Saturday, February 12, 2011

Sew Darn Crafty...Blog Party #2!!

Thank you so much for joining last week's Sew Darn Crafty party....everyone shared such wonderful projects! So let's see what you've been doing this week!

Remember you can share anything from sewing, knitting, or anything crafty...painting, furniture re-dos etc. If you're having a give away or would like to share an Etsy shop of your handmade items, link up too. Link parties are a great way to share your blog and find new friends along the way. Share as many projects as you'd like!! There's no limit.

If you could just add a written link to Sew Darn Crafty Party in your post or grab the button for your side bar, that would be great. That way more people can join the fun.

IF YOU'RE NEW TO LINK PARTIES AND ARE AFRAID TO JOIN, READ HERE. IT'S SO EASY...COME ON YOU CAN DO IT!!!

Go to the bottom of the page where it says "You're next...Click here to enter"

Box 1...is the address box for just the project post not your whole blog. How to find that address? Go to that particular post, click on the Title of the post and the page should re-load again. Now, at the top of the page in the box should be the address for just that post. Starts with http. Click on that post...it should turn blue or another color. Now with the cursor over the address, RIGHT click, then click COPY. Now go back to the entry box for the party and RIGHT click in the first box and PASTE. All done

Box 2...is just the title of the project you'd like to share. It shows up under the picture.

Box 3...is your email address. This DOES NOT show up any where except on my party dashboard so I can contact you if need be.

Box 4...is just the picture you'd like to share from either one of your files or from the web.

That's it!



Thanks for joining in on the fun. So let's see what you've been up to lately!
~Karen~



Wednesday, February 9, 2011

Colleen's Corner...Candle Recycling

I received an email from my sister Colleen and in the subject line it said...Tool Time idea??? Attached were these first 2 pictures. Colleen is my one and only sister (I have 3 brothers, but they would never send me a Tool Time idea). She's extra special to me in so many ways...oh wait sew many ways!! We're 9 years apart, but those years faded away when we both took care of our mom the years before she passed away. Now we are sounding boards for each other taking care of our dad.

She wanted this to be a Tool Time post, but she is so talented I wanted to give her a special place here on my blog. I'll be sharing more of her ideas and creations in the future too.

So welcome to Colleen's Corner...

Cute jar for storing craft sticks right?





Well, here's the before. We all have candles in jars and they don't have to be Yankee Candles either.


Remember the post I did a long time ago about recycling the wax at the bottom of the jar that the wick doesn't burn? Click here to see that post. Well, once you freeze and take out that extra wax, chip away what ever is left and then use hot water to melt the rest of the wax away. The label of the Yankee Candle is a clear sticker that peels off. You can also use Goo Off for any gumminess that's left on the outside.


and here you have it...the best, cutest, FREE storage jar for your craft room.



I also have a post coming up about how my sister made a kitchen island in my dad's kitchen in about 5 minutes...not including hauling all the furniture up from my basement. Poor thing was trapped with my dad at our house for a week during the blizzard while we were away in Disney World! She doesn't drink, but I'm pretty sure she had her fair share of wine that week. LOL
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See you soon,
~Karen~

Monday, February 7, 2011

Tool Time Tuesday...French Drain Organization

The word French sounds romantic...then the word drain, not so much. Just ruins it, but that's what they're called. What are they really used for? Well, they keep water away from the foundation of your home. A trench is dug, filled with gravel and the perforated pipe (French drain) is placed to carry water away from the area.

Hey, maybe I should put a French drain around my sewing room. Some of you already know my 86 year old, forgetful dad lives with us and has flooded the house 5 times and the last time was my whole sewing room...that's why my new sewing room is where it is now, out of harms way. I think. LOL Maybe I should also put up a fire wall around it too...the lady's voice from our smoke alarm system is all too familiar. I think he needs to stick to cooking in the microwave.

I digress...back to french drains.

This bookcase is in my sewing room. These canning jars are full of buttons. The shelves in the bookcase are permanent and can't be adjusted, so just look at all that wasted space above the jars.




Well, not any more...French Drain Storage at it's best!



