Christmas Workshop: The Craft Department's Favorite Holiday Projects - Martha Stewart Rustic, woodsy decorations naturally say Christmas. This table is set with wood-plank place mats, branch candleholders, and "snowcapped" birch stumps. The Buri animals and the pots of selaginella, or spikemoss, evoke a dreamy forest floor. Buri animals, by Martha Stewart, in small, $15, and large, $32, macys.com. How to make gift bags from newspaper When I bought something at a store recently, the clerk handed me my purchase in a bag made from a newspaper. I liked it very much and had to make some more—thus today's DIY recycled newspaper project: gift bags made from the Wall Street Journal. You can vary the dimensions, of course, but here's what I used to create a bag that's 5" tall, 4.5" wide, and 3" deep. Stack two sheets of newspaper on top of each other. Cut out a rectangle that's 15.5" wide and 8.25" tall. Fold a flap 1.25" down from the top. Cut two pieces of cardstock or chipboard to 4.25" x 1", then glue them on the widest two panels just under the top fold. Put glue on the outside of the 0.5" tab and bring the left-most panel over to form the body of the bag, aligning the cut edge of the panel with the folded edge of the flap. Upend the bag so the 2" flap is now up. Put glue on both flaps and fold them inward to form the bottom of the bag.
8 Things Everybody Ought to Know About Concentrating “Music helps me concentrate,” Mike said to me glancing briefly over his shoulder. Mike was in his room writing a paper for his U.S. History class. On his desk next to his computer sat crunched Red Bulls, empty Gatorade bottles, some extra pocket change and scattered pieces of paper. In the pocket of his sweat pants rested a blaring iPod with a chord that dangled near the floor, almost touching against his Adidas sandals. Mike made a shift about every thirty seconds between all of the above. Do you know a person like this? The Science Behind Concentration In the above account, Mike’s obviously stuck in a routine that many of us may have found ourselves in, yet in the moment we feel it’s almost an impossible routine to get out of. When we constantly multitask to get things done, we’re not multitasking, we’re rapidly shifting our attention. Phase 1: Blood Rush Alert When Mike decides to start writing his History essay, blood rushes to his anterior prefrontal cortex. Phase 2: Find and Execute
Clipboard Makeover Hello friends! Sorry for being MIA for the past week or so. With Hurricane Irene taking away my power and work starting this week things have been a bit crazy! I always feel like once September 1st hits that summer is officially over and as sad as that makes me I am excited for all things Fall. All I did was lay the paper on top and fold down the edges to give me a crease to cut on. Like this: Like Loading... Related Craft Storage - Ikea Alex Last week I went looking for my hot glue gun for something that needed a quick fix. With 5 comments Turning Tin Cans Into...Pretty Tin Cans It's clear that I need to work out my priorities or at least come up with some sort of schedule for this ol' blog here because I have been neglecting… With 2 comments {Handmade} Paper Mache Bowls A few weeks ago I was working with my students on a project that we do with our Iroquois unit. In "bowl"
Halloween Painted Jar Luminaries ~ Crafts by Amanda - StumbleUpon This isn’t the first time I’ve made luminaries for Halloween. Several years ago I made these painted Ghost Luminaries which are posted on FamilyCorner, these decoupaged Pumpkin Luminaries and this Candy Corn luminary which are both posted on Disney’s Kaboose. Today I made some colorful luminaries inspired by the ones I saw on this cute blog called Not So Idle Hands. Aside from the new luminaries I made (which I describe below), I also spruced up my others after unpacking my Halloween boxes. To spruce up the Pumpkin Luminaries, which are decoupaged orange material, I used a damp rag to wipe them down, then I painted the yellow facial features black. You can see that the white ghost luminaries have been around for quite a few years. Over the summer I bought a couple of boxes of canning jars with the intention of canning. One layer of acrylic craft paint on the OUTSIDE of the jar was enough for these, but you can add another if you like. I painted the jar rims with black paint.
