Cheap but Fun Birthday Cake Decorating Party for Kids

Dont you hate it when one of the kids birthdays rolls around and youre really financially embarrassed? Usually, the number one expense is the gift, and most people want to take care of that first when money is tight. Decorations, cake and other expenses can be figured out after the present is taken care of, when times are hard, but what if there simply isnt enough money left over for all of that? Well, youre going to have to cut corners somewhere, and hopefully, without the child ever knowing! One thing that can get mighty expensive is the birthday cake itself. Purchase it at a bakery and itll cost plenty. Buy one at the supermarket and you can save a little over bakery prices but will still need serious money to purchase one. If youre left with only a few dollars to spend on the cake do something totally different this year. Let each child make his or her own cake and youll save a fortune! Making individual childrens cakes is the perfect idea for young children. Purchase snack cakes, such as Little Debbie or other brands, and each kid can get creative, have a blast, and still end up with a delicious cake. The snack cakes often come in a box of six or more, for a buck or so, but sometimes come in packs of two. That means each $1 - $2 box of cakes offers a treat for 12 children! Of course, the small cakes arent that impressive fresh out of the wrapper, so youll have to do something about that.

What child wouldnt love decorating a cake just the way he wants it? Spread out a plastic tablecloth, place a square of cake on each plate, then let the kids get busy creating. For a couple of dollars you can purchase frosting gel that dispenses from a tube. These tubes make it easy for kids to write their names, draw simplistic pictures or just scribble on the cakes. Purchase one or more colors then let the kids draw and pass the tube to the next child. Purchase at least two different types of cakes - kids love choices! There are any number of inexpensive things you can put out for the kids to use as embellishments. Small candies, sugar sprinkles, candy sprinkles, shredded coconut, mints, nuts, fruit pieces, chocolate or butterscotch chips, gummy candies, red hots or even assorted cereals can all be used to create the perfect cake. Keep in mind the age of the children when selecting the embellishments. Really little kids might have trouble with the tube icing. Older kids might prefer to spread can icing over their cakes with disposable knives. Young kids, of course, will have more trouble with certain things, like sprinkles, than they would with larger embellishment goodies.

Youre going to have quite a mess on your hands - if not an all-out brawl - if you place the goodies in the center of the table and let each person fend for himself. Instead, place a little of each item on a small plate beside the cake plates, or ask each child to pick two or three decorative goodies. Let the kids start drawing and passing around the tube icing while youre asking the others what treats they want. Place the selected embellishments on small plates and let them get started. Although the cakes come in many different varieties shapes of squares, rectangles, octagons or circles make the best individual birthday cakes. Avoid snacks that are cylindrical since it will be difficult for the kids to keep the goodies attached. Let kids decorate with just the tube icing or offer assorted embellishments so they can get truly creative. The decorated snacks dont necessarily have to be just for children; even adults will enjoy making their own special cakes. You dont necessarily have to serve cake squares for kids to decorate. Cookies or brownies work well, too. The decorating of the cookies, cakes or brownies can be for a special occasion or just as a way to entertain your own family on a rainy day.

Magnetic Designs for Your Old Metal Canisters

There was once a time when almost everyone had metal canisters. Those days are gone. Now youll find canisters made of plastic, ceramics, glass and other materials. If you love the old metal canisters keep em! Just because theyre not the newest in designs and colors doesnt mean they cant grab the attention of your kitchen guests with their beauty. Use magnetic sheeting to change the way they look and youll have a blast! Purchase magnetic sheeting at any craft store. Its sold by the sheets or by the roll. Purchase a couple of sheets and you can change your canisters today. Purchase the sheeting by the roll and you can make enough designs to suit any holiday or occasion. Its fun, easy and makes it easy to change the theme of your canisters any time you want.

The sheeting has a peel-away backing that allows you to attach any number of images directly to it. Cut pictures from magazines, posters, books or even cloth to affix to the magnetic sheeting. If you want you can first laminate the images. This step isnt critical but will make it easier to wipe the pictures clean.

The design you make on your canisters is up to you. You can wrap the complete canister in the new magnetic design or just cut a square of magnet, add the cloth or paper image, then stick the new creation to the front of the canister. There are no limit to the various themes and designs you can make. Use lighthouse pictures, cut from a calendar, to create a new theme. Or, cut striped or polka-dot material or paper, then use it to completely cover the canister. Because your canisters are metal, the magnetic sheeting will easily bend to the shape of the canister, and hold in place. In addition, other flat magnetic designs can be attached to the first layer of magnetic sheeting. That means you can create even more designs. Wrap the entire canister in a piece of sheeting covered in a patterned fabric, then make small magnetic bees and butterflies, and stick them to the magnetic fabric. Besides completely flat objects there are some other things you can magnetize and stick to your canisters. Purchase braided ribbon, for example, and cut a tiny strip of magnet for the back. Now you can use the ribbon as a border for the top and bottom of the canister. Make a large assortment of magnetic designs and you can change the theme or look of the canisters for any occasion. Make Easter designs, red, white and blue themes, or even ordinary, everyday looks. Choose rustic themes, bright colors or fabrics that coordinate with your kitchen. You can even cut pieces from a plastic tablecloth and stick the shapes to magnetic sheeting. This makes it fun to create matching themes for parties and other events. If your canisters are flat on top you can even create magnetic designs for the lids. Cut the circles - or other shapes - and choose the design you want. Create the magnetic top just as you did the canister magnet itself. Make a small design or one that covers the entire lid. If youve never used magnetic sheeting have a steady hand when attaching the images to the magnet. Its virtually impossible to raise the picture and reposition it without ruining the image and/or the sheeting. Thick paper is much easier to work with than thin paper when it comes to attaching it to the sheeting. When using fabric its often easier to stick the magnet to the fabric than to position the fabric on the magnet. Paper or fabric, cut the image slightly larger than the magnetic sheeting, then trim off the excess. Youll have fun changing the look of your canisters any time you take a notion. Keep a large manila envelope with your various designs inside, and any time you feel like you want a change, just dump out the contents and choose the design of the day. Since it only takes seconds to change the designs youll want to change them often!

Decorate and Design with Waxed Paper

If youve got a roll of waxed paper in your cupboard youve got a day of fun with your kids! Not only will your family have fun creating but, when youre done for the day, youll have many new, unique items for your home. Since waxed paper is so inexpensive you can create home decor projects that costs mere pennies to make.

One really easy project for kids is created with waxed paper and broken crayons. Cut two circles of waxed paper. The circles can be large or small but both must be the same size. Place a towel on a table or ironing board. Lay one circle of wax paper on the towel. Now place a handful of broken crayon pieces on top of the waxed paper. If you have large crayon pieces you can break them down to smaller pieces by using a hammer.

