Ugly Christmas Sweater Party

As the holidays get closer I get really excited over the impending barrage of parties.  My Halloween bashes are already scheduled and I'll be making my usual rounds for Thanksgiving (my family, the in-laws, followed by 2 weeks of working off the carbs).  But I really can't wait for Christmas.  Why?  Because I just finished reading Rock Your Ugly Christmas Sweater by Anne Marie Blackman and after some research got some great ideas on ugly sweater party ideas.  While I haven't decided on a sweater yet I'll probably go with the Rudolph head on a mantle sweater from the same site.  I'll try and get some pictures going after this year's slaw of xmas parties!

Halloween Party Ideas

It's that time of the year again.  It's not so annoyingly hot and we get a few fun holidays to enjoy.  I may be a bit weird in saying this, but Halloween is actually my favorite.  It's still in many ways a Holiday celebrated for the mere sake of celebrating a holiday. It's also the start of the holiday party season!

Since childhood, I have been to countless Halloween parties.  Starting with the standard neighborhood parties,  my parent's work Halloween parties, then the memorable school-based parties, then the fuzzy alcohol-filled college parties (which would probably be memorable if I could remember them!), to the modern adult parties (work, friends, block parties, etc).

Some of the more popular parties include:

Adult Parties

• TV/movie-theme based costume parties
• Pimp n Hoe Parties
• Work Parties
• Block Parties

Family Friendly Parties/Activities

• Trick or Treating
• Theme park events
• School-based parties
• Pumpkin-carving parties

Whatever you choose to do this Halloween, be safe and be grateful that it's one of the few holidays that gets better with age!

How to Make Valentine Boxes in no Time

This is a fun and easy craft that you can do by yourself or even with your kids.  All it takes is a little bit of time, some scissors, a small box, some colorful paper, glue, markers, and some other items to use for decorations.  You can use things like crepe paper, stickers, lace, foil, paper doilies or whatever else you can think of.

When you have all of your supplies together you are ready to begin.  Now that you know what you are working with, take a minute to picture in your mind what you would like the finished product to look like.

Getting Started

Now most Valentine’s boxes are totally covered in something before the real fun starts.  SO that is what you will do

How to Make Decorative Shadow Boxes

There are all different types of shadow boxes.  These are a great way to decorate and do it with a personal touch.  You can put nearly anything that you want to put into them.  You can do them as a way to frame memories or to highlight things that you would like to do. 

For the purpose of this article, I will tell you how to make a basic shadow box and then you put whatever you want to into it when you finish making the box.

Step 1

The first thing that you will need to do is to gather the materials that you will need.  For this project you will need a wood slat (length will vary according to how big or small you want the box to be), a small piece of smooth plywood to use as the back of the box, a saw, a sander, wood glue, 3 small hinges, a pane of glass and some paint or varnish.

Step 2

Now that you have everything you need

How to Make Puzzle Boxes

Before we get started with what you will need to do, this should only be undertaken by someone who not only has all of the right woodworking tools, but also has a complete knowledge of how to use them. 

While there are all different types of these boxes, today we will discuss how to make a very simple one.  Once you have mastered that, you can go on to the more complicated ones.

What you Need

For this particular box you won’t need too much.  Simply get a wooden dowel that is square, a vice, a saw, wood glue and a sander.

Step 1

The first step in any project is to gather your materials together and lay them out in such an order that will make it easy for you to lay your hands on what you need when you need it. 

Step 2

When you have all of your materials ready take the

Tips to Building Window Boxes

When you want to have a window box you have a few choices in how to get them.  The first way is to go out and purchase one.  That is easy.  The other option is for you to build one yourself.  Believe it or not, this is actually pretty easy too.  During the course of this short article I will tell you what you will need and the steps to take to get the window box that you have always wanted.

What do you want?

The first thing that you need to do is to figure out exactly what you want.  You need to know where it will go and the specific dimensions that it needs to conform to.  In this process you will take a tape measure and get those dimensions.  You need to know how long it should be, how wide it should be and how tall it should be.

What do you need?

Here is where the measurements come into play.  Whatever your measurements are, you will need wood of the same measurements.  I recommend using ¾’’ thick planks at whatever the necessary lengths.  You should get 5 pieces of wood for each box that you want: 2 for the ends, 2 for the front and back and 1 for the bottom.  You will also need wood glue, nails and a hammer. 

What do you do now?

Now you go home with your supplies and find an area where you have enough space to put your box together.  Lay out the wood so that you can see everything and then get the piece out for the bottom.  Once you have that piece, find the one of the end pieces and put it upright against the end of the bottom piece.  Glue it in place with the wood glue and then nail it to the bottom piece.  Repeat with the other end.  Take the front piece and repeat the process with the added steps of gluing and nailing it to the end pieces too.  Repeat the process with the back piece. 

