Carton Wallet

Recycle a milk or orange juice carton into a clever carrying case for change, trading cards, and more. The carton's cap keeps the wallet closed.
Download Carton Wallet Template

What you'll need

• Half gallon milk or juice carton with plastic cap, rinsed
• Scissors
• Paper towels
• Tape
• Wallet Template
• Ballpoint pen
• Ruler
• Craft knife (optional)
• Butter knife

How to make it

1. Cut open the carton so it lies flat, as shown; put aside the cap for now. Dry the inside with the paper towels. Tape the template on top of the carton so that the top circle lines up with the spout. 
   Mark the outline of the template with a ballpoint pen. Using firm pressure, trace the lower circle and the dotted lines of the template so that they transfer to the carton. (This will score the lines for easier folding.) A ruler will help you mark the straight lines. Cut out the shape from the carton.
2. Use scissors to cut out the lower circle as marked. (Tip: To make cutting out the circle easier, first make an X with a craft knife.) Use a ruler and a butter knife to further score the fold lines.
3. Following the fold lines you marked, create an accordion fold on each side of the wallet.
4. Tightly squeeze the accordion folds. Fold the top flap down, pushing the spout through the hole. Screw on the cap to keep the flap in place.

Courtesy of FamilyFun Magazine

Kool-Aid Tie-Dye

In case the wholesomeness of Kool-Aid wasn't already questionable . . . . Check out what great tie-dye it makes! 

• Wear gloves so that your hands do not not get stained. 
• The formula for each color is:
   ~> 1 oz. vinegar per 1 package of Kool-Aid
   ~> Mix until dissolved.
• Mix in squeeze bottles for easiest application.
• Pull and twist your T-shirt into different shapes and secure with rubber bands.
• Saturate areas gathered by the rubber bands with a color.  Keep the rubber bands on and set t-shirts in the sun to dry. You and your child can try as many different colors as you like—just be sure to let each color dry before moving on to the next.
• When all colors are completely dry, remove all of the rubber bands and hang the shirts outside to dry.
• To set the colors, iron your totally dry shirts on medium-high, using an ironing cloth (a cotton rag will work just as well too) between the shirt and the iron. 
• Let the shirt set for 24 hours before washing. To be safe, wash separately the first time.
• Once it's washed it's ready to wear!

Thank you to Lisa for finding this!
Original source: http://www.budget101.com/tips-n-tricks/904-fast-easy-tie-die.html

Saint Medal Necklace Craft

Caution to those interested in making these: Be prepared to make more than one pendant, because no body could stop at just one! 

To make these saint medal pendants you will need:

• Saint Medals (no jump-ring  is needed)
• Washers
  (We used ¼ x 1¼ sized. A box of 100 only cost $1.50 at our local hardware store.)
• Nail Polish (LOTS of colors - We bought ours at the Dollar Tree)
• Nail-art glitter or other glitter (We bought ours at the Dollar Tree, also.)
• Clear nail polish or clear glittery nail polish (A must if you use glitter)
• String (we used black waxed string we bought at A.C. More)
• Fun-Tak or other mounting putty
  (Found at Wal-mart in the stationary section *Or use super-glue if you prefer.)

The first thing you need to do is paint a washer with nail polish. This is the fun part!!!

Add glitter while it's still wet, and allow that to dry. Once it's dry coat it with clear nail polish (or clear-glitter polish) This will help seal the glitter in place. It also just makes it look more finished.

Cut a string to the length you desire. We found that 24 inches seemed to work well.

Thread the open ends of your cut string through the saint medal hole.

Like this: 

Add the washer to the looped end, like this: 

Now thread the cut ends into the looped end, like this: 

Pull it all tight, and keep the cut ends as even as you can.

Center the medal in the center of the washer.

The medal will pop out as pictured below:  

Add a small ball of mounting putty to the bottom-back of the medal.

Press the medal down against the washer to stick them together.

You could super glue the medal down, but I wanted to keep the medals nice in case the girls wanted to change the backing that they painted.

It should look like this:

As for the cut ends of the string, we tied a loop in one end and a large knot in the other so it can be easily taken on and off. You could buy clasps to attach to the ends if you wish. 