Sprinkle the small pieces all over the circle of waxed paper. Now place the second waxed paper circle over the top of the first one, trapping the crayon pieces between the two circles. Now place a towel over the top and iron. The hot iron will melt the crayon pieces and the towel will protect the waxed paper. The melted crayons act as a glue to hold the two waxed paper circles together. Remove the towels and see the colorful circle of waxed paper. The crayons have melted and run together creating a design similar to stained glass. Poke a hole to hang the creations on a window with a suction cup. Or, purchase a metal ring at a craft store and use it to make a frame for the creation. Glue the waxed paper circles to the back of the ring then hang the ring on a suction cup. Kids will have lots of fun making different designs by adding glitter, confetti, foil pieces or other items to the melted crayons. Use the same technique to make place mats, coasters or even mats to put under your potted plants. Use popsicle sticks and wax paper to make something completely different. Glue four popsicle sticks together to make a square. Make four of these squares. Cut four squares of waxed paper for this project. One piece of waxed paper will be glued to each popsicle stick square. After the glue has dried you will assemble the creation. Glue the four completed squares together to form a square that will be used to surround a tea light candle. Use hot glue to hold the four squares together at the corners. When youre finished you have "windows" through which the candlelight will shine. Simply set a regular tea light - in its container - inside the popsicle stick arrangement. To enhance it glue small wooden shapes - or other novelties - onto the popsicle stick corners or onto the center of each waxed paper window. Its a fun craft that lets kids create something beautiful for mere pennies. The finished project will thrill Mom, Grandma or even a favorite teacher. Cakes, pies cookies and other goodies can be delicious and beautiful at the same time when you use waxed paper to decorate them. Cut any design out of the waxed paper. The design can be traced from a coloring book or other image. After youve cut out the design(s) youll then use the wax paper to decorate your desserts. Lay the waxed paper sheet, which contains the heart, puppy or other design, onto the cake or pie. Sprinkle powdered sugar in the open area. When youre finished remove the waxed paper. The image will be done on the cake in powdered sugar. Use this technique for cupcakes, candy, fudge and other sweets. Instead of powdered sugar you can use candy sprinkles, colored sugar granules or even tiny candies to make the image. You dont have to have a lot of money to make great things for your house and show your kids a good time. Theyll thoroughly enjoy helping you create any of the waxed paper crafts listed here. With a few things from around the house, or a few small purchases from a craft store, youll have hours of fun and lots of new things to show off to your family and friends!

Instant Messages for Kids School Lunches

If youre like many parents youre constantly sending and receiving texts from your children to keep track of them while youre at work or away from home. Texting is all the rage for kids and teens, and they generally dont care where they are when they text, but schools simply dont allow cell phones and texting during school hours. That can pose a problem for parents who wish to get a message to their kid while he or she is at school.

Its true that many people have poor memories, but when it comes to children, they often have many other things on their minds. Do you have a child who tends to forget to return school library books, turn in homework or write down assignments? Well, now you can send that kid a message via his or her lunch bag. That is, via his or her lunch! Use the foods in the lunch box to write messages and reminders.

No, dont break out the magic markers and write on your childs sandwich. Well, actually, do something very much like that. Instead of regular markers, though, use edible food markers. Wilton and some other brands now make a marker-type pen that allows you to write directly on many foods. Its a fun way to send messages and reminders to your child during school hours. The markers are usually under ten bucks for a set of four or five different colors. Although ordinary magic markers work fine for writing messages on lunch sacks, bananas and even plastic food containers theyre not appropriate for sandwiches, apples and other foods. Use the edible food markers and you can write on just about any food in the lunch bag. Its fun to write all sorts of messages for little kids, older kids and even teens. Remind your child to bring home his algebra book by writing a note on his sandwich. Or, remind your daughter to bring home her umbrella from her locker by leaving a written note on her apple. There are no limits to the various messages and reminders you can post to your childs food. He or she will sit down to lunch, read the reminder, and manage to get a lot more done. You dont necessarily have to nag your kids everyday at lunch with the new edible markers! Use them to create jokes, puzzles and more. For young kids, write words or letters on grapes, then kids can arrange them to see what it says before gobbling the fruit. For older kids write a joke on their sandwiches, fruit or other items. You can even get artistic with the markers. Write their names on foods, create stripes and polka-dots or just make squiggles all over the food. Its a lot of fun creating artwork, messages and more. Now kids sandwiches can have interesting designs on the crust, jokes on top or even a message written inside. Your kids will secretly smile and think of you when they read the message! Parents dont have to hog all the fun when it comes to the edible markers. Kids can decorate their own foods while packing or helping you pack their lunches. Theyll be much more interested in packing their own lunches when you supply them with the fun markers. Now theyll be happy to get up in the morning and fix their own lunches. Kids can watch you write messages on their foods or you can secretly do it. If they arent present while youre fixing their lunches you can wish them "happy birthday" on their fruit or remind them that youre going to visit Grandma after school, via their sandwich or other food. Combine art with messages by creating a border or drawing butterflies around the message. Messages and reminders dont have to be ordinary, either. Write around the perimeter of the sandwich bread rather than writing horizontally. Alternate colors of letters to make it even more interesting. Make balloon letters, calligraphy or other designs. Sack lunches are never boring when you have designs and jokes inside. Kids will absolutely love their ordinary lunches from now on!

Proper Course of Action After a Fall

Thousands of elderly people fall every year, and for some of them, it can lead to a broken hip or even death. You dont have to be elderly to fall down, though, and if you do fall you need to know what steps to take to make sure you are okay. If you fall and youre not alright its imperative that you are able to contact help.

Many falls occur because a person slips or trips on something in the floor. If you are elderly - or even if youre not - its important to keep hallways cleared of things on the floor, and its important to keep a wide pathway throughout the house. Leaving toys lying around, spilling something and not cleaning it up, or even having a pet running around, can all be hazards waiting to happen. Safety starts with you. Dont have extension cords stretching across rooms and make sure any rugs you own have a slip-proof backing. And, never cover extension cords with throw rugs.