You now have a window box. 

What next?

Now that you have a window box, it will need some color.  This is easily done by painting it.  Now you will need to place it on your ledge and fill it.  If you do not have a ledge you can use shelf brackets to install it.  Make sure that they are the heavy duty type and strong enough to hold the weight of whatever flora you will be filling it with.

How to Make Camping Boxes

Why don’t we start this article out by examining what a camping box is for those who may not be aware of such a critter?  A camping box is generally a box that is utilized in the storage of one’s camping gear when it is not in use.  It can even be constructed in such a way that it will be portable and when you want to go camping, you just have to grab your box and take off.

Every camping box will vary in size depending on your needs.  The first step is to come up with a list of all the items you’ll need for a typical camping trip, this will help you decide on the size of your box.  You will find here the directions to make a basic camping box, but you can personalize it and add compartments where and as you see fit. This is a customizable box.

Materials

The first part of any project is to gather

How easy it is to Build Planter Boxes!

If you are not accustomed to building or making things with your hands, do not let a planter box project discourage you.  This is quite an easy undertaking and can be done relatively quickly too.  When you get finished, you will be able to showcase your plants and flowers in a beautiful planter box that you can display with pride in the knowledge that you did it all by yourself!

Getting Started

The first thing that you will need to do in this process is to decide where you will put your box.  This will of course determine the size of the box that you will be building.  Once you have decided on the location you should get a tape measure and measure the area. 

Get the Materials

Once you have your measurements you will need to get the materials together that you will need to complete the project.  Whatever your measurements are you will need wood cut to fit those dimensions.  I would use ¾’’ cedar but you can use whatever wood and width that you would like.  You will also need wood glue, soil, plants or seeds and fertilizer.

DIY Cardboard Boxes Activities for Kids

On April 22^nd of every year, the world celebrates Earth Day. Thousands of events are held throughout the world in support of protecting the environment. An easy way to celebrate at home with your kids is to make arts-and-crafts projects using reusable or recyclable material such as cardboard boxes. Below are five creative ways to use cardboard boxes as a craft medium.

1. Mailbox – Play postman/post office with a neat cardboard mailbox. Your kids can send letters, cards, and packages to other family members in the household.

2.  Puppet Stage – Use two large cardboard boxes to make a puppet stage. Children can decorate the outside of the boxes using markers or waterproof paint. Then use some fabric to create the curtains for the stage.

 3. Build a store – Whether it is a donut shop, candy shop, or convenient store, you can use a couple of large cardboard boxed to build a “play” store for your kids. Cut out some windows to display the items for sale and if the box is large enough, you can even cut out a door.

4. Build a castle – Using cardboard boxes and four inner tubes from paper towel roles, your kids can create an elegant castle with all the frills and accessories of a real castle.

5. Make a guitar – Grab some corrugated cardboard boxes, a wooden dowel, and a few rubber bands to create this unique cardboard guitar for your kids. 

Pop Art: Bubble Wrap Paintings

Artist, Bradley Hart, takes creativity to a whole new level with his unique paintings that incorporates bubble wrap as a canvas. Hart, who lives in Toronto but works in New York City, creates portraits of celebrities by tediously injection acrylic paint into bubble wrap, thus creating a unique pixelated effect. On average, each painting takes about 150 hours. Hart admits that the process of injecting each bubble with paint is a daunting task – injecting too quickly could destroy the bubble while injecting too slow does not fill the bubble completely. It takes him two to three days just to load the paint into the 1200-1500 syringes that is needed to make one portrait.

Perhaps one of Hart’s most popular bubble wrap portrait is of the late Steve Jobs. Hart injected over 16,000 bubbles using 89 different colors of paint to create this one-of-a-kind portrait. Bradley Hart’s collection called “Injections” can be seen in person at Gallery Nine5 in New York. 

The Cardboard Box Arcade

Less than a year ago, a 9-year boy named Caine spent his summer vacation building an arcade with cardboard boxes. It started off with a game or two and soon enough, the arcade was taking over his dad’s auto parts shop. Using his imagination and plenty of cardboard boxes, Caine created classic games such as the claw machine and an elaborative pinball machine. He even found a way to dispense the tickets like a real arcade game would.

It was only a matter of time before someone discovered this gold mine of imagination, creativity and ingenuity. A young man entered the auto shop looking for a door handle for his car and came upon Caine’s arcade. He bought a fun pass and became Caine’s first customer. Little did they know that both of their lives would change after that day. Caine’s first customer, Nirvan Mullick, eventually made a short video featuring the arcade and put it online. The video went viral in a few days and caught the attention of the media and celebrities. At one point, Caine’s Arcade, had a line with a 4-hour wait.

