DIY Valentine Projects - Recycled Fridge Pen Holder

Like many projects I've featured here, this one can easily be adapted to Valentine's Day by just changing the colors to red tones. This is something that can also be given any time of the year, for many occasions that call for something quick, easy, thoughtful AND useful! As you've probably already guessed, this uses recycled paper tubes.

The very brief (it is very easy) tutorial is over here at SewAndDipity, at this link.

Make up a bunch of these with Valentine-themed paper and keep them handy for those moments when you think of someone who you want to cheer up on Heart-Day.

Use scrapbooking paper, crepe paper, or make and print something from your PC. According to one of the comments on Shelley's post, one of her visitors even used fabric.

You could put initials on it or anything else that suits you and/or your recipient.

This project was found in one of my daily e-newsletters from CraftGossip.

This is part of my series (1/15-2/14) of Valentine projects.

For other projects in this series, just look along the right sidebar for the label "Valentine Projects." I will post only tips that do not require knitting, crocheting, machine sewing, tatting, embroidery, or any other skilled technique.

If you are feeling lazy, check my Etsy shop for items for your gift list.

Coupon Heaven!

Earlier this week, I blogged about a great site I discovered, called Recyclebank.

Basically, this is a site which promotes recycling and green activities to help our environment. BUT it is NOT boring! It is so much fun.

For example, you get points for reading about how Kashi recycles their cartons, and about how other manufacturers or companies help the atmosphere.

Each thing you read, or each mini-quiz you answer, or each "pledge" you take, earns you points. I just love it. A "pledge" is no big deal - there are no "pledge--police" - it's between you and yourself.

But today, I really got excited because I went back in and used some more of my points. I had seen offers there for Clean Well products and Earth Friendly products and today I opened another window and searched to see which stores nearby carried them - Fresh & Easy is nearby and they stock them, so I lassoed those coupons for sure...here's what I collected from the Recyclebank site this week:

January 09, 2012
Friskies Can Food for Cats - 2 free cans

January 11, 2012
Kashi - Save $2 On Any One Kashi® Food
Earth Friendly Products - $2 Off Any Product
Fancy Feast® Gourmet Cat Food - Buy two (2) 3oz cans of Fancy Feast® Gourmet Cat Food, Get one (1) FREE, up to $0.80
CleanWell - $1.50 Off Any CleanWell Product 4oz. or Larger, or 40 ct. Canister
Macy's - $10 Off Your Next $50 In-Store Purchase

I checked the Kashi prices today at the store and that coupon will get me a BIG box of Kashi cereal for half off!

The reason I got the Macy's coupon is because for the past two months we wanted to get Frank a new shaver and when I saw the Macy's offer, I checked their site and found that they have exactly the one he wants, for $49.99 - we'll pick up a candy bar for a dollar to make it $50 before tax, and that should enable us to use the coupon.

I'm going back in tomorrow and get more coupons for the cat food - it just dawned on me that the "add to cart" function included a place to state how many coupons you wanted. Shoot - I think I have enough points to buy for my little guy for the week.

Now I've got to go back in, do some more "green" and "recycle" thingies at their site, and build my points back up.

Earning Easy Rewards from Recyclebank

There is a site that I have meant to share with you for a while and keep forgetting to do so. I must do it now while it's on my mind. This is not really a review because I really like this site and what it does. It is mostly a "sharing" post.

Recyclebank informs you about green options while offering fun ways to learn about how to help the environment and save while you are at it. There are over 3 million folks registered currently. That is a lot of people who are already trying to help those around them while they are helping themselves.

Basically, you register, you visit their site and earn points and collect rewards for simply caring about the world around you. You can earn points several ways and more are added all the time.

You can earn points by reading about a green topic. I haven't read a boring topic yet.

You can earn points by answering brief quizzes. The quizzes are fun and informative. They are very simple and quick. You don't need to be afraid that you will answer incorrectly. You will still get your points because they will let you know the correct answer afterwards. Their whole goal is to inform you.

