Make and Takes » Home Projects

Cleaning Your Closets One Door at a Time

Marie — Thu, 26 Aug 2010 23:48:04 +0000

I’ve recently shared a few posts about cleaning out closets over at SC Johnson Family Economics. Clutter can all too easily find it’s way into those hallway or linen closets. Here’s a couple of posts about trying to stay organized and keep your closets clean!

Cleaning out the Linen Closet

De-Clutter Your Coat Closet

Is it time to do some of that Spring cleaning this Fall?!

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Organizing Drawers with Recycled Shoe Boxes

Marie — Thu, 26 Aug 2010 09:15:59 +0000

I love to use empty shoe boxes for all kinds of storage. They are a perfect little size, fairly sturdy, and a great way to recycle! I mainly use them to help organize my kid’s bedroom drawers. Socks, underpants, and even dance clothes all fit perfectly inside these handy dandy shoe boxes.

They just make everything a little bit more organized, rather than tossing the socks in randomly.

What recycled type items are you using to help organize your home?

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Make Your Own Chalkboard Speech Bubble

Kami — Thu, 19 Aug 2010 08:54:19 +0000

Let your little one tell you WHO THEY ARE this back-to-school time of year.

These fun chalkboard speech bubbles are a great way to keep track of all the years of back-to-school photos you’ll be taking. They are also a fun prop to have on hand for any make-shift photo booth.

I had no idea how easy they were to make until a few weeks ago at the BlogHer Gulf Coast Auction. They had a photo booth set up with a bunch of these chalkboard speech bubbles. Here’s some fun shots of Marie and I with them.

What you need to make your own Chalkboard Speech-Bubble:

white foam core board
one X-acto knife
a cutting board
black Chalkboard Spray Paint
white chalk

1. Using the X-acto knife, cut the foam core board to the shape of speech bubble you want. You can trace out a shape or do it free hand.

2. Spray both sides of the speech bubble with the black chalkboard spray paint. I like to do this outside on a big piece of cardboard underneath. This kind of paint dries really quick.

3. Once dry on both sides, chalk up the side you want to use with a piece of white chalk, and then wipe it off. This gives it that wore-in chalkboard look.

4. Now you are ready for your back-to-school photos! Go…have some fun with them!

Kami Bigler is a regular contributor at Make and Takes. She’s the thrifty maven who runs the blog: no biggie – a montage of her three favorite creative outlets: crafting, cooking, and thrifting. Her interests include portrait and tabletop photography, paper crafts, decorating and experiencing the thrill of the thrift find. You can follow Kami on Twitter at @kamibigler.

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Wipe Off Weekly Menu Board

Little Birdies — Tue, 10 Aug 2010 14:25:24 +0000

I am a meal planner. I refuse to go grocery shopping without my week’s worth of meals planned out and list made. (It’s either that or wander aimlessly around the grocery store for two hours and then make ten more trips back during the week to get things I forgot.) Once I get the groceries unloaded, I usually forget what I planned for, so I put together this super easy wipe-off menu board to keep track of what’s for dinner each night!

Wipe-Off Menu Board Tutorial

Supplies:

Picture frame with glass front (I love these 12×12 frames I found at Ben Franklin for only $7!)
Piece of patterned scrapbook paper to fit in your frame (mine’s also 12×12)
Optional: Vinyl cut letters for each day of the week (you could always just hand write them)
Dry-erase marker

1. Put your patterned paper inside the frame. Replace the back. That’s pretty much it. :)

2. If you wanted to stop here, you could hand-write your days of the week on the glass, or use it as a message board / to-do list. I love that these frames can stand or hang on the wall so you can do whatever works best in your space!

3. Use a paper towel or cloth to easily erase dry-erase marker off the glass.

4. If you want to get fancy and go a step further, you can add vinyl lettering for the days of the week. I cut these letters with my Silhouette machine, using Creating Keepsakes “Woodbine Swashes” font. (Try not to notice how crooked “Sunday” is. I didn’t notice until after the picture was taken. Luckily, it’s easy to fix!)

