Recycled Glove Christmas People

Dont you hate it when, every year, your child loses one of his winter gloves? Its a good thing those one-size-fits-all, stretch knit gloves are so cheap! Since youre stuck with that one glove that has no mate you might as well take a lemon and make lemonade. Use that single glove to create the cutest little person who is all set and ready for a snowball fight! Make a whole family of Christmas people by using gloves of different colors.

Take the knit glove and push the thumb inside. Stuff the four fingers and palm of the glove with cotton batting. Dont overstuff the fingers but try to make the two middle fingers a little fatter than the other two. Cut a piece of scrap fabric or ribbon to make a scarf. Cut little fringe at the ends of the piece then tie it around the cuff area of the glove. Position the tied scarf so that the ends help conceal the thumb area of the glove. Tie it down far enough so that you can turn the cuff down over it. When you turn the cuff down you create the neck of a turtleneck sweater.

Glue a wooden ball onto the turtleneck. The size of the ball can vary but should be proportionate to the glove. Glue on wiggly eyes, use sticker eyes, or even draw them on freehand. Draw a mouth on with a marker. Dab a little pink lipstick on the cheeks of the kid. Make a hat by cutting the cuff off a baby sock. Slide the cuff area over the wooden ball and leave the cut area sticking up. Fold the cuff up to make a brim for the knit cap. Cut tiny slits all around the cut area to make fringe. Now tie a piece of skinny ribbon or cord around the top area of the hat so that the fringe sticks up above it. Leave the two middle fingers of the glove as they are and bring the other two around to the front of the "body". Glue the ends of these two fingers together with hot glue. Now begin gluing tiny, white pom-poms on top of the hands. Glue them on in a pyramid shape or randomly glue them to the hands, stacking them up in front of the chest. To help the Christmas kid stand on his own, and to further conceal the area where the thumb was tucked in, attach the finished kid to an artificial tree branch, wired garland, a small tree branch or something similar. It should appear that the kid is standing right in front of it with some of the limbs or pine needles sticking out around the thumb area of the glove. The cute little Christmas kid is ready for a snowball fight and hell need some partners. Use different colors of gloves to make other people to join in on the fun!

Toilet Paper Cake

Diaper cakes, towel cakes - isnt it amazing the different types of craft cakes people invent? The cakes arent edible; they are made from stacks of gifts for a wedding, birthday, baby shower or other occasion. When you think of cakes which are decorations and not food you might not normally think of toilet paper. However, when you make a tiered cake from rolls of bathroom tissue youll create a gorgeous table decoration thats made from something we all need and use. With the price of toilet paper nowadays its a nice gift! You can make a plate or tray for the cake by cutting a circle of cardboard and covering it with cloth or paper. Make sure the tray will be large enough by arranging eight rolls of toilet paper in a tight circle. The tray should be slightly larger than the circle of toilet paper.

To assemble the easy party cake take those eight rolls of toilet paper and arrange them in a circle on the tray. Cut a piece of ribbon to wrap around them. The ribbon can be as narrow as an inch or as wide as three inches. A narrow ribbon will show more of the toilet paper but a wide ribbon will nearly cover the rolls. You can instantly give the toilet paper cake a theme for a wedding, birthday or other event just by the type of ribbon you use. Craft and fabric stores carry ribbon with all sorts of designs and images. Wrap the ribbon around the entire circle of toilet paper then tape or glue the ends so that one barely overlaps the other.

Stack five rolls of bathroom tissue on the eight rolls so that they form a slightly smaller circle than the eight rolls. Center these on the eight. Tie another ribbon around these five rolls and tape or glue the ends. Now set a single roll on top and wrap a ribbon around it. If you look down at the stack youll notice that you can see the entire opening of the cardboard tube in the top toilet paper roll and partial openings on all the other rolls. Use these to place the embellishments on the cake. If youre making the cake for a baby shower you can set rattles, pacifiers and small toys in the holes. If the cake is for a wedding slide the stem of an artificial flower into each hole. The cake can hold small stuffed animals, wrapped candies and many other things. Set something on top of the single toilet paper roll as the centerpiece for the cake. It can be a few more flowers, placed in the cardboard tube, a stuffed animal or even a candle in a glass container. The finished cake is humorous, useful, and actually does look really pretty!

Denim Flower Fashions and Home Accents

Sneak in there to the box full of things youre going to take to donate to charity and swipe just one pair of those old blue jeans. Youre going to simply adore denim flowers that you can make by cutting up old jeans. And, since the flowers can be used in so many different ways, one pair will give you jewelry, a picture frame embellishment, a belt accent, and much more. Grab the scissors - and the denims - and lets get started.There are different ways to make denim flowers but I love the circle method. Cut a circle of denim to be as large in diameter as you want the flower to be. Use something you have around your house - like a glass or vase - as a pattern for the circles. You could also use a stencil or just draw freehand. Cut another circle to be a bit smaller than the first, then cut more circles, and diminish them in size. Cut as many as you want to create the thickness of the flower that you desire.For each denim disk, use ordinary scissors to fringe the edges. Just cut from the edge, inward, but not all the way to the center. Do this all the way around, spacing the slits evenly apart. Stack the circles so that the largest one is on the bottom and the smallest is on top.You can sew the flower if youll be making something that will be laundered later. If not, just use hot glue. Stack the fringed circles, and if youre sewing, stitch through the stack several times. If you want a bead in the center of the flower, sew from under the flower, up, through the bead, and back down. If youre using hot glue, just glue them all together, then glue the bead in the middle.There are lots of different designs you can create using the denim circles. For example, instead of fringing the edges, you can use a paint marker or fabric paints to draw on petal shapes. Or, cut the fringe wide, and outline each fringe section with the marker or paint. Create something much different when you use one denim petal on the right side, then flip a blue jean circle over, and use the wrong side, to give the next petal a slightly different color. Instead of gluing one bead in the middle you can sprinkle tiny beads all over the center of the top piece.Make a pin by simply attaching the metal backing. Create tiny flower earrings by gluing on a piece of fishing twine to hang the flower on the wire, then a piece of denim over it to conceal. Glue or sew the flower onto a long strip of denim, and you can make a beautiful choker. Attach the flowers to headbands, belts, purses, tennis shoes, hats, zipper pulls, and more.

How to Make and Hand-Stitch Ribbon Roses

A simple piece of ribbon or two can sure make a little girls dress look much more elegant! You see them all the time, on Easter dresses or even womens blouses, those tiny roses made from ribbon. Theyre delicate and beautiful and can instantly change the look of many different things. The small roses - or larger versions - are so easy to make its a wonder more people dont use them for their home sewing projects.

The size of the ribbon you use, of course, will determine how large the finished rose will be. Wide ribbon is used to make larger roses; narrow ribbon to make small roses. Ribbon with wire in them are not suitable for making the garment roses. No matter what type of ribbon youre using youll do the same technique to make the desired roses.

Take a length of the ribbon and roll it over on itself a time or two. If youre hand stitching the flowers on, position the rose in its spot. Take a couple of stitches near the bottom of the ribbon and sew it to the dress. Now, fold the ribbon back so that its going around in the opposite direction. Take the ribbon around until it reaches the area near where you started this direction. Stop, fold the ribbon back, then begin taking the ribbon in the opposite direction once again. As you are creating the various rose petals youll be taking small stitches along the bottom edge of the ribbon to hold it next to the garment. Dont twist the ribbon so that its tightly balled; loosely make the wraps, this way and that, until the rose becomes as large as you want. When you get to the very end, fold it over a little, then take a few stitches to secure. To be clear, each time you wrap the ribbon around itself again, you are creating another layer of petals. Each time, youll wrap the ribbon to the area where you started, fold the ribbon back, then begin wrapping it in that direction. If you want to put leaves on the flower simply cut two small lengths of green ribbon. Fold each piece so that you create a point. Position the cut ends of the ribbon under the flower and stitch in place. Leave the point of the ribbon sticking out - one on each side of the flower, or one on the side and one at the top or bottom. If you dont do hand stitching you can still make the roses. Use dots of fabric glue to secure the petals of the rose as you create them. Use the same glue to attach the roses to garments and accessories. Use the stitched or glued roses to embellish clothes, purses, hair accessories, shoes, curtain tie-backs and more!

Birthday Party Beanbag Toss Rug

Isnt it fun to do new and exciting things at each birthday party you throw for your kids? Have a cake which looks different than last years; give a different theme to this years party, and come up with new games which youve never played at any previous birthday parties. There are even many games you can make yourself rather than purchase. One is a beanbag game. The ordinary type requires you to sew in netting behind the holes and that can be a big chore. When you make a floor beanbag game you can do so quickly and get on with the fun.

Cut two pieces of cotton to make the beanbag rug. Cut the pieces to be 40"x40". Stack the fabric so that the right sides face each other. Sew almost all the way around the squares but leave an opening in the middle of one side. Turn the squares right-side-out and sew the opening shut. Alternatively, if you dont sew, just use fabric glue. Lay one square so that the wrong side faces upwards, apply the glue around the perimeter of the square, then position the second square on top.

Use paint markers to create different areas on the fabric for points. Start with a star or other shape right in the center, color it in with the markers, then write the number "100" on it. Around the star, draw a circle, and color it in. Write the number "50" on it, several times, around the star. Rather than color in each shape completely - which can take a lot of time and several paint markers - you can use the markers to make each shape look different by just making dots, stripes or other designs. Draw a square around the circle and color it in. Write "25" on it, several times, around the circle. Now, draw another square around the previous square, and if you want, give this one fancy edges so it looks different than the previous square. Write "10" on it, several times, around the square. Now, write "5", several times, on the remaining area of the rug, all the way around each side. Make beanbags by cutting squares to be 4"x4". Stack two squares so that their right sides face, and sew almost all the way around them. Leave an opening so you can turn the bag right-side-out. Fill the bag with rice or beans and sew it shut. At the birthday party, kids can have three tries to throw the beanbags, and the numbers where the bags land will be tallied. The person with the highest score, of course, wins. Even though youll be playing the beanbag rug game at the next birthday party your kids will continue having fun with it long after the guests have gone home.

