Scented Cookie Dough Ornaments

Some people purchase traditional wrapping paper, gift tags, bows and decorations to create a holiday theme at Christmas. Others like making and trying and making new things each year. If you fall into the last category you might be interested in making some cookies this year. You make cookies every year for Christmas? Well, make a few extra and you can use them to decorate! You might not know it but cookies make fantastic Christmas tree decorations, gift embellishments and more! Make a batch of scented cookies and youll have all the decorations you need while creating a lovely aroma throughout the room where the finished ornaments will hang. In a large bowl combine four cups of all purpose flour, a cup of salt, a quarter-cup of cinnamon, three tablespoons of nutmeg and two tablespoons of ground cloves. Stir these together. Pour in a cup and a half of warm water then mix all the ingredients well. As you stir the ingredients youll start to form a ball of dough. Soon, it will be impossible to stir it so get rid of the spoon and use your hands! (Note: although the cookie dough is edible it doesnt taste good!) Lightly flour a surface and roll out the cookie dough. Roll it to be from a quarter-inch to a half-inch thick. Use cookie cutters to create the ornament shapes you want or try other objects instead of cookie cutters. Drinking glass, lids from jars or bottles and similar things work great. You can even create Christmas cookie shapes by using an image cut from a magazine or a coloring book. Lay the image on the dough then draw around it with a toothpick or paring knife. In lieu of all these methods you can also just pat the cookies out to create simple shapes like squares, circles and ovals.

Lay all the cookies on a non-stick baking sheet but do not grease the sheet. Before placing them in the oven use a straw or toothpick to poke a hole in each one. With a straw, push it down through the cookie, then remove the tiny dough piece within the circle created by the straw.

Bake the cookies at 200 degrees for about an hour. Remove from the oven and allow the ornaments to sit at room temperature until they are cool. Use acrylic paints to embellish the ornaments or omit this step and hang them as-is. If youve painted the ornaments, allow it to dry, then spray the ornaments with polyurethane to protect. When its dry thread a ribbon or string through each ornament and hang them on the Christmas tree or tie them onto gifts. Theyre adorable!

All About Community Supported Agriculture

Most of us are aware of the many difficulties farmers have, within recent years, encountered. Many farmers have been forced to shut down the farm for good; others are following closely on their heels. We wont discuss the reasons behind all of that right now; lets concentrate on how we can help our own local farmers. Have you heard of Commuity Supported Agriculture (CSA)? Its a way that we, as normal food consumers, can pay in advance for some of our foods and that money goes towards supporting your regional farmers. In exchange, as the crops come in, youre first in line to receive the goods.There are good and bad elements involved with CSA. For example, some farmers save their best produce to sell at farmers markets and other places while providing CSA members the smaller or inferior produce. Not fair. Should you try a CSA group, ask for referrals so you can talk to others who are involved with that particular group. See if theyve been satisfied with their memberships. Or, participate in a CSA group which breaks down the farmers categories, like produce, meat, and dairy, and try out one category before joining others.Some CSA groups make you sign up for every category as a total package. Others allow you to choose categories. You pay a certain amount for the entire package, or for the chosen categories, in advance. This money will go to help the farmers plant, tend and harvest. Later, when the crops come in, you will receive 12 or 24 weeks of those foods - depending upon the group and/or subcategories. Some groups have a pickup once a week. Others have two per week. Most seasons run from June through August. Make sure you understand the entire program before signing up with a Community Supported Agriculture group.Some foods will be chosen by you whereas others are pre-selected and you simply pick them up. Amongst foods that you select yourself are fruits and vegetables. Others which are chosen for you include most any meat, fish or foul. Some packages offered by the CSA groups include meats, fruit, vegetables, beans, grains, milk and eggs.The amount of each food you receive is dependent upon the share package you sign up for. Half-shares feed one to two people. Full shares feed between four and five people.Check to see if you have a CSA group in your town - many large cities have them. Its also possible to start your own CSA. Read more about the groups, how to volunteer, prices on the packages or how to start your own CSA by visiting Local Roots, NYC.

Glued Home Accents for a Man-Cave

One guy might go to the basement, sit down on an old couch, and call it his man-cave. Another guy could spend thousands to get just the right furniture, a pool table, man-theme decorations, and similar furnishings. But you dont need a lot of money to have many man-theme items in your cave. If you can afford glue youll have fun creating all sorts of man-theme home accents for your special room. Easily turn ordinary tables, lamps, and other furnishings into ones with a manly theme, simply by using glue.