No matter how safe you try to make your home falls can still happen. And, not all falls happen inside a house. Many different outside forces can cause a person to fall and become seriously injured. When theres ice on the streets and sidewalks, for example, falls are almost certainly going to happen. Slick, wet grass, a raise in a portion of a sidewalk, or a downhill slope in a parking lot could all be potential hazards. Just because you fall doesnt necessarily mean youll be badly injured - or injured at all. Many people walk away from a fall without a scratch. Should you fall, though, take a minute to assess the situation before trying to get up. Its a natural instinct to immediately get back up but its safer for the victim to determine the extent of any injuries before trying to rise. Upon falling take a moment to assess the pain or other injury. Did you hit your head? Are you bleeding? How severely? Are there broken bones? If there are, are they compound fractures? Have broken bones pierced the skin? Are there others around to help you or are you alone? These things are all important factors to be determined before attempting to get back up. If there are others around, even if you dont know them, holler for help. Its always a good idea to have someone help you because they can see what you cant. If, for instance, youve received a trauma to the back of the head, the other person can look and see how severe it is, call for an ambulance, or simply help you to your feet. If youve fallen because of someones neglect its important that you record the facts, ask others if they saw what happened, and to contact an attorney. If someone else caused you to fall you should not have to pay the hospital bills and related expenses. If you find yourself alone after a fall there are some steps you can, hopefully, take to get back up on your feet. After determining your injuries attempt to get to the nearest thing that you can get hold of to pull yourself up. If youre indoors, slowly roll to the nearest piece of heavy furniture and attempt to get up by holding on to it. If you feel you simply cant get up try to get close enough to use the phone. Make sure there are no bones protruding before attempting to roll. Roll slowly and take assessment of how you feel after each turn. Call for help immediately upon reaching the phone. In todays technological world its easy to have a cell phone or other emergency equipment on your being, everywhere you go. Elders, epileptics, and others at higher risk can sign up for an emergency alert system. These companies provide you with a necklace or bracelet that requires a mere push of a button to contact emergency help. These services are generally inexpensive and very handy. Should you fall you are able to contact help without ever even moving. You dont have to be at high risk to wear these aids; theyre great for children, teens and adults alike.

Five Things You Can Turn into an Easter Basket

Want to give the kids a new basket this year? Want to give something to an adult but dont want to give them a little kids basket? Maybe money is tight and there simply isnt enough to buy new baskets this year. There are plenty of alternatives to the traditional Easter basket and some of them are already in your house. Take a paint can for example. Use paint thinner to clean the can well then wash it in hot, soapy water. When the can is clean and dry you can then fill it with any number of Easter items. Place fake grass or shredded paper in the bottom of the can then add goodies for a child or an adult.

Before filling the can you can cover it with decorative paper or Easter fabric. Spray paint the lid and handle and add a circle of matching cloth to the top of the lid. Make the handle look even more impressive by wrapping it in satin ribbon. Use stickers to write "Happy Easter", or even the name of the child, on the front.

Another thing that can quickly be turned into an unconventional basket is a tote bag. If the bag has a logo or writing on it cover it by purchasing a small piece of Easter cloth. Cut out the shape of a bunny, a chick, or something similar and attach it to the bag with fabric glue. Give it dimension by first placing a wad of cotton under the shape. Outline the shape, and cover the raw edges of the fabric, by using narrow roping or satin ribbon. Instead of Easter cloth you can cut a bunny or other shape from felt and glue it to the bag. Stack picture frames to make a very unique and interesting basket. The frames should have no glass or backing attached. Paint the frames a pastel color for Easter, if desired. If you have many identical picture frames youll simply stack and glue them. Lay the first one on the table then glue on a piece of thick cardboard. You can cover the cardboard with fabric, if you wish, before gluing it to the picture frame. Now glue the second frame on top of the cardboard. Continue gluing on another and another frame. Youll make the basket as deep as you wish, depending upon how many frames you have. If you only have a few of the picture frames youll still stack and glue them, but with this particular design, youll use "spacers". The spacers allow you to glue the frames together but to leave spaces between each frame. The spacers can be flat beads, strips of thick cardboard, or even pencil erasers! The only requirement of the spacer is that it have a flat surface and be no wider than the picture frame. Lay one frame on a flat surface and glue the cardboard piece on top. Position the spacers on the frame. If using beads as the spacers, for instance, glue one on each corner of the frame. Now glue the second frame on top of the spacers. Glue on four more spacers then add another frame. Continue this until the basket is as deep as you wish. Before adding the last frame glue a strap onto the previous frame. The strap can be made from a piece of cloth or wire ribbon. Glue each end on opposite sides then glue on the last frame. Make something similar by gluing hoops together. Embroidery hoops or even brass hoops can be stacked in a similar manner as the picture frames, to create a rounded basket thats suitable for Easter. Before adding the last hoop to the stack, make the strap and glue it on, then glue on the last hoop. A large plastic bowl makes a great basket for a woman. Find the huge bowls at most dollar theme stores and fill them with shredded paper, shredded foil or traditional Easter grass. Place any number of household or other items in the bowl. Even hide a couple of goodies in the bottom of the bowl! You dont necessarily have to purchase new Easter baskets every year or worry about the expense connected with fancy baskets. Make one of the above baskets and watch the reaction of the recipient. He or she will love it!

Unique Rock Decor Piece

Do you ever get in the mood to make something new for your house thats cheap, unique and easy to create? If you enjoy crafts you definitely get in that mood every once in awhile! The next time that mood strikes you I know a craft that will meet all the aforementioned criteria. When youre finished with it, youll proudly display it, and youll love knowing that no one else has one like it! The next time youre at a craft store, or a place that sells crafting items, pick up a Styrofoam cone. Theyre inexpensive, come in different sizes, and will make it easy for you to create your one-of-a-kind decor piece. Choose a cone in any size you wish and pick up a bag of rocks while youre there.

Youll find bags full of decorative rocks, in all shapes and sizes, at the craft store. The bags could contain assorted colors and styles or could contain all the same type of rocks. Choose a bag that has small rocks; its your choice when it comes to the colors and combinations of colors. The rocks cost little and one bag will be enough to create your masterpiece.

Styrofoam cones are available in the color white. If youre using white rocks for this project there will be no need to paint the cone first. If youre using a color other than white its a good idea to first paint the cone a similar color. Some paints have a tendency to melt Styrofoam so check the label before purchasing any paint. Make sure the paint is suitable for use with Styrofoam. Make sure the paint is completely dry before starting this craft. Warm up the hot glue gun and get ready to cover the cone in your chosen rocks. Start by placing one rock on the very top of the cone. Drop below that rock and go around the cone, gluing on more rocks, to form the first circle of rocks. Continue making another and another circle of rocks, working your way around the cone, turning the rocks this way and that. Youll achieve a nicer look if the rocks arent all perfectly aligned. Turn them different ways but butt them together so that the Styrofoam underneath does not show. It may be hard to envision the finished rock cone. Although its a simple project the completed version is attractive and unusual. Its somewhat time-consuming to glue all the rocks on the cone but the craft is not difficult. The most important thing is to completely conceal the Styrofoam cone with the rocks. With another bag or two of rocks you can create an entire theme for a room. Make one large cone, one small one, then cover a candle in the rocks to match. Glue the rocks onto picture frames, a mirror, a lamp base or even a Styrofoam cube. Cover a Styrofoam disc with the rocks then set a candle or statuette on it. Group the rock items together or distribute them around the room. Place two or three different rock-covered shapes together on a table or counter. Set the cones on candle stands to make them even more prominent. If you plan on doing several rock projects you might save money by purchasing the rocks at a home improvement store rather than a craft store. The home improvement store sells the rocks in larger bags that save you money. The large bags are suitable for projects that will require a large amount of rocks. Create a variety of the unique cones by using other things besides rocks. Some choices include fake jewels, buttons, decorative stick pins, tiny novelties, small shells, dry peas or beans, and even silk flowers. Each cone will look completely different than the next. Set the cones on mantles, shelves, counter tops and other areas of the home. The cones add interest to a bedroom, kitchen, living room or bathroom. This craft is perfect for someone who wants to make a unique decor piece without spending a lot of money. Even though it takes a little time to completely cover the cone in rocks youll be very happy with the finished project.