Cargo Shorts Scrapbook

When they first came out with cargo shorts werent you thrilled? You suddenly had a way to carry many different things at once. Whereas women generally have a purse for all of that, guys were formerly limited to what they could cram into the two front pockets, and two back pockets. With cargo pants, though, you have those four pockets, and several more. But do you have a pair of them that you no longer wear? Are the pockets still intact? If so, you can make a cute and unusual scrapbook.

Its helpful to iron cargo pants before cutting them up to make the scrapbook. The flaps on the pockets are often sticking out, or wrinkled up, and ironing can start you out with smooth, flat fabric, for the book. Cut out pockets from the shorts, choosing ones with flaps. They can be different sizes; thats fine. As you cut them out, stay very close to the stitching on the pockets.

Stack the pockets so that the largest one is on the bottom and the smallest one is on top. Position them so that they align on one side. Then, use a grommet kit, or eyelet maker, to create two holes on the aligned side. Make sure the holes are both below the flaps on the pockets. With the eyelets or grommets installed, all you have to do is insert a notebook ring in each hole. There are many things you can do to embellish the unusual scrapbook. Write on the pockets with a paint marker to give them themes. Or, use fabric glue to attach anything from lace, to rhinestones, to appliques. The finished scrapbook is so cute. Slide pictures, note cards, and other things, into the pockets to preserve. Dont have any cargo pants? You can use pockets from old jeans in a similar manner as the cargo pants pockets. Just cut off two pockets, and sew or glue them together, stacking them so that their wrong sides face each other. Make a few sets of the double-pockets, stack them, and insert grommets or eyelets. After that, you can simply add the notebook rings to finish. When you add a plastic pocket to each denim pocket set, you can create even more places to display photos and such. Just cut a pocket of plastic to be slightly smaller than the pocket to which it will be attached. You can sew the clear pocket on before sewing or gluing the two denim pockets together. Or, just glue the clear pocket on after making the double-pocket. The pocket scrapbook is unusual, small, but precious. Set it on a coffee table to show off to friends or carry it around in your purse. Its adorable and a lot of fun to make.

Paper Mache Dollhouse

When you go shopping for dollhouses just look at them to get ideas for decorating and design; dont really buy one. Spend a fraction of the cost and make your own dollhouse which will look completely professional. Paper mache boxes help you design a dollhouse that your little girl will play with for years. The paper mache house is lightweight, too, so she can easily carry it with her anywhere she goes.

Look around at a craft store and choose the paper mache boxes you want. Theyre available in many sizes so you can build a large house or a much smaller one. Look for square or rectangular boxes which are deep and wide. Choose an even number of boxes - one box for each room of the dollhouse and two boxes for the roof.

Remove the lids from the paper mache boxes and save them for another project. If you want, spray-paint the outside of the boxes and allow to dry. Cut a piece of scrapbook paper or fabric to cover the inside bottom of each box. These will become the back walls of the rooms. Cut a long strip of the same or different paper to cover three of the four inside walls. The fourth wall will become the floor; leave it as-is or, later, cut vinyl, carpet or other material to cover the floor. Cut windows out of the sides or bottoms of the boxes. These can be left open or covered with cellophane. Apply glue to one side of one box and stick it to another. Make two sets of these. Stack one set on top of the other and glue them in place. Now you have a 2 story house which has four rooms. If you want to add another story, you can, as long as it has just the two rooms. To make the roof, take one box which is the same size as the others, and cut one of the long sides off of it. Take the remaining flap and pull it over to the corner. Cut off half of the bottom of the box so that you have a triangular-shaped box. Tape the flap in place at the corner and at the bottom of the box. Do this to two boxes. Stack these on top of the dollhouse so that it creates a roof which slopes to the sides. If youd like the house to have more rooms, they dont have to be under the roof. Add another box onto the side of the house and put up tiny "railings" to make a rooftop deck. Do the same to the other side, if you want. There are no limits to the decorations and furniture you can place inside the new dollhouse. Cut fabric to make rugs, use bottle caps to make seats and a table, and find other things around your home to further embellish the dollhouse. Your little girl will treasure it.

Easy Glass Cupcake Stand

One of the most fun things about being a crafting person is when you can look at something elegant and costly and realize theres a way to make a similar piece - but much cheaper. Its a fabulous moment because, instead of paying a whole lot of money for something youd love to own, but could never afford, you can make it for a price thats well within your budget. Everyone will think youre hiding a secret bank account but, in reality, youre just creative! You will certainly be creative when you design your own glass cupcake stand for a wedding or other special occasion.Have you looked at the frame-less mirrors at a craft store? Available in assorted sizes, from tiny to huge, the mirrors come in various shapes, like circles, squares, diamonds, ovals, and rectangles. Since there is no frame involved you can purchase the mirrors at a very reasonable price. For instance, a dinner plate-size mirror can be under ten bucks, with slightly smaller ones being even cheaper. Use the mirrors to make a cake stand and youll be finished with it in little time.A good place to get the "poles", which go between the stacked mirrors, is at a dollar-theme store. Glass candlesticks can often be found there, at a buck a piece. Theyre also common at yard sales and flea markets. Alternatively, you can purchase the plastic type, which look nearly identical to the glass version. Theyll look even prettier if you use a paint marker to outline certain areas with gold.Build the cupcake stand by first placing one of the mirrors on a flat surface so that the mirror side faces upwards. If you want to put a base on the bottom of the mirror, a rubber ring works great. Youll find one at a hardware or home improvement store. Use any industrial glue, suitable for glass as well as rubber, to add the base, and stack the glass.With the first glass piece in place, glue a candlestick in the middle of it, and then glue a mirror on top of it. Continue to add a candlestick and a mirror, until the cupcake stand is as tall as you want it to be. All the mirrors can be the same size, or they can diminish in size as they go up. To finish, glue a glass bead or glass knickknack - found at a craft store - in the center of the top mirror. Or, glue a candlestick on top, and then glue the bead to the top of the candlestick.The glass cupcake stand is a beauty to behold but a simple thing to make. Protect it in bubble wrap, and a sturdy box, to keep it in perfect condition. Your family will cherish it over the years and use it many times.

Hanging Reception Banner

If youre having the wedding reception at a place where there is a tree with low branches, you can make a nice hanging banner that features a beautiful monogram. Guests will know which house at which to arrive while you display the gorgeous flag. Dont have a tree outside? Use a sign post instead.

There are many different types of fabric you can use to make the announcement banner. Lightweight fabrics tend to blow in the wind whereas heavier materials will hang still on a day with little wind. Fabric stores sell material made just for creating outdoor banners. Although it doesnt usually have an elegant look it gives you an inexpensive option.

One way to make the banner is to simply cut a rectangle of fabric, hem around all four edges, then fold it in half. Slide a cord through the folded area then sew across the material so that you adjoin the two sides of the cloth while creating a narrow pocket for the cord. Sew around the remaining three sides. Leave the cord long so that you create an upside-down "v" shape that holds the flag. Make a different banner by using two large squares of lightweight material. Stack one on top of the other so that the wrong sides are together. Sew around all four sides, staying close to the edge. Sew a second perimeter of stitches an inch or so from that set. Use a grommet kit to attach two metal holes to the top corners of the flag. Tie a piece of roping through the holes to hang it. No matter what type of banner you make youll create a beautiful floral monogram when you use silk flowers. Choose small flowers, like daisies, violets or similar types. The flowers will simply be attached with fabric glue to spell out the letter or letters you want. If you use flowers with stems the stems will have to be removed before gluing the flowers to the banner. Use a stencil, or draw freehand, and make a dot-type letter outline. Space the dots evenly apart and use them to make a giant letter or letters on the flag. Use fabric glue to attach the individual flowers onto the dots. With some fabrics you can even use hot glue to attach them. Make a banner that has a large letter representing the last name or make two letters - the first letter of the mans and the womans name. Make both letters from the same types of flowers or make each letter look different by choosing two colors and types of flowers. Hang the banner on a tree, garden sign post or even a nail on the front door. It makes a nice announcement sign thats also a wedding keepsake.

How to Make an Anti-Depression Box

Some people realize theyre suffering from depression, seek help, and get better. Others suffer from depression their entire lives. There are varying degrees of depression. Some people have moments when theyre down, but its only for a day or so, on occasion. Others suffer from clinical depression thats crippling. Recommendations for depressed people range from taking medicine to receiving counseling depending upon how severe the depression. No matter how mild or severe your depression is theres one thing that some experts recommend to help you recover - even if its only temporary. Make an anti-depression box! Create a box that features things which once gave you joy. Did you like coloring books and crayons when you were a child? Was there a day when you loved to play with a Slinky? Things which have given you pleasure, a smile or a good feeling - even if that feeling was many years ago - can help you now. Place things in your box like a joke book, an inspirational poem book, a photo album of your kids when they were young and similar items.

Obviously, there are some things which would be too awkward to put in a box, like a piano or a set of drums. You dont necessarily have to use a box for your depression beater. Make a list instead. List things you like, such as watching funny videos, listening to music and other things.

