What's cookin' ?

I love to make new stuff from old stuff!

Hey,

Nice of you to visit again!

Two blogs ago I left you hanging with what to do with that pesky Karen Carpenter tape you were saving (not sure why? ha ha), since you used the plastic cassette cover for a nifty business card holder. But glad you did...

I received a great idea submitted from my daughter, Betsy, on what to do with that old tape material! (check out her blog: http://www.melittaberze.blogspot.com/  or her website: betsy@danabetsy.com   She's an awesome artist, seamstress, knitter, and artisan!)

She suggested:

Break open the plastic case, pull out the black, magnetic tape and put aside for future packing material or put it into a cool gift basket. What a great idea! Nestle your wonderful goodies in a recycled basket (lots at garage sales and resale shops). Put in tissue paper or newspaper in the bottom to build up the basket, then fill in the top with the reused tape material then put in your musical gift goodies (CDs, musical instruments, notes, radios, anything musical…etc). Wrap in cellophane (you can get from the Dollar Store), and you've got a unique- upcycled present! And black is the classic color, you will look so cool!

PROJECT OF THE DAY:

TWIG EASELS

These are the perfect addition to any gathering.

If it’s a formal dinner, you need place cards.

If it’s a casual get together, you may want to list the ingredients of your dishes. Many people are allergic, or have taste dislikes.

you need:

~twigs (gathered from trees. I’ve cut them from trees, or found them on the ground. I think dead ones are better.) If you live in the city, go to a nearby park and look around. You’ll be surprised what things you’ll find. Pass up the cigarette butts, and fast food bags. But look to ‘organic’.  J

The twigs can be small. Perhaps a branch that fell, you can break off (or use wire cutters or pruning shears) to the lengths you need when you get home.

~glue gun

~silk leaves or tiny fake pine cones

~wire (telephone wire, or colored wire (green or brown wire, 24 gauge or so)

*note: the higher gauge number of wire, the thinner it is. Kinda goes against logical thinking. But there you have it.

You will need to gather four twigs. Three will make the tripod, and one is for the ledge to place the card on. While you are out trekking through the brush, pick up LOTS of twigs, because when you get home, you’ll have to sort them out and see which ones are the best. (Things look a lot different sitting on your kitchen table than they do out in the wild.)

The 3 bases are around 3” long. The card holder ledge has to reach from one end of the easel to the other.

Plug in your glue gun and put newspapers down and sort through your twigs.

1. You will make an inverted “V”. Take two twigs and glue them at the tops (using a glue gun works best for me) into an inverted V. (upside down)/\

2. Then take the cross piece and squeeze glue down onto the inverted two twigs and put this piece on to form an “A”.

3. Now take the last easel piece and squeeze glue onto the top of the V, and place the third twig there. You will be bracing into a tripod shape. Hold until firm. Glue guns works fast, but for the first 20 seconds, you should help it out.

4. When the glue is dried (should be within 20 seconds, be careful not to get your hands near the glue gun. It will hurt and burn as it cools. IF this happens, get your hand under cold water immediately. This has happened to me while making candles…future blog project- candles, not burned fingers) J

5. I like to add a silk leaf, or flower, or tiny fake pinecone to the top of the easel.

It will still look cool if you don’t have an accent. But it’s sure cute if you have one. If you have some telephone wire, or similar colored/covered wire, (24 gauge or less) wrap this around something to make a coil. (straw, dowel, chopstick).

6. Wrap the end of this wire around the ‘joints’ to strengthen them. They add that ‘natural look’ to the piece. Pull them outwards to resemble new vines, plus they help support the card. (You can pull them in front of the card to secure)

7. For the place cards…I do them on my computer. But you can certainly do them ‘free hand’. The size depends on your easel.

8. Cut cardstock (can be used greeting cards, file folders, etc. something stiffer than paper. If you buy them from a store, look for ‘card stock’) to fit the front of the easel.

