Flower Candy Wedding Centerpiece

The closer you get to your wedding day the more nervous you become, right? Well, sure, you have a lot to take care of and much to worry over. Try to relax, though. The calmer you are the better chances you have of pulling off the perfect wedding. And it will be, wont it? The beautiful gown, the gorgeous flowers - every detail has been taken care of. Except for the reception. Have you made the plans yet for the reception? Youll have to have foods, decorations, and dont forget the party favors. Why not make one thing be two? That is, if you make candy flowers as your decorations youll also have your favors taken care of at the same time.Decide on two or more colors for the candy bouquets that look like flowers but are edible. Guests will enjoy the colors and types of candy flowers just to look at, but on their way out of the reception, they can each grab a "flower" as a party favor.Choose two or more colors for the flowers and choose candies in those colors. They can be the same colors as you use in your wedding color scheme or a different choice. Online you can purchase candies of any shape, size and color. Locally, you can still find colorful candies like Red Hots, Gummis, LifeSavers, M&Ms, breath mints, licorice and more. Even if youre only using one or two colors try to find different candies in those colors so that each flower wont look the same.Lay a piece of clear cellophane on the table. Scoop about a third of a cup of the chosen candy and pour it onto the cellophane. Tie a twist-tie around it so that its tight and secure. Cut an additional piece of cellophane, lay the wrapped candies on it, push a floral pick, wooden dowel, skewer or similar item into the middle of the first wrap. Wrap the second cellophane around the first, trapping the stick, then twisting another twist-tie on to secure it all.Push a Styrofoam ball into the chosen vase. Push the finished candy flower into the vase by inserting the stick into the ball. Now make more flowers and add them to the vase. Try to shape each flower just a bit different to add interest to the bouquet. When youre finished, tuck a silk or real leaf, here and there, into the bouquet.Set the bouquets of candy flowers on the tables at the reception as the decorations and offer the guests a "flower" on the way home. Be sure to take a picture of the bouquets before you set them out, though. You wont want to forget just how lovely they were!Candy bouquet video how-to here.

Disposable Easel for Kids

If you have kids at your house you might have a little artist. Most kids love to color, draw and paint but its always such a mess. Markers and crayons are everywhere, kids are creating on the table when you need, but its still fun to see their finished drawings and paintings, isnt it? The only real problem is that you need to relocate your artist. Set up an art station - complete with easel - in the little ones bedroom and art time will be fun for the child as well as yourself. The easel is set up quickly by using a door in the childs room or elsewhere in the house.

Buy a set of over-the-door hooks to set up the easel. You can find them at discount department stores or purchase them online. Theres no installation required; you just open the door and hang the hooks over the top of it. Space them pretty far apart, with one hook near the edge of the door and the other near the hinge end of the door.

Purchase paper by the roll. It can be butcher paper or paper youve ordered online. Just make sure the width of the paper is at least a little less than the width of the door. Its not advisable to buy a huge, heavy roll to make the easel. Slide a shower curtain rod or caf? curtain rod through the opening in the roll and hang it on the door hooks. Pull the paper down to the floor and tape it in place. Tape it at the top, too. Otherwise, some kids might decide its more fun to dispense the entire roll on the floor than it is to use it for artwork. After the masterpiece is finished, the tape can be pulled up and away from the door so that you can tear it off and pull down a fresh paper. If you want, hang a pair of scissors and a roll of tape on the rod, beside the roll of paper. When needed, just lift up the end of the roll and slide them off. You might even consider using glue dots to attach pockets or other holders, down the side of the unrolled paper, to hold brushes, paints, pens, markers and more. Some doors arent flat; they have panels which make that particular door unsuitable as an easel. Fix this problem by simply taping a piece of thick cardboard over the door before hanging the roll of paper. Its a good idea to use cardboard even if the door is a flat one because some paints or markers might bleed through the paper and onto the door. Your child is going to love the unusual easel with the never-ending paper. Youll love it that your childs art supplies arent all over the table anymore.

Picture Frame Tool Center

Im one of those people who generally passes on crafts and projects that require power tools. I can use a rechargeable screwdriver, and possibly a drill - if I absolutely have to - but thats it. Now, though, home improvement stores make it easy on people like me. When you purchase certain products from a large home improvement store theyll cut it for you at no charge. All you have to do is tell them what size(s) you need and they take care of it for you. Thats why I was finally able to take advantage of a great craft that turns an old picture frame into a useful garden tools storage unit, a gift wrapping center, or another choice.

Purchase pegboard and have it cut to the size you need. Be sure to ask if they have any scraps because, sometimes, they have a broken piece which theyll sell and cut very cheap. Although pegboard is large you can do several of these projects at one time, and give some as gifts.

Use a picture frame that has no glass to make the storage center. One option for finding suitable frames is to check thrift stores and secondhand shops for old, framed paintings. Have the pegboard cut to the size of any picture frame to create a large, small, or other storage. Just slide the pegboard into the frame, as you would the glass, and thats it. However, if you want, you can paint the pegboard before putting it in the frame to create a theme or just to give the board a prettier look. Stand or hang the finished pegboard where you want. It can be mounted inside a cabinet door, so that it can be tucked out of sight, or even mounted on a garage wall. There are many different places where you can hang and use the tool center. Insert pegboard hooks to hold whatever you want them to hold. Scissors, clippers, paintbrushes, glue guns, screwdrivers, pliers, tape, ribbon, and twine, are just some of the implements you can hang on the framed tool board. If you want to create a theme for the pegboard you can easily glue on butterflies, flowers, or other accents. If the tool center you make is one that hangs on a wall, and you find that theres not enough room behind the frame to accommodate the hooks, screw a block of wood behind each corner, then hang the frame. This will allow more room between the pegboard and the wall. Once you have one of the tool centers hung youll see that youll need another. The framed tool storage is great in many different places in the house. Pegboard Tool Center

Shaped Fabric Bowls

When you collect certain things, like seashells, you buy items as you see them. You might just be browsing a catalog and find a special shell soap dish you want. Or maybe you collect thimbles and you run into some at a flea market. When you collect things it can be hard to walk on by when you discover something you dont have. But when you make what you dont have you wont settle for what you can find; you get exactly what you want. Thats why youll love a project where you take any shape or image, and turn it into a fabric bowl. Its a simple process that allows you to make a bowl with the shape of a car, train, shoe, flower, building, pet, or most any other shape.Use thick tweed as the color or pattern of the item youve chosen to recreate. Cut the tweed to be the shape you want. This can be done freehand, with a stencil, or using an image cut from a coloring book or magazine. Trace the shape onto the tweed, add details if you want, then cut out the shape.Use felt to cut an additional shape for the bowl. This shape should be identical to the tweed shape. Besides the tweed and the felt youll also need fusible web. Found at places where fabric and notions are sold, the fusible web works to hold to fabrics together. Stack the two shapes, with the right side of the tweed facing upwards, and the fusible web between them. Follow directions to iron and fuse the two fabrics.On the back of the felt, sew small darts, and go all the way around the shape with them. These darts should run from the image, to the edge of the image, and should be short. The darts will help give the flat image a bowl shape. Depending on the size and shape of the image, it could take only two or three darts, or might need several darts. It can be helpful to fold the image so that the tweed is in and the felt is showing, and sew straight over to the edge. The darts, though, should not go all the way into the center of the bowl. Shape the fabric like a bowl, while holding it in your hands, to get a good idea of where to make the darts.Certain shapes make the best bowls. Some ideal shapes include leaves, soccer or other balls, hands, or cars. Play around with different shapes, and various patterns of tweed, to make assorted bowls. Sew details on the fabric shapes to add more visual interest. The bowls can be used in many ways around the house or can be given as unusual gifts. After all, when was the last time you saw a fabric bowl, shaped like a hedgehog?

Pantyhose Painting

Black pantyhose, white hose, fishnet stockings - there are many different types of leg coverings that you might choose to wear with a particular outfit. And, even though you have many color choices, and several styles from which you can select, theres just nothing like the eye-popping look youll create when you do pantyhose painting. If you want your legs to get noticed, they certainly will when you paint a scene on one or both legs of the pantyhose. People will definitely stop to stare! Whether youre going club-hopping, or just trying to get your guy to look at you - and not the television - youll get attention when you wear painted pantyhose. Although its possible to paint on fishnet stockings, youll achieve the best results if you paint on ordinary pantyhose - not tights. You can paint on tights but theres something more intriguing about the painting being done on natural, beige, taupe, tan, or brown shades of regular pantyhose.

It can be helpful to put the pantyhose on, and then draw a chalk perimeter for where you want the actual pantyhose artwork to go. Remove the pantyhose and slide a piece of cardboard into the area where you will be drawing.

Use a paint pen - or more than one - to create the scene you want. Your local craft store likely sells a huge variety of the paint markers. When you use stencils along with the paint pens, you can create your choice of thousands of designs on one or both legs of the pantyhose. The pen contains real paint, which is permanent, and can help you draw a colorful or demure art piece on the pantyhose. Another option for painting the pantyhose is to slide a picture in the pantyhose, and position it on top of the cardboard. If you use hosiery that you can see through, you can easily trace the scene. A good source for pantyhose pictures is a coloring book but you could also use a picture ripped from a catalog, a calendar picture, or an image printed from the internet. Youre only limited by your imagination when it comes to the designs you can draw onto the pantyhose. Draw a gun in a garter holster, a person climbing a rope, a spider crawling up the leg, a hand, bees, butterflies, palm trees, nature scenes, vines and flowers, or other images. Both legs can be made to match or they can each have a different scene. Or, just one leg can be decorated. Put the finished pantyhose on, go out the door, and get ready for people to stop and glare!