Here are some of the beautiful necklaces the girls made.
(The pictures don't do them justice! They are so sparkly and shinny!!)

The example pictures above are only a few that my daughters and friends created. Yes, these are addicting!!!  I have a feeling we will be making more soon!!

God Bless!

~Jennifer

Guest Post - Link back

Catholic Inspired ~ Arts, Crafts, Activities for Homeschool and School

Simple Glass Etching Tutorial

http://melissaesplin.com/2009/03/simple-glass-etching-tutorial/
http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/tip-id-your-bake-ware-for-a-sa-133287


I know there are loads of tutorials around the internets showcasing etching glass, but thought I’d add my own point of view on the matter.
I’ve had this large glass serving platter for 6 months or so, and don’t really have much motivation to use it, mostly because it’s plain and boring. Now it’s a little more exciting, but in an oh-so-subtle way. Glass etching is also very practical for marking your glass serving ware for pot-lucks and parties. You’re less likely to end up sans dishes when they have your name on them.

Click here for the FREE printable glass etching tutorial! or read below for the step-by-step instructions.

Glass Etching Tutorial

Supplies:

• Roll of Contact Paper
• Glassware
• Junk Brush
• Bonefolder or credit card
• X-Acto Knife
• Pencil
• Armour Etch Acid

Clean your glassware and dry thoroughly. Apply contact paper to the outside of the glass. Smooth out bubbles with a bonefolder or credit card.

With a pencil or sharpie marker, make your marks. *If you don’t want to hand draw the image, print out the desired design on regular paper and tape image onto contact paper.

With an X-acto knife or scalpal, cut and remove contact paper for etching.

In a well ventilated room, generously apply armour etch acid with a junk brush. Wait 5-10 minutes for acid to etch the glass.

If you’ve applied a load of etching acid, you can scoop the excess back into the bottle for later. Rinse and wash glass, brush and your hands thoroughly with soap. Remove contact paper, dry and enjoy.

Many thanks to How About Orange and Apartment Therapy for featuring this tutorial!

NOTE: Your browser might say there’s a printing error, but just click “ok” and it should download anyway. Please email me if you have any questions: islyblog AT gmail DOT com.

Stamped Salt Dough Ornaments

Here is a variation on the salt-dough ornament tutorial I did for Katy Elliott last year (for full instructions on making and cooking the dough, refer to that). I stamped these with ink after I rolled them out and before I baked them, using stamps and regular old stamp ink.

A few tips:

• The recipe is simple - one part salt + one part water + two parts flour - but I find keeping the parts between 1/4 and 1/2 cup makes the most workable amount of dough. I make extra batches as I need them.
• Nothing beats using a Kitchen-Aid for a getting perfectly smooth, chalk-white dough. It also eliminates the need to knead the dough at all.
• A stamp pad with dry ink won't bleed. Using a light hand when inking also helps.
• Stamp the designs before you use a biscuit cutter/glass/shape cutter to cut out the ornaments. 
• If you roll the dough out directly on a Silpat, do your stamping and cutting and remove the excess, you will get perfect edges every time. It's trickier if you make them then try to move them toa  cookie sheet.
• A smaller scaled ornament works best. The biggest of these is about 2.5". Any bigger, and it gets harder to dry them out.

Here are some made with Little Yellow Owl Workshop stamps (the snowflake is from another company):

I also made some using my favorite tree stamps. The stamps are wide and rectangular, but I cut circles out of the stamped dough. I love how these turned out:

They are slightly embossed:

Finish with a bit of embroidery floss and voila: ornaments. They would also make excellent gift tags - just use a fine-tipped permanent ink pen. They are so easy to make that you could whip up a batch or two over the weekend for last minute gifts.

 

Source: EvenCleveland  via Sandra Alexander on Pinterest

Macaroni Stars

A sweet and cost-effective gift for the holidays.



