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!