Now everyone in the family knows what’s for dinner each week!

I decided my frame would look better black in my kitchen, so I spray painted it black. The best part about this project is that it is SO easy to change the paper if you decide to change your decor, or if you just get tired of it. So you’ll really use it for years to come!

Little Birdie Secrets are regular contributors to Make and Takes and was born from the crafting obsession of three friends living in the Pacific Northwest. Our mission is to share the wealth of fun projects and helpful tips we find in books, on the Internet, and sometimes in our own imaginations. Come visit us at www. littlebirdiesecrets.com.

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Dressing Up a Present with Wrapping Paper

Marie — Thu, 05 Aug 2010 09:24:36 +0000

Guest post by Brittany of One Charming Party

I don’t like to put presents in cutsie bags with tissue paper–I’m a wrapping paper girl all the way. But to keep it from getting boring I like to mix things up every once in a while. Here’s a fun and quick way to dress up a present that’s great for both boys and girls.

Start with a wrapped present, two ribbons in different widths and colors that coordinate with the wrapping paper, some tape, and scissors.

With the widest ribbon tape in back to start, wrap around the present lengthwise three times, then tape in back again. Don’t worry about making it straight, I like the ribbon a little crooked and funky.

This is what the front and back should look like.

Start weaving the thinner, contrasting ribbon through the larger ribbon.

Notice how it becomes a basket weave. And don’t worry about it being perfect.

Tie the thinner ribbon ends together in a knot on the back. I cut out of the first letter of the birthday child’s name to make it extra special. Now you’re ready to give your gift away.

Brittany is always having a party over at One Charming Party. Come visit to see her latest parties and ideas. Right now you can subscribe to the Partyschool 101 Newsletter for even more tips and tricks that aren’t posted on her blog.

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Which Glue is the Best for You?

Marie — Tue, 03 Aug 2010 08:45:49 +0000

As you can see here, there are all kinds of glue. Each are unique in use and good for many kinds of crafty needs. I’m here to share a little bit about each one and what I use them for.

White School Glue & Tacky Glue: These are used for pretty much the same thing, good all purpose glues. They are wet and messy, but get the glue job done. I like to use Tacky Glue with fabric and felt, like gluing these Star Wars finger puppets and this farm glove puppet. Tacky Glue is great if my kids are helping with the fabric projects.

Rubber Cement: If you’re only wanting to bond something temporarily, rubber cement is the way to go. When this glue dries, it’s becomes a spongy solid and if you peel it back carefully, it should allow your item to be removed, which can come in handy.

Spray Glue: I’ve used spray glue with my stitched greeting cards as it’s great for gluing the thick threaded paper to another piece of paper. When you spray, you need to be in a place that is well ventilated. And sometimes the spray glue can wonder as it’s being sprayed, so just make sure you’ve got a good work station for spraying, like newspaper set down.

Glue Dots: My favorite glue right now. They are great for attaching googley eyes and ribbon. They will make your item a little raised, as it’s a thick glue dot (well, more thick than most other glues). And they can get bunched up and fold on top of themselves if you aren’t careful taking them off their wrapper. Here are some icky sticky spider webs and googly eye monster bookmarks where I’ve use glue dots.

Glue Stick: I love this for kids. When I taught school, this was about the only glue I used with the kids for their projects. It’s fairly mess free, easy for little hands to hold, and projects dry quickly. You do need to make sure the lid gets put back on tight or it will dry out fast.

Decopauge – aka Mod Podge: This is probably the most used glue in the crafter’s world. It is best used to bond paper and then seal it. It gives your project a nice shiny look and gives it a professional finish. There are endless possibilities to this, as seen with Modge Podge Rocks! I used it with these photo cubes and wood Halloween signs. It’s a great glue to have on hand.

Glue Tape: I was introduced to this type of glue tape when my sister was covering journals with paper. It’s clean, quick, and goes on pretty easy. And it’s not wet, so your paper won’t curl or bend after it dries. It’s pretty much a sticky thin double-sided tape.

