How to Make a Gift Garland

Whether youre having your wedding outdoors because it doesnt require as much decorating, or because you know it will be a beautiful day, an outdoor wedding can be lovely. On the other hand, it can be a little challenging. Trying to find d?cor that looks good outside, and wont blow over, plus will give the area a wedding look, can be a little difficult. Think garlands. Not Christmas garlands. Not even flower garlands. Were talking paper sack garland. Doesnt sound that impressive? Youll think otherwise once you see the colorful garlands you make from paper bags.

One of the best things about the paper bag garland is that it can also serve as the party favors for the wedding guests. They dont know their gifts are hanging from the trees, but when they realize it, theyll think it quite charming. Especially when they see how gorgeous the paper bag garland is.

The paper bag garland doesnt necessarily have to hang from the trees. It can be draped on bushes, wrapped around poles, strung along walkways and more. Its very versatile, and when you choose bags which feature your wedding colors, you decorate at the same time you create the party favors. Online you can order plain paper bags cheap. Youll find a huge variety of bags in colors of white, pink, gold, silver, purple, yellow and many other colors. With the large selection available youre sure to find paper bags that matches or coordinates with the colors youve chosen for the wedding. Cut lengths of cord to make the garland. Fill each paper bag with the desired party favors. Some gifts you can place in the bag include candy, cookies, bath salts, a candle, soaps, bath fizzies, hot cocoa packets or other choices. Think about the weather before placing chocolates and similar things in the bags. After placing the objects in the bag, gather the "neck" of the bag, blow into it, and youll create a rounded look. Tie it shut with a ribbon and, if you want, curl the ribbon. First, position a piece of ribbon on the backside of the bag, then tie the main ribbon around the bag and additional ribbon. The additional ribbon piece will be used to hang the bag on the twine and form the garland. Tie the bags on the twine to make the garland. Space them somewhat close together but not so they are touching each other. The punch of color all over the garland instantly gives the yard or other area a wedding touch. As the guests leave remind them to take a bag with them. Remember to keep all the bags within easy reach.

Belted Napkin Rings

I have a funny way of deciding if I want to do a particular craft or not. Im reading down the list of things Ill need to buy or to do to see if its worth the price and the effort. But some craft projects slay me. They have a huge list of supplies, like 6 different colors of paint, and costly materials youll need besides, and it just isnt worth all that expense. A tiny gnome - no matter how adorable - just isnt worth $30 in supplies and days of painting, drying, and painting some more. Ive lost interest - and money - by then. Id rather do a project which is really fast, turns out something spectacular, and cost very little to make. Whether youre preparing for a wedding reception, a huge outdoor party, or just a quaint gathering with friends, youll have fun creating unusual napkin rings which look like belts. And, the project wont take up a lot of your valuable time nor set you back a bundle of money.

Select grosgrain ribbon or twill tape - or both - to make the little napkin belts. Although you can make the belts any size you want a nice size for them - as well as for the width of the ribbon - is 1 ?" to 2 ?". Cut the ribbon pieces to 9" lengths. Youll need one 9" piece for each napkin. At one end of the ribbon, cut a notch or cut the ribbon at an angle, to create the design you want for the end of the belt.

Purchase two "D" rings to finish. Youll find small ones at a craft store or a place that sells fabric. The rings have the exact shape of a "D" and are generally available in colors of gold, silver, blue, pink and others. The straight side of the ring should be the same size as the width of the chosen ribbon. Stack two "D" rings together and lay them on a table. Take the end of the belt and pass it through the top ring and out through the bottom ring. Pick up the rings and hold them in place while you fold the end of the ribbon under. Glue it in place to secure the rings. Lay a rolled napkin on one belt and thread the end of the belt through both rings. Bring it over the first ring and thread it back through the second ring. Tighten slightly. Make a white belt with gold or silver rings for a wedding or anniversary. Or, use black rings with brown ribbon to make western belts for a childs party. Add gold or silver rings to pink ribbon to create adorable napkin belts for a little girls princess party. It takes just a couple of minutes and a few cents to make each belt but the overall look of the belted napkins looks like a million bucks.

Hourglass Bedside Table

If you love having things in your home that no one else has youll truly appreciate an hourglass bedside table that you can make yourself. Dont need a bedside table? Make one to use as a plant stand, or even one to use as a small, breakfast nook table. The unusual table, with its hourglass shape, creates a unique and beautiful accent in most any room of the house.Large home improvement stores sell Quik-tubes; theyre cardboard tubes made for creating concrete pillars. Purchase one of the cardboard tubes in the diameter you want for the table. Youll also need one circle of wood, which is thick and large, and another circle of wood, which is thinner and smaller. The larger piece will be the top of the table, with the smaller piece acting as the bottom.Lay the smaller piece of wood on the floor and center the cardboard tube on it. Draw around it and move the tube out of the way for now. Screw small chunks of wood into the bottom, staying inside the circle youve drawn. Position each of four wooden chunks around the circle, evenly spaced, and right next to the drawn lines. Cut the tube to the length you want, stand it back up, over the top of the wood chunks, and screw the tube to the chunks to connect the bottom stand.Do the top in the same manner. Draw a circle on the underside, screw in four chunks, then set the top on the tube, and screw the top edges of the tube to the chunks of wood. Paint the entire table - stand, tube, and all.The hourglass shape is made when you use your choice of ribbon, vinyl, or similar material. Youll need many wide strips to create the look. One way to get cheap and colorful ones is to use plastic party streamers. Lay one short end of the material against the side edge of the table, and use upholstery tacks at each corner to secure it. Lay the next one beside that one, and put in the two tacks. Continue to do this until you go all the way around the edge of the tabletop with the streamers and tacks. Cut each streamer to be long enough to go down to the floor, and halfway back up again.After the streamers are attached to the top, gather them together around the tube, and tie a ribbon or cord around it all. Then, pull the end of each streamer down to the bottom board, and glue them to the underside. Pull them tight without putting extreme pressure on the middle tie.The hourglass table isnt all that hard to build and can be used in many ways. The round wooden pieces are available in a huge assortment of sizes so you can build just the table you want.

Dozens of Wedding Dresses Anyone Can Make

Im going to tell you a little secret: when it comes to making your own wedding dress, if you choose the right fabric, the rest is too easy. You dont need a complicated pattern to produce a fancy wedding gown; the material practically makes the gown for you. When you choose elegant fabric, and a simplistic design, your wedding dress can look high-dollar when its actually very inexpensive. With the right fabric chosen there are any number of beautiful wedding gowns that you can create.

One easy gown is made when you wrap the fabric around you. Cut it to be five inches longer than needed for a close fit, just below the underarms, and above the breasts. Cut the fabric to go to the floor, or much shorter. Fold the top edge under and sew a piece of quarter-inch elastic around the top. Slightly tug the elastic as you sew to gently gather the fabric. Stitch the side seam and hem the gown.

Make the above gown different in many different ways. Sew a short piece of elastic between the breasts, to create a gathered bodice. Or, make a fitted bodice, with a zipper in the back, and elastic between the breasts. Tack on a silk flower at the top end of the elastic to embellish. Cut a slit up the side of the gown, or make the dress short and add a length of sheer lace around the hemline. Sew on straps, which can be anything from pieces of ribbon, to spaghetti straps, to wide, fabric straps, or have no straps at all. Change the waistline in many ways, too. Sew elastic around the waist for one look. Sew it higher up for an empire waist. Instead of elastic, tie a wide ribbon around the waist to accent the wedding dress. Or, gather many narrow pieces of ribbon, and tie them all at once, around the waist. Wrap the fabric around you, sew the elastic around the top of the bodice, and then turn the dress into one with a train. Instead of making a side seam, make a back seam, but make it only from the top of the bodice, to an area near the tailbone. Cut a large triangle of fabric for the train. The triangle should be one with a long point, and a rounded bottom. Pin the point into the place where the back seam ends, and sew the sides of the triangle to the sides of the open seam edges. You can have your choice of dozens and dozens of gown designs, simply by combining various looks for the dress. Each different thing you do to it, whether it be making a dress short or long, strapless or not, elasticized or fitted, makes one dress totally different than the others.

Candy Place Cards, Name Tags and More

The greatest thing about some craft projects is that theyre not all that specific. That is, you put the craft together but it doesnt have just one purpose. You can use the finished project in many ways. Some of these projects might be complicated and others super-easy. Such is the case with a very simple craft that has more than one purpose, is really inexpensive to make, and is suitable for adults and kids alike. Make fake candy and youll have place cards, name tags and much more! The fake candy you make is not so convincing as candy; its not supposed to be. Although the candies youll make dont look real they are adorable and really easy to make. Youll need some cardstock to get started. Choose patterns that resemble those you would see on candy wrappers, like red and white stripes, butterscotch-colored and similar designs. Make all the candies the same or purchase assorted cardstock to make different candies.

Cut oval shapes that are three inches long. Cut one for each place card then poke a hole at each end. Now cut ribbon pieces that are each 6" long. Make all the ribbons the same or use assorted ribbon to make various candies. The ribbon should be 1.5" wide. Cut one ribbon for each place card. At each end of the ribbon, fold it in half, then cut from a short ways up on the fold down to the corner of the ribbon. This creates a "v" shape at the ends of the ribbons and makes a more convincing candy image.

Write the guests names on the cards then thread a ribbon through the holes in each oval. Lay the oval on a table with the name facing you. Put the ribbon through the hole on the right side, across the backside of the oval, then back up through the opposite hole. Make sure the ribbon is not twisted in the back. Fluff the ribbon out on the ends to give it a wrapped candy appearance. You can use the same technique to make other things, too. Make the fake candies and use them as name tags for birthdays, Christmas and other occasions. Or, make a larger candy, write a childs name on it, then use double-sided tape to stick it to a bedroom door. Little kids will even wear the fake candy as a necklace. Simply thread a length of stretch cord through the holes, along with the ribbon, and a girl can just slide it on over her head. You can even make the candies with no names, cover the ovals with colored cellophane, then stick them on picture frames, candles, lampshades and more. Its fun to create the candy theme at special occasions for special people!