Easy Sewing Project: Bandana Table Runners

Dont worry. Your family member - the one who loves bandanas - will never miss a few of them if they happen to come up missing. Of course, once they see the new table runner you made from them they might get suspicious! Who wouldnt love a cute bandana table runner now that bandanas come in a huge variety of colors and patterns? No longer do you have to choose from just the red and white or blue and white design we all know; now youll find bandanas with solid colors, flowers, rock stars, tie-dye and others. Its easy to make a bandana table runner because you dont have to hem the edges of the fabric! There are two different ways you can make a table runner from bandanas. One is to stack two identical bandanas on top of each other, with right sides facing. At one corner, pin them, then sew straight across it, from one side to the other, for a total of a couple of inches or so. Open these up, lay a bandana on one of the two that are stitched together, pin two corners, then sew across it. The corners you sew this time should be opposite the corners you sewed first. Add another and another bandana, sewing them together at the corners, to make the table runner as long as you want. The diamond shapes created by the bandanas makes a lovely pattern for a table runner.

Create a different table runner by starting with two bandanas which are alike. Turn one side of one of the bandana under, lay the fold on the edge of the second bandana so that the two are side-by-side, and sew all the way across it. Keep the stitches very close to the fold. This will adjoin the two bandanas while leaving you with a flat seam that looks neat and tidy.

Make a backing for the above table runner by cutting a piece of lightweight fabric to be the same width and length as the runner. Stack the runner and the backing with right sides together. Sew around three sides of the material and trim the excess fabric very close to the stitches. Turn the table runner right-side-out and sew the opening shut. Press the new runner well on all four sides. Thread a needle and take a stitch, here and there, to tack the bandana to the backing. Make these small stitches along the seams of the bandanas. A bandana table runner can be whimsical, beautiful or even a tribute to your favorite star. Its all a matter of the bandanas you choose for the project. No matter what the design of the bandanas youll have a unique table runner like no one elses!

How to Make a Platter Mirror

If you look around at thrift stores much theres something youll see over and over again at nearly every store: plates and platters. Whether theyre amongst a set of antiques, or just a single plate or platter amongst other mismatched pieces, you can always find plates and platters which can be used to make assorted d?cor pieces at your house. Not just something like a painted tray that holds a floral arrangement, or a platter that sits on a kitchen counter to hold spices, but a real d?cor piece thats not only inexpensive to make but very breathtaking.

With assorted, frame-less mirrors from a craft store you can make your choice of platter mirrors. Its a good idea to take a pattern with you so you can choose the exact size of mirror you need. To make a pattern, just lay a piece of paper on top of the platter or tray, then press the paper into the natural grooves around the bottom of the plate. Cut it out so that it has the same shape as the bottom of the platter.

There are many frame-less mirrors from which to choose at a craft store and none of them are expensive. Large, round ones, huge square ones, octagons, ovals - all sorts of mirrors without frames. Select one that comes the closest to the size of your pattern or do a different design. For instance, if your platter has a rectangular shape you can mount a round mirror on it. Paint the platter or even cover it with fabric or decorative paper, such as scrapbook paper or wallpaper. Or, simply use the platter as-is. However, painting it, then adding the mirror, gives the platter a brand new look. When the paint is dry use glue suitable for mirrors and glass to attach the mirror to the platter or plate. When the glue is dry you can then, if you want, add embellishments to the mirror and/or platter. These can be anything from tiny jewels, glued around the perimeter of the mirror, to painted wooden shapes attached to the platter frame. Use a picture hanger on the back of the platter to hang it on a wall. Or, take the craft one step further and add a bow to it. Make a large bow from wired ribbon and glue just the hanging parts of the ribbon to the back of the platter. That way, the bow rests up against the wall, atop the platter, and gives the appearance that the platter mirror is hanging by the bow. Its a beautiful arrangement that makes use of an old platter that had already seen its glory days. See a platter mirror here.

Teach Yourself Calligraphy

Fancy lettering never goes out of style. It doesnt matter if youre making wedding invitations, or creating large lettering on a birthday banner, fancy lettering, like calligraphy, adds a touch of elegance to the occasion. People spend many years learning calligraphy and, indeed, it can take a long time to perfect the art, but, youll use the talent many times. Rather than pay huge money to be taught calligraphy, you can learn it on your own. With the internet anyone can earn calligraphy.

There are various types of calligraphy, like western, east Asian, south Asian, Islamic, and others. Familiarizing yourself with the various types of calligraphy can be very helpful. There are many websites that feature pictures of calligraphy letters, words, and even borders.

The tools you use to do calligraphy are important. Although you can make calligraphy with nearly any pen or pencil youll achieve a much different look with a marker than you will with a pen that has a nib. Start with a regular ink pen and cheap paper. Look at pictures of calligraphy writing and copy them to the best of your ability. Just like when you first learned to write youll need to practice over and over. After awhile, youll begin getting much better at shaping letters and creating fancy images. Practice one letter until its perfect then try another letter. Move on to calligraphy with markers and lettering done with special calligraphy pens. Some people find it especially easy to learn calligraphy by printing letters out on the home computer. Lay thin paper over the printout and trace the lettering. This can help you learn to make continuous lines that flow easily together. A light box is often used to create the perfect spacing, width, and height of letters. Make one using this tutorial, or purchase one. The tutorial will also show you how to use the light box. When you begin to get pretty good at calligraphy switch to high quality paper, vellum, or parchment paper. Youll immediately notice a big difference in the way your calligraphy looks. With parchment or vellum you can often use a knife to scrape away mistakes. Youre going to make lots of mistakes, but youll get better and better, and soon, youll be able to make your own invitations, announcements, wall art, and more. Invest in good pens and use quality paper only when youre convinced of your talents. Then, off you go to make much calligraphic art for years to come.

Candle Surface Protectors

Doilies are almost a thing of the past. They used to be tatted by women and set under d?cor pieces to prevent scratching tables or to keep moisture from drinking glasses away from the table surface. You can still purchase doilies but youll rarely see them in anyones home. Now youll find modern coasters, table runners and other things which have taken the place of most doilies. Doilies were useful because they offered protection. Even today one needs to protect certain surfaces from other things, like a candle. Wax dripping from a burning candle can certainly mar or ruin a table or other surface.

When you use a simple technique to make a surface protector for a candle you not only keep wax from damaging furniture you also create a lovely d?cor piece that coodinates with the candle. Since these can be made from many different materials you can easily make ones that have holiday themes, seasonal themes or other images.

A table or surface protector is almost like a place mat. You lay it on any flat surface, set the candle in the center, then worry no more. Theyre made by simply using clear contact paper and other supplies to create the design you want. Some things you can use include fabric, decorative paper, glitter, confetti, cutouts, foil pieces, ribbon and stickers. Cut a piece of contact paper so that its twice the size you need it to be. Arrange most any flat object(s) on one half of the contact paper. After youve created the design you want simply fold the other side of the paper over to trap the items between the contact paper sheets. The surface protector can be cut into nearly any shape you want. Lay paper cutouts of poinsettias on the contact paper, for example, then after folding the other piece over, cut out around the poinsettia leaves to create that particular shape. Or, simply cut the contact paper design into a circle, oval, triangle, square or other simplistic shape. Never set a burning candle directly onto the surface protectors. Instead, place the candle on a candle holder before setting it on the table protector. If youre not burning the candle, however, it looks really nice setting in the center of one. If wax does drip onto the table protector, simply wait until it dries, then scrape it off. Should you get a burn mark on the surface protector you can always throw it away and make another. Theyre so inexpensive and easy to create that youll be happy to make a few more!

T-Shirt Backpack

There are certain things you need in life that you absolutely have to buy. The item is impossible to make by yourself so you have no choice. There are many other things, though, that you need and can make yourself. Kids, in particular, require lots of things that cost money. Buy what you have to then make what you can yourself. One useful thing you can easily make for a child is a cloth backpack. You wont have to run out and buy fabric but you will need a few items to help you create the easy backpack.

Materials needed: 1 t-shirt Grommet kit cord Choose a t-shirt that you want to use for making the backpack. Its best to select one that has no printing or images. Thats because, in the end, the image will be upside-down on the backpack. If you want, you can later stamp or paint an image or words onto the front of the backpack.

Turn the chosen shirt inside-out and lay it on a table. Start below one underarm area and cut over to the opposite side. You will be using the bottom portion of the shirt to make the backpack. Before going further use the lower portion of the shirt to measure the cord needed for the straps on the backpack. Cut the cord to be about six times the width of the shirt. The cord you use can be cotton clothesline cord or something similar. You can even use wide ribbon. Use a machine or hand stitch the cut area of the t-shirt. Simply sew along the two cut edges so that you sew them together, about a half-inch from the edge. Turn the shirt right-side-out. Lay the shirt so that the hem is facing you. Find a point thats halfway between the two side seams - or two sides if there are no seams. Cut a small hole on the underside, in the hem, so that you can slide a cord into the hemline. The hem will become the pocket for the cord. Hooking a safety pin onto one end of the cord can help you feed it through the pocket. After the cord is through, divide the remaining cord so that it hangs evenly on each side. At the end that you stitched shut you will install the grommets. The grommets you use should be slightly larger in diameter than the cord. Follow the instructions on the grommet kit and place one at each corner of the bag. After the grommets are in place, take the left hand cord, thread it through the left grommet, and tie a knot. Do the same to the right hand side. Now the child can simply slip his arms through the cords and wear the backpack anywhere he - or she - wants.

Assorted Fake Drinks for a Play Kitchen

What youll need:Styrofoam cupsThin cardboardFelt, fabric or cellophaneWhite gue When I was a kid my sisters and I played for hours in our pretend kitchen. Mostly, we had play foods to lay on play dishes, but on occasion, my Mom would bring us some real beverages or foods to "play with". Of course, we gobbled up the goodies, but in the meanwhile, we pretended to cook and serve them. But, sadly, and eventually, we had to resort back to the pretend items. Nowadays, creative people have come up with all sorts of ways to make fake foods and such for a pretend kitchen.

Its really easy to make a variety of beverages when you use common things. You dont have to be an expert crafter to make them, either. One way to make a fake beverage is to start with a Styrofoam cup. Turn it upside-down and draw around it onto a piece of thin cardboard. Cut a tad off the circle, all the way around, to make it just slightly smaller in diameter than the cup.

