Birdcage Toys You Make in Minutes

If you have a small bird chances are he or she loves to play with birdcage toys. Dont go to the nearest pet store and pay outrageous prices for tiny toys. Make them yourself! Its easy to make a huge assortment of toys that can be interchanged to provide variety. Simply attach one or two homemade toys, then at a future date, replace them with different ones.

Your bird will hardly be able to contain his excitement when he sees his new play toys youve made. One is so easy youll be finished with it in a minute. Slide a bell onto a string. Tie it to the top of the cage. Youre done! The bird will truly enjoy ringing the bell. Youll find bells in all sizes and types at any craft store.

Make a completely different toy by starting with a brass ring. Use string or wire on opposite sides of the ring. String both wires or cords to the top of the cage. The ring will hang, horizontally, in the cage. The bird will enjoy sitting on one side and jumping to the other side. Make a second toy by hanging another brass ring vertically on one string. It will swing as the bird plays on it and takes only a minute to make. The vertically-hanging brass ring has many possibilities. Dangle a trinket, like a bell, inside the ring. The bird can sit on the ring and play with the bell or other toy. You can even hang one ring inside another. The rings are found in several different sizes at places that sell craft supplies. Tie a string on a tiny pinecone. Spread peanut butter or honey all over the pinecone then roll it in birdseed. Tie the string to the top of the cage. Your bird might not consider this a toy, since its so tasty, but hell enjoy waking up and find it hanging in his cage! A small rubber ball will give your bird hours of fun. Wrap it in yarn and hang it from the top of the cage. Position it in front of the birds perch and hell have hours of fun pecking at it. If you dont have a rubber ball you can wrap yarn round and round to form a yarn ball. Birds love pecking and making the ball swing. Slide shank buttons onto a cord. The buttons can be various sizes and styles but should not contain parts that might come out, like jewels. Make the string of buttons as long as you wish then fold it in half. Tie the ends to the top of the cage and let the loop of buttons hang down in the cage. Instead of buttons you can string small bells. Make something different from a button by selecting one very large button and some string. Thread the string through the two holes of the button and bring the ends together at the top of the cage. Tie them to the top and allow the single button to hang. The bird will enjoy jumping and sitting on the large button. Make a perch from three popsicle sticks. Cut a small groove at each end of the sticks. Hold one stick horizontally and push the groove of another stick into the groove of the horizontal stick. Do the same thing to the other side with the third stick. Bend a piece of craft wire into a "U" shape. Place the ends of the wire through the cage and hook them onto the grooves of the two vertical sticks. This perch is simple to make and will please any small bird. Fold a strip of leather in half and thread the ends through the top of the cage. Slide a pony bead (a bead with a large hole) over the two ends. Slide the bead up to the top of the cage. The leather strips should hang nearly to the bottom of the cage. Birds enjoy climbing the "ropes" and even hanging on them. You dont have to spend a lot of money to give your bird fun and variety. Make some quick and easy toys that will make your bird very happy. It takes mere pennies to make most bird toys and some of the supplies are ones you already have. Enjoy making the toys and enjoy watching your favorite bird play!

Year-Round Indoor Tree for All Holidays and Occasions

There are some things in life that are free, and when you can use those things to decorate your home, even better! One thing thats free and makes a great decoration for your home is a fallen tree branch. Not a huge log, mind you, but a substantial branch with several smaller branches extending from it. Scrub it to get most of the dirt and loose bark off, drag it in the house, and get ready to make something fabulous! The tree branch you use should be fairly lightweight. Nothing gigantic or heavy is needed for these projects. Place the branch on newspapers or plastic and spray paint it. Paint it pink to make an Easter tree, green for Christmas, or just choose a color - like gold or white - that will suit any occasion. Youll need to give the branch at least two coats of paint, so youll need to paint the limb in stages, first one side and then the other, letting it dry before the next coat.

After the branch is painted youll need to prop it up in a bucket. Weight the bucket with rocks, bricks or something else heavy. When the branch is stable fill the remainder of the bucket with Easter grass, garland, or even a long boa. There are many different looks you can create depending upon the occasion or holiday.

Decorate the tree by adding Easter eggs, Christmas ornaments, or other embellishments. The tree can be made for most any occasion and can be changed anytime you wish. Make one with eggs and tiny stuffed bunnies for Easter. Hang the decorations with fishing twine or other cord. Make one for Christmas that has tiny holiday ornaments all over it. You can easily turn the tree into an indoor decoration for any holiday. When there are no holidays approaching the tree can be decorated for everyday use. Its a great way to display photos and other things. Purchase small, lightweight frames and hang them from the branches. The photos can be family pictures or even pictures of a vacation. For that matter, the pictures can simply be images of something you love, like lighthouses or puppies. There are many different ways to decorate the pot so that it suits the occasion. Wrap it in gift wrap for any occasion or holiday. Or, use window clings to decorate the pot or bucket. If you want something more permanent you can cover the pot in painted wooden shapes, or just paint. There are no limits to the different designs you can create. The branch you choose can even be very small to sit on a shelf or desk. The small branch, with protruding twigs, can be placed in a vase to create something entirely different. Spray paint the little branch and use it to hold jewelry, hair ties or scarves. It looks great in a girls room sitting on a dresser. A teenage girl can will love it to hold tiny pictures of her friends. The small Easter, Christmas or other tree is great for many different rooms of the house. Use them in bedrooms, the living room - even on a closed-in porch. They are real attention-getters and conversation pieces when your visitors drop in to see you. Go out in your yard and find a small tree branch or ask a neighbor if theres one in his or her yard. You dont have to spend a lot of money turning the tree into a fabulous piece of your decor. Hang Easter eggs on it and youve created the tree for mere pennies. Hang tiny picture frames and youve created a decor piece that can remain in place year-round. Youll enjoy this easy craft that gives you many options for many different rooms. At any time you can replace that branch with another one if needed. After changing the paint color many times, or accidentally breaking off some of the smaller branches, its easy to choose another branch and start all over! Make a small one for a bedroom and a larger one for the living room. Its so much fun!

How to Make a Hanging Birdbath

Do you know what a grapevine wreath is? Its shaped like a wreath but is made from dried grapevines. The vines are hard, generally brown, and are intertwined to form the shape of a circular wreath. These wreaths can be found at any craft store - all year long - and can be used to make all sorts of decor pieces for your home. Take the wreath outside, though, and it can easily become a fabulously unique birdbath that will attract many birds to your yard.

You can make the birdbath as large or as small as you want by the size of grapevine wreath you choose. A huge wreath, of course, will make a large birdbath whereas a smaller wreath will help you create a miniature version. You may be tempted to spray paint the wreath, but if you do, birds might notice the odor of the paint and avoid your new hanging birdbath. Its best if you use the grapevine wreath as-is.