If you make an anti-depression box keep it in the room where you go when you are depressed. This is often a bedroom. When you realize youre shutting yourself away from the rest of the world, or you see that you are depressed, bring out the box. Even if you dont feel like coloring or playing with the Slinky get the box out anyway. Touch the things in the box, pick them up and make the effort to do something that is in the box, even if you dont do it right or well. For example, even if you dont feel like coloring a nice picture just pick up the crayons and scribble. Sometimes thats all it takes to get in the mood. Once you start coloring - or doing something else from the box - youll often find that the depression eases. If you use a list instead of a box keep it on your night stand or another handy place. List things on it that once gave you joy. Choose something from the list and do it. Youll find that the list can be very helpful in decreasing depression. A box of fun things wont necessarily cure you from depression forever but it can be one step to helping you get better - even if only for that day! Resource: www.helpguide.org

Chopstick Hair Comb

Sure, you love eating Chinese food with chopsticks but do you really need twenty sets? Save a few sets for yourself and the family but gather up the rest of them and make a cool comb. You can make a really nice comb using few skills or tools and it will be a comb that is so unusual yet absolutely useable. Something like a hair pick, the chopstick comb is a half-moon arrangement that works as well as a pick. And, since it can be decorated in many different ways, the pick also makes a nice gift for someone you love.Decide what you want to use as the handle for the comb. It can be a piece of corrugated cardboard, fiberboard, plastic cut from a milk jug, leather, or another material. Youll cut two half-circle shapes to make each comb. Draw a line along the edge of the material; this line should be as long as you want for the width of the comb. Draw an arch to connect one end of the line to the other and to create the half-circle shape. Cut two of these; its important that they be identicalLay one of the comb pieces on a table and begin aligning chopsticks across it. If you want, paint the chopsticks before using them. Lay them so that the points of the chopsticks are hanging off of the straight edge of the comb piece. They should protrude beyond the straight edge but can be as long or short as you want. All the teeth of the comb, though, should align straight across at their points. Lay the other comb piece on top and align it with the bottom piece. Draw a line, from one end of the arch to the other, to mark where to cut the chopsticks.Cut the chopsticks using a sharp knife or small handsaw. Cut each one slightly below the drawn line. It can be helpful to number each chopstick - at the wide end - so youll know its placement on the comb. Without that step, just align the pieces, after theyre cut, so that theyre in order of how they will go on the comb.Spread strong glue all over one of the comb pieces and position the chopsticks on it. Apply glue to the second comb piece and place it on the chopsticks so that the sticks are sandwiched between them. Clamp the arrangement overnight or just set a heavy book on it.There are many things you can do to improve the look of the comb. Glue fabric onto cardboard or plastic to give it a nicer look. Attach cording around the arch and youll hide the area where the cut ends of the chopsticks are. This comb is unusual yet really handy and, when you make a pretty version of it, its can be a cherished heirloom or a nice, handmade gift.Chopstick Comb

Chess or Checker Lap Table

For someone who is bedridden - injured or sick - life can be really sad and boring. But it wont be when you make that person a chess or checkers lap table. The patient can sit in bed while the table straddles the legs. With the chess or checkerboard in place on top, theres no telling how many hours can be enjoyed. The chess lap table is even great for someone who is practicing alone. The bonus is that, the lap table is so simple to make, you wont be surprised to see the bedridden person - or even a child - make the table in no time.If youve got a nice-size cardboard box you have nearly everything you need to make the lap table. The box should start out to be at least as wide as your hips - with a couple of inches to spare. It can be slightly larger but not smaller than that. A square box is especially easy to work with but a rectangle thats slightly larger than a square will work.The perfect box is one that has a bottom without flaps. If the box has a one-piece cardboard thats exactly what you need. That way, your chess board wont have a split, right down the center. Turn the box upside-down so that the bottom of the box is facing upwards. The cardboard piece facing up will now become the top of the lap table.Cut part of the original top half of the box off - if needed - so that its as tall as the height you want for the lap table. A good height is nine to eleven inches. Then, on the sides of the box, cut an archway on each. Cut two archways, on opposite sides, and the game can only be set one way in front of you. Cut four archways and you can set the lap table on you in either direction. The archways should each be tall enough to allow your legs a comfortable amount of room.What remains of the box is a tabletop with four legs. Paint the top white, and allow to dry completely. It could take more than one coat to get full coverage. When the paint is dry, use a square, rubber stamp, a marker, or another method, to draw or paint black squares. Youll need eight rows across, and eight down, with each row alternating black and white squares. Its helpful to look at online pictures of chess boards to see the arrangement. Alternatively, you can often find black and white contact paper that makes the tabletop much easier to craft.To stabilize the box - and make it look much less like cardboard - wrap the legs, as well as the edge of the top, with duct tape, or colored electrical tape. Get out your chess pieces, sweet-talk a visitor, and maybe youll get to use your new lap game today.

Book Lovers Necklaces

Love poetry? A good mystery? The Bible? No matter what your literary love, it can easily be turned into a lovely necklace, and one that you design yourself. Dont worry if youre not a jewelry designer; anyone can make a literary necklace from pages out of their favorite books - or even from a newspaper. You wont ruin your book and you have lots of choices for making your necklace a one-of-a-kind jewelry piece, which will definitely get noticed.One way to turn written words into a necklace is to first scan a page or, cut a page from an old, worn-out book. Other paper choices include a travel brochure, a hymnal, a magazine, or even a map. When you scan a page you can change the background color and even the font and word color. Glue the page - or pages - to a piece of thin cardboard, a piece of foam board, or even a thin, wooden circle from a craft store. Each choice gives you a slightly different appearance to the finished charm.Use a quarter, a penny, or another object, to draw the circles you want on the book pages. Seek out particular words or phrases that can be captured on each charm. Cut out the circles and create a hole in each one. For the book pages that are glued onto cardboard or foam board, you can just poke a hole, near the edge, with a nail. For a wooden circle disk youll need to drill the hole, or hammer a nail through it.The book lovers necklace is a lot of fun to make because you can design it in any manner you want. Use just one chain, and hang just one large charm, or connect two chains and hang different sizes of book page charms. Hang one chain lower than the other and you can create a fun necklace that displays several book page charms in a staggered manner.Finish the charms using your choice of techniques. You can burn the edges of charms that are attached to cardboard. For thick foam board-based charms, you can glue a metal ring around each one, or apply glue around the edges, and roll the charms in tiny seed beads. You can even give the charms a look of glass by applying an enameling resin to them.Use a jump ring to hang each charm onto a regular link chain. If you want, hang a bead on each jump ring. The bead will dangle even more if you put it on its own jump ring, and then hang it on the charms jump ring.The book lovers necklace is a cute way to show off your literary love. Make one for yourself and one for someone else you know who loves reading. You, as well as that other person, will enjoy the attention the interesting necklace draws when you wear it.

No-Sew Tutu for Little Girls

Not everyone knows how to sew or has a machine to even consider sewing. Those who dont sew are stuck having to go out and purchase the things they want - but only sometimes. There are a few things you can do to create sewn items yourself without the need for needles and thread. One of those things is a little girls tutu. Although others sew a tutu for their little girl, or go out and purchase the costly garment, you wont do either! Tulle - a fabric which is often used for bridal veils - is perfect for creating the tutu. Tulle is a netting-type material thats stiff yet comfortable to wear. Available in assorted colors, tulle is not terribly expensive, and youll only need about a yard to make a tutu. Purchase it in white, pink, purple or choose a different color. In addition to the tulle youll need a long ribbon thats a quarter-inch wide. A satin ribbon works great, but whatever ribbon you use, it should not be the wired type.

Lay the tulle out on a table and fold it in half, lengthways. Measure from the girls waist to her knees. This will be the width to which youll cut the tulle. Cut the width on the fold. Measure around the girls hips then triple that measurement. This will be the length to cut the fabric.

Keep the fabric folded but adjust it a bit. Pull the back piece down a little so that the front piece is a few inches shorter than the back. Just below the fold, begin making small holes for the ribbon. Since the netted material is already full of holes youll simply making some of those holes a tad larger. To do this, measure an inch down from the fold and cut one hole to go through both tulle pieces. This hole should be just an inch from the very edge of the fabric. Continue making these holes, one every inch, until you get to the opposite end. Make sure the front holes align with the holes on the back piece of tulle. Thread the ribbon through the back of the first hole then through the front of the second hole. Continue threading the ribbon in and out until you get from one end to the other. Leave a foot or sew of ribbon hanging off of each end so you can tie on the tutu. Where the ribbon enters the first and last holes, tie a knot in each end, so the ribbon wont slip out of the holes. You can make a much fuller tutu, if you want, by cutting two pieces of tulle - on the fold - so that you actually have four layers of fabric. Follow the above instructions for creating the holes and threading the ribbon. The finished tutu is every girls dream!

Thanksgiving Day Pumpkin Sweep Game

No matter how much planning you do for your Thanksgiving day, no matter how much food you make, or how beautiful you get the table to look, there can still be spur-of-the-moment things on that holiday. For example, all the kids indoors might be getting a little rowdy and you might suggest that they go outside to play. What can they do outside? They can always have a pumpkin sweep contest. In that game, kids race across the finish line in an unusual way. Youll need a couple of pumpkins to get started.Decide on a line where the kids will begin the game. The line can be marked by laying a yardstick down on the ground, or even by creating it with flour. Make a finish line, too, and make it at least several yards from the starting line.There are different ways to play the game. In one version, give a pumpkin to each child, stand them behind the line, and call "go". With another version, two kids race at a time, and all the kids are lined up behind one of the two players. As teams, one person will "go" with the pumpkin, bring it back, and give the job to the next player.To move the pumpkins, give each player a broom. Dont have that many brooms? Other things they can use to move the pumpkins along include sticks, or even their feet. Its a good idea to mark each pumpkin, though, so no one gets confused on which pumpkin is whos. Just use paint, fingernail polish, or even a marker, to write a number on each pumpkin. It can be helpful to give each child a sticker with that number on it.The most fun youll have out of the pumpkin race game isnt to just sweep the pumpkin across the finish line, on a level piece of ground between the two lines. Youll have more fun if the players have to sweep the pumpkins around corners, down hills, and around other tricky places.If youre playing the first version of the game, the first person who gets the pumpkin across the finish line is the winner. In the second version, each player on the team has to go across the line, and sweep the pumpkin back to the starting line, and the first team that finishes, is the winning team.Kids will have lots of fun playing the pumpkin sweep game but, just in case, keep a couple of extra pumpkins on hand. You never know when one of the pumpkins might get destroyed, especially if youre playing the version where the kids kick the pumpkins to the finish line. Thanksgiving only rolls around once a year so, instead of kids getting reprimanded for being underfoot inside the house, they can all go outside and have a great time.