Cut a circle of dark brown or black fabric or felt. The circle of felt should be a bit larger than the cardboard circle. Lay the fabric over the cardboard circle then push it, covered side first, into the cup. This is done only to ensure that the piece will fit in the cup after the fabric is glued on. If not, trim the cardboard a bit more. When youre sure of the fit, glue the felt onto the cardboard, and glue the edges of the felt to the backside of the cardboard. Apply white glue all the way around the edge of the covered circle. Push the piece into the Styrofoam cup until it is wedged. Make sure that the piece is sitting level then allow the glue to dry. You can use other colors of felt or fabric, in the same manner as the coffee above, to make lemonade, soda or other beverages. Or, instead of felt or fabric try colored cellophane. When you wrap cellophane around a cardboard circle, then push it into a Styrofoam cup, you can make more colorful, sparkly drinks. You dont necessarily have to use Styrofoam cups to make play drinks. Use coffee cups, drinking glasses and other things - as long as theyre unbreakable. If you can see through the glass, fill it with wadded paper, quilt batting or other lightweight materials before gluing in the fabric-covered, cardboard circle. It only takes a few minutes to make each beverage, and since it is so addictive to make pretend drinks, your daughter will soon have many. Now all shes waiting on is a few "customers" to show!

How to Sure-Wall Piers

Youve got your new double-wide mobile home set on your lot, now comes the setup. And theres lots of setup involved. The power and water have to be connected, you have to meet the countys standards for decks at the front and back doors, and theres much more. When setting a double-wide or other mobile home, concrete blocks are stacked to hold a lot of weight. With several concrete piers under the house many new home owners are either in the blind about treating the pillars so they dont fall, or theyre told about it, but its optional, so they dont have it done. Concrete blocks, when stacked, can hold the weight, but under certain conditions, those piers can crumble or even fall.

It was probably the price of the work that made you opt out of having the piers under your home sure-walled. Thats because the real expense is for paying someone to crawl under the house to work. If you dont mind doing the work yourself you can save hundreds or more. Its not even hard to sure-wall concrete pillars and youll see that when you get started.

Sure-wall mix is sold at home improvement stores. Its a dry product which, when mixed with water, works to seal blocks, keep them from crumbling, and make a stack of blocks be like one. The fiberglass in the mix works to make a stack of bricks much more steady. Follow the instructions to mix the powder but make it a bit thicker than called for on the label. If you follow the instructions on the label, and paint the mix onto the blocks with a paintbrush, youre going to be under that mobile home for a long, long time. Instead, make the mix a bit thicker than called for. Go under the house with at least a couple of pairs of thick gloves - they will get ruined. Its helpful to cut a square from plastic, then cut another square inside that one. The inside square should be the size of a concrete block. Cut a slit in the square so you can wrap it around the bottom of the concrete pier. Scoop up hands full of the mixture and spread it all over the column, from the bottom, up. Do all four sides then allow to dry. Do this to each and every column under the house to steady the blocks. If youre getting ready to have a home set, or you already have, pass on the package that pays for the sure-wall application and do it yourself. Take a bright light under the home with you and youll do fine. When youre done, take your family on a weekend getaway with the money you saved.

Huge Assortment of Game Tile Jewelry

There are very few people who can say that, amongst the stack of board games they own, theres not one that doesnt have all its pieces. We never know how a piece goes missing; we just discover one day that all of the pieces arent there. Since youre having trouble throwing the game in the trash, get it out of the closet, and make some new jewelry. A game tile is a great way to create an unusual necklace and there are thousands you could make. So, get the game out, and lets get busy.A Scrabble tile can be turned into a cute jewelry piece using any number of necklace designs. Use a blank tile or one with a letter on it. Paint the tile or use it as-is. Although the tile itself makes a nice necklace, when you glue on a trinket, you create something totally different. Glue on a large rhinestone, a square cut from scrapbook paper or cloth, or just put on a sticker. Drill a tiny hole on top of the tile, then screw in an eye hook. Attach the hook to a chain and youre ready to wear the necklace.Lots of games have tiles. Use dominoes, Mahjong, Scrabble, or other game tiles, to make just the necklace you want. Wear each tile just as it is or embellish it to your liking. For some tiles, youll find it easier to drill a tiny hole from one side to the other. For another tile, you might find it simple to make just one hole at the top. When you drill a hole from one side to the other, though, its easy to just slide your chain or cord through it.Paint a tile gold, silver, bronze, or another metallic color, mount a rhinestone, and you can create an elegant necklace. Paint the tile a neon color, and mount a sticker, to create a fun necklace for a child. Other things you can mount on a tile include a metal monogram, a tiny poem, a picture cut from a greeting card, a metal hardware piece, a painted wooden shape, or even a bracelet charm.You can completely change the look of the tile if you do something even more unusual. Drill a hole in the bottom of the tile and you can add embellishments that dangle. Once the hole is in place, add hot glue, and you can slide in a set of feathers, a short strand of beads, or another decorative arrangement.If youve got missing pieces to a game that features tiles, yank it out of the closet. You can give that game - or pieces of it - a whole new life, when you turn one or more of them into jewelry. Make a large domino necklace, a small Scrabble anklet, or another piece. Youll love it and wear it often.

Potpourri Candle Ring

There are many different ways to decorate a candle but most people focus on decorating the candle itself. Painting them, using pins to create images, or even wrapping candles in cloth or paper are all techniques used by crafters to make ordinary candles look a little more glamorous. Look beyond the candle itself, though, and youll see yet another way to doll it up! A simple candle ring is perfect for creating magnificent wedding d?cor, holiday decorations, or just for adding a touch of elegance around your home.

If youve never made a candle ring youll find them very easy to make, however, a potpourri candle ring can be a little more time-consuming to create than some others. The perfect potpourri for this craft is the kind that features large pieces of this and that. The larger pieces make the project go a little quicker.

You can purchase potpourri in many different colors, but when it comes to shades of silver or gold, it can be a little more difficult to find it if there are no approaching holidays. You can spray paint any potpourri with silver, gold or even bronze-colored paint but keep in mind that this will eliminate the aroma from the potpourri. If the look is what you want, and your main concern isnt the aroma aspect, paint the potpourri the color of your choice. It doesnt all have to be painted the same color; you can paint various colors so youll have just the look you want. Set the candle youll be using on a piece of thin cardboard. Draw around the bottom of it. Now use a larger object, like a bowl, to create another circle around that one. Cut out the cardboard to create the donut shape for the candle ring. Coat the cardboard with a thick layer of glue then sprinkle the potpourri chunks on it. Press down to secure the various pieces then allow it to dry. Now youll have to glue more potpourri chunks on, piece by piece, unless you have spray adhesive. If you do, spray the potpourri and sprinkle on more. Continue doing this until the ring is as thick and tall as you want, allowing each coat of adhesive to dry thoroughly before adding another layer of the potpourri. The candle rings simply encircle the bottom of the candle but they instantly change the look of an ordinary candle into something magnificent. Use them to create a beautiful look for a wedding or as holiday centerpieces. Or, just make the potpourri in colors you have in your home and use the candle rings all year long!

Build Your Own Trivets, Stands and More

You probably think that fancy wooden trivets, stands and similar wood pieces have to be purchased or made by someone who is handy with tools. You might not know that you can easily build a huge assortment of these things using nothing but a glue gun. No sawing, no hammering - just glue. With pre-cut wooden pieces from a craft store you can build any number of useful things for your home.

Assemble a trivet to protect your table or counter top by starting with a large wood piece. This piece can be square or round and can be made from thin wood or thick. Paint the unfinished shape or use it as-is. Glue a piece of felt, fabric or even cork on top. Glue large wooden beads to the underside of the trivet. If youre making a square one use four beads underneath, but for a round one, evenly space three beads on the bottom. These handy trivets can be made as large or small as you want.

Make pedestals for candles, picture frames, statuettes and other d?cor pieces by starting with two identical wooden shapes. These can be round, square, oval or another shape but must be the same size and thickness. Paint the wooden shapes or use them in their unfinished condition. To assemble the pedestal start by gluing large wooden beads on the bottom to use as legs for the stand. Now glue the same amount of beads on the top of the stand making sure to align them with the beads on the bottom. Position the second shape over these top beads and glue it in place. These stands are simple but eye-catching. Make large ones to hold a plant or small ones to display a kids small trophy. Make many different pedestal-type stands by the supplies you choose. Instead of gluing on wooden beads, for example, attach short, large-diameter wooden dowels. These are available, already cut, at most any craft store. Glue these on instead of wooden beads and the stands can be much taller. Youll have a huge variety of them if you combine sizes, shapes and more. For instance, use small wooden shapes and long dowels to make tall, slender pedestals. Use large wooden pieces but short, fat dowels, and youll create a different tiered stand. All the stands you make dont have to be ordinary shapes. Craft stores sell a variety of unusual-shaped wood, like puppy shapes, flowers, footballs and others. These shapes allow you to get creative with d?cor in a childs room or unusual stands for other areas of the home. Theyre all very simple and very useful!

Wedding Favor Lollipop Trees for Kids

You would need a huge scroll to write down all the items that you can give to your wedding guests as party favors. Bath beads, candles, cocoa, incense, soaps, flowers, picture frames - well, we wont name them all! Party favors for a wedding are unique in that its difficult to think of one thing that will suit every person. At a kids birthday party you can bet theyll all love bubbles, candy and similar choices. Thats because most of the kids are about the same age with many of the same interests. When youre choosing wedding party favors, though, you must please men, women and children of all ages. Thats a tall order! Party favors which are addressed to couples, but are really suited for the woman, are commonplace. Men dont generally care about bath salts and candles. But, there are lots of party favors, like chocolates, that are suitable for men and women - and children, too. But, a favorite of most children is the classic sucker. Whether its huge and flat, small and round - kids love suckers. Give the adults salt and pepper shakers, photo albums or other things theyll like but treat the kids to suckers! Sitting through an entire wedding ceremony can be tedious and difficult for a small child. When its over, though, he or she will be glad to see that the wait was worthwhile. Give them each a sucker tree and youll see no more yawns! It doesnt take much effort to make a sucker tree. All you need is a Styrofoam cone and the tree is nearly done! Paint the cone or use it as-is. Or, wrap the cone in satin ribbon to coordinate with the color scheme of the wedding. If you choose the ribbon technique simply slide the sucker sticks between two of the ribbon pieces wrapped around the tree.