Weighted Memorial for Headstones

If your loved ones are buried at a cemetery where only flat headstones are permitted you probably already know that the space youre offered for memorials is very small. Any memorials must be placed in the provided vase, or on the headstone itself. As the landscapers keep the grounds they tend to throw away anything that doesnt rest right on the headstone itself. In addition, if the gardeners arrive to spruce up the place, he or she will immediately throw away any flowers that have blown in the wind. After rainstorms and high winds a visitor can often expect to see the memorial flowers of others scattered around the grounds. Its a shame that these expensive flowers will be immediately thrown into the trash by the caretakers.

While visiting your lost loved ones the last thing you want to think about is what happened to their beautiful memorial flowers. Make sure they never blow away by creating easy weighted memorials instead. Its easy to make weighted bouquets, Christmas trees and more. There are several different ways to make them out of things you probably already have.

An ordinary margarine bowl can become the center of the weighted memorial. Use a small bowl and fill it full of rocks, marbles or something similar. You dont need to spend any money; just use a few rocks from the driveway! You can even stir up plaster mix - should you happen to have any - and fill the bowl with the plaster. Set the weighted bowl onto a large square of burlap. Set the floral bouquet or tree on top of the weighted butter bowl. Bring the sides of the burlap up and around the bowl. Use a ribbon or piece of wire to secure the burlap around the flowers or tree. The bowl will be covered but it will serve the purpose of keeping your memorial in its place. You dont necessarily have to use a margarine bowl to contain the rocks or marbles. You can place a handful of stones onto the square of burlap, position the floral or other arrangement, then pull the burlap up over the sides. Secure with ribbon or wire. One problem that this particular design can give you is some trouble setting the arrangement upright. You may have to lift and set, lift and set the burlap rock bag until the rocks settle in a position where they will hold the arrangement straight up. In really heavy winds the bag will usually stay on the headstone but might topple over. No matter how severe the weather becomes a brick memorial will not budge. You dont want to set a regular brick on the headstone so first cover it with burlap or something similar. Since bricks have three holes you can create any number of memorials on the brick. Set a cross in the center hole, and flowers in the other two holes, to create one particular memorial design. A different design can contain flowers in each of the three holes. If you sew you can simply stitch a narrow piece of elastic around the perimeter of the burlap rectangle. Make sure the rectangle of burlap you cut will be sufficient to completely cover the brick but not the flowers. If you dont sew you can just use a ribbon to secure the burlap piece. The uniquely-shaped weighted memorials are easy yet elegant. Dont have a brick? A two-by-four section can be used in the same manner as the brick. The block of wood has weight, so it wont blow away, but it doesnt contain the holes to insert the memorial flowers. Set fake or real flowers in small pots and set them, in a row, on the wood. Use the elastic burlap or tie the burlap around the base of the flowers, covering the block of wood. No one wants to pay big money for memorials only to see them blown away, and even though the issue isnt the money youve spent, you still want the flowers you buy to actually be there when you - and others - visit the cemetery. Make a simple weighted memorial and youll never worry about that again!

Easy Roadside Memorials for Lost Loved Ones

Im stating the obvious when I say that losing a loved one is a traumatic and tragic occurrence. Finding out that a loved one died in a car wreck, though, is enough to shatter your soul! After discovering where the accident occurred youll never drive by that spot again without thinking of your lost loved one. Why not mark the spot with a beautiful memorial you set up in minutes? Its a must that you check with the owner of the property before displaying the memorial. If the area is state-owned, the memorials are often set and left, as long as they dont interfere with general maintenance performed by the state. If the memorial is placed in an area that will disrupt mowing or tree-trimming efforts you could come by one day and find the memorial missing.

There are many different memorials that can easily be set up alongside the road. Look in a lawn and garden store, or home improvement store, to find lawn edging that works great for the memorial. The edging is available in different designs, like wrought iron, stone-look, and more. It comes in spiked sections that make it easy for you to create a square or other design.

Purchase a Styrofoam cross, or make a wooden one, to place at the back of the square. Place it in the center of the back edging. The flowers will then be arranged in front of the cross. Flowers can stand in front of, or alongside of the cross, or can be placed on the ground inside the square. Look in the gardening section of a local store to find various stakes that can be used to keep the flowers in place. Its not absolutely necessary to set up a perimeter with lawn edging. The memorial can be a simple cross, spiked into the ground, with flowers spiked in around it. The cross can be decorated with glitter glue, lace or other craft supplies. Or, it can be displayed as-is, white in color like most Styrofoam shapes are. The white Styrofoam is elegant and stands out well. A wooden cross is another option. It can be painted gold, silver, white - even pink or blue. If more than one person was lost in the accident a cross can be displayed for each person. Make all of them exactly alike or create a different look for each person lost. Instead of edging you can also use a large basket to make the memorial. Rubber-coated wire baskets are perfect for the roadside display. Spike the basket into the ground and the flowers can be wired to the basket. Pieces of pliable craft wire make it easy to secure the flowers inside - or outside - the basket. If a child was lost in the accident you can fill the basket with flowers and stuffed animals. The animals can be wired or spiked in place. Sometimes a simple wreath can be the best roadside memorial. Wreaths can be ordinary Christmas ones, that have been decorated in a non-holiday manner. Wire angels or other novelties onto the wreath. If you want, spike a Styrofoam cross into the ground, right in the center of the wreath. Use stakes to keep the wreath secure on the ground. If the wreath will be hung on a pole it can be wired in place. Do not wire wreaths onto utility poles; they will usually be removed. Many places that sell memorial or grave side items feature a wreath stand that can easily become a memorial. The stands are simple wires in a tripod shape. There is generally a hanger by which any ordinary wreath can be displayed. Create the memorial wreath and hang it on the wreath stand. Stuffed animals or additional flowers can be wired to the three legs of the stand. Push the legs well into the ground to withstand winds and weather conditions. Its a very sad thing when you lose a loved one no matter how you lost him or her. If you want to remember a friend or family member that was killed in a car wreck set up your own roadside memorial. Its not a huge investment and it will remain in place for years to come.

Easy Bottle Lid Sachets for Car, Home and More

You know what every house has? A bottle or a jar with a lid! That means anyone, anywhere, can make cute and aromatic sachets for drawers, kitchens and more. The sachets are so easy to make that even the kids will want to get in on the fun. The little sachets will make drawers and clothes smell great. You can also use the sachets as ornaments on Christmas trees and more.