Hot Glue: This is great for bonding heavier objects, like wood, magnets, or even fabric. This is an Adult Only glue device, so if you have children wanting to glue, use the tacky glue or glue dots.

Have I missed a glue that you use? Make sure to share it in the comments!

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Quick Tip for Labeling Drinking Cups

Marie — Mon, 02 Aug 2010 08:41:37 +0000

When we’re having a party and a lot of cups are floating around, it can be hard to remember who’s is who’s. If they aren’t labeled, kids tend to get a new one for each sip. Here’s an easy trick to keep all your plastic cups labeled, helpful enough for even young ones to find which one is there cup.

Supplies for Labeling Cups:

cups – plastic cups work best
permanent marker – preferably black
stickers (optional)

Write their name on each cup. Now to help the younger children who aren’t quite reading their names yet, I like to add a fun little drawing or sticker to help them recognize their cup. If you have amazing drawing skills like me, then simply draw on a flower, fish, or cat next to each name.

Or if you don’t feel as comfortable with a pen, you can easily pick a sticker to add next to their name. You can even let them pick what sticker or drawing they’d want.

Hopefully this will help your kids recognize their own cup and they’ll keep using the same one all night!

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Summertime Watermelon Crafts and Cookies

Marie — Thu, 22 Jul 2010 08:10:14 +0000

I’m not sure what fruit says summer more than the Watermelon! Amanda from Crafts By Amanda shares this fun Watermelon Picnic Caddy, perfect for a summer setting.

And Amanda also shares these Watermelon Cookies from Amanda’s Cookin’, which are the perfect touch for a picnic snack.

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How To Make a Beach Towel Cover Up

Marie — Mon, 19 Jul 2010 14:15:19 +0000

If you’re headed to the pool, beach, or even a back yard sprinkler party, this is an easy towel to make that will help cover you up. It could be tailored to any size, this one is for my young daughter, size 5T. This cover up also fits my son around his waist, so this can be made for anyone wanting to cover up.

And it doubles as a regular towel they can lay on the floor. I promise, this is an even easier project than this hooded bath towel!

Supplies for a Beach Towel Cover Up:

1 regular beach towel (will make 2 small cover ups)
scissors
sewing machine
pins optional
sew-on velcro

1. Cut your towel to the length of your child, horizontally. Mine is cut right in half for my daughter. The other half is for my 2 year old. It’s a little big, but she’ll grow into it, or you could cut off an extra foot for the second one.

2. You need to hem the cut edge. 3 of your other edges should already be hemmed. You’ll will just need to sew the end you cut. Roll over your cut edge 2 times. You can pin your edge here. I’m lazy and just eye ball it. Sew all the way across the edge to complete the towel.

3. Get out your velcro. Make sure it’s “sew-on” velcro, otherwise if it’s sticky-back, it might gum up your sewing machine. Cut a length of velcro 5-7 inches long. Place one half of the velcro on the corner of the towel. You can pin this in place or just hold it tight as you sew. Sew the entire edge of the velcro, all the way around.

4. Sew on the other half of the velcro to the opposite side of the towel. But make sure the velcro will overlap, instead of closing like a sandwich.

You’re done. Place your towel on your child and see how it fits. We also figured out that this beach towel cover up can also work as a CAPE. This was great at the beach to keep her warm, as the wind picked up, and to shade her shoulders from the sun as she played. Have fun in the sun!

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Top 5 Must-Have Crafting Supplies

Marie — Thu, 15 Jul 2010 22:08:19 +0000

I’ve joined up with SC Johnson and I’m contributing a few “getting organized” articles over at their site. I’m sharing my top 5 must-have crafting supplies. These are the kind of supplies I think everyone everywhere should have. Even if you don’t consider yourself a crafter, these are the 5 things you still should have on hand for those “you never know” moments.

These are the basics! Head on over and tell me if I left something off the list!

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