Category: Crafts for ME

cookie tins

Creative Ways to Reuse a Holiday Cookie Tin

cookie tins

I was happily scrolling through Instagram, when my husband stuck a blue tin in my face and asked me if I wanted it.

“Nah, I don’t want any cookies, thanks.” I replied without looking.

He laughed, “Good! Because there aren’t any cookies in there!”

He earned that chuckle fair and square, I wasn’t paying attention. He had just finished off a tin of those Danish butter cookies that come out around Christmas time. Well, my grandma taught me that you never throw away cookie tins or popcorn tins or any other reuseable container (cigar boxes, butter tubs, etc.), so I told him I wanted the tin and promptly put it on my desk to be washed and recycled another day.

Cute Vintage Cookie Tin
See the birdie? There is a bunny on the other side!

I already have a really cool tin (from my Nana), that stores my circular knitting needles, so I wasn’t quite sure what I would do with this one. I set about Google and Pinterest to find some ideas.

I really, really like the clock idea. And I think the succulent/plant holder idea is cute, but what to do with the lid? Maybe use the base for the plants and the lid as a clock? I don’t know. #useeverypart right?

Here’s what I found on Google:

I pinned them to a special board on Pinterest, and then found more ideas there!

Do you reuse cookie tins? Do you alter them, or just keep them as is? I’d love to hear your ideas!

After a tear or two

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I’m not the best house keeper. I love to organize but struggle at staying organized. Hubby has suffered through numerous do-overs in our home. We’ve even swapped entire rooms before (kids room and our room, school room and craft room and kitchen). So when I asked him this weekend to take me to Lowe’s for a little pegboard project I had in mind he didn’t respond very kindly.

What started out as me just being disappointed turned into me being mad as fire.

**quick explanation: He had told me 6 weeks ago while standing in Lowes that if I wanted a peg board I could have one. This weekend he said he never told me I could have one. So either I was a liar or I was hearing voices in my head, either way it’s not something you want to accuse me of.**

I sewed until I calmed down a bit and then we talked. I showed him pictures online of non manly garage style pegboard set ups. Then he took me to Lowes.

This is what I made:

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Grocery bag holder, Four Dishtowels (Osnaburg), KitchenAid Mixer Cover, Curtains, Three Potholders in Green and Michael Miller’s Fifties Kitchen print!

This is what he made:

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And the supervisor, George.

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Math, engineering, home ec and Motrin.

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And coffee. Lots of coffee.
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Today I thought I’d be a “cool mom” and turn this toddler tent craft into our schoolwork for the day.
It seemed simple enough. Take a set of old sheets, make some rectangles, sew them together, and drape over a card table.
There would be measuring, math, home economics, engineering, design, graphic, learning to scale, and…
Motrin. Lots and lots of Motrin. And Coffee. Let us NOT forget the coffee.
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Taderbug got to use my new machine since it has the ability to step along really really slowly.
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Doodlebug was all work on my old machine. She impressed me today! She paid attention to measurements, did the math, and spent 20 minutes rethreading the machine when it jammed.
We also learned that hand me down measuring tapes that are SO old that they aren’t even plastic tend to shrink over time and will ruin your measurements by a lot. We’re talking 1/2 ” here! I hated to toss it but I didn’t want to accidently use it.
 
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Even Lil Man got in on the action! It’s not child labor if it’s educational right?
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Well, here’s our tent. Two doors, two windows and tons of fun. The girls put a couple books on the table to the top would stick up like a princess castle. I’m pretty sure there is a camp out planned for tonight.
Hubby thinks I should make them (without the child labor) and sell them. I think that means he likes it. I like it when he likes my stuff.
 
 
Blogging from my Android….probably from the bathroom.

Salt Dough Ornaments… 2010

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We tried these one a few years ago.  I mentioned them in a post back then, but didn’t include pictures. They were THAT BAD.
Older, somewhat wiser, and with another adult (Daddy) nearby, we set out to try again this year.  Using Super Mommy’s recipe we gave it another go…
In the oven
I won’t depress you with the details of the crying and sudden onset of “angry mom” that occurred during the rolling and cutting of the ornaments. We’ll just start with the purty ornaments you see in the oven there.
I haven’t decided if they will get to paint them or not. We may just leave them plain and use yarn instead of ribbon for the loop.  We have a bit of a Little House in the Big Woods theme going on with presents this year and leaving them “raw” seems fitting.

Why yes, that IS a Christmas Lizard, and Holiday Whale, and a Hanukkah  Flamingo and a Ho Ho Ho Pterodactyl.  Don’t ask.

and in case you were wondering…

Cinnamon Roll Ornament

Thanks Super Mommy!

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A few Saturday Christmas crafts

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I was trying to find a few easy Christmas crafts I might could do with the kids this weekend that wouldn’t end with me wanting to stuff them all in a box and ship them to my aunt in New Mexico.  (She lives the farthest away)
I thought I’d share them with you since most are easy paper projects with things you might already have laying around….or you can easily substitute with something else.
Paper Sphere Ornaments
Paper Ball Ornaments
Coffee Filter Christmas Trees
3D Stars
Origami Boxes… great for gifts or for decorations!
I’ll post pics if we get anything finished!