Jar and bottle lids come in all sizes and types. Whether the lids are metal or plastic they will work well for creating assorted sachets. Sachets are generally placed in dresser drawers and closets, but they can also be used as room fresheners. They can be decorated in different ways to suit any decor theme.

Take any lid or cap and fill it with dry potpourri. Some lids you might consider using would include lids from soda bottles, spice jars, instant coffee jars, or even medicine bottles. Small lids, of course, will not be quite as aromatic as larger ones, since the large ones will hold much more potpourri. After youve filled the chosen lid with the potpourri glue a piece of lace or netting over the top. The netting and lace have holes that will allow the aroma to escape easier than if you cover the lids with fabric. Trim the lace so that it hangs over the side somewhat. Glue the edges of the lace well so that they will cling to the lid as you continue the craft. Use a piece of ribbon to cover the sides of the lid. Hot glue the ribbon around the lid then decide what you will do with the sachet. You can use as-is or you can glue a piece of felt to the bottom. Add a small piece of magnetic sheeting to the bottom of the lid to create a sachet for the refrigerator or other metal surface. Since the sachet lid will hang upright you can add a bow to the top. Simply hot glue it to the lid. Make a car freshener that hangs from the mirror by gluing a stretch cord onto the lid. Cut a length of cord, fold it in half, then glue the ends to the flat side of the lid. Now glue a piece of felt over the top. Or, create a double-sided rearview mirror hanger. Create two identical lids with potpourri inside. Glue the ends of the cord to the back of one of the lids. Now glue the second lid to the first by placing them back-to-back. If you want, you can glue a piece of gathered lace around the area where the two lids meet. Use large lids to make doorknob hangers. Place the potpourri in the lid, glue on the lace, then cover the sides with ribbon. Glue the ends of a piece of satin to the backside then glue on a piece of felt or fabric. Hang the aromatic creation on bedroom or bathroom doorknobs. Make tiny sachets, fill them with baby powder, then set them in babys dresser drawers. Any powder or dry ingredient(s) will work to make the sachets. You can purchase dry potpourri or use any type of body powder. Another option is to fill the lid with a folded dryer sheet. Or, place essential oils on a piece of felt and fold it. Place the felt inside the lid before gluing on the lace. There are literally hundreds of different fragrances you can create. There are different ways to decorate the lids for the sachets besides wrapping the sides with ribbon. Glue on fake jewels, a length of fabric, sequin, buttons, or glue and glitter. Make something completely different by using a picture instead of netting over the top of the potpourri. Cut a small picture out of a magazine. Fill the lid with potpourri then glue the picture on. Poke holes, here and there, on the picture. Keep the holes in the outline, or otherwise hidden. The tiny holes will allow the scent to escape. There are lots of uses for the jar lid potpourris. Drop tiny ones in your purse. Place a set of them in your shoes at night. Toss them in closets, group them on shelves, or hang them on curtain tie-backs. The potpourris are cheap, easy and make great gifts, too!

Fun Characters You Make from Bottles

How many 20 oz bottles does your family go through in a week? Youre not throwing them away are you? Why would you do that? The bottles can become everything from baby toys to workout weights. Theres another thing you can make from the bottles, in fact, from any bottle. Cute character kids are loads of fun to make and will cause anyone who sees them to grin. The characters, when finished, can sit on a shelf, a desk or anywhere else in the house.

Theres no need to remove any labels on the bottle but do remove the cap. Take strips of double-sided tape and place them, vertically, around the bottle. Place each piece next to the first one to ensure the entire bottle is covered. Cut separate pieces, if needed, to attach to the neck of the bottle. Do not overlap any of the tape pieces. Instead of the tape, you can use hot glue to affix the yarn, but that is more time consuming than using the tape.

Begin at the bottom and start wrapping the bottle with yarn. Dont have any yarn? Lightweight cord or twine will work fine. Continue making row after horizontal row until youve covered the entire bottle. If using hot glue, add a dab, put the yarn in it, then add another dab. Slowly work your way around, keeping the yarn taught but not pulling it tightly. Change the clothing color any time you want by tying on a different color of yarn. Wrap half the bottle in blue yarn, to represent jeans, then tie off and wrap the remainder of the bottle in a different color, to make the shirt. In the center, tie off to a black or brown color, to make a belt. Or, tie off several different times when making the shirt, to create a striped effect. When youre finished wrapping the bottle drop some pebbles, rocks or dry beans into the bottom to keep the bottle from tipping over. To create a head for the bottle person use an ordinary wooden spoon. The spoon should be the type that is almost flat and has a long handle. Use craft supplies or paints to make a face on one side of the spoon. Glue on wiggly eyes or just use paint markers to make the face. Attach yarn hair or make a hat from felt. Give one character long, braided yarn hair, and another character, feather hair that sticks straight up. Use a piece of black yarn to make a man with a moustache. Make one spoon a girl by gluing a small bow to the edge of the spoon. Each character will take on a different look when you add various embellishments to the spoon. Since one side of the spoon is rounded, and the other is somewhat concave, you can make different characters depending upon which side of the spoon you paint. When youre finished making the head and face simply drop the spoon handle into the bottle. When the bottle is lifted or bumped, the spoon will move back and forth, making the character seem to nod. Give each character his or her own style by using various craft supplies. Wrap a piece of lace around the neck of one bottle to make a collar. Wrap a length of strung beads around another one to create a necklace. Glue on a tiny star button to make one bottle a guy with a badge. There are no limits to the different characters you can make. Eyes can be made from markers, beads or pom-poms. Noses can be made from a piece of felt, button or pom-pom. Mouths can be cut from felt or the whole face can be a sticker set from a craft store. Hair can be made from foam, feathers, yarn, string or even paper. Clothing can be made from the wrapped yarn or you can simply glue on scraps of fabric. Use plastic spoons as faces for smaller bottle people. Make the characters from empty spice bottles and theyll be much smaller than the 20 oz bottle people. Youll have lots of fun making the whimsical characters that look great on a desk, mantle or shelf. Theyre not just for kids; even adults can appreciate the humor of the cute little characters.

Tips for Creating More Space in a Small Mobile Home

If you live in a mobile home you could find yourself crowded with your own belongings because there simply isnt enough room. With a few tips, though, you can find many new places to store things no matter what type of mobile home you have. Some storage solutions cost little money but are extremely helpful. Most are easy enough for anyone to set up in their own trailer.

In your kitchen look to your refrigerator for extra storage. Many people display or store things on top of the fridge but you can also keep many utensils and other items on the sides of the refrigerator. All you need are a couple wire baskets and some button magnets. Button magnets can be stuck to the refrigerator before positioning the wire baskets on them. The baskets can hold quite a few items like towels, notepad and many other items. If the wire baskets wont contain certain things, like utensils, cut a piece of cardboard to place in the bottom.