Look through your cupboards for an old plastic bowl that will fit in the circle of the wreath. Or, purchase a terra cotta saucer from a craft or garden store. Make sure the dish you use will fit inside the inner circle of the wreath without falling through. This dish will hold the water and become the actual bath. To hang the birdbath cut three pieces of rope which are five feet long each. Put the three ends together and tie a knot. At the opposite end, grab all three ends of the rope and tie another knot. One knot will hold the wreath and bowl in place; the other will hold the finished birdbath on a tree limb. The type of rope you use is not that important but should not be really large and bulky. Substitutions for the rope, like yarn or ribbon, are not ideal for holding the weight of the wreath. You can, however, use strong twine, such as fishing twine. Its easiest to position the wreath if you first hang the rope. You dont have to hang it from the tree branch just yet; hang it on a doorknob or other object. It will make it a little easier to use both hands to place the wreath. Settle the wreath inside the rope then lift it off the doorknob. Reposition the wreath if necessary. Now place the bowl on top of the wreath and hang the creation on a tree limb or other object outdoors. Fill with water or wait until it rains. You can make the birdbath look much more inviting if you purchase a few artificial grape leaves. Glue the leaves on, here and there, around the birdbath and rope. Wrap a vine of grape leaves around each of the ropes or just glue a few leaves on randomly. The leaves dont necessarily have to be grape leaf imitations. Choose leaves, flowers or vines to your liking. You dont absolutely have to use fake embellishments. Feel free to wrap pine branches around the roping or glue on real, small pine cones. Make something similar to feed the neighborhood birds by cutting a large circle of hard plastic. Punch a hole in the center of the plastic disk, pass the rope ends through it, then tie the ends in a knot. The disk will protect the food from rain. Fill the bowl with birdseed, sunflower seeds or other seeds. Hang the arrangement from a tree branch or other object in the yard. Your backyard doesnt have to be limited to only one birdbath. Make ones with long ropes that almost reach the ground, or make one without roping that sits on a deck. You can even make a tiny version, glue on a craft bird, and set it inside your home for decoration. Instead of filling it with water glue in a small, round mirror to represent the water. You dont necessarily have to use a grapevine wreath to make the birdbaths and feeders. If you own a wreath that will hold up under the elements, and will easily hold a plastic or other dish, youve got the makings of a new birdbath! Hurry, go get out the Christmas decorations! The birds are waiting!

Seed Packet Art for Your Kitchen

Do you plant a garden every year? Do you plant flowers in the yard each spring? If so, save those seed packets! They can become the new decor in your kitchen or dining room. Even if you dont plant gardens or flowers you can still create country-style wall hangings that will grab attention. Since packets of seeds are inexpensive you can easily purchase them whether you intend to plant the seeds or not. Youll often find them at yard sales and flea markets for mere pennies. If you can find really old packets, even discolored ones, even better for the project! Whether the seeds you use are cucumber, pumpkin, tomato or marigolds you can still use the empty packets to make easy artwork. Just be careful when opening the packets not to rip them or otherwise ruin them. Carefully pull the flap up from the backside to open. When the seeds are gone you can use tape to secure the flap.

Its so easy to make seed packet art since all you do is center the packet in a picture frame. Make assorted designs using a variety of vegetable - or flower seeds - to create the set. There are other options for creating even more designs. Put two packets together, one slightly overlapping the other one, to make something different. Spread multiple packets apart like playing cards.

Make a new set that looks totally different by using various backgrounds for the packets. Place one or more packets on a piece of burlap and place it in the frame. Other backgrounds include cloth or paper. Youll find a large assortment of scrapbook paper, at a craft store, that will give you many choices for the seed packet background. There are literally hundreds of ways to embellish the seed packet wall hangings. For example, if the frame contains a packet from a particular type of flower, you can purchase similar silk flowers and glue them to the frame. Or, you can flatten the silk flowers and put them inside the frame with the packets. You can purchase miniature tomatoes, roasting ears, pumpkins and other minis at any craft store. These miniatures can be glued to the outside of the frame to enhance the framed packets. You can even use stickers to create a design on the background paper. Stickers of watermelons, green beans, peppers and similar items can be just what you need to complete the seed packet project. Instead of centering the packets in the frame place them a little higher or a little lower. Now you can use stickers, paper cutouts, or even felt letters to spell out the name of the flower or vegetable seeds. You can even use old packets to cut out the letters. There are so many different seeds that are sold you wont have any trouble choosing ones that will match your kitchen color scheme. Seed packets display a picture of the fruits, vegetables or flowers, so you can choose them by the colors on the packets. Seed packets arent the only packet-type products that you can use to make the unusual artwork. Dry sauce packets, seasoning packets, and similar items can also be framed and hung on the walls of your kitchen. Any packet product is easy to frame to create unique decor for the kitchen or dining area. Make matching place mats by cutting the fronts off of packets. Align the packet fronts in rows on a piece of background paper. Tape the packets in place hiding the tape on the backside of the packets. Laminate the packets and trim. The matching place mats will really bring attention to the kitchen. The packet art is easy to make and fun to create. Make sets for friends, as gifts, or just to decorate your own kitchen. Get the kids involved and theyll have lots of fun. Vegetable and fruit packet art is perfect for kitchens, dining rooms and even garages. Flower packet decor works well in a kitchen, bedroom or bath.

Unique Pencil Icicles for Your Christmas Tree

Okay, your house is decorated, your tree is up, but something is missing. Oh yeah, homemade icicles for the tree! Forget purchasing beads and stringing them for hours on end. Those are beautiful but way too involved. Want something really sparkly that only takes a couple minutes to make? Grab a box of pencils and get busy creating fabulous Christmas tree icicles! Pencils can easily be turned into unique and beautiful icicles. Shorter pencils, and ones that have been sharpened down, make the best ones for this project. Pencils with no erasers are great. Regular size pencils can be used to make the icicles if you have a huge tree but they will appear way too long on a normal size tree.

Use normal wire ornament hangers to hang the pencil icicles. The hangers can be opened at the bottom, where they attach to the ornament, and taped to the flat end of the pencil. Whether the pencil has an eraser or not wont matter when it comes to attaching the hanger. Use a narrow piece of tape to temporarily hold the hanger to the pencil. After you finish the icicle the tape will be covered up and unnoticeable.