You can earn points by pledging to take a green action. Don't worry - there are no green police to watch that you fulfill your pledge - it is between you and yourself alone. But the pledges are all sensible and you will want to fulfill many of them.

Many of these are interactive.

Once you are registered, you will receive regular emails. Some will advise you that there are some new actions to review so you can earn more points. Once you begin to accumulate points, you will receive a weekly email detailing the points you earn each week.

What can you do with your points? Just today, I printed out a coupon for two free cans of Friskies for my beloved Tigger. There are some rewards I want to get but I have to check a few stores locally first to be sure I can find somewhere to use the coupons.

Rewards are always changing or being added. Some of the reward sponsors that you might recognize are: Kiss My Face, Q-Tips, Green Mountain Coffee, Ruby Tuesday, Macy's, and K-Mart. See what I mean? The rewards are useful and desirable.

Okay, I did my good deed for the day. Now you've got to treat yourself to some information and some points. Hop on over to Recyclebank and check it out.

Oh, and did I mention that you also get points for referring folks if they sign up? What fun it is to help ourselves while we are helping others. It doesn't cost any of us a penny. How great is that?

Handmade Christmas Gift Ideas - Ball Ornament from Recycled Cards

Once a week in our ongoing series (9/21-12/24) of handmade Christmas gift ideas, I like to include a project for tree or decor ornaments for the holidays. They can be treated as gifts either of two ways.

Some people create one ornament a year to give to everyone on their list. It becomes a tradition.

Or, the ornaments can be packed in sets of 3 or 6, and given to people on our list to be used this season, and then for every season down the line. The recipients remember the giver each year when they bring out the ornaments.

Tonight's project is for a recycled card ornament in the shape of a ball. You can recycle cards from previous years. This is also a good time to pull out those half-full boxes of cards that never get used. You know which ones I mean. Their verses just don't seem to fit anyone you have on your list, but the graphics are great.

The detailed tutorial by Jane Lake is copyrighted and posted on AllFreeCrafts, here.

Most of us have seen these through the years. But without a good set of instructions, they are as confusing to make as a Rubik's Cube is to solve. This tutorial is great. This is the first time I've seen such careful step-by-step instructions.

The photo is from the tutorial.

The look can be varied by the card choices. You could do one with randomly selected graphics. You could group pieces by color. You could choose winter scenes or animal graphics. There are a lot of ways to vary the look.

I would probably do this in several sessions. I'd gather all my cards in one session, then sort them. I'd do my drawing in another session, and my cutting in the next. Then, I'd do my gluing. I can't wait to get out into the shed and grab those half-empty boxes of cards. It will give me a reason to get some new ones this year. Or, the ornament ball might just be my "card" this time around.

One more tip: read the comments at the end of the post. There are over 30 of them, some of which contain even more tips for this versatile gift.

For other projects in my series, just look along the right sidebar for the label "Christmas Gift Projects." I hope to post only tips that do not require knitting, crocheting, machine sewing, tatting, embroidery, or any other skilled technique.

If you are feeling lazy, check my Etsy shop for items for your gift list.

Handmade Christmas Gift Ideas - Paper Tube Snowflakes

Here is a great way to recycle paper bath tissue or paper towel tubes. If these are made with care, the ornaments could be given as a set (3, 6, etc.) to people on your gift list.

This is part of the ongoing series (9/21-12/24) of handmade Christmas gift ideas. The detailed tutorial, very well done, is found at this link, on ChasingFireflies, posted by Ashley.

Although Ashley's children helped her, there's nothing childish about the way these turned out.

I love how she gives several different designs to spur our creativity. She includes some snowflake trivia and a link to a post about snowflake chemistry. The photo here is used with Ashley's permission.

For other projects in my series, just look along the right sidebar for the label "Christmas Gift Projects." I hope to post only tips that do not require knitting, crocheting, machine sewing, tatting, embroidery, or any other skilled technique.

