How to Make a Grass House

Its nice when kids can spend a little fun time doing crafts. You know whats even better? When that craft teaches the kids something as they progress with the project. There are many science-type crafts that one can do where the "learning while crafting" idea applies. Let your kids grow a grass house and not only do they learn to how to do a fun and unique craft but they also learn what it takes to grow grass. And, they learn that grass doesnt necessarily have to grow outside! Making a grass house is fairly easy to do. You can create a house which is very simplistic or one thats a little more involved. To make the walls of the house, the roof, and even the surrounding landscape use kitchen sponges. The ones that work perfectly are rectangular ones that have no scrubber-type covering. Use tinted sponges - ones with colors of blue, green, pink, yellow or similar colors; parts of the sponges will be able to be seen after the house is finished so consider this as you construct the house. For example, if youll need two sponge pieces to make the roof use pieces which are both the same color.

Use only new sponges to make the grass house. Wet the sponges, squeezing them several times each while water runs over them, then set them on a flat surface to slightly dry. Cut the pieces to the sizes you need and assemble the house. For the most part, the sponge pieces will stand on their own, but if you need to secure certain pieces just use straight pins. The straight pins can also help you later since youll be able to turn the house, this way and that, to apply the grass seed.

Assemble the house on the lid of a clear container. A disposable, plastic bowl with lid works great. Turn the lid upside-down and assemble the sponge house on it. When the house is finished spray it with water. Dont soak the house but just wet it well. Sprinkle grass seed all over the house. As you do, some grass seed will fall off, but you can use these to patch bare spots in the grass seed on the house. Pat these into place with dry hands. s Slightly spray the grass seeds with water. Set the bowl or container over the finished house and poke a few holes in it. After ten days to two weeks the grass will grow, and when it does, the container can be removed. Kids will be thrilled to make the grass house and look for grass growth each day. When they see the grass finally growing on the house theyll be just a little more fascinated with science!

Rainbow Jar Cakes

What youll need:White cake mixPint-size canning jarsFood coloringNon-stick cooking spray Have you ever seen a rainbow cake? You slice it, and there, before your eyes, are the brilliant colors you find in a rainbow. Its a gorgeous thing to behold and delicious as well. The one and only problem with a rainbow cake is that, until you cut it, you cant see the colors. Wouldnt it be nice if you could incorporate those vibrant colors in to the scenery at your wedding, birthday party or other event? You can, you know. You can bake the rainbow cake in a different way and everyone will be able to see the colors before cutting the cake. And, forget cutting the cake; just give each person their cakes in jars! The jar cake is so pretty because you can see all the layers - each a different color. When you hand out individual rainbow cakes you not only avoid cutting, serving and cleaning up after a regular cake, but at the same time, you give each recipient a party favor.

Use pint-size canning jars to bake the cakes. They are tempered to withstand heat and can be placed in a hot oven. Do not substitute with jars like mayonnaise or similar glass jars; they could break while baking.

Mix up a white cake from a box or recipe. To help you decide how much cake batter youll need, check the cupcake recipe, then allow about two cupcakes per jar. Spray each of the canning jars with non-stick cooking spray. Be sure to spray the bottom as well as the sides thoroughly. Use five small bowls to color the white cake batter. They dont necessarily have to be divided out perfectly even. Just eyeball it and divide the mix between the five bowls. Add food coloring drops until you get really vivid colors in each bowl. Make one bowl purple, one blue, one green, one yellow and one red. Spoon approximately three tablespoons of the purple batter into the bottom of each jar. Next, add the same amount of the blue, then the green, the yellow, and the red. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Set the jars of batter into a rectangular cake pan. Place water in the cake pan until its about a quarter-inch deep. This will help protect the glass jars as they bake for about 30 minutes. After the jars have cooled add frosting, whip cream or another topping. If the cake has risen all the way to the top of the jar just remove part of the cake to allow room for the topping. Your guests are going to love the rainbow cakes which are brilliant and scrumptious.

Tin Lid Cuff Bracelet

A metal cuff bracelet can cost a lot of money because, after all, its a large piece of shiny metal - possibly even gold or silver - and can have beautiful embellishments like an engraved motif, or even embedded jewels. If you love cuff bracelets, but are often shocked by the prices, look around your house for something you can make the cuff bracelet out of. A tin with a lid is a fabulous choice; the lid can easily be turned into a gorgeous bracelet youll be proud to wear.Its not hard to find an inexpensive tin and turn it into a stunning cuff bracelet. Tins are sold at dollar-theme stores, craft stores, and discount department stores. In a grocery store, you can find tins of cookies, tea, or even crackers. Youll often have selections like holiday themes, outdoor scenery, or just plain ones with interesting colors. When you choose a decorated tin youll often find that the resulting bracelet is quite elegant. Measure around your wrist to get an idea of how long the tin - and lid - should be.Use tin snips or industrial-type scissors to cut the lid of the tin. It can be a little difficult to get started since you have to cut through the thick lip of the lid. Once you cut through it, though, you can simply cut around the perimeter of the lid and remove the entire lip. That will leave you with a flat piece of metal for making the bracelet.Cut the tin piece to be as long as you want for the bracelet, and as wide. There are tools you can use to bend the cut edges of the tin under, and make it safer to wear. It can, however, be a long and imperfect process. A quicker way to finish the tin, and give a nice accent to the bracelet, is to use colored tape. Whether you use metallic tape, or electric tape in colors of blue, red, or black, youll just cover the edges with it.Tear a piece of tape to be the same size as one short side of the bracelet. Place half of the tape on the metal, then wrap the other half of the length behind the bracelet. Do this to both ends, and to both long sides of the metal.After the sharp edges are all covered wrap the metal piece around a bottle, a candle jar, or another round object. This will help you shape it for your wrist. After you get the general shape, put the bracelet on, then further shape it to fit.Youll love the tin lid cuff bracelet project because you have millions of tin lids from which to choose. Plus, its so easy to make, yet looks so high-end and costly, that youll definitely want to own many.

Interchangeable Curtain Accents and More

There are all sorts of window treatments a person can do, from putting up cornices, to choosing just the right tie-backs. As for the curtains or drapes themselves, they look like they look, right? You try to choose a solid color, or a nice pattern, and have them blend in with the other furnishings. Curtains are a big investment, though, so a person tends to leave them in place for a very long time. I dont know about you but Im one of those people who loves changes, but not the work that normally comes along with taking down drapes, and hanging new ones. If youd like a new look for your curtains or drapes, but none of the hassle, go with magnets. Magnetic curtain accents opens up a whole new world of how your curtains and drapes can look. With magnets, you can give your curtains metallic accents, holiday embellishments, and much more.Little round button magnets, or even small, square ones, are perfect for quickly attaching things to valances, curtains, drapes, and even tie-backs. Purchase the magnets at a craft store and then you can begin looking for the interchangeable accents you can create. A craft store also features many small, metallic things you can use. Look for lightweight, copper butterflies, jewelry charms, refrigerator magnets, and similar pieces.When you purchase a small sheet of copper - or other metal - you can make any shape you want. Its easy to cut the thin sheets, which you can find at a craft store, with ordinary scissors. You can cut a single, flat piece, when you use a stencil. Or, cut other pieces and layer them. Create the design you want, from a monogram, to a heart. Use a small magnet to mount the design on one of the curtains.At a hardware or home improvement store you can find even more metallic accents. Look for small, wrought iron pieces, metallic molding, metallic tiles, and other accents. After cutting certain pieces down to size, simply use a magnet to stick it to the curtain or drapery.You dont have to limit yourself to things that are metal, or even to just using the magnets on curtains. Glue a magnet on the back of a silk flower, a velvet bow, or another object, and you can attach it by using a magnet on the back of the curtain. You can make small designs along a curtain hemline, along the edges of a valance, or make one large accent in the middle of each curtain. The magnetic accents also look adorable on a shower curtain,a window blind, a tablecloth, or even on certain articles of clothing.

How to Make a Flip Book

When kids get bored it usually means you have to break out the wallet and pay dearly for entertainment. If the thought of that scares you to death run for the home printer instead! Grab some of that white printer paper and kids will have a blast making a fun flip book that will keep them giggling for hours.

You can actually use any color of paper to make the book but, ideally, it wont be lined. Also, dont use thick paper, like scrapbook paper, for this project. Decide on the paper, make a small stack, then fold it in half, lengthways. Staple along the fold and kids can get busy creating the book the way they want it.

Place the stapled paper so that the fold is facing away from you and the long edges of the papers are facing you. Cut from the edge over to the fold and do this twice. By cutting the paper this way you create three individual sections on each piece of paper. If you have a thick stack of paper you might need to cut a few at a time, then a few more, until theyre all equally cut. Any stapling or cutting should be done by grownups, if the child is under the age of 8 years of age, or childproof scissors should be used for younger kids. Turn the book so that the staples are facing to the left and the pages open from the right. The top stack of papers will become heads and faces of characters, the middle papers will become shirts or bodies, and the last section will become legs. If you have kids who enjoy drawing they can draw the faces and other features. Instead of drawing kids can cut pictures from magazines. Paste the heads on the upper papers, shirts on the middle ones, and legs or other things on the lower papers. The more creative you are with the individual sections the funnier the finished pictures are. For example, cut giraffe leg pictures, frog bodies or other silly additions to the book. At the head sections, cut or draw pictures of old people and young, men, women and children, and people with various colors and styles of hair. In the middle section cut or draw pictures of bare men or boys bodies, assorted shirts, and even animal bodies. For the lower sections try animal legs, people with scuba-diving fins, furry boots, legs with high heels and more. When finished, any of the heads can align with any of the bodies, which can align with any of the legs. Kids will have loads of fun turning the various pages, and combining them with others, to create dozens and dozens of silly characters!

How to Make Fake Cupcakes

Its fun and easy to make fake cakes, cookies and other goodies but whats the point? You cant eat them and few people would appreciate the fake goods as a joke. Fake cupcakes and such do serve one purpose, however. They can be set around the kitchen as d?cor. You might not want to offer the fake goods to friends and family but you can certainly add a scrumptious look to your kitchen.