There are several different techniques for creating icicles from pencils. One way is to cover the pencil in glue and roll it in silver, gold or white glitter. The best glue is a spray-on adhesive that dries quickly rather than a drippy glue like ordinary white glue. Its difficult to find a manner in which to hang the pencil while the glitter dries so using adhesives which naturally dry quickly is the best bet. Using spray-on glitter might not give you the outcome youd like. Often, the spray-on types of glitter will allow you to still see the facets of the pencil. The bulkiness of regular glitter, especially after glittering the pencil more than once, can help conceal the various sides of the pencil. Hold the pencil by one end while you glitter half the pencil then hold the glittered end while you do the opposite end. Sometimes its necessary to repeat the glue and glitter steps depending upon how thickly you want to coat each pencil. One roll in the glitter will often leave some empty spots that need retreated. Instead of ordinary glitter you can also cover the pencil in rock salt or table salt. Cover the pencil with glue and roll it in the salt. Salt catches the light from the tree and makes these icicles really sparkle. The size you make the pencils is up to you, but for ordinary size trees, five to six inches is perfect. Create many of the unique icicles to hang on the tree. If you want you can attach a bow at the top of the pencil, or icicle. The point of the pencil makes the point of the icicle. No one will ever be able to tell that you made the icicle from a pencil. Instead of taping wire ornament hangers to the tops of the pencils you can also use replacement bulb tops. Ball ornaments have a metal cap on top, used to slide the wire in for hanging, and those caps work great for the pencil icicles. If you can find those replacement caps theyre great for this craft. Another method for holding the pencil ornament is to use a single bead. Use a clear bead, ideally in a star burst pattern, to cap the pencil. To do so, fold a piece of stretch cord in half. Slide the ends of the cord through the bead. Glue the bead onto the top of the glittered pencil trapping the cord ends below it. You can also do this step before glittering then glitter the bead as well as the pencil. Got pencils lying around the house? You and the kids get busy making icicles for your Christmas tree. Youll really love the finished project and youll have lots of fun making dozens of them. Be prepared to tell everyone your pencil secret, though, because theyll all want to know where you got the fabulous ornaments!

Wicker Basket Garden Birds

Isnt it fun decorating your garden with bird baths, stepping stones and other accessories? Shopping at garden stores is an expensive way to add garden accents, and even though theyre beautiful, you can make a unique set of garden birds that will look great in your garden, but cost you little. Do you have a couple of wicker baskets? Then you probably have everything you need to create the cute creatures.

Grapevine baskets work really well for this project, but you can use many different types of baskets, as long as they dont have a handle. Use different sizes to create small and larger birds. If the basket you want to use isnt the right color just spray paint it before starting the project. Youll need one basket for each bird you make. Youll also need some pliable wire, like florist wire, to attach the craft supplies to the baskets.

Large plastic flowers are perfect for the birds eyes. Dont spend big bucks on beautiful silk flowers; the cheap, plastic kind work better. Obviously, youll need much larger fake flowers for the eyes of big birds and smaller flowers for the eyes of smaller birds. Cut the stem from the flowers to begin creating the eyes. Leave a short part of the stem so that you can later wrap a wire around it. Glue a set of wiggly eyes into the center of two matching flowers. Make sure the adhesive you use will not break down in water. Wrap a wire around the bottom of each flower. Wrap the wire several times then push it through the bottom of the basket. The flat part of the basket will become the birds face. Decide where the eyes will go and use the wire to attach. After wrapping the wire around the flower, and pushing it through the basket, bend it to secure. Now youll make a beak for the bird. Take a piece of craft foam and cut out something of a kite shape. The longer end of the kite will become the beak and the shorter end of the kite will attach to the birds face. Fold the kite shape over a long piece of wire. Staple the beak to hold the wire inside. The wire will be more secure if you first twist the end before trapping it inside the foam. Push the wire through until the beak touches the basket. Twist the wire to secure. Use two dowels to make the legs of the bird. Use long dowels to make a tall bird and much shorter, skinnier dowels to make short birds. Align the dowels on the backside of the bird, which is the rim of the basket. Use wire, and weave it around the dowels and through the basket, until it is tight. Cut two bird feet shapes from foam and cut a hole towards the back. The hole should be large to slide in the dowels. When youre ready to put the birds in the ground simply place the two feet on the ground, slide in the dowels, and thats it. The foam feet wont be attached except by the insertion of the dowels. If you want, though, you can wrap a piece of tape around the dowel, above the foot, to keep the foot from scooting up when the wind blows. Instead of using dowels for legs you can cut the feet shapes, staple them to the basket, then use a garden stake to hold the bird in place. Hang the basket, by the rim, on the stake. Use a wire to wrap around the stake and through the basket. This will keep the basket from blowing off of the garden stake. Another way to create the legs is to use a forked stick. Omit the foam bird feet and just attach the sticks to the basket with wire. Make a single bird or a family of birds. Make all the birds look the same or use different colors of fake flowers and foam to create a new look for each bird. Combine little eyes with a big beak, or large eyes with a large beak, to make all different sorts of birds. Make owls, toucans, turkeys and more. Theyre all really easy when you start with a simple basket!

Unique Fruit Easter Characters You Make in Minutes

If your family has a tendency to waste Easter eggs, because they simply dont care for hard boiled eggs, dont make them miss out on the fun of coloring and decorating. No one wants to waste food so theres no need to decorate Easter eggs if you know theyll end up in the trash. That doesnt mean the kids cant have all the fun that egg-loving children can have. Simply put away the eggs, get out a bag of fruit, and let the Easter fun begin! Lemons, limes and even oranges work great for giving kids the fun of Easter decorating. Wash the fruits and dry well. Some grocers apply an oil to citrus so they shine and draw attention. The oils can cause paints and markers to smear, run, or just be difficult to apply.

A lemon makes a cute bunny and its so easy to do! Use a fine-tip black marker to draw on a face. Then embellish it with cheap craft supplies. Cut ears from flat craft foam and tape or glue them to the lemon. Since this particular bunny is yellow cut yellow ears. If you want, you can cut a second set of ears, a little bit smaller, from white foam. Glue the white foam ears onto the larger yellow ears to create an inner and outer ear. Position the finished ears onto the lemon and glue in place.

Its easy to make the fun citrus characters and set them out for Easter. Make several of them and place them in a basket as a centerpiece for your table. Create different characters by drawing different faces or by using other craft supplies to create unique looks. Use an orange to make an Easter chick. Glue on wiggly eyes then cut a beak from foam or felt. Cut a diamond shape from the felt, fold it in half, then glue the fold to the orange. You can glue on feathers or even secure the feathers by using tape rather than glue. Any adhesives you use for the fruits should be non-toxic. There are many different craft items that are inexpensive and will help you create the fun fruit characters for Easter. Try small pom-poms for noses, foam strips for whiskers or moustaches. Toothpicks make great whiskers, too. Fruit characters can have small fake jewels - or even decorative straight pins - for eyes. Youll find decorative pins at any store that sells sewing supplies. The pins often have a colored ball or stone on the end. Kids can even cut eyes and mouths out of magazine characters and use tape to attach them. There are many different things you can use to make the final design. Glue on small silk flowers and leaves to create a bonnet for the fruit characters. Tiny pearls, beads, sequin and buttons can all be used to create the look of a hat or bonnet. These items can be glued on or you can use small straight pins to secure them. Even toothpicks can be used to hold some embellishments in place. An old Mr. Potato Head game can help kids create even more looks for the fruit characters. The game consists of plastic arms, legs, hats and other embellishments meant for decorating a potato. These pieces easily push into the lemons, limes or oranges to create exciting characters. When youve had a fun day of making fruit characters you can display them on candle holders, or make a holder for them. Cover a 3 liter bottle cap with glitter, jewels, fabric or ribbon. The cap, when placed with the flat side down, will easily hold your fruit person. Easter is a lot of fun, but for kids that dont like eggs, it can be much less fun. Even if your kids love eggs, and love decorating them, they can still make the fruit characters. They can display them around the house, hand them out to friends, or just keep them and eat them later. You can make some of the silly characters yourself and place one in each of your childrens baskets. Itll be a big surprise to the child and he or she will be very surprised!

