July 25, 2007

ThriftyFun Crafts - July 25, 2007


Volume 2, Number 29, July 25, 2007 (Read It Online)

Thanks for reading,

Susan

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Today's newsletter contains:

Photos and Projects:

Tips:

Requests:

Today's Sponsor:

Crafting for Fun and Money!

If you are an avid crafter, capable writer and own a digital camera, you are eligible to participate. Submit your craft projects to ThriftyFun and we will pay $15 for any crafts that we publish.

More Information:
Click Here: http://www.thriftyfun.com/post_craft.ldml

Photos and Projects:

Tie Dye Paper

For paper-crafters who are interested in making their own Tie Dye Paper. This fun and messy Tie Dye Paper "recipe" leads to lots of fun with the kids and several sheets of pretty paper for scrapbooking and card making!

Tie Dye Paper

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Build And Sell Birdhouses From Found Lumber

Pallet wood is naturally weathered and looks like old barn siding. Use it to make simple, rustic birdhouses and bird feeders which can be sold at flea markets or even better wholesale them to garden centers around town. You could get $10 to $20 a piece for these birdhouses. The retailer usually resells them at double the price. . .

To see the entire article, including step by step instructions for making birdhouses from wooden pallets, follow this link:

Thanks to Agatha from Leesville, LA for submitting this tip.

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Beaded Thong Bookmarks

Beaded Bookmarks--often marketed as "Book Thongs" and sold for seven to ten dollars at bookstores, but easy to make and an excellent project to use up odd bead leftovers from other projects. These also make lovely gifts--especially if you are also giving a book!

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Making A Magnifier From Old Glasses

Being so frugal, low income, and recycling everything possible, I found a very good and handy idea for my poor vision, having only one pair of proper strength glasses. Every time I'm resting, I must take off my glasses, then should the phone ring, door knock, I scramble to find them. Same problem with books, phone, reading, Bible, magazines, and mail. I've got only one medium sized magnifier but I have to walk all the time to get it, then walk to return it beside the easy chair where I watch TV and sew or mend at same time.

While cleaning out my grandson's drawers as a surprise for him while he's on vacation, I found a pair of metal rimmed glasses broken in the exact middle. At first I was just upset that they'd gotten broken. Then I tried something:

I had been making bookmarks and decided to heavy-glue a 1" poly ribbon scrap about 12" long to one of the broken eyeglass halves. When it was dry, I decoraged the attached place with tiny beads/pearls placing them just inside the metal rim carefully with marine glue and a toothpick, then added a different 1" flat grosgain ribbon to the other half lens for a second one.

As they dried I had a handy decorated "Victorian" monocle magnifier for two books, with ribbons that could stay inside the book for convenient use when I needed extra magnification to read smaller print. The book also sits near my bathroom door for reading medicine labels and ingredient lists as well.

Before adding beads/pearls/ribbon, use wire cutter to remove nose piece connections/ear-piece arms, and metal file any metal sharp places down gently. Glue ribboon to the worst of the two places on each of the lens pieces, as well as an additional piece of ribbon on the back-side of the attachment of the ribbon, dry well, then add beads or pearls.

This is not the easiest craft, but if the eyeglasses are fairly round or only slightly oval, the remaining metal framing strong, and the lens not too thick, it can be made to work AND look attractive. The glue needs to be Marine or extra strong Household glue. Handle carefully so as not to nick fingers. I thought about bending the arm straight as a type of handle, but most glasses have arms too thin to hold, so I felt it best to remove them and embellish the rims well but thinly instead. The right kind of glue is critical to the success of this project. Don't make the embellishment too wide so as to reduce the visibility through the lens.

This wonderful frugal recycling craft serves not only as a lovely monocle, but also as a easy way to store it so it doesn't get lost too easily when needed, saving steps and frustration. I see no reason why all older unusuable broken eyeglasses still in a metal frame could not be used for this purpose. It's a good idea to attach the ribbon at the place it broke off, then glue another piece to the other side for reinforcement and protection from any sharp edge from the break. Check to see that the glass is secure in the frame before beginning.