A really good adhesive choice is decoupage. Made especially for attaching paper or cloth to most any surface, the glue is found online, or at your local craft store. Dont worry; you probably wont be the only guy in there. Along with the glue youll need pictures. Print them from the internet, cut them out of magazines, or use old calendars as the source for the images. Instead of paper pictures you can even use thin fabric. In fact, youll find cloth with lots of guy themes, like sports, cars, or nature, at most any fabric store.

Make a man-cave table by simply cutting a piece of the chosen paper or cloth, and gluing it to the table top. Create a man-cave lamp by cutting fabric and making a band of it around the top and bottom borders of the lampshade. You can even cut out pictures of women in bikinis and glue them onto plates (only for display). Themes you could do for the man-cave include sports, famous women, motorcycles, cars, trains, the Armed Services, or even a nature-scene theme. With decoupage adhesive you normally have to apply it to the surface, place the paper or fabric where needed, and cover the top of the material with a layer of the glue. Allow to dry and, if needed (probably not), use fine steel wool to buff it. Although the glue is white when applied, it dries clear. By gluing, you can do a huge project or a small one. Make a collage of pictures across the top of a bar counter, and lay glass over it. Or, just decoupage a sports picture onto your favorite drink holder. Things you can glue pictures to, in order to finish the theme in your man-cave, include walls, baseboards, beer bottle lamps, planters, doors, drawer fronts, and head or foot boards. Materials you can use include fabric, scrapbook paper, gift wrap, wallpaper, newspaper, comic book pages, printed cellophane bags, and beer bottle labels. When you finish doing all of that gluing, your man-cave will be ready for presentation - but only to the guys!

Yogurt Cup Wind Chimes

Sure, you can find unique wind chimes all day long, whether you shop locally, online or through a catalog. If wind chimes is your thing you probably drool over ones you see while browsing but you might not have ever attempted to make any yourself. There are many different wind chime arrangements a person can make but few are easier than the one you make from a yogurt cup. The beaded wind chime set is so easy that even a child can do it! You dont absolutely have to use a yogurt cup to make the chimes. Similar cups, like an individual applesauce cup or even a Styrofoam coffee cup work just as well. A quick way to change the look of the cup, and to create a nice design for the chimes, is to use colored tape. Regular colors, like blue, red, yellow or white are generally available in dollar-theme stores and other retailers. Metallic tape, like silver or gold, dispenses like Scotch tape and is sold at craft stores.

After decorating the cup the way you want use a hot nail to poke a hole on the bottom of the cup, in the center. Its important that the hole be exactly in the center for the chimes to hang properly. Hold the nail with a pair of pliers and hold the pliers with a potholder. Heat the nail and simply insert it into the yogurt cup. Fold a piece of ribbon or cord in half and insert the ends into the hole. Tie them together inside the cup to make the hanger.

Use string or twine to create the beaded patterns that will hang from the wind chimes. Fishing wine works well because its virtually invisible and is stronger than thread and most string. Cut the pieces to be as long as you want then string beads onto each one. A dab of glue will hold the first bead on permanently. Leave about 3" of twine hanging off the end of each beaded strand. Attach the strands to the cup by using ordinary tape. Clear packing tape works best. Place the bare end of each strand into the cup and tape it from the inside. Leave a small space and position the next strand. Place the strands so that the final bead is up against the rim of the cup and the entire bare part is inside the cup. Excess pieces of twine can be trimmed after the strand has been taped onto the cup. Make various beaded wind chimes by making all the strings the same length or each strand a different length. Combine different sizes, shapes and colors of beads to make even more varieties. The wind chimes are so easy and beautiful youll soon have many - each one of them different than the next!

Snowman Sock Gift

If its come down to the wire, and you still need a few more small gifts, get those people a snowman. Well, dont get them one; make them one. Make a snowman for Mom, one for Dad, one for each of the kids, one for Grandma, well, one for everyone you know! Theyll get a kick out of receiving a cute Christmas snowman from you and the bonus is that the snowman is really a pair of socks! There are different things you can use to turn a pair of socks into an adorable snowman. The type of socks you need to use is tube socks. These have no distinct heel or toe and are perfect for creating a snowman gift. The socks can be ones which are solid white or ones which feature a stripes around the top.

Slide one sock onto your hand and slide the other sock over that one. Remove both socks so that one remains inside the other. Align the top bands of the socks and make sure the seams at the toe area are also aligned. Cut a square of cardboard or even a piece of plastic from a milk jug. Slide the piece into the sock and position it so that the seams of the socks goes across the bottom of the cardboard or plastic. This piece will help the snowman stand.