Easy Yarn Wigs for Halloween

Wigs are a popular thing when it comes to Halloween costumes but you dont have to pay big money for cheap wigs. Its easy to make your own wigs. There are several different ways you can go about making Halloween wigs and each will save you a ton of money on costume expenses. You dont necessarily have to use yarn to make a Halloween wig but it is much cheaper than using fake or real hair to create the hairpiece.

One easy way to create your Halloween wig is to start with a cap. The cap can be a stretchy, nylon type or can even be a ball cap. Cut lengths of yarn and hot glue them around the perimeter of the cap. You can later trim the yarn into various lengths or even bangs. To make it easier to create the wig turn the cap inside out. Place the cap over a wig head or a ball, like a basketball or soccer ball. Glue on all the yarn then turn the cap right side out.

Make a similar wig by starting with a shower cap. Again, use a ball or wig stand to hold the shower cap while you make the wig. Cut the strands to the size you want and glue them onto the shower cap. When youve completely covered the cap in bits of yarn youll then try it on. Use hot glue to take the cap up in certain areas so that you can get the proper fit. Some people find it easier to make the adjustments to the shower cap before adding the yarn hair. Tuck your hair into the shower cap before wearing it out for the night. Youll be thrilled at how comfortable the shower cap wig is. Make a completely different wig by starting with yarn and a pillow. Wrap the yarn round and round a pillow. The larger the pillow, the longer the hair will be. Wrap around the pillow lengthwise for long hair or width-wise for short hair. The more you wrap, the thicker the wig will be. After you have wrapped at least a couple hundred times around the pillow youll use one piece of yarn to hold the other pieces together. Slide the single, long piece of yarn between the wig and the pillow, on one side. Loosely tie the yarn piece around the strands of hair. Tie into a knot. Slide the pillow out of the wig and set aside. The one long strand of yarn should be wrapped around the center middle of the hair strands. Dab glue along the one long yarn piece, on the underside, to secure. When dry the yarn hair can be bobby pinned onto your head. A similar creation is made by using one long piece of ribbon. Measure from the hairline, at the forehead, to the crown of the head. Cut a piece of ribbon to that length. Cut lengths of yarn to sew on and create the hair. The lengths should be twice as long as the finished length of the wig. For example, if you want your yarn wig to be 18" long you would cut the yarn to 36" lengths. Position the ribbon under the presser foot, with one piece of yarn folded in half, under the foot as well. As you stitch along the length of the ribbon, down the center, youll continually add more and more of the folded yarn pieces. When youve added as many as you want youll back stitch and clip. The hair can be bobby pinned into place on the head. If you want bangs to go with the wig substitute a 4" wide piece of ribbon - or fabric - for the narrow ribbon. Stitch the folded yarn in place, down the center of the wide ribbon, then stitch the bang pieces onto the front. Cut the yarn for the bangs and stitch them across the width of the ribbon, in the front. The bangs should be cut twice the length needed, folded in half, and stitched onto the ribbon. Its fun to make fake wigs for Halloween, and sometimes, they suit the costume better than a higher quality wig. If someone is dressing up as a Raggedy Ann, for instance, a red yarn wig is much better than any other wig you could buy. Have fun with this project and enjoy the party!

Quick and Easy Car Repair Tricks and Tips

Sometimes things go wrong with our vehicles and we have no choice but to park it or get it fixed. Other times we simply let the problem go for lack of time and/or money. Some things must be fixed but other problems can be handled by you. Just check the following list of tricks and tips that will help you save money and keep your car in tip-top shape.

Accidentally knocked a hole in your gas tank? A piece of bubble gum should do the trick! Wipe the hole and quickly stick a piece of well-chewed bubble gum over the hole. The gum cant help you if its a large hole, but for small holes, its just the trick.

Bubble gum is also a handy way to fix a small leak in a radiator. Be careful to work with a cool radiator to avoid burns while trying to apply the gum. Another trick for stopping small leaks in radiators is to pour in black pepper. The pepper will build up in the hole and plug it. Dont like waiting for the defrost to get rid of the fog on the inside of your windshield? Rub shaving cream around on the glass, then wipe with paper towels, and youll prevent the problem. The car wont fog up for awhile, and when you see any signs of fog, just reapply the shaving cream. It doesnt take a lot of the cream to treat the glass. Have an ashtray in your car that you dont use? Fill it with potpourri! The scent will last much longer than the air fresheners you hang on the rearview mirror and the potpourri isnt nearly as intrusive as that annoying swinging air freshener. You can also place coins in the ashtray and youll never be stuck without correct change at a drive-thru. Fussy kids? Fill a clean ashtray with wrapped candies and theyll be quiet and content. Rinse off the bathroom plunger and use it to pop out small dents. Some dents wont respond to the plunger but many will. Stick the plunger over the dent and get the suction going by pushing it down and pulling it back up. Many dents will snap right out using the plunger method. Other dents can sometimes be fixed by hitting them with a rubber mallet from the opposite side. Rearview mirror fell off? No problem! Just cut a piece of double-sided tape to put it back on the windshield. Use several pieces to really secure the mirror. The tape can be found at most hardware or home improvement stores. If your head liner is starting to sag, and you simply dont have the money to replace it, create unique patterns with thumbtacks. The flat-head thumbtacks work best for this project. You can use stencils to draw patterns, then position each of the tacks, or you can just run tacks straight across the head liner. If its getting hard to turn your key in the car door lock never turn to oily sprays or substances. Instead use a pencil on the ridges of the key. Scrape the key across the graphite of the pencil then place the key in the hole. Turn the key back and forth a couple of times and you wont have any more problems. If youre starting to notice a few small rust spots on your car nip that in the bud! Use steel wool, dipped in kerosene, to easily scrub away the rust. Use gloves to apply the steel wool so you wont have to contend with lingering kerosene odor on your hands. If your vehicle has stickers you dont want, or residue where a sticker used to be, simply wipe the area with vegetable oil. Allow it to sit for an hour or so then easily scrape the sticker or adhesive away. Fingernail polish remover is also helpful for ridding your car of adhesive residue. Corrosion on your battery terminals? Dont get stranded somewhere because your battery cant get a connection. Use a solution of baking soda and water to clean away corrosion. An old toothbrush can be helpful in scrubbing away the corrosion after treating with the baking soda water.