Unusual Caramel Apples

Who doesnt love caramel apples? When autumn rolls around youll suddenly find many people baking apples, making pies and otherwise serving apples. A beloved fall treat is the traditional caramel apple. Weve all had them - a big, juicy apple dipped in melted caramel. Sometimes the treat is sprinkled with nuts to make the apples even more delicious. If you love caramel apples put a new twist on them this fall. Make caramel apples with different toppings instead of nuts and the crowd will go wild! Refrigerate the amount of apples you are going to dip for at least a couple of hours. When the apples are well chilled the caramel will stay on them better than apples of room temperature. Most people prefer Granny Smith apples but any apples can be used. Remove the stem and push a popsicle stick into the apple. Instead of a wooden stick you can also use a plastic fork as the caramel apple handle.

Choose the foods you want to use for coating the apples after theyre covered in the caramel. These foods should be set out on paper plates so that theyre ready to use as soon as the caramel is applied. Some great toppings include nuts, of course, crushed Oreos, candy sprinkles, mini marshmallows, chocolate chips, candy corn pieces, crushed cereal or even shredded coconut. Place each food on its own plate or mix foods to make a combination.

Tear individual pieces of wax paper which are large enough to hold on apple each. Set these in the freezer, on a baking sheet if desired, so you can later put the apples on them. In a glass measuring cup place a bag full of individual caramels - about 10 to 14oz. Add two tablespoons of milk to the caramels and melt in the microwave. This recipe does only about 3 to 5 apples, so if needed, double the recipe. Stir often, and as soon as theyre fully melted, remove and set near the apples. Dip an apple in the caramel, hold it over the cup to let excess drip off, then use a butter knife to scrape away any huge globs of caramel. Let the caramel sit for about a minute then roll the apple in the chosen topping. Make sure you coat the area of the apple opposite the handle. Set the apple in the freezer, on the wax paper, so that the stick is facing upwards. Do one apple at a time until youre finished. Caramel apples are always a delicious treat but youll love them even more when you dip them in unusual toppings. If you want to give the caramel apple as a gift simply wrap a cellophane piece around it and tie it shut with a pretty ribbon.

Christmas Bobby Pins

It takes years to train a womans hair to do what she wants! Even as a child her hair is long here, short there. Its wispy or curly or frizzy - its something besides what you want! As we grow up we learn to fix out hair in a manner thats easy to take care of and looks good as well. As a child, though, that hair is going to need some help! Bobby pins work wonders to train a little girls hair to stay parted or at least stay out of her face. But, when it comes to the holidays, its nice to have something a little less ordinary than bobby pins.

This Christmas, make some cute hairpins that can help control your little girls hair while giving her an adorable holiday look. Its really easy to make a huge variety of decorative pins that are perfect for holidays but great for any day of the week! Make one type of hairpin by placing one small button upon a larger one. Thread a piece of thread or twine through the opening of the bobby pin, at the bend, and tie it on with a knot. Cut one end very short and thread the long end through a needle. Position the buttons so that they are on the front of the bobby pin and up near the bend of the pin. Put the needle through the holes of the buttons, then back down through another set of holes, and through the opening of the bobby pin. Do this several times then tie it off, under the buttons, with a knot.

Make a different type of hair pin by cutting a piece of craft foam or felt. Cut it in the shape of a holly leaf then set a red shank button upon the leaf. Tie the thread onto the bobby pin then thread the needle. Sew up through the bottom of the leaf, through the shank, then down through the top of the leaf and into the bottom. Do this several times then tie a knot under the leaf to secure. You dont necessarily have to use buttons to make new hairpins. Use small pom-poms, a jewelry charm, or even glue on a fake jewel. Make yet another type of hairpin by gluing a cluster of sequin to the rounded area of the bobby pin as well as the front. To give the decorated pins as a Christmas gift, birthday present or other surprise cut a wide piece of cardstock a little longer than the bobby pin. Cut a hole and a tiny slit just below the hole so that the slit and the hole adjoin (should look like a small keyhole). Slide the bobby pin onto the card. This will keep the bobby pin from getting lost in the bottom of a stocking. Plus, it gives you a way to write a recipients name on the cute gift or even tie it onto a wrapped present!

Fake Bookshelves

Your visitors will do a double-take when they enter your home and they see what, at first glance looks like a full-wall bookshelf, but when they look again, theyll see its all fake. It looks so realistic, though, that the fake bookshelves end up being quite stunning. If youre the type of person who is always looking for new wallpaper jobs youll love this one. This is a much different type of wallpaper job, though, than youve probably ever done.

When you use narrow molding as the fake bookshelves you create a 3-d look. Cut molding to be the length you want then tack it up on the wall, in spaced rows, so that you have several horizontal rows. If you have no molding make the fake bookshelves by using tape. Youll find tape in all sorts of colors and styles now so you can give the fake bookcases just the look you want. Alternatively, you can tape on strips of paper as the bookshelves or you can paint on lines to represent the shelving.

Think of things you would normally see on shelves around a home. Books, sure. Youll find many sources for book bindings you can display. Cut book-theme scrapbook paper into bookmark-shaped pieces and stick them to the wall, so they appear to sit on the shelf. Make other books by cutting a piece of tape and writing a book title and author on it with a marker. If you own books with torn book covers cut the binding area off of them and use them as the wall books. Group books together and even lean one or two "books" to one side. Stack several books horizontally and stand others up vertically. Cut images of vases, picture frames, novelties, statuettes and similar things from a department store catalog or other source. Cut out the images and place them on a fake shelf. Just tape or glue the cutouts to the wall so that they appear to sit on the shelf. Make vases appear more realistic by cutting tiny pieces of fake flowers and attaching them to the wall near the mouth of the vase. Cut shapes from wallpaper, scrapbook paper and even contact paper to make additional vases, candles and other things. Cut pictures of family members, pets and other photos and stick them to the wall. Cover around the photos with frames from a craft stores scrapbook aisle. These will lend more to the realistic look of the fake bookshelves. Youre going to have a lot of fun building your fake bookshelves which actually look quite realistic - at first glance. This is the type of project for those who love to get creative but have a small budget.

Ziploc Purse

A purse with zipper-lock bags inside - youre probably already thinking of zillions of ways you could use such a purse. It could hold receipts and such in the car, it could hold a childs craft supplies as the family travels, or it could hold a few diapers or other baby needs. You could use the bag to hold small items around the house, or even to store assorted greeting cards and letters. There are lots of ways to use a Ziploc purse and, the great thing is, its a breeze to make.Purchase an ordinary gift bag and use it as the purse for the arrangement. The bag should be the type which has two handles. Youll be using Ziploc or other zipper bags so the handled bag you choose should be at least as wide as the Ziplocs, but could also be a couple of inches wider.Lay the bag flat on a table. See the way the bottom area is folded up and, when you open the bag, the bottom opens up? Well, with the bag flat in front of you, fold the bottom of the bag down so that its flat, too. Now, look at the sides of the bag. They are folded so that the fold goes in towards the inside of the bag. If you peek into the bag without opening it all the way, youll see that these folds almost divide the bag in half. From now, on, well call each of those sections "one half of the bag".Stack three Ziploc bags on top of each other. Tear a long piece of tape, lay it sticky side-up, and set the bottom edges of the bag on the tape. Fold the tape over the top bag so that you tape all three bags together, temporarily. Do the same to another stack of three Ziplocs.Slide three of the taped bags into one half of the bag, and the other three into the other half of the bag, aligning them so that the tops of the Ziplocs are even with the top of the gift bag. Feel where the bottoms of the Ziplocs are and mark an area just above that. Sew straight across all of the bags, from one side to the other, just above the bottoms of the zipper bags. Cut off everything from the stitching, down. If you want, sew a strip of fabric or decorative paper over the cut edge of the bag to conceal it as well as the stitching.Use sticker labels to write names on each baggie, if you want. This can help you keep track of whats inside each individual Ziploc in the tote. Use these to hold scrapbook accents, business cards, snacks for traveling, pens and other art supplies, stamps and more tiny things, and a host of other objects. The Ziploc purse is a quick and easy project you can make which will serve you for many years to come.Ziploc Purse

Wire-Wrapped Hoop Earrings

Hoop earrings are all the rage - big hoops, little hoops, silver hoops, and gold ones. Hoop earrings are just so cool but dont you ever get tired of your earrings looking exactly like everyone elses? On a boring night or weekend get out a pair of hoop earrings and have fun giving them a unique make-over. Its easy to create wire-wrapped earrings that look much different than those your friends are wearing.There are two basic designs of hoop earrings. One of them is a solid circle that has a built-in link, with a wire earring connected to the link. The other type doesnt have a wire; the hoop opens up and the end of it slides through the hole in your ear. You can wire-wrap either type but the latter offers you more choices.If you have a hoop earring that can be opened you can easily change the shape of it. Just open it, wrap it around an object from your home, and bend the metal around it. Bend it around a perfume bottle, a small bar of soap, a star-shaped ornament, or another choice. Or, just leave the hoops as they are. With an earring that doesnt open, you can squeeze the sides to reshape the earring into an oval, if nothing else.Wire, sold on a thread-type spool, is available in many different colors. Although the wire is stiffer than thread, its as easy to use as thread, particularly when it comes to wrapping the earrings. Just begin at the top of the hoop, and wrap the metal, from one end to the other. Wrap the hoop with wire of the same color or alternate colors. To end one, and begin another, just wrap the new one over the very end of the previous wire, and continue wrapping. Or, finish one and simply butt the new wire against the end of the first one.After youve wrapped the hoop youll then form any type of criss-cross pattern you want, back and forth across the front and back of the earring. Using this technique you could make anything from a cross to a spider web pattern. When youre finished with the design you want, clip the wire, and tuck it under another, or just pinch it tight with needle-nose pliers.If you have no wire you could use for the hoop earring make-over you can also use thread. Also, you can wire-wrap other earrings, too, like wooden circle earrings. If you want to continue with the project you can sew or glue an object onto the center of the wire or thread arrangement. A tiny charm, a miniature from a craft store, a bead, or even a silk flower, will look fabulous. Youll proudly wear the new earrings that look so much different than other hoops.