This is a French drain pipe. 10 feet long and 4 inches in diameter. $5.41 each at Home Depot. (That store really should give me a gift card to the store so I can have a give away with it for all of you...seriously, how many times do I mention their name! I think I might contact them)


Here are the perforations for the water to enter the pipe. For me, they were the spots where I started to saw the pipe into sections.


Don't worry about 10 feet of pipe fitting in your car. The first piece went into my van no problem. Then we went back for another piece and it coiled up nicely in my husband's Jeep Liberty.


The first step is to measure the depth of your shelf. Mine was 11 1/2".



I cut the pipe a 1/2" shorter than the depth of the shelf...so 11 inches. Adjust to fit your shelf.



This is the perforated spot where you will start to saw.



It's a very soft plastic and cuts like butter or should I say buttah!!



The edges can be a little jagged, just use little wire snips to trim evenly.



Now just stack them up inside you bookcase or shelf. Hmmm...what to fill it with?



How about all your yarn that you have stored away in bags or baskets?



It's the perfect size for each skein.





They can also hold all your needles, except the ones you are carrying in your pvc knitting needle holders you made from last week's Tool Time. Click here if you haven't seen that project.



How about all your spray paint cans that we use in our crafting projects. All stored neatly away and easy to see the color on the cap. I also stored all the bottles of different glues that I uses.



Now, for my original reason to make more room...all those canning jars of buttons. This is a picture of all the canning jars that were on the shelf in the beginning. Look how much more room I have left over.



I've started to glue one of the buttons on the cap of the jar. Shows what's inside each jar.



Each pipe holds one large canning jar...just slides right into the pipe. Oh, wait...French drain, that sounds fancier!


Also holds 2 small canning jars. See that one way in the back of the pipe? That's the space saving part.



So, what will you put in your French drains?
  • great for a pantry...stores all your cans of veggies or soups. All the same kind in one pipe. Just mark the top of the can with a marker, so you know what's in there.
  • in a work shop for extension cords, wood supplies like long dowels.
  • in the garage or basement to store sports equipment, like bats even plastic play bats.
  • wine bottle storage
  • the possibilities are endless...


Have fun with your French drains. Not the ones for the "outside" of your house...the ones for "inside" your house. Although if you have a dad like mine, you'll need them for "inside" your house, LOL!
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Have a wonderful Tuesday. Don't forget to join in on the Sew Darn Crafty Blog Party. There are so many wonderful projects from beginning to end. You can add as many projects as you'd like.
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~Karen~

Look Twice At Sale Items...

I had a gift certificate to Target that I received for my birthday last month and it was burning a hole in my pocket. Well, you know me...I love a deal. I bought 2 sweaters for myself and all this pictured below. The title of the post is Look Twice at Sale Items. How many times do you look at something in the clearance section and say...Good price, but I don't need that". Well maybe you don't need the item in it's original form, but what could you do with it if you repurposed it.

This is a 100% cotton tablecloth...




for $3.74 down from $14.99. Do I need another tablecloth? NO



But could I use this heavy weight fabric to make tote bags for Courtney and Kelsie or grocery bags to take to the market? YES!


Do I need another vinyl tablecloth? Another NO!


But for $1.48, can I make a design wall from the flannel backing on the tablecloth or a cute drop cloth for the craft table while painting something or maybe a lined tote bag? YES!



Ok, you can't repurpose candles, but these were just to cheap to pass up.



48 cents...that's cheaper than a pack of gum.



These are candle holders.



Cheap, cheap, cheap.



and look, I have cheap candles to go in them! The candle holders would be great for other things too...Q tips in your bathroom, bread sticks or pretzel rod holder, pen holder, etc.



These are plastic place mats. Why did I buy them? Who knows, but you know they were cheap. I stood in the isle staring at them, rolling them up, playing with them. Then my husband walked over, saw that glazed look in my eye and all he said was...Tool Time? Enough said. I bought 10 of them! LOL





I'm hoping to make something this week with these goodies and when I take the pictures, I'll share the Afters of all these Befores.
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Don't forget I have my SEW DARN CRAFTY blog party going on all week. Link up your favorite sewing, knitting or craft projects and bring new friends to your blog for a visit. You can link up as many projects as you'd like. Just click the red link to bring you there.
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Have a great Monday,
~Karen~

Wisata Danau Toba - Sumatera Utara

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