Honeycomb Drawer Organizers

Dont you hate it when you have to dig through your dresser drawers to find the items youre needing? Dresser drawers containing socks, scarves, underwear and similarly small items can get all disarranged in no time whatsoever. How many times have you reorganized those drawers only to find they need it again in a few weeks? Youll never have to worry about that again once you make a honeycomb drawer organizer. If youve got cardboard and tape youve got a drawer organizer that will serve you for years to come! How easy is it to cut a piece of cardboard, fold it and tape the ends together? You dont get much easier than that! Thats all you have to do to make the honeycomb organizer. You can use basically any type of cardboard but thick types are harder to fold. Thin cardboard - but not too thin, works best. Start by cutting a piece to about fifteen inches long and four inches wide.

Start at one short end of the cardboard and measure down two-and-a-half inches. Fold the cardboard and crease it well. Go down another two-and-a-half inches and fold again. Continue doing this until you have six sections on the cardboard. Align the two ends and tape them together. Make sure the tape is on the inside of the honeycomb shape. Now, one honeycomb section wont work to make an entire organizer. Make another and another of the honeycomb shapes and place then inside the dresser drawer to organize socks and more.

You can glue or tape the individual honeycomb sections together to make a huge honeycomb or you can just place the individual sections inside your dresser drawer. If you attach them its easy to take the whole thing in and out of the drawer all at once. But, if you set them in the drawer individually its easy to remove one thats a little worse for wear, later on down the road. These are decisions you can make according to whats right for you. If making all those folds in the cardboard is more work than you want to do, or youre working with thick cardboard and its hard to crease it well, you can simply make circles instead of the honeycomb shapes. Again, glue or tape them together or place the circles in drawers individually. There are even more changes you can make to design the organizer that best suits your needs and your tastes. For example, cover each cardboard piece with scrapbook paper or other decorative paper. You can even cover them with thin cloth. Cloth or paper make the organizer much more attractive. Glue the material to both sides of the cardboard or just to the outside. Use 20 oz soda bottles to make something similar but different. Begin cutting the top and bottom off of soda and water bottles you use and save them up to make an organizer. Use sandpaper to easily smooth the cut areas of the plastic. Attach many of the circles together or just start placing them, as you get them, inside the drawer. These, too, can be covered in fabric or cloth. Ball up socks, scarves, belts, undies, gloves, knit caps and other such items and place each one or each set in its own cubby hole of the honeycomb. Youll easily be able to see whats what and youll keep all your small stuff well organized. You can organize other things with the honeycombs, too. They dont strictly have to be used inside a dresser drawer. Glue or tape the sections or circles together and lay them on a table. These work well to organizer craft supplies, sewing notions and more. Its so cheap and easy to make the honeycomb organizers that youll never have to dig through your dresser drawers again. Instead, youll open the drawer to well-organized wearables which are all stored in attractive honeycomb compartments. Youll love the look and youll love being able to find what you need, when you need it!

Easter Characters Made from Baby Food Jars

If you have a baby dont even think about throwing away any more baby food jars! These and similar jars make great Easter characters that will brighten a basket, a table or another area of your home. The characters are very easy to create and kids, in particular, will love this craft. The characters are so adorable youll want to make one for everyone you know! Start with clean baby food jars and lids. Fill one jar with white pom-poms or cotton balls and set aside. Paint the lid pink and allow to dry. Screw the lid onto the jar and turn the jar upside-down. If you want, you can actually glue the lid onto the jar so kids dont later remove the pom-poms. Now youll use inexpensive craft supplies to finish this baby food jar Easter bunny.

About a third of the way down the jar glue on two wiggly eyes. Just under the eyes glue on a small pink pom-pom. Glue on two slightly larger white pom-poms to create a muzzle. Cut narrow strips of black craft foam for whiskers. Glue the ends of the whiskers just under the edges of the white pom-poms. Cut two small white ears, and two smaller pink ears, and glue the pink ones on top of the white ones. This will make the inside and outside of the bunny ears. Glue these on to the top of the bunnys head and your jar bunny is complete. If you want, you can embellish the top of the bunny head by gluing on tiny flowers, pearls, beads or even fake jewels.

To make an Easter chicken fill a baby food jar with yellow pom-poms. The larger the pom-poms, of course, the fewer it will take to fill the jar. The jar doesnt necessarily have to be packed tight with the pom-poms; just fill it up completely. Paint the lid yellow and allow to dry completely before gluing it onto the jar. Turn the jar upside down to create the Easter chick. About a third of the way down the jar glue on two wiggly eyes. Tiny eyes give the chick a certain look but larger eyes give it a completely different appearance. Cut a diamond shape out of orange craft foam or felt. Fold it in half and glue the fold to the jar, just under the eyes, to create a beak. Now glue small yellow feathers here and there on the jar. You can glue them to the top of the jar, the sides of the jar, or all over the jar. Small yellow feathers can be purchased at a craft store. Create a fun puppy by filling the baby food jar with white cotton balls. Here and there, push in a small black pom-pom, to make a spotted dog. Paint the jar lid black, allow to dry completely, then glue it onto the jar. Turn the jar upside-down to make the puppy. Go about a third of the way down on the jar and glue on two large wiggly eyes. Glue on a black pom-pom for a nose. Glue two large white pom-poms on to form a muzzle. Leave a space between the two white pom-poms and position them slightly below - and to each side - of the black pom-pom. Use a black marker to make tiny dots on the white pom-poms. Cut one white ear and one black one from fun foam. Use a marker to color a couple of black dots on the white ear. Glue the ears onto the jar to finish the Easter puppy. There are many different animal characters you can create from the baby food jars. There are other clear jars you can use as long as all labels - and adhesive residue - has been removed. The jar animals are great for a childs Easter basket or just to set around the house. Place them on the mantle, shelves and counter tops. Browse your local craft store to purchase bags of pom-poms that contain assorted sizes as well as various colors. These will make it easy for you to fill the jars and create the various faces for the jar animals. Get the kids and get busy! The animals are so much fun to create, cost little to make, and will be responsible for many smiles this Easter.

Stuffed Football Kid for Game Room or Game Day

Are you a football fan? Of course you are! Arent we all? Whether you have a game room set up, where all your friends come to watch the games, or youre just having a football party youre probably missing one thing. No, not the snacks, drinks, excitement or friends. What youre missing is a conversation piece like no other: a miniature football player that stands, pouting, in the corner. Hes easy to make, fun to display, and will take each and every friend aback when they see him.