Crayon Decor for a Childs Room

When you think about giving a make-over to a bedroom you often think of buying paint or wallpaper, new rugs, curtains and that sort of thing. But, if youre feeling a little light in the wallet you might be putting off that make-over until your ship rolls in. Even though its nice to buy curtains and things for the make-over you dont necessarily have to get the more expensive room accessories to give the room a new look. Just change a few things and the room will look totally different for only a little money. For the price of a box of crayons you can give a childs room a make-over, so not only is it cheap, but youll absolutely love the new look! Glue crayons around a plastic drinking cup and make a vase, pencil holder, eyeglass holder or other accessories. Although glue doesnt often work well for the crayons themselves it will adhere to their wrappers. Glue the crayons around a cardboard box to make something similar. These boxes and cups are easy to make and can be set on a night stand, dresser or other areas.

Take existing picture frames in the childs room and give them a crayon make-over. Glue a crayon to the bottom, top, and sides of the frame to create the new theme. If the crayons are too long across the top and bottom of the frame just cut equal amounts off the ends. Do the same to light switches. Glue a whole crayon to the two long sides of a plain switch then cut two crayons down to a smaller size and glue them to the top and bottom of the switch cover.

Cut a ribbon thats long enough to make a curtain tie-back. Glue assorted crayons, point sides down, across the ribbon. Leave a small space between the crayons and do only the front of the tie-back. These give a crayon theme to the bedrooms curtains in a few minutes. Glue crayons together, side-by-side, to make coasters and more. Make a square of the crayons for a coaster or make the arrangement much longer to make a runner for a dresser or night stand. Or, make a background for a collection of friends pictures by hanging a runner of the crayons on the wall. Glue a picture to the crayons, leave a space, then glue on another. Continue that pattern until youve added all the pictures you want. Glue crayons to lampshades, trash cans, cornices, clocks, mirrors, baskets and more. It doesnt take a lot of effort to give a bedroom a whole new look when you use crayons as the d?cor. Youll love how just a few crayons can give the room such a different appearance, and best of all, it cost very little!

Troubleshooting Tips for Sewing Machines

When it comes to sewing the simplest things can cause all sorts of trouble. For example, if you dont have your bobbin wound correctly you can find it hard - or impossible - to sew well. When sewing machines act up most owners call a repairman. That can be quite expensive and even unnecessary. Some sewing machine issues can be easily fixed by you! One common sewing problem - the fabric bunching up as you sew - is very simple to fix. First, keep in mind that you should always use the same weight of thread on top as you do in the bobbin. Unless youre doing a type of specialty sewing youll always use the same weight of spool thread and bobbin thread. Also, make sure the bobbin has been wound correctly. Do not wind bobbins by hand or overfill them. Although most machines have a feature which automatically stops the winding of the bobbin when its full, some dont. Stop short of filling the bobbin all the way.

If your tension isnt set right you can experience anything from having the fabric bunch up as you sew to thread that breaks as you stitch. There is a test you can do to see if your thread tension is too tight. Start by threading the machine with one color on top and a different color of bobbin. Make sure both threads are of the same thread weight. Fold a piece of fabric in half, sew across it on the bias line, then remove it from the machine. Hold the ends of the fabric and pull quickly, hard, until one thread breaks. If the spool thread breaks the upper tension is too tight. If the bobbin thread breaks the tension is too loose. If neither breaks, or they break simultaneously, the tension is right.

Before ever calling a sewing machine repairman make sure to check that the threading is done correctly and that the needle is in the right position. If a single thread guide is missed the machine will not sew correctly. Also, its not hard to get a needle in backwards and thats an expensive lesson if you call a repairman! The thread itself can cause many problems if it is old. The thread can break, can cause the bobbin thread to wad up, and can cause the fabric to bunch. Never use thread that is really easy to break, is dusty, or has been around for years. Its better to buy a new spool of thread than to have a garment fall apart the first time you wash it! Its expensive to call a sewing machine repairman especially if you can do the job yourself. Check the needle, the thread and the tension before ever calling for assistance. Likely, youll be glad you did!

Felt Cherry Pie

Arent you having the time of your life creating fake foods for your little girls play kitchen? Oh, youre not making them for her; youre making them to display in your own kitchen? Thats okay, too! Isnt it fun, though, to make fake cookies, candies and other goodies for play or show? Some of them end up looking quite convincing, actually. And, since many of the fake foods are made from felt, you dont have to worry that youre spending over your crafting budget! Materials: Red and tan felt Metal cake pan (optionanl) Sewing machine Needle and thread What would be really nice for you to show off, or for your little girl to serve to her guests, is a realistic cherry pie. Youll need a sewing machine to make it but not much talent. If you can sew even a little bit you can make the delicious-looking cherry pie.

If youll be placing the fake pie in a real pan, use a round cake pan rather than a traditional pie pan. To make the pie, turn the cake pan upside-down, then draw around it onto red felt. Cut two of these circles.

Cut six strips of tan felt to be an inch wide and long enough to reach from the edge of one red circle to the opposite edge. Cut the long sides of the tan strips with pinking shears. Lay one of the red circles on a table and place three of the tan strips on it. Align the ends of the strips with the edges of the circle and space the three pieces evenly apart, in a vertical manner. Now, weave the other three strips in and out of the first three, horizontally, as you would do lattice crust on a real pie. Place the second red circle over the first one, trapping the tan pieces between them, and pin it all together. Sew around the circles making sure to catch the edges of the tan pieces as well. Cut a slit in the middle of the red circle that you didnt lay the tan pieces on. Use this slit to turn the pie right-side-out. Use cotton batting to stuff the circle so that the top part with the tan strips takes on a short dome shape but so that the bottom piece with the slit in it stays flat. use a needle and thread to sew the slit shut. Place the finished pie in the cake pan to display. To make a pie without a real pan, cut a piece of tan felt to wrap around the pie, fold the top edge down and hem it, then hand-stitch or glue the band around the pie. Youll giggle every time you show someone the fake pie when you see their reaction. Or, if the pie is for your daughter, shell love putting it in her fake oven and serving it to her guests!

Pot Holder Purse

Some people love to sew and will do it for hours. Others know how to sew but they prefer much quicker projects. If you can sew well - or not so much - youll appreciate a quick and easy project to create a cute purse for a little girl - or one for yourself. Use pot holders to make the bag and youll be finished with it in just a few minutes. How often do you get to say that you can make a quality accessory for so little time - or money?A couple of square pot holders work great to represent quilt blocks on a purse. Use just two "quilt blocks" and make a small purse for a little girl. Use extra pot holders and you can make a larger purse. The perfect pot holder is a square one with the loop of material for hanging it. Cut the loops off of two pot holders and youll be ready to get started. Or, crochet your own pot holders, and use them. If all you have is quilt blocks, sew them up, and use them.Its the easiest purse in the world: you stack two pot holders so that their right sides face each other and sew around three sides. Make sure that, if the pot holders have images, they are facing the same way. Leave an inch or so not sewn, at each top corner, so you can attach the purse strap. After turning the purse right-side-out its a quick-sew job to attach the strap.You can make a strap from a length of wide ribbon, a lightweight chain, cord, or a piece from a little girls belt. Choose the handle and put one end at one corner of the purse, and the other end at the other corner. Sew these in place and the purse is finished. If you want, you can sew on a snap, Velcro dot, or other closure, at the top inside area of the purse.To make a larger purse, lay two pot holders side-by-side. Do a zigzag stitch so that you adjoin them. Make two sets of two, then stack the sets so that their right sides face each other. Pin and sew around three sides, following the above instructions for attaching the strap. Make a slightly different purse - whether large or small - by sewing a piece of wide ribbon around three sides of the first pot holder, then sewing the opposite side of the ribbon around the second pot holder, to adjoin them. The ribbon band makes the purse a little wider, and gives it a flat bottom.With so many pot holder designs you can choose from - especially online - its fun to make just the purse you desire. Make one featuring your favorite cartoon characters, a particular season, or even a holiday. Since theyre so cheap and easy youll definitely want a collection of the adorable purses.

Fashionable Soda Bottle Necklaces

Is there even a single plastic bottle in the landfill these days? Now that all of us are working so hard at keeping America green, and recycling and reusing as many things as possible, the landfills might be starting to see a reduction in the amount of plastic bottles that end up there. Once you see how many stunning necklaces you can make with soda bottles youll definitely hold on to every one you get. Youll be sporting so many new necklaces - even bracelets - that it will seem as though you have a never-ending supply. Youll have something like that because youll quickly become addicted to making new, gorgeous jewelry.There are so many different necklaces you can make from a soda bottle that you might have more choices than you can handle. Pierce the side of a water or soda bottle so that you can cut the plastic. Cut the top off, cut the bottom off, and cut up the side so that you can open the main part of the bottle to lie flat - sort of. Then youll come to the first choice you have to make: the shapes. Cut triangles, diamond shapes, or others, to create just the necklace you want.Use tempera paints to paint the plastic shapes. They can all be the same color or can be a variety of colors. Use a hole punch to make a hole at the top of each shape. After that, youre ready to add the embellishments you want. Make a shell necklace by attaching many small shells to each plastic piece. Or, sprinkle jewelry findings all over the plastic to create a sparkly, metallic look. Tacky glue works well to hold the chosen embellishments to the plastic.There are all types of different necklaces you can make by using assorted things as the accents on the plastic pieces. Glue on rhinestones, buttons, tiny photos, flat flower petals, glitter, confetti, coins, or other choices. When youre finished designing the plastic bottle pieces you can then hang them on a chain that has links. Open a jump ring, feed it through the hole of one plastic shape, then snap the ring shut over a single link in the chain. Leave a space, fasten on another piece, and so on, to create the perfect necklace or bracelet for you.Twenty-ounce water and soda bottles can differ tremendously. Soda bottles often have a flat area around the center of the bottle, whereas many water bottles have ridges. The ridges can give dimension and extra interest to each dangler. Use different types of bottles, various colors of paint, and assorted embellishments, and you can create a huge number of costume jewelry pieces for just a few bucks.

