Category Archives: Crafts & Hobbies

Tipful Thursday – zippers, hand-fan, picture hook, craft bags

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hintsHere’s a few things that I’ve found to be helpful.

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IMG_2658In my opinion, most zippers are a bit pricey. I don’t mind so much if I’m buying a specific zipper to match fabric to make a piece of clothing, special projects or home decor type stuff, however,  there’s some craft projects that need a zipper and I’d rather not sink a lot of money in them.  After thinking about the problem awhile, I figured out an inexpensive way to buy zippers . I buy the really cheap zipper bags and take the zippers out of them. When I want to use the zippers, I can cut them to whatever length I need. The bags in the photo were a dollar each. The smaller one has 2 in it, so I got two 16 inch zippers for a dollar. The other 2 bags are of really long and extra long lengths, I don’t know their exact lengths, I haven’t disassembled the bags yet to  measure them. These zippers probably won’t last in a heavy duty project like jeans or sleeping bags… and then again I could be wrong and they might hold up well. This is a relatively new idea of mine and I haven’t used them yet. But even so, I think it’s a good idea anyway. (as for the plastic part of the bags, I fold it neatly and store it away because I hope to find some uses for it too someday)

IMG_3564Here’s an idea for an inexpensive and small heavy duty hand-fan (duel duty if you want). It’s a small cutting board. lol I discovered what a great fan it made, when a hot-flash hit and it was the smallest lightest weight thing in my reach that I could use to wave in the air and help cool me off. lol Seriously, though, you can’t tell it from the photo, but it’s not very big. The handle is a nice advantage; it’s light weight enough to tote around the house or take outside or most anywhere.

0-IMG_6342I bought these ‘Incredible Hooks’ at a dollar store. You may have seen commercials for hooks like them. You may have wondered if they’re as easy to use and handy as the commercials say. I’m here to tell you that they most definitely work for me in drywall (Sheetrock). I love the ease of putting them where I want and removing them if I want too. I was truly surprised these work. These are great. There’s 20 in the pack and I haven’t needed to buy anymore, but I won’t hesitate to buy more if/when I run out.

IMG_7432I usually have several projects going at the same time. I find it’s handy to keep them in 2 gallon Ziploc bags with their supplies. This makes them easy to pick up and take with me to work on them most anywhere. I use much bigger plastic bags for my crochet blanket projects. Keeping the projects in plastic bags helps keep them cleaner too.

I hope one of these ideas may be helpful to you or may spark an idea for you to build on.

Wishing you all a great rest of the week!
🙂

spgrnbgln

Round Squash Fun

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IMG_3911Normally when I start posting about our squash harvest, I would begin with recipes, but this time I’ve decided to start with a bit of fun with my squash.

Since the larger round squash can keep for a few weeks on the counter, I enjoy using them for decorating.
IMG_3943A bit of netting wrapped around a squash and a bit of shiny ribbon makes the squash a bit fancy or a bit slutty. I haven’t decided yet. lol
I think it makes a cheerful and different piece of decor.
IMG_3927In honor of 4th of July coming soon, I set a squash on a mason jar and dressed it as an Uncle Sam character. I drew his eyes and mouth on sticker paper so i could remove them easily from the squash. I put a hat on it and then put a bit of polyfil under each side of the hat for sideburns. I glued some polyfil to a piece of sticker paper and then stuck it on the squash for a beard. The patriotic bow pulls it all together nicely, I think.
IMG_3913I thought I’d go ahead and waste a squash since I have so many. I made a light out of it. It looks really pretty in real life.  I cut out the top of the squash to use as a cap for it.  I hollowed out the squash and drilled holes in it. I put a piece of plastic on the inside on the bottom so the moisture won’t get in the tea light and short it out. I then put a battery operated tea light in the squash and put the cap on it. It looks charming.
To store it when not in use: I remove the tea light from the squash, then wrapped the squash in plastic wrap and keep it in the refrigerator.  When I’m done with it, after a couple of days, I’ll throw it away.

If you use squash or pumpkins as decor, Be sure to check them every day so you can dispose of them when they go bad.

Why is it with squash, it’s either feast or famine. Just look at the big pile of squash we have picked over the past week and a half.
6-22-2014-weeksharvestWe’ve already given the neighbors so much they won’t take anymore. lol  It’s been a good year for squash so far. Sadly, It could end any day because of weather or pests. So, I’m enjoying them while I can.

Remember to have some fun and play with your food every now and then.

Wishing you all a terrific Tuesday.
🙂


🙂
spgrnbgln

Happy Father’s Day Weekend!

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adadTo all the Dad’s & Caregivers of our children
Happy Father’s Day!graphics-fathers-day-016564
Here’s wishing everyone a lovely weekend.graphics-fathers-day-878738
🙂

As a small gift from me to you to celebrate this special
weekend, here’s one of my coloring pictures.
I hope you’ll print it off for a child or children to color.

Before you print this picture off:
Click on the image to open it in it’s own window.
At the top of your browser on the far left hand side choose ‘File’, then choose ‘Print Preview’
At the top of the print preview page is an option for ‘portrait’ or ‘landscape’
Try both and choose the one that fits the picture to the page best.
Then print the picture off.
🙂

toolsfd
spgrnbgln

Cool looking craft – DIY Fake Ice

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Updated 7-14-2017

IMG_3021I learned how to make ‘fake ice cubes’ by melting clear pony beads.
The tutorial I followed was on flickr.
Unfortunately that tutorial is now gone. However, I’ll look around and see if I can find another tutorial that is easy to follow… or I may make one myself. Either way, I’ll update this post in the future.

It took a few tries for me to get the hang of it. I really like the results.
I’m amazed at how real the fake ice cubes look.
I can think of several projects to use the fake ice cubes with.
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Have you ever made fake ice?
I hope you all Have a cool day!
icsmilemo

~*~
IMO – This craft is Not for children!
~*~

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The tutorial I used is now gone. But here are a few things I did that made the process easier.

There’s a few things I adjusted, added or did different.
*I used balsa wood to make my ice cube form.
*Keep the area well ventilated: I opened my windows and turned on ceiling fans and ran the stove-hood fan.
*Apparently my oven doesn’t heat as hot as the author of the tutorial’s does.
I had to bake at 400° to get the beads to melt successfully.
*I also had to bake them longer: I’d put half the beads in the form and bake them for 15 minutes then put the rest of the beads in and bake for another 15 minutes.
*Keep a close eye on these as they bake to make sure they don’t burn.
*Let the cubes cool before trying to unwrap the aluminum foil.
*To give the cubes a shiny finish, after I peeled the aluminum foil off my ice cubes, I trimmed off the shards and rough edges and then put the cubes back on the pan and in the oven for about 3 to 5 minutes.  I was careful to watch so they wouldn’t melt too much.
*I took them out of the oven and let them cool. icsmilemo

egglight4Using a battery operated tea light
I made a fun little icy temporary tea light.

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edited in 6-11-2014:
I made this tea light by gluing the fake ice cubes together with E6000 glue.
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end of edit…

icsmilemo

There’s a few tutorials on the web on how to make fake ice by melting beads in metal ice trays.

icsmilemoI apologize for the missing links to the tutorial.
I’ll try to do an update soon. with either my own tutorial or a link to one.

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