Wrapping Angel

Wrapping Angel [turn your holiday wrapping leftovers into a one-of-a-kind home décor]

Our angel does not sing but she can wrap. She helps us recycle by turning all the leftover holiday packaging into a house warming holiday smile-maker.

What you will need:

* Large empty butter tub (ours happens to be flesh color)

* Large wiggle eyes

* Curling ribbon

* Shirt box

* Wrapping paper

* 3 cardboard tubes/rolls (from wrapping paper)

* Tissue paper

* Deco Ribbon

* A pair of child’s socks

* A pair of child’s shoes (the bigger the more balance and cuter too)

* Tape

1. [head] Paint a face on the bottom of the butter tub. We used nail polish to draw the mouth. Glue on the eyes. Punch a row of holes with an awl tool on the side of the tub above the eyes from front to back for the hair part. Thread long strands of curling ribbon into the holes and curl the ends to style hair. Cut a slit in the opposite side of the tub below the chin. This is where we attach the legs later.
2. [leggings] Wrap two cardboard tubes each with solid wrapping paper. Tape one end of both tubes together. Put small socks on the other ends.
3. [arms] Loosely wrap third tube with patterned wrapping paper. Tie with ribbon near each end to complete sleeves.
4. [body] Push taped ends of legs into slot in head. Place arm piece centered across legs just below chin. Tie together with ribbon criss cross. Place legs into shoes and stand body frame. It makes it easier to dress.
5. [slip] Take sheets of tissue paper and pinch pleats at neck and tie with ribbon. Fluff out the bottom end to create underskirt of dress.
6. [dress] Take sheets of pattern paper (approx. total 18”l x 36”w) and pinch pleats at neck and tie with ribbon. Fluff out into bell shape to create dress. Finish off with a decorative ribbon to create a collar.
7. [wings] Cut a set of wings from the top and bottom of a shirt gift box. Punch a few holes in each wing and lace together. Hand on arms and tie.

Your angel is ready to greet your guests. And remember…every time you open a box, and angel gets its wings!

Foiled again! said the pot to the pan

I'm really funny about reusing pot scrubbers on more than one load. That's why I Love this idea from Who Knew? so much. To get clean burnt-on food from pots and pans, wad up a ball of Foil!
Use it as you would your store bought scrubber. It works and I can throw it away after the day.

Do pears grow on trees?

Keihl's pear lip balm is delicious! Made for cracked lips but I use it all the time.

Roll On

If this roll could talk.

My Hallmark reject.

Redo those old wooden picture frames

Select a primary color for your frame. I painted an old natural wood frame with vibrant black paint.
Then I made a very watery mixture of water and a secondary color (I used green with a hint of glitter in it). Think of it as a color wash for your frame.
Let the primary coat dry.
Then take your color wash mixture and brush it on the frame generously. The accent color will run like a river in the crevices and niches of your frame. This will give it the pizzazz factor like those frames in the gift shop .

Best way to clean Cast Iron pans

I read this in Who Knew? and was happy to find a way to keep me from throwing out my tarnished cast iron pans.
Cover the stain with a paste of cream of tartar and white vinegar.
Apply liberally, let sit, then scrub with a damp soft cloth.

I also read that rubbing them down with a little vegetable oil now and then helps extends its life

*now if only I could find out what to do for that dying basil plant

Hanging around in the Bathroom

A glass of wine an a chandelier are much more appreciated in the bathroom.

Oooh My. Coriander.

I find coriander body cream to be one of the best things on earth. I was introduced to it by a nice lady at the Kiehl's store at the Santa Anita Mall. It has a luscious fragrance.
*Later in a hotel I once stayed in, they offered coriander and honey shampoo and conditioner. The price of the accommodations was then well worth it.

Yellow Toe Nails?

I read this in Who Knew? and tricked it up a little. If you have yellow toenails, get rid of this unsightly affliction by soaking your toes in mouthwash for 10-15 minutes each evening. I added a little hot water to give it the spa feel. This also rids your toes of dark polish in its crevices.
But enough about crevices, go try it.
*warning: may also cause your feet to feel Refreshed

Save gallons and gallons of precious Water

My Dilemma: One of the biggest reasons I don't soak in the tub more often is because of the amount of water it uses.
My Pinhead resolution: So I created a way to save at least 5 gallons of water each time I soak so I could enjoy this recreational pastime and not annihilate my principles.
I stick a big plastic container in front of the faucet (not under it). Put a few river rocks in the plastic container so it doesn't float. And fill the bath tub with my bath water. The empty plastic container creates a void that the bath water does not have to fill now and there is still plenty of room for the legs to stretch and swish around.
Just make sure your container is high enough to stay above sea level.
*now I just have to find someone to put the nice warm rocks on my back when I'm done and I may never have to go to a spa :-D

Croutons in need of the Drizzler

Sometimes when a recipe says to "drizzle", it means it. But most oil bottles don't know how to drizzle, only pour. So I reused a small plastic bottle and punched a tiny hole in the center of its cap. I filled it with the portion of oil I would need for the homemade croutons.

Squeeze the oil and DRIZZLE onto your food for even baking

*Store-bought croutons don't compare

Infuse Your Olive Oil with Herbs

The tarragon herb is so difficult to cut for me. Instead, I decided to infuse the oil I planned on drizzling on my food. There was a hint of the herb in the food but without the messy pieces.

I'm not sure the herb can keep in the oil permanently so I only infused a portion of the oil that I would be using for the recipe.

Super Quick Crafting Apron (and super compfy too)

I took an old bath towel and folded the bottom up to create pockets, sew in place.

Then I folded the top corners back until they touched, sewed an inch and a half hem from hip to neck on each side. And cut off the excess (these pieces became utility towels for carrying in my pockets)

Then I found some sturdy but comfortable ribbon and ran it through starting from right hip up to right neck and continued through left neck and down left hip (I had to tie three ribbons together for the right length--but that's because I didn't want to BUY any materials)

To wear: throw the neck strap over your head and pull at the hip straps to adjust and tie

NOT VERY PRETTY BUT SUPER SUPER HANDY and keeps your clothing pretty

and it didn't cost me a penny

A DIY acrylic character painting: process

First: I painted the canvas black. This way I would have to worry less about drawing the shape of the features and use the black to create the outline for the features, such as the teeth and eye.
*since I had never painted a face before in my life, I was really scared and took baby steps like these below:


Then: I graphed the photograph into small bite-size squares (using rows and columns)



Then: I graphed the canvas into the same amount of rows and columns as the photograph



Then: I chalked out the rough image square by square. Stepped back and took a deep breath.


And using the lessons I learned from the YouTube tutorial by Larry Seiler, I painted the areas stroke by stroke.

*the graph lines disappear as you paint in the area

AND THERE YOU HAVE IT, YOUR VERY OWN DIY ACRYLIC PAINTING!

A DIY acrylic character painting

With a lot of encouragement and yearning for a character painting of our favorite artist, this acrylic was conceived. The paintings at the store were priced $8,000 and up so we had no choice but to DIY. Thanks to a helpful YouTube tutorial (Alla Prima Brushstroke Exercise by Larry Seiler), a canvas and some good brushes--we now have our (first) character painting and it cost under $70.

Just a little dressing please

Take the cheap tip off your picnic kit bottle, attach it to your salad dressing bottle and squeeze the dressing on pretty and light :-)