Easy Cloth Tray

Now, a cloth tray might not be the ideal tray for serving drinks, or carrying sandwiches to another room, but it does have its uses. There are lots of different ways to make a cloth tray and you dont have to be a skilled seamstress to do so. Make your own, using some fabric and other materials, or use something you already have, and just turn it into a cloth tray. Either way, you can use the new tray in the bathroom, bedroom, kitchen, or elsewhere. The tray has many different uses for holding everything from jewelry to makeup.If you make the cloth tray yourself youll need to cut two pieces of fabric to be about 18"x14". That size can be adjusted, depending on the size of tray you want, but a really large piece of fabric will turn out a floppy tray that wont hold much. The fabric you choose for the tray can vary but should not be extremely thin.After cutting the two pieces of material decide if you need a filler. The filler isnt necessary if youre using thick fabric, like denim. For light to medium weight fabrics, cut a piece of quilt batting - or even a piece of craft foam - to help make the fabric basket sturdier. Stack the two fabric pieces so that their right sides face and then put the filler on top of the stack.Sew almost all the way around the place mats, but leave an area for turning, on one of the long sides. Turn the mats right-side-out and sew the opening shut. To make the mat into a basket, bring one long side, and one short side, up together. Pinch the corner together and pin it. Do this to all four corners and then sew them in place.Although sewing two pieces of fabric together to make a cloth tray is not all that hard to do, you can make a quicker version by using something you might already have at home. A place mat is one thing that can be quickly transformed into a tray. The best place mat is a cloth one that is rectangular. Bring one long and one short side together, pinch the corner, and then pin and sew it. You can also use a dish towel to make the tray.When you pin and sew the corners of the basket you can choose to allow the corner to be outside of the tray, or on the inside, and each one gives you a slightly different look. You can further sturdy the tray by making a cardboard tray, and setting it inside the fabric one. When you do that, you can build the walls of the tray much taller, and turn them into handy baskets. Use the finished trays and baskets to hold keys, jewelry, medications, toys, bath and body products, spices, napkins, and much more.

Paper Mache Flower Girl Basket

Have you seen the various sizes and shapes of paper mache boxes at a craft store? They have round ones, square ones, flower shapes, star shapes and more. The ordinary paper mache boxes are not at all expensive; generally under five bucks for any size, and you can use any one of them to make a gorgeous flower girl basket that will soon become a keepsake! No matter what size or shape of basket you choose youll start by removing the lid. Youll need a handle for the basket and that is easily made by cutting a piece of wired ribbon. Choose satin ribbon, velvet, white, gold or silver - whatever you want. You have many choices of ribbon which will enhance the overall appearance of the finished flower girl basket. Cut the length you want it to be according to the type of handle you want to give the basket. Make one handle by simply gluing the ends of the ribbon to the inside of the box. Another is to cut the ribbon extra long, tie the ends in a bow, and the flower girl will carry the basket by the bow. Whatever type of handle you want, cut the ribbon, then set it aside for now.

Cut a large circle, square or other shape of cloth and lay it in the paper mache box. Glue it to the bottom of the box then pull the edges up to the top of the basket. Pull the edges of the cloth over the edges of the box and glue very close to the top. Just inside the top, cut a slit on each side, and insert the ribbon ends. Apply a little glue inside the slits to secure the handle.

Decorate the basket with any number of choices. Its easy to decoupage fabric or paper to the basket, paint it, or choose another technique. One look thats easy to accomplish is to simply brush on glitter-glue. This creates a really glitzy look without spending much money at all. You can glue the lid to the bottom of the box, if you want, and that will give the finished basket a different look than if you dont. Another easy way to cover the paper mache box is to simply glue artificial leaves and flowers all over it. Hot glue works to quickly attach floral pieces as well as lace, strands of fake pearls, fake jewels or other embellishments. The flowers can be attached to the handle, as well, or it can be left as-is. The paper mache flower girl basket is really simple to make if you choose a square, oval or round shape. Shapes like hearts or stars can be a little more difficult as far as the inside lining goes. No matter what shape you use, and how you decorate it, the flower girl basket will be gorgeous!

How to Make an Ice Cream or Sherbert Bombe

Many people dont know what ice cream or sherbert bombes are. Others think theyre too much trouble to make. Sure, its a little bit of work to make a bombe, but any warm day is suitable for serving the dessert thats as colorful as it is delicious. Its not so much that its a lot of work as it is that the work is stretched over a period of time. Thats what makes many people think its too much trouble to make an ice cream or sherbert bombe. But, if youve got a special occasion coming up, and youd like to create a spectacular dessert that will have your guests complimenting, make a bombe. Theyll love it!A gelatin mold is ideal for making a bombe, however, some other containers work well, too, like a bundt cake pan or a plastic bowl. With a gelatin mold you can leave gorgeous patterns on top of the dessert with no extra effort.Combine sherbert and ice cream to make one type of bombe. Use three layers of sherbert to make a different type. For the combination bombe, start by placing a quart of sherbert in the refrigerator. It can be any flavor or color you want but this choice will become the top of the bombe and the most prevalent color of the finished dessert.Check the sherbert occasionally and remove it when it becomes soft enough to stir but still very thick and frozen. Spread it inside the gelatin mold at the bottom. Place it in the freezer for now and put the second flavor of sherbert in the refrigerator. When its softened enough to stir, but is still very thick, spread it around in the gelatin mold, atop the first flavor. With this second sherbert, spread it around the sides of the mold as well. Spread it all the way to the top of the mold, on the sides. Place in the freezer.Set your chosen ice cream flavor in the refrigerator to soften slightly. When its easy to stir, add it to the bombe. Spread it around the gelatin mold so that it fills the remainder of the mold. Set in the freezer.Use the bombe within 48 hours, but for best results, leave it in the freezer for at least 12 hours. Take it out, turn the mold upside-down onto the serving platter, and place a hot towel on the mold. Check every few seconds to see if the bombe has fallen out of the mold; you dont want to melt it too much with the hot cloth.The striped, frozen dessert is perfect for a Fourth of July celebration, a summer cookout or another special occasion. Dont forget how to make them, though, because family and friends will want to have your bombes on many special occasions.See lots of bombes here.

Elegant Twine Holders

Isnt it astounding how many different items a crafting person can accumulate? You do one project, and you have some stuff left over from that, then you do another project, and so on. Before you know it, youre trying to dig your way through boxes, bins, bags, and piles. There are many different organizers a person can buy or make, depending on the needs of the individual crafter. If you need a way to organize spools of twine, and you love the idea of these organizers being beautiful decorator pieces as well, youll have a fun time making them.

Use a candlestick to make the base for each twine holder. Any candle stick will do. Youll likely need more than one twine holder so, use candlesticks that you already have, buy them at a dollar-theme store, or pick some up at a secondhand shop. They dont necessarily have to match but should be similar, like all glass candlesticks or all wooden ones. Keep in mind that, if youre using wooden candlesticks, the taller they are, the heavier the base is. Youll need a heavy base to keep the twine holder in place as you pull twine from the spool.

Measure the diameter of the area where the candle actually goes and buy a dowel rod in that size. Its not hard to cut a dowel to a smaller size with a simple handsaw or even a sharp knife. Put the dowel into the candlestick, slide a spool of twine over it, then mark and cut the dowel slightly shorter than the top of the spool. Use hot glue to attach the dowel to the candlestick. After the dowel is in place, the twine dispenser can be used, but its much prettier if you add a finial to it. To do this, glue a button magnet to the top of the dowel, and another to the bottom of a chosen finial. The finial can be an old game piece, a large bead, or another item. Glue a magnet to the bottom of that piece as well. With the finials attached by magnet to the dowel, the twine holders are finished unless you want to go yet another step further. Use glass drawer pulls - or a different type - to top the twine holders. Just remove the hardware from the glass knob and glue or just slide it over the top of the finial. To cover the hole in the drawer pull you can glue on a bead, a rhinestone, or another small object. The twine holders are really nice to look at but theyre handy as well. No longer will your different types of twine get all entangled in a drawer or a box. Now you can keep it all organized while also using the organizers as a gorgeous display. Candlestick Twine Holders

Graveyard Halloween Place Cards

Once you set out to throw the perfect Halloween party you have to follow it through to the T. Its not enough to just set up some jack-o-lanterns on the porch or hang a few black and orange streamers around the place. You have to have a spooky yard, creepy, crawling things around the house, eerie foods and beverages, and much more. Thats especially true if youre setting a dinner table for guests. If there is a centerpiece it could have cobwebs all over it. If there are napkin rings they might be spiders or even bats. You need an entire theme. You cant have a spooky centerpiece and flowery dishes, or Halloween napkins with big daisies on the napkin rings. So, while youre setting the creepiest table you possibly can go ahead and get the headstones ready. Not for the front yard; for the table. Make graveyard place cards and the guests can find their way to their seats in the most eerie manner.Anything from a cardboard box to a brown paper bag can be used to make a grave place card. Whether you use a box or a bag it should be small. Paper mache boxes can be purchased at a craft store or little, brown paper bags can be ordered online. If youre using a box, remove the lid, if there is one. If youre using a brown paper bag just cut the bottom off so that you have a shallow bag.You dont have to worry about painting a box or coloring a bag with markers; the brown color of the bag or box is perfect for creating the look of a miniature grave. To make the headstone just use cardstock. Its available in various colors but white or gray is perfect for making a headstone. Its not hard to cut out a rectangle, and then round off two corners on one of the short sides of the rectangle, to create the small headstone. Using the names of your own guests, write "Here Lies Kathy", or "RIP Bob", or other eerie sentiments. Set the headstones aside for now.Fill each box or bag with loose candies. Candy that looks great as "dirt" in the miniature graves includes black jellybeans, chocolate chips, small candy bars, crumbled cookies, brownie bites, or other candies which are brown or black. After filling each grave with candy simply tuck the headstone in somewhere amongst the goodies. Stand some of the headstones upright, and others in a tilted manner, to create an overall look for the place cards.The Halloween grave place markers serve three purposes: they mark the places for the guests, provide everyone with a party favor, and help to create the spookiest holiday table ever.Graveyard Place Cards

Spray Paint Grass Twister Game

Trying to think of games that your kids can play outdoors this summer? Games that wont have you worrying about balls flying through windows, or kids getting skinned knees from bike tricks? Resort to an old favorite: Twister. Although a Twister game was first made for floor use there is no law that says you cant make one outdoors. You wont need a game mat; the lawn will be your mat. All you have to do is add the dots and the game will be ready for the kids. It will be so much fun that you might even get out there and join the kids in a game of lawn Twister.

