DIY Subway art idea

 

Making DIY Subway art was a way of recycle and re-purposing those big paper shopping bags, and when your re-usable ones get broken in, you can do the same. Send a message, put in a sentence or use smaller sizes pieces and a large frame to make ‘ransom note art’ or memo board. Putting all the store names together I don’t really like, to me it comes off as materialistic and therefore tacky, but ok for a sample.

So I searched to see if I could find some samples, most of them look like this… Now I live in NY state about 30 minutes or so away from the City…I’e NEVER seen Subway ‘art’ look like this.

The way they did theirs in the DIY link I would have done mine sideways and to the decoration in the board used. (Anything pink would have went in the pink background, all the others in the black part. (Then if the rest didn’t fit in the black part of the board I would have either put them on the others side (vertically as the final creation is shown) or made a second one.

I’ll have to see if I can find a thick poster board to make one or 2 of my own. This way I can still put the ribbon on the edge but just use that tact gum to hang it on my wall (plaster walls stink for hanging things esp. when the wall gets cold)

As I KNOW I have souvenir bags (like from a few stores and Restaurants in Toronto, as well as some other assorted brand ones I’d rather not use to giveaway. SO I absolutely LOVE this idea. I also have a magazine type thing that can be used to add some flair to it as well.

(will have to see about taking a few pictures once I sort out pictures on my phone and transfer them to a flash drive.)

If you do not have any of these sort of shopping bags Like from big Department stores like Macy’s, lord and Taylor etc you an always look for words you want to use in a search or make them yourself in word or image maker (Like Paint shop pro) so you have the colors and fonts you want and what size font would suit the size of your over all ‘art’ or board you want to hang.  However you like.

Not sure if the plastic ones are used but as I said that’s up to you. if you have doubles why not cut out the letters repeatedly and make a ‘Ransom note’ looking message as well. You could always change it week by week or month… (anytime you get bored with it)

 

The Czur Shine ultra portable scanner

No matter what your craft be it sewing, kneedle work (yarns), drawing painting and even scrapbooking, plus there’s more….

you can use a scanner in some form for your craft. Be it to just scan patterns, copy a specific part, or to get a better image (and lighting) of

Your photo, drawing, painting or the jewelry you made to upload to your website shop or blog.

Its a bit more money, but if you are someone  in school that needs to use a reference book (in other words, you can’t remove it from the library) but you can scan the book safely and take home a digital version. Same for any story you write a(or illustrations) scan them and make your digital book.

back them now https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/shine-ultra-next-gen-portable-powerful-scanner#/

as I think the prices might be higher through Amazon!

CZUR ET16 Plus Advanced Book&Document Scanner, 2nd Gen Auto-Flatten & Deskew Tech, 16MP Sony Camera, Capture A3, 186 languages OCR, Convert to PDF/Searchable PDF/Word/TIFF/Excel, Run On Windows&Mac OS

CZUR Aura-B Book & Document Scanner, Auto-Flatten & Deskew Powered by AI Technology, Foldable & Portable, Capture Size A3, Compatible with Windows & Mac OS

CZUR Smart Writing Journal Notebook, PU Leather Peach Velvet Cover, 7.9”×5.6”, 192 pages premium thick, work with CZUR APP’s OCR and 10GB Cloud-based storage,Purify Series.

Don’t Throw Away Your Wine Corks. 17 Nifty Ways To Reuse Them Around The Home

Source: Don’t Throw Away Your Wine Corks.      Here Are 17 Nifty Ways To Reuse Them Around The Home

11 Ideas for Organizing Your Living Room

There are some creative ways to organize (like #2s Couch Caddy, I also like #7 wonder if it would work to make into a book case/shelving Would be nice if you were able to set it up around your bed or furniture. in case you have a tight space. Like for a ‘shelf’ behind your couch, or a Coffee table. (Youo could even uses smaller boxes etc for drawers in one )
I also like #8 sadly however we do not have those sort of arm rests on our couch.