Don't plan on holding it with your eyelids against your eye, as some of the men did in Teddy Roosevelt's time, before my time too, but rather just hold it gently when well dried, and it makes reading less frustrating to see the sweet handiwork of art. If one does this well enough, it could be sold or passed on to future generations.

By Lynda from TX

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Personalized Name Decoration

Many nurseries include the child's name or initials on the wall. Why not make this sweet accent yourself?

Personalized Name Decoration

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Hippo Table

At a focus group, I was paid $60 for my ideas for a complete new type of restaurant that had never been done. It was used by the company who got the feedback from this Market Research Focus Group they'd hired for such a venture, and actually built it all to my total amazement, and it has become the most wonderful and unusual place in the state. It has a Tropical Jungle theme.

For a child's table idea I would strongly urge you to make one great table out of two circular ones with legs, by doing this:

Take the legs off one table, paint white, and set aside to dry until later. Draw and cut out the pattern of the top of a hippo head, from a bird's eye view. Paint it and the remaining legs from the bottom table, the typical med. gray of a Hippo, wrapping the edges of the table top with the paint.

When dry add the black "dots" only for imitation whiskers, paint the nostrils shading black or dark gray, eyes in black/white. Then cut and attach tiny grey vinyl or gray leather "ears" tacked well to the outer edge of the table top, a little past middle towards rear of Hippo head, but over the big mouth. (A child will likely be attracted to these ears and pull on them off and on in playing/talking to the "Hippo")

Find the best line to cut the painted top ALMOST in half, but just after the ears, side to side, creating the illusion, when tilted up, of the open mouth of the Hippo, when in fact it turns into a caged hollow storage table for placing things inside the Hippo's mouth-cage when open). but nothing can sit on top, keeping it clean to view the Hippo, and clear to open the "Hippo Mouth-Cage" for storing inside. (cut top almost into half but hinge the halves back into place with a piano hinge, if you can afford it, hiding the hinge pin underneath so that the top can become the top of the Hippo cage' mouth storage table.)

Take the painted white legs and measure off, sawing straight, the equal lengths of about 4-5" each. Turning over the Hippo-head that's now dry, mark off the correct numbers of places all around the underside edge, glueing leg lengths with Carpenter's Glue (Elmers?) and leaving them sticking onto the spots marked until dry. This will be the top of the table and the combo of "teeth/cage rails" when glue is totally dry overnight. Make certain that they are standing like a straight equally spaced line of birthday candles around the outer edges of a cake, so it will be ready, when dry the next day, to glue down to the same number of spots on the other table which should be painted like the inside mouth of the Hippo, complete with 2" grey edge, outlining a flat rosy or ruby tongue, for the inside top and bottom of the table, the tongue being drawn/painted inside of the spots where the "Hippo mouth-cage" will mate up to top of the Hippo mouth-cage.

When all paint/glue is totally dry, drill holes for thin 2" wood screws ( you will drill through the top down, and from the bottom up, into each "tooth" for stability after they are all glued tightly and in place for drilling.

The top front teeth of the mouth-cage will be attached ONLY to the top. The bottom front teeth AREA will be flat when mouth is open for sliding things into the table for storage.

By sawing the hinge opening not quite at the half-way mark on the top of the table, it will be easier for a child to open the Hippo's mouth with teeth attached all the way back over the head and put the upper "teeth" out of the child's way, also allowing a surface to set something out from storage.

Turn table upside down and attach the bottom legs, (which you have painted grey, complete with white cloven hooves, and dried well overnight as well), to the finished Hippo Mouth-Caged Table. Before taking into the home, give the entire table, teeth, mouth, inside/out, a single spray-coating of clear polyurethane.