You can make any variation of the Twister game you want. For instance, you can make the dots small, and close together, for little kids. Or, you can make extra rows of dots, so more than four people can play at once. You can also just make a standard Twister game, as how it is on a plastic mat, Twister board.

A dot on a classic Twister board is seven inches and a fraction. Make a pattern to be about seven inches in diameter. You can cut a hole from newspaper, thin cardboard, or another material. Cut a hole in the material so that there is a seven-inch hole, and paper or cardboard around it. Measure out the board, spacing the dots correctly, or just do something thats close in size. Each dot on an actual Twister board has a space of 3-3/4" on the horizontal spacing, and 3-15/16" on the vertical. Measure exactly or just get close to those measurements. Another choice is to use an old Twister board - one thats not in good shape - and cut out the holes, using the whole mat as a pattern for spacing and painting. Lay the Twister mat or other pattern on the ground and spray paint the dots,holding the can just a few inches away from the ground. Make a row of green dots, one of red, one of yellow, and a row of blue. Or, make an unconventional combination of colors. Each row should contain six of the dots. Let the paint dry and the game is ready for play. If you dont have a spinner, you can make one, or play with dice. On one die, "1" is green, "2" is yellow, "3" is blue, and "4" is red (or your own arrangement). Put a tiny sticker on the "5" and "6" to make it easier for the roller to automatically know that the particular die has to be rolled again. For the other die, "1" is "left foot", "2" is "right foot", "3" is "left hand", "4" is "right hand"; "5" and "6" can be covered. Its helpful to write the numbers, colors, and such, on a piece of paper, to make things easier on the dice roller.

Jigsaw Puzzle Christmas Ornaments

We all have at least one: a jigsaw puzzle with a missing piece. No one knows where the piece went but the remaining pieces dont have to be useless. Break them out and turn them into unique Christmas ornaments! No matter what image was on the original puzzle the pieces will work to make new ornaments.

Make a snowflake ornament by first painting some puzzle pieces white. Youll have a hard time painting over the original design; apply the white paint to the backside of the pieces. Jigsaw puzzles usually have a shiny glaze over the front of the pieces that can be difficult to paint. It might take more than one coat to cover the backside of the puzzle pieces. Take three popsicle sticks and arrange them in the shape of an asterisk. Use hot glue - or another adhesive - to attach jigsaw puzzle pieces to the sticks. Start at the end of each stick and work towards the center. Fold a string in half and glue the ends to one stick. Glue the first puzzle piece over the string. When the stems of the snowflake are finished glue two or three more pieces - whatever is needed - to cover the center area of the snowflake.

Make a jigsaw puzzle piece Christmas tree by first painting the backs of the pieces green. Cut a simple tree shape from a piece of cardstock and begin gluing the puzzle pieces onto it. First, cut a string, fold it in half, then glue the ends to the top of the tree. Glue the first puzzle piece over the top of the string. Position the pieces so you cant see the cardstock from the front of the finished tree. After covering the cardstock tree completely, add more pieces here and there, to create a more dimensional look. Glue on tiny beads, a small star tree topper, or similar miniatures. Hang the finished tree on your real Christmas tree. Cut a circle out of cardboard then cut the middle out of the circle to make a puzzle wreath. Cut a string, fold it in half, and glue the ends to the outer edge of the circle. Glue the first puzzle piece over the ends of the string then begin arranging the pieces on the cardboard. Instead of creating neat rows all the way around the wreath glue the pieces on more randomly. But, make sure all the pieces are placed so that the protruding interlocking pieces are vertical. Cut a candy cane shape, a simple bell shape or other Christmas shapes to make even more jigsaw puzzle ornaments. Paint the pieces with colors normally associated with that shape. The ornaments are very unusual yet really easy for kids - or anyone - to make!

Jell-O Wedding Centerpieces

What youll need:Glass containerJell-O gelatinFlowers, leaves and such Of course you want your wedding to be unique. No one wants her special day to be just like someone elses! Youll spend tons of money on the gown, bridesmaid dresses, decorations and other things. And the flowers, thats going to really cost you! What can you do, though? You have to have flowers on the tables at the reception so youll simply have to pay the money. Its costly to have a wedding! Of course, you can always choose a different route. You can feature Jell-O as the main focus of the reception. Not as a food - as the centerpiece! Everyone loves Jell-O and now youll have one more reason to love it. Use it to make unusual yet gorgeous floral arrangements on the tables. Youll need glass vases or other containers to make them. Shop at your local dollar-theme store and youll be surprised at just how many nice, clear, glass containers they have. Purchase one to make a large centerpiece, then smaller ones to make additional table decorations. Or, make all the decorations with identical, glass containers.

Jell-O comes in a variety of flavors and that also means a variety of colors. Choose a color that matches or coordinates with one of the wedding colors. Make all the floral vases from the same color of Jell-O or make different colors for the different tables.

Theres no definite amount of Jell-O to tell you to make. That all depends on how many flower arrangements youre making and how large the container is. You can make a fairly large container full by using six boxes. First, boil water as it states in the directions but boil only half as much as required - times six. Stir in the gelatin until it is dissolved then add half the cold water stated on the box - times six. Place the gelatin in the centerpiece container and let it sit for about 30 minutes so that it doesnt set up completely. Choose the flowers or other things youll be placing in the Jell-O. Silk or plastic flowers work well but you can also use real or dry flowers. Besides flowers you can also add stems, leaves, chips of bark - even shells. There are very few limits when it comes to the things you can suspend in the Jell-O. After youve finished the arrangement just cover it and chill until needed. Youll absolutely adore the look of the gelatin flowers and your guests wont stop talking about them! Keep in mind, when selecting the color of gelatin you want, that lighter colors - like yellow - will work best.

Sewn Scrapbook Borders and Accents

It doesnt seem like much money at the time. You buy a few scrapbook stickers here, a design of scrapbook paper there. Pretty soon, though, you can have massive amounts of money tied up into all your scrapbook accents and embellishments. Thats what people who love scrap booking do, though. They take a hodge-podge of enhancements to create a scrapbook which has a look all its own. That way, no one has a page - let alone a book - that looks exactly the same as theirs. If youre always looking for new scrapbook embellishments, but youre wanting to hold down on the cost a little, or youd just like to use up some of your scrap supplies, make your own. If you know how to sew you can create the most gorgeous page accents unlike any that other people have. Because, the kind you make can rarely, if ever, be found on the market.Start with a whole page of scrapbook paper or just a wide strip. Instead of scrapbook paper you can also use a brown paper bag, white paper bag, or other paper products. The paper you use, though, should be fairly thick.Most sewing machines do a variety of different stitches and those are perfect for making scrapbook embellishments. With many machines, youll simply push the button for the design you want, and guide the paper through as the sewing machine does the work. Just set the presser foot on the edge of the bag or paper, and sew straight across, from one side to the other. Make a row or two of one design, then a row or two of another, and continue to do that until you have many different designs or many of the same design. Leave a large space between each row and, when you have all the stitching done, cut the sewn areas into strips.Do a straight stitch with the stitches small and close, or a straight stitch with the stitches far apart. Make a zigzag stitch, a scallop stitch, and many others. Do these in all white thread, or various colors of thread. With the different stitches you can do, and all the colors of thread available, plus the assorted colors and designs you can choose from for paper, there are literally millions of scrapbook embellishments you can make. You can even do a stitch without thread for a poked-hole accent thats unusual and pretty.The sewn embellishments you make can be used as frames for scrapbook photos or can become borders for the pages. Sewn rosette designs, and similar pieces, can become corners for certain scrapbook pages. The sewn embellishments are unique, pretty, and extremely cheap to make.Sewn Scrapbook Embellishments

Baby Bath Time Dolls

All babies are the same - that is, they all sleep, cry, and mess up diapers - but theyre all different, too. Some babies crawl before others. Some babies stand up and walk before babies their age. When it comes to bath time babies can be different, too. Where one loves to lay back and be washed, another cries all the way through it. For babies who are unhappy in the bath, and even for those who love to be bathed, there are some cute tub dolls you can make in minutes. One doll can be held to calm the baby and another can be used to wash. One or two more of the dolls can just be in the tub, hanging out.

Simplistic washcloth dolls are made very quickly and will thrill your baby beyond belief. Young babies as well as parents appreciate a doll you can throw right in the tub and one that doesnt have stringy, clingy hair when its wet. A doll that, when the baby grabs it and slings it all around, wont be hard and hurt the little one. Lets make one! Create an octopus-type doll by taking one washcloth and rolling it into a smooth ball. Lay another washcloth over the ball and wrap it, holding the second cloth just below the ball. Wrap a rubber band around the area to hold it for now. Tie a slender, satin ribbon around the rubber band area, and once again, to form a tight knot. Trim the ribbon ends so that theyre not extremely long then cut the rubber band off of it. Use a permanent marker to draw on a mouth and eyes.

Make a person-type doll by using three wash cloths. Roll one into a ball then cover it with a second washcloth as you did for the octopus. Hold the neck area while you get a third washcloth - preferably one of a different color. Lay this one over the ball so that it covers only half of the ball on top, to make a hooded cape. Gather this washcloth in your hand, too. Wrap all layers with a rubber band then pull the second washcloth down to tighten the face area. Tie on a ribbon and snip off the rubber band. Draw a face on with a permanent marker; you can even draw on bangs, sideburns and whiskers or other characteristics. Make different dolls by using two or three wash cloths and by using different colors of cloths. Make other tub toys by using a ping-pong ball as the head, and wrapping one washcloth over it. Use different colors of markers on the faces and use various colors of ribbons for tying the wash cloths shut. When you combine color and arrangements you can make many different bathtub toys that your baby will love. Washcloth Tub Doll

Number Pockets Home School Game

Youre a great home school teacher. You stick to the curriculum but you make things fun. Teaching young kids is exciting because, usually, theyre very eager to learn. Often, kids can learn much faster when they have a hands-on experience - like when they make their own flash cards. To add just one more fabulous teaching element to your home school do a quick craft to help your young child learn numbers and counting. A pocket numbers chart is a game and a learning tool, all in one.