The story of the young boy from East L.A. inspired a movement. Caine’s College Scholarship Fund raised over $100,000. Moreover, the story inspired other kids to create their own arcade games using cardboard boxes and their imagination. Teachers incorporated these projects into their curriculum and instead of children spending their summers watching TV or playing video games, they were able to use their mind, ingenuity and resourcefulness to create a fun world of their own.

5 Great Everyday Uses for Baskets

One of the best ways to clear clutter in your house is to take advantage of one of the most affordable and versatile items out there: baskets! Here are some great ways to organize your house using baskets.  

Snack Holder  

Put some afternoon snacks for your children in small baskets. Place the baskets on a low-level shelf for easy access.

Remote Control Center

Almost everyone deals with a missing remote control once in a while. Designate a basket for all your remote controls and avoid the hassle of searching through your couch cushions for them.

Towel Dispenser

You can use a basket to store your hand towels in the bathroom. This is especially great for guest bathrooms. Roll up the towels, place them in the basket, and put the basket near the sink for your guests.

Crafts Organizer

Place your tape measurer, scissors, hot glue gun, and other crafts tools into a basket to keep them organized in one place.

Silverware Carrier

Whether it is at an outdoor BBQ or dinner at home, it’s always great to have a basket with all the necessary silverware in place. It also makes transporting your silverware to different locations much easier.

Stationary Organizer

Ever found yourself searching the entire room for a pen or pencil? Well, using a basket as a stationary organizer is the perfect solution. Keep your pens, pencils, sticky notes, and note pads in a basket for easy access.

Wall Decor

Spruce up an empty wall by hanging some baskets on it. Not only do they provide a unique decorative touch, they are very useful for storing or displaying other items as well. Check out our previous post for a video tutorial on decorating your walls with baskets.

Bubble Wrap for a Cause

Who would’ve thought that one day bubble wrap would play a part in a world record? Well, that’s exactly what happened last month. In an effort to raise money for the victims of Sandy Hook Elementary, students at Hawthorne High School took part in a new Guiness World Record for the most people simultaneously popping bubble wrap. More than 360 participants took part and 8,000 square feet of bubble wrap was popped at the New Jersey high school.

Even more special was that the inventors of Bubble Wrap were originally from Hawthorne, New Jersey. After failing to create plastic wallpaper, the young engineers found another use for their product. We all can appreciate bubble wrap these days. From bubble mailers for shipping to loose sheets of bubble wrap for packaging fragile items, bubble wrap is by far one of the most useful products ever invented. As the students of Hawthorne High School can attest, popping bubble wrap can be a joyful activity as well.

How to Make an Easter Gift Basket

It’s no questions that Easter is one of the most popular holidays for gift baskets.  Making a gift basket is quite simple and the best part is that you get to decide how to decorate it. All you need is some gift basket supplies and a variety of items to place inside. Making your own gift basket is often more rewarding and fun than buying one from the store.

Gift Basket Supplies

• Easter Basket
• Large Cellophane Bag
• Fillers/Paper Shreds
• Rubber band
• Pastel Colored Ribbon (1 inch)

Gift Items (Examples)

• Toys                                                                          
• Books
• Stuffed Animals
• Candy
• Pencils/Pens
• Baked Goodies

Steps

1.     Fill the basket with paper shreds.

2.     Arrange the gift items inside the basket. Place the tallest items in the back and the shorter ones in the front.

3.     Place the basket inside the cellophane bag and secure with the rubber band.

4.     Wrap the ribbon around the rubber band and finish it off with a bow.

SOMETHING OLD, SOMETHING NEW; SOMETHING BORROWED, SOMETHING TULLE

If you aren’t familiar with the fabric tulle, then you should take the time to become familiar with it so you can take advantage of what it has to offer in the way of fashion and decoration. Tulle is a lightweight, netting fabric used for wedding veils, dresses, tutus, and the like. The best part about tulle is how inexpensive it is. Depending on the type of fiber the tulle consists of (silk, nylon, and rayon), you can get a 40 yard spool for just under $ 15.00.

Weddings are a great example of the versatility of tulle. The majority of women’s wedding attire will have a certain amount of tulle. Sometimes it’s the top layer of the dress skirt, while other times it is used in the wedding veil. Using tulle does not have to end with the wedding attire though. Tulle can be used for all types of decorations for your special day. It can be used on chairs, on pews, in the bride’s bouquet, mixed in with the centerpieces, and it can even be added on the wedding cake for that special touch.

 

Tulle comes in many different colors and styles and designs, including polka dots and shimmer. You can simply use tulle from the spool or you can add a little something extra by using lights, rhinestones or flowers. With tulle, the possibilities are endless. The link below can help make these possibilities a reality. Just follow the link; if you see something you like, find a video that shows you how to make it. Everything created using tulle is fairly straightforward and simple.