Uses for Bubble wrap

This time of year we are receiving packages likely packed with Bubble wrap and maybe evevn gifts ass well.

Well until now I never could think of what to use it for other than Packing & moving to keep things safe, or as a toy. (Well after watching a recent episode of Doctor Who (Think it was Episode 8, but definitely of the first season with the lady doctor) not sure if I’ll be popping them anymore!

You know those Hot & cold bags (reusable) bags the stores sell? Likely They are nothing but some bubble wrap with foil.

Insulate Drafty Windows

Protect Walls

Love the Burglar Alarm –>

*Bubble wrap the handles of your Rake, Snow shovel etc to avoid blisters

Protect car’s windshield in winter- Use a large sheet to cover the windshield (I’d also wrap each wiper a well Then you don’t have to clear the frost off in the morning

Sleeping Bag Padding

Hold the Shape of Handbags and Purses.

Use on top and bottom of doors to block drafts.

*add to first aid kit as an emergency Cast

Don’t like the feeling of the bottom of the tub, need a last minute fix.. use some bubble wrap (or hand towel)

*15 Uses for Bubble wrap  (some ideas have been sourced from here

Bookthongs

My apologies for a lack of posts, my computer died and it took awhile to get a new one.

Have a late secret Santa gift or just don’t have a clue what to give to a family member or a friend?

Give something truly from the heart,  for anyone who likes to read (print) book, writes in a journal or just needs to keep their place in something! Also if they don’t do any of that, you could always make one to be a necklace (justs be sure its long enough to be wrapped round the neck, to look like a choker, or just drape around one’s neck.

 

I’ve started making  book thongs this year. I had purchased a couple in the past in Waldenbooks

and a friend gave me one as well (sadly it broke I used it so much! I still have yet to repair it)

In my opinion, they are better than those boring ribbons that are bound in journals (and likely not the color(s) you want), and these are much nicer looking than actual bookmarks. They are like jewelry for your book! They also stay in place better than a book mark (which always sseems to fall out) as they are weighted by the beads and charms.

Here’s a few of the ones I’ve made on your left…

The first one is a holiday gift for a friend who Likes penguins

The one in the middle was part of mom’s mother’s day gift, one year.  Mom said its so pretty it should be earrings (I think she was referring to the bottom part)

The Chinese themed one on the right is mine. I need to get a better picture of it as well as, I should take a picture of the journal(s) it should be with, (see the bottom of post.

 

To make these you need some beads, some charms, as well as chord/string.

I have leather like cord as well as some hemp twine.  Just be sure if you are buying the beads specifically for this project, that you make sure all the beads have the same size hole and the chord fits in the beads!

I’ve seen some book thongs (like the one on right)  where people have made them fully beaded (with small seed beads for the spot where it goes in the book, but that will mess up the spine of the book, as well as the book thong won’t stick in the book as it should.)

I have also thought of making my book thongs long enough to be a wrap around necklace/Choker.

One of My favorite things about book thongs is I don’t think I saw any 2 alike in the store. And when you make them for you they have your personality and likes (color, maybe interest like a Harry Potter themed one) Even when you make a gift for someone, likely it’s not just made for their interests and personality nor does it show yours, with these it does both!

 

 

If you are giving it as a gift, I came upon this cute little card one could make

I’m going to have to see if I can make some business cards with that on it (or my own version) to stick with mine.

I sell the book thongs by request, you tell me a color and a theme you want and I’ll see what I have in stock to make it and give you a price on how much it will be. I can also make matching earrings and other things if I have enough of supplies. You can make your requests in the contact form below.

 

Here are those Journals The Chinese themed bookthong goes with.

 

Want to order a bookthong?