The sucker tree doesnt have to be completely covered. Just place suckers randomly or in a particular order to give each child the number of suckers you want them to have. You even have options for topping the tree. Slide in one sucker that matches the others, use a much larger or different type of sucker on top, or even make a tiny banner - with a toothpick and paper - that announces the couples names or says "Thanks".

Most any child would love to have a sucker tree but they dont absolutely have to be just for kids. Make them to set on the food tables so that guests can sample them at will or make a sucker tree for each guest to take home. Theyre quick, look great, and will suit nearly guest or any budget!

Lighted Party Numbers or Words

Dont you hate it when youre looking for a particular house and its dark outside? It seems that no one has house numbers visible and youre forced to nearly break the law, practically stopping in the middle of the road, trying to read numbers on homes to get to your destination. You see a number on a house here and there, but its not the house youre looking for, and it takes seemingly forever to finally pinpoint that house number you want. Dont let all that frustration happen to the guests at your upcoming party. Guide them to the destination with lighted house numbers, a large "Party" sign, or another arrangement.Use gift boxes to make the lighted numbers or message for your summer party, wedding reception or other special occasion. Dollar-theme and craft stores carry assorted sizes of gift boxes from cubes to robe boxes. Use plain cardboard boxes, decorated ones or even paper mache boxes which you can paint or leave plain.Use purchased or downloaded stencils to write a number or letter on the lid or top of each box, centering each image. After outlining the letters or numbers cut them out with a craft knife. Save the cutouts for future projects. From the inside, cover the cutout areas with colored vellum or cellophane.Use a battery-operated light inside each box to illuminate it. Check dollar-theme stores for assorted lights that run off of batteries, like push lights or candle lights. Or, use neon snap bracelets or necklaces for the light. The light is a tube and, after you snap it, it glows for several hours in colors of neon orange, green, yellow or pink.Stand house number boxes outside on the porch or stoop. Stack them vertically or place them horizontally. If its easy to see your house numbers do something different with the lit boxes. Spell out your last name in lights, a word which goes along with the theme of your party, or another sentiment. Spell out a word or phrase across a table, like the names of a newly married couple, a birthday boy or girls name, or even the year for a New Years Eve party.Lighted boxes are beautiful, helpful and decorative. Use them for any number of special occasions or just spell out a girls name and set the boxes on a shelf in her room. The boxes make it easy to create a certain look for a party or just to help your guests get safely to the party. When shopping at a dollar-theme store you can make each boxed letter or number for about a buck.See lighted house numbers here.

Coin Race Birthday Party Game

One of the best things about playing games at a childs birthday party is that you can keep all the kids in one place. Instead of children running all over your house you can organize a game in the backyard and the kids will have fun and exercise while winning prizes. For this years birthday party, line the kids up outside, and they can race to try to win first place in a relay game thats suitable for kids of all ages.

To start the game use two things to mark a turn-around point while the kids are running in the relay. These things could be two stakes, two bricks or even two potted plants. Place these at one end of the yard but leave a wide gap between them.

At the marked turn-around areas set a bowl of pennies for each team. Set the bowl on the ground or place chairs outside and set the bowls on them. Each bowl should contain pennies. The amount of pennies can vary; there should be at least a penny for each child on that team. Mark an area where the kids will start the game. Again, you can use rocks, plants, sticks pushed into the ground or other objects. Line an equal amount of children in each line, in front of their respective starting points. Halfway between the starting point and the turn-around, set an egg carton on the ground. There should be one egg carton for each team. Make sure the lids are cut off of the cartons. When someone calls "go", the first child in each line runs to the turn-around spot, picks up a penny from the bowl, then runs to the egg carton on the way back to his or her line. Upon reaching the egg carton each child will stop and drop the penny into it. The child cannot bend over; he or she must not lower the penny below the waist. Drop the penny into the egg carton, run back to the next person in line, and then watch as that child does the same. The object of the game is to be the first team who has a penny in each section of the egg carton. The child who ends up dropping the last penny into the last section simply hollers "we got it" or something similar. If youre playing the game outside when its really hot theres an additional element you can add to the game. As each child makes it to the turn-around spot, he or she can scoop a cup of water from a bucket, pour that over his head, then pick up his penny and finish the race. Its simple, its fun and its a great way to keep many kids entertained at a birthday party or other event.

Oriental Table Runners

Love oriental decorator items? Theyre gorgeous, arent they? The paintings, wall hangings, and lettering, done in red, black, and gold - theyre just stunning. If you shop for oriental decorator items you already know how costly they can be. Some of these types of things are really easy to make - like a table runner. In fact, there are many different table runners a person can make and no one will be able to tell them from expensive versions purchased at a specialty store.Although silk is the fabric of choice for high-end oriental table runners, youll find other cloth at a fabric store that can be used in place of silk. Red, black, white, or gold, are all colors you could choose for the fabric. Measure the length of your table, and decide how wide you want the runner to be, so youll know how much fabric to purchase.A simplistic table runner can be made by stacking two pieces of material - cut to be the width and length you need - so that their right sides face each other. Sew around the perimeter of the fabric and leave a small opening, at one short end, so that you can turn the arrangement right-side-out. Sew the opening shut.Make variations to the above table runner by cutting the ends to come to a point, or even by creating Chinese writing on it. You can order stencils or even make your own. Print out Chinese writing images and cut out just the brush marks of the writing itself. Leave all white paper and that will become your template. With paint markers you can easily create a message to your guests or even your mantra.When you purchase really thick fabric it might not be necessary to stack two pieces together and sew them. With thick cloth you can simply attach a tassel to each corner to create an oriental look with little effort. Embellish this table runner with Chinese writing or other designs, if desired.With inkjet-printable cotton you can make a much more detailed table runner but you still wont have to work hard to create it. Go online to find Chinese images, like a bowl of noodles and chopsticks, buildings, and other images. Print the designs onto the cloth then sew these images onto the main table runner. If you have no way to sew just use fabric glue.You have many fabric, color, and design choices for oriental table runners so it will be easy to create just the perfect one for you. Youll take pride in knowing you made it yourself, especially when visitors drop by and start pouring out the compliments.

Turkey Candles

Turkey centerpiece, turkey bread basket, turkey magnet - lets see, do you have all of the turkey stuff set out in the house? Its exciting to decorate for any holiday but those cute turkeys - well, Thanksgiving is certainly a special time, with adorable decorations. Have you made a turkey candle yet? Thats a lot of fun yet not much trouble. Turkey candles look great on the Thanksgiving dinner table, on a mantle, on a counter, and elsewhere in the house. Theyre just charming and they really perk up the place for the holiday.Turkey candles can be made using various materials. If you dont have one thing in particular, just substitute something else. To start, though, youll need a tea light or votive in a small, round, bowl-like candle holder. A holder that is brown, orange, or even yellow, is ideal. If you cant find one in a Thanksgiving color, buy a clear one, then use decoupage adhesive to cover the candle holder with tissue paper, in the color you want. It helps to place a red, yellow, orange, or other candle - to match the candle holder - inside.Use a wooden ball - found at any craft store - to make the head. Dont have one? You can substitute a Styrofoam ball, painted orange, brown, or yellow, to match the candle holder. Use hot glue to attach the ball to the candle holder, on any side, right below the top edge. That will now be the front of the turkey. Glue on wiggly eyes or even paint the eyes on with a marker. Black beads are another option for creating eyes.Fold a small piece of yellow paper and draw a triangle whose bottom is the fold. This folded diamond shape will become the beak for the turkey. Apply a dab of hot glue to the fold of the paper and stick it to the wooden or Styrofoam ball.You can easily make a wattle from red tissue paper, or even construction paper, when you cut an oval shape. Twist it and stick it to the ball with one end of the red tissue going over the beak.Tissue can be used to make the tail feathers, too; cut 9"x2" pieces, fold them in half but dont crease them, and glue them to the back of the candle holder. Another option is to cut the pieces from ribbon. Make all the feathers the same color or make them various colors.The turkey candle is so lovable and makes a fun project for Thanksgiving. When you craft several of them, you can create a theme on the dining table, and even around the room. The turkey candles add a whimsical touch but create a soft glow for ambiance.Turkey Candle

Kids Toilet Paper Roll Scroll

By now youve probably heard that there are all sorts of things you can make from empty bathroom tissue rolls. If youve already tried your hand at toilet paper roll characters, bracelets, ornaments and other popular crafts why not try one more? Kids can make beautiful scrolls to give others or keep for themselves and the scrolls can be made from bathroom tissue rolls! Dont think that just because youll only spend a few cents to make each scroll that it will look like a childish gift; the finished scrolls are really beautiful.

Youll need two bathroom tissue rolls to make each scroll. If youd like to make a much larger scroll you can do so by using two paper towel rolls. Try to choose cardboard tubes which are in perfect condition. Dents and tears around the openings of the tubes can ruin the whole look of the scroll. In addition to the toilet paper rolls youll also need paper, felt or cloth.

If youre going to use paper for your scroll youll find some beautiful themes at a craft store. Or, choose a roll of interesting gift wrap and use it. If you use felt you can use thick or thin. When using fabric, though, choose lightweight types that will not unravel around the edges and are not stretchy. Assembling the scroll is really easy. If youre using paper, and you need to, you can tape two or more pieces together. However, the best scrolls are ones that have just one continuous piece of paper, felt or fabric. No matter what type of material youre using youll start by laying it out flat on a table. Cut the width of the material to the size of the toilet paper rolls length. Cut the length of the paper, felt or fabric to any length you want. Apply glue to one toilet paper roll and set it on the edge of the material. Roll the material around the toilet paper roll and glue it. Glue it until you can no longer see the cardboard of the tube. At the opposite end do the same thing. Now you can simply roll the two tubes towards the center. To close the scroll. Glue a ribbon piece to each side of the closed scroll - one ribbon on the center of one roll and the other ribbon on the opposite side. Tie the ribbons together to close the scroll. Inside the scroll you can put any number of things. A thank-you note made with stickers on a paper scroll, a paper poem glued to a fabric or felt scroll - there are no limits. The scrolls make fabulous wedding favors, graduation gifts, anniversary presents and more!

