INPUT ARTICLE: Article: Choose a stencil design that appeals to you, then place that stencil on top of a flat sheet of paper. Keep the stencil flat and in place by holding it with paper clips or tape. Protect any background area beyond the perimeter of the stencil by covering it with scrap paper. Tape this scrap paper to the stencil to prevent it from falling off. Note that you may wish to cover the entire working area beneath the paper with a Teflon pressing sheet or cookie sheet to help catch any excess Pearl Ex pigment. As long as the pigment is not contaminated by adhesive or other debris, it can be reused for other projects. Lightly coat the stenciled area with spray adhesive, holding the can approximately 12 inches (30.5 cm) away from the paper as you spray it. Always apply spray adhesive in a well-ventilated area. Alternatively, you could apply standard PVA (white) glue to the paper using a paintbrush. Apply an even coat of glue to each opening in the stencil design. To create fine lines, dots, or other raised features, draw them on using the tip of a standard PVA glue bottle. Allow the adhesive to set for two minutes before continuing. After it sets, remove the stencil. Giving the adhesive time to set minimizes the risk of smudging the stenciled design. Even so, you should still remove the stencil, scrap paper, paperclips, and tape very carefully to avoid smears. Do not let the adhesive dry completely. It should still be tacky to the touch. Coat a dry paintbrush with Pearl Ex pigment, then brush the powder over the adhesive until you fill in the entire design. Note that you can use multiple colors of Pearl Ex pigment, but you will need to apply each with a different paintbrush to avoid accidental blending. Allow the adhesive to finish drying. After it dries, dust away any excess powder with a dry, clean paintbrush. Once the adhesive dries, the project is complete.

SUMMARY: Cover paper with your desired stencil. Apply spray adhesive to the area. Let the adhesive set slightly. Brush on the Pearl Ex. Remove any excess.

INPUT ARTICLE: Article: Unlike finding a single average, where we used a one-column list of numbers, to find a weighted average we need two sets of numbers. For the purpose of this example, we'll assume the items are shipments of tonic, dealing with a number of cases and the price per case. For this example, we'll include column labels. Enter the label "Price Per Case" in cell A1 and "Number of Cases" in cell B1. The first shipment was for 10 cases at $20 per case. Enter "$20" in cell A2 and "10" in cell B2. Demand for tonic increased, so the second shipment was for 40 cases. However, due to demand, the price of tonic went up to $30 per case. Enter "$30" in cell A3 and "40" in cell B3. Because the price went up, demand for tonic went down, so the third shipment was for only 20 cases. With the lower demand, the price per case went down to $25. Enter "$25" in cell A4 and "20" in cell B4. Unlike figuring a single average, Excel doesn't have a single function to figure a weighted average. Instead you'll use two functions: SUMPRODUCT. The SUMPRODUCT function multiplies the numbers in each row together and adds them to the product of the numbers in each of the other rows. You specify the range of each column; since the values are in cells A2 to A4 and B2 to B4, you'd write this as "=SUMPRODUCT(A2:A4,B2:B4)". The result is the total dollar value of all three shipments. SUM. The SUM function adds the numbers in a single row or column. Because we want to find an average for the price of a case of tonic, we'll sum up the number of cases that were sold in all three shipments. If you wrote this part of the formula separately, it would read "=SUM(B2:B4)". The average per-case price is the total value of the shipment divided by the total number of cases that were sold. The total value of the shipments is 20 x 10 + 30 x 40 + 25 x 20, or 200 + 1200 + 500, or $1900. The total number of cases sold is 10 + 40 + 20, or 70. The average per case price is 1900 / 70 = $27.14.

SUMMARY: Enter the data you want to calculate a weighted average for. Enter the formula you need to calculate the weighted average. Since an average is determined by dividing a sum of all numbers by the number of numbers, we can combine the two functions into a single formula, written as "=SUMPRODUCT(A2:A4,B2:B4)/ SUM(B2:B4)". Observe the result in the cell you entered the formula in.

INPUT ARTICLE: Article: 25" x 6.25" stiff craft felt. Some craft felt is very, very expensive. You'd never think felt would cost a pretty penny, but it can. Skip that aisle and go for the stiffer, cheap version that most craft supply stores have, too. You need it to be stiff anyway. This shape of box has a taller bottom half and a shorter lid, hence the size discrepancy between the two sheets of felt. Of course, you can adjust these dimensions how you see fit. You're holding in your hands two box halves that are ready to go once you glue them together. You can use whatever you have on hand, though hot glue is easiest. Just dab a bit on the center of the tabs, making sure not to squeeze it outward and all over the sides of the box. Let it dry for a few minutes, holding the tabs to the sides of the box. Then place the box top over the base of the box and marvel at your handiwork.

SUMMARY:
Get one piece of 9" x 9" stiff craft felt and one piece of 6. Glue the tabs to the sides and voila.