Snip the corner of a bag of rice and pour some of it out so that the rice can easily move around inside it. Tape the bag shut and slide it into the socks. Move the rice around to make sure it will stand okay. Tie a ribbon or fabric piece around the socks so that you separate the rice bag into two portions. The top half will be the head and the bottom half will be the body for the snowman. Divide the rice so that the head half is slightly smaller than the body. Tie another ribbon or fabric piece around the socks, above the head. Turn the socks down to create the snowmans hat. Use adhesive, wiggly eyes from a craft store and stick them onto the snowmans face. Use double-sided tape to attach a simple felt nose and mouth. A different way to create the snowman sock gift is to use two Styrofoam balls. Place the cardboard or plastic square in the sock, slide in a large ball, then a smaller one. Tie a ribbon between the two balls and another above the head. Fold the socks down and make a face for the snowman as stated above. The snowman sock gift is an unusual way to give a pair of socks and the recipient cant help but smile. He or she wont know its a pair of socks until you tell them. Make sure you do, though, or theyll be putting their sock snowman out as a decoration every Christmas from here on out!

Lace Wall Butterflies

When you use cardboard to make new things for your home you can spend next to nothing while creating something gorgeous or useful. If you have some white cardboard around your house, or thin cardboard that you can paint, you can make some lovely wall butterflies that have a lacy look. These are great for a baby girls nursery, a little girls room, or even on the living room wall, around a vase of flowers. With cardboard being free, and the supplies you need being cheap, you can easily make all sorts of different butterflies! You can download butterfly templates online, use butterflies from a coloring book or other source as the patterns, or you can just draw butterflies freehand. Make large ones and small ones. Make butterflies that show the side view or ones seen from the back. Cut the cardboard butterflies then decide how you want to decorate them.

Cut a piece of lace to be the size and shape of the butterfly and glue it onto the cardboard. Instead of lace you can use satin, denim, or other fabric choices. After gluing on the fabric you can then use any number of craft supplies to embellish them.

Make one butterfly by painting the cardboard blue, pink or another color. Cover it with white lace and you instantly have a butterfly with two colors. Make a white cardboard butterfly with a white lace cover and youll make something a little different. No matter what materials you use to cover the butterflies there is a whole list of things you can use to embellish them. Glue small-diameter roping around the edges of the butterflies to distinguish the wings and add dimension. Glue on fake jewels to make spots on the wings. Or, use sequin or glitter instead. Attach buttons, fake pearls, tiny beads and similar things to create a huge assortment of different butterflies. If you dont have a lot of embellishments you can use simply decorate with a marker. Its easy to color over certain patterns you see on the lace to create a butterfly with one extra color or many different colors. Use a silver or gold marker on white lace to make an understated yet elegant butterfly. Or, use colorful markers to make monarchs and more. When youre finished creating all the butterflies you want youll find it really easy to hang them with double-sided tape. Stick the butterflies to a wall, basket, picture frame, mirror, vase, lamp, lampshade and many other areas. Theyre beautiful and instantly add a little charm and elegance to most any room of the house!

How to Build a Riverbank Clay Oven

There are different types of soil around the country. Some dirt is dark and some is light brown. Some is more like sand than dirt. Other areas of the country are hosts to clay-like soil. If you camp or fish near a river that features clay-like soil youre in luck! Youll be able to bake delicious meals that you normally wouldnt be able to unless you took along your own camping oven. Forget that! Build a clay oven and youll be able to bake a pie, a casserole or other things that require baking.

The best place to build a clay oven is at a riverbank that stands about as tall as a mans waist. If youre standing in the grass, and you have to look down to see the river, youre probably standing on a good place to build the clay oven.

Start by driving a stake through the grass, straight down into the ground, about three feet from the front of the bank. The stake should be about as big around as your arm. Hammer it down a couple of feet. If you think youd like to build the clay oven again and again, each time you camp out or fish, keep a stake in your vehicle. Its much easier to drive a stake thats pointed at one end than a log of wood you find near the river. Go around to the front of the bank and begin digging out a hole. The hole you dig should be just large enough for you to put your fist in. Inside, youll dig a much larger hole, so that you create an "oven" with a tiny, fist-size opening in the front. Continue digging out the dirt until you reach the stake. At that point, you can pull out the stake, and youve created a chimney for your oven. Wet your hands and pat the soil inside the homemade oven. Smooth the clay on the inside of the oven by wetting and patting the soil until it is smooth all the way around. Work towards creating a round oven which features a flat bottom. After the clay oven is shaped, place some dry firestarter and wood inside, light it, then allow the clay to bake. That finishes the oven! Now you can use it whenever youre ready. To use the oven, lay rocks inside on the bottom, then start a fire. Get the fire rolling pretty good then scrape out the hot coals and ashes. Place the baking dish on the rocks, cover the hole in front, then cover the chimney hole. The holes can be covered by stacking rocks or packing clay over them. The food will need no turning or adjusting at all. Just leave it inside the oven until theyre done - usually a few minutes longer than what you would bake it in a regular oven at home.