Message Center for the Fridge

You always see old tv shows where the entire family is gathered around the table, enjoying a meal together, seemingly at peace with themselves and each other. Todays world isnt like that at all! Its hectic, its fast-paced, it can actually be a madhouse at home! Seldom do you see everyones schedules coincide so that the family life can resemble those of old tv shows. If youve got a lot going on at your house, and you cant always sit down with the others, things can get confusing. You forget to tell someone they need to stop at the store. You forget you have an assignment due at school. You meant to talk to one of the other family members but you havent run into him yet today! Everyone gathers in the kitchen - even if its not at the same time - so why not make the kitchen "message central"? The refrigerator is the perfect place to put reminders, notes and more. Family members can stay in touch, kids can post reminders of school work, and each person can have a space of his own.

Small cardboard boxes make a great way to create the refrigerator message center. Paint the boxes, gift wrap them or cover them in cloth. The boxes need no lids. Cut a piece of magnetic sheeting and stick it on the back of each box. Make one box per family member. Use stickers or markers to write the names of the people on the boxes. Now you can leave notes for each other and leave reminders for yourself.

Instead of using boxes you can also use pockets. Cut a pocket from an old garment for each person in the home. Or, cut pocket shapes from felt, fabric or even paper. Decorate the pockets how you want then put a name on each pocket. Once again, use strips of magnetic sheeting to attach the message holders to the fridge. Make your refrigerator into a cork board for messages by simply purchasing a small roll of cork. Its found at craft stores and, with magnetic sheet strips, it can easily be attached to the refrigerator. Just cut the size you want, stick the sheeting strips all the way around the perimeter, on the backside, then stick the cork board to the fridge. Use push-pins to hold notes, photos and more. Eventually, everyone comes to the kitchen. Its the best place for creating a message center since, sooner or later, the recipient of the message will show up to eat. Its easy to make all sorts of magnetic organizers for the fridge and these will keep your household running just a little smoother than before!

Balloon Wreath

Trying to pull everything together for yet another birthday party can be exhausting and challenging. Still, its so much fun to see the looks on the faces of the kids, when they see shaped foods, theme decorations, and that fabulous cake. One thing that really grabs a small childs attention is color. A young kid is often fascinated with bright colors, like red, blue, yellow, green, orange, and purple. Incorporate those colors, or others, into a door wreath made especially for the birthday party, by using balloons. A balloon wreath greets young guests in a colorful and intriguing way.

Youll need quite a lot of balloons to make an attractive wreath but, thankfully, balloons are cheap. You dont have to go to a high-end party store, and purchase balloons with images or glitter; just ordinary balloons will work fine. Two-inch, round balloons work perfectly but you could combine them with slightly smaller balloons. For a large wreath you could use up to 150 balloons. Dont worry that it will take hours and hours to craft; its easy to attach the balloons to a wreath form.

A straw wreath is the ideal form for the balloon birthday party wreath. You can find assorted sizes of straw wreaths at a craft store. Do not remove the plastic wrapping; without the plastic the straw will begin to hang off of the wreath. A greening pin, found at a florist shop, or in the floral department of a craft store, is a unique pin. It has the shape of a "U" and that makes it easy to slide a balloon into it. Slip the middle of the balloon into the middle of the pin, and then stick the pin into the wreath. Make a circle of the balloons, and then another, until you cover the entire wreath. Or, instead of making those uniform circles, just randomly pin the balloons to cover the wreath. Cover the inside of the circle, the face of the wreath, and the outside of the circle, but leave the back blank. The balloon should be tightly crammed together so that no part of the original wreath is showing. Although a colorful balloon wreath is ideal for a childs party, you can transform it, and make a balloon wreath for nearly any occasion. Make a solid white, or a black and white wreath, for a wedding. Make a red, white, and blue wreath for Independence Day or a black and orange balloon wreath for Halloween. No matter what colors you put on the wreath the balloons create a welcoming decoration for any party or special occasion.

How to Make a Brick Doll Couch

So, Barbies in the market for a new sofa? The old couch just isnt fashionable anymore or has suffered some horrible fate, like a torn covering? If youve got a brick lying around outside youre well on your way to making a cool doll couch thats functional as well. It will be a heavy couch, sure, but it can be made in a few minutes.

Clean the brick as best you can then add the padding. Cut a piece of thick batting (or two pieces of a thinner batting) to make the couch padding. Lay the batting out on a flat surface and position the short side of the brick against the side of the batting and the long side of the brick against the end of the batting facing you.

Draw along side the brick, turning the brick over again and again, until youve turned the brick four times. This will give you the length by which you need to cut the batting. If using two pieces of batting, stack them together, but if using one, leave the brick on the piece youve cut. Position the brick so that the corner of it is on the corner of the batting. Roll the batting around the brick to completely cover the four sides, gluing it down each time you roll the brick over. Cut two pieces of batting to pad the ends of the brick. These rectangles of batting can be simply glued to the end. Wrap the chosen cloth around the brick, fixing the ends like a gift, and gluing them down. Where you begin and end the fabric, on one side of the brick, will become the bottom of the sofa. Youll need to make a back and arms for the couch and there are a couple of different ways to do that. One couch design is made with a back and no arms. Use a flat, wooden shape from a craft store and cover one side of it with batting. Wrap the entire thing with fabric securing the excess on the sides. Glue this piece to the back of the brick. Make a couch with a back and arms by simply creating a roll. Roll a piece of fabric around a tubular shape of batting. Cut the batting so that its just long enough to reach across both short ends and one long side of the brick. Roll the fabric around then take a few stitches with needle and thread to close the ends. Glue the seam side down, all the way around the three sides of the brick. Most people wouldnt suspect a brick could become a beautiful couch, but after you finish the project, youll see that it can be! The brick sofa works for many dollhouses or just to display dolls or stuffed animals around a girls room.

No-Turkey Turkey Sandwiches

Some people have their Thanksgiving dinners at noon and others have them in the evening. If youre one of the latter your kids are probably starving! Okay, maybe not starving but definitely ready to eat! Its going to be a while before the real meal so make them a snack to tide them over until then. Make no-turkey turkey sandwiches and growling stomachs will hang in there just a little bit longer! Pumpernickel bread is ideal for making the turkey-shaped sandwiches because of its color. Purchase the cocktail pumpernickel, if possible, for its smaller size. If you using regular size pumpernickel remove the crust and leave the slice with a square shape. Or, use a large glass or other object to make a circular indentation on the bread. Use a small, sharp knife to cut out the circles. The square or round shapes are used to make the body of the turkey.

No matter how youve shaped your bread, spread one piece with vegetable cream cheese, then cover it with the other bread shape. If youre doing round turkeys set them on a platter or tray. If youre making square turkeys, turn the square so it becomes a diamond shape instead, then arrange as many as you want on the tray.

With one point of each square facing you, or the round breads facing you, add a head to the turkey. To do this, cut circles from additional pumpernickel slices. These circles should be much smaller than the bodies of the turkeys. Set this circle towards the bottom of circlular turkeys or in the bottom corner of square turkeys. Secure the small circle by adding a little cream cheese to the backside of it. Make one type of turkey by separating the two bread pieces and sliding in parsley sprigs. Place them along one side, up to the top point, then down to the opposite side. If making circular turkeys slide in parsley "feathers" around two-thirds of the circle. Make a different flavor by adding strips of pepperoni alternated with thin strips of cheese. Trap the ends of these pepperoni and cheese pieces between the two edges of the bread. Add a dab of cream cheese to peas and stick them to the small circle to create the eyes. A beak can be made by using an almond sliver or even a cashew. Create the waddle for the birds face by using a piece of pepper. The cute little sandwiches are great for kids and adults alike, and with these as the snack, hungry guests and family members will be happy to wait just a little longer on the real turkey!

Rubber Stamps For Fingernails

Whoever invented the rubber stamp really started something! What used to be a mere address or information stamp, attached to the bottom of a wooden handle, is now a huge business that provides countless rubber stamps for making scrapbooks, t-shirt designs and more. As with most inventions, weve gotten creative with the rubber stamp. We started out trying the rubber stamp on something other than its intended purpose, and before we knew it, the original rubber stamp was nearly a thing of the past.

There are many imitation rubber stamps you can make using everything from a leftover vinyl tile to a potato. And theres nearly no surface that you cant use to apply a rubber stamp. With that in mind, make your own "rubber" stamps, and you can have the jazziest fingernails in town! There are a couple of different ways you can make rubber stamps for fingernails. One is a simple and cheap method using pieces of paper. Use a paper punch to create shapes of circles, squares, diamonds, hearts and similar stamps. Roll a small piece of tape up and stick it to the back of the paper. Now you can simply hold the stamp with the tape, apply the nail polish to it, and stamp it onto your fingernails. Although these stamps are disposable they are really easy to make.

The lastest in machines for making the ultimate scrapbook paper can help you make unlimited designs for your fingernails. With one of these machines you can shrink images and cut them perfectly. Use craft foam to make tiny rubber stamps with this method. A dot of hot glue on one side of the miniature image can help you make a hold the stamp. Use a short piece of a toothpick - with the points cut off - as the handle. Contact paper is another way to make fabulous fingernail stamps. Since it has an adhesive on one side you can easily attach an object that will be used for the handle. A small bead, a thick piece of cardboard, a foam peg, and similar items can be easily attached to the adhesive. These stamps can be used again and again. To use fingernail rubber stamps first paint your nails and allow them to dry. Select the color of nail polish you want to use with the rubber stamps and place a dab of it on a paper plate. With the rubber stamping method you can use any number of different colors of nail polish so get creative. Pick up the stamp, dip it in the polish, and apply it to the nail. When its dry apply a clear top coat to protect the image longer.