Tree Branch Headboard

Materials needed: Tree branches and limbs Glue strips Hand or power saw After a storm is a good time to go out into your yard to search for fallen tree branches. Theyre all the rage in creating new home accents around your house. You can use twigs to craft rustic coasters, larger sticks for making place mats, and other twigs, limbs, and branches, to create accents all over your home. Most of those things are decorative, but if you really want a substantial piece, make a tree branch headboard.

There really arent any rules about picking out branches for the headboard. The limbs should all be fairly close in diameter but they dont have to match exactly. Some limbs can be long and others can be shorter. Or, your design can be made where all of the branches are the same length. None of the branches or limbs should be huge in diameter.

To prepare the chosen tree branches for use as a headboard, scrub away any excess bark and make sure that each piece is clean. Note: branches with no bark are the very best choices. Unless you get lucky, and pick up branches without twigs, or branches that are all similar in length, youll need a saw. Although a power saw makes the job quick and easy you could also use a handsaw. Remove any twigs from each branch and then cut the pieces that you want for your headboard. Glue strips make it really easy to hang the branches on the wall. Just follow the instructions enclosed to apply glue strips - found at a home improvement store - to the wall. Use one or more strips for each branch, mounting the glue strip as well as the branch, vertically. Butt the sticks together, side-by-side, to make them the width of the bed. The branches dont necessarily have to go to the floor as long as they reach at least to the bottom of the mattress. They can be as tall as you want them to be. There are so many different looks that you can create with the tree branch headboard. All ends of the branches can be sawed off neat and straight, or can be crooked and staggered. You can paint all of the branches one color, or make different colors, and create a striped design. Flip the look around, mount branches horizontally, and make something totally unique. If you have downed branches in your yard your headboard is just out there waiting on you. Gather up the branches, clean them, and stick them to your wall. The rustic look, or painted wood look, will become a favorite home accent of yours - perfect for anyones bedroom.

Graduation Party Table Decorations

You can bet if theres a fast-approaching event, holiday or special occasion your local craft store will be ready. Take graduation day, for instance. Craft stores get ready for the huge day by offering supplies like graduation cupcake wrappers, miniature graduation hats, and similar things. Thats going to make it really easy for you to create an entire look for a graduation celebration table! Purchase tiny tassles and use them to make unique napkin rings. Just slide a tassel onto a ribbon or yarn piece then wrap it around a rolled napkin. Its quick and easy! Make graduation-theme straws by cutting small triangles of felt or paper. Choose school colors and make the triangle, then decorate it how you want. Write the school name, or monogram, or just mix paper colors to give the tiny pennant the school colors. At the widest end of the triangle, apply a little glue on the backside, then wrap it around the top area of the straw - but not all the way at the mouthpiece.

Make graduation cupcakes by baking any kind of cupcakes then turning them upside-down on the serving tray. Frost the cupcakes a school color. Frost a graham cracker with a second school color and set it on top of the upside-down cake. Attach a tiny tassel from a craft store by pushing a round candy into the center of the cupcake and hanging the tassel from it.

Make table cloth weights to keep the wind from blowing the cloth by using miniature tassels. Locate a string on the inside of the tassel and clamp on a tiny fishing weight. The other strings of the tassel will cover the clamp. Sew a button onto each corner of the tablecloth and hang the tassels on them. Make a cute tablecloth thats graduation-appropriate by using two plastic tablecloths. Cut one of the tablecloths to fit the table and the other cloth into pennant-shaped triangles. Write the school monogram on each flag or leave them as-is. Tape or glue the flags to the edges of the first tablecloth so that the pointed end of the pennant hangs downward, and so that these are side-by-side, all the way around the perimeter of the first cloth. When you use paint markers you can create the high school colors on disposable drinking glasses. Just write the school monogram or other message directly on clear glasses and set them on the table. When you put together the graduation-theme cupcakes, tablecloth, napkin rings, straws, drink glasses and other accents you create an entire look for little money or effort. Its going to be a fabulous day!

Yogurt Cup Halloween Spider

You have lots of things to do every Halloween. Decorations, costumes for the kids, candy for trick-or-treaters - its a pretty extensive list. Why not get the kids in on the fun and get decorations made at the same time? Kids can help with many different projects so you decorate for the scary holiday. Yogurt cups make it easy to create Halloween spiders that can be created in several different ways. The spiders can crawl along a deck banister, sit on the mantle, or gather in the center of the food table.

Wash and dry a yogurt cup to start the project. You have choices as to the covering for the cup. Black fake fur works great because it easily covers the seams. Cut a circle of the fur, glue it to the bottom of the cup (which will become the top of the spider), then cut a length that will wrap around the cup, and glue it on.

Other choices can include black fabric or even black paper. As with the above design, cut a circle and a wide piece, then glue them to the cup. Make a totally fuzzy spider when you use black pom-poms to cover the yogurt cup instead. Or, wrap the cup and lid with black pipe cleaners. Go around and around the cup with them, gluing them here and there to secure, then do the bottom of the cup as well. After the cup is covered in the chosen black materials use black pipe cleaners to make the spiders legs. Cut each pipe cleaner in half then begin attaching them - four on each side. Make a little bend on one end of each pipe cleaner, to make the foot, then make another bend a few inches up, to create the "knee". Tape or glue the opposite end of the pipe cleaner to the bottom of the spider. This craft can be done with or without the yogurt cup lid. If the lid is there, just tape the pipe cleaner to the lid of the upside-down cup. If there is no lid simply tape or glue the pipe cleaners to the inside of the upside-down cup. After positioning the legs the way you want them the only thing left is to make a face for the spider. Glue on wiggly eyes, but if you dont have any, you can use two red beads. Its up to you if you want a mouth and nose on the spider; the eyes will suffice. However, a nose can be made from a bead, a pom-pom or a small button. A mouth can be made from red felt, foam or even a small piece of red pipe cleaner. Create many of the easy spiders then set them on tables, windowsills, appliances and other places. Theyre freaky, theyre appropriate and they offer you a way to recycle some of those yogurt cups you usually throw away.

Cup and Saucer Candle Lamp

Its cool when you can think of projects that recycle old dishes into new things you can use or display. Like, did you know you could make a pincushion from a coffee cup? The finished pincushion will make people do a double-take when they see it since it nearly looks like a real cup of coffee! If you happen to have a cup and saucer you never use, one that has no mates, thats the perfect setup for creating a gorgeous lamp for a bedroom or other area of your home.

Have you ever seen those fake candles that are often sold at dollar-theme stores? Generally, the white plastic candles are sold around the holidays and are ideal for making the unusual lamp. The fake candles come in two different styles. One is an electric candle and one is battery operated. The latter is the better choice for this project since theres no risk of it getting too hot. If you decide on an electric candle make sure you use a low watt bulb. Although the electric candle, if it gets too hot, wont make the lamp catch fire it can crack the terra cotta liner that goes inside the cup.

The assembly of the lamp is really easy. Turn the saucer upside-down and glue the candlestick base to it. Many saucers have designs on the top, and not the bottom, so you might opt to glue the candlestick to the top of the saucer instead. If the saucer has no design it can be used either way. Use a small clay pot to make the inner liner of the cup. The tiny pot is what allows the cup to sit straight on the bulb of the candlestick. Its best if you use an adhesive that doesnt dry too quickly. The reason for this is some adjustment might be needed to get the saucer perfectly balanced. For example, even though youll be gluing the pot to the bottom of the cup, it might need to be positioned a little to one side to allow for the weight of the handle. So, add the glue to the bottom of the small clay pot and stick it to the center bottom of the inside of the cup. Now turn the cup upside-down, holding the pot in place, and position the hole of the pot on top of the point of the candlestick bulb. If needed, scoot the cup a little to one side until it balances perfectly. Remove the cup and set it right side-up until the glue has set. The candlestick itself is plain white plastic and there are any number of things you can do to enhance it, from using metallic tape, to adding a rub-on applique to using rubber stamping methods. The finished lamp looks beautiful in a bedroom, entryway, kitchen or other areas of the home.

Simple Scarecrow Doll

Do you collect dolls? Do you enjoy making simple dolls that arent costly? Then youll love a fun project where you turn a small, craft-type broom into a scarecrow doll. Hes not too big but he sure is adorable! Purchase a 6" straw broom from a craft store to make the scarecrow. Start by laying the broom on a flat surface and separating the straw into two equal sections to form the legs. Tie a piece of twine or raffia around each "ankle" to keep the straws separated.

Cut a small bundle of raffia to make the arms. The bundle should be about as big around as one of the legs and should be 6" long. Separate the bundle into two equal piles. With one pile lying horizontally, place the broom handle on the straw, allowing it to stick up above the straw about a quarter-inch. Lay the second bundle on top of the broomstick so that it aligns with the first bundle. Tie a piece of twine or raffia around the two bundles, at each end, to form the "wrists". Slide the arms down, apply some glue to the handle, then slide the arms back up again.

Make pants for the scarecrow by laying him on the chosen fabric and tracing around the pants area. Cut the fabric to be about a quarter inch larger, all over, so theres plenty of room. Glue the pants down the sides and along the inseam. Make sure the pants are short enough so that some of the broom straws protrude from the bottom. Cut a square of cloth to be about 4"x4". Fold the material in half to form a triangle. Cut a small half-moon shape from the center of the fold to make an opening to slide in the broom handle. Slide the fabric over the broom stick. Tuck the points of the shirt into the pants, front and back. Cut two narrow strips of fabric that matches the pants. Glue these over the shirt to make suspenders. Now cut another narrow piece of the same fabric and glue it around the scarecrow to make a waistband. The waistband should hide the ends of the suspenders, front and back, as well as the area where the shirt meets the pants. Make the head from a Styrofoam ball. Paint it beige with tempera paints. Draw on a Raggedy Andy-type face then glue raffia on the head to make hair. Create a hole in the bottom of the ball, add a little glue, then position the head on the broomstick. If you want, glue on tiny buttons and even a small bow tie. Make a small hat by covering a bottle cap with felt. These scarecrow dolls can stand nearly anywhere as long as they lean up against another object, such as a lamp, a small appliance or a wall.