Moss Wedding Monograms

Youre going to have lots of fabulous things at your wedding, from the flowers, to the gown, to the foods. But if youre browsing catalogs or websites to find large, striking decorator pieces, youre throwing away good money for no reason. There are many impressive projects you could do without having to invest precious time and money. Mossy letters are one example of a large piece you can make for your wedding. The letters are beautiful as a centerpiece or even a mantle decoration. Youll see just how easy they are to make and, then, you can take that extra money and get something nice for your bridesmaids.Styrofoam isnt too expensive and you can find it at any craft store. When you buy a Styrofoam slab - thick or thin - you can easily cut the letters yourself. Although there are online places where you can order the letters youll save a bunch of money when you cut them yourself. Its not hard. Use a serrated knife and cut an old candle with it. The wax that is transferred to the knife helps to cut the Styrofoam with ease.Print out the letters, numbers, or characters you want. You can find nice fonts to print but make sure theyre simplistic enough for you to cut. Adjust the sizes, if needed, and print out the characters. Lay the papers on the Styrofoam, draw around the letters or numbers, and cut around them out of the Styrofoam. If needed, sand them with ordinary sandpaper. Its super easy to sand and shape Styrofoam with sandpaper.Use craft moss to cover the letters or other characters. You can find moss, sold in bags, at most any craft store. Hot glue works great to attach the moss to the numbers and/or letters. Just take a clump of the moss, put some hot glue where you want it, and lay the moss on it. Cover the whole front, and the sides, but not the backs, unless the characters will be standing in a place where others can see the backs.With thick Styrofoam, the letters or numbers can stand up easily on their own - if you put no moss on the bottoms. Stand the finished letters on a mantle, table, counter, or elsewhere around the wedding or reception room. Use the first initial of you and your mate - along with an ampersand, make a mossy set of letters representing the year youre getting married, or even make a mossy word, like "Love", or "Forever".The mossy monograms are truly striking and make a huge statement. No matter where you place them, or what you spell out, the fuzzy letters will get lots of attention - but not more than you!Mossy Monograms

Womans Silver Anniversary Accessories

Youll look fabulous at your 25 th wedding anniversary party when you make your own silver accessories. You dont need much time, money or skill to make jewelry, hair accessories, clothes and more. All youll need is silver fabric and, of course, youll be the hit of the party.

Purchase a padded headband and give it silver accent that are gorgeous. Silver on white looks great but you can add silver touches to another color of headband, if you prefer. Just use a silver paint marker from a craft store to draw hearts or other designs on the fabric of the headband. Use stencils or make images yourself - or color the whole headband with the silver marker.

You can make a striking necklace by just using two wide strips of silver fabric. Cut them both to be long enough to wrap around your neck with a couple of inches to spare. Lay the fabric strips on top of each other so that their right sides are facing. Sew around three sides, turn the bands right-side-out, and stitch the opening shut. Attach a Velcro dot, and its opposing piece, as a closure. Or, sew on ribbons to tie on the necklace. Choose a bauble for the necklace and attach it. One quick accent that you can do is to glue on a large, fake jewel with fabric glue. Make a smaller version as a matching bracelet. Cut two rectangles of silver fabric, stack them with right sides facing, and sew around three sides to make a quick clutch purse. Turn the pieces right-side-out and stitch the opening shut. Fold the arrangement into thirds. First, fold one third and sew along the sides. Then, fold the other third over that one and attach a closure to it, like a Velcro dot or snap. With a piece of silver fabric you can make an easy shawl. Just cut a large square and hem around it. Cut a hole in the middle and hem around it. Now, slide the hole of the fabric over your head and its ready to wear. Make the shawl from lightweight fabric and it makes a lovely dress cover-up. Cut a really long rectangle of silver material, hem around all four sides, and youve got a tie belt that can embellish a dress or blouse. Cut the piece much wider, and not as long, and wrap it around your shoulders. Use a pin to connect the two ends at the neckline or shoulder. Since its your silver anniversary its fun to dress up nicely and accent your outfit with touches of silver. Make any or all of these accessories and youll feel like a million bucks. Thats as it should be on this special, 25 th wedding anniversary.