Don't forget to enter my giveaway (deadline Oct 31) for $25 in handcrafted merchandise from my Etsy store.

Handmade Christmas Gift Ideas - No Sew Boa

Tonight's tute for a no-sew boa came to my attention in a roundabout way. My daily CraftGossip e-newsletter mentioned the TrainToCrazy blog which featured this post by Jessica who has her own blog, MeSewCrazy. This is all part of my ongoing series (9/21-12/24) of easy handmade Christmas projects.

This beautiful boa is meant for a little girl's dress-up fun, but frankly, I don't see why we can't make them for any female on our holiday gift list. The only thing we'd need to change might be the length, and therefore, the amount of yard goods required.

Jessica gives excellent instructions for making this feminine wrap, and you can get them at this link. The photo above is from her guest post on TrainToCrazy.

What I love is that there is absolutely no sewing required. I also love that even a clumsy cutter, like me, can't manage to mess this up in any way. I will have such fun picking out fabrics for some of the ladies on my list. And, yes, even for the little gals as well.

This is also an excellent way to recycle lots of those fabric scraps. Combining scraps of similar colorways would work very well.
For other projects in my series, just look along the right sidebar for the label "Christmas Gift Projects." I hope to post only tips that do not require knitting, crocheting, machine sewing, tatting, embroidery, or any other skilled technique.

This is probably one of the prettiest gifts I've featured in this series. It is so easy it can be completed, I'm sure, in an evening. This makes it a fast project for unexpected giving.

Don't forget to enter my giveaway (deadline Oct 31) for $25 in handcrafted merchandise from my Etsy store.

Handmade Christmas Gift Ideas - Glass Bottle Picture Frames

I found these great recycled glass bottle picture frames for today's project in my ongoing series for handmade Christmas-gift-a-day ideas at Rachel's LinesAcrossMyFace. The tutorial link is here.

She shows very specifically how to use Word to size and re-size the photos. She tells exactly how and when to insert them into the bottles, and gives ideas of bottle fillers.

What I loved about them is that she used coffee drink bottles, recycling them. I am looking through all the bottles I typically use that have smooth surfaces and are an inch or more across the mouth opening.

I'm thinking that some Christmas-y colored fillers would be cute for the holidays, or you could just make them using the fillers she suggests and the recipients would be able to display them all year long.

Rachel shows them as single photos, but I see nothing wrong with a group family or household photo that would need to be gently twirled to see everything in the pic.

I highly encourage readers to always go to the tute links, first, before trying any of these projects simply from the photos. The folks who share these also share the results of any mistakes they made along the way and this will save you, too, lots of trial and error.

This is a great alternative to those Christmas letters - take a break from them this year. These would be better for local gifts because you wouldn't have to worry about shipping and breakage.

For other projects in my series, just look along the right sidebar for the label "Christmas Gift Projects." I hope to post only tips that do not require knitting, crocheting, machine sewing, tatting, embroidery, or any other skilled technique.

Handmade Christmas Gift Ideas - Greeting Card Basket/Container

Raise your hand if you remember these and forgot how to make them? Mine is up right now and it's hard to type this way. I found these in a web search which led me to this tute on AllFreeCrafts. This site offers a free downloadable template so you won't have to guess exactly what size or shape to cut. The crisp photo is copyrighted by AllFreeCrafts and the pattern is copyrighted by Jane Lake. She generously shares tips on how to do these in the easiest possible way, from how to punch the holes to which steps to do and when.

What a fun project for recycling greeting cards of all types. Even those of us who are not good with needle and thread can make these. They make wonderful containers for gifts and the recipient can use the basket for many things.

It's also a noble way to use up those cards that are always left at the bottom of a large box of cards. You know which ones I mean - the ones that look so nice but the verse inside is just not what you want at the moment.