You can make a cupcake any size you want by using a regular cupcake wrapper or a circle of paper. Create the ridges on the paper by simply folding it, opening it up, folding again, and so on, until youve created the lines all the way around the paper. Instead of paper you can also use foil.

A Styrofoam ball will assist you in making a fake cupcake that looks real. Choose a ball thats proportionate to the size wrapper youre using. The ball should fill the wrapper entirely and rise up slightly above the wrapper. Cut a tiny sliver off of one side of the ball so it will sit steady in the wrapper. Decorating the ball before putting it in the wrapper will ensure you dont get paint, glitter or other things on the wrapper itself. Its not necessary to decorate the entire Styrofoam ball. Mark a line, if needed, around the area where the edge of the wrapper would meet the ball. Decorate from this line, up. Dimension paint makes it easy to create a look of globs of frosting on the cupcake. Dimension paints are found at craft stores and go on rather thickly. Spread the "frosting" all over the top of the cupcake and allow it to set and dry completely. Use fabric paints, which dispense from tubes, to create designs on the cupcake. Make squiggly lines, fake flowers, polka dots, stripes and other designs by simply squeezing the paint onto the top of the cupcake. There are lots of things you can use to finish the cupcake. Apply adhesive to the top of the cake and sprinkle on glitter or even seed beads. Or, glue a fake cherry on top. When youre finished decorating the cupcake, set it on the wrapper, then glue the wrapper up around it. Even though the fake cupcakes arent edible they certainly look delicious! Theyre perfect for setting on a plate on the counter or putting on display inside of a glass cabinet. The cupcakes instantly give the kitchen a homey look that works great for a country theme, food theme or other kitchen decorating. Theyre fun, easy and inexpensive to make so create many different ones! They make great gifts, too!

Egg Carton Ribbon Organizer

There are several occasions throughout a year when a person might need ribbon. Holidays, birthdays, graduations, anniversaries - they all call for ribbons of some sort. One of the problems with ribbon is that you rarely use all of it as you buy it. You wrap a gift or two, and after that, the ribbon waits and waits for its next job. Another problem with ribbon is that sometimes its sold with a little ribbon on a large roll. After youve used part of it you have to go get the tape and secure it to the roll. If you dont, the ribbon unwinds, and likely becomes entangled with other ribbons and things.

Leftover lengths of ribbon, twine, yarn and such can be a real nuisance. Once they begin to unwind from their rolls it becomes a huge mess no one wants to straighten. Whether you have a craft room where you take on all sorts of projects, or a small area where you wrap gifts, its helpful to have an organizer for leftover ribbon and other materials.

Look no further than your refrigerator to find the organizer for your leftovers! If youve got an egg carton youre nearly finished making the ribbon organizer! Be sure the carton you use is one that has not contained a broken egg; choose one thats perfectly clean. The type of egg carton you use for the organizer can be any: Styrofoam or cardboard, a six-pack, dozen or eighteen-pack. The larger the carton, of course, the more ribbon and other items it can hold. Since it only takes a minute to make the organizer, and a few minutes to add all the ribbons, youll be finished in no time. Lift the lid of the carton so you can see the individual compartments inside. Use a marker to make dots on the inside of the lid. Make one dot for each compartment and make sure the dot is centered over each section. Although it can be easier for some people to make the dots on the outside of the lid the ribbon will dispense easier the first time if the holes are made from the inside, out. After all the dots are made use a nail or similar object to poke a hole through each dot. Roll leftover ribbon and other items into small balls and place one ball in each compartment. Push the end of the ribbon through its hole in the lid and pull it out a couple of inches through the top of the lid. The egg carton ribbon organizer makes it easy to to dispense narrow ribbon, lace, twine, yarn, cord, sinew and other such materials. Your craft room or gift wrapping station will be so neat and orderly now!

Glass Cake Wedding Centerpiece

When youre planning your wedding its necessary to tie things together so that, even if there is no particular theme, it all flows together smoothly. For instance, if youre having a country wedding, a towering, glass cake would seem out of place. But, if youre having an elegant, sophisticated wedding that glass cake would fit right in. And it will. Build a glass cake centerpiece for your elegant wedding and, even though it wont cost that much, your guests will be in awe of the gorgeous arrangement.Your wedding guests will be taken aback when they see a towering cake, made completely of glass, that takes center stage on the table. In fact, you can easily make that centerpiece, plus smaller versions to put on other tables, and at a budget price. You dont need any special talents, whatsoever, to make these glass cakes.Choose drinking glasses to make the particular cake you want. Youll have many extra options if you choose clear glasses, but to match the glass cake to your d?cor or color scheme, you can choose blue glass, pink glass or others. Select drinking glasses rather than juice or other glasses. The glasses can have patterns or other designs but must all be the same size. Also, buy only glasses which are the same size at the bottom as they are at the top. Shop at a discount department store - or even a thrift store - to purchase glasses which look beautiful but cost little.Decide if you want the glass cake to be square or round. Start by turning the glasses upside-down and gathering them into a large circle or square. On top of those glasses, arrange another circle or square, but make it smaller than the first one. Continue adding another and another tier until the cake is as tall as you want. End with a single glass or a small gathering of glasses on top.If youve used glasses which allow one to see through them you have many options for decorating inside of them. Place a single flower under each glass, ball up tulle and put it under the glasses, or create your own design. Another choice is to feature some flowers on top of the glasses on each tier. Top the glass cake with an arrangement of flowers or even a bride and groom.Although the glass wedding cake will stand on its own - as long as no one severely bumps the table - you can, if you want, use tiny pieces of double-sided tape to hold the glasses in place on the stack. It doesnt take long to build the cake that will take the breath away from every one of your guests.

Zipper Bow Jewelry and Hair Accessories

If youve been taking buttons, appliques, and similar things, off of ruined clothing before disposing of it, thats a good thing. You can always use buttons for making clothes and creating home accents. You probably think that the zippers can only be used to put in other garments but thats not true. Now, people turn them into earrings, bracelets, and more. You might want to take a turn at trying to make a jewelry piece with a zipper and, if so, a good project to get you started is a zipper bow. The bow can then be made into a jewelry item, a headband, or another personal accessory.

A zipper bow takes just a couple of minutes to make but its cute and unusual. All you have to do is cut the zipper from the old clothing item - or purchase a new zipper - and cut it. Zip the zipper all the way up and then lay it out flat on a table. Make two cuts to take a section out of the center. The section can be small, if you want a little bow, or much larger for a big bow.

Turn the zipper section into a circle and glue the short ends together. Hot glue works okay to secure it for now but you wont be able to launder it. If youll need to wash and dry the finished bow sometime, use fabric glue instead of hot glue. Decide on a material to tie around the zipper circle. Push the front and the back of the circle together, making sure that the glue seam is on the bottom, and tie a string, ribbon, or cord, around the middle of the circle. Position the tied area behind the zipper - in the area where the glue seam is. Instead of tying a material around it, you can make another circle from a zipper piece - but much smaller - and wrap it around the larger circle, around the middle. Glue the ends together to secure. You can attach the unique zipper bow onto any number of different items. Glue one onto a headband to create a cute accessory for a girl. Or, attach the zipper bow to a purse - suitable for a girl or a woman. You can also make a cuff of fabric, to go around your neck or your wrist, and glue or sew the zipper bow onto it. It creates a cute necklace or bracelet to coordinate with any number of outfits. Getting excited? Well, Ill let you go so you can grab that box of zippers; I know that you want to get started. Making jewelry and personal accents with zippers, thankfully, is one way to use those zippers that youve been saving. And youve been wondering what you were going to do with all of them!

Dollhouse Clocks Anyone Can Make

Dollhouses can have all the comforts one would find in a real home: rugs and draperies, miniature appliances, furniture and lamps. You might even find a clock or two. The thing about dollhouse clocks, though, is that they generally dont work. You get a nice cabinet or surrounding for the clock but the face is a mere sticker. Do you know how easy it is to make such clocks? Your childs dollhouse can have a clock in every room when you use clock stickers from a craft store.

One material you can use to make a clock is an ordinary block of wood. Available in many different lengths, widths and thicknesses, small wooden blocks are not expensive. Choose a small, square shape, thats very thin, to make a wall clock. After positioning the sticker you can embellish the clock in many ways. Glue a small metal ring around the sticker to give it a golden or silver accent. Or, glue on tiny jewels around the perimeter of the wood piece to give it an elegant edging.

Use a longer, wider, thick piece of wood to make a design like a grandfather clock. Stand the block up, place the sticker, then use other stickers to accent. For example, use cabinet door stickers, also found at craft stores, to put fake doors on the front of the clock. Scrapbook enhancements, like foil frames or monograms are also options for decorating these types of clocks. Use an ordinary soda bottle cap to make a different type of clock. Attach the sticker to the flat side of the lid then hang it on the wall. These clocks can look much more substantial if you glue things around the lid. Pieces cut from colored coffee stirrers, painted pieces of wooden skewers, beads and similar things can be glued directly to the wall, around the clock, or directly to the bottle lid. Use a medicine bottle lid in a similar way to make a different clock. Place the sticker on the lid then wrap a fuzzy hair tie around the sides. Or, sew a piece of ribbon or cloth on elastic and wrap it around the lid. This is a nice design for a bedroom. Making clocks for a dollhouse is so easy when you use stickers and simple items to make the frame. Things you can use to make clock cabinets or frames include Styrofoam shapes, scrapbook picture frames, shapes of foil, small lids, paper-covered cardboard shapes, and even flat foam shapes. Things you can use to embellish the clocks include tiny dried flowers, fake jewels, small buttons, confetti pieces, bows, miniatures and even painted beans!

Giant Diamond Ring 25th or 50th Anniversary Centerpiece

Its mind boggling, isnt it - the choices a person has for table centerpieces at a 25 th or 50 th wedding anniversary celebration? How in the world do you decide? Do you go with candles? Flowers? Both? You definitely want the centerpiece to be spectacular and to get noticed. But do you really want to spend a fortune on flowers and candles when you can make a striking centerpiece for a fraction of the cost? Theres nothing more appropriate than a giant diamond ring as a 25 th or 50 th wedding anniversary centerpiece and you can make it for little money.