Nursery Rhyme Baby Quilt

Quilt making doesnt have to be a huge, complex, mathematical wonder. You dont have to cut squares, which are then cut into rectangles, which are then cut into triangles. Sure, those quilts are gorgeous and are often put on display in ones home. But if youd like to make your baby a keepsake quilt, and you dont know that much about quilt making, you can easily sew up a blanket that features a nursery rhyme you - and/or your baby - love. You wont have to put out a lot of effort in to create the quilt and, as your baby grows, he or she will cherish this quilt. And, maybe one day, youll see your grandbaby wrapped in it.Decide on the size you want for the quilt. Cut ordinary squares to use as the pattern for the quilt. The squares can be small - but not tiny - or can be rather large. Keep in mind that you will be writing parts of the nursery rhyme on some squares so they should at least be large enough to write short words on them. Also, the fabric should be a type that will allow you to easily write on it with a paint pen.Select a favorite nursery rhyme for the blanket. You dont necessarily have to write the entire nursery rhyme on the quilt blocks. For example, if the quilt will have the theme of "Mary Had a Little Lamb", you can write "Mary" on one block, "Little Lamb" on another, or "White as Snow" on yet another block.Another option is to write titles of nursery rhymes on some of the blocks. Write "Mary had a little lamb" on one, "Hey Diddle, Diddle" on another, and so forth. Youll find paint markers in a huge variety of colors and types - like glittery or metallic - so you can create the perfect look for the baby quilt.When youre finished writing on the blocks, sew the squares together to form the top of the quilt. Then, cut a piece of sheet or other fabric to use as the backing. Stack the backing, the quilt front, and a piece of batting, which is the same size as the fabric pieces. Sew around all four sides but leave an opening on one side - not by the corner. Turn the quilt right-side-out, and sew the opening shut. To keep the batting from bunching while laundering, take a few stitches at each place where the corners of the quilt blocks meet.The nursery rhyme quilt is unique and lovely but you could also make a baby blanket with another theme. Write the names of animals, famous princesses, famous sports people, or other words, on the quilt blocks. Youll be astounded at the beauty of the new quilt; your child will grow up cherishing it forever.

Beginners Sewing Project: Easy Change Pouch

When you first learn to sew, after learning the workings of the machine and a little about fabrics, it can be somewhat aggravating. Until you have some practice youll likely hit the pedal too hard and go flying down a piece of material, run off the sides of it, and even get the thread all tangled. But, in no time youll learn to at least make a straight stitch and a zigzag stitch that can help you create all sorts of sewn garments, curtains and more. If youve mastered those two stitches you can easily make a change pouch that uses an old cd as the pattern! Choose fabric for the pouch thats suitable. Nothing stretchy, nothing too thin. Select material that wont fray after being cut. If you have material that will unravel you can first treat it with a no-fray solution found at stores that sell fabric. Felt works great to make a hassle-free change pouch thats inexpensive and appropriate for this craft.

Lay the fabric out and use a cd as the pattern. Simply draw around the cd twice and cut out the two felt circles. Cut straight across one of the circles, taking off about a third of the material, but leave the other circle complete. Position the small circle on top of the larger one and stitch around them.

First, make sure both circles are aligned at the bottom. Where the corners are at the top of the cut circle, mark these areas onto the large circle. Use a zigzag stitch to sew between the two dots, around that area of the large circle, staying right at the edge. If need be, use your hand wheel to position the zigzag stitches so that they fall right next to the edge. This stitch can be most any size but avoid really tiny, close zigzag stitches or really wide ones. The stitch youve just sewn is only a decorative stitch to prevent that area of the large circle from looking unfinished. Now, position the small circle on top of the large one once again so that their wrong sides are facing each other. Begin sewing from the zigzag stitches, down and around the arc of the felt, and back up to the other side. Use a straight stitch for this and stay close to the edge. When youre finished, fold the flap of the large circle over the smaller circle. Add a closure such as a Velcro dot, a button and buttonhole, or even a snap. The change purse can be embellished by using fabric glue or stitches to attach a cloth flower and leaf, an applique or even a felt letter. Its an adorable creation thats perfect for giving as a gift or using yourself!

