget we even mentioned it. Oh, OK, try broom-handle pads, or slice them open like hot dog buns and pad the edge of a table.

A takeout roller brush from a vacuum cleaner! Has (2) sets of stiff bristles in opposing 180° helixes on a black plastic roller that's 13 1/4" long x 1 3/8" dia. The roller has a 9/32" dia x 7/32" shaft at one end and a 5/8" dia x 1/4"-24 threaded shaft on the other. Makes an odd but effective clothes brush or a hairbrush that nobody else in the locker room is going to have. Or maybe it will fit your vacuum cleaner!

This thick glass lamp diffuser measures 10-1/2" x 6-7/8" inside with a 1/4" perimeter lip. The 1/8” thick glass is patterned in 1/16” squares, and the whole shebang is an offset triangle that’s 2-3/4” high at its tallest. We’re thinking small custom skylight cover, translucent birdhouse roof, terrarium lid, non-bellish bell jar or a way to keep your triangular cupcakes fresh.

Ferrite toroids, actually. (The Iron Doughnuts was the house band at the Fillmore West in '66.) These doughnuts are for making transformers and filters and other magnetic magic. Ours measure 1-5/16" x 11/16" x 1/2".

Now put your tongue back in your mouth. These aren’t tongue depressors, they’re wooden craft sticks measuring 6” x 3/4” x 1/16” or 6" x 3/8" x 1/16" with rounded corners. (We stopped selling tongue depressors because we were tired of thinking about all of those unhappy tongues out there.) They come in assorted bright colors or your classic standard wooden look, with (40) per pack.. (Our choice, because that is how we roll.) Craft sticks are nothing but fun.

Using these 2-1/8" x 5" dia shapes can be a designer's challenge, but they are extremely cool! The flattened spheres have a dazzling deep rosé -- or maybe light merlot -- metallic finish, and a pattern of concentric circles on one side. Each opens to reveal (6) dividers, a divine design that lets you use them as segmented, decorative storage boxes but gives them the strength to be what they are -- furniture feet for a modern chair or sofa. (They're made of the same heavy plastic as many of our replacement wheels, and each comes with a 2-1/8" long x 5/16"-8 hex bolt that fits through the molded center. Handy if you decide to attach 4 or 5 dozen to your family room wall!) We can hear it now. "Honey, while you were out I decided to spruce up the place...."

These gray foam washers/spacers/vibration pads are 1" OD x 1/2" ID x 1/4" thick with a peel-and-stick self-adhesive face on one side. They'll make your doors and drawers land more softly when you close them. Also useful as non-scratch and non-slide feet. In a great bulk pack of (100)

A good dowel is always a good buy, and we’ve got some good dowels at great prices! These wood dowels come a variety of Asian hardwoods including Sesendok, Geronggang and Yellow Merantis. They are a very nice blonde color and moderately heavy. The dowels are strong, stainable, and warp–resistant. All are 12” long; a package is (10) 1/4” dia or (5) 1/2” dia dowels.