This is how you make them:

1. Select your macaroni – I used large and small wagon wheels, small shells, and fiori (flower shaped pasta).
2. Come up with your designs – this part is the most fun. I like to spill a few macaronis out and move them around, until I find the most snowflake-like arrangements. This year, I came up with ten different styles – the possibilities are only limited by your imagination (and the strength of your glue!)
3. Using a good strong craft glue (Like Aleen’s or Smart) and a small paint brush, apply glue generously to the edges of the pasta and attach the pieces to make your design. Once they are put together, I like to lay them out on wax paper to dry. Let glue dry completely, making sure to rotate your snowflakes periodically. This prevents them from sticking fast to your wax paper.


4. Using a large cardboard box, lay out a single layer of the snowflakes. Make sure that they are not touching each other. Spray lightly with glossy, fast-drying white spray-paint. Let dry. Re-apply in light layers, letting snowflakes dry in between, until they are completely coated. I spray the backs as well. As they are drying, give the box a few gentle shakes to keep them from drying to the bottom of the box. Make sure to keep the coats of paint light, or the macaroni will soften and start to lose it’s shape.

5. Once they are painted and dried, it’s time to apply the glitter. I thin my craft glue with a few drops of water, then use a sponge brush to lightly coat each snowflake with glue. Sprinkle generously with glitter, and let dry completely, Re-apply glitter as needed to cover any empty spots. I used large flake clear crystal glitter on these, but any glitter would look lovely – it’s craft magic.

7. Attach a looped length of ribbon or monofilament, and ta da! Macaroni snowflake ornaments!
I made mine white, but I think colorful ones might be fun, too. They make great garlands as well. I also tie them on the necks of wine bottles as little presents.

 

 

Sources:  

http://www.katyelliott.com/blog/2008/12/budget-gifts-ideas-winner.html 

EvenCleveland.blogspot.com

Read more: http://www.katyelliott.com/blog/2008/12/budget-gifts-ideas-winner.html#ixzz1R9QuuXhP

Candy Corn Wreath

Preserve wreath and KEEP THE BUGS AWAY by following these directions FIRST:

Don’t have to let all your hard work go to waste after Halloween is over!  

1. Dry Out Your Candy Corn
Since candy corn is sweet—and therefore sticky—the most important thing you can do to preserve your handiwork is to let it dry out completely before you begin the project. This allows the natural moisture to evaporate, making it much easier to work with and less attractive to bugs. To do this, spread out the candy in a single layer on a metal baking sheet or wax paper. Store in a cool, dry place for 3 to 7 days until candy hardens, becomes stale and loses its sticky feeling.

2. Coat the Candy Corn
Once it’s been dried out, coat the candy corn with Krylon’s Preserve It! spray-on protectant to preserve the color and keep insects away, recommends a Michaels store manager. Lay candy on wax paper in a single layer and apply spray according to product directions. Follow the manufacturer’s recommended drying times for handling candy. Once the protectant has completely dried, flip candy over and repeat on the other side until drying process is done. Available behind the counter at most Michaels stores or at JoAnn.com.

Note: If you've already completed the wreath, you can still spray on a layer of Preserve It! to keep the bugs away. Apply several coats to the wreath and follow the manufacturer's drying times before hanging it up.
After October 31, simply wrap the wreath in plastic and store carefully in an airtight container in a cool, dark place.

1. You’ll need a Styrofoam wreath (ours is 16 in.), black duct tape, a hot-glue gun, a wide ribbon and candy corn (we used Brach’s).

2. Cover the wreath in tape.

3. To get a sense of how the corns will fit, lay them around the wreath in single rows, with one row pointing left and the next pointing right, but don’t glue down. (It won’t take long and your final product will be more polished.) Remove the corn from the wreath and hot-glue the pieces in the pattern one at a time, starting from the outer edge of the wreath inward, until you’ve covered the entire top and side.

4. Repeat the process in the center, starting at the same point as you did for the top so that you can cover any corn-free space with the ribbon when you’re finished.
5. Wrap ribbon through the wreath at the candy corn seam, tie into a bow and hang on a sturdy nail.



SOURCES:
Photos: Todd Huffman/Woman's Day
http://busybhomemaker.blogspot.com/2010_10_01_archive.html
http://www.womansday.com/Articles/Home/Crafts/Halloween-Craft-Candy-Corn-Wreath.html
http://www.womansday.com/Articles/Home/Crafts/Preserving-Your-Candy-Corn-Wreath.html