Silly Ball Ornaments for Kids

Ball ornaments are traditional in most homes across the country. Shiny balls, decorated Styrofoam balls, small ball ornaments and large ones - youll see all of these when the Christmas season rolls around. Those kinds of ornaments are fine for adults, but for kids, try something a little different this year. Let kids take those ordinary ball ornaments and turn them into adorable and whimsical character ornaments instead! Use a glass ball ornament to make one type of Christmas character and a Styrofoam ball to make a different kind. If youre using a glass ball start by giving the character a set of wiggly eyes from a craft store. Or, draw eyes on with a magic marker. A nose can be made from a tiny pom-pom, a button, a piece of felt or a marker.

If youre using a Styrofoam ball you can paint it to be the color you want or you can leave it white. If you paint it, use tempera paints; they dont melt the Styrofoam like some other paints will. For the Styrofoam ball characters, do the same as with the glass balls, and give them wiggly eyes, a marker nose or other facial features.

No matter what type of ball youre using glue a piece of ribbon around the "waist" of the Christmas character. Tie it in a bow or omit the bow and use the ribbon as a belt. Instead of ribbon you can glue on a slender strip of felt, paper, cloth or twine. The character comes to life with the addition of the strip around the waist. Suddenly, the Christmas ornament appears to have a large belly and a happy look on his or her face. One type of arms and legs you can make for the glass ball ornaments is made from folded paper. Fold a long strip of paper, accordion-style, and glue or tape them to the ornament. If youre using a Styrofoam ball you can use pipe cleaners to make arms and legs. You can even glue on Barbie doll shoes or just roll the ends of the pipe cleaners so that there is a small circle on each end of the arms and legs. A hat for the Christmas character can be a Santa hat from a craft store or a cone-shaped piece of felt. Or, make hair for the silly character out of cotton balls, yarn, thread or doll hair. Make some characters silly, some cute, some adorable. Make little characters from small glass or Styrofoam balls and larger ones from large ball ornaments. Turn the ornament into a Santa, an elf or another character. This craft is just one more way that kids can enjoy simple Christmas tradition - in a new way!

Easy Birthday Name Candles

What youll need:Beeswax sheetsCookie cuttersWicks Dont you ever wonder about things to which you dont know the answer? Take, for instance, the birthday cake. People have been serving and eating birthday cake for many years but have you ever wondered who was the first person to put a candle on top of it? Now its standard practice. We used to put a stick candle on for each year since the persons birth but now we have number candles. That way, you need only put a candle or two on top of the cake rather than setting the whole thing aflame with many stick candles - less of a fire hazard and less trouble.

Back in the old days a person who wanted to make candles had her work cut out for her. A pan to hold the wax, another to hold boiling water under the wax, measuring cups, molds - the list - and the work - went on and on. Today its a breeze. Sure, some people still make those old-fashioned candles and theyre gorgeous, but you can play it smart. You can easily make candles that spell out a persons name or a sentiment without all the hassle and supplies.

When you purchase beeswax at a craft store youll see that they have lots of colors and scents. The wax comes in sheets that make it super-easy for you to spell out the name of a birthday person, or something else, with handmade candles. Instead of buying the typical number candles you can do something much more special! While youre at the craft store purchase cookie cutters with alphabet shapes. These will help you turn the beeswax into letter candles in no time. Lay a sheet of beeswax out and cut two of any letter shape. Lay a wick on one of the letters and cover with the other; its that simple. Press the two pieces together to make them stick and to trap the wick between them. If, for some reason, the two wont stick together simply heat one with a blow dryer then try again. If youd like to make the birthday candles more substantial, just cut two extra shapes, and press one on each side of the letter. Do this as many times as you want to make the candle as bulky as youd like. You can make all the letters the same color or make them different colors. You can make letters, numbers, animal shapes - whatever type of cookie cutters you have. Make birthday name candles, spell out "Congrats" for a different party, or even spell out "Thanks" for a special friend. With the easy letter candles you can write anything on any cake for any occasion!

Bedroom Kites

What child doesnt love flying kites? Kites are such simple toys but theyve been giving children - and adults - hours of fun for centuries. Bring the kite indoors and youll create a fun look for a childs room. Make assorted kites, from large to tiny, and use them to create a theme in your childs bedroom. Or, just make a small group of wall kites to quickly add a bit of fun to the d?cor.

When you use Styrofoam youll find that the kites are not only easy to make but inexpensive, too. Purchase very thin squares of Styrofoam -in the sizes you want for the kites - and slightly change them to make the kite shapes. Lay a square of Styrofoam in front of you so that one corner is facing you. At the left corner, go a few inches above the corner, then cut straight down to the corner facing you. Do this to the opposite side as well. This makes the diamond longer at one end, and shorter at the other, to resemble a kite. Youll find it easiest to cut the Styrofoam perfectly if you cut an old candle with a serrated knife and then use that knife to cut the Styrofoam.

There are all sorts of kites you can make depending on the materials you use. Paint just the sides of the kite, cut a piece of fabric to the shape of the kite, then glue it to the front of the Styrofoam. Or, just paint the entire kite a solid color. If you have no fabric to use you can also cover the front of the kite with gift wrap. White glue works well to hold fabric or paper to the Styrofoam. With paint markers you can create all sorts of designs on a painted kite. After you paint the kite a solid color you can use the markers to draw polka dots, stripes, geometric shapes or other designs. Make a tail for the kite by cutting a long piece of fabric or ribbon. Cut smaller pieces and tie them once, onto the long piece, and do this down the length of the tail. Space the small pieces evenly apart and end with one small piece at the very end of the tail. Make different sizes and different designs on the Styrofoam kites and hang them on the wall. Or, make small kites and attach them to lampshades, cornices, mirror corners, a bedroom trash can and other things in the room. Youll find it easy to hang the lightweight kites when you use double-sided tape or glue dots. Hang them so that they tilt this way and that, group some together, leave others hanging alone, and otherwise decorate with the kites. Youll love the look and so will your child.

Holiday Candle Bands

Raise your hand if you go out and buy new candles for each special occasion. Stop that! Dont you know that one set of candles can serve as many different sets? That way, you have a set of candles for Halloween, a set for Thanksgiving, a set for Christmas. When you make candle bands you can give one set of candles many different looks. And, for each holiday or special occasion, the entire candle set will appear to be made just for that event. Candle bands dont even require any sewing so the craft isnt a huge production. Just get some felt and youll have your candle bands ready for the next holiday.Choose felt in an appropriate color for each holiday or special occasion. Felt is really cheap yet looks fabulous when you turn it into candle bands. If you plan to make interchangeable bands, a variety pack of felt will offer you nearly any color you would need. Instead of felt you can also use cotton and some other fabrics.Purchase felt letters to create the message or word you want on the bands. Or, cut your own letters. Use a stencil to draw out the letters; make them all capital letters. Craft stores sell bags of felt letters and those make it really easy to create the candle bands.Measure around one pillar candle to decide how long to cut the felt. Decide how wide you want the felt by measuring the height of the candle, and knocking a few inches off of that measurement. Cut one band for each candle; all of the bands should be the same size for each set. (You might want wide bands for a Thanksgiving set and more narrow bands for a Christmas set.)Although you can sew the letters onto the bands, if you want, its much faster to use fabric glue to attach them. Its found at craft or fabric stores and quickly holds the felt pieces together.After placing one letter on each band, place a piece of peel-n-stick Velcro at each end of one band, and wrap the band around the candle. An alternative to this is to sew the ends together to make a slip-on version.The bands can spell out "Thanksgiving", "Merry Christmas", or just "Welcome". Align them down the center of the table, arrange them on a mantle, or even set them outside on a porch railing. If you need to make the candles double-sided, simply attach a letter on the opposite side of the candle. Anytime you want, just take off the old bands and put on another set. Make several sets of bands and youll always have a new candle arrangement for every special occasion.Candle Bands

Unusual Ways to Use a Shoe Organizer

A shoe organizer is such a good choice for keeping shoes neat and orderly, sure, but did you know that it also works to organize in other rooms of the house - and even outdoors? There are many unusual but helpful ways that you can implement a shoe organizer. You know the type - it has clear pockets and theyre all on a single backing. Such an organizer can often be found at a dollar-theme store and that makes it an even better choice for organizing the bathroom, a childs room, or even the kitchen.

When you hang a shoe organizer on the side of the refrigerator, or elsewhere in the kitchen, youll find it a handy thing to have around. Each pocket can hold a number of large and/or small items, found in the kitchen. Use the organizer to hold implements, bundled silverware, flavoring packets, spices, scissors and twine, tape and a marker, measuring cups and spoons, and much more.

Hang a shoe organizer in a childs room and his or her favorite toys can be on display, and easy to get to. Each pocket can hold a small stuffed animal, a doll, a toy car, dice or cards, a small book, and other things. Dont forget a second shoe organizer to actually hold the childs shoes! If you already have a shoe organizer, hang it up in the nursery, and it will help you in assorted ways. The pockets can hold cotton swabs, small packs of wipes, socks, booties, oils and lotions, hair bows, rattles, and more. But if you use it as a memory keeper, you can begin to drop things that the baby no longer uses, in the pockets, and roll the organizer up when the pockets are full. Later, when the baby is much older, give him or her the organizer, which is full of little, cherished things. Its fun to use a shoe organizer, outside, in a different manner than it is usually used. The organizer makes a unique but small garden on a deck, patio, or even on a fence. Poke a few holes in the bottom of each plastic pocket, for drainage. Fill the pockets with dirt and plant tomatoes, flowers, or other plants. The best shoe organizer for using as a garden is one with a built-in hanger, so you can simply hang up the garden. Water the top row well, and it will drain into the other rows of pockets. Just because you no longer use that shoe organizer doesnt mean that it doesnt have any use. Put it in the kitchen, hang it in the laundry room, or display it in a childs room. It still has many more years of service that it can offer.

