Hey...Things Change!: DIY: Paint Chip Calendar *New and improved version of the Paint Chip Calendar is right here. Yesterday, while perusing some of my favorite blogs, I found this great DIY calendar idea from Design Mom. It got me thinking about a project I had put on the back burner for a while and it also reminded me that I have yet to purchase a 2011 calendar and here it is March! So I took my back burner idea involving paint chips and combined it with a DIY calendar and created my own mash up: a DIY Paint Chip Calendar. Supplies: paint chips, glue, white paper…I used a Crayola floor pad. I chose the floor pad because the top is hooked together with a strip of gluey stuff, making it easy to tear off each calendar page as the month ended while still holding the rest of the calendar together. I measured the squares on our old calendar, which was approximately the same size as the floor pad… …and cut the paint chips to the same size, 2.5” x 3.” I then recruited daughter 3, Lainey, to do some gluing. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.
suitcase I’ve mentioned before that I use suitcases in our bedroom for extra storage. But that’s just one way to repurpose a vintage suitcase. For some gobsmackingly creative ideas, scroll on! Giftwrapping box Better Homes & Gardens Collect all your wrap, tags and tape in one place in a mobile wrapping station. Sewing kit Mini macs Similarly, use it as a hobby or sewing kit to keep everything together and make it portable. Blanket box Design*Sponge Use large trunks at the foot of the bed for blankets, shoes or out-of-season clothes. Shelving Casa Sugar Add shelves to a trunk to create a mini closet or shoe rack. Liquor trolley Apartment Therapy Go one better and add wheels to create a rolling booze cabinet. File rack / pinboard Design*Sponge Affix to your study wall for a memo board and hidden file storage – genius! Vanity/medicine cabinet Vanity Case How incredible is this vanity cabinet? Bedside table Apartment Therapy Simply plonk a suitcase on a stool for an instant bedside table with plenty of storage. Table Chair
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. 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 The alert carries an electrical charge that’s composed of two parts: first, a search query (which is needed to find the correct neurons for executing the task of writing), and second, a command (which tells the appropriate neuron what to do). Phase 3: Disengagement 1. 2. 3. 4.
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. I can’t wait for pumpkin picking, apple cider, football, chili and all the fun crafts that can happen! Speaking of which there are a ton of link parties coming up in September and October which I am very excited to participate in. 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 In "bowl"
"*The Heartfelt Home*" DIY,Sewing, Decorating, Crafts, Cooking, Sentimental, Homeschooling: Salt Dough Ornaments and Gift Tags I am so excited to share a great Christmas craft project today. Salt dough ornaments and gift tags. For pennies you can make a great gift for your family and friends. All you need to get started is 1 cup all purpose flour 1/2 cup salt 1/2 water 1,2,3 easy peasy!!! Toss it all in the mixer for a few minutes. Once it is all combined Kneed until smooth I separated mine, so each girl could have one. Roll the dough ball out on wax paper Now for the fun part…. Grab a doily and press it into the dough with the rolling pin. When you lift the doily off you will be left with a beautiful pattern. Next grab a cookie cutter and cut out your ornaments. Remove the dough from around your ornament shapes, lift and place on a cookie sheet and poke a hole with a straw. Cook at 200 degrees for 5-6 hours. Take them out and let them cool. Paint them white, start with the back. After the paint is dry apply glue to the front. While the glue is still wet sprinkle with glitter. Hang from your gift. Cha Cha
Wire-Edged Fabric Flowers **This tutorial is intended for personal use only.** Hi! Moving on......... Okay, so you say that you're a scrap fabric saver just like me. **This tutorial is intended for personal use only This tutorial will show you how to create wire edged fabric plumeria or frangipani flowers from scrap pieces of fabric. Supplies: You will need fabric scraps, 26 gauge cloth covered floral stem wire in 18" lengths, a sharpie or a dowel approximately 1/2" in diameter, a plastic seed bead container or a dowel approximately 7/8" in diameter, Tacky Glue, scotch tape, floral tape, sharp scissors, and a pair of wire cutters/pliers. Please note: The length of wire that you choose to use for each of your petals will ultimately depend on what project you will be using these flowers on. To begin, twist the center of the wire around the bead container or dowel with the help of a plier if needed. Slide the wire off of the bead container or dowel taking care not to distort the shape. Let the petals dry completely.