So, let's add this up. The project gives you a sort of "gift bag," because you can put another gift inside it (candies, office supplies, hobby supplies, etc.). Second, it is also a greeting card but it is more than one card - it has 14 different cards to look at. Third, it can be used later for whatever purpose the recipient chooses. That's a three-way gift, in my eyes.

The one thing that makes these look special instead of just looking "homemade" is the choice made in the graphics used for each basket. You are choosing 14 per basket, so you want 14 related, or complementary, or somehow-themed cards. Ideas might be all snow scenes, all Santa's, all Christmas trees, all animals - you get the picture. And choosing the right pictures make the difference between something that could be junky looking and something someone will want to display year after year.

For other projects in my series, just look along the right sidebar for the label "Christmas Gift Projects." I hope to post only tips that do not require knitting, crocheting, machine sewing, tatting, embroidery, or any other skilled technique.

Handmade Christmas Gift Ideas - Stress-Relieving Capsules

I really love tonight's idea for stress-relieving capsules. It is, of course, a gag gift, but one I haven't seen before and one I wish I had been smart enough to create. The original link is here at Budget101, with the instructions, but please also read on, here, for an idea or two I have about these.

This is another in my daily, ongoing posts with ideas for handmade Christmas gifts. This one is a great gag gift to give to any adult, and even teens.

I pray nobody I know, locally, is reading this, because I seriously am going to begin stashing all the bubble wrap I can, from now until Christmas. I intend to give these to almost everyone I know. It's such a cute idea and one they will all relate to.

I can use your help, though. I am trying to come up with a clever way to pack them. Just putting a square of bubble wrap or a sheet of it with a tag or card seems bland. I thought about simulating a pill bottle by using a bathroom tissue roll to place a piece of wrap in and finding a spray can lid that would fit over the end, but that gets clumsy.

See, capsules usually come in a pill bottle or in an almost-flat cardboard box. I'd like to use a piece that has an appropriate number of bubbles, sort of like they sell in allergy or cold capsule packs - 12, 24, 30, that sort of number. But I really am straining my brain for a cute way to wrap, pack, and/or otherwise present them. Any ideas?

I feel sort of noble doing these, too, because I can now recycle all that bubble wrap that I used to toss away.
For other projects in my series, just look along the right sidebar for the label "Christmas Gift Projects." I hope to post only tips that do not require knitting, crocheting, machine sewing, tatting, embroidery, or any other skilled technique.

Hand Crafted Christmas Gift Ideas - Re-Cycled Plastic Knife Wreath

Today's easy Christmas gift project is from Katie at ChildhoodList. The link is here. I found this one, too, on CraftGossip's daily email newsletter.

What I love about this one is that it's not only an easy way to use up those plastic knives, but I can see a few reasons this can be adapted for gifts for guys and boys. Picture a mini-clock face in the center. What dude wouldn't love one of these on his wall, or the wreath with a masculine touch in the center for his cubicle or work area? We're always looking for things for the guys. This one is a natural - what guy isn't fascinated by knives from the time he sees his first Swiss army knife?

As for the supplies, if you ask, you'll find you can get some from lots of friends and neighbors, I'm sure.

Katie's website also has other projects listed in her right side scrollbar, especially for kids.

As for hot glue guns, I'm terribly clumsy with them so I always try some other adhesive on a little of the materials. Some adhesives work just fine with felt and foam, others with plastic or paper. It just takes trying a small amount on a small surface and giving it a day to "cure" to be sure with works best if you do not work with hot glue.

I was thinking of the guys, again, and yesterday's post about the Button Magnets. I realized that with the right colors and the right buttons (wooden or wood-simulated, brass, etc.), the magnets would be great for some guy's file cabinet at work. Don't ever let your son or daughter put one near their computer - magnets are a no-no for computers. But they'd be great for boy and guys in the right colors and button textures and shapes.

I am really having fun finding a different project each day between now and Christmas for gifts. I'm determined to make some this year that are different. I'm sure my friends are tired of the same old things from me. THIS year, it will be different.