Easy Flip-Flop Cookies

Its fun to have foods with themes when it comes to parties and special occasions. For most people, those foods have to be ordered because theyre too challenging to make. But, if youve got a teen girl having a birthday party, a beach wedding coming up, or another special occasion where a summer, Hawaiian or beach theme is involved, you can easily make at least one specialty food: flip-flop cookies! Using Nutter Butter cookies from the grocery store you can quickly make a plate full of flip-flop cookies for a party or special occasion. The peanut butter cookies, famous for their taste and their shape, already resemble flip-flops. All you have to do is add a little extra detail.

Whether you like to make your own frosting, or purchase it by the can, you can easily tint it to make assorted colors for the flip-flops. Simply place some white frosting in assorted bowls or cups and stir in a few drops of food coloring. Use the basic four colors: red, blue, green and yellow, then mix the main colors to make others. Or, just make all the flip-flops the same color if youre looking for quick and easy.

Frost each cookie on one side then frost around the perimeter of the cookie. Leave the bottom plain. Smooth the frosting out nicely so the flip-flops dont have peaks and dips. You can give the sides of the flip-flops a little texture, though, so they look a little more distinctive than the top of the flip-flop. Do this by simply tapping the frosted sides with a butter knife or spatula, here and there. With gel frosting - frosting that dispenses from a small tube - its easy to make the Nutter Butter cookies look like flip-flops. Squeeze the frosting out, going from the heel area, around one side, around the top, then down the other side. Keep the gel right at the very edge so that you follow the peanut shape exactly. Draw an upside-down "v" shape with the gel that goes from the "toe" area to the sides. To start, place a tiny dot of gel where the strap would go between the big toe and the next one, then draw down from it, one line to one side of the flip-flop and a second line that reaches the opposite side. This will form the straps for the shoes. The little flip-flop cookies dont absolutely have to be frosted in different colors before adding the straps. The color of the Nutter Butter cookies makes them appropriate to simply add gel frosting straps. Theyre cute and delicious and oh, so easy to make!

Halloween Characters on Stilts

Decorate with traditional ghosts, jack-o-lanterns and witches this Halloween, but put a little twist on those characters, by making them be able to stand up tall. The long-legged characters can become centerpieces, window decorations, mantle d?cor and more! Using a few simplistic craft supplies you can create a whole collection of Halloween characters on stilts! Use a 6" Styrofoam ball to create the head for the character. Cut a small piece off of one side to create a bottom for the ball. Paint it with tempera paints; other paints may melt the Styrofoam. Paint it green for a witch, orange to make a jack-o-lantern or leave it white to create a ghost on stilts.

Use a 6" wooden star, thats a half-inch thick, to make a collar for the Halloween character. Paint this piece white for a ghost, green for a jack-o-lantern and black for a witch. Use hot glue to attach the cut side of the ball to the wooden star. Set the head and collar aside for the moment.

Use a 6" round, wooden disk to make the base for the character on stilts. Paint it the same color as the collar and allow to dry. Use two Styrofoam eggs that are 2 ?". Cut a small slice off one long side of the eggs to give them a flat bottom. Paint these to create shoes for the character. Glue the flat side of the shoes to the wooden base. Leave a small space between the shoes rather than placing them side-by-side. Use two dowel rods to make the legs. They should be about ?" in diameter but can be a number of different lengths. Make a somewhat tall character by using 9" dowels. Make a much taller version by using 13" dowels. Paint the dowels one color and allow them to dry. Now use a paint marker to draw stripes around the dowel, spacing them apart, and making the stripes all the way down the dowel. Or, wrap the dowel with pieces of colored tape to make the stripes. Glue the two dowels into the two shoes. Position the star-shaped collar on the two dowels and glue in place. Now make the face you want for the long-legged character. Use markers, paint, felt, wiggly eyes, pom-poms and similar things to make the facial features. Glue on accessories like a witchs hat or a pumpkin stem (made from a short, fat dowel) to finish the character. Make much larger versions to use as centerpieces or porch decorations. Or, make much smaller versions, and group them together, to create indoor d?cor. The stilted characters are easy to make and downright adorable!

Barbie Shoe Bracelet and Earrings

If Barbie doll shoes were real womens shoes wed be going wild with excitement! Are you kidding? What woman wouldnt want to own a collection of pumps, sandals, sling-backs, mules and heels like Barbie owns? If there are a lot of Barbie doll shoes at your house you might be delighted to find out that you can wear some of them! Alas, you wont be able to wear them on your feet but you can wear them on your arms and ears! Make jewelry from Barbie doll shoes and youll have the coolest bracelets and earrings around! You know how you put two socks in the laundry but only one comes back? It seems Barbie doll shoes fall into the same "missing sock" category of mysteries. It seems you can always find one shoe but not the other. Those single shoes work great for creating a charm bracelet any little girl would love.

Use a simple link bracelet to create the Barbie doll shoe jewelry. Purchase tiny jewelry-making rings to hang the shoes from the bracelet. Youll find the rings, in a pack containing many, at most any craft store. Youll also need a pair of needle nose pliers. Dont panic because you have to use a hand tool; its really easy to add the metal rings to the bracelet.

For high heels, pumps, sneakers and other shoes that have a heel, hold a small-diameter nail with the pliers, and hold the pliers with a potholder. Heat the nail and push it through the center of the back of the heel to create a hole for the metal ring. Open a ring, slide the shoe onto it, then clasp the ring around a link in the bracelet. Be sure to leave the same amount of links between each shoe. When hanging sling-backs on the bracelet simply slide the ring through the sling. For shoes that are made like clogs, with just a strap that goes across the top of the foot, thread the metal ring through that strap. Or, poke a hole through the toe of the shoe, going in from the top of the shoe through the bottom, but stay close to the edge of the toe. Follow the same steps to make a necklace as you did to make the bracelet. To make the earrings, though, youll need two identical shoes. Poke the hole in the shoe, slide the ring through, then clamp the ring through the hole in the earring hardware. If you dont have a metallic bracelet to use you can simply braid some yarn or twine together. Tie a string through each shoe then tie it through the braids of the bracelet. This cheaper version is easy to make and perfect for little girls!

Christmas Hand Cookies

There are all the Christmas cookies, displayed on the table, but the kids favorite ones are those that are shaped like hands. Thats because their own hands were used as the patterns for the Christmas cookies. Make all sorts of designs on the hands depending upon the various edible items you can use to decorate them.

Mix two cups of all-purpose flour, a quarter-teaspoon of salt and a half-teaspoon of baking powder together in a large bowl. Set aside for now. Beat together a stick of butter (8 tablespoons) or margarine and a cup of sugar. If youre using butter use the unsalted kind. Beat these until they are fluffy then add one egg. Beat the butter, sugar and egg until they are smooth. Add this to the flour mixture.

Beat the ingredients until they are well-combined. Add a teaspoon of vanilla and thoroughly mix all ingredients. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and place it in the refrigerator for about 45 minutes. While it chills make the patterns youll use for the hands as well as the edible accents. Have kids place their hands on parchment paper or even a piece cut from a clean, brown paper bag. Preheat oven to 325 degrees and put wax paper or parchment paper on one or two cookie sheets - depending upon how many cookies youre making. Lightly flour a surface and roll the dough out on it. The dough should be rolled so that it is about an eighth-inch thick. Lay the hand shapes on the cookie dough and draw around them with a paring knife. Place the hand cookies on the baking sheets and refrigerate them for 15 to 20 minutes. There are several ways to make the Christmas hand cookies even more delicious. One technique is done before baking and the other one is created after the cookies have baked and cooled. To decorate the cookies before baking whisk an egg white with a teaspoon of water. Apply this mixture to places on the hand cookies to create the designs you want. Draw a heart shape, a diamond ring or other embellishments with the egg white. Sprinkle colored sugar over the egg areas immediately after apply the mixture. Bake the cookies for about 10 minutes or until the edges begin to brown. Remove and allow to cool. Make a different type of Christmas hand cookies by spreading frosting on them. You can sprinkle colored sugar on these, if you want, to create rings or other designs. No matter how you decorate the cookies you can be sure that kids - as well as adults - will absolutely love them!

Duct Tape Outdoor Pillow

Ive gotten to where I make most of my decorator items around my house because, to go out and buy them, I always end up spending more money. When I make curtains, rugs, throws, wall hangings, and place mats, I not only save money but I get to have exactly what I want, rather than to settle for whats available. Thats especially true when I browse certain stores for outdoor and garden-type things. Waterproof pillows, for example, are not cheap. But when you make them yourself, theyre definitely waterproof, as well as inexpensive, and attractive.Many people think of duct tape as that wide, gray tape used for some repairs on cars or around the house. But nowadays, duct tape comes in a variety of colors. Choose purple, green, black, or another shade - or combine colors - to make new outdoor pillows for loungers.Use a zipper-lock freezer bag for the pillow and youll have it made in no time. Just use a coffee stirrer or straw and blow up the pillow. Zip the bag nearly all the way shut, insert the straw, then blow to inflate it. Remove the straw and quickly zip the bag shut the remainder of the way.Tear long pieces of duct tape and lay them out on a table. Place them so that their sticky sides are facing up. Lay the first piece of tape, then position the second piece so that it slightly overlaps the first piece. Continue in this manner until you have a sheet of tape that is large enough to cover one side of the pillow, with a few inches to spare on each side.Make two of the tape sheets then lay the blown-up bag on one of them. Cover it with the second sheet. Stick the edges together, all the way around the pillow, then cut all the way around it to even the edges.Another way to make the pillow is to apply the tape right to the bag. After blowing up the bag, begin laying strips of tape on it, and overlap them as you go along. after adding enough tape to cover one whole side of the pillow, turn it over and do the same to the other side.You can make all sorts of different color and pattern combinations by using various colors of the tape, and placing them strategically on the tape sheet arrangement. And, while youre cutting and laying the tape strips, you can cut assorted shapes, like a set of four triangles, or various colors of squares.Ive made lots of these pillows in my life. We take them with us to the beach, toss them around on the floor for the grand kids to watch movies, and even carry some in the car as we travel.