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. I love going there just to look around for inexpensive craft materials. This month when I saw these shallow, rounded glass votive candles, I wondered if they could be flipped upside-down and decorated to make paperweights. 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 Two: Brush a thick layer of Mod Podge on the interior areas of the glass.
templates These cute purses are so easy to make! It won't take you more than 30 minutes. Wouldn't they be a perfect gift for mom. Put a gift certificate inside to her favorite store/restaurant. And don't forget "Teacher Appreciation Day" May 5! Print out this template on a 8 1/2" x 11" cardstock. When you are done cutting you will have 4 pieces like this. Fold the sides so it looks like a "M". Put glue to both sides with fast drying adhesive. Glue the sides to the purse (after you folded the purse in half) with the narrow side down. Glue the lid to the back of the purse. Take a ribbon through one of the holes and make a little knot. On the front of the purse,add a button,brad or whatever you like. Last - put 5/8" Velcro round with sticky back to the inside of the lid and the other part of it to the purse. Inking,doodling,Stickles..it would all look good here. If you give this a try, I would love to see the result. Who knows, maybe I decide to send out some RAK's;)
Modern Wall Art with Paint Swatches! Looking for a way to fill that blank wall but don't have permission to paint? All you need is a trip to a major hardware store and an afternoon in front of a good movie to take care of that little dilemma. Supplies Needed: Large frame with paper insert, a ton of pretty paint chips, double-sided tape squares, and vinyl letters appropriate to the size of your frame or phrase (4" - 6"). I went with a color scheme that involved a variety of tones from some of my favorite colors. It's basically a muted rainbow with plenty of lighter shades to keep things from getting too busy. 1. 3. Paint chip art is a great option for renters looking to fill a big space without spending a small fortune!
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. I have already reviewed his awesome book Net Smart: How to Thrive Online in an article posted last year. 2- Internet Detective This is another great resource full of lessons, tutorials on how to teach your students to be good consumers of online information. 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. You might embellish an armoire with oversize tropical foliage or cover a plain dresser with Victorian botanical prints. Suddenly, that forgettable piece becomes the focus of the room. 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. 1. 2. 3. 4.
Star Crochet Blanket, granny squares blanket | Yarn Woohoo I’ve finally finished my star crochet blanket! Here it is all folded up, edging done and all the loose threads weaved in. What a great feeling of satisfaction I get when I finish a big project. This one took a while as I ran out of yarn and had to order some more in. To cut a long story short after being told it would be a week I finally got it over a month later. Then with the girls birthday party at full steam I had to wait until that was over until I could totally finish it. My big Kindy girl came home sick last week so she got to test the blanket out for me. It is very soft and cuddly. The pattern I used was from a really great book I bought called Crocheted Gifts by Kim Werker. When I’m doing crochet I like to have the glossary and instructions on hand at the same time. The first stage of these granny squares was the stars. Then the circle around the stars. Then the square around the circle. Then the variegated edging to each square. I love crochet. What do you think?
Painted Wood Wall Art | Via Salvage Love Photo: Claire Ferrante of Little Dog Vintage Materials: -2 pieces of MDF 30 inches x 24 inches and 1 centimeter thick which equals one piece that is 60 x 24. I bought two pieces because I assumed when I attached the wood strips, they would end up being heavy and it would be easier (and safer) to hang them next to each other as two separate pieces -approximately 100 pieces of wood various sizes and depths -7 paint colors. -bag of sponge paint brushes -sand paper -Liquid Nails (this stuff is pretty amazing) -table saw. Time: This is definitely a time consuming project. Cost: paint- 7 / 7.25ML cans of paint -$24 2 pieces of MDF- $24 sponge brushes- $5 Liquid Nails- $3 sand paper- already had some wood strips – free! Total Cost: $56 for materials (I was lucky to not have to pay for wood. With the help of my wonderful father and his table saw, we got to cutting the strips of wood.