If the child is shown how to take care of things well, it should last through the early growing stages until ready to be matched up with more "grown up" furniture, such as a "caged/mosquito netted" bunk-bed and tree-ladder?

I believe a painted jungle wall or two, with tall giraffes against a tall golden light brown bamboo grove/olive-drab leaves, dark green vine, and a friendly brown/gray/olive boa snake, wrapped around one thick bamboo stalk, with a bright shade of blue sky peeking through at the top, from the same colored blue ceiling would about complete the room for a starter, don't you? Remember a couple of zebras off in the distant horizon on the third wall, standing on the painted grassy plains? Don't add too much to your paintings. Less is more, especially when all the toys get scattered around. You'll want to keep it bold and beautiful, right? Good luck. Hope you make and enjoy my ideas? God bless you as you consider some of His creation as your child's theme, and perhaps with a simple scripture on a Jungle sign: "Where your heart is, so there is also your Treasure, God loves you." theme?

By Lynda from TX

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Homemade Barbie Doll Hats

This is a project that requires supervision for the first step. Decorating will keep the little girl's occupied without much help.

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Tips:

Tea Kettle Yard Art

I painted this tea kettle white and put black splatters on it. I set it on an old iron stove that sits on our deck. I will probably put some plants in it.

By WandaJo from Tennessee

Teakettle300x224.jpg Teakettle300x224.jpg

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Remove Vintage Dress Sleeves For A Trendy Look

Do you know that the latest fashion trend in L.A. is re-making vintage clothes? One thing they are doing, which is easy enough to do yourself is taking vintage dresses and cutting off the top/sleeves and making sleeveless sundresses out of them! A cost-saving project for your fashion-hungry teenager!

By pamphyila from Los Angeles

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Old Coffeemaker For Melting Candle Wax

I bought an old coffee maker at the thrift store for about $4 and use it to melt bits of old candles with. I made molds from plastic container of different shapes and sand molds from the dollar store. I drilled a small hole in the bottom of the container to put the wick through and use duct tape to seal the hole, tie the wick to a pencil layed across the container to hold the wick in place and pour the wax in to set.

When I'm done with it, I let it cool and put it away in the closet. No need to clean the coffee pot out, just keep for the next time you want to use it. If you want, pour the unused wax in a sour cream container and save it for next time you use that color wax. No more messy wax in your double boiler or on your stove top!

By Mary from Charleston, SC

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Buy And Use Miscellaneous Craft Scraps

One woman's remnant, is another woman's reward. Every single garage sale/estate sale, I have ever been to has had at least one bag of miscellaneous sewing notions: buttons, lace, beads, and threads for cheap. Or I've seen them tossed curbside after not selling them in their brief sale.

This is what I do as I look through it at home:

Over the years I have accumulated so many bargain or "found" all-occasion cards so that I have a bundle. The newer ones in stores are clever, have special ornamentation added to the outside, along with a few dollar increase in price. I spend a little time in the card sections of stores a few times a year, learning what/how they've made the old styles special.

Like a scrapbook page, I spend a few rare free hours enjoying the goodie bag or old jewelry box or tiny brown paper sack of bits and pieces of metallic cording, soutache trim, suede leather remnants, one-of-a-kind trims, left over from someone else's imagination/projects. I then come up with a lot of interesting ideas for improving the most boring out-of-date cards I have, starting with the oldest stack first. I do only a few at a time, in only a few categories.

If I have a card with nothing but a tall pines photo, I use the tiny leather strips for embellishing the bark, and use tiny pressed fern leaves, pre-sprayed with hair-spray, which I've pressed/saved in a phone directory, for three-dimensional leaves on the closest trees. Glue any old unused spices make up "woodsy" ground covering, (with a mini-trimmed feather) and even a tiny paper kite cut-out from a magazine illustration, thickened by glue, attached to a piece of tiny cording, "caught up" in the tree top. A single tiny layer of trimmed thin poly cotton from an old medicine bottle packaging, overlapping one of the highest branches for a cloud-covering adds curious mystique and brings back childhood memories to the recipient.