Even if youve never done a craft project in your life youll have no trouble making the giant diamond centerpiece. All you need is a few inexpensive craft supplies. Purchase three pieces of Styrofoam: a block, a cone and a wreath ring. You can make the anniversary centerpiece as large or as small as you want but all three pieces should be proportionate to each other. To make a centerpiece which is about 13" tall, use a cone which is 3"x2". Purchase a cube which is 5"x5"x5" and a wreath ring which is 6"x1 ?"x5/8".

Paint the cube or even cover it with fabric or decorative paper. Just glue the material around four sides and leave the top and the bottom plain. The bottom wont show and the top will be covered, later. Another choice for covering around the sides of the cube is to just glue on Spanish moss. At the top of the cube scrape the Styrofoam to make a groove which is about as wide as the wreath is thick. Its really easy to shave away Styrofoam; just create a groove which is an inch or so deep. Fill it partially with hot glue and stand the wreath in the groove. The wreath ring creates the band of the diamond ring. Lay the cone on one side and cut about a third of it off of the top. Cover the cut end of the large piece with hot glue, turn it upside-down, and set it on the ring. This will create the diamond. Cover the entire ring and diamond with glitter paint in gold or silver to give it the 25 th or 50 th anniversary look. Make sure that the paint you select works with Styrofoam since some paints can melt it. Finish the centerpiece by gluing some flowers on the top of the cube to conceal the very bottom of the ring. Make a huge centerpiece for a single table or smaller versions for other tables; or, make them all the same size. The gold or silver wedding ring centerpiece is one of the most appropriate you can ever make for such a special anniversary.

Cheese Label Bunting, Magnets, and More

Mmm, arent those little, triangular-shaped cheeses delicious? Theyre not that big but theyre perfect for spreading on crackers and fruits. "The Laughing Cow" is one brand of the triangular cheeses you can find at the grocery store. The thing about those little cheeses is that, if you love them, you love them. That means youll be buying many of them and throwing away all those wrappers - unless you use them for a fun project where you can make anything from buntings to magnets. Dont have any of those cheese wrappers? Just download images of them online.

Make a bunting for your kitchen by punching one-eighth-inch holes in each of the two top corners of the cheese label. Do this to many of them then string them together with twine or small-diameter cord. To make it easier to thread them, make an aglet - the plastic thing at the end of a shoestring - on one end of the cord. You can do that by wrapping a piece of tape around it or using a drop of super glue on it. Thread the twine through the labels by going in through the back of the left corner, and out through the top right corner. Space the labels apart or butt them close together. Hang the bunting across the front of a shelf or elsewhere in the kitchen.

Buy magnetic sheeting and you can make pretty cheese label magnets for the fridge or other metallic area. Just place the triangle(s) on the sheeting after pulling off the peel-n-stick backing. Trim around them to finish. These are decorative and wont hold weight. To make sturdier magnets use business card magnets. Do you have a metallic range hood? Put the cheese labels on magnetic sheeting and outline the edge of the hood. Print the cheese magnets onto iron-on transfers and you can use them on aprons, kitchen towels, cloth place mats, and more. Youll find the computer iron-on paper at Staples or a craft store. Follow the instructions on the package for printing and ironing. Glue or tape the cheese label triangles to cardstock and make a decorative border for the fronts of shelves in your kitchen. If you have a ceiling fan with no fan pull, tape two of the triangles to cardstock, cut them out, then tape them together, trapping the end of the pull chain between them. Its not hard to accumulate lots of the small cheese wrappers, and if you eat a lot of these cheeses, youll have enough to do a nice project in no time. Dont stop at just one project; do them all! Cheese Wrapper Bunting and Magnets

Cool Crafts from Mesh Orange Bags

If you love fresh squeezed oranges theres one thing you probably have many of - besides oranges, peels, and juice. Youve likely accumulated quite a few of those mesh bags that used to contain the oranges. There are a lot of really cool things you can make with those bags, including helpful cleaners, useful containers, and much more. When you open the oranges, cut them with scissors, and cut as close to the closure as possible. With the bag lying flat on a table, cut across the top, and even it up to prepare it for use.

Make a useful pot scrubber by wadding up an orange bag and securing it with a rubber band. You can even use a onion bag if you dont have an orange bag. Just throw the scrubber away when youre finished with it. Use the same technique to make a loofah sponge for the bath.

Make a kitchen potpourri holder by making it look like the mesh bag still contains oranges. Crumble dry, orange-scented potpourri into small pieces and wrap them in an orange tissue paper. Shape like an orange, poke a few holes with a pin, and place the ball in the bag. Fill the bag with the balls and theyll appear to be a bag of oranges. Start with a neat upper edge of the mesh bag and you create a carrier for all sorts of things. Just sew on straps made of an old belt, a piece of fabric, or a ribbon. Sew both ends of one strap to one side of the bag, and do the same to the other side, to create two handles. Use this helpful bag to carry things to - or home from - the beach, toys, books or magazines, and more. Youll never worry about tangled yarn when you use an orange or onion bag. Sew handles on, as stated above, then stack skeins of yarn inside. As you do, reach into the center of each skein, and pull out the end of the yarn. Pull the yarn piece through one opening in the mesh and youre ready to crochet or knit. When the yarn pulls out from the center you rarely encounter a tangling problem. After cutting the top edge to be straight, sew a strip of Velcro across one side, and its opposing piece on the opposite side. The closeable bags are perfect for laundering lingerie, socks, booties, and other small items. Use them in the same manner to wash small things in the dishwasher, like measuring spoons. Every time you buy oranges, now, youll always want to save that mesh bag. You know they can be made into things you can use around your home. Use mesh bags from onions or other produce to make even more handy things.

Pool Float Silverware Tie

Lots of people buy Life Savers candies because of the delicious flavors, like cherry, lime, coconut, pineapple, and peppermint, but youll buy them - at least this time - because of their shapes. The circular candies are certainly yummy but theyre also perfect for many food-type crafts. If youre having a pool party, a nautical-theme wedding, or even a summer birthday celebration, the circular candies are adorable when you use them like tiny pool floats, on the party silverware. Pool float silverware ties will help to create the cutest nautical look for the table.

The peppermint Life Savers, in particular, are perfect for making little pool floats, because theyre white. Theres no reason to pay two to five bucks a piece, just for tie-on embellishments, like pool floats or anchors. Your party silverware can look just as appropriate - and pretty - when you use peppermint Life Savers. With about fourteen candies in each roll of Life Savers, and with a roll costing about a buck, the round candies are perfect for creating the look of tiny ring floats.

Blue or white is a good choice for a napkin color, when having a nautical-theme wedding, or a pool party. After rolling the silverware in the napkin, just tie a Life Saver on it, and the summer silverware wrap is finished. Twine is not only cheap, but has a rustic look, and coordinates wonderfully with the blue napkins. Choose a type of twine that is very small in diameter - like thick string. Cut a length of the twine and lay it on a flat surface. Set the silverware wrap on it and tie the string once around the napkin. Slide a Life Saver onto one of the strings, and then tie a bow or a loose knot. Leave extra twine hanging, to finish the look. Although small, white Life Savers make fabulous pool floats, you can make them even more suitable for the occasion, by writing on them with a food marker. Use a fine-tip food marker to write "Love", the names of the bride and groom, or a different sentiment. With a food marker, you can write something to symbolize the occasion, you can draw blue or red stripes on the Life Saver, or otherwise create the look you want. Most people think that they have to go out and purchase nautical accents for a particular party but many decorations, table embellishments, and foods, can be easily made at home. Whether youre having a casual pool party, or a beautiful wedding, the Life Saver silverware wraps will make the scene!

Rock Strawberries

What you need: Rocks Red, green, and black paint or paint markers Who couldnt love a strawberry? Even if you dont like the taste, the lovely look of a strawberry can be irresistible. Thats probably why so many people have strawberry accents in their kitchens. Are you a strawberry person? Do you have kitchen curtains with strawberry borders? Strawberry-shaped coasters? Then, have I got an exciting project for you! Turn rocks into strawberries and you can set them in baskets around the kitchen, arrange them across a windowsill, and even make them into magnets.

You cant use just any old rock to make a strawberry but you dont have to be really picky. The rocks should be fairly smooth, and somewhat small, and flat on at least one side. They dont necessarily have to be shaped like traditional strawberries. You can find many rocks in your own driveway or yard, more than likely. Gather some up, wash them well, and youre ready to start.

You dont have to be an expert at painting to turn rocks into strawberries. Paint each rock with red paint, of course, and allow to dry. It might take more than one coat to get the coverage and hue that you desire. Paint all sides of each rock. Set a painted rock in front of you so that its resting on the flat side. Decide which will be the top, and which will be the bottom of the strawberry. Draw a simplistic leaf shape with a green paint marker. Although you can paint it with a brush, a paint marker makes it really easy to draw the perfect leaf. When the leaf has dried, move on to the final stage of creating the strawberry. A toothpick is the ideal implement for making the dots on the strawberry rocks. Put a bit of black paint on a disposable plate and cut the tip off of the toothpick. Dip the cut end of the toothpick in the paint, tap it once on a paper towel, and then touch it to the strawberry. You could also use a fine-tip marker to draw the dots. Make many dots all over the strawberry. It can be helpful to look at pictures of strawberries to get an idea of the proper amount of dots, as well as ideas for leaf designs. Youll love the cute strawberries throughout your kitchen. Stick a piece of magnetic sheeting to the back of one to make it a refrigerator magnet. Put a bunch of them down the middle of the table to make an unusual runner. There are lots of ways to use the rock strawberries; youll think of many after you get them painted.

Giant Jigsaw Puzzle Wall Decor

Lots of kids and even adults hang posters up on their walls. Images of beach scenes, famous landmarks, popular movie stars - there are literally millions of posters out there. Some people use thumbtacks to hang them; others frame them and hang them. All those techniques are so old! Do something entirely new and different to make your poster stand out and get noticed while making it look like much more than just an old poster! Use foam board to easily make the chosen poster into a huge jigsaw puzzle for a wall. The foam board is found at craft stores, dollar-theme stores and even discount department stores. Its cheap, lightweight and really easy to cut. There are a couple of different ways to make the wall puzzle and one is much easier than the other.