Its not hard to make a numbers chart which will help teach your child to count to 100, to count by 5s and to count by 10s. To start, cut two pieces of fabric to be 26"x26". Stack the two pieces of fabric on top of each other so that their wrong sides face each other. Sew around all four sides.

Cut strips of thick, clear plastic to make the pockets for the chart. Youll find suitable plastic for this chart at a store which sells fabric and, sometimes, at a home improvement store. Cut 10 strips of the clear plastic to each be 25" long and 1 ?" wide. Lay the first strip across the bottom of the fabric and sew it in place, stitching just along the bottom of the plastic, from one end to the other. Now, position the second strip of fabric above the first one, and sew along the bottom. Continue to do this until youve sewn all 10 strips onto the chart, but only across their bottom edges. Stitch down the left and the right side of the chart to connect the sides of the plastic strips to the fabric. Now, sew vertical lines, from top to bottom, and from one side to the other, to section the plastic pieces into 10 rows of 10 sections. Cut cardstock into 100 small squares to finish the number chart. Cut the cards to be 2"x2". Use stickers or markers to write the numbers 1 through 100 on the cards. Write all the numbers in black - or the same color of sticker - then use a different color, like red, to write certain numbers. Red numbers will include 5, 10, 15, 20, and so on, to 95. Other red numbers include 10, 20, 30, and so on, to 100. Kids can slip the little cards into the slots to show that they can count from 1 to 100. The red numbers help them learn to count by 5s or 10s. The chart is actually a game which can help kids learn their numbers even faster. You can make various charts by making different cards, like the letters of the alphabet, and others. Remove all the cards, have the child put them all back in - in order - and time him or her to see how fast it can be done.

Edible Stained Glass Ornaments

Take your favorite Christmas cookie recipe and turn it into a stained glass ornament! Its really easy to do and the finished cookies can be hung as surprises for kids on Christmas morning. Or, dont make the cookies into ornaments; just make them look like stained glass Christmas trees, wreaths, gingerbread men and more! Although there are many cookie recipes that work well to make stained glass ornaments the best one is an ordinary sugar cookie recipe. However, you can use most any cookie recipe as long as it doesnt contain extra things, like chocolate chips, nuts, marshmallows and such.

Prepare the cookie recipe as you normally would. Roll the dough out to be about an eight-inch thick. It can be helpful to first refrigerate cookie dough, for about 15 or 20 minutes, as the chilled dough holds together better.

Use cookie cutters to make the Christmas shapes you want. Some shapes work better than others. For example, it can be difficult to turn a candy cane-shaped cookie into a stained glass version. Whatever shape you use, cut a place out of the middle, and use this empty area as the stained glass part of the cookie. Take Jolly Ranchers candy and crush it into much smaller pieces. The candy has beautiful shades of red, green, yellow and others, making it perfect for use as stained glass. When the Jolly Ranchers melt they create a look just like stained glass but are much more delicious! For a wreath cookie, cut a simple circle in the middle of a round cookie. For a gingerbread man, cut all the way around, staying an inch or more (depending on size of cookie) away from the edge. Youll cut a gingerbread shape out of the middle and leave a perimeter - an inch or so wide - shaped like a gingerbread man. Do the same for a reindeer shape and others. Roll Jolly Ranchers of one color in a piece of wax paper. Hammer it with a hammer, rolling pin or other implement to break it into smaller pieces. Fill the cutout sections of the cookies with the candy pieces. Fill the holes completely but dont overfill them. If you will be hanging the ornament cookies make a hole in the top area of each one with a straw or similar implement. Preheat oven to 325 degrees and bake the cookies for 6 to 8 minutes. The candies should be completely melted before removing the cookies from the oven. Do not let the cookies brown, though. If they do, you lose the clarity of the stained glass. Allow the cookies to thoroughly cool before hanging or eating them. Theyre scrumptious!

Cheap but Elegant Diamond Picture Frame

The thing about working with popsicle sticks is that they arent all that elegant. Even if you use popsicle sticks which are colored the finished project is often childish in appearance. Use popsicle sticks to make a wall hanging, though, and no one will even know thats what they are! By the time you finish decorating the diamond picture frame youll be shocked yourself! Use four colored or plain popsicle sticks to make a small diamond picture frame. Simply arrange the sticks into a diamond shape then glue something onto the four areas where the popsicles meet each other. The items you can glue onto the popsicle sticks are nearly endless. Attach shells, flat-side marbles, beans, macaroni, small rocks - even nuts and bolts. Glue these here and there, all over the sticks, or glue just one object at each point of the diamond. After the glue is set or dry spray paint the entire thing. Paint the sticks along with the items that are attached. Youll create a very elegant look if you paint the whole arrangement with gold or bronze spray paint.

To make a much larger diamond shape start with eight popsicle sticks. Place two on each side of the diamond shape and make sure their ends all butt together. Glue the chosen object to every area where the sticks meet each other. Now continue to glue more objects on the overall frame or leave it as it is before painting.

Cut a piece of fabric or scrapbook paper to be the size and shape of the diamond - but just a tad smaller. Do the same to a thin piece of cardboard. Attach the material to the cardboard piece then glue it to the backide of the popsicle sticks. Attach the picture you want to use to the center of the front area of the fabric or paper. If you want, cover the picture with a small piece of glass or a piece of taut plastic. Use any number of things to outline the photo. Cut ribbon strips, felt, small-diameter roping, cord or other material and glue it around the perimeter of the photo. Other choices for outlining the photo include tiny shells, beads, fabric paint, lace or even fake jewels. Hang just one diamond frame up or create a grouping. Make one large diamond and two smaller ones or create a different arrangement. You can even use mini popsicle sticks to make even smaller diamond picture frames. These make great ornaments or even curtain tie-back accents. The photo doesnt necessarily have to be of a person. Use a picture of a sunset, a snowy day or another image to create an ornament or wall design!

Salt Art for Kids and Adults

Not everyone is an expert at creating elaborate designs inside a glass with sand. Sand art is very popular even to those who are not experts because, no matter if youre skilled or not, it always turns out looking great. The various colors inside the container, all swirled together in intentional or accidental designs, is a thing to behold. People who are skilled can take the colored sand and create the effects of mountains, flying birds, vehicles and more.

If you like sand art youll love a cheaper version that helps you create scenes just like sand art but with common things you might have on hand. Salt and chalk are the ingredients for a sand art knock-off thats fun for kids. Of course, youll get them started but youre liable to get hooked yourself! Colored chalk can be found at most dollar-theme stores and, often, its the sidewalk chalk which is really large. Any type of colored chalk will work to create salt art. The chalk will have to be powdered and that presents the largest challenge but not a huge obstacle. Use a cheese grater and grate the chalk to a fine powder. You can also use a food processor or even a bag-and-beat method. However, chunks of chalk will ruin the look of the salt art so its important that it be powdered.

Salt, when mixed with the colored chalk powder, takes on the look of colored sand. Place some salt in a small bowl and stir in the chalk powder in the color of your choice. Mix more salt or more chalk to make the color be as dark or light as you want. Things will progress along smoothly if you first powder all the chalk and mix up all the different colors you want to use before beginning the salt art. Dont get carried away with the mixtures; you likely dont need a huge amount of any color. Choose the container you want to use to do your artwork. You can order shaped containers, like characters, hearts or standing balls, online. Or, just use a clean glass jar from home. Pour the salt in as you would if you were doing a sand art arrangement. A funnel with a long spout is helpful to hold down the amount of chalk dust you create and to aim the various colors where you want them. Use a cocktail stick or similar implement to create the designs that others will see through the container. Simply pushing the stick into the salt, right next to the glass, can create ridges, dips and other designs with no talent at all. Of course, if youre an expert at sand art designs youll want to take the salt art to a whole new level!

How to Make Ribbon Curtains

Theres always that one window, isnt there? You know, the one that doesnt match the others; the one that seems to stick out like a sore thumb and begs for a new look. Theres a way to jazz up that window while spending very little time to do it. The window will have a totally different appearance unlike other windows in the house. And, no matter how you make the new window covering, youll be sure no one else has one exactly like it! Materials needed: Various colors, types and widths of ribbon Needle and thread Clip-type metal curtain rings Start with a sheer curtain to make a ribbon window covering. The more sheer the curtain, the nicer the finished ribbon curtain will be. Youll need lots and lots of ribbon so its a good idea to check your local dollar-theme store for inexpensive ribbon for this project. Keep in mind that, the wider the ribbon you select, the less ribbon it will take to complete the curtain.

Lay the curtain out flat on a floor or other surface large enough to accommodate it. Now begin cutting various ribbons to be long enough to go from the top edge of the curtain to the bottom edge. Add an inch to each length of ribbon to allow enough for tucking the ends behind the top edge.

Each time you cut a ribbon, lay it on the curtain, then cut enough to go across the width of the curtain. To achieve the look you want it may be necessary to trade a ribbon with another, switch and swap them around, until you get the striped effect you want. Using a needle and thread, fold the edge of the first ribbon over the top of the curtain then take a stitch or two, through the middle of the ribbon, to attach the ribbon to the curtain. Do this to all the ribbons across the width of the curtain. Its up to you if you want to place the ribbons side-by-side or if you want to leave a space between each set. Use clip-type, metal rings to hang the curtains. Clip one ring onto each ribbon, right where the stitching is, so that the clip covers up the few stitches on each ribbon, and so that you clip the ribbon as well as the curtain. Make sure the bottom ends of the ribbons align perfectly with the bottom edge of the curtain. Use ribbons of all one color to make one type of curtain. Make each ribbon different to create a completely different look. Or, alternate just two or three different colors. Slide the rings onto a caf?-type curtain rod and hang the new ribbon curtain. Its gorgeous, unusual, and will grab the attention of all your visitors!