I'm careful not to make any of the embellished cards too thick for their envelopes, otherwise I must use one of the several odd larger spare card envelopes that I've accumulated from making a mistake from poor writing or messiness inside the original card that I had to toss. See, I just save and recycle as much as I can and truly enjoy doing it, for free, except for the glues, during the few odd times I have breaks, rare as those times are. Being crafty in the past does help, even as one ages. I'm planning to take some of the supplies to my mother in the Assisted Living home on a covered tray, so she might enjoy helping me "craft" to give her something to do.

This is very challenging, stimulates the imagination like working with miniatures, and doll furniture and houses, but can be enjoyed by men and boys as well, if they use the more masculine cards, various sorts of pipecleaners, wires, strings, ropes, denims and more rugged trims, even tiny things from the gumball machines, patches, plaid ribbon for neckties, ideas on men's cards: all good rainy day crafts to work along with other crafters in the home.

Once it's all complete, I add my special applicable pre-printed Holy Scripture to the inside cover, for encouragement or comfort, whatever the need may be, because I live my faith in real life.

I also save unblemished, clean cellophane flat bags from individually wrapped PopTarts, and waffles, (when I can afford them) throughout the year, so that I can use them to "final wrap" embellished cards for easier insertion into their envelopes.

Although I can never purchase gifts as I have so often over the years for folks, I find a heart is softened and moved when I take the time to make them this special sort of card. Sometimes they are more attractive than storebought.

By Lynda from TX

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Furoshiki For Green And Frugal Carrying

Have you ever heard of a "furoshiki"? Basically it is a square of soft fabric - like a large bandanna - that can be used in many ways for carrying items.

I have used this in various ways over the years, after learning of it during the 4 years I lived in Japan. Daily, I use one to wrap my lunch. I simply set my lunch items in the middle of a large cotton square, and tie up the opposite corners, leaving a little bit of slack for a handle. When I get to the cafeteria, I can open it up and make a placemat, and then when lunch is over I can fold it up and tuck it in my pocket. It is easy to throw in the wash if it gets soiled, and very lightweight. When I used to have to go to the laundromat, I would bundle my laundry in a very large square, leaving enough slack to sling it over my shoulder. The cloth could be thrown right in the wash with everything else, and then i would spread it out, fold the laundry into it, and carry everything home.

I have made them for people and used them as giftwrap, so the wrapping was something useful to them also.

The link below shows tying diagrams for carrying everything from watermelons to wine bottles - all with just a square of cloth.

By Regina from Rochester, NY

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Chandelier Light Covers

Do you have old Chandelier light covers that give you a headache when you look at them? With a little paint and ribbon, you can have brand new covers!

Total project time: 4 hours

Actual work time: 2 hours

Materials

  • Four chandelier covers, cleaned and dried
  • Four colors of craft paint; I used blue, green, pink, and yellow
  • Four colors of ribbon, long enough to circle the top of the covers; I used blue, green, red, and yellow
  • Hot glue
  • Newspaper
  • Paintbrush and paper plate, optional

barechandelier300x225.jpg

Instructions

Wash the covers thoroughly. After the covers are completely dry, lay them on your spread out newspaper. Choose a color of paint and either 1) squirt some on the paper and use your brush, or 2) squirt some paint directly on the bottom of the cover; I used the second method. Using the tip of the paint bottle (or your paintbrush), spread the paint onto the cover thick enough so you cannot see the cover. Use a different color on each cover. Let dry. Measure the length of ribbons to fit snugly around the top of the covers, overlapping an inch, and cut.

chandelier2300x225.jpg

Put the red ribbon on the blue cover, the green ribbon on the yellow cover, the blue ribbon on the green cover, and the yellow ribbon on the pink cover. place a drop of hot glue on the cover and put one end of the ribbon down. Wrap the ribbon around the cover, gluing occasionally to help it stay in place. Glue the end securely to the beginning of the ribbon.