To make the easy version simply glue the poster to the foam board. Set heavy objects on top of the poster as the glue dries to prevent bubbles from forming under the paper. After the glue is dry use black paint and a brush to make puzzle piece shapes directly on the poster. Its helpful to look at some puzzle pieces to get an idea of the shapes and designs. If you dont feel confident about your abilities to draw the lines on the poster you can print out images of puzzle pieces on your home computer and use them as patterns. After the lines are drawn to form the pieces you can simply hang the lightweight picture on the wall using adhesive hangers.

Make a different type of wall hanging by actually cutting the shapes of the pieces. Glue the poster onto the foam board and allow the adhesive to set. Draw the shapes freehand or use the computer printout patterns. Use a sharp knife - not serrated - to cut the foam board. Take your time and cut exactly, but if you need to give some edges a smoother look, use a piece of sandpaper or even an emory board to easily sand the edges. As you hang the individual puzzle pieces slide them together as you would a real puzzle but dont push them tightly together. If you do the pieces arent as distinct as they are when you leave a slight gap between them. Its a cute look to make a baby-theme wall puzzle for a nursery or a cartoon character theme for a slightly older child. Create a really unique scenery for a wall by making a puzzle that features a beach, mountains or fields of flowers. Make whimsical looks or gorgeous designs. Use the entire poster to make the puzzle or cut it down to fit a smaller wall. Youll love the look!

How to Make a Halloween Coffin

Got an old box lying around the house? Then youve got a Halloween coffin you can set outside or indoors. Its easy to make a simple coffin when you start with a box thats long, wide and deep. Make mini versions and place a doll in it, make a larger version and stand it up outside - there are lots of different ways to use a cardboard box coffin as a Halloween decoration.

The box you use will need a lid that detaches from the box. The separate lid, of course, will be the lid of the coffin. To begin making it its helpful to paint the box and lid black. Theres no need to paint the inside of the box or the inside of the box lid. You wont need to paint the bottom of the box but you do need to paint the top of the lid.

Use old pillow, balled up sheets, many plastic bags or other stuffing-type objects you might have. Align the pillows - or whatever - in the bottom of the box. Take the time to smooth out whatever type of stuffing youre using to make it look like one solid piece. The stuffing should fill up about half the box. Choose the material you want to use as the casket lining. Although a piece of velvet or satin work well you can use a sheet instead. The piece of material you use must be long enough and wide enough to cover the stuffing and come up and over the sides and ends of the casket. Position the material over the stuffing. Tuck the fabric all the way around the stuffing, down both long sides and down both short sides. Tuck it tightly to make it look like a bed. Use wide, black tape to secure the material to the box. So, bring the material up to the top edge of the box, then fold it down a couple of inches on the outside of the box. Use the tape to go all the way around the top edge, securing the fabric as you go along. You can gather excess fabric in the corners as you tape across them. Make one large fold at each corner and youll have a neat appearance to the inside of the casket. Basically, youll do the same thing for the lid. The lid doesnt absolutely have to have the stuffing; this is optional. Position the fabric and use the black tape to secure the material to the box lid. Set the casket on the floor or even on a table. Prop the lid against the wall or use tape to secure it to the side of the casket. Outdoors, place the lid where it appears to be nearly all the way open, then use tape to secure it to the side of the box. Now, lets talk about a scary monster to put inside that coffin!

Standing Candy Tree Centerpiece and Treat

Its the law; you cant have Christmas without candy! Whether you spend days making homemade candies for friends and family, or you just go out and purchase candy with a Christmas theme, youll find theres no more suitable occasion for candy than a holiday. You can place candy in tins, hand it out in a stocking, set it in dishes around the house or do something different this year! Make a candy tree that is also a centerpiece as well as a treat for all! Select individually-wrapped candy, like Hersheys Kisses, to make the centerpiece tree. Make the tree as tall or short as you want depending upon how many candies you align into a tree shape. Start by placing one Kiss on a piece of cardboard. Place two underneath that one, three more candies under the two, and so on, until the tree is as large as you want.

Draw a triangle around the aligned candies. Cut the triangle shape from the cardboard, but as you do, trim off a little, all the way around. This will prevent being able to see the cardboard edges after the candies are attached. Cut three identical triangles using cardboard thats the same in thickness. You might want to paint or otherwise decorate the cardboard since youll be able to see small portions of it, here and there, between the candies.

Use double-sided tape to secure the candies to the tree shapes. Make three full tree shapes then stand the three triangles on a piece of cardboard so that they form a complete, 3-d tree. Apply a drop of hot glue to the top area, where the three triangles meet, and attach a tree topper. This could be a cardboard star, a miniature ball ornament or another choice. Make a line of hot glue in front of each cardboard triangle, at the very bottom, and position the cardboard in the glue. This will ensure the three tree shapes stay in position as others pluck the candies off of them. There are many different candies you can use to make the Christmas tree centerpiece. Hard, peppermint candies, for example, can be removed from their wrappers and stuck to the board using frosting. The frosting will need to set up for a couple of hours before serving. The red and white candy makes a beautiful tree, too. Other candies you can use include gumdrops, hard cinnamons, Gummi Bears, and similar types. Set the candy tree in the middle of the treats table and guests can help themselves. The 3-d Christmas tree makes a beautiful centerpiece as well as a delicious treat for the crowd!

Easy Tile Headboard

Youve got your bedroom almost finished. The carpeted or hardwood floors are beautiful, youve got your coordinating drapes, throw rugs and nice lamps on beautiful end tables. Too bad the bed looks like it does. No matter how nice the quilt or duvet, no matter how many pillows you pile up for a comfy look, the bed will never be complete. Not until you put up a headboard. Dont have one? No money to get one? Make it! You dont have to have wood, nails and power tools to create a headboard. All you need is a box of tiles.

Peel-n-stick tiles are normally used on a bathroom or kitchen floor. They have a peel-away backing that exposes a sticky adhesive which makes it easy to attach them to most any flat surface. Use them to create a new headboard thats unusual yet striking when you stick the tiles to the wall.

There are several great things about sticky tiles being used for a new headboard. One is that theyre easily cut with scissors. Another is that they come in a variety of colors and styles so that youll have no trouble coordinating them with other elements in the bedroom. Choose a style that looks like brick, a marbleized type, or another. The tiles are sold at home improvement stores, but if you can find them, theyre much cheaper at a dollar-theme store. Begin sticking the tiles to the wall so that they are aligned with the bottom edge of the mattress - or lower. The tiles should go the width of the bed or even a few inches wider. You can add row after row of tiles until they reach as far up on the wall as you want. Its helpful to measure, then draw lines, to ensure the tiles are perfectly straight. Although its easy and fast to stick the tiles on the wall in a rectangular pattern you can create more interest by cutting the tiles along the top in a varied pattern. You can also do something decorative with the tiles that go down the sides of the new headboard, too. The headboard will have a more finished look if you outline the tiles. One way to do that is to have molding pieces cut at a home improvement store. Another is to use glue dots to attaching roping, leather strips or something similar. The sticky tile headboard is unusual but very pretty. If you want it to be more substantial you can have a piece of wood cut at a home improvement store, nail it to the wall, then tile over it. Even with a wood backing the tile headboard is not expensive and really easy to create.

Fake Fried Ice Cream

Have you ever tried fried ice cream? What a treat! Different places make it in various ways. Basically, though, its a ball of frozen ice cream, rolled in any number of goodies, and fried quickly. The frying of the dessert cooks the outside while the ice cream remains frozen. Some places make the dessert by wrapping ice cream in pie crust. Another place might roll it in corn flakes, and when it has been fried, sprinkle it with cinnamon and sugar. Instead of heating up a hot deep fryer on a hot day, take a shortcut. You can make a fake fried ice cream thats just as delicious as the real thing without the extra effort. There are many different ways to make the fake fried ice cream that there is sure to be one - or many - that youll love.

Use any flavor of ice cream to make this treat. Many people opt for vanilla or chocolate since these combine well with various things you can roll the ice cream in before frying. Set the ice cream out for a few minutes to soften only slightly. The ice cream should still be frozen but should be easy to scoop out of the carton. One pint makes about 4 to 6 of the fried ice cream balls.

For each pint of ice cream place ? cup of cereal and 1/3 cup of finely chopped nuts in a bowl. Mix these well. The cereal choices can vary. Some good selections include corn flakes, Rice Krispies, Cocoa Krispies, granola cereal or almond cluster cereal. The nuts you use can vary, too. Mixed nuts are great but you could use only almonds, only peanuts, etc. Or, forget the nuts and mix in other goodies, like chocolate chips, cookie crumbles, raisins or dried fruit pieces. After mixing up all the ingredients you want for the crust scoop out a ball of ice cream, then place it in the bowl of cereal. Coat it quickly then place it in a cup of a muffin tin. Do the same thing again to create as many of the ice cream balls as you need. Cover the muffin tin with plastic wrap and place it in the freezer for at least an hour before serving. Just before serving the fake fried ice cream, warm up a chosen topping to pour over it. This can be chocolate syrup, strawberry preserves or even melted caramel. Pour the topping over the ice cream then serve it immediately. Your guests wont know the fake ice cream from the real fried treat but you will. You didnt have to heat up the frying pot and stand over it until you were too sweaty to care anymore. Youll probably never make the real fried ice cream ever again!