Just Married Garland for the Getaway Car

For a really long time now people have been tying tin cans onto the back of the getaway car for the bride and groom to leave for the honeymoon. Theyre loud and noisy, scraping along on the road, and getting attention from other drivers and pedestrians. Thats one way to do it, but if you prefer a little less noise, try pom-poms. Theyre quiet, pretty, available in many different colors, and are sure to get attentention! You can make a paper pom-pom yourself by using four pieces of tissue paper. Each piece should be 6"x9 ?". Each paper can be the same color or you can create a different look by stacking two or more colors. Stack the papers then fold them like an accordion. Tie a string around the middle. Separate each paper from the others and fluff the finished pom-pom.

Pom-poms which you purchase at a craft store can be used instead of the homemade ones. The pom-poms arent expensive and are available in a multitude of colors and several sizes. Although they are not made from paper they are still colorful and quiet.

No matter what kind of pom-poms you decide to use for the getaway car you will go about making them into a garland by using the same technique. Select yarn, twine, fishing twine or other cord-type material and use it to attach the pom-poms to the car. First, glue or tie each pom-pom to the twine. Make sure there is one pom-pom at each end of the string then space more pom-poms between them. There are other things you can tie onto the garlands besides the pom-poms. Cut and tie on pieces of ribbon, cloth strips, Christmas tree icicles, strips of colored plastic, streamers, Styrofoam balls, and even fake jewels. Scatter these amongst the pom-poms to create the specific look you want. Its easy to decorate any vehicle with the pom-pom garlands when you use suction cups. These will prevent damage to the car. Choose small ones from a craft store and attach one to the front of the car. Wrap the string of the first pom-pom around the hook on the suction cup to keep it from falling off as the getaway car is driven. Use more suction cups, on the hood, roof, trunk, sides or other areas to guide the garland in the direction you want. Tie each pom-poms string onto that cup to keep them from shifting. Allow strands of the garland to flow down the back of the car and along the pavement. As the vehicle is driven these will blow and bounce around on the road. It creates a colorful "Just Married" appearance for the car thats quiet yet still grabs attention.

Jumbo Learning Dice

Are you a school teacher or a home school teacher who can also sew a little bit? Have you ever seen those jumbo dice which can be used to teach young kids about numbers or other things? Instead of paying 20 bucks or more for the classroom dice just whip them up yourself. Its a lot of fun to make the jumbo dice which can be rolled like regular dice, sat on, or even turned into fitness dice.

Youll need 12 squares of fabric to make two dice. The fabric should be lightweight; a good type of fabric is the type which is used to make garden flags. The dice will look especially nice if each square on each dice is a different color. You can make the dice as large or small as you want; a good size for the fabric squares, if you want the jumbo version, is 15"x15".

Decorate each square the way you want. You can sew on felt numbers, write on the squares with paint markers or otherwise embellish them. After each square is made the way you want, you can then sew them together. Stack two squares on top of each other so that their right sides face and sew down the right side. Open these up and set them so that one square is on your left and one on your right. Lay another square on top of the square on your right and sew down the right side. Open this up; you now have three squares, side-by-side. Lay a 4 th square on top of the one which is on your right, and sew down the right side, so that you have four squares which are stitched together, side-by-side. Bring the ends together and sew them to create a band. Place a square of fabric on a table and pin the band around it. Position a 6 th square on top of the band and pin all the way around it. Sew around the bottom square to attach the band to it. Sew around the top square - all but a small area - to attach the top of the die. Assemble both dice in the same manner. Turn the die shape right-side-out through the un-sewn opening and stuff the die with tightly-packed, chipped foam. Sew the opening shut and the die is finished. The set of dice can be fitness dice by writing "push-ups", "sit-ups" or other exercises on each square. On the same square, right a number, like "4". When that side of the die is up, the person must do 4 sit-ups, push-ups or other exercise. The dice can be learning dice by simply gluing felt dots onto each one to resemble real dice. The jumbo dice are a lot of fun for a child to play with but they also make great stools for little kids. Theyre a fun way to learn, exercise or just sit down and rest.

Stacked Tires Nascar Night Stand and More

Now that your little boy has become addicted to Nascar hes asking for a race-theme bedroom? Have you recovered yet from shopping for Nascar items? Seriously, the average person doesnt have thousands of dollars to redo a boys bedroom, and thats what it would take if you want all of the Nascar elements. Maybe you cant find fabric for making Nascar bedding and curtains but there are certain things you definitely can make to go towards the theme. A tire night stand, for instance, can be made by anyone, and for a fraction of what it sells for.

When you stack tires beside the bed, you instantly create a night stand for a boys room, or even for a man-cave. If you have lots of space, you can make a huge table by stacking ordinary car tires. But if room is limited, or you dont want the table to overshadow the bed, you can make a much smaller arrangement. Shop for scooter or moped tires, tires from a childs motorized car, or tires made for other really small cars. Visit places where tires are sold - car or moped - and you can get a good deal on used tires.

Clean old tires before stacking them; you can make them shine by coating them with a thin layer of vegetable oil or a spray-on, clear-coat product. Stack two or three, depending on how tall you want the table to be. The stacked tires make the table but youll still need a tabletop. The tabletop can be a circle cut from wood or something else. You can find wood circles at a home improvement store and one of those is perfect as the tire tabletop. Just lay it in place and the table is finished. For a more secure stack, put glue strips around surface of the top tire and stick the wood to them. Another choice for a tabletop is a glass circle - also found at a home improvement store. To secure it, use glue dots, which arent quite as noticeable as the strips. Other tabletop choices include an old game board or even a piece of thick, fabric-covered cardboard. Want some other race theme pieces for the room? Make two, spaced stacks of tires, lay a board across them, and create a desk. Or, make the same arrangement, but use it as a stand for games, media, or other bedroom things. The stacked tire table make a great lamp stand, plant stand, or even a chair. Paint a car number on the stack to create a Nascar theme, or paint the tires with colors of your favorite race car driver. See, its cheap and easy to make a race theme bedroom. Now, lets see what your little girl has in mind for her room...

Wigs You Can Easily Make Your Dog for Halloween

Your dog is going to be the cutest one ever when you make him or her a wig for Halloween. Its easy to make different kinds of wigs for large, medium or really small dogs when you start with some cheap craft supplies and a couple of things from around your house. Make short hair, long hair, sleek hair or even green hair. There are no limits! Youll see that you can make a wig in little time when you start with a hat or cap. Some hat choices include a straw hat, knit cap, baseball cap, babys hat, a cowboy hat or even a hard plastic, lightweight construction workers hat. They sell these at toy stores along with firefighters designs and others.

Straw hats work great because they sell them at craft stores in a variety of sizes. No matter how large or small your dog theres a straw hat for her. Take lengths of yarn and braid them together. Rather than braid just three strands of yarn, take a handful of yarn, three times, and braid them together. Tie the braid off at the end. Make two of these and glue the ends of them to the sides of the straw hat.

If you dont want to use yarn for the wig you have other choices. Craft stores sell fake hair for making dolls and many dollar-theme stores sell African braiding hair. Either of these work well for making doggie wigs. Since most adhesives will hold hair youll simply choose the glue thats right for the type of hat youre using. With a stretch knit cap you can make wigs for any size dog. Since they sell them for newborns you shouldnt have trouble finding a hat for your dog. With these caps you can make wigs for male or female dogs. Cut the yarn or hair to the length you want it. It can be helpful, when using hair instead of yarn, to pick it up with tape. Lay the hair out on a table, cut it to the length you want, then place a long piece of tape across the ends. Apply the glue to the underside of the cap then position the tape in the glue. Make bangs using the same method. Make a ponytail and attach it to the back of a ball cap for a male or female dog. Or, make lots of braids and glue them to a hat to make dread locks. With some hats, you can poke holes in it, then place tufts of hair through the holes. Tie them off with rubber bands or even tape, under the hat, to make hair that sticks straight up and out of the hat. With some costumes the wig is the finishing touch. Dont go out and buy one; there are so many you can easily make by yourself. You - and your dog - will think this Halloween is the best one ever.

How to Make Cornhusk Flowers

Do you have a supply of cornhusks youd like to use? Have you already made all the cornhusks dolls your child can stand? Maybe you dont even have any cornhusks but youd love to work with them sometime. If you dont have your own cornhusks they can be purchased at most large craft stores. The husks are not expensive, and dont look too impressive, but youll see just how beautiful they are when you turn them into fake flowers.

Its necessary to soak cornhusks before working with them to soften them. Place them in a sink or pot of water for two or three minutes. Remove the husks from the water, set them on paper towels, then cover them with the toweling to keep them damp. If you are going to dye the cornhusks, soak them once again, this time in a liquid dye bath. Use powdered dye, according to package instructions, or use liquid dye which is ready to use when you open it. Use disposable bowls or bowls that wont stain. Make a different color in several bowls to dye the cornhusks a variety of colors.

After dying the cornhusks remove them from the liquid and set them on paper towels once again. Pat them nearly dry with the toweling. Place a cloth over an ironing board and set several cornhusks on it. Cover them with yet another towel. Iron the husks until theyre flat and completely dry. If you dont have any dye you can also use markers, colored pencils, pens and other implements to cover the husks. Make one type of flower by cutting rectangles. At the short ends of the rectangles cut the husks with pinking shears. Make a different type of flower by cutting long, narrow ovals. Assemble the flowers like this: set two cornhusks on a table so that they form an "x" shape. Place another husk shape on top of the "x" so that it runs vertically through the center. Now youll have an asterisk shape. Bend a length of wire in half and slide one of the husk shapes into the bend of the wire. Twist it around the middle of the husk. Now glue the other two shapes on top of that one. Follow this technique to assemble many different shapes. Create flowers that have 6 petals by using 3 rectangles, 4 petals by using 2 ovals, or other designs. Make a center for the flower by gluing on a pom-pom or a tiny, dried flower. Wrap green florist tape around the wires, positioning fake leaves on the wire, and wrapping it from one end to the other. The cornhusks make some of the most beautiful dried flowers; use them to make baskets, vases and other flower arrangements for pennies each!