I swipe some ink, from a pad (look at the scrapbooking section for ink pads) to add that ‘natural look’ to the edges. But this is not a necessity. Write the names (for place cards) or the name of the food and basic ingredients (for special dishes) onto the cards.

I have received RAVE reviews on these easels. And the supplies are out there in the woods, waiting for you. Suppliers for wire, silk leaves, and glue include: Dollar Store, Michaels, JoAnns, Big Lots, Hobby Lobby, Office Max, Staples, your big back yard or local park for those natural ingredients.

I gave my daughter a bridal shower, and made soup and salad assortments for the meal. I put the name and ingredients on these easels next to the dishes. You cannot believe the gratitude I got for this. Knowing what they were dishing onto their plates was important, plus the presentation was so classy!

tip of the day:

If you use plastic juice or milk containers, you can cut off the bottoms. Wash thoroughly to make great funnels. They have a handle, and when you unscrew the lid, you have a nice wide mouth funnel. My husband, Tom, uses it for draining oil from the cars.

If you keep the lid on…you have a super scooper! I use this for scooping bird seed out of those big bags, or scooping potting soil for my plants. Anything that needs a BIG scoop.

See ya next time!

That’s all for today!

:D

Let's Renew

Hi there!
Starting a blog is not as easy as I thought.
I've already deleted my original blog. So if you already viewed my first one, this is a re-run. If you are new to this site, thank you for coming and trying to figure out the sequence of my crazy site!
I think I sent my daughter into seizures trying to help me figure all this out. Oh wait - I'm the ONE going into seizures, she was as cool as a cucumber. She found this in the 'cache'  (okay...whatever Bets, thank you!)
But here goes again...
This is the first one I posted...

Tuesday, June 21, 2011

Let's Renew!

I love making new stuff from old stuff.

I wanted to start a blog because I love to recycle, I love to make things, and I'm pretty frugal so it all works. I wanted to share my ideas with other people who are cheap and crafty!

And those who WANT to be crafty, but were too afraid to spend a lot of money on projects.

If recycling projects don't work, no big deal. You didn't spend a ton of money. But if they do work, they are cool, upcycled and YOU did it yourself!

Today's project is making a business card holder.

This is a quick and easy one. You can customize it to suit the business you are using it for. For example, I made one for myself using tiny seed beads, and fused glass pieces I made myself, since I'm a jewelry maker. I use this at craft fairs, and sell them to other business owners. They also make great gifts.
Florists can use silk flowers, Vets can use dog tags or small scrapbooking critters, Builders can have bolts, nails, washers, etc. on it. You get the idea. The Dollar stores, garage sales, resale shops and your 'junk' drawer are perfect places to start hunting for fun, cheap treasures. Scrapbooking supplies, 3-D stickers, etc. are great too.

You need:
~ a plastic cassette case. (save the music tape, maybe I'll come up with an idea using the black tape inside, ha ha) Start a 'craft box' to throw items in for future use.
~decorative recycled 'stuff' to put on the front of it.
~glue (E6000 or Gorilla glue will hold everything).
The recycled items must be small enough to fit on the front of the 'opened' cassette case, so keep that in mind.

1. Open the cassette case bending it backwards so it creates an opening to put your business cards in. This way you will see the area you will be working on.
2. Now close up the case so the area you will be gluing on is laying flat.
Select the items you want to glue on and arrange them before you glue. This way you get an idea of the best placement.
3. They can extend a little over the top and sides, but NOT the bottom. Or your card holder won't sit on the table correctly.
4. Glue your items on, spreading glue carefully and working quickly (that's why you have your layout ready ahead of time). You can overlap the items, or you can add tiny seed beads to 'fill in' the blank areas.
5. Now let it dry.

These make great gifts and you can find tons of old cassettes at your local resale shops or in the back of your dusty old music collection.

I'll be trying to post projects and giving tips often, so check back again!