Thank-You Tins

Theres a lot that goes into having a wedding reception, a birthday party, or another special event. When all the guests have gone, and all thats left is the cleaning, you can finally sit back, relax, and relish the new memories with friends and family. But wait; the party isnt quite over yet. Etiquette states that you have to send a thank-you card to each of your guests. But no matter how nice the cards are theyre still just cards. Dont your guests deserve a little bit more than that? Maybe a small gift to go along with that card? You know, you could combine the card with a small gift; that would be especially nice. And you could mail one to each guest, or give one to each guest at the party. If you have an Altoids tin you can make the cutest little thank-you gift that any guest will love.An Altoids tin - or a similar metal can - is perfect for creating a unique thank-you gift for any special occasion. The tin is small, shallow, and has a hinged lid. You can easily decorate it, and add certain gifts, to create the exact thank-you gift that you desire.Set the tin on the backside of a piece of cloth or decorative paper. Draw around it and, as you cut it out, cut it just a tad smaller than the drawing. Apply glue to the inside bottom of the tin and lay the paper or cloth on it. Do the same thing to put a piece of fabric or paper on the inside of the lid. You can also decorate the outside of the tin by painting it, or gluing on fabric or paper.There are many different things you could put inside the Altoids tin to make the thank-you gift. Fold a small piece of scrapbook paper in half and write a message inside. This cute note will serve as the actual "thank-you". Another option is to just write the message on the paper thats glued to the bottom, or lid.Many small trinkets can fit into an Altoids tin. Stick a couple of refrigerator magnets on the inside of the lid, or just align bare magnets, as a small gift. Inside the actual tin you can fit kids items, like balloons, craft supplies, candies, or tiny toys. For an adult, the tin can hold bath salts, tea bags, dried fruits, and other small items.Instead of giving little trinkets you can make the Altoids tin into a game. Give a gift of a miniature Yahtzee, mini cards with tiny tablet and pencil, checkers, or another game. Or, make a kit, like a sewing kit, mini fishing kit, or first aid kit. Dont forget the "thank-you", written on the inside lid or inside bottom of the cute tin.

Man Cave Spackle or Putty Knife Art

A huge percentage of home accents are made with a woman in mind. Flowers, vases, heart-shaped picture frames - theyre not really items that most men would pick if they were doing the decorating. So, if youre a guy who is decorating your man cave, or youre a bachelor with a no-frills room or home, you might shy away from those things. That doesnt mean that you cant have pictures and home accents in your cave or your room. Make your own home accents and they can have manly themes, like cars, women, and beer. If youve got a spackle knife, a putty knife, or a scraper, youve got a canvas. Turn it into artwork to hang in your man cave and youll be as proud of it as a woman is of her home decorations.

There are several ways to make art on a spackle knife. Youve seen one, havent you? The knife is not a traditional knife, with a blade used for cutting. The piece has a handle, and a wide metal "blade"; the blade is used for spreading spackle, mud, or other thick mixtures. If you dont have a putty or spackle knife out in your tool box you can find one at a home improvement store.

If youre using an old putty or spackle knife you might find that the handle has paint, spackle remains, or other scars. Those are fine; theyll give character to the artwork. But if youd prefer a brand new look you can always paint the knife handle. Since the handle likely has a hole for hanging the tool, you can use it for hanging the finished art on the wall. One way to turn the spackle knife into artwork is to simply apply a clear-back sticker. Places where stickers are sold offer huge selections of themes, like sports, beer, animals, famous people, and cars. Choose a sticker no larger than the spackle knife blade and apply it to the metal. Instead of a sticker you can purchase a paint marker to make spackle knife art. Use it like a regular marker to write a team name, to make a monogram, or to write "Bobs Man Cave". If you want, purchase a stencil, and use it along with the marker. You could create a nature scene, a beach image, or any other. But if youre a real artist, forget the marker and stencil, and paint the knife with a brush and paints. A spackle knife might not seem, to most people, to be a work of art. But after you give it a make-over, it certainly is. Maybe your man cave artwork wont be worth millions but at least you can take comfort in knowing that its not covered in ruffles and lace.

Recycling Parmesan Cheese Shakers

Do you buy those plastic parmesan cheese containers which are designed to let the user shake or pour out the cheese? With the price of that cheese wouldnt it be nice if you could get a little money back? You can, sort of, when you recycle one or more parmesan cheese shakers.

Boxes which are perforated, and you push on the perforation to "Open Here", are aggravating. If you dont break your thumbnail when you open them you soon see they dont really close all that well. A good example of such a box is one which contains baking soda. These types of boxed goods can be stored in parmesan cheese containers and shaken out when needed.

If you purchase large bags or boxes of sugar, powdered sugar or flour, but you use it in small amounts, the parmesan cheese shaker is perfect. The shaker holes allow you to simply powder things with sugar or flour and the wider opening lets you easily pour out the contents. Its really easy to make a new label for the parmesan cheese shaker. Go online and youll find any number of images, tags and templates you can print from your computer. If you want to change the look of the shaker even more paint the lid, wrap the jar with wide ribbon or otherwise embellish it. There are lots of uses for a parmesan cheese container in the kitchen but thats not the only place where it is useful. The cheese shaker is great for people who love to craft. Fill the canister with glitter, beads, fake snow, confetti and similar things and you can sprinkle the craft supplies onto desired projects. Take yarn leftover from various knitting or crocheting projects and roll it into small balls. Place one or more balls in the cheese container then thread the end of the yarn through one of the holes of the shaker. Its easy to carry this dispenser around with you as you work on small knitting or crocheting crafts. This is especially handy for kids just learning how to do needlework. You dont necessarily have to use the parmesan cheese container as a dispenser for another item. Remove the lid, cover the outside with fabric, and cut it way too large. Tuck the excess down inside the canister and you can use this decorated jar as a desk organizer, as a vase or even to hold combs in the bathroom. If you love Italian food, and you use a lot of parmesan cheese, think twice before throwing yet another one of those containers in the trash. Theyre quite handy; just rinse them out and reuse them around the house.

How to Make Balloon Flowers

Balloons instantly give the look of something cool and exciting going on. Whether it be a baby shower or a childs birthday party balloons fit right in with the d?cor and the theme. Since theyre so cheap, too, theyre perfect for celebrating all sorts of special occasions.

Many people forego ordinary balloons now for the mylar type because the mylar balloons have birthday wishes, images and other designs. Unless you shop at a discount store, mylar balloons are sure going to cost you, and even at a discount theyre still a buck a piece! Use regular balloons and you save money while creating spectacular flowers that will steal the show! Purchase round balloons, fill them with helium, tie a ribbon around each, and then its easy to make them into a flower. Choose one color of balloon to be the center of the flower and surround it with six balloons of another color. These six balloons should all be the same color but different from the center balloon. The six identical balloons will make the petals for the flower.

Hold the single balloon down on a table while you position the other balloons. It can be helpful to place something weighty on the string, real close to the balloon, to hold it in place. Position the six balloons around that one to make the flower shape. Roll pieces of tape into tiny tube shapes and use them to stick the balloons together. Make sure you tape the balloons so that the knots cant be seen. Each balloon should be taped to the center balloon and to the balloons on each side of it. Remove the weights and place the flower where you want it. Make a different type of flower by starting with a single round balloon. As with the flower above, fill all the balloons with helium and tie a ribbon around each one. Blow up six long balloons and use them to make a different type of petal. Weight the round balloon down on a table while you position and weight the six long balloons. As with the above flower, use double-sided tape to secure the petal balloons to the center balloon. For this design tape the balloons so that they connect to each other real close to the round balloon. As the petals extend the balloons will no longer touch each other. This flower has pointed petals which look beautiful. Its so easy to make balloons look like flowers and those flowers lend a whole lot of fun and color to the surroundings. Use them for an outside party or position them on a table indoors. Theyre charming!

Vintage Recipe Card Wreath

If you were to sit down and write each and every wreath project that a person could do, you would never finish. Wreaths are now made in every color, using any type of material, and for any and all occasions - even for no occasion. But theres a unique wreath that you rarely see, and its made especially for the kitchen, with your favorite recipes in mind. A recipe card wreath is a cute home accent as well as a useful recipe file.

Sometimes, vintage recipe cards can have grease spatters or food marks. Thats not going to be too attractive on the kitchen wreath. Copy vintage recipes onto new cards or, if the vintage ones are not marred, use them as they are. The best look for the wreath is created when all of the recipes are on index cards. You dont necessarily have to use common, white index cards. You can cut 3"x5" - or other sizes of cards - from colorful card stock, or stiff scrapbook paper. So, you have lots of choices for creating the color and/or theme of the recipe card wreath.

Youll need a flat, doughnut-shaped wreath form to make the kitchen accent. You can buy a flat, wooden doughnut at a craft store or home improvement store. Or, you can cut it yourself, using thick cardboard. Just draw around a small bowl - or similar object - and then place a larger object around that circle, and draw around it. Cut out the outer and inner circle and youll have the wreath form that you need. The wreath you make can be small or huge, depending on what you desire for your kitchen. When you have the form it takes only a couple of minutes to make the wreath. Use clips to hold each recipe card to the form. Just position the card, open the clip, and close it over the recipe card. The squeezing part of the clip should be inside the inner circle of the doughnut. Each card should be slanted so that at least one corner of it extends beyond the outer ring of the wreath form. Put enough recipe cards on the form so that you cover it completely. A clip doesnt have to hold just one recipe card; it can hold several. Hang the arrangement using a peel-n-stick picture hanger. Its easy to make duplicates of the cards so that you can make an interchangeable wreath for special occasions. Just take off the ordinary recipe cards, and replace them with red, white, and blue cards, red and green cards, or other combinations. The wreath will often look different, but will always hold your favorite recipes - vintage or not.

Identifying and Treating a Ringworm Outbreak Among Horses

When you take home your first horse its a wonderful feeling. That same feeling hits you with each new purchase or birth of yet another horse. It takes a lot of work to keep him fed, exercised and in good health. Youll have to get him shots, vet treatments, special foods, products for his coat. Well, the list is extensive. There are some times when your horse needs a vet because you simply dont have what it takes to heal or help him. Other things, though, like common fungi, can often be taken care of without calling the vet.

Its almost a constant battle to keep your horse free from bacteria, viruses, insect bites and other skin conditions. Symptoms can be anything from a bare patch on the skin, to a rough, bumpy spot, to the horse constantly rubbing against things to scratch. If you can identify the problem you can often treat it yourself.