The front of the refrigerator can also provide some storage. For example, you might not have much room for picture frames but you can display the pics on the fridge. Glue clothes pins to a yard stick, place button magnets on the back of the stick and place it on the front of the refrigerator. The clothes pins can hold everything from notes to photos to school papers. Many trailer bedrooms are very small. Create lots of extra storage by replacing your bed frame with hard plastic milk creates. Set the crates up in a perimeter then place extra crates in the middle for support. Set the box spring and mattress on the crates. Your bed is now a full storage unit. The crates are set to where their openings face outward. Store shoes, books, magazines, clothing and many other items in the crates. Use a bed skirt to hide the crates and their contents. Make shelves for the kitchen, bathroom or other rooms by stacking planks with most any object to support them. Use two upside down bowls, and a plank, to make a shelf to hold bath products, spices or other items. Place two more bowls on that plank, add another plank, and you have two shelves that were easy to make. Dont stack the shelves too high, and make sure theyre on a level surface, to prevent accidents. Stack paint cans to make cubby holes for bedrooms or bathroom. Glue the cans in a pyramid shape, with the openings of the cans facing towards you, then tie a ribbon around the whole pyramid. Stack the pyramid cans in a childs room to hold shoes and toys. The cans can be stacked in any shape you wish. Instead of paint cans you can use coffee cans and similar cans. Over-the-door hooks are inexpensive and can help you create a place to hang winter coats or everyday wear. Hang the hooks over closet doors, bedroom doors or the bathroom door. The hooks can hold quite a few hangers. Use a piece of fabric to make a different kind of over-the-door storage unit. Cut a piece of fabric which will go up one side of the door, over the top, then down the other side. Glue or stitch pockets - or pieces of fabric - to the long piece of material. Use the pockets to hold jewelry, hair ties, hair brush, rollers, curling irons and more. The pockets can be assorted sizes, to hold large and small items, or they can all be the same size. The door pockets are great for the bathroom or a bedroom. Look up to find more storage places. Take a beach towel and tie the ends tight with a rope or twine. String the rope across a corner, towards the ceiling, to create lots of extra room. The homemade hammock can hold toys, stuffed animals and more. Just because you live in a small trailer doesnt mean you have to be overcrowded. There are many different ways to create extra room - and extra storage space - in any mobile home. The storage solutions dont have to be expensive but will provide you with much needed improvements.

Soda Bottle Golf Game for Kids

Youll need plenty of things to keep the kids busy this summer. During the hottest part of the day kids can be indoors creating new games, and when it cools off in the evening, they can go outside and play with the new games. One of those games can be a crazy new golf game thats made just for kids. Its not like traditional golf but its just as much fun. The game is made from pop bottles and other things you have around your house. Gather some three-liter soda bottles and youll be ready to get started.

Ordinary games of golf consist of cups in the ground that catch the balls. Your child wont be digging up the yard, though. Instead of holes and cups this new golf game will have goals instead. The goals are made from plastic three-liter bottles. Leave the lids screwed on to the bottles but cut off the bottom. Parents should do this part for young kids. Use a craft knife or scissors to cut the bottom of the bottle and throw it away or save it for another craft.

Use a fingernail file or sandpaper to smooth the edges of the bottle if needed or desired. The bottoms of the bottles will be pushed into the ground to make the goals for the golf game. The only reason to file it would be to ensure young children dont get hurt. After cutting away the bottom of the bottle cut an arch on one side. The arch should be approximately 3-1/2" x 4". This allows the golf balls to easily enter the goal. Use colored electrical tape to make stripes and other designs on the bottles. Plastic pieces, like strips cut from trash bags, make it easy to create additional designs on the bottle. Use tape to mask off the archway and smooth the edges. Use white or black trash bag strips to make wide stripes against colored tape strips. Put a number on each bottle. You can make as many "holes" as you want. Use stickers or plastic cutouts to make the number for each goal. Use other stickers to embellish each bottle. Butterfly, fish, puppies or other themes can easily be created by using sticker sheets. If you want, you can create a different color scheme and theme for each bottle, so that each goal will look completely different. Or, make the whole set look the same with the only difference being the numbers. Putters can be made from sticks or other things you might have. An empty wrapping paper roll makes a great club. The roll should be very sturdy and long. It will be used as the handle of the club. Now cut a section from a similar roll, fold it in half, and staple it over the end of the wrapping paper roll. Paint the clubs or use them as-is. Use an ordinary stick to make a different club. The stick should be fairly straight and free of loose bark. As above, cut a section of cardboard tube, fold it over the end of the stick, and staple it in place. Instead of a wrapping paper roll you can use a wide strip of thick cardboard to make the end of the club. Wrap the entire club with colored tape or even ordinary duct tape. This will make it more sturdy and hide the staples and seams of the cardboard. When kids are ready to play with the new golf game simply position the bottles outside in the yard. Use a twisting motion to screw the soda bottles down into the ground. Make sure the archway is above ground enough to allow the balls to roll right in. Use the handmade clubs to knock the balls into the various bottles around the yard. The person who gets his ball into each bottle with the least amount of strokes is the winner. Instead of numbering the bottles kids can make flags instead. Use long dowel rods to make the flag stands. Cut a triangle of plastic or foam to create the flat itself. Kids can use stickers or cutouts to make a number on the flag. Kids will enjoy playing the new golf game with their friends for hours on end. Grab a putter yourself and make it a family fun day!

Dinner Plate Centerpieces You Make for Any Occasion

A centerpiece can be extremely simplistic, or very elegant, but either way it will always catch the eye of each and every visitor. Thats because guests will flock to the foods, and when they do, theres the centerpiece - right in the middle of the table. You want the guests to notice the centerpiece but that doesnt mean it has to be expensive. Make your own from a dinner plate and youll have an eye-catching decor piece for any holiday or occasion.

The type of plate you use is not that important. It can be a plate of china, a heavy ceramic piece, or even a disposable plate. When using a disposable plate make sure you choose lightweight embellishments that wont cause the plate to buckle. If you have a small table you can use an inverted saucer rather than a full size dinner plate.