Bead Strand Table Mat

Strands of beads are sold for different reasons. Some of them are made for little girls to wear as necklaces. Others are made for decorating the tree at Christmas. No matter what type of beads you buy theyre almost always very inexpensive. If youre in the mood to get creative grab one of those strands of beads and make a beautiful table mat. The mat can hold a centerpiece, a basket of fruit or another decorative item.

Although you can use most any color of beads to make the mats youll find that some colors end up having a holiday appearance when used as a mat. Red or green beads can have a holiday look; orange or black strands - even when not used together - can look like they were made for Halloween. In fact, the beaded mats, when made in these types of colors, are great for holiday decorating.

Lay the beads on a flat surface and apply a dot of hot glue to the side area of the end bead. Fold this bead over and press it against the the strand. Roll the beads and notice where they touch the next beads. Put a dot of glue on the beads, as you go along, wherever they touch other beads. Continue rolling the beads to make a larger and larger circle and randomly gluing the beads to others to secure. You can leave the finished mat as it is or glue a piece of felt on the bottom. Although the beads wont scratch the table they can be scooted around without noise if you add the felt. Some people will find it helpful to start with the circle of felt. With this method, you can stick the beads to the felt rather than each other. Fold the circle in half, then again, and so on, creasing it as you fold. When you open it up youll see where the fold lines intersect in the very center. Use hot glue to attach the end bead of the strand to the intersection. With the first bead in place you can continue to add hot glue where needed to secure the strand. Or, hot glue the first bead, apply white glue to the rest of the felt, then encircle the beads with each other to cover the entire mat. Use the same technique as you used for the table mat to make other things, too. Make the design much smaller and you have an elegant coaster. Make the bead circle any size and hang it on a wall. Glue on dried flowers, a painted wooden shape or other embellishments to make a unique wall hanging. Strands of beads are always beautiful, it seems. Whether a person wears them, decorates their Christmas tree with them, or makes table mats, the beads seem to fit in and even add a touch of elegance!

Crepe Paper Wedding Roses

Every woman wants a beautiful wedding, but for some people, the level of gorgeous depends upon the budget. Some things are going to be expensive no matter what - the dress, the food, the invitations and thank-you notes. By the time they get down to deciding on the flowers some women find their funds rapidly diminishing. If thats the case for you go ahead and put it out of your head right now. Youll have beautiful flowers at your wedding - flowers galore! When you use crepe paper to make the flowers you can create stunning flowers that match or coordinate with your wedding colors.

With a roll of crepe paper you can make roses which look real from afar. Purchase crepe paper streamers, sold in rolls for birthday parties, and youll spend little to have fabulous flowers everywhere. Many stores sell crepe paper in limited colors, but if you shop online, you can choose from many more colors. Purchase crepe paper streamers in all the same color or in assorted colors.

To make the average rose cut a piece of the streamer to be three and a half feet long. Go along one edge of the crepe paper and fold it down about a third of the way. Crease this fold well as you go along. Now, start at one short end of the streamer and start rolling it. Roll it tightly to begin and a little looser as you get to the opposite end. As you roll the paper pinch and gather it along the unfolded edge. Cut a small circle of stiff, green felt and use it to cradle the rose. Cut from one edge of the felt to the center then overlap one cut edge with the other. This will cause the felt to begin forming a cone shape. Form the cone so that its somewhat small but large enough to hold the flower. Push a green pipe cleaner - or florist wire - through the hole in the bottom of the cone. Twist the end of it so it wont fall back out of the cone. Now glue the rose on top of the felt and wire. Clip the pipe cleaner off, under the felt, and stick the roses to table corners, baskets and more. Or, attach a pin backing to the flower and make a floral brooch. Leave the stem intact, glue on a few fake leaves, and slide the flowers into a vase to make a centerpiece or table decoration. The crepe paper flowers are really very pretty and work well for weddings, birthdays, anniversaries and other celebrations. Make much smaller ones and you can attach them to headbands or even decorate pillar candles with them. The crepe paper roses help you to have lots and lots of gorgeous flowers without spending a fortune!

Simplistic yet Elegant Wedding Guest Books

Its nice to purchase that beautiful wedding gown, gorgeous vases full of flowers, and even the basket for the flower girl. However, unless you just feel like being frivolous, why would you pay for certain wedding things when you can easily make these things yourself? Some brides just go through catalogs and order what they want, and if that works for them, thats great. But, for those who have a tighter budget you can spend more on important things if you save on some of the items of lesser significance. Although important, the guest book is one thing you can make yourself, and youll certainly save a fortune over purchasing it! If youll be expecting a small amount of people you can make just a single signature book. There will be plenty of room for all the guests to sign. If youre expecting many guests consider making a signature book for each dinner table. That way, the book can also serve as the table number.

Craft stores sell many different types of paper, from parchment to scrapbook paper, and you can also find large paper assortments online. Most any thick paper works well to make impressive guest signature books. Simply stack three or four pieces, fold them in half, then sew along the folded edge. Sew straight down the folded side with a straight stitch and stay about a quarter to a half-inch away from the fold. Its a nice touch if you use gold thread for the stitching.

Its up to you if you want to make lines on the papers for the signatures. Its also up to you if you want to embellish each page with a sticker or even a stencil and paint marker image. These items instantly change the book from ordinary to beautiful. There are different books you can make depending upon how you do the project. Use special scissors to create decorative borders along the edges of the papers or just use the papers as-is. Make a huge monogram on the front or small ones on each page. The lines, if you add them, can be made with an ordinary pen or even a paint marker with a fine tip. A small-diameter rope with a tassel - often found at a fabric store - creates an elegant look for the finished book. Slip it over the book and tie the ends in a knot or glue it to the book and let it hang down the inside fold. Write a table number on each signature book if youll have multiple tables. If not, just make a single signature book and place it on a table or stand for guests to sign. Theyll think you went all-out on the cost of the signature books but youll know the truth!

Mud Cakes Without the Hassle

What youll need:9" cake panNon-stick cooking sprayHalf-stick of butter or margarine, melted16 oz of Oreos or other sandwich cookies1 Box chocolate instant pudding1 and a half cups of milkWhip cream Mississippi mud pie is just a silly name for a chocolate pie thats extremely decadent. People have made them for many years. Then, along came mud ice cream and mud cake. The delicious cakes and pies, though, are complicated and time-consuming to make - or are they? Theres a way you can cut down the hassle of making a mud cake and still produce a fabulous cake that looks and tastes quite elegant. And, with this technique, the mud cakes dont even have to be chocolate! The actual chocolate mud cake is made by starting with chocolate sandwich cookies, such as Oreos. Youll need 16oz - 35 to 40 cookies. Use a food processor to crush the cookies into crumbs or use a different technique. Place the cookies in a zipper bag and crush them with a rolling pin. Melt 5 tablespoons of butter or margarine and stir it into the cookie crumbs.

The above instructions makes a 9" pan of mud cake, but if you want a larger cake, simply double or otherwise adjust the recipe. Put the crumbs and butter mixture into a 9" pan which has been sprayed with non-stick cooking spray. Spread the mixture across the bottom and up the sides. Bake at 300 degrees for about 10 minutes. Allow to cool while you mix up the cake.

Mix up any chocolate cake - preferably chocolate fudge - and pour it into the square pan so that its only half full. Bake at 350 degrees until a toothpick, inserted in the middle, comes out clean. Allow the cake to cool completely. Turn the cake out onto a plate then flip it onto the desired cake plate so that the cookie crust is facing down. Mix up a box of chocolate pudding but use only a cup and a half of milk instead of two cups. This will make for a much thicker pudding. Pour the pudding on top of the cake and smooth it all over. Top the finished cake with a thick layer of whip cream and chill. You can use the same basic recipe to make any number of other pudding mud cakes. For example, crumble vanilla sandwich cookies, make a lemon cake, then top with lemon pudding and whip cream. The cake flavor and pudding flavor dont necessarily have to match. You can make a chocolate cake and top it with butterscotch pudding or make a yellow cake and top it with chocolate pudding. With so many choices you can literally make dozens of different mud cakes - all of them scrumptious!

Childs Textured Book

From the minute a baby is born it is learning about his or her surroundings. The baby starts by learning from things he hears; at the same time, he learns from what he sees and feels. Its a process which never stops. Its so much fun to watch a baby as he grows and learns, especially as he is playing. When a baby sees or feels something new and different you can almost see it in his eyes - the excitement, the comprehension, the learning process. And youll see plenty of that when you make a textured book for your young child. Your little one will learn about different materials, how they all feel, and which ones are soft, which ones are smooth, and which are cold or warm. You dont have to actually make a book; just restyle a book you already own.Making textured books is such fun. You can use any number of materials from around the house to create textures which a baby will find new and exciting. Look online for inexpensive versions of regular books and then you can easily change them into something more stimulating for a young child.Cut swatches of fabric to cover clothing worn by kids or people in the new book. Just cut a simple shape of jeans, a shirt, a skirt, or another garment. Use ordinary white glue to attach the fabric shapes to images in the book. There are lots of things you can use, besides fabric, to make a touch and feel version of the book. For example, cut a piece of sandpaper to represent sand in a sandbox. Or, cut yarn and glue it to peoples hair in the book. Just make sure that the items you select are flat.A small list of things you can use - there are many more things - includes cotton balls, fake fur, leather or vinyl, paper, a piece cut from an old washcloth, a piece cut from a trash bag, cardboard, Styrofoam, colored tape, Velcro, glitter glue, a zipper, a button, or even a leaf from a silk plant you own.Make the book for a young child and watch him or her look and feel the images. Or, allow slightly older kids to remake books themselves. Kids have a lot of fun looking around the house for things with texture which can be added to the chosen book.Many books work well for creating the textured book but the best ones are childrens books which feature large images that dont have an extreme amount of detail. You dont have to entirely cover everything in the book; just attach a piece of cloth here, and a fuzzy thing there, to add interesting elements and texture to the book. Youll see that it will become your childs very favorite book ever.Textured Books

Safety Pin Baby Shower Party Game

Thinking of throwing a friend of yours a baby shower? Thats nice. Of course, it will be a little bit of work. After all, there are invitations to send out, decorations to hang, foods to prepare and even more things on your "to do" list. And games - dont forget about the games. Nearly any baby shower you go to will feature games with prize winners. There are many different games you can play but most of them you read about online require quite a few things. Theres one game, though, that you can play and it wont be hard or expensive to get it all set up. It goes right along with a baby shower theme and everyone who plays it will have a great time.