By Jessica from Marion, NC

chandelierAll576x225.jpg

Chandelier Light Covers

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Elder's Fabric Advice Paid Off

I've seen others make things that looked great and with which they seemed very proud. However, I have not ever been totally pleased with everything I have sewn, usually because of the fabrics chosen. Now, I'm steering clear of a lot of bad fabrics, about which my WW II sewing-factory grandmother taught me as a young woman, before she passed away:

Bulky, itchy, bold, bright, cheap printed, metallic, fringed, vinyl, leather, velvet, corduroy, satin, sequined/studded/beaded, silk, fake fur, knit stretchy, rayon, smelly dyes, flimsy wrinkle-prone imports, and fabrics that have to be hand-washed or must have especially gentle handling and soaps or dry cleaning.

Instead, I have for forty years concentrated on the most washable, smoothest textures, moderately tight weaves, poly blends, medium colors, solids or texture on texture, made in America, light weight, year-round usage, breathable, quick drying, nothing see-through, woven patterns on both sides, resisting fad fabrics from overpriced fabric stores in favor of these features in the clothing I already have chosen, found or have been given, proven, enjoy, can trust, have safely stored. Taking her advice over the years, and for this knowledge, I am very grateful.

Life is too short to gamble, experiment, or to pay for dry cleaning, repairing, and gasoline hunting for fabrics and fads that fade all too soon, and don't flatter most of me anyway. It makes being of lower income and a frugal resolve easier to accept and manage. Most of my clothing has lasted over thirty years with this advice. God bless those who love us.

By Lynda from TX

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Uses for Recycled Glass Jars

Here are a bunch of creative ways to use recycled glass jars from condiments and other foods.

Craft Storage

If you're a crafter, use them to store your crafting supplies! Be sure to decorate each one. For example, if you're using one to store trim, use a piece of that trim along the rim of the jar. Glass jars also make great recycled gift ideas. Clean the jar very well. Then, fill the jar with the dry ingredients for cookies. Try to layer them neatly - brown sugar packed down, flour, baking soda, etc. Then create a cute gift tag using leftover wrapping paper.

By Andi

Gifts In A Jar

You can use them for Gifts in a Jar. Fill them with the ingredients to make cookies, brownies, whatever. After you put the lid on it, put a pretty piece of fabric on the lid and secure with a rubber band, followed by matching ribbon. Print mixing/baking instructions on a small card. Trim the card with pinking shears. Using a hole punch, put a hole in an upper corner of the card. Thread this card on the ribbon you are using to cover up the rubber band. If you use a ribbon that is 1/4 to 1/2 wide, you can put a bead of hot glue down the center of it to secure the ribbon to the fabric covered or rubber banded lid. Finish ribbon off with a bow and add a touch of hot glue so it won't come untied.

There are tons of different mix recipes on the crafting sites on the web: find one that you like, make it "yours" and have fun with it!

God Bless

By GrammySheila

Gift Mix Recipes

Here is the link to ThriftyFun's recipes for gift mixes:

Homemde Hot Cocoa

I use for gifts in a jar. Homemade; hot cocoa with marshmellows, etc. I put a tag on it, top with a fabric round, tied with a ribbon, etc.

By keeper60

Painting Jars

For jars that have pretty shapes, decorate them with the wonderful glass paints and relief decorative (tubes). The paints can be baked in a regular oven to be permanent. The jars can be filled with potpourri, candles, cotton balls for the bathroom, even cookies. I printed off some ideas for creative writing projects for kids and another for adults. Pulling out one a day and writing on that topic is good exercise for writing skills. Hope this sets people going!