Assorted Wedding Backdrops

If youre getting married in a place thats not that elegant you can sure jazz it up a little without spending much money. Most people arrange many flowers around the area where the bride and groom stand to take their vows but you can do something much different. Make a backdrop and you can create just the scene you want! Its a great way to have fabulous wedding pictures without spending a great deal of money.

One simple backdrop you can do is a parted curtain arrangement. Purchase simple lace curtains and hang them on a curtain rod. Hang the rod on the wall and part the curtains. Wrap tie-backs around them and youre finished. The curtains can be embellished by touching the edges with glitter-glue or you can leave them as they are.

The couple will look lovely in front of a backdrop that is made from canvas. Go online and download any number of large templates that you can take to a specialty store. FedEx Office or a similar place can handle the large file and print it onto the canvas for you. With this method you can have an image behind you of a sunset, a giant picture frame, a huge heart or another design. Use strips of a chosen material to make yet a different type of wedding backdrop. The strips can be lace, ribbon or even crepe paper. Suspend quite a few of the strips from the ceiling and hang them side-by-side. Easily decorate the strips by gluing on fake jewels, sequin, buttons, bows or other notions. Or, use stickers or paint markers to write on the strips. Spell out the couples first names, "Just Married" or something else. Its a great way to create a backdrop for the ceremony or for the photos. Leave the strips as they are hanging or cut out a giant heart or other shape before decorating them. Some people like elegant weddings and others prefer something silly. If you like the thought of having a wedding unlike any other make a whimsical backdrop. This can be done in any number of ways. Cut a Superman image from cloth and attach him to the wall or cover the wall with a huge piece of white paper and do silhouettes in the background. Things like boxes, cardboard tubes, kids toys and other items work well to cast a shadow on the wall when you place a light in front of them. Draw around the shadows, and color them in with a black marker, to create a scene like a train tunnel, a huge city at night, or even a farm setting. Its a fun way to create the unexpected and will keep your guests talking - and giggling - for years!

Babys Circle Book

Kids love books long before they are able to read. They love looking at the pictures and turning the pages. A good way to ruin your books, though, is to give them to a child. They dont realize how easy it is to tear the pages, and once they tear one, they really enjoy it! Put away all your good books and make a book just for baby. This book is so simple to make, yet will thrill any child so much, that he or she will play with it often.Its not hard to find images with things kids love. Clowns, puppies, kittens, shiny things - there are lots of images that can grab a childs attention. There are many sources of kids images, too. Cut up an old calendar, cut greeting cards, take pictures from a childs magazine or just download images online. Although you can use any number of images you want, to make a book with as many pages as youd like, ten or less work great. Cut the pictures into circles that are a little smaller than a CD.If you dont have pictures you can just use paper. Cut circles of paper and draw, color or make other pages. For instance, cut a circle of foil to lay on one of the paper circles, sprinkle glitter on another one, glue gift wrap to another, and make other pages featuring things you might have on hand.In addition to the pictures youll need clear contact paper. Buy it at a craft store or at most any place that sells shelf liner or adhesive, clear plastic. Cut two pieces of shelf liner for each page of the book. Cut the shelf liner into circles which are slightly larger than the image circles youve cut.Do whatever you want to enhance the pictures. For example, you can write on them with markers, give a puppy a real ribbon bow or apply glitter to images. When youre satisfied with the images, place each one between two circles of the contact paper, then press them together well, and trim away the excess contact paper.Poke a hole at the top of each circle. To give it a nicer look you have the option of adding a small metal eyelet, found at craft stores or fabric stores. The eyelets will also ensure the page wont rip.Use a simple key ring to make the book. Just thread each page of the book onto the key ring and youre finished. The books are so easy to make and your child will really love them. Make ones with various themes, such as a book about dogs, another with pictures of family members, and another featuring baby things. He or she will play with it very often, and as an adult, the child will save the book as a treasured keepsake.

What to Do If a Needle Breaks While Taking an Injection

Having diabetes is no walk in the park and I speak from experience. Its a serious disease that can cause mild issues such as excessive thirst, to more serious issues like fatigue, neuropathy, kidney problems, heart failure and stroke. Then, throw in the fact that you have to give yourself injections everyday and life with diabetes can be a bit daunting. But, you do what you can to keep an eye on your sugar level and take your medications in a timely manner. Then, it comes time to give yourself an injection - in the stomach or elsewhere - and, as youre doing so, the needle breaks off under your skin. How horrible! What should you do? Just seeing that the needle has snapped can be frightening but, if you remain calm, you can take care of the problem.

