Crafts

Make a Cereal Box Notepad

March 14, 2013 By Erin Huffstetler 1 Comment

There are quite a few cereal box notepad projects floating around on the web, but most require fancy equipment or sewing. This matchbook-style notepad requires neither, and only takes about five minutes to make.

Here’s how to make one:

Step 1: Take a cereal box apart at the seams, and lay it flat on your work surface.

Step 2: Decide how big you want your notepad to be. Then, cut your cover out from the part of the cereal box with the best graphics. To get the length right, you want a piece that is twice as long as the finished size of the notepad, plus an inch (for the bottom flap).

Step 3: Fold the bottom inch of the cardboard up to create the bottom flap for your matchbook notepad. Fold the top down, so that it tucks behind the bottom flap.

Step 4: Now, cut paper to fit inside of your cover. I like to reuse junk mail and my kids’ school work for this purpose. Any paper that has only been used on one side will work well.

Step 5: Staple the bottom flap over the paper. Then, tuck the cover into the flap. You’ll probably need to trim the cover a bit, so that it lies flat when it’s behind the the flap.

Start using your notepad, or make a bunch more, and give them away as gifts. They’d make great party favors, and they’d be a fun replacement for greeting cards.

Filed Under: Recycled Crafts

Thrift Store Remake: Tin Tiles

March 7, 2013 By Erin Huffstetler Leave a Comment

Sometimes it takes just a bit of reinventing to turn a not-so-fab thrift store find into something truly amazing.

Take these tin tiles:

I really liked their raised pattern and the fact that they were metal, but I wasn’t feeling their color scheme at all. Since they were only $1 each, I decided to buy them and give them a makeover.

A light coat of bronze metallic paint took care of the blah colors, and further accentuated the raised design.

Then, to make the most of the metal surface, I created a set of magnets to go with them. (They’re just little kid trinkets that I found lying around the house and super-glued onto a set of magnets).

Now, I have a set of magnet boards for my daughter’s room that are truly one-of-a-kind, and it only cost me a few bucks.

Filed Under: For the Home, Second-Hand Finds

How to Re-Dye Clothes

February 22, 2013 By Erin Huffstetler 3 Comments

My sister is getting married this summer, and I’m one of her bridesmaids. A few weeks back she sent me an e-mail about bridesmaid outfits. Here’s what she had to say:

I would like to keep this as simple as possible and let everyone
pick their own navy blue skirt and white tank top.

To pull the look together, I would like everyone to have the same necklace:

http://www.etsy.com/listing/117533159/yellow-bubble-necklacedrops-of-water

For the skirt, pick any navy blue skirt. Keep in mind it should be
around knee-length and not a pencil skirt (don’t want to look like we
are going to work). I am thinking A-line. I found one that works:

http://www.modcloth.com/shop/skirts/effortless-is-more-skirt-in-blue

After breathing a sigh of relief that I wouldn’t have to wear some poofy bridal shop confection, I hit the thrift stores in pursuit of the perfect skirt. And I found one rather quickly, except it was the wrong color. Rats!

I decided to try it on anyway – it fit perfectly and was only a quarter, so I decided to buy it and redye it to the color that I needed. Surely khaki would be easy enough to dye.

A quick trip to Walmart netted me a box of navy dye for around two bucks.

After reviewing all of the dying options, I decided the washing machine-method sounded like the way to go. I filled the machine with hot water, and added the dye and the cup of salt that was recommended for cotton.

Then, I rinsed the skirt in hot water, added it to the washer, and let it soak for thirty minutes.

After rinsing the skirt, and running it through the dryer, I had my navy skirt, and it was even better than I expected.

See the white stitching? Apparently the skirt was put together with a synthetic thread, so it didn’t get dyed blue. I love how the stitches stands out against the blue.

And the buttons kept their original color, too. I now have the perfect skirt for my sister’s wedding, and it only cost me around $2.25. Thrift stores come through again!

Want to try your hand at redying clothes? Save money by reworking second-hand finds, as I did; or rework things that you already own. Redying is a great way to cover up stains or to revitalize outfits that you’ve grown tired of.

Filed Under: Wearables

Fridge Shelf Liners

January 22, 2013 By Erin Huffstetler Leave a Comment

Wish your refrigerator shelves were easier to clean? Well, maybe it’s time to stick some shelf liners in there. While cruising Pinterest recently, I spotted a cool idea from itsanorganizedchaos.com. She bought some plastic place mats from Target, cut them to the size of her fridge shelves, and used them a shelf liners.

This makes cleaning your fridge as simple as pulling the mats out and washing them off. I don’t know about you, but I’ve always worried that I’d break my glass shelves when I had them out for cleaning. This erases that concern, and it looks pretty snazzy, too.

I’m loving the look of the rainbow polka-dotted place mats that I found at Goodwill last weekend. Fun, eh?

Filed Under: For the Home

How to Make Stamped Candles

December 13, 2012 By Erin Huffstetler Leave a Comment

Like fancy candles, but prefer cheap candle prices? Here’s an easy project that will allow you to have both.

Stamped Candles

What You’ll Need:

Inexpensive pillar candles
A rubber stamp
A stamp pad

Step 1: Ink your stamp. Then, lay it on your work surface, rubber side facing up.

Step 2: Slowly roll your candle across the stamp, until you’ve stamped the entire candle.

Step 3: Allow the ink to dry. Then, find a spot for your new candle in your home or give it as a gift.

Stamping Ideas

Use letter stamps to monogram candles
Roll your candle over a glue stamp pad; then, sprinkle fine glitter over the wet ink to create candles with lots of sparkle