By EasternLady

Decoupage Jars

I love to decoupage them. My son and I love making crafts, and use any glass bottles and jars to do this. We just rip or cut out any type of paper (magazine, newspaper, tissue paper, wrapping paper, etc.), into pieces small enough to work with, and cover the clean, dry jar with a thin layer of glue (diluted with water)... then, carefully add each piece of paper, making sure to smooth out all rough areas/or bubbles. Once covered, add another layer of the glue solution over top of the paper pieces. Of course, the finished product will not be water soluble, but it can be made so... with a sealer, found in, either, the crafts section or hardward dept. of Walmart or similar store. I have also used fabric to decoupage, with beautiful results! Your imagination is the limit! Then, if you want, you can add candies, small cookies, mixes, trinkets, etc. and give as personal gifts!

By Heather S.

Small Aquariums Or Terrariums

You can use them to have Betas (Siamese Fighting Fish) in since they don't need an air filter; you can use them as pots. Take some small gravel, put in the bottom, fill partway with indoor potting soil, seeds, then fill the rest of the way with potting soil up to 1" from top, screw the lid on until the seeds grow to little plants, take the lid off, put in a baggy to create a green-house effect, then when they're big enough to be out of the bag, take them out. Be sure you label what kind of plant, and date planted. Mostly works for small flowers (African violets, herbs, ect.)

For The Holidays

If you have a Christmas or Hanukkah party in December, those jars will look absolutely spectacular with lit candles in them, lining the driveway and entrance. I have seen and used them in this fashion and they are breathtaking.

By Margie

Pourppori Jars

I fill them with pourppori and as I fill the jar, I use a small stand of 20 clear christmas lights tucking it around as I fill the jar. When you have it filled you can take a long spoon and space the lights out. Place the cord out the back. Put a rubber band and the rim to hold the cord, then put a doily over the top and tie a ribbon around it . These are great little light and the heat of the lights makes the pourppori smell wonderful! I sell them at craft shows for 20 bucks apiece in a gallon size- now I need more jars having sold over forty !

By Cindy

Snowman Jars

I make snowman lamps out of old jars and the small white or colored Xmas tree lights, usually the 15 light strands. Clean the outside of the jar with soap and water, rinse and dry with lintless towel. Using paper towel or cosmetic squares, rub alcohol all over the outside of the jar. Let dry naturally.

Do not handle the outside of the jar with bare hands--you may leave oily fingerprints, then paint may not stick. Use disposable rubber type gloves. Put the jar over one hand if mouth is wide enough, otherwise, hold the jar by the top rim. Squeeze some whilt acrylic paint out onto a paper plate. Dampen a sea/wool sponge and dip into paint. Sponge the paint all over the jar, thin coat. Set aside to let dry. Clean sponge (Actually I do several jars at a time.)

When jar(s) are dry, sponge another coat of white paint onto entire surface. Dry, clean sponge. Repeat these steps til jar has at least 3 coats of paint. It should not be too opaque that you can't see thru the jar, but opaque enough that you can't see the green light strand too clearly.. Let sit to dry for several hours, or overnight. It is not neccessary to bake it.

Later, paint 2 smiling eyes on one side 1/3rd of the way down from the top, using an artist brush, round, pointy one and black paint. Under the eyes, paint a pointy carrot with orange paint, and under that, a silly grin with a liner brush. With an old scruffy brush or a stencil brush, paint a light "blush" on each cheek in pink.

When all is good and dry again, brush a clear glosss acrylic sealer over the entire jar. 2 coats are better than one and 3 thin coats are best. While the sealer is drying, insert the Xmas lights, with the cord hanging out the top.

Make a "stocking cap" out of a scrap of fleece, or a brightly colored kid's sock. Put that over the mouth of the jar, arrange "jauntily", and sew or hot glue jingle bell to the very top or end of the "cap". Plug in the lights, and Voila ! A Snowman Lamp!