Name(required)

Email(required)

Book Thongs (required)

Book Thong Order Request

Post Comment

Theme

Color

Write to Crafter crums(required)

Submit

Δ

Sea Shell art

Art, Animals & Home Decor! Click a pic to see more

Make your own Potpurri

Simmer a pot of this natural air freshener to add instant fall to your home.:

Here is what you will need:
– the peel of one orange
– one cut up apple
– 2 large cinnamon sticks
– 1 tablespoon of cloves
– 1 tablespoon of vanilla extract
– 1 tablespoon of almond extract
– 1.5 cups of water plus plenty more for refill

Place all ingredients in a cooking pot and simmer throughout the day while adding a bit of water from time to time. Also, you can reuse this mix for three days and store it in the fridge overnight

 

(click the image for the site it’s from and a few other combinations you might like.Ugh they couldn’t have just made a listing of the other combos.. you have to keep clicking through)

 

I love this easy gift idea (pic below)  for neighbors etc includes the ‘recipe’

Herbs and Spices Good for Potpourri Allspice Bayleaf Cardamom Caraway Seed Cinnamon Cloves Coriander Lemon Verbena Mace Marjoram Nutmeg Rosemary Sage Thyme

Flowers Gardenia Geranium Honeysuckle Hyacinth Jasmine Lavender Lilac Lily of the Valley Marigold Orange Blossom Sweet Pea Violet and, of course . . . Roses

Fruit Orange peel lemon peel lime peel

Wood Shavings Cedar Cypress Juniper

Fixatives (prevents evaporation of fragrance)

Ambrette, Asafetida, Balsam Peru, Balsam Tolu, Cedarwood, Gum Mastic, Orris Root, Patchouli, Sage, Storax,Sandalwood, Sumbul, Vetiver

Homemade Potpourri Recipes

General proportion of ingredients: 1 ½ quart / ½ quart / 1 oz Lemon Verbena, Lavender / Rose Geranium / Clary Sage Honeysuckle / Sandalwood / Balsam Tolu or Gum Mastic Rose / Rose Leaves / Vetiver Lavender / Any scented botanical / Gum Mastic Lavender and Clove / Vanilla / Orris Root Clove / Orange Flower, Lemon Peel, Cassia, Rose Leaves / Orris Root

Tips for Using Homemade Potpourri Recipes and General Instructions

Dry flowers and herbs before use.

Methods of drying:

• Tie bunches with ordinary string and hang upside down in a warm, dry place. Near a stove or in a closet, works well.
• Or, drape a length of cheesecloth between two chairs and cover with pedals, adding another layer of cheesecloth on top.
• This will allow the flowers to get air circulation above and below, helping them to dry more quickly.
• Or, scatter on a cookie sheet lined with cheesecloth and dry in the oven set on the lowest temperature with door open.

The slower your dry your petals, the more supple they will be: fast drying makes petals brittle. Read here for more information on drying roses

Cleaning herbs – After picking herbs, rinse lightly with water to cleanse. Too much water will drown them.

A note on roses – Damask roses are the most fragrant, but if your blooms aren’t excessively fragrant, add a touch of rose oil.

Don’t use toxic sources. Only use ingredients that have not been treated with insecticide or fungicide. Their toxicity can effect you.

Don’t use metal bowls or utensils for handling potpourri, except for the knife to cut them. Use wood or plastic to stir, baskets, enamel or ceramic to carry and mix.

Mix powder or crushed spice in a separate bowl before adding to mixture. Mix oils separately as well.

Add the spices to the mix, then the oils.

Once mixed, pour mixture into a large glass jar, store sealed in a cool dark place for a couple of months. Occasionally remove the jar and shake to blend.

Collect flowers on a dry day or at least 1-2 days after it has rained. The best time is in the morning after the dew has dried but before the sun is high enough to have dried out the flowers’ oils, about 8-10 am.

Collect 3 times as many flowers as you think you will need because their weight decreases by 2/3.

For roses, cut off the little white area at the base of each petal (if you want the color to be uniform).

For annual flowers, cut to the ground, for perennials, cut half way down. Pick off bad leaves and rinse lightly to remove dirt.

 

 

make-beautiful-basket.