Ringworm is one common ailment which can affect a horse, but in no time, can infect all of your horses. Ringworm is a fungus which grows rapidly and can travel between the animals. Once one horse is infected the others can also be infected when tack and grooming items like brushes and harnesses, are shared. Ringworm is usually recognized as circular patches, which generally start out small, but can grow if untreated. The skin within the circle is generally rough and can have the appearance of a scab. If the ringworm isnt stopped it can become large and irregular, and in addition, can lead to secondary skin conditions and infections. The fungus is often noticed around the saddle area, girth, legs and face. Although the most susceptible to ringworm are horses under three years of age, elderly, and sickly horses, any horse can develop the fungus. When you notice a ringworm, immediately separate that horse from the others, and check the others for the fungus. Its necessary to disinfect all tack and grooming supplies which have been used with that particular horse. Mix ten parts water with one part bleach and apply it liberally to all the horses tack and grooming items. For the horse itself, use a medicated shampoo which contains miconazole. Treat the horse daily for a week then once a week until the infected areas are completely gone. Although the shampooing of the horse and the disinfecting of the tack should completely erase the ringworm infection, if you still see signs after the complete treatment, contact your vet. Source: www.horses-and-horse-information.com

Fun Hair Clip Organizer

Too many hair accessories and no where to put them all? Have I got a craft for you! Organize hair clips, barrettes and other accessories by doing a fun project which makes hanging hair for holding those things. Its perfect for a little girls room since it hangs on the wall and is sort of silly.

Start with a piece of cardboard and cover it with fabric. Wrap the material around the edges of the cardboard and glue or tape it to the backside. Although the cloth you choose can be most any color or design certain fabrics work better than others. Thin material is better than really thick types. Also, youll be making a simplistic head and face on the cloth so fabric with skin colors, like black, brown, white or off-white are ideal.

Use a coat hanger or long piece of pliable wire to create a large "U" shape. Cut many lengths of yellow, brown, black or other yarn to make hair. These can be as many or as few as you want and can be as long as you wish. The longer the "hair" the more clips it will hold. And, the more yarn pieces you use, the thicker the hair on the organizer will be. Start at the end of the wire and, holding all the yarn pieces together, lay them against the wire. Leave several inches of the yarn hanging off of the end of the wire and tie a ribbon or rubber band around the end of the wire to hold the yarn in place. Wrap the collective yarn pieces around and around so that you completely cover the wire "U". Twist the yarn together, then wrap it around the wire, and butt each wrap against the previous one. When you get to the other end, tie a ribbon or rubber band to secure, and allow several inches of yarn to hang off beyond the wire. Lay the yarn-covered wire on the cardboard piece and attach it with hot glue. Simply apply the adhesive to the rounded area of the "U". Position the wire so that the "U" is upside-down and creates the shape of a head. Make a face for the arrangement by using a marker or paint to create a chin and jaw area. Just draw from one side of the hair, down and around, and back up to the other side of the hair. You can draw on eyes or other features, if you want. Use the yarn arrangement to hang hair clips. Just open the clips and attach them to the yarn shape. To hang barrettes, attach them to the strands of yarn which hang off of the ends of the wire. Its a fun way to organize all those loose hair accessories and create a unique and silly piece for your little girls room.

Frightening Wall Projection Jack-O-Lantern

Are you one of those people who makes the same jack-o-lantern, year after year? Maybe you stumbled upon a fabulous jack-o-lantern design, and you love it so much, you make it every Halloween? Well, make your regular jack-o-lantern this Halloween - the one you set outside to show - then make a special jack-o-lantern for indoors. Youll need a wall inside the house to project a scary face, threatening message, or other design for your Halloween visitors. Prepare to see them jump as they see a frightening projection just behind a pumpkin youve set out for display. The two-faced pumpkin is fun to make and loads of fun to watch in action.Actually, you could make the wall projection pumpkin to set outside but its great indoors for a party. You can also set it on a porch to scare the trick-or-treaters. The larger the pumpkin, the larger the scary face or other projection will be. Start by cutting the bottom off of the pumpkin and setting it aside for the moment. Scoop out the meat and seeds.You can cut any design you want for the jack-o-lantern. Decide on the side of the pumpkin which will be shown to the visitors. This can be a friendly pumpkin, the word "BOO", or another image. Carve it using traditional implements and techniques.After carving one side, turn the pumpkin around, and carve the exact opposite side. For this side, make something frightening. Carve a scary face or even write a menacing message. Its fun to make a cute face on one side, and a frightening one on the other, or to write a friendly "Happy Halloween" on one side, and a disturbing message on the other.When the two-faced pumpkin is carved, set a candle on the base, then position the pumpkin over it. Set the frightening side of the jack-o-lantern towards a wall while the friendly side faces the guests. With the candle lit, the nice side is illuminated, and the eerie side projects onto the wall.Try lighting the candle and then positioning the pumpkin just right so the guests can easily see the projection as well as the inviting side of the jack-o-lantern. It can be a little tricky. If you position the pumpkin too far from the wall it can be difficult to make out feature or lettering. Place it to close to a wall and the projection can disappear behind the pumpkin where it cant be seen at all. Whether you set the two-faced jack-o-lantern inside or out, whether its large or small, the finished pumpkin makes a cool decoration for Halloween.Two-Faced Jack-O-Lantern

Window Jewelry Organizer

Its not a secret that many women display their jewelry, even if they are the only ones who will ever see the necklaces, bracelets, and other pieces. Hanging jewelry is always gorgeous - in any setting. You dont have to get fancy with the jewelry holder. Costume or real, jewelry can be hung on tree branches, drawer knobs, an embroidery hoop, and other common things. But if you want a jewelry display that truly sparkles, shines, and grabs attention - even if its only your attention - look to a window in your home. Instead of hanging a curtain, hang jewelry, and youll make a curtain substitute with glittery results.

A window jewelry organizer is almost like a work of art. When you see it, it definitely looks like an unusual art piece - even if a person sees it from outside. Jewels, hanging on a window, are bound to get noticed. But more than that, hanging your jewelry on a window makes a great way to organize them, and display them. Select a window where people cant see in, since you wont have a curtain up. Or, hang the jewelry on the window, and hang a curtain over it.

For the most beautiful effect, hang the jewelry on a window that has a one-piece design. Although you can make the jewelry organizer on a window that features the wooden molding pieces between glass panes, a solid piece of glass is much more elegant, when it comes to making a jewelry display. Wondering how youre going to hang all of your jewelry on a glass window? Tiny suction cups! You can buy them at a craft store; theyre available in various sizes. Each suction cup has a small wire hanger, perfect for holding jewelry. Simply wet each suction cup a bit, and stick it to the window. Make neat little rows, or, even better, randomly hang the suction cups all over the glass. Hang bracelets, necklaces, chains, hair ribbons, hoop earrings, and even key rings, on the assorted suction cups. Jewelry containing real jewels, or fake rhinestones, are especially glittery against the glass. When the sun shines in, the whole effect is an amazing display. Make the arrangement you want; after all, its an art piece, and you can design it your way. And, the most fun is, you can change it around any time you want. Just slide your fingernail, or a toothpick, under the suction cup to break the suction. Remove that cup and move it anywhere you want, on the window. Youre going to love the cheap but fancy display - and so will your neighbors!

Display Bullwhip

Ive traveled in America a lot over the years and I, like most people, enjoy shopping at places right off of the interstate. Often, they feature collectible plates, salt and pepper shakers, t-shirts, special candies, and even Native American goods. Among them, you can purchase arrowheads, lifelike hatchets, and more. The painting alone is often exquisite. With colors of aqua, black, white, and red, the Native American bead work and other goods, are quite collectible. In the same store youll often find things that are similar to what an American cowboy might have used. You can buy cowboy hats, belt buckles, and even bullwhips. Have you ever seen the price tag on one of those whips? Its made to hang on the wall but it costs as though its a main furnishing in your home. You can make nearly an identical version of the bullwhip for just a fraction of the cost.

A bullwhip can be made from cheap vinyl strips, so that a child can play or practice, or can be made from quality leather. You can definitely order leather sinew online and you can sometimes find it through a local upholsterer. Other places that might sell it include craft and fabric stores.

Besides the leather sinew youll also need a piece of PVC pipe, and some tape. The pipe should be three to four inches in diameter (slightly smaller for a child), and cut to a handle length for either a child or an adult. A good length for the handle on the real bullwhip would be four to five inches. For a child, take away an inch or two. Apply PVC pipe cement to the inside of the tube. Gather three, six, or nine strips of the leather - depending on how wide they are - and tie them all together in a knot. If the knot isnt large enough to fit tightly into the pipe, wrap it with tape first. Use an implement - like a spoon handle - to push the knot into the PVC pipe, and into the glue. Separate the leather into three equal groups, and braid them together. At the end, tie a knot to hold the three sections together. Or, use glue to secure the braid without a knot. Use tape that closely matches the color of the leather to give the handle a finished look. Cover the open end of the PVC pipe with a piece or two of tape, and then begin wrapping the tape around the handle. Start at the top of the braid, and continue wrapping, around the handle, until you get to the end. Hang the bullwhip up and enjoy the fact that you paid just a few bucks, instead of a hundred!

Hanging Ball of Flowers Wedding Decoration

Having an elegant wedding? A wedding with lots of flowers? Well, after youve done some floral arrangements in vases for the centerpieces, and attached a flower to each napkin ring, and youve done all the other flower crafts you can think of for your wedding, take the leftovers and make a hanging ball of flowers. Its easy to create and makes a striking statement for those entering the wedding reception area. Theyll be taken aback by the spectacular floral ball that can hang over a food table, a dining table, or elsewhere in the room. Make several of them and hang them around the room and youll have a breathtaking scene.

You might have already seen pomanders - or balls of flowers - while browsing through stores or looking at wedding catalogs. But this ball of flowers will be much different than those. The pomander-type wedding decorations are generally balls with flowers attached right to the ball. Theyre gorgeous but ordinary. You can make something much more intriguing and lovely when you start with a Styrofoam ball.