Mesh Bag Place Mats and Other Home Accents

I cant even begin to imagine how many of those mesh bags - the ones that hold orange or onions - that Ive thrown away over the years. That was long before I began to realize that those bags actually have many uses. Start saving them now and, pretty soon, you can make all sorts of home accents out of them. You can easily create place mats, wall hangings, coasters, and much more, just by cutting up orange or onion bags.

After cutting the closure off of the bag, lay the bag flat, and neaten up the cut edge. Then, cut the bag into strips that can vary in size. To make something like a coaster, cut narrow strips, about an inch wide. For something larger, like a place mat, cut the strips to be a couple of inches wide, or more. As you cut the strips youll see that theyre actually bands. Cut each band across the width - in one place - so that it becomes a long strip.

Braid three strips together to begin making whatever you want. It can be helpful to hold the strips with a clothespin at their ends. As you get to the end of the braid, sew another strip onto each piece, and continue braiding. Keep adding on strips to make the length you want for the rope. When you have a really long braid you can begin making what you want. Twist the braid around and around itself to make a circle for a coaster. As you do, take stitches here and there, to hold the rope in place. Or, use waterproof adhesive. When the circle is as large as you want for the coaster, cut the braid, and glue or sew down the ends. A place mat is made in the same manner but, if you want, hot glue can be used to secure the braids. To make a square, oval, or rectangle - rather than a circle - go a few inches from the end of the braid, fold it over, then start wrapping the braid around it. After youve created the shape that you want you can then turn the circles, squares, or other shapes, into additional home accents. Glue or sew silk flowers and leaves, beads, bows and ribbon, or other embellishments, on the finished mesh bag piece, to make all sorts of wall hangings or other home accents. Or, color areas of the coaster, place mat, or other object, with a paint marker, to create an array of interesting designs. Youll have fun turning orange and onion bags into mesh coasters, place mats, runners, door mats, and other home decorations. Dont like the color of the mesh? Spray paint the finished braid with paint made especially for plastic.

Embroidery Hoop Map Art

There is no shortage of map projects that a person can do for a wall at home. Its easy to frame a map, make a set of map coasters, or even make a map place mat. You can decoupage a map to a plate, or glue maps to a wall to make a makeshift headboard. If youve collected quite a few maps over the years, and you dont really want to throw them away, start doing some map crafts, and decorating your home. Theres one map craft that is perfect for someone who has little time, and perfect for someone who has a limited budget. Make embroidery hoop map art and youll create a spectacular home accent set for a wall in your home.

With an embroidery hoop, you can turn a map into a hanging wall art piece, or a wall grouping. Since it only takes a couple of minutes to make each piece, why not go for the grouping? You can find embroidery hoops at places that sell sewing supplies; they are available in several sizes and are not expensive.

An embroidery hoop is actually two hoops. One hoop is slightly smaller than the other. The idea is to put a piece of fabric, lace, paper, or other material, on the small hoop, lay the large hoop around it, and tighten it. The large hoop has a tiny hardware piece that is used to tighten it around the small hoop, and trap the material so that it is taut. Cut a circular map section to be a couple of inches larger, all the way around, than the big hoop. Lay the map piece on the small hoop and put the large hoop over it. As you tighten the mechanism, pull the edges of the map down so that it will be tight. Its ultra-easy to hang an embroidery hoop. Simply put a nail, tack, or push-pin in the wall, and hang it up. Hang just one or make a group of them. Each hoop map can be a piece of the same, original map, or each hoop can feature a different map. There are various things you can choose to cover the metal screw on top of the large hoop. A bow, a shell, a large rhinestone, a silk flower, or a tulle piece, can conceal the mechanism while adding a cute element to the arrangement. Or, just leave the little metal piece as it is for a rustic touch. The screw device doesnt necessarily have to be at the top of the finished map art. Dont have a map? Print one from the internet. Hang local maps, foreign maps, or even hand-drawn maps, to make the travel-theme home accent that you desire. You dont have to be a world traveler to appreciate the easy-to-make, map wall art.

Cocoa or Rice Krispies Treat Cups

Guests will line up for little chocolate dessert cups, even though they dont know exactly what they are, because they just look so pretty and delicious. And they certainly will be. Just imagine the most decadent sweets that you can think of and turn them into luscious desserts for a wedding, anniversary, or other special occasion. Cocoa or Rice Krispies treat cups are whatever you want them to be and will surely satisfy every guest. No harder to make than regular Rice Krispies treats, the cup desserts are tiny works of art.

In case you dont already have the recipe, melt 3 tablespoons of butter over low heat. Stir in a 10oz bag of regular marshmallows, a 7oz jar of marshmallow cream, or four cups of miniature marshmallows. Remove from heat and stir in 6 cups of Rice Krispies or Cocoa Krispies. If you prefer the microwave version, melt the butter and marshmallows for 3 minutes but stir them after 2 minutes. When the time is completed, stir in the cereal. Make either the "blonde" cups, using Rice Krispies, chocolate cups, using Cocoa Krispies, or make a colorful version of the blondes by stirring in colored marshmallows.

Butter a spoon and use it to spoon the marshmallow treats into muffin tins - mini tins or regular. Its necessary to first spray each compartment with non-stick cooking spray. Spoon a nice-size blob into each compartment and then use the spoon to make a large indentation in it. After the treats have cooled you can turn them into just the dessert cups that you want for the party. Make fancy pudding cups by filling them with the desired flavor of pudding - or custard - and topping them with whipped cream. Make fruit cups by arranging sliced strawberries, sliced bananas, raspberries, or blueberries, in combinations that you like, with whipped cream on top. Turn the regular or chocolate Krispies cups into ice cream cups by putting in a small scoop, and covering with sauce, syrups, or other goodies. Or, just turn them into candy cups by filling with whatever candies you want. Other things you can put inside the Cocoa Krispies cups include mini muffins, tiny cupcakes, broken snack cake pieces, or even banana bread. Things you can use as toppings include marshmallows, nuts, cherries, candy sprinkles, cocoa, powdered sugar, cinnamon, or flavored syrup. With so many different foods and toppings anyone would find it easy to assemble the perfect desserts for this perfect occasion.

How to Make Citrus Spray for Outdoor Insects

What are all those manufacturers of chemicals going to do when we all go green and start using nothing but organic supplies in and around our homes? Chemical fertilizers, plant food, pest control and similar products will be a thing of the past! No matter where you live, there are insects outside, and those bugs can cause massive destruction of your flowers, plants and homegrown vegetables. You have to do something; you cant do all that work to have a beautiful yard and a fabulous garden just to let it all go to the bugs! Until now, youve probably used commercial insect repellents and killers which contain all sorts of harmful chemicals. Those chemicals are on the flowers and plants plus the chemicals get washed into the soil whenever it rains or you water the garden. Never again! Its so easy to make organic pest deterrent that youll wonder why you ever bought chemicals in the first place! Compare the price of those expensive, harmful sprays you purchase from a farm and garden store to the price of a couple of oranges. What a big difference in cost! With those two oranges you can make a gallon of spray for your fruit trees, flowers, plants and garden. That spray will keep away aphids, white flies, ants, mosquitoes and more.

Fill a gallon jug of water nearly full then peel two oranges. Tear the orange peels into small pieces and drop them down into the jug. Place the lid on the jug and let the water sit for about 10 days. Pour the water through a coffee filter or other filter and pour it into spray bottles or jars with lids.

When applying the citrus spray to things like mounds of red ants simply spray the liquid, full-strength, onto the mounds. If youll be spraying the citrus directly onto plants the full-strength version can burn them. Instead, mix two ounces of the citrus with a gallon of water and shake well. Spray on and around plants, flowers, bushes, vegetables and small trees. Since the citrus spray smells so good, and deters assorted pests, you can also spray it on the grass around the picnic table or directly onto the boards of an outside deck or porch. Going green means big changes for our lives and for our world. One benefit is the amount of money you save and another is the fact that youre not contributing to adding more chemicals to the soil and our foods. Now, instead of feeding the bugs and insects, you can enjoy beautiful flowers and much healthier fruits and vegetables!

Easter Bunny Crackers

There are a lot of things to look forward to on any holiday. There will be friends and family, shopping and cooking. There are often presents and other special treats. And, of course, there will be foods which are specifically created for the particular holiday. Take Easter, for example. Bunny-shaped candy, jellybeans, ham - youll often see all these things and more on the Easter holiday.

While youre cooking and baking for the Easter dinner your kids will be stuffing chocolates and other basket treats into their mouths. Wow, that doesnt sound very healthy. Theyll need something to hold them over until the main meal and that something really shouldnt be candy. Its okay if they have a piece or two from their new Easter basket, but to give them something more substantial as a snack, make bunny crackers. They go right along with the theme of things and are much healthier than a belly full of chocolates.

Most any round crackers, like Ritz or even water crackers, work well to make a bunny head. Lay a cracker on each plate then make them into bunny faces that will thrill the kids. Spread each cracker with cream cheese going almost to the very edges of the cracker. Break a tiny piece off of each end of a pretzel stick and press them into the cream cheese to make eyes for the rabbit cracker. Cut a red radish in half then cut a slice off of one of the halves. Cut it into two rectangular shapes to use for the bunnys teeth. You might need one radish slice for each tooth, depending upon how large the radish is. Lay them on the cream cheese. Cut six julienne strips from a carrot and use them to make the whiskers for the bunny. Press three on one side and three on the other. Cut two circles from white cheese to make the cheeks. These can be cut from a slice of white American cheese or even a rod of string cheese. Set these on the cracker so that they cover the ends of the carrot strips as well as the tops of the teeth. Cut a triangle from the red part of the radish and place it on the cracker as the bunnys nose. Finally, finish by pressing the ends of two pretzel sticks, side-by-side, off-center at the top of the cracker for ears. Make two ears using two sticks each. The adorable Easter bunny crackers will make kids smile while staving off hunger until the dinner is done. As a matter of fact, adults will also love the crackers, cream cheese and veggies. Serve them as appetizers to the whole crowd!