Easy Heart Wedding Cake

Like putty in your hands; how many times have you heard that saying? It implies that something - or someone - can be worked, twisted, or manipulated with ease. Youll definitely find that old saying to be true when you work with fondant to create a luscious wedding cake that will have everyone thinking youre a rising star in the baking world!Your guests will be awestruck when they see the gorgeous cake that you bake just like ordinary cakes. But, when you finish with it, theyll be amazed. Start by choosing three different-size cake pans which are round or square. Make any flavor from a boxed mix or a recipe. Bake, according to the instructions, then allow the cakes to cool completely.Frost the top of the largest cake and set the second largest cake on it. Be sure to center it perfectly. Frost the top of the second cake and set the smallest cake on it, and center it. Now frost the sides of the cakes to finish the icing. The frosting should be applied so that its completely smooth all over. Use white frosting, and later, add white fondant hearts, or use pink frosting with white hearts. Another option is to make a pink cake with pink hearts or even red ones.Working with fondant is similar to working with putty or play dough. You can roll it out, shape it, color it and otherwise mold and work it. Basic instructions for using the fondant is on the package. For this project, break off a fondant piece, color it with a drop of food coloring - if desired - then roll it out to be about as thick as a popsicle stick. Use a small, heart-shaped cookie cutter to create the heart. Make many hearts and your cake is nearly finished.Begin at the bottom layer of the cake and position the first heart on the side of the cake. Press it slightly to secure it. Continue adding another and another heart shape, placing them side-by-side or spaced, until you go around the whole cake. Do the same to the middle and top cake, encircling them with the fondant hearts.Its helpful to use cornstarch on your fingers and on the cutting board and implements to keep the fondant from sticking. Its also helpful to use an offset spatula to scoop up each heart and position it on the cake.There are all sorts of variations you can do, besides colors, to produce the cake you want. Write on some of the hearts on the middle cake with a food marker to make a monogram, or to spell out "LOVE". The tiered heart wedding cake, no matter which design you make, is certainly one to behold.See a tiered fondant heart cake here.

Model Train Set Giant Boulders

Its not enough to be a train enthusiast - someone who just enjoys owning, watching, and running model trains. Anyone who really loves the hobby is also interested in miniatures and scenery to make the setup look as realistic as possible. A hobby store often has a huge selection of tiny guys who run the train, little houses along the trains route, and even a backdrop that might make you think the train is leaving a dark tunnel. Now, a train enthusiast can purchase those things - many train accessories are quite expensive - because he doesnt know how to make them, but some scenery can be easily created by the average person. If you could use some rocks around your train set you should know that theyre extremely easy to make.

One way to make a huge boulder is to just wad up newspaper. Shape it, not so that its a perfect ball, but so that it has facets and many sides. After you have it shaped the way you want it, simply paint the ball black, brown, or gray. Use double-sided tape to hold the paper boulder in place at the train scene.

Another way to make a giant boulder is to use a large Styrofoam ball. Its really easy to shape Styrofoam when you use sandpaper or even an emery board. First, cut a thin sliver off of any area of the ball to make a flat bottom for the rock to stand. Then, sand the Styrofoam here, then there, to make many facets around the rock. A quick scrub in that particular area is all thats needed to create a faceted side to the rock - over and over again - until it looks the way you want. Paint it but be sure to use paints that wont melt Styrofoam, like tempera paints. Make a different type of boulder by using spray foam insulation. You can find it in a can at most any home improvement store. You spray it onto something, like a piece of foil, then let it set up to become hard. With this product you dont have to go with a rounded shape for the boulder; you can create a large rock, with smaller ones attached to it, and you can shape it any way you want. Just spray it out to create the basic shape, allow it to dry, then shape it with sandpaper. Its similar to Styrofoam when it dries and that makes it easy to shape. Paint the rock using paints that wont melt Styrofoam. The giant boulder or other rocks can be just set around the track or can be glued in place with hot glue or another adhesive. Once you make a rock or two for your train set youll become addicted to creating other accessories. With that in mind, lets talk trees

Tea Light Tower Candles

Have you bought one of those bags full of tea lights that, although theyre cheap and simplistic, theyre useful and pretty when burning? Its often possible to find a bag of the tea lights, which feature the cheap metal cups, for a few bucks. And, even though the tea lights arent impressive, they can be changed in many ways. You can remove the metal cup and put the light in a prettier cup, or you can paint the cheap metal to look like bronze or gold. One really exciting thing you can do with a bag of tea lights is to make tower candles. Theyre still tea lights but they work in a slightly different way than youre used to - at least as far as tea lights go.

The metal cups that go along with the cheap tea lights are often dented when you get them because the metal is so soft. Sort through the bag to find several candles, with no dents in the cups. Use them to make a tower tea light that keeps on giving. Its sometimes possible to push the dents out of the cups.

Its so easy to make the tea lights into a tower, for use as a pillar candle. The small metal cups make it a simple matter to stack the candles as high as you want - within reason. But first, slide one candle out of its cup, and hammer a nail through the middle of the cup, and into a board; put the candle back in the cup. Or, glue the candle, in its cup, onto a piece of board, card stock, or cardboard. Its up to you if you want to paint, or otherwise decorate, the cups. If you do, embellish any way you want, but keep bulky embellishments away from the very top and bottom edges. Stack a candle on top of the one that is on the board. Use a piece of colored tape around the area where they meet, to connect them, and to create a look for the tower candle. Stack the next tea light, and wrap tape around it, along with the one below it. Continue to stack and wrap the joints of the candles until the pillar is as tall as you want. Burn just the top tea light and, when its gone, take the tape off of it, and light the candle below it. You can continue with the shrinking pillar candle, until youre down to just one tea light. Or, you can secure the first candle to a glue dot and, anytime you want, you can pull it off and put another stack of candles underneath that one. The tower tea light, with its colorful tape stripes, is beautiful anywhere you put it. Use it as a centerpiece, set it on a mantle, or set it on a shelf as a decorator piece. What looks like one candle is actually many.

Number and Letter Snacks for a Sesame Street Birthday Party

Youve watched Sesame Street with your kids havent you? Each episode is brought to you by a letter, a number, and/or a color. Throughout the show, youll see that particular letter, or other factor, repeated over and over, orally and visually. Thats how really little kids learn so quickly when watching the show. Of course, once a child begins watching Sesame Street he or she is just going to want more. That means its going to be a Sesame Street birthday party; your child will never forget it. To create the real effect youll need lots of colors, like blue, yellow, green, and red. Youll also need letters and numbers. Whether they be snacks, or sweets, you can make it happen! There are many delicious foods that can be turned into letter or number treats for kids. One thing any child will love at the birthday party is a fun finger food with a Sesame Street theme. Use a cookie cutter to cut a number or letter - or more than one - from cheese. A really orange cheese, such as cheddar, is a good choice. Just cut out letters, numbers, or both. Put a piece on a cracker and a child will eat it up.

Gelatin is colorful, sweet, and perfect for little kids. Instead of pouring it into a bowl, pour it on a cookie sheet, and it will be easy to cut. Use cookie cutters to cut out letters, numbers, or both. Make them all the same color or present various colors. With cookie cutters you can even make letters or numbers from peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.

If you dont want to make any special foods you can use certain foods as letters and/or numbers. If the birthday party is brought to you by the number "0", or the letter "O", you can use bagels or doughnuts. Push two doughnuts together to make the number "8". If the party is featuring the number "1", you could serve hot dogs, pretzel sticks, cheese sticks, or even doughnut sticks. Make any number or letter cake by first baking a rectangular cake. Cut rectangles from it, arrange them like the letter or number you want, and then frost them. Frost the cake in Sesame Street-type colors, like yellow, orange, blue, red, or green. Any cookie can become a number or letter, too; just frost the cookie and pipe on the number or letter. Sesame Street has won over the hearts of millions of kids so its natural that yours would want to have it as a birthday party theme. You wont have any trouble finding Sesame Street decorations, paper plates, and cups, and as for the snacks and desserts, youve got them covered.

Edible Jewelry Box and Jewels

An edible jewelry box with tasty jewels inside? What better party favor, dessert, or treat, for a wedding - or even Valentines Day - could there be? Make a heart-shaped box (or another shape), and its candy, a gift, and more, all at once. You can bet that none of your guests have never seen such a thing, let alone eaten one, so a jewelry box is the perfect choice when planning for your wedding or upcoming party. You wont need extraordinary baking skills to make an edible jewelry box; if you can bake cookies, youll have no trouble making a jewelry box.

A heart-shaped cookie cutter will get you started on the way to presenting your guests with their own, candy-filled jewelry boxes. Use cookie dough from your favorite recipe or just buy the refrigerated type. Good choices for the cookies include gingerbread, shortbread, or sugar cookies. Cut two hearts for each jewelry box that you need. One will be the bottom and one will be the top of the jewelry box.

Besides the heart shapes, cut strips of dough to make the sides of each box. Each dough strip will need to be long enough to go all the way around the shape of the heart, but should be no more than a couple of inches wide. The width can vary, though; cut the strip to be as wide as the height you want for the cookie jewelry box. Fold a piece of foil to make a long strip that goes around the perimeter of the heart; wrap the cookie with it. The foil should be as wide as you want the height of the jewelry box to be. Also, the foil should be folded at least twice to make it thick. Wrap it around the heart and pinch or fold the ends to secure. The foil will help you build the wall around the heart. Take one strip of the cookie dough and wrap it around the heart-shaped cookie, pressing the dough strip against the foil. When each cookie has a heart-shaped wall around it, bake them all according to the package or recipe instructions. You should have a heart-shaped box, and one lid - which is just a heart-shaped cookie - for each guest. Allow them to cool after baking and then remove the foil. Fill each heart box with candies that you choose. The candy can be chocolate-covered cherries, truffles, candy necklaces, jewel candy, or others. Online, you can find candy that is shaped like rings, hearts, precious stones, and more. Fill each box and lay one of the heart lids on top; decorate the lid with frosting or other goodies. Your guests will think its their special occasion, not yours!