Today's tip is: 
Getting a tough stain out of a white cotton shirt.
I leaned on a grape and got a great purple blotch on my favorite white shirt. I tried several of the usual spot cleaners but to no avail. After shedding a few tears on the stain, (this didn't work either) I tried something else. I put a little squirt of 'soft scrub' cleanser (with bleach in it) on a damp rag and gently worked it into the stain. Within minutes it was completely gone. I rinsed it thoroughly to get all the cleanser out.
I was sooo happy. I think the secret was the bleach in the cleanser. So I would only use it on white fabric, to be on the safe side.

Check out my website for more of my creations. I have recycled items, plus a lot of other unique, handmade goodies.  http://www.arttowearbydee.etsy.com/

That's all for today.
:D

Let's get organized!

I love making new stuff out of old stuff!

Hello everyone,
I'm trying to post a new blog every 3 or 4 days. We'll see how it goes.
Summer is so busy, and we will be traveling a lot, my husband, Tom and I.
Although, I've been waiting all winter for these nice hot days, it seems
to get a bit hectic, and we're trying to cram in as much fun as we can!

In July we are heading to Wisconsin for our annual gathering called Farm Fest.
Then down to Indiana to more family and friends.
It will be great to see everyone, but a bit frenzied.
Then in August, we will be in Montana for a big family reunion and a wedding.
So many special people to see!
So beside those trips and craft events and blogging, and making jewelry
and my part time job, and regular daily life...I hope I can keep up.  :)

Our project for the day is:
A cork board (beverage inspired) with cool bottle cap push-pins to stick into it~

you need:

~lots of corks, so start drinking some fine wine, or ask friends to save, or visit a winery. (I used 49 corks to fill in a 7 1/2" X 9 1/2" opening.)

~an old picture frame, with no glass, but has a cardboard insert, and a hanger on the back.
~metal thumb tacks (the larger size heads work the best. You can find these at hardware stores) or push pins
~glue (E 6000 or Gorilla Glue is strong)

Make sure the glass is out of the frame. Great for recycling those frames whose glass has broken. (Be careful discarding any broken glass though, it is so sharp, you don’t want your garbage collector to cut himself. So put it in a padded container, then discard.)
The frame's cardboard backing should be secured. Place the picture frame on a flat surface.
Put the corks into the frame. You can use any pattern you wish as long as they fit into the space.
I have done rows, herringbone, or squares.
Then glue each one down until you fill the frame. (if they don't quite fit, try cutting them with a sharp knife or I use my band saw)
Also, if you want to use only 1/2 the amount of corks, cut them in half lengthwise (again use a band saw or scroll saw)
Let dry thoroughly and then hang on the wall. If the frame doesn't have a hanger, you can prop it up on your desk with the easel support- if it has one.

To make the bottle cap push pins you will be squeezing a bit of glue in the center of the UNDERSIDE of the bottle cap. Then press the thumbtack or pushpin onto the glue and hold, pressing hard to adhere for a few seconds. Let dry thoroughly. (if you can hold yourself back, it's a good idea to let everything set overnight)
These are great for anyone working in an office, or college students, or the rest of us who like to be organized in a fun way! Check out the resale shops for old frames. Many of the frames don't have glass, and that's perfect. But they DO have funky frames. Many wineries are happy to give you corks, also. I live in 'wine country' in El Dorado County, California. So I don't have a cork problem...between me and my neighbors, we have plenty.  Cheers!

TIP OF THE DAY:
If you are going to recycle a bottle and need to get the label off, try a blow dryer on it first.
Sometimes the glue comes right off after prolonged heat exposure. (I use my heat gun)
If that doesn't work, I take a thin kitchen towel, soak it in water and wrap the bottle.
Let it sit for a while, that usually gets it soft. Then you can peel it off. Any residue
left on it, you can either use GooGone, or a straight edged razor blade to scrape it off.
I have a neat project using labels to decoupage on a tray. So save those labels in one piece if you can!
More projects with bottles and labels later...

Check out my website for cool recycled stuff: http://www.arttowearbydee.etsy.com/
and please feel free to post this onto your Facebook Page! click link below...

Thanks for coming by. You're a like a neighbor strolling over to chat, I like that!

That's all for today!
:D