At first glance the stuffed football player looks real. He stands, facing a corner, seemingly pouting over the events of the day. But upon closer inspection the kid is actually a stuffed figure complete with football uniform. Dont have a small football uniform? The kid can wear any outfit and display only a helmet.

You can make the football kid with any theme you like. What is required is that the child have a long sleeve shirt and long pants. If you want to use a short sleeve jersey, celebrating the name of your team, make sure to put a long sleeve shirt underneath the jersey. The easiest way to start making the football kid is to use a babys sleeper. The color or design of the sleeper doesnt matter as long as it a one-piece suit with long sleeves and feet. Make sure the pattern or color on the sleeper will not show through the final outfit the football kid will wear. Stuff the sleeper with chipped foam or cotton. Start by stuffing the feet of the sleeper and work your way up to the neck area. Place wooden dowels in the legs of the sleeper to make them stiff enough to stand. Glue the cuffs of the sleeper shut before stuffing them. Youll have to work to shape the foam or cotton in the legs, arms and other areas of the sleeper. When youre finished use a knee-hi stocking to make the head. Stuff the stocking with foam or cotton and work with it until youve got a good head shape. At that point tie off the stocking and trim away the excess. Set the head aside momentarily. Put the football outfit - or other clothing - over the sleeper. The sleeper becomes the body of the football kid and youll then dress the body. Theres no need to glue the clothes onto the sleeper but you must glue the cuffs closed on the outfit. Slide the feet of the sleeper into the chosen shoes, cleats or boots. Its helpful if you use hot glue to keep the shoes on the feet. While dressing the kid you can add shoulder pads or other enhancements. After the kid is dressed its time to attach the helmet to the stocking head. There is no need to create a face for the kid. He will stand in a corner covering his face with his "hands". Use hot glue to affix the stocking head to the neck area of the shirt. Make sure the glue is completely dry before moving on. Place the helmet on the stocking head. The helmet should be a childs helmet. If you have no helmet you can use a ball cap, turned backwards. To finish the football kid simply hot glue the shirt cuffs to the facial area. The finished kid should seemingly be pouting and covering his face. Stand the football kid in a corner or up against the sofa. Place him to where his face is up against the wall or furniture. From behind he looks like small kid that is pouting. The dowels you inserted in the legs of the sleeper allow the football kid to stand without props. The kid can stay year-round in the same place or you can just break him out on game day. The kids can be made without the dowels and can be tossed, face down, on any bed. Make sure to take note of the shocked looks on the faces of your friends as they arrive and see the pouting football kid. Theyll get a kick out of your sense of humor and the little kid will become the best conversation piece youve ever owned!

3-D Effect for Pictures, Vases and More

It doesnt matter if you have a huge painting of a ship on the living room wall, or a set of beach pictures hanging in the bedroom, you can still give them each a make-over. Why would you give a painting a make-over? Well, it could be that youre just tired of the same old stuff, or that you wish the room had more color. Then again, maybe youre just looking for a project thats fun and will give you all new things around your house for pennies! Pictures and decor items which are worth some money are not ideal for the 3-d effect. Wall hangings and other items around the house, which are not valuable, are perfect candidates for the unique decorating technique. Make sure any object youre going to make-over is clean and dry. Make sure you know how to clean certain things, like paintings, because you could ruin them if you do so improperly.

There are many things around the house that can help you give a new look to pictures, vases, and more. String, yarn or twine are good examples. Use the twine to outline something like a huge ship or a rustic fence. Use yarn to make balloon strings or words which are printed on the picture. String works well to outline clouds or leaves. With various twine and string you can add dimension to pictures with flowers, beach scenes, mountains, buildings and much more. The string or twine outlines give any picture a 3-d effect thats inexpensive but intriguing.

Its important that youre very careful with the adhesive youre using. Hot glue works well with many heavier items. For delicate notions, like thread, ordinary white glue is more appropriate. No matter what type of glue youre using take care not to go beyond the outline with it. If you do the glue could show after the make-over is finished. With the proper adhesive you can even add metal accents to many different pictures and objects. Check your local home improvement store for the adhesive as well as the metal materials. Purchase various metal stripping on a roll. Find it in colors of gold, silver - even blue! Get assistance finding just the right adhesive for the object where the metal will be attached. For example, ask the assistant to help you find an adhesive thats suitable for canvas and metal or even wood and metal. Use pliable metal stripping to outline trees, houses, barns, boats and other objects in the painting or on the vase. Anything that already has an image or design is the perfect candidate for the 3-d effect make-over. That includes lamps, lampshades, some mirror or picture frames, drawer pulls, drawer fronts, cabinet doors, and much, much more. The make-over for paintings and other objects doesnt have to be all about outlines. Use buttons, sequin or fake jewels to become the centers of flowers. Use tiny beads to make rocks, bees and more. Other things you can incorporate into the pictures are swatches of fabric, pieces of foil, satin ribbon, silk flowers, feathers, pieces of glass, tiny pom-poms, glitter, felt, colored cellophane, straw broom pieces, dry beans, rice, sand - just about anything! Instead of using wire, beads and similar items just use dimensional paint to do the make-overs. The paints dispense from tubes and make it easy to outline - or color in - just about any image or design. The paints are available in types like metallic, pearl-look, or even puffy paints. Its fun and easy to create 3-d pictures, vases, lamps and more. It costs pennies to do most of the make-overs but the difference is amazing! Start with a small project so you can get the hang of it then move on to larger jobs. Its helpful to practice on a cereal or other box so that you can get the feel of gluing and embellishing. Youll truly enjoy this craft which is different every time!

Decorate Your Home with Wallpaper Glue Troughs

Have you ever hung wallpaper? Some types are pre-glued and other kinds must have the glue applied by you. Either way, its very helpful to use a trough. The plastic troughs are often provided when you purchase wallpaper. If not, they are sold at home improvement stores. The troughs are cheap and long making them perfect for creating shelves for displaying your miniatures or other decor pieces for your home.

Although the troughs are not extremely sturdy they work well for holding quite a few lightweight objects. Collections of thimbles, beanie babies, tiny pictures, and similarly small sets can easily be held by the plastic trough. Paint the troughs first and youll have colorful or elegant shelving in minutes. Even though the trough can be hung as-is, without a paint job, most of them come in dull colors of black or gray. Use special paints made especially for plastics to cover the trough in bright colors or elegant metallic shades.