I make these to sell at craft shows and they fly off my shelves. I price them according to size, starting with $3.00 for little guys that I put a battery tealight inside to $6.00 for the mayo jar size. They make great gifts, too, for teachers, nursing home residents, the aunty or uncle who has everything else in the world, mainly everybody. Oh, and if you don't think you can paint the face, you might try looking for those rub on decal faces at your local craft or Michael's store. Have fun!

By Kathi in Beautiful Wisconsin

Decorative And Gift Ideas

Depending on the size of jars, bigger ones add sand or coloured gravel and put a candle in and tie a ribbon around the top, For smaller ones, insert a tea light candle and do the same at the top as bigger one, these make ideal lanterens in the garden on a nice evening.

Another idea is cover the lids with a scrap bit of fabric or parer, stick flower oasis or play clay on inside of the lid and stick in some artifical flowers into the oasis or clay then screw the jar back onto the lid upside dow and then you have a nice floral decoration to display.

Kids could also make snow storms, instead of flowers stick a small toy or figure then fill jar with water and glitter. but make sure the lid is screwed back on tightly so there are no leaks when shaken,

Hope you find these suggestions of interest!

By Gillie

Thankful Jar

You can paint them, decoupage them, glue beads on them, pot plants in them, put pretty collections in them, use them to give gifts in instead of a bag, insert a pretty cloth or tissue paper, cover the lid with a corresponding pattern, tie ribbon with gift card and fill with goodies, gifts, small trinkets, gift cards, etc. they are great to individualize for sharing homemade baked goods. Also, I put a thankful jar out and each person writes what they are thankful for and sticks it in the jar, when we are feeling down and out we pull our thankful notes, and feel better immediately. Hope this helps.

By Tinah

Affirmation Gift Jar

I love my jars! I too do bath salts, candy, cookie, cake and bread mixes in the nicer shaped jars for gifts but I mainly use my jars for day to day storage for everything from food staples (beans, rice, cereals, snacks etc.) to nails, nuts, bolts, screws, rubber bands, paper clips, cotton balls, q-tips, SOS pads, etc. I can't even name all the things I have in all my recycled jars. If I know if I want to keep them in view I will either spray paint the lid or cover it with cloth or paper decoupage so it looks a lot more presentable.

One year when I was strapped for money right at my nephews birthday, I got a really nice jar, painted the lid a very neon orange and filled the jar with little strips of a various colors of brightly colored neon paper. The strips of paper were about the size of those you find in fortune cookies and on each one I wrote a message on it for my twelve year old nephew who was going through a rough time and feeling down in the dumps because of his parents divorce. I wrote things like "You're a terrific kid", "Have a great day!" "Hugs and kisses" "You have a wonderful smile" "I love how you are so kind and caring when talking to Mrs. Jones" (our elderly neighbor) etc. I put about fifty of these affirmations in the jar as well as about ten that offered low cost things like "Good for an ice cream cone" or "Good for a hug" or "Good for one movie ticket" etc.

He only got to pull one strip a day and couldn't look through the jar before he pulled a strip of paper. Every day he had something to look forward to and he never knew if it was going to be a "warm fuzzy" or a little "gift". I put a little tag on the jar explaining all of this but I still wasn't very sure how my very materialistic and spoiled nephew would deal with this as a gift for his birthday. I thought he might think it was lame but he LOVED it! At the end of the sixty days, he asked if we could do it again! Who Knew?

Anyway the idea is that you just need to be creative. I have always been a big fan of recycling and I always need things organized so I just combined the two... Hope you got one or two ideas. Happy jar collecting

By Jane

Painted Jars For Cannisters

My family loves kosher dill pickles. We buy them in large gallon jars. I had about 10 of these jars and didn't know what to do with them, until I got an idea. I have a beautiful canister set that I don't use because it is graduated and it doesn't hold enough. I decided to paint my jars to match my kitchen decor. At the time I was into apples. I painted all sorts of apples and the name of each thing I kept in them. We moved into a new house and the kitchen is "purple". At first I hated it. The theme is grapes, fruit and birds. I used nail polish remover to remove the apples. I redid my "canister" set. They are now grapes and birds. I guess if we move again, I can redo them again. I love my canisters.