Reassure yourself that the needle is not going to remain there. You are okay. It is, however, important that the needle be removed as soon as possible. Theres a risk of infection and, should the needle begin to travel, it can cause serious damage. First, get a pair of good tweezers from the medicine cabinet and attempt to pull out the hypodermic by yourself. Push down on the skin on two opposite sides of the needle to see if enough of the needle will be exposed enough to grab it with the tweezers.

If youre unable to grasp the needle with the tweezers you have little choice but to go to a doctor to have it removed. Visit a minor emergency room, regular emergency room or even your doctors office to get worked in to the schedule. With a needle stuck in your stomach youll be rushed in as soon as possible. In the meanwhile, try not to worry and try to remain calm. The doctor will attempt to remove the broken needle by grabbing it with hemostats. If thats not possible its sometimes necessary to numb the area, make a tiny incision, and remove the needle that way. Upon having the broken needle removed the first order of business is to notify the company that manufactured the needles. Take the box, and any remaining needles, to the drug store where they were purchased. Request that they notify the manufacturer. If they cant do that for you, use the information on the box - or online - to notify the company of the problem. Having diabetes - or any condition which requires you to inject yourself - is not fun. But, having a needle break off during an injection is a nightmare. It happens infrequently, so it likely wont ever happen to you, but in case it does, above all, just dont panic.

Birthday Party Candy Belts and Jewelry

Dont you love it when your childs birthday rolls around again and you get to have all that fun? Its exciting to find a different cake and put up entirely new decorations to create a party which is unique each year. At this birthday party the kids are going to love the favors. Theyll go crazy when you hand them over belts, bracelets, necklaces and more. Dont worry; you wont have to spend a fortune going out and buying all new accessories for the party guests. You can make them for next to nothing. And, the accessories you create will be made of candy - the perfect party favors for a birthday.

There are many different ways to make fashion accessories from candy. Use single-wrapped gumballs to make a belt, anklet, bracelet or necklace. Simply tape the wrappers together, end-to-end, and make it as long as you need. Tape the ends together after the accessory is placed on the child or use adhesive Velcro dots to make a closure.

Make a belt and other jewelry by using a piece of wide ribbon or binding. Cut it to be long enough to wrap around the waist, wrist or other area. Use double-sided tape to attach Starburst Fruit Chews on the ribbon. Leave a tiny gap between each square candy so the belt or jewelry will bend easily. At the ends of the belt use a Velcro dot to create the closure. Or, leave ribbon hanging long and the belt can be tied onto the child. Starburst arent the only wrapped candies you can use for a belt. Fun size candy bars work really well but are a bit chunky for a bracelet or necklace. Other candies you can use for belts as well as jewelry include Junior Mints, sticks of gum and after-dinner mints which are individually wrapped. Make fun, candy earrings for the girls at the party by purchasing a bag of earring hardware from a craft store. Buy the type which features a flat, metal disk as the front of the earring. These are sold in a bag of several for a buck or two. Its best if you purchase the type which has a magnetic backing since they can be worn by girls with or without pierced ears. Use double-sided tape to stick one candy onto each earring hardware piece. Suitable candies include Starburst, mints and gumballs. Dont forget to offer single earrings for the boys who want to wear one. Look online or locally for other types of candies to make even more jewelry and accessories for this years birthday party. The cake, games and laughter will be had by all but the party favors will be everyones favorite part.

Paper Napkin Baby Outfits

It often happens that, if you have friends who are close to your age, you all have babies who are close in age. Thats just one reason why youll have to come up with something adorable and unique when it comes to your upcoming baby shower. After three or four baby showers close together you cant get by with serving the same foods as they did, or decorating with the same theme. Of course, there will be napkins, and theres lots of different types you can purchase. But youll make the most endearing napkins when you just choose plain ones, and turn them into little baby outfits. The outfits are still napkins for your guests but they will far outshine the napkins at other baby showers.A paper napkin baby outfit is so simple to make that youll be able to create one for each of your guests in a short amount of time. Choose a solid color of napkin, like pink or blue, or use a baby-theme napkin from a store that sells a large variety. Set the napkin in front of you so that the wrong side is facing up, and so that the open sides of the napkin are facing you. Fold each of the sides in to the center. Then, fold the right side over to the left side to fold it in half. Leave the napkin in this position.Decide if the napkin is too long to be a small babys outfit and, if needed, trim a bit off across the bottom. Then, make a couple of cuts and youll create the adorable baby outfit. On the left side - the side that features two folds - make a cut to create a waistline for the baby outfit. Cut out a triangle for one look or an arc shape for a slightly different appearance.At the top of the napkin, in the middle, cut a half-circle shape to create the neckline. Or, make a triangular cut to create a v-neck. If the outfit will be a boys, cut a slanted triangle, from the open edges at the bottom - in the center, and over to the fold. When youve cut the two side shapes, and the neckline, and the optional legs, you can open the napkin once. Youll see youve created a cute onesie-type outfit.Embellish the outfit - but not too much. Tie a pink or blue ribbon, cord, or yarn piece, around the waist. Tape very narrow cord or ribbon to the ankle hems, the dress hem, or even the neckline, if you want.The paper napkin baby shower outfit is unforgettable and will fit nicely into a scrapbook. Want something even nicer for them and yourself? Use cloth napkins to make the tiny outfits. You - and your guests - will each want to keep one as a keepsake of your beautiful babys shower.