Hand Crafted Christmas Gift Ideas - Easy Button Magnets

As promised, I am posting a fresh quick-and-easy Christmas project a day. Today's is so easy, the kids, parents, or grandparents can do them. I love these Button Magnets. I found this one, again, on CraftGossip's daily newsletter. I just love those emails each day.

Today's project comes from Melissa at Bursts of Creativity and her link is here.

It involves nothing more than buttons. It is a wonderful way to recycle all those buttons you cut off shirts, dresses, and other clothing before you toss them away. You DO cut them off, don't you? If not, you will from here on in.

You'll start tossing found buttons into a Pringles canister. You'll pick up tins or jars of buttons at garage sales. You'll be snatching interesting buttons off your friends' clothing when they're not looking. This could be addictive.

Everybody can use another magnet, especially a small, tailored one. Or a small elegant one with a vintage look. Or a funky one. You get the drift.

The trims can be as varied as your imagination and stash of "stuff." Melissa uses rhinestones for accents. You could get rid of some fabric rosebuds, foamies or other trims. Whatever works will work.

Put them in complementary trios into a zippered plastic baggie for a little gift. You could also use up some of those earring, ring, pendant, and other jewelry boxes you've been saving, to pack them into sets for giving.

Button, button, who's got the button? You do, and so will the folks you give these great magnets to!

Yesterdays Corner Bookmark Tute - More Ideas

When I posted yesterday, I shared a link to a tutorial for quick and easy cardboard "corner bookmarks." I am going to make a lot of these for emergency holiday token gifts and thank-you hand-outs.

But in addition to the various ways to use this idea, which I posted yesterday, I am adding a few more now. Be sure to check yesterday's post for the other ideas.

After I posted it, I realized that another way they can be adapted is to recycle all those greeting cards that multiply like bunnies.

Or, use up those Christmas cards that always end up in the bottom of a box that you got from Walmart or Walgreens - you know the cards I mean- they look nice outside but the verse just never seems to fit anyone on your list. What a wonderful way to use them.

Also, these are a great way to get rid of all those extra envelopes that also multiply like bunnies.

The gal who came up with the tutorial, Athena, at The Stuff of Success, read my post and I had told her I was going to post today about the recycle-aspect of it. So, sweetheart that she is, she sent me links to FOUR MORE of her cardboard-recycle ideas. Here they are.

http://www.thestuffofsuccess.com/2011/04/use-for-paint-chip-cards.html
http://www.thestuffofsuccess.com/2011/04/another-recycle-craft.html
http://www.thestuffofsuccess.com/2011/05/rest-of-cereal-box.html
http://www.thestuffofsuccess.com/2011/05/brownie-box-recycle.html

I checked them all out and although I love them all, I know the ones I will use a lot are the ones for making your own scratch-pads and the one for using the narrow sides of cardboard cartons for shopping lists.

As for the scratch pads, in addition to the glue she mentions, folks have had a lot of success with a product from Chica and Jo's store online. I posted about their tute, also, back in '09, for making your own notepads. Now, with Athena's tips for recycling cardboard, I can make even cuter tops and backs for my notepads. I hope to post some photos soon. At Chica and Jo's (link in my post), they sell a great padding compound that you might want to check out.

This post does not count as my "post a day until Christmas" of quick or easy handcrafted gift ideas. There will be a fresh one tonight.

Keeping Those Scissors Sharp the Easy Way, Re-Post

Back in June, I posted about this. Tonight, I'm sharing it again, for those who might not have seen it before.

I just finished, yesterday, cutting out 100 of my plastic canvas crosses. When I need to cut that many small pieces of plastic canvas, my scissors lose their "oomph" several times along the way. Long ago, I found that it's easy to sharpen scissors right where I sit if I keep some aluminum foil in my crafting supplies and work area.

The photo, from my original post, shows how I cut a small piece one way, almost to the end, and then the opposite way between the first cuts.