By Susie from Buckhead, GA

Feel free to post your ideas below.

Cookies Gift Mix

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Laundry Bottle Craft Ideas

Craft ideas using laundry detergent bottles.

Detergent Bottle Boats

These "Detergent Bottle Boats" are adapted from Crafts to Make in the Summer by Kathy Ross. The Millbrook Press, 1999.

Cut the top half off a plastic clothes detergent or fabric softener bottle leaving as much of the handle as possible. The bottom half of the bottle will become the boat. The boat can be decorated with permanent markers. Put a stick down into the hollow handle and use a rubber band to attach a laundry detergent cap to the top to make a crow's nest. Provide lots of corks to be made into people to man the ship. Details can be added to the cork using a permanent marker. (Cork people are very good swimmers.)

Ball Catchers

You can make ball catches out of the bottles. Here's a link with instructions.

By FlaKathy

Clothespins

Clean them up really good. Let the kids drop clothespins into the opening. Good for fine motor actions.

By Mildred

Birdhouse

Try cutting small holes in the bottle and punching a hole in the cap. Thread a sturdy wire or string through the hole in the cap. Paint or decorate the bottle, fill with bird seed and hang outside for your feathered friends to enjoy while the kids play outside.

By Jennifer

Camping Clean Up

Wash your hands when camping. My mother used to do this whenever we would go camping. It worked well, we could clean up before getting into the camper before meals.

You will need a clean, empty detergent, bleach or a gallon milk bottle, an old piece of pantyhose about 2-3 ft. long, depending on the height of those washing their hands, a bar of soap, a string with a larger nail tied to it on one end.

Insert the bar of soap into the pantyhose,s hake it to the bottom and tie off to enclose soap, then tie the other end of the pantyhose and the string with nail to the detergent bottle handle. With your nail, poke a hole into the bottom-side of the bottle, opposite the detergent bottle handle, fill your bottle with water, put the cap on and tie it to a tree branch.

You will want to have a towel near by. When you want to wash up, just pull the nail, lather up your hands with soap, then rinse and dry. Don't forget to put the 'plug' (nail) back so there is enough water for others.

By Mara

Storage Containers

My aunt still uses hers on her clothesline to hold clothespins. You could make a row of them and decorate them for the laundry room. Cut tops off of them, leaving the handle (or not). Use one to hold fabric softener sheets, solo socks or mittens, etc. I have a jar on my laundry shelf that I store anything I find in the laundry. My kids have to sit and stare at it knowing they have to earn it back from me. I also have a jar for money, I call it "Paying the maid" or "Paying the laundry lady".

You could do the same thing with craft supplies. WRite or make a label for each bottle and leave it handle side out toward the shelf and store crayons, markers, etc.

These are good to hang from trees full of bird seed or to use as a water scoop. Our well water is too cold to water our garden in the summer (Alaska) so we keep a large trash can full of water to water the garden. It warms up in the sun between waterings. A "detergent bottle scoop" would work well for scooping the water out.

By Tawnda

More Uses

Use them to put salt in for winter time. Since they already have a handle and spout, it'd work great! Also, you can find a way online to make your own laundry soap, and fabric softener. If you clean it good enough, you could even use it to put pet food in for easy pouring. Also, for the smaller laundry bottles, you could wash well, and use as a watering pitcher for your indoor or large outdoor plants. When it rains heavy, you could put it outside to collect the rain to use to water the plants instead of using house-water.

More Reading:

You can find more ideas for laundry detergent bottles on here:

Do you have ideas for making crafts with plastic laundry detergent bottles? Post them below.

Laundry Bottle Craft Ideas

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