Make a "find the safety pin" baby shower game and the guests will actually be surprised. What seems like an unusual but easy game is much more difficult than they realize. Each person will think they can pull it off without a hitch, but once they try it, theyll find it a bit more challenging than they thought! Fill a large bowl about halfway full with rice. Dump in about fifty small safety pins. Just use your hands - or a large spoon - to stir the pins amongst the rice.

To play the game, each woman takes one turn, and the person taking the turn must be blindfolded. Set a timer for thirty seconds or just count it down on a clock with a second hand. Each woman takes her turn, trying to gather as many safety pins as she can, and must hold them in her hands as she finds them (holding them is optional). When her thirty seconds is up the pins are counted to see how many she retrieved. The woman who gathers the most pins wins. If there is a tie, you can go another round with those who are tied, or just have them guess a number between "1" and "20". Other small things can be substituted for the safety pins. Baby bobby pins, tiny hair bows and similar things can also be used along with or instead of the safety pins. Play a variation of the game if you want: Place at least two of each item in the bowl with the rice, and place many sets of things, then have each woman try to retrieve one of each. You can print out check lists so its easy to keep up with who retrieved what. The person who got the most different things will be the winner. With this game, you can remove the items as they are found to make it easier to find the other items. Having a baby shower is a lot of fun. The mom-to-be or new mom will be thrilled. Shell also have fun as she, along with her guests, dig through a bowl of rice and try to win a prize!

How to Make Lollipop Soap

Needed:Glycerine-type melt and pour soapLollipop soap molds or foilLollipop sticksScent and tints (optional) Some kids jump right in the tub, no problem, but others balk at the notion. For those kids, it helps to have fun toys in the bath, a special towel, special soaps. Speaking of the latter, its actually a lot of fun to make your own soaps. No longer will you have to settle for what you can find in the stores; you can make any kind of soap you want! By the time you combine the various types of soaps you can make, the colors from which you have to choose, and the molds that are available, there are literally thousands of different soaps you can make. In fact, if your child is one who doesnt care for the tub you might get him more excited over the idea if you make soaps the child finds exciting - like lollipop soaps. If your child is old enough to know not to eat soaps shaped like suckers he or she will love the lollipop soaps! Youll need lollipop sticks from a craft store to make the unusual soaps. The plastic kind work best because the paper type can leave bits of paper in the tub. In addition, youll need a lollipop mold - most craft stores carry them. To save money you can make your own mold from foil. Tear 4 small sheets of foil, stack them, then lay them over something like a medicine bottle lid. Shape the foil around the lid to make a round disk. You can make large or small lollipops by using other things around the house to shape the foil, like the bottom of a Styrofoam cup or even a hair spray lid.

Use the glycerin-type of melt and pour soap to make the lollipops. Simply cut off 2 or 3 blocks and melt them in the microwave. Stir every 20 seconds or so until its completely melted. Add a couple of drops of soap scent and a drop or two of tinting. Or, use your own scents and tints. Food coloring can be used to tint the soaps and anything from body mist to perfume to lemon juice can be used to scent the soap.

Allow the soap to cool for a couple of minutes while you place the round molds on a cookie sheet. A glass eye dropper can help dispense the soap into the molds without a mess but a measuring cup can also be helpful. Pour the soap into the molds and place in the freezer for about 10 minutes. Remove and push a sucker stick into each one. Allow the soap to sit and harden. Kids will have fun playing with the sucker sticks in the tub. Just make sure that the kids are old enough so that they wouldnt even think about putting it in their mouths.

Beautiful Bangle Bracelets

Never let the economy slow you down. No matter whats going on with finances and other economic issues you can keep right on doing craft projects and continuing to have nice fashions and accessories. You just have to learn the tricks of the trade - and theyre endless. Learn not to throw most things away, and when money gets tight, youll have plenty of craft supplies. Take Pringles cans. The chip cans make the most fabulous bangle bracelets that are cheap, fast to make, and really lovely.

When you turn a Pringles can on its side and slice it you make the perfect size bangle bracelet for a woman. The hand easily slides into it yet it stays on the wrist. Use a sharp knife - not serrated - to cut sections which are two or three inches wide. Do not use sections which have the metal band from the top or bottom of the can.

Use a damp cloth to wipe out the inside of the ring. Make one type of bangle bracelet by using yarn. Wrap it around the outside of the ring, through the middle, back around the outside, and so on, to cover the entire bracelet. Use hot glue to secure the end to the inside of the band. Make something that looks totally different by using narrow ribbon to wrap the bracelet. Whether youre using yarn or ribbon you can make the entire bracelet one color or you can change colors by securing the end to the inside of the band, then attaching the end of the new color and continuing with the wrapping. Other things you can use to wrap the cardboard ring include leather sinew from a craft store or colored cord. Cord now comes in various diameters as well as assorted colors including glitter or metallic varieties. Since its so cheap you can make many bracelets for a few bucks. Create different looks for the bracelet by how you wrap it. Wrap the chosen material around the Pringles can ring for one look; add a ring of foam around the cardboard, then wrap the material around it, to create a totally different type of bracelet. After the initial wrapping is finished there are many things you can do to make each bangle bracelet look unique. Attach one, large rhinestone in the center or smaller ones all the way around. Paint a small wooden shape and mount it to the bracelet or glue on a flat novelty from a craft store. When youre finished with your new assortment of bracelets youll find yourself wearing them all the time. Youll be the only one who knows theyre made from Pringles cans because they look store-bought and beautiful. Pringles can bracelet

Oatmeal Can Pinata

Whether youre having a pinata at your wedding reception, or thinking of making one for a childs birthday, theres one you rarely see and thats a cylindrical pinata. Its a really easy thing to make, though. An oatmeal canister - or a similar cylinder with a lid - works great to make a pinata for any special occasion. And, with the cylinder pinata you dont have to worry about people getting injured with a bat; theres no bat needed.

Its not even hard to make this type of pinata so even if you dont generally do craft projects you can whip it up in no time. Just empty a large oatmeal canister and wipe the inside out with a barely-damp cloth. Use a cord or piece of twine as the hanger for the pinata. Cut the twine to be at least a foot long and tie the ends together in a single knot. Set the oatmeal can so that the bottom is facing upwards and poke a hole in the middle of it with a nail or similar implement.

Turn the can over, remove the lid, and thread the cord through the hole, from the inside, out. It can be helpful to use a piece of tape over the knot to make sure its secure. Fill the canister with candy, small toys, gift cards, play jewelry and other goodies. Set the lid so that the open side is down and poke many holes in it. Make sure none of the holes are too close together or they could rip and form one large hole. Thread ribbon pieces through the holes of the lid, from the outside, to the inside. On the inside, curl all the ribbons except for one - any one. While curling the ribbons, just curl the last few inches of the ribbon so that most of the length of the ribbon is on the outside of the can. This will keep the ribbons from just falling out of the holes. The single, selected ribbon wont be curled. Instead, tie a knot in this ribbon. The knot should be large and strong - maybe even taped over to further secure it. Put the lid back on the oatmeal canister and use tiny pieces of tape, here and there, around the lid to keep it on the can. Dont over tape the seam or the lid wont come off later, when its supposed to. As the players gather around the pinata, each person pulls one string. The ribbons which are simply curled just slide right out, but the string with the knot, when pulled, yanks off the entire lid. You can decorate the canister any way you want when you tear tiny pieces of colored tissue paper and glue them all over the pinata. Make it a birthday pinata, an anniversary type, or a pinata for an end of the school year party.

Newspaper Fingernails

There are tens of thousands of women getting their fingernails done at parlors and salons. They do fabulous work, but it costs so much money, and its never-ending. Still, its nice to walk around with the most beautiful nails, which people find fascinating, and on which people compliment you all the time. Many women are discovering that they can do some unusual artwork and nail art without a lot of talent. Those who try it realize that they can save a lot of money by doing their own nails. When you do nail art such as newsprint nails, you can have unusual artwork without actually painting.If you look through an ordinary newspaper youll see that there are many different elements. There are, of course, words, a crossword puzzle, bold lines sectioning off various articles, ads, and even comics. Just look to the newspaper for your next nail job and youll have intriguing fingernails like no one has ever seen.Light colors of nail polish work best to show off the newspaper transfer. Start with clean nails and apply white, pink, beige, or another light color of nail polish. When its dry, apply a second coat. Allow it to dry completely. If your nails are still tacky when you apply the newspaper you can end up with newspaper stuck to your fingernails.Rubbing alcohol is a must for transferring newsprint to your fingernails. Pour some alcohol into a small bowl, cup, or other container. The alcohol should be deep enough so that you could put your finger into it, all the way up to the first knuckle. Alternatively, you can just stick your finger into the bottle of alcohol.Look through the newspaper and decide on what image you want on each nail. Cut out a small piece of the newspaper to accommodate each fingernail. However, dont make the pieces too small or you might not cover the whole nail.Dip one fingernail into the rubbing alcohol, to get it very wet, then remove it. Quickly lay the chosen newspaper piece on your nail so that the newsprint is facing the nail. Rub the backside of the newspaper piece with a finger or thumb. You might want to wear thin, disposable gloves to prevent the ink from transferring to your hands. Do each fingernail by using a different newspaper clipping each time. After rubbing the nail to transfer the image, remove the newspaper piece.The newspaper fingernails are very unusual and people will definitely stop you to ask for a closer look. Theyll begin questioning you on which salon did your nails and theyll be shocked when they find out you did them yourself.