A mermaid's tail

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My Taderbug wants to be the Little Mermaid for Halloween….
Here is the start of her costume…

Purple shell boobies…  still to come.  I’m running out of time.

Taking my love to town…or to market…

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Not like that. Get your mind out of the gutter.

I love crafts. I love all crafts. I love anything that lets me be creative.

For those who don’t know yet (read: all my non twitter readers), I have opened an etsy shop.  Thanks to a new artfire promotion, I have also opened up a shop on their site.

Chaotic Craftiness on Etsy  and Artfire!

One of my custom orders ended up so cute! Custom bib, wipes case, and card holder!
 
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The card holders are great for business cards, id’s, debit/credit cards! Perfect for kids to hold school id’s , lunchroom cards, library cards!
 
So far I’ve had the most fun making ‘Lil Dribblers (with matching britches) for my drooly lil fat man…
 
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I have more to list and PLENTY of new ideas coming down the pipe.  Trying to get schoolwork done and still have time to sew with this crazy bunch is a bit of a challenge for this easily distracted mom.

I’d love it if you’d take a peek and leave me some feedback here on what you like or don’t like.  I’d love some honest opinions!

Monkey See Monkey Do

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We’re back in Charlotte County for a few days, hanging with the out in laws, getting ready for Great Papa’s 80th birthday party.  The girls broke in their new outfits by playing “ants” (or something) in the grass.

I did finally get them up to show off their new duds take a decent picture.

I didn’t make the T’s or Bubbagirl’s dress, just the big girls jumper tops and denim pants.  I used this Bubblegum Jumper tutorial from From An Igloo.  My girls weren’t home when I cut out the fabric so I used a standard size chart to get my measurements from.  Since Taderbug is a bit small for her age her outfit ended up a little bigger than I wanted.  Good thing they grow and not shrink.
The pants are from You Can Make This .com!  It’s the Easy Fits Pants Pattern and I love it!  The pants were put together in less then an hour.
I added the covered buttons just because I had the button kits sitting there and the tops looked so plain…(that’s my excuse so just go with it).
Well, it’s late now, and I’ve been interrupted about 50 bajillion times while trying to type this up, so I’m going to leave you with one more picture and a big hug goodnight!  Birthday party tomorrow, must get some sleep.

How NOT to make homemade laundry detergent.

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1898 advertising poster
Image via Wikipedia

This post is going to be short and sweet because Peanut is stirring!
Yesterday I decided to make some homemade laundry detergent.  I love the stuff and it works great with our cloth diapers.  I had run out of the pre-packaged SAHM stuff that I bought online a while ago.  So I searched for some recipes, found them all the be almost identical, and then decided to follow my friend Amy’s recipe instead.
I had to use what I had around the house so our mixture included Ivory soap, Borax, and OxyClean (for the washing soda).
I want to let you know that the part in her recipe where she says LOW HEAT… she means it ya’ll.  LOW HEAT.. as in DO NOT BOIL or even let it simmer…
Ever act stupid and put bubble bath in a jacuzzi or hot tub? Yeah, you get that effect when you boil soap on the stove.  Taderbug was stirring for me and once I dumped in the oxyclean my pot started to look like something from a Halloween display!  I grabbed the pot and moved it to the sink where I think it overflowed bubbles for over 5 minutes(with no added heat!)
All came out well in the end, my kitchen sink is clean, and for hours last night the entire house smelled Ivory clean.  I scored 2 gallons of laundry detergent (four bottles) for less then a couple bucks!  I think I might bag some ‘kits’ up and sell them at our yard sale.
Do you make your own detergent?  Do you stick to a tried and true recipe or do you swap out whats available?

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Where have I been hiding?

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Why…. in the cleanest room in the house of course!
Does anyone remember this post? Where I proclaimed that I wanted my craft room back and shared that awful twitpic picture of the before?  That was only part of the way there.
I have not only finished (well, mostly) the room BUT I have used it several times and it still looks like this!
Here is my new space… and where I have been hiding.  Even now I’m up here, blogging off hubby’s laptop, just because when I look around I’m surrounded by pretty things that make me happy!

My craft room

My 3/4's of the room.


Scrap Basket

Scrap Basket my mommy made me.


Singer Futura

My Mommy's Day Present and Anniversary Present! WHOO HOO


My helper

My helper?


Thread

My thread, for now, there's more on the way! Doodlebug offered to buy me another rack for my birthday!


Some of my scraps are actually organized by fabric type...


Knits, laces, vinyls, PUL, and more!


Bubbagirl's stuff... she gets to play with this (till peanut arrives)


Candy

and for good little girls and mommies... CANDY!


To celebrate my organization, and to help me make some more room for the fabric I have on it’s way to me RIGHT NOW, I’m giving away some really awful wonderful heavy camo fabric!

You know you want some right?


This pic doesn't do it justice! You NEEED this!


First one to tell me they want it gets it!  There is at least four yards of it!  Not sure what my mom purchased it for, but it’s mine now and I have yet to find a use for it in a house full of princesses and divas.
Now, who wants to come play in my new hideout?