Poke a small hole anywhere on the ball, fill it with hot glue, and add a hanger. To do that, cut a ribbon or even a piece of fishing twine, fold it in half, then insert the ends into the hole. Hang the ball somewhere that allows you to work on it as you attach the flowers. For this spray-type of flower ball youll need flowers and greenery that have long stems. The ball is made in the same basic manner as a regular pomander ball but you wont believe the difference in appearance when you use flowers and plants that are long. If youre using silk flowers simply stick their stems into the ball, take it out, fill the hole with hot glue, and stick the stem back into the hole. Make rows which go around the ball and cover the entire ball. If youre using real flowers, poke a hole, slide in the flower or vine stem, and if necessary, use a floral wire piece to secure it. Youll achieve the best look for the ball of flowers if you use long flowers and greenery but assorted sizes. Some can hang slightly away from the ball and others can extend way out from the ball. All white flowers, with lots of greenery, is perfect for a wedding but you can make the spray-type floral ball with any color combination. Dont need hanging flowers? Make the balls, omit the hanger, and stand them on tall vases. Theyre absolutely stunning and, although each one takes a bit of time, theyre very easy to create.

Floor Tile Dry Erase Board

Werent we all impressed when dry erase boards and markers first came out on the market? No more using paper after paper to let kids draw or to leave family notes. With the appearance of the dry erase boards we could write, erase, write and draw again - and again and again. It was like magic! Nowadays, dry erase boards are as common as pencils - nearly everyone has one. If you dont have one, and you dont want to spend the money to get one, theres an alternative that works just as well. A floor tile! A leftover floor tile can be turned into a unique and useful dry erase board that hangs on the wall or can be carried around. The perfect floor tile is one thats solid white or has some faint marbling. You can use a peel-n-stick tile or a ceramic tile for this project. The adhesive tile is lightweight and perfect for kids. The heavier, ceramic tile looks nice when you make a hanging message center for the kitchen.

To continue with the lightweight version paint or cover a piece of thick cardboard or really thin wood with decorative paper or fabric. The cardboard should be cut so that its square. It should be two inches larger, all the way around, than the tile itself. If the tile is too large for a small child you can cut it down to a smaller size. When the board is ready simply peel and stick the vinyl tile to the board.

Make a heavier version from a ceramic tile. These tiles are much smaller than the vinyl tiles but are used in the same manner. For this design use a piece of wood thats square and larger than the tile. Glue the tile to the board and allow to dry. Use a metal picture hanger on the back of the board to hang the message center. You can purchase dry erase markers at most any place that sells magic markers. Stick it to the board by using Velcro. Cut a tiny piece of adhesive Velcro and stick half to the side of the board and half to the marker to hold it in place when not in use. If you want, attach a small sponge piece with Velcro for erasing. The slick tile works just as a dry erase board but costs nowhere near what a new board will cost. Either of the dry erase board designs can be decorated with wooden letters, stickers or other embellishments. Spell out "Messages", "Notes" or other words, or just glue on foam shapes for kids. The hanging message board can be useful in the kitchen or outside for visitors to leave notes when youre gone. The lightweight version is perfect for any child!

Trailer Ball Cover

Have you ever paid attention to the trailer ball on the back of someones truck while driving? You know, that metal ball, made for pulling a trailer, positioned below the bumper. Maybe youve never noticed but theyre often rusted. They sell ball decorations to go over those metal balls but who wants to pay that much money for such a small item? There are several different ways you can cover such a ball so that it wont rust.You dont necessarily have to be a tennis nut to use a tennis ball as a trailer ball cover. The rubber inside the ball will protect the trailer ball from water and rust. Just take a craft knife and cut a hole on one side of the ball. Make the hole a bit larger, and a bit larger, until its the right size. Make it too large and it can possibly blow off of the trailer hitch. The tennis ball should fit snugly over the metal ball but should not be difficult to slide on and off.A Styrofoam ball is another option for protecting your trailer ball. Purchase a ball thats much larger than the one on the trailer and create a hole in it. Cut a hole on any side of the Styrofoam, lay a piece of sandpaper over the end of a pencil, then use it to file the hole larger, if needed. Styrofoam is easy to shape when you use sandpaper or even an emery board.Turn the Styrofoam ball into a smiley face or other design by painting it. Use tempera paints, which dont melt Styrofoam, to create the image you want. Or, after painting the ball, write "Have a Good Day" or another wish, using a paint marker.Make a cover that looks really nice, and is protective as well, by using a scrap of thick plastic or vinyl. Cut a circle to be larger than the ball. To get an idea of how large the circle should be, drape the vinyl over the trailer ball, then cut a circle thats well below the ball.One way to finish the ball cover is to simply sew elastic around the edges of the circle. Sew a straight stitch down the center of a piece of quarter-inch elastic, tugging slightly at the elastic as you sew, and sewing it all the way around.If you have no elastic, fold the edges of the circle under, then sew around it to make a hem. Slit the hem and feed through a cord or drawstring. Whereas the elasticized version can simply slide over the trailer ball this version must be tied on.Now that youre aware that your trailer hitch ball might be rusting you can take steps to do something about that. The ball will not only be protected but it will look good, too.

Altoid Tin Memory Party Favor Game

You know the mom who is always seemingly better at everything than the other moms? The one whose holiday cooking is spectacular, and whose birthday parties are over the top? The kids - and adults - often look forward to the next invitation to a party at her house. You might not be that mom, but kids will be talking about how much better your Memory game is, when you have a birthday party featuring the popular card game. You know the game, dont you? You turn a bunch of cards upside-down and kids turn over two over at a time. If the two match, the child takes those two, and he or she takes another turn. Its a simplistic game but its challenging and fun. Its also a great game to play for prizes at a birthday party for kids. When you change the game a little bit, that fabulous mom will throw away her Memory game cards, because all of the kids will want to play only your version in the future.When you buy tiny tins, like Altoids or even Sucrets, you get a metallic box full of candies or throat drops, plus a little tin with a hinged lid. You can also purchase small tins with lids at a craft store or novelty retailer. Use the tins instead of cars and the birthday party kids will have more fun than theyve ever had playing Memory. As they play the game they get to keep their game pieces!Decide how many tins (painted or not) you want to use and keep in mind how many kids will be at the birthday party. Allow at least two tins for each child. Align the tins in a block arrangement on a table. To begin the game, have each child draw a number from a jar youve prepared, and the one with the number "1" goes first, the number "2" goes next, and so on. The first child opens up two tins to see whats inside. If the items inside each tin match each other, the child removes those two tins from the game, and places them next to him or her. That child continues his turn and opens two more tins. When the opened tins dont match, the next child takes a turn.There are lots of things you can place inside the tins as party favors but just make sure to create two exact tins each time. Suggestions for small prizes include stickers, temporary tattoos, shaped erasers, felt cutouts, a miniature marker, dice, mints or candies, coins - real or play, fake fingernails or small cosmetics (for an all-girls party), toy soldiers or other characters, or even things to make an emergency kit. Once the kids open up your Memory game tins theyll call you "that mom"!

Rubber Band T-shirt Art

If youre like me, and youre not much of an artist, you have to get creative. If you dont, you get left out on many craft projects, and we dont want that! If you cant draw its necessary to use other tactics for creating images on various objects. If you love decorative t-shirts, but you lack a little in the art department, you can still proceed. Its easy to make assorted designs on t-shirts by using rubber bands! There are literally zillions of different designs you make, not only on t-shirts, but on other objects as well. Use tiny rubber bands and you make small circles. Use large rubber bands and you make designs which look much different. Combine small and large rubber bands to create even more t-shirt images.

Dispense some shirt paint onto a paper plate. Use only one color on each plate. Position the rubber bands in the paint so that one circular side of the band is in the paint. Its not necessary to cover the bands in thick paint; if the band is set in the paint just enough to cover one side its ready for use.

Tweezers can be helpful to pick up the rubber bands and place them accurately on the shirt. Align the bands in neat rows or place them randomly on the shirt. Make vertical or horizontal stripes with rubber bands or create flower shapes, hearts and more. Large rubber bands can often be used to make not only heart shapes but tubular shapes, squares and other shapes. A tiny dot of glue on each corner of the square works to hold the shape. Youll create many different designs by how you use the rubber bands. For instance, you can make paint marks on just the collar and sleeves of one shirt but just straight down the center of a different shirt. Dip all the rubber bands in one color of paint to make one design or in various colors to make other t-shirt creations. When using more than one color let the first color dry completely before starting with another color. Its important that the paint isnt dripping from the rubber bands as you hold it over the shirt. Also, be careful when laying or picking up the bands so that you dont leave "drag" marks. Be aware that, if the tweezers touch the shirt, you could end up with a bit of paint on the shirt where you dont want it. Its a good idea to practice on a scrap piece of cloth until you get the feel for it. Then, on to the real project: making that unique, one-of-a-kind t-shirt that has everyone thinking youre an artist even if youre not!

Dye Your Own Wedding Flowers

Have you checked to see how much it will cost you to get a florist to dye flowers so that they match or coordinate with your wedding colors? Dont bother; its very expensive! Why should you pay extra for blue carnations instead of pink ones? For purple roses instead of white ones? Sometimes, we love the look of a certain flower, but we wish we could change the color. Nature makes many flowers, in a huge assortment of colors, but some of those colors dont match the flowers we like. Change all that, and save yourself a fortune, by dying your own wedding flowers! Sound complicated and messy? Its quite the opposite! Its a breeze to turn white flowers into flowers of unusual color. Turn white daisies to blue ones, white roses into orange ones - most any white flower can easily have nearly any color you desire. All you have to do is water them! Take freshly picked flowers from the roadside or your garden, or purchase flowers from a florist, or save even more by purchasing the flowers from a greenhouse. Fill a vase with warm water and add 20 drops of food coloring for each half-cup. This can be all of the same color or part one color and part of another. Before preparing the vase its a good idea to experiment a little with combining food coloring drops. That way, you can be certain of the color youll be dying the wedding the flowers.

Cut at least a couple inches off of each stem. Set the flowers in the vase of colored water. Within 24 hours youll see them changing color. Flowers take in water constantly, and therefore, they take in the food coloring as well. Although the water evaporates, the dye doesnt, and it is stored in the petals of the flower.