Make a Halloween centerpiece from a plate by first turning it upside-down. Glue or tape on real or artificial autumn leaves. Cover the plate completely in the leaves then build a dilapidated house from popsicle sticks. Glue on handmade mini tombstones, a pumpkin patch or other Halloween embellishments. Create a fabulous Thanksgiving centerpiece by covering the overturned plate with colorful leaves and mini pine cones. Or, glue potpourri in fall colors, all over the plate. Purchase a paper or ceramic turkey to set in the center or create your own from foam, cardboard, Styrofoam or other craft supplies. Make the arrangement as elaborate or as simplistic as you wish. There are many different designs you can create for Christmas. Cover the edges of the plate with a length of garland then cover the bottom of the plate with white cloth. Set a miniature pine tree, and mini people, or just mount a tree with mini presents all around it. A different design is created when you cover the entire plate with garland then glue in pine cones, fake apples and mini fake candies. Or, purchase a mini Nativity scene, cover the plate in raffia, then set the manger and characters on the raffia. Youll find lots of embellishments at dollar theme stores, which will help you create something that looks expensive, but actually costs little. You can create the dinner plate scenes for Easter, Valentines Day, Independence Day - or any special occasion. Use embellishments like fake grass, mini trees, wooden heart shapes, plastic animals or characters, flags, foil, fabric images, and any number of craft store novelties. If you want, you can add mini lights to your dinner plate centerpiece. Just make a hole in the tablecloth to push the cord through, so that the wire is hidden. Use a disposable tablecloth if your centerpiece will be lit. You dont want to poke a hole in your nice lace tablecloth! There are unique tricks you can use, to make a different centerpiece each year, using the dinner plate technique. Create a holiday scene on an inverted saucer, then place a clear drinking glass over the top of it. Set the scene on an upside-down dinner plate then cover it with a clear glass bowl. Make something similar by using an inverted bowl, rather than a plate, to make the dinner table centerpiece. When using a bowl you can set a scene under the bowl then another on top of the bowl. Or, you can cover the bowl with fabric by using decoupage adhesive to affix the cloth. You can do the same thing with the dinner plate or saucer. Who would have thought that an odd plate could become something so beautiful? It can - and youre the one that can make it happen. Look around the house to find things you can incorporate into the holiday centerpiece youre making. Beads, decorated bottle lids, silk flower pieces, bells, empty candy wrappers, buttons and other items around the house can all be implemented in the centerpiece design. Have fun with this project that can perk up any holiday or special occasion!

Fathers Day Remote Control Holder Kids Can Make

Looking for a last-minute gift for Fathers Day? Dont have much money but want to thrill and impress your dad? Well, go to the bathroom! That is, go get a towel - and maybe a washcloth or two - and get busy creating something fabulous for Dad that will cost you nothing. The gift you make wont be a little kids offering but a real present that he can use and appreciate for years! A bath towel can help you make a bed pocket set that gives Dad a place to put his remote and other things. The towel should be normal sized - not a hand towel or beach towel. It doesnt matter if the towel is bulky or thin but probably shouldnt be floral or otherwise feminine in appearance. Bold stripes or solid colors work great.

Lay the towel flat on a table. Fold it in half and place it so that the fold is facing away from you and the ends are facing towards you. The half in front of you is the area where you will add the pockets for the arrangement. Fabric glue is all you need to attach the pockets, but if you are a person who sews you can also sew the pockets in place. Make sure the glue you use allows you to launder the towel as you normally would.

Position one or two wash cloths on the towel. Use the glue or stitching to attach them wherever you want. Keep the positioning of the wash cloths towards the end of the towel so that Dad will have enough room to slide in the remote, tv guide, eyeglasses and other items. If you want, glue or stitch the wash cloths down the center, after theyre attached, to form two pockets from each washcloth. Or, stitch one of the wash cloths down the center, to make two pockets, then leave the other wash cloth as-is to form one large pocket. After youve allowed the glue to dry the bed pockets are complete. You can, however, embellish them if you want. Glue buttons onto the corners of the wash cloths. Use paint markers to write "bed pockets" or "Dad" across the bottom of the towel. Or, stitch or glue on small appliques, like a tv and a remote control. You can even give the bed pockets a particular theme you know Dad likes, such as fishing or hunting. Represent the theme by stitching or gluing the appliques to the wash cloths before attaching them to the towel. Or, stitch the wash cloths on then use other methods to embellish, like rubber stamping or gluing on cloth shapes. Youll find fabric with most any theme, from wolves to fish to cartoon characters, at a fabric store. Cut the images from the fabric, glue or stitch them on the towel and/or wash cloths, and youll create any theme you want. Dad can use the bed pockets by sliding one half of the towel between the mattress and box spring then allow the pocket end to hang over the side of the bed. Dad can use it to hold everything from medications to a paperback book. If the wash cloths youre using are a little too large you can make them smaller by folding them down some, then gluing that flap into place. Now the pocket has a "hem" that looks neat and makes the pocket smaller. You can also fold wash cloths into triangles then glue them on. The triangles look good but will only be deep enough to hold things if the wash cloths are very large. If you can spare a towel, but not the wash cloths, take pockets from old garments and glue or stitch them on instead. Or, cut squares of fabric and glue them on for pockets. Make one large pocket, all the way across the bottom, or glue on several of the fabric squares to make individual pockets. Make something similar for Dad that he can hang over the arm of his favorite chair. Hell like having everything he needs in one place while hes relaxing. The finished pockets are useful and cost nothing to make if you have the towel and wash cloths already. They only take a few minutes to make so theres still time before Fathers Day arrives...

How to Decorate Your Clothing with Painted Dots

Shirt painting is a lot of fun but you dont have to be an artist to participate. You can create fabulous images, for next to nothing, by using a simple dot system. Paints that dispense from a tube will make it even easier to create just about any image you want on clothing and accessories.

Find small bottles of paint at any craft store. The paints come in varieties like pearl-look, metallic and even paints that swell as they dry, called puffy paints. These paints, which are squirted directly from the bottle, make it easy for people with no artistic ability whatsoever to become impressive artists.

Use a straight pin and a picture to create most any image onto a shirt or other item. Coloring books pictures are perfect to use as a pattern. Lay the picture on the shirt and use your pin to make dots around the images. Push the pin through the picture and into the shirt or other soft object. The pin will leave indentations in the shirt and create the dot pattern. The dots should outline images in the picture, like pets, flowers, children, cars or other shapes. Take time to make the spacing between the dots exact. Each dot should be a half-inch or so from the previous dot. After youve made all the dots you need youll set the coloring book picture aside. Use the tube paints to make a dot on each pin indentation. Hold the tube close to the shirt and try to make each dot the same size. Use different colors of paint to create the entire picture. Make black or brown dots to represent a dog, green dots to make leaves or other foliage, and even yellow dots to make a sun. the dots, after drying, will form the complete picture. Although coloring book images are generally simplistic and easy to duplicate you can use other pictures to create patterns, too. Use pictures from calendars, posters, or even cloth. Select the images you want to duplicate and use the pin to create the indentations in the object. When working with hard objects, like a piece of wood, the technique is slightly different. Tape the image in place and use the pin to poke through the picture. Since you cant leave a pin indentation in most wood pieces youll use the tube paints to create the pattern itself. After poking the hole in the paper place a dot of paint over the hole. Push down when dispensing the paint to push a dot of paint through the hole and onto the wood. After youve done that to each and every hole remove the paper pattern. Go over each tiny dot by making a larger dot at each point. This technique works great for ceramics, hard plastics and even metal projects. Although its easy to create the dot pictures youre not limited to just dots. Draw lines with the tube paints to enhance the picture where necessary. Some lines can connect the various images together. For example, if youve made a little girl walking a dog by using only dots, you can use a solid line to make the leash. These simple lines can be easily made and will bring more life to simplistic pictures. Create dotted letters by using stencils to write on the shirt with a disappearing marker. Youll find the inexpensive markers at places that sell fabrics. Place the dots, evenly spaced, on the stenciled letters or numbers. The marker images will disappear after several hours but the dots youve made will remain in place. The dotted letters look great on tees, belts and similar items. Creating and designing tee shirts and accessories is so much fun. Many people who craft avoid shirt painting because they think it requires talents they dont have. Thats not true, though. Anyone can make fabulous designs on their clothing by using the dotting technique. Its easy and uses very little paint. Practice on an old shirt so you can get the hang of making pinholes and painting them. Youll enjoy this craft very much.