I'll often the top half of the scissor blades, up at the joining of the two blades, with my first set of cuts, and then use the bottom half of the scissor blades the second way. This sharpens the blades evenly.

One time I found that even Tootsie Roll bags, made of aluminum foil, work. The candies are wrapped so there is no residue on the inside of the bag. Sources of aluminum foil are all around us, if we're looking for it. It's a great way to get some more mileage out of it. When a family friend was on a nebulizer five times a day, several years ago, her little medication vials were packed in little aluminum pouches. I always had a supply of foil back then.

My original post might have more ideas, so you might want to look at that one, too. Of course, you might already do something similar, but it was worth sharing with those who will find it new.

Hand Made Cereal Bird Feeders - So Easy!

I found these in one of my daily CraftGossip email digests. These adorable bird feeders are not only easy to make, they are cheap and they are cute. They're at Under The Table and Dreaming - what a great name for a craft site. She has many great projects for recycle enthusiasts.

Talk about a fun project to do with the kids! And, they are easy enough for fumble-fingered seniors like me. Of course, I would have to be careful where I hung mine because of my 14 year old gray tabby. Need I say more?

This tutorial is very explicit. The instructions explain that you can use floral wire OR chenille stems. I'm a chenille stem person. I love anything you can do with those "pipe cleaner" goodies.

Also on this website, I bookmarked her Sunburst Mirror and the one for making a wreath out of those constantly-multiplying plastic bags.

Gotta go check out what kind of "O's" I have in the closet!

Keeping Those Scissors Sharp the Easy Way, Postscript

On the 18th, I posted about Keeping Those Scissors Sharp the Easy Way.

Tonight, after emptying a bag of Tootsie Roll Midgies, I noticed that the bag, like many candy bags, is foil-based. It will go into my craft supplies area.

Because the Midgies are individually wrapped, the food did not touch the inside of the bag. I will be able to sharpen my scissors many times with this bag - I am really happy about this find.

Not only is this a craft tip, but also a recycle tip, and to double-dip, it is a crafty recycle tip - nice.

Keeping Those Scissors Sharp the Easy Way

Crafters do a lot of cutting with their scissors, a lot. Some materials dull the blades quicker than others. Still, down the line, it is very frustrating to try to cut something and have it bend rather than be cut. Sharp scissors are not only important, they are necessary. So, here's my personal solution.

I tuck a piece of aluminum foil into any group of supplies that contains a pair of scissors used for crafts. When the blades become dull, I pull out the piece of foil and begin cutting it with the scissors. Fold the foil at least once and begin cutting one way, into little strips that almost go to the top edge. Then, turn it the other way and cut between the first cuts.

To be honest, it doesn't matter which way you cut, so long as you cut all the way up to the joint of the two blades. This keeps the entire cutting edge sharp on both blades. I try to go through at least two thicknesses, when at all possible.

This is a quick and easy way to sharpen those scissors.

As for foil sources, any foil can be used. I remember when a dear friend was on a nebulizer. Her meds came in little foil pouches, about 4 inches square. I kept saving those and plopping them in with our crafts. She did plastic canvas and that is one craft that really dulls the scissors quickly.

I have also used foil that protects my printer toner cartridges. If you keep your eyes open, you will see foil here and there, as long as it doesn't have food on it.

Bits and Pieces of Pieces

I don't know a single crafter who doesn't end up with containers and baggies and boxes and whatever, filled with scraps. It can be fabric scraps, yarn and/or thread pieces, plastic canvas bits from projects, and even the spools or whatever that held our materials.

For example, I use 1/8" satin ribbon for my plastic canvas crosses, and they hold 10 yards. I use 5-1/2 ft per cross and end up with anywhere from 3" to 8" of ribbon at the end of the cardboard spool on which the ribbon is wound. I toss these into a plastic container, the kind that holds cottage cheese or deli potato salad. At least with these ribbon pieces, I have found uses. I use them for hanging loops for crocheted angels, or bookmark ribbon, or other ornament trims. However, I keep saving those stupid spools from the ribbon, trying to think of a use for them. One day, I will. Every once in a while, I toss out my current collection and start over.