There are other ways you can create designs on the painted or unpainted trough. Colored electrical tape is just one example. The tape is found at any home improvement store and is available in different widths and types. Use the tape to make stripes, plaids or other designs. Its an easy way to add color and interest in minutes. Hang the decorated troughs by screwing them into the wall with the bottom of the trough against the wall. Set miniatures on top of the trough as well as inside. Turn the trough around, and hang it with the open side against the wall, and make a completely different shelf. The first design holds more miniatures but either shelf makes a big impact in most any room. Use a large sticker in the center front of the trough to create a touch of elegance. The finished shelves look great in a bedroom to hold small toys, in a den to hold a displayed collection, or even in a bathroom to hold soaps and wash cloths. Create a set of the shelves by attaching several of them to a wall. Place them, one under the other, or create a different design for the shelf arrangements. Create totally different shelves by hanging the trough vertically on the wall. Glue decorated cardboard pieces into the trough, from top to bottom on the inside, and space them far apart. Make several of the shelves and glue them in place. Set beanie babies or other miniatures on the homemade shelves. Make the above creation, but set it on a desk instead, to create a cool organizer. The cardboard pieces become separators and create compartments for holding paper clips, stapler and staples, pens and pencils, markers, cd roms and more. Set this trough on the floor of a childs room and the compartments can hold sets of shoes. Make something completely different by turning the glue trough into a planter for a fireplace mantle. Glue Styrofoam into the bottom of the trough then arrange flowers, leaves, vines and similar items in the trough. Allow some of the flowers and leaves to hang over the sides of the planter, in the front and on the sides. Glue on tiny craft butterflies or even fake bugs. The unique creation is simple yet beautiful. Make something similar for outdoors. Poke a couple holes in the bottom of the trough. Put in rocks, gravel, marbles or other weights so the planters can be set on window ledges of deck railings. Create the flower arrangement you want then set the finished trough outside. Make a little "Welcome" sign to stick in the arrangement for a front porch. If youve recently done a wallpaper job yourself, or you plan to do one in the near future, clean and keep the glue trough. Use it alone or purchase similar troughs to make sets of shelving or other decor pieces. Theyre so fun and easy to do youll soon have one - or more - in every room!

Decorating with Halloween Treat Bags

While deciding how to decorate the house for Halloween this year consider the possibilities offered to you by ordinary plastic treat bags. The trick-or-treat bags are cheap and feature images of pumpkins, bats, witches or ghosts. These bags are perfect for decorating the house for Halloween.

Make simple coasters by cutting a piece of cork. Now cut a piece out of the treat bag, capturing the main part of the image, and gluing it to the coaster. You have instant Halloween coasters that costs little. They can be used year after year, too. Make a larger version and stick them to the walls with double-sided tape.

Now use push pins to hang hinged paper skeletons, glow sticks or even directions for a scavenger hunt. Use clear glasses you have in the cabinets to create eerie Halloween candles. Tall glasses are best. Simply cut a treat bag and wrap it around the clear glass. Tape or glue it in place. Now place a tea light in the bottom of the glass. When lit, the candle will illuminate the witch, jack-o-lantern or ghost image. These are easy to make and can be used for many years. Wooden stakes or metal hardware makes it easy to create fun outside decor. Glue the tops of the treat bags closed. Now cut a small hole in the bottom of the bag. Doing this will ensure the image is upright and not upside-down. Slide the bags over the stakes, metal rods, or even fence posts. The images can be even scarier if you use battery-operated lights to illuminate each bag. The small light strands can be found at many dollar theme stores and can be simply taped into the inside of each bag. Using wire stakes you can make fun decor for outdoors, too. Cut shapes of cats and witches from the treat bags and mount them to pieces of cardboard, shaped like the cat or witch. Now glue on a second piece of cardboard, trapping the wire stake in between the two cardboard pieces. The stakes can line gardens, walkways, and other areas outside. The treat bags can be used in many different areas of the home, as decor. Glue the tops shut, cut the bottoms open, then slide the bags over small appliances like an electric can opener. Some larger bags can even cover something as large as a toaster. Cut black cats, witches, ghosts and jack-o-lantern images from the treat bags. Mount them to pieces of cardboard, cut to the same shapes. These can be used as place markers by using stickers to spell out the persons name. The cardboard image can be glued to a flat piece of cardboard so that it will stand alone. You can also use the cardboard images to stick to walls, cabinet doors, drawer pulls, lampshades, curtain tie-backs, hair ties, mirrors and more. They can easily be removed after the holiday is over. Double-sided tape will make it easy to stick the cardboard images to most any surface. Cut circular shapes from the treat bags and use them to embellish ordinary disposable plates. The treat table will look much more impressive when you use the flat pieces of plastic, cut from the treat bags, to decorate the trays and plates on the table. Purchase treat bags with pumpkin images and simply stuff the bag itself. Fill the bag with shredded paper, paper towels or even fabric. Use a bread tie, or tape, to close the top of the bag. Set the fat pumpkins on the treat table, porch railings, by the fireplace, or on the mantle. Kids will love making these and youll love how cheap and easy they are to create. Raining on Halloween? Make Halloween umbrellas in no time. Simply cut images from the treat bags and use decoupage adhesive to attach the images to a black, white or orange umbrella. The treat bags will instantly change the look of the umbrella to suit the holiday. Stay dry, get lots of candy, and be safe this Halloween!

Beginners Sewing Project: Washcloth Pillow

If you havent been sewing very long you can still make lots of fabulous pillows with ease - four straight lines and youre done! Even if you just started sewing yesterday youll be able to complete this project! Purchase two identical wash cloths, set your machine for an ordinary straight stitch, and youre ready to get started making fabulous throw pillows for your couch, your bed or your friends! If youre not a beginner, when it comes to sewing, it doesnt mean you cant make the cute washcloth pillows. Since you already know how to sew there are many different designs you can create. Before sewing the two wash cloths together stitch a design on one - or both wash cloths. Take advantage of fancy stitches your machine does or make your own design. Any stitch work should be done before creating the pillow.

To sew the wash cloths together start just in front of one corner. Stitch the couple of inches to the corner then, with needle down, turn the corner. Stitch up one side, across the top, down the other side, and barely past the last corner. This method leaves one end open for turning but doesnt leave you having to stitch the corners shut when finished stuffing the pillow. Before turning the pillow trim away excess fabric from corners and sides. Turn the pillow right-side out and stuff with fiber-fill, cotton or foam. Use the machine to sew the opening shut. Wasnt that easy? Once you know the basics to the washcloth pillows you can then do many different things to make each pillow unique. For example, after stuffing the pillow and before stitching it shut, sprinkle in a paper envelope of sachet. The sachets are found at dollar-theme stores and similar retailers. The aromatic mix is dry and will give your pillows a lovely scent.