Tank Top Shoulder Bags, Beach Bags and More

Purses, beach bags, clutches, overnight bags, when it comes to girls and women it seems we just cant own enough bags. We have our dressy purses, our everyday pocketbooks, different ones we take when going to the beach - and theres always room in the closet for one more! Dont grab one of your bags and run to the store to get another one; stay at home and make a new bag from an old tank top.

The type of tank top you use to make the new bag doesnt matter much. It can be stretchy or not, can have spaghetti straps or wider straps, and can be most any color or design. Ones that have slits up the sides, though, or a scalloped hemline, are not useable for this project. The perfect hemline is one thats straight across.

There are a couple of different ways to make a shoulder bag from the tank top. One way is done by running cord through the hem. To do this, cut a few threads out of the stitching in the hem. Make sure you cut just the threads and not the fabric itself. After opening the hem, attach a safety pin to the chosen cord or ribbon, then use it to pull the cord through the hem. Work the cord all the way around the hem then pull the pin back out through the opening. Remove the pin and bring the two ends of the cord together. Gather the hemline on the cord, bunching it close together and pulling the cord very tightly, then tie it in a double knot. Carry the shoulder bag by using the straps of the tank top as the straps for the purse. A different way to make the bag is to sew it. Cut the hem off of the bag, turn it so that the side seams are actually the front and back centers, then sew straight across it. Or, cut the hem off, then use the scissors to round the hemline. Turn it so that the side seams become the front and back center and then sew across. Remember to back-tack when you begin and when you end the stitching. If you dont sew you can use fabric glue to make the purse. Check the label to see how long it needs to dry before using the new bag. Although the tank top bags can be carried around as-is you can easily make a closure for it by attaching a piece of Velcro, a snap, or even a button and buttonhole. Use large tank tops to make beach bags, any size top to make a shoulder bag. Use little girls tank tops to make bags for them or just small bags for a woman. The finished bags are great for carrying everyday or for taking to the beach. Theyre perfect as overnight bags or to take camping. Youll find them so easy to make and very useful!

Exquisite Paper Wedding Centerpiece and More

Lets just take one thing at a time. Instead of letting those thoughts of the wedding run through your head all at once, concentrate on one aspect of the wedding, then move on to another. So, lets get the decorations for the reception out of the way. Since theyre so quick and easy youll have lots more time to think about the gown, foods, cake, and other aspects of the wedding. Most people choose a theme, like a black and white-only wedding, an elegant event, or just a casual affair. Isnt it nice, then, to know that, no matter what the theme is for your wedding, theres one decoration that will fit right in. When you use cheap tissue paper you can make spectacular vases, centerpieces, and more.

Have you ever made a tissue paper flower? We used to make them in school and in girl scouts. Just take several sheets of white tissue paper, stack them, then fold them like an accordion. Fold back and forth to make each section about two inches wide. Make smaller versions by cutting the tissue paper stack in half, so that you still have a long stack but the papers arent so wide. If you want, use scissors to cut a point at each end of the folded paper or just round these off to create a scalloped look.

Fold the accordion arrangement in half and wrap tape tightly around the fold so that you have something of a bouquet. Peel apart each tissue piece to separate them, fluff them, and you have a giant flower. Set this on a vase, fishbowl, or other glass. Although these flowers are very pretty you can take the craft a little further and make them even more elegant. Just use small Christmas tree balls. Remove any hanger, separate two pieces of the tissue paper, and insert the ball. If needed, tape can be used to secure. The ornaments dont necessarily have to be used as they are; its easy to paint them pink, purple, yellow, or other wedding colors. Make large flowers and use them as centerpieces. Make smaller versions to use as table accents. Or, make really small ones, stand them up at the place settings, and slide a name card into each one to create place markers. With the really small versions you can use beads instead of ornaments. The paper flowers with ornaments dont look anything like holiday accents - unless you want them to. You can make a huge assortment of different types by the color of tissue paper you use, the color of ornaments, what you set the flowers on, and how large or small you make each one. Theyre very cheap but certainly exquisite.

How to Make a Book Sling

If you have a child who loves to read youve probably noticed that his or her books are beginning to take up quite a bit of space. Thinking of purchasing a bookcase for the readers bedroom? Forget it! Bookcases hold lots of books, sure, but theyre bulky and they take up a lot of room. Instead, make a book sling, hang it on the wall, and your child will have plenty of storage space for books! Choose a piece of fabric that coordinates with your childs room. Stretchy fabrics do not work for this project. Choose thick fabric or a fabric of a medium weight. Really lightweight fabrics are not ideal. Youll need a piece of material that is 48"x32". Although you can make the sling a little shorter youll need to keep the 32" width.

Many sewing jobs can now be done with fabric glue, but when it comes to the book sling, thats not the case. The weight of the books is too much for glue so youll need to sew the sling. The sewing is very simple, so if youre a beginner, you dont have to worry. The project is easy enough even for those without much experience.

At the two short ends of the fabric, fold the material over an inch, then fold again, this time, two inches. Hem. Do this to both ends. Now go to one of the long sides of the material. Fold it over an inch, then 3 1/2" inches. Hem. Do this to both long ends of the material. You know how some people hang sheer curtains, then drapes over them, to create a layered look? Youll need the curtain hardware to do just that. Youll need two of the short rod holders and two of the longer ones. However, you dont need the curtain rods themselves. The type of rod holder hardware youll need is the kind that allows you to lay the rod on it. To hang the book sling attach the small rod holders to the wall. Place them so that theyre 42" apart. Make sure theyre hung perfectly even with each other. Slide a 44" dowel rod - which is 3" in diameter - into the rod pocket on one long side of the fabric. To make sure its hung properly, hold the fabric so that the wrong side is facing you, then thread the rod through the pocket from left to right. Hang this rod on the hardware. Slide an identical dowel rod into the opposite rod pocket, hang the longer hardware, then hang the second side of the book sling. Now the hanging sling can hold quite a few books. Kids will find it much easier to recognize the book they want because they can see the front of it, rather than the spine, as they would if the books were in bookcases.

Frozen Flower Wedding Pops

What youll need:Pineapple ringsCherriesGreen applesOther fruits (optional)Wooden skewers So, youll be having flowers galore at your wedding. Flowers on the tables, in your hair, on the floor as you walk down the aisle - the whole scene will look beautiful. Flowers are definitely appropriate for a wedding as well as a reception but dont stop at just decorating with flowers; serve them as food, too! Its fun to make easy fruit flowers for your wedding reception. Theyll look adorable, sitting on the food table, and your guests will love them. You have many choices when it comes to making the fruit flowers so theyll be exactly what you want.

Pineapple slices make the main flower on the sticks. Lay them out on paper towels for a few minutes to ensure they arent dripping. Youll have no trouble making the pineapple slices look like flowers. Simply cut upside-down "v" shapes from around the edges of the pineapples. Cut large shapes to make one type of flower and smaller shapes for a different design.

Place a maraschino cherry in the middle of each pineapple ring. It can be a red or a green cherry. Skewer both of them with a wooden skewer. Push the skewer through one of the "petals" of the pineapple, then up through the cherry, and on through the opposite petal. Dont push the stick all the way through, though; stop short so the stick will not show. Instead of a cherry you can also use a gumdrop, a raspberry or even a grape. To make the leaves for the flower, cut apples into thin slices, then slide one onto the skewer. Push the skewer through the skin of the slice, right in the middle of it, then push it up under the pineapple. The apple slices should be green to best represent the leaves. You can slide other things onto the sticks, under the apple slices, if you want. More cherries, banana slices and other small foods look fabulous under the fruit flower. Make a different kind of fruit flower by pushing a skewer through a green apple slice, then through the middle of a flower-shaped pineapple, then through a strawberry. Remove the stem from the strawberry and push the skewer through that end first. Dont push the skewer all the way through the strawberry. The apple slice keeps the pineapple ring from sliding off the stick. Stand the fruit flowers in a vase or other container. Whether the theme of your wedding is all about flowers, or youre having a spring or summer wedding, the fruit flowers fit right in. Your guests will find them delicious!

Princess Crown Birthday Cake

Youre putting together a princess party for your little girls birthday and its keeping you busy. You sent out the invitations, got the house spick and span, youre going to hang up decorations, youve put together games to play during the party. Whew, what else is there? Oh yeah, the cake. Are you going to have it made at a bakery? Thats going to cost you. Thats a specialty cake; they just dont have a princess cake sitting there waiting on you. Hey, lets forget all about that bakery and make the cake at home. No, its not too much trouble. In fact, if you can make a regular cake you can definitely make a princess crown cake that your little girl will love.

Use a favorite recipe or just go with a boxed cake mix. A princess cake can be a rainbow cake, white cake, yellow cake or another choice. But, a chocolate cake isnt the best choice for the princess cake. Nearly any other color/flavor will be fine. The best look for the cake is to make two round cakes or, better yet, one large, round cake - or two, large, round, stacked cakes. The larger the cake, though, the easier it is to create the look of a crown. Bake the cake(s) according to the instructions on the box or the recipe. Turn the cake(s) out of the pan and allow to cool completely.

Princess crown cakes can be iced with white frosting, yellow or another color. You can use candy sprinkles to make the cake more colorful, if you want. Write "Happy Birthday" to the child, on the cake, if this is the look you want. To turn the cake into a princess crown use sugar ice cream cones - the ones that are pointed at the bottom. Stand them, upside-down, on a piece of wax paper. Spread a thin coat of frosting over the cones then set them on the cake. Apply the frosting all over the cone but leave the tip bare. Use this area to pick up the cone and set it on the cake. Then, frost the tip of the cone. Align the cones in a circle around the top of the cake, leaving small spaces between them - or no spaces at all. Youll make the crown even more convincing by selecting pretty, round candies - like Sour Cherries - to place atop each cone tip. Use a dab of frosting as glue to hold the candies in place. It can be helpful, if youre going to add candies to the cones, to cut the very tip off so youll have a flat base. Your little girl and all of her friends will be delighted with the beautiful princess crown cake which will be the centerpiece of the party. Its easy to make and turns out simply luscious.