Peppermint Bark Materials and Tools: 12 oz. quality white chocolate, finely chopped30 red-and-white-striped hard peppermint candies, coarsely crushed (about 6 ounces)12 oz. bittersweet (not unsweetened) or semisweet chocolate, chopped1/2 cup whipping cream1 Teaspoon peppermint extractmeasuring cuprubber spatulasharp knifealuminum foilcookie sheet Packaging: glass jar, ribbon, tag, ornament, etc. Note: This recipe makes around 1-1/2 pounds. Instructions: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. For gift giving, package the peppermint bark in clean glass jars. The Perfect Pantry Article - Allrecipes.com - StumbleUpon How to Learn (Almost) Anything This is a guest post by Glen Allsopp of PluginID. Have you ever read an informative book, only to later remember just a few main points — if anything at all? The problem might be that you’re using one of the least efficient ways of learning available. The Cone of Learning I remember back about 7 years ago when I was taking music lessons at school, there was a poster on the wall that really grabbed my attention. Image Credit After doing some research, I found that the contents of that poster were based upon the work of Edgar Dale back in 1969. Today, many of you may know this as the Cone of Learning, but beware: although the cone is in fact based upon the results of Dale’s research, the percentage figures were never actually cited by Dale, and added by others after the initial investigation. Based on the research we can see that: The Cone of Learning suggests why you are more likely to remember parts of a movie than you are from a book on the same topic. Learning Almost Anything
DIY paperweights from glass candle holders. Hi! It’s Shannon from Madigan Made and today I want to show you a simple and inexpensive project: DIY paperweights. I don’t know about you, but I’m an avid dollar store junkie. Next to the craft store, the dollar store is one of my favorite places for creative inspiration. So, I grabbed a pack, got home and I made two paperweights in no time! Want to make one for your desk or as a quick and easy handmade gift? How to make a paperweight with decoupage and a glass candle votive: Supplies Needed Shallow, glass candle holdersScrapbook paperMod Podge (gloss or satin formula)ScissorsPencilBrushPourable resin (and any needed materials to mix like: disposable container, gloves, Wooden stick, etc.) Step One: Find a round object that is a similar size to the circular inset of the candle. Step Two: Brush a thick layer of Mod Podge on the interior areas of the glass. Once that dries, apply another thick coat of Mod Podge on top of the paper. Admire your pretty, new piece of “glass”!
wall decals bird on Etsy, a global handmade and vintage marketplace. No-Bake Chewy Cookies and Cream Bars | Picky Palate - StumbleUpon Oh how I love a treat that can be whipped up in about 15 minutes. My boys and their buddies couldn’t get enough of these Chewy Oreo Bars we had as an after school snack this week. Sometimes my spontaneous recipe creations turn out to be the most fun, lol! Yes you use an entire package of Oreo Cookies, but what you get in return is a marshmallow-y Oreo treat that is worth every bite Surprise the kids (and yourself) with this one, they’ll be all smiles, Enjoy! 3 whole ingredients. Break out your Cookies! Place them all in the food processor or blender and mix until ground. Like so. Melt the butter and marshmallows into a large bowl until puffed. You’ll get a little something like this Working quickly, pour in your ground cookies. Mix, mix and mix You’ll get a gooey mess….that’s delish! Transfer to an 8×8 inch baking pan and let set for about 10 minutes. Cut into squares and indulge No-Bake Chewy Cookies and Cream Bars One 16 oz package of Oreo 5 cups Large Marshmallows 4 tablespoons butter 1.
DIY Solar Lamp: Make Your Own Eco-Friendly Sun Jars | Designs &Ideas on... The principle is simple and seductively clever: solar lights that store energy during the day and release light at night. These can be purchased ready-made in a variety of colors (yellow, blue and red) but they can also be built at home. A simple, less-technical approach involves buying a conventional solar-powered yard lamp and then essentially harvesting it for key pieces to put in a jar. A more electronically-savvy individual can take the more complex route and built a solar lamp from the ground up using small solar panels – though the aesthetic result may not be as impressive. Whatever route you choose to go, these are fun and sustainable gadgets that make it easy to go green, automate the process of turning on lights at night and can add some color to your porch, patio, garden or windowsill.
Teaher's Guide to Information Crap Detection Information overload, information crap,information pollution...are some of the words that are being used now to describe the tsunami of irrelevant information we are bombarded with day and night.In December 2009, Google began customizing its search results for all users, and we entered a new era of personalization. With little notice or fanfare, our online experience is changing, as the websites we visit are increasingly tailoring themselves to us.Everywhere you turn you find information that seems relevant to you but in fact is nothing but crap. This is probably why Eli Pariser recommended what he called Information Bubble. Howard Rheingold is another guy who has done a lot of writings on Information Crap. in an article posted last year. The first thing we all need to know about information online is how to detect crap, a technical term I use for information tainted by ignorance, inept communication, or deliberate deception. 4- Crap Test 5- Video
The Magic of Decoupage - Martha Stewart Crafts by Technique Decoupage is artistic sleight of hand. What appears to be a painted design is actually paper, glued in place. What looks like lacquer is just a few coats of clear varnish. And what begins as an unremarkable piece of furniture becomes a bold, modern design statement, when adorned with leaves and vines. Early forms of decoupage were seen in 12th-century Asia, but the craft as we know it owes much to the exquisite Oriental lacquerwork so widely admired in seventeenth-century Europe. A similar process, using flowers and other sentimental motifs, was popularized in England, and by the nineteenth century, decorative images were made available for this purpose. Traditionally, decoupage motifs are small in scale; we gave the craft a modern sensibility by focusing on larger, bolder patterns. As you work, emphasize scale, mingling oversize shapes with smaller ones. 1. 2. 3. 4.