How to Have a Scrapbook Baby Shower

Instead of playing games at the upcoming baby shower why not get the gals together and have a scrapbook party? The rest of the baby shower will be the same: baby-theme decorations, a cute cake and other foods, lots of gifts for the new mom. However, instead of the same ol ho-hum games and gifts to the winners the guests can get creative and pool together to make scrapbook pages for the new mom. Then, she wont have to invest a lot of time and effort - which she likely wont have with the new baby - to put together the scrapbook that shows off her new babys photos.

There are various ways to put together a simple scrapbook baby shower. Either the person throwing the party can provide some ordinary scrapbook supplies or each person can bring their own. The invitations can announce that each guest should bring their own paper, stickers, frames and other supplies or it can state that each person bring one thing: a pack of paper, a pack of stickers, a set of baby-theme stencils, etc. Or, the guests can be asked to donate a couple of bucks each to cover the cost of the supplies. The person putting on the shower can cover the cost of the supplies initially then the hat can be passed to collect some money to reimburse her or a set amount can be asked of each guest.

Its necessary to know the size of pages that are needed. So, its a good idea to purchase a scrapbook for the mom so shell have everything she needs. It wont do any good to give her a stack of nice, completed scrapbook pages if she has no book in which to display them. Since scrapbooks come in a variety of sizes its important to know what size of pages youll need. After that decision is made the scrapbook party can get underway. There are lots of things you might have around your house that can be added to the purchased scrapbook supplies. A small list of these things include markers, pens, ribbon, lace, fabric swatches, scissors, colored tape, Scotch tape, foil, gift wrap, wallpaper leftovers, letters and numbers cut from product boxes, buttons, sequin, thin cardboard, and even baby-theme pictures cut from magazines. Lay these things out with the purchased scrapbook supplies and everyone can get started creating fun and interesting scrapbook pages for the new mom. Each person will create one or two pages in their own manner. They can use the supplies at the table to create the page they want. It can be helpful to have a list at the table which offers suggestions on pages that will go well with the baby theme. Some suggestions include "The Day I Was Born," "The Day I Came Home From The Hospital," "My Family," "My First Vacation" and "My First Road Trip." Its best if each person crosses their chosen title off the list so that the mom doesnt end up with a multitude of "My First Vacation" pages. Add everything you want to the page youre doing. For example, glue on the borders around the chosen page, attach the stickers, glue on fake jewels or sequin, use markers to write on the page, and glue on a picture frame cutout. However, glue only three sides of the picture frame so that the new mom can simply slide the picture into the frame. The mom-to-be can also offer suggestions as to what types of themes she would like for the pages. The new scrapbook, along with the pages made by the guests, can be given to the mom after the shower. They can be given separate from the scrapbook, and the mom can arrange the pages in the manner she prefers, or the pages can be assembled in the book and presented to the mom. Its a fabulous gift that shell cherish forever. Knowing her friends and family made the book for her just makes it all that much more appreciated. She might get new diapers, bottles, blankets and toys for her baby but the unique scrapbook will be her very favorite gift - for sure!

How to Make Coasters Using Rope, String or Yarn in Just Minutes

Moisture can cause some coasters to eventually lose their color, shape or look, and you end up having to throw them away. Coasters arent usually expensive, but even still, you hate to throw them away. There are some coasters that you make yourself and its not a big deal to toss em. Thats because they cost little to make, are so much fun to create, and serve their purpose so well.

Got any string around the house? Then youre on your way to making fabulous coasters. Actually, yarn and narrow roping work great, too. Its important that you choose the right type of roping. Thin things, like yarn, are fine but when it comes to thicker items, such as rope, youll need to keep it small in diameter. Look at the welt on an upholstered chair. The welt, or fabric-covered rope, is a good size for coasters. Although the design of some furniture offers the huge welt, the normal size welt seen on many pieces is a good diameter. Although rope makes the nicest of these types of coasters they can still be made of other items, like ribbon, lace, white string, and similar things.

Have you ever sat and twirled a piece of string, or something similar, around and around on a hard surface? The string wraps around itself, again and again, to form a circular arrangement of the thread. Youll want to create something similar for your coaster design. Place the end of the string on a table that is smooth. Wrap the string around and around, placing each new circle close to the previous one. Each band of the circle should be flat on the table and butted against the circle before it. Continue wrapping the thread or string, around and around, as you watch the circle get larger and larger. Stop when you think you have a large enough circle to make your coaster. Cut the thread and use a dot of glue, if necessary, to hold the end where it belongs. Although these string coasters work alright by themselves, if the thread isnt too thin, but theyre even nicer when you add a rubberized bottom. Purchase rubberized shelf liner, or something similar, to become the bottom of the coaster. Cut a circle out of the liner and glue it to the bottom of the string coaster. Allow to dry. Trim if necessary. These coasters are non-skid and can hold quite a lot of moisture. An alternative to the rubberized bottom for the coaster is a piece of cork. Or, if you really want to make them cheap and disposable, use a piece of thick cardboard. There are lots of different ways to make the coasters more interesting. If youre using cardboard you can always hide it by gluing ruffled lace around the edges. Of course, you can do that with most any of your homemade coasters. And its not mandatory that the coasters be round. Cut them in any shape you wish including animal shapes or flowers. With yarn coasters you can even change the color of yarn a couple - or many - times during the creation. Although youll find everything you need to make the coasters at any craft store you can also find some items at a sewing store. Piping, made for dressmaking, makes great coasters. They also carry something similar to chair welt, but made for clothing. Any of these make fabulous coasters. Besides using piping and similar items you can take advantage of other things sold at a sewing retailer. Pearl-look dressmaker pins look great when theyre stuck into the sides of the thick cardboard-type coasters. Remove the pins before disposing of old coasters, and save them for future designs. Its important to get the rope very tight, while rolling it into a flat circle. If there are spaces between each ring of the circle the coasters might not work as well as they could. Get the kids at the table, join them, and make some fabulous coasters right away. You probably have everything in your house to get started creating!