Wedding Candle Bouquet

Do you want beautiful flowers at your wedding reception or lovely candles? Why do you have to choose between the two? Maybe because you are limited to the amount of table space youll have? Maybe because the budget wont allow both? Well, dont choose between flowers and candles. Make one the same as the other and youll have gorgeous table decorations which look like flowers but are actually candles.

To make a candle bouquet choose the candles you want to use. Purchase ordinary votives or, even better, votives shaped like roses. Youll often find the rose candles at dollar-theme stores or craft stores and theyre not expensive. A dollar-theme store sometimes sells the rose candles at two or three for a buck. The rose-shaped candles are nice for the bouquet but you can actually use any votives. Choose all white, pink, or red candles or mix the colors to make a different arrangement. Just make sure that the candles you choose are ones which do not have a wick weight on the bottom.

If you cant find rose-shaped candles you can use implements from around your house to shape ordinary votives. Try using a craft knife, potato peeler or other instruments to shape the candle the way you want. Or, purchase candles with different shapes, like ball candles, to make the flowers. Use wooden skewers or lengths of stiff wire to make the stems for the flowers. Wrap the skewer or wire with green floral tape, from one end to the other, but leave a couple of inches at one end bare. As you get to the top of the stick, lay a leaf against the skewer, and wrap the tape around the bottom of the leaf, and do this a couple of times to add two or three leaves to each candle flower. Choose a vase for the flowers and push a piece of Styrofoam into the bottom for holding the flowers. Push a skewer or wire through the bottom of a candle and insert it about halfway into the candle. Push the opposite end of the wire or skewer into the Styrofoam of the vase. Youll achieve the best look for the bouquet if you snip the wires or skewers so that they are all different lengths. After arranging the bouquet of candles the way you want tuck a few extra leaves into the vase to fill it out more. Set the candle flowers on tables at the wedding reception to add beauty and ambiance at the same time. The rose candles are the ideal choice for a simple wedding or an elegant one; on a big budget or a small one. Youll love the gorgeous bouquets which are unique and very inexpensive to make.

School Binder Purse Organizer

You know those three-ring binders that kids take to school? Theyre very inexpensive if you purchase them at a dollar store and you wont believe the unusual way that you can use them. Line them up in your closet and you can store your purses in a manner to protect them. With each purse in its own compartment, you create a unique way to keep purses from getting scuffed and an eye-catching arrangement for a shelf.

A large, three-ring binder is used in a strange way when you turn it into part of an easy organizer. If you have the binders already, it takes just a minute or two to set them up on the shelf. The best binder is one with a plastic or cloth cover, and one that is not a miniature binder.

Most people will find that the organizer will be more efficient if the binder no longer has its rings. Some binders are made so that you can simply screw off the plate that holds the rings. Others require the rings to be pried off. Its optional to cover the inside of the binder to conceal the area where the rings were. When you set the binder in front of you, as it normally would be placed for use, the wide side is on the left, and the narrow side on the right. Stand the narrow side up so that you create an upside-down "V", on the shelf. Set another binder up so that the wide end is on the shelf, and the binder creates a right-side-up "V". Continue to make a "V", and then an upside-down "V", until you create a row of them across the shelf. Depending on how far apart you spread the two sides of each binder, youll create either wide but short compartments, or tall but slender sections. Choose one or the other or youll end up with binders that are taller or shorter than the others - which is okay if thats what you prefer. The slender compartments ,can hold clutches and thin purses; the wide, short compartments work for strap purses, wallets, and bulky clutches. The school binder closet organizer not only holds purses but can separate many other things, too. Set the arrangement up in a linen closet to hold rolled towels and washcloths. Make the binder set in a pantry to hold wax paper, foil, hand towels, and more. But even if you dont have any binders you can still make the organizer. Just fold pieces of thick cardboard into "V" shapes, and align them on a shelf. Its helpful to glue the binders or cardboard pieces together to keep them shaped. Get all your purses into the compartments and youll never pull out a scuffed one again.

Unusual Striped Artwork

Art isnt always about painting. You can mold clay, create a metallic sculpture, or even work with plaster of Paris. Most forms of art require the person to be, well, an artist. But if youre not, yet youd love to make new wall-hung art, youre in luck. All you have to do is look around your house to find things you can use as art medium. Common items can be turned into beautiful artwork pieces for any room of your home and you dont have to be any kind of artist at all!Use a piece of foam board and youll see that it takes very little effort to turn out an impressive work of art. Foam board is lightweight and inexpensive; youll find it at a craft store, a home improvement place, or online. Purchase thick foam board and your art piece will look much more substantial. You might want to paint around the edges of the foam board so that the yellowish foam wont show. You could also wrap the perimeter with roping or fabric to conceal.If youre working freehand, simply start gluing things - in a striped pattern - on the foam board. But if you want everything to be perfect, use a yardstick, and draw lines. Draw lines, vertically, from one side to the other. Space some of the lines close together and some far apart. Or, space all of the lines exactly the same. After that, youre ready to glue on the art medium you want.Create assorted stripes - some wide, some narrow, or all the same - and use various materials to do so. For example, make the first stripe with a length of cord. Glue it down then make the next stripe out of a row of painted beans. Make the next row of twisted fabric, then a row of colored sand. When you make the stripes out of different things, and assorted colors, you can create a unique and lovely art piece, which coordinates with colors in your home.Things you can use to make the stripes, or rows, include pom-poms, sand (colored or not), rice (colored or not), beads, pipe cleaners, small-diameter dowel rods, wooden or plastic skewers, coffee stirrers, yarn, a braid of crafting hair - or other braid - cut-up twine fibers, sea glass, tiny shells, dry pasta, or even small gravel.You dont absolutely have to make a striped art piece. You can create other designs and still use common materials. However, a striped pattern is very simple to create and turns out a striking art piece. The finished artwork can be just one piece, or can be a collection of pieces to create a grouping. Youll love making the unusual art and youll love how your visitors respond to it!

Notebook Paper Potholder

I have to admit that I collect potholders. Its not that I think any of them are rare, or that they might be worth money someday. Its just that I always see more potholders that I love better than the ones Ive purchased before. But many potholders in my collection are ones that Ive made, rather than purchased. The homemade ones are always better, right? I mean, when you make potholders yourself, you get to choose the colors and designs you want, instead of settling for whats offered at the store. You can whip a potholder up in very little time and, if that potholder is a notebook paper type, you can definitely customize it to suit yourself. The notebook paper potholder looks like a piece of paper and you can actually write on it.

Choose white fabric to make the front of the potholder. You can make the back of the potholder from the same fabric or you can choose a different color for the backside. Choose cotton, linen, or another fabric - which isnt stretchy - to make the notebook paper potholder. Cut two pieces - one for the back and one for the front. Each piece should be 8"x8.5".

Insul-fleece is a product used for making potholders. It goes between the layers of fabric to protect you from getting burned. You can find the material at a fabric store. Cut one piece to be the same size as the fabric squares - 8"x8.5". In addition to the Insul-fleece, youll need a piece of quilt batting. Cut it to be the same size as all of the other pieces. Lay a piece of notebook paper beside the white fabric to use as a guide for the lines. Or, just draw straight lines on the white cloth to make the horizontal lines on the fabric. Sew across each line with blue thread, using a straight stitch. You can emphasize each line more if you sew across it three or four times. Draw the vertical line that goes down the left side of the paper. Sew over it several times, with red thread, to finish the look of the notebook paper. Lay the back piece of the potholder on a table and stack the Insul-fleece and the batting on it. Then, lay the notebook paper piece on top. Sew binding all the way around the arrangement, ending by making a loop of the binding, to create a loop for hanging. Write on the potholder with a paint marker and it will be permanent. Write a recipe, "Home Sweet Home", or something else. The unusual potholder looks great hanging up in the kitchen, offering a greeting to your guests, or reminding you of the ingredients in your favorite dish.

Oatmeal Canister Mini Gazebo

Every time an oatmeal canister gets recycled an angel gets her wings! You probably already use them to store or hold small toy and other things and now theres yet another way you can recycle an oatmeal canister. Make a miniature gazebo as a holiday decoration, a dollhouse accessory or just to set on a shelf.

A small oatmeal canister, a section cut from a Pringles can, or something similar can be used to make the cutest mini gazebo. Cut the bottom section of the can or canister off so that its a little shorter than you want the finished gazebo to be. Later, youll put on a roof that will add a few more inches to the height.

Wrap the canister in fabric, glue it in place, and allow to dry. Use an object from around the house, like a square of cardboard, to draw windows on the gazebo. The windows can be square, octagonal or other shapes as long as all the shapes are the same. Draw around the pattern, leaving a space between each shape, and make as many windows as you want. The windows should be large and long so that, when the gazebo is finished, its nearly all windows with just thin strips of cardboard between them. And, one of the "windows" should be cut much longer so that it becomes the door. Cut out the windows and check to see if you need to apply a little glue, here and there, to keep the decorative paper securely attached around the window cutouts. Twist a piece of thin cardboard, like from a cereal box, into a cone shape. Tape or glue it to secure. Position the cone on top of the oatmeal canister to create a roof for the gazebo. The roof can be painted or you can use something like tiny beads to cover it. Cut a strip of cardboard which is long enough to wrap around the oatmeal canister. Cover this strip with fabric or paper that matches or coordinates with the covering on the canister. Wrap the piece around the bottom edge of the gazebo to add interest and finish the raw edge. There are finishing touches you can add, if you want, to make the gazebo nicer or different. To make a hanger, for instance, leave a tiny hole in the cone shape and attach a loop of cord through it. Use a leftover vinyl tile, or even the slick cover of a notebook, to make a more interesting floor. Place a tiny Santa or other Christmas object inside the gazebo to make it an ornament. Or, set up a miniature scene inside. It can feature miniature people, a table and chairs or other minis. The gazebo is actually very beautiful yet can cost less than a buck to make!