If you use colored vases to display the flowers at the wedding it wont be necessary to remove the flowers from the colored water and place them in clean water. However, if you use clear vases its advisable to place the flowers in different vases before decorating the tables. If left in the colored water for a short while, the flowers will barely show the new color, but the longer theyre left in the water, the darker the color can become. Keep this in mind so that, when the desired color is achieved, you can then place the flowers in a new vase. Your homemade, dyed flowers will be just as lovely as the ones you would have gotten from the florist but youll save a small fortune over his price. Now, on to the placement for all those beautiful flowers...

Feathered Wedding Headband

The bride is dressed all in white - white dress, white shoes, white veil - its a gorgeous look that most people never tire of. Some brides choose an antique dress for a retro look whereas others find the most modern gowns the best for their weddings. No matter what type of gown you choose, though, theres a headband accessory that you can make to give any gown a finishing touch with feathers and frill.

Whether the bride will be the one wearing feathers, or her party will, the guests will be whispering compliments as the ladies walk down the aisle. The best part of making the headbands is you get to be creative and make any design you want. Create an antique look, a colorful accent to match dress sashes, or a simple design with glittery touches.

Feathers from a craft store are not expensive and come in a small variety. Youll find even more feather types online. Dont choose stiff feathers, generally used for Indian head gear, but the more delicate type that usually comes in a bag of one color or many. Its helpful to first lay out the feathers of the color(s) you want to get an idea of sizes, shapes and types. That makes it easy to quickly match up colors or cover certain areas as youre making the headband. Decide on the colors of feathers you want to use and lay them so that all their quills are pointing the same way. If needed, trim quills down to make them closer to the feather itself. Start with a cloth-covered headband and use hot glue to attach the feathers. Decide if you want to use only white feathers or colored ones as well. Select a design where the feathers will go all the way across or one where they will gather on one section of the headband. Choose really wispy feathers or slightly stiffer ones - or a combination. Other variations, such as pointing the feathers all one way instead of assorted ways, can create completely different designs. Use hot glue to attach the feathers where you want them. After all theyre all in place there are several choices for covering the quills. Glue on rhinestones, sequin, a strip of lace edging, fake pearls, generous amounts of glue and glitter or other craft supplies. With the supplies being only a few bucks you can make each headband for around five dollars. The bridal party will look gorgeous - of course, they already would have - but guests will think you spent big bucks at a boutique for those stunning, feathered accents.

Popcorn Ball Turkey

Lets face it; you only get to have turkey decorations when its Thanksgiving. At no other time do you see anyone who has a turkey kitchen theme, a turkey centerpiece, or other turkey home accents. So, enjoy it while you can. Not just by putting out a bunch of turkey decorator pieces, but by creating turkey snacks and desserts, too. Lots of people make popcorn balls at this time of year and, if youre one of those people, it will be fun to serve them in a completely different way this Thanksgiving. Turn the popcorn balls into adorable turkeys and youll make all your child guests very happy.You can make your own popcorn balls or just purchase them. Its not hard to find popcorn balls during the Halloween to Thanksgiving period. It doesnt matter if the popcorn balls are regular, or caramel, nor does it matter if theyre colored. Youll just need one popcorn ball for each turkey.The popcorn ball will be the body of the turkey. Tap it on a hard, flat surface to flatten one side so it wont roll. Use two pretzels to make the turkey feet. The ideal pretzels are ones shaped something like hearts. Apply a little frosting to one area of each pretzel and set the popcorn ball on it.Use a miniature Reeses peanut butter cup to make the head. Apply a dab of frosting to the center of the top of the peanut butter cup. Stick that area to the popcorn ball to secure. Eyes can be made from two dots of black decorator gel. If you have none, poke two holes in the peanut butter cup with a toothpick, then push a mini chocolate chip - point side first - into each hole. A wattle can be made with red decorators gel, or even a piece cut from Fruit by the Foot.When you use feathers from a craft store you can quickly give the turkey colored tail feathers. The best feathers are the long, stiff ones. Align them on the end of the popcorn ball, opposite the head. If you have no feathers you can make them quickly. Just cut simple feather shapes from construction paper or another type of colored paper. Make two identical feathers and lay a toothpick on one. Glue the other feather to it, trapping the toothpick between them, but make sure you leave half of the toothpick sticking out of the feather ends. Stick the paper feathers into the turkey to complete it.The popcorn ball turkey is just one more turkey thing you can have for Thanksgiving. And, since you rarely see a popcorn ball turkey, youll surprise and please all your little guests.Popcorn Ball Turkey

Planters You Can Make for a Small Deck

If you have a small deck youve probably noticed other people who have much larger ones. They have the luxury of being able to arrange outdoor furniture and plants galore on their room decks but things are much different for you. Your deck is small but you still want it to look great! There are many different planters you can make for a small deck that will turn boring into fabulous.

Using wallpaper troughs you can change the look of your deck in no time. Youll find the troughs at a home improvement store and theyre not at all expensive. The troughs are long and narrow - perfect for setting on a deck railing. Whether you want real flowers or artificial ones poke holes in the bottom of the trough so rainwater can drain. Paint the trough the color you want.

Weight the trough with gravel or even dry beans so it wont blow off the railing in bad weather. Glue Styrofoam inside the trough to hold fake flowers. If youre using real ones you can set them in while still in small pots or you can fill the trough with dirt and plant them. Instead of setting the troughs on the deck railing you can hang them on the outside of the pickets. Before filling the trough poke holes on the backside and thread a pliable wire through them. Go in one hole, across the inside back of the trough, then out the other hole. Now you can wire the trough to the pickets and let it hang. Make planters for fake plants to hang on the outside of the pickets by using Styrofoam. Cut a large Styrofoam ball in half then poke a hole on the cut side, in the center, towards the top. Use most any type of waterproof glue to cover the ball in Spanish moss, raffia, small stones or something similar. Arrange the flowers and plants by first poking them in and then removing them. Add a drop of the glue to the hole then reinsert the piece. Hang the finished arrangement on a nail. Even coffee cans are easily made into planters for small decks. Cover the outside with adhesive contact paper. Poke holes in the bottom with a nail. Weight the can down with gravel or other heavy material. Now plant real flowers or fill the can with artificial plants. Set these on the corners of the deck rails. Just because your deck is small doesnt mean it cant be beautiful. No longer will you look at others decks and wish your deck looked like theirs. Flowers and plants give any home a more welcoming look but you dont have to spend a lot of money to achieve that look!

Easy Cloth Wall Hangings

Look around a fabric store and youll find lots of different material that features cool shapes. There, youll find cloth with cartoon character images, outdoor themes, geometric shapes and more. Youll be thrilled to find out just how easy it is to turn those images into unique wall hangings for any room of the house.

Cut the shape out of the chosen fabric and select the picture frame you want to use. A frame which is missing its glass, or has a broken glass, is perfect since the wall hangings need no glass covering.

Glue fabric or decorative paper to the cardboard piece which comes with the picture frame. If there is no cardboard piece simply cut one to fit and cover it with the selected fabric or paper. Scrapbook paper gives you lots of choices for creating a background theme for the wall hanging. If youre using fabric select something that isnt stretchy, and is somewhat thin. Choose the fabric carefully. For example, if you select a solid white cloth it might not look white after you glue it to a brown cardboard piece. Place the cloth image on the background in the area where you want it. Use hot glue to attach the fabric to the background cloth or paper. Glue down nearly the entire image but leave an opening so you can stuff the fabric to give it a 3-d appearance. Stuff cotton, cotton balls, fiberfill or similar things inside the fabric. Dont overstuff it; just add enough to give the image a fuller look. Use a skewer, pencil or other implement to push in the stuffing. When youre finished stuffing it simply glue down the remainder of the fabric. You cant leave the edges of the design unfinished so choose a very small-diameter cord or roping to surround it. Choose something that does not unravel when you cut it for best results. Select an area of the image to start, glue the cord around the perimeter, then glue the ends together. Its important that the ends be glued together flawlessly in order to pull off the look. Use childrens fabric to make a childs wall hanging or use cloth with fruit images to make a picture for the kitchen. You can easily make 3-d wolf pictures, lighthouses, hearts, shells, pets and other wall hangings simply by starting with images cut from fabric. Further embellish the pictures by gluing rickrack, lace, ribbon, roping or other materials around the inside perimeter of the frame itself, on the background fabric. They finished pictures are adorable and truly unique!

Ladder Closet

Ive been in many old homes in my lifetime and there are certain things you can say about lots of them - particularly farmhouses. Often, the rooms are quite large, and just as often, there is a lack of closet space. If there are any closets at all theyre usually very small. Back in the days when old farmhhouses were built couples generally had several children and those kids frequently shared bedrooms. At the same time, people didnt have a huge array of outfits, shoes and accessories. So, the bedrooms were large to accommodate two or three kids each, but the closets were tiny because there wasnt a lot of clothing to put in them. If you live in an old house that features fabulous, spacious rooms, but no closet space, just get out that old ladder and build one. Dont use the ladder for climbing; use it as the closet!A walk-in closet would require lumber, shelving and many other materials but a walk-by closet is much different. Simply set up, against a wall, a quick and easy arrangement that will serve as an atypical closet which is perfect for storing all your clothes and accessories.Once you have all the materials you need it will only take a few minutes to actually assemble the closet. First, youll need a set of shelving units, bookcases or similar furnishings. The pieces should be exactly the same and contain shelves inside an encasement. They should also be no less than four feet tall, however, units which are around five feet tall, or so, are even better. The shelves can be wooden, hard plastic or another type.One way to make the closet is to just place the shelving units against a wall, space them far apart, then lay a wooden ladder on top of them. Another way is to cut a section from the ladder. Attach a piece of wood across the side of the unit and another to the side of the oppposite unit. Lay the ladder on the wood pieces then use screws or nails to hold the ladder in place.Fold and stack some clothing or other objects on the shelves of the unit then use baskets to hold things which you dont want seen - like dirty clothes. Hang clothing, coats, umbrellas and other things on the rungs of the ladder.Something else you can incorporate into the closet, on the floor under the ladder, is a bench for holding your shoes, a footlocker for holding blankets and linens, or even just a small coffee table for holding shoes or baskets. The walk-by closet is useful, looks nice and is easy to assemble.See a walk-by closet here.