Another instance is the cardboard tube that holds crochet threads. These are about 4" high and about 3" across. I am toying with some great ideas for those, but so far, I just keep accumulating them.

Scrap yarn is not a problem. I will share what I do with these in another post - one of my more productive ideas.

Plastic canvas bits and pieces are another issue. Our dear family friend, Jane, had cartons of these pieces which she saved diligently through the years. She's been gone two years now, and I did manage to get rid of one carton to a lady whose daughter was just beginning with plastic canvas. They were great for small projects like magnets. earrings or pins, and ornaments, or for trims.

The thing is, we just cannot seem to toss these things. For a while, I had bags of bathroom tissue cardboard tubes and paper towel tubes. I finally tossed them, but I found myself starting over. I used to make crocheted candles from them, and might do so again.

I also began saving things to use as "plarn." This is a new crafting term for plastics that are recycled and used like yarn. Anything can be used - I've seen fashion doll gowns from black VCR or cassette tapes, beautiful handbags from grocery bags, and more. Here are two links for learning about plarn:
http://http://www.myrecycledbags.com/
http://diyfashion.about.com/od/diyfashion101/tp/Plarn.htm

So, unfortunately, there are enough ways for us to use these leftovers and scraps, just enough, to encourage our pack rat instincts to keep saving it all, whether we'll ever use it or not.

Great Calendar Gift - Repurpose Idea, to boot

I accidentally stumbled upon an artist's Etsy store (http://www.etsy.com/shop/AlexWijnen).

What caught my attention was the amazing 2011 calendars she (Alex) has in her shop. She features a dozen of her works, and they are placed in plastic CD cases. You simply move them one at a time, to the back, as each month ends.

I was enchanted by her art work, her hand drawn illustrations, and seriously hope to pick up at least a few of these for very special gifts for the year-end gift-giving season.

I don't know if these CD cases were re-purposed, but it sure gives thought to some great ideas for all of us crafters.

Recycled Gift Bows

Ok, FaveCrafts has done it again. They have instructions for turning your old magazine pages into recycled (green) gift bows!


I just love this one and I suspect I'll be very busy making a stash of these bows so I have some ready all through the year. I will never, ever have to pay for a bow again. I can just see the possibilities, too, in color combos, depending on the colors on the magazine pages. You really have to check this out.

And remember, if you like it but do not have time to print it or save it, register quickly for their site and their regular newsletter, and you will be able to simply "Add It" to your own article collection and come back for it when you need it.

Craft-y Recycle Tips

There are so many things around our homes that we can use in our craft work. Tonight, I noticed that the common toothpick holder (the kind that has a hole to dispense one toothpick at a time) would be great as a glitter-shaker. I often poke yarn pieces into the hole of an empty kleenex box. These can eventually be used for stuffing.

Remember how the ads went for those plastic containers when they first came out about ten years ago? They said we’d never have to worry again about a family member forgetting to bring home a dish it they took one for lunch (work or school) because they only cost about 50 cents. That was then, and this is now, and they cost a little bit more than that. But they last longer than I ever expected. Eventually, I buy new ones because the microwave beats these up after a year or so. I use the old ones for craft supplies and to also stash small finished projects.

Ice cream buckets are great (for generic ice cream or sherbets) for balls of yarn or larger supplies. Snap-shut eyeglass cases hold my crochet hooks. Canvas tote bags hold work-in-progress. I have even used Styrofoam or cardboard egg cartons for beads and things. The deli containers for potato salad and macaroni salad are great see-through containrs, too.

I use food scales and postal scales to weight my balls of leftover yarn and threads, to see if I have enough to work a project.

Thank you, Dear Lord, for all the ways I can use what you send my way.