Whether you scent the pillows or not there are other techniques you can perform on the washcloth pillows. Purchase fringe and sew it around the perimeter of the pillow. Its easy to sew on the fringe by simply aligning the edge of the fringe piece to the edge of the pillow. At the corners, make a small fold so the corner will be sharp and not rounded. Even if you didnt stitch a design on the pillow you can still create one. Fabric paints let you easily draw any design onto one side of the pillow - or both sides. Use stencils to create the pattern or just draw the design freehand. If the wash cloths are ultra-plush the fabric paints might not be the best choice. Try rubber stamping a design or using other craft supplies to embellish the pillow. One cute look is to simply tie a wide, organza ribbon around the pillow. Tie it just one way or tie it horizontally as well as vertically. Finish with a bow in the center, on one side of the pillow, for an elegant look thats inexpensive and easy. A different look is made when you insert a button in the center. Find the button-making kits at stores that sell fabrics and notions. The washcloth pillow project is perfect for a young girl or a woman whos just learning how to sew. Its easy and requires no zig-zag stitching, gathering or elastic work. It only takes minutes to make a beautiful pillow that stands alone or has a mate. Create all different sorts of throw pillows by using different washcloth designs and colors, assorted embellishments, and other decorating techniques. Mix and match to create a large assortment of the small but comfy pillows. Its fun to make the easy pillows which can be used as gifts for children and adults alike. The project can be inexpensive, made from cheap wash cloths with no embellishments, or more detailed, using ribbons, fringe or other enhancements. Hurry, go to the bathroom and get some wash cloths! There are special occasions coming up at this very moment...

Peanut Butter and Pretzel Log Cabin

Whether youre having a party for your son and youre looking for the perfect centerpiece, or youve got bored kids that are hungry as well, you cant go wrong with a fun log cabin that kids can make and eat. Well, they wont be able to eat the entire cabin, but they will enjoy pulling the logs off the sides of the house and having them for a snack! Dont worry, your kids wont be chewing on bark or craft sticks, theyll be eating delicious pretzels dipped in peanut butter.

A half-gallon milk carton works perfectly as the form for the cabin. The milk carton is tall enough to make a two-story home that will look great and taste delicious. Its not hard to make the cabin although it is does take some time. Kids can snack on the pretzels while building the cabin, and when theyre finished building it, they can eat it, too! Staple the top of the clean milk carton shut. The plastic coating on the carton makes it easy to clean the inside as well as the outside. Thoroughly dry the carton with paper towels. If the carton is damp the peanut butter will not stick. Begin building the cabin by spreading one side with peanut butter. Dont be skimpy with the peanut butter but dont use big globs, either. The peanut butter will act as the mortar for the pretzel logs. Use smooth peanut butter instead of chunky. The nuts in the chunky type will prevent the logs from lying flat against the carton.

Pretzel sticks work well as logs for the cabin. Ordinary pretzels look more like logs than the super slender sticks but you can use either one. Position the sticks in the peanut butter breaking some sticks, if you need to, to make them fit. Start from the bottom and work your way up the side of the carton. Do one side at a time so the peanut butter doesnt dry out. Make windows and doors first so that its easier to build the logs around them. Position several pretzel sticks in a vertical manner, side-by-side, to form the door. If one row of the sticks doesnt make a tall enough door create a second row of pretzels above the first row. The vertical sticks stand out from the horizontal sticks used to create the logs. Make windows in the same manner or do something different with them. Make a square perimeter from the pretzel sticks to form the area outline of the window. Align the pretzels horizontally, like the logs themselves, but inside the outline. This will create one type of window. A completely different window design is made when you use frosting to fill in the perimeter. The frosting can be tinted with food coloring or can just be white frosting. Or, you can just leave the peanut butter exposed in the window area and do without the frosting. If youre using frosting for the windows you may want to leave the peanut butter off in that area. To do this, create the perimeter for the window by spreading peanut butter on the perimeter pretzels and positioning them on the side of the carton. When the pretzels are in place, add the frosting, then start adding the horizontal pretzels which form the logs of the cabin. Finish the side of the cabin before starting with the windows or doors on the next side. When the logs, windows and doors are all complete its time to top off the roof. Spread peanut butter all over the entire top of the milk carton. Use pretzel nuggets to cover the area. The nuggets can be aligned and even or can be placed in different directions to create a new look. The finished cabin can be placed on a plate and set on the table as a centerpiece. Or, it can just be set amongst the other goodies on the table. Kids can walk by and pluck pretzels from the sides of the cabin and enjoy them with their friends. The unique cabin is fun to make and even more fun to consume!

Twine-Covered Gifts Which Are Cheap yet Beautiful

Struggling to pay the bills? Wondering how youll ever afford Christmas presents this year? Well, worry no more. Purchase a ball of twine and youll have beautiful gifts for many of the people on your list. A ball of twine isnt going to cost you much, but with it, you can make rope-covered jars, bottles, boxes and more.

The cord or roping you choose should not be very large in diameter. The item you select to cover with the twine can be any number of things you already have around your home. Have an old vase? Itll look new and astonishing when you finish with it. Maybe all you have is an ordinary glass jar. Thatll work just as well! It can be hard to picture what the finished object will look like, but when youre done, youll be thrilled with the outcome! Begin at the bottom of the jar or vase and hot glue the end of the twine in place. Begin wrapping the jar with the cord using hot glue to hold it in place, here and there. Its not necessary to use a lot of hot glue to hold the roping in place. Just use a dab of glue every few inches. Continue this until youve completely covered the jar or vase with the roping.

Although the finished jar looks fabulous you can add embellishments that will add character to the bottle or jar. Craft stores are full of enhancements you use on the jar but you can also find things around the house with which to decorate it. Paint a small wooden shape and affix it to the front of the jar. Or, look in the scrapbook section of a craft store to find metallic pieces that will look fantastic. You can also use things at home, like buttons, a tassel, or even fake jewels. There are many different ways to create a new look for each bottle or jar. Rubber stamping, colorful markers, drawer pulls, and other items can all be used to create a new design for each project. And, it really doesnt matter what kind of a jar, bottle or vase you use. Whether the object is clear or colored, large or small, glass or plastic, you can still cover it in the roping to create something magnificent. The decorative jars look fabulous in a kitchen, bathroom or even other areas of the home. Set them on mantles, bookshelves, cabinets and other places. Create several different ones then gather them together in one spot in the house. Theyre so cheap and easy to create yet the recipient will absolutely love them. If you want a rustic look you can work with ordinary brown roping. But if you are looking for a punch of color you can now purchasing cording in an array of colors and types. Youll find the roping at a cheap price when you look at dollar theme stores and discount department stores. Searching for roping in a craft store or sewing department means youll likely pay more. Hardware stores and home improvement store are also good sources for cheap cording or roping. The object you cover in roping doesnt necessarily have to be a jar, bottle or vase. You can even cover cardboard boxes with the roping to create desk organizers and more. Do the bottom of the box first, then cover the sides, for best results. Although you can use any number of adhesive types to cover the intended object with rope using hot glue means the project will move along quickly. Spray adhesives are also good choices for the roping projects. Covering large objects with the cord or roping can be time-consuming and challenging. Take care to make sure you are applying each row of roping straight. If you get off track while gluing the roping on you can ruin the look of the entire bottle. If you want you can draw lines on the box or bottle to make sure you keep straight. Have fun with this project which will provide you with lots of great gifts for your girlfriends, mom or other relatives.