Turn One Bedroom into Two

Kids who share a bedroom often argue and fight; its hard to live in the same room with someone else. But if bedroom space is limited at your house, and the kids are just driving you mad, look to the design of a standard office to save you and your nerves. Those panels, used to section off cubicles, are perfect for turning one room into two. The panels arent cheap but they come with all sorts of features, such as electrical outlets along their baseboards, and a quick setup strategy. Use the office cubicle panels or make a cheaper version of the room divider yourself.

Office cubicle panels come in a variety of heights so you can create just the divider that you want. Choose a height where, if you sit down, you cant see above the panel, or choose an even taller version. Each panel has adjustable feet for areas that arent level. Check your local home improvement store, or place that sells office supplies, for a selection of the panels.

Make a much cheaper divider wall for the bedroom - or other area - by using Styrofoam or foam board. When you purchase thick panels of foam board or Styrofoam you can quickly build a wall that, although it isnt hard like a regular wall, it will serve as a sturdy divider for a room. Purchase tall panels of thick foam - at least two to three inches thick - to build the wall. When you glue the foam board or Styrofoam panel to a base you can simply set it on the floor to separate the room. Glue it to a wooden plank, a flat yardstick, or even thick cardboard, to create a wall. For not-so-heavy bases, double-sided tape strips - on the floor - can help to secure the wall. You can make the wall much sturdier by weighting it along the bottom. One way is to use nails to attach metal items, like metal yardsticks or washers. You can also glue things along the bottom edge, like rocks or marbles. Weighting the bottom will make it much harder to tip over the wall. Even though the foam board or Styrofoam room divider isnt as strong as a real wall, it makes a great wall divider and more. Make several walls and create a fun maze in a childs room, or build a partial wall to separate a kitchen and dining area. The foam board or Styrofoam can be covered with wallpaper or cloth, so you can create an attractive wall, at a very small price. Kids can use push-pins to hang reminders, photos, accomplishment ribbons, and more, on the divider walls. With the walls, each child will feel as though he has his own room.

Jeweled Party Glasses

What you need: Stemware or other glasses Rhinestones Glue (optional) Rhinestones on glass: Fake jewels are really rhinestones but they look very genuine. Although theyre cheap, and not real, they sure do add luster and brilliance to many different surfaces. Youll especially love fake jewels on glasses when you have a wedding party, an anniversary celebration, or another special occasion. Rhinestones are simple to apply to glass and can be easily removed - if you want them to be. Make designs on the glasses and they can match the theme of the party. Create rhinestone flowers, letters, numbers, and more, to make the most stunning drinking glasses ever.

Various Jewels: It will appear that you spent a small fortune, just on the glasses, when you throw your next party. If you use peel-n-stick rhinestones, they can later be removed. If you want the jeweled image to remain, use clear-drying adhesive, made for glass; youll find it at a craft store. There, they have a huge assortment of rhinestones, in colors like clear, blue, red, and green. Although they feature many sizes, most people find that the small jewels work best for creating images on wine and champagne glasses. However, you can mount just one large jewel for a different effect.

A trick to handling the jewels: Handling tiny jewels can be tricky but theres something that you can do to make the technique much easier: use tape. Roll up a piece of tape and stick it to the top of the jewel. That allows you to hold it and place it. To get the tape off of the jewel - after the jewel is in place - hold the rhinestone down with a toothpick as you pull away the tape. The actual jewel and glass design: You can randomly place the jewels on a glass or you can use a stencil to make an exact design. Decorate just a part of the glass or jewel the whole thing. Make a single flower, a single letter, or just put colorful jewels all over. The actual design is up to you. If you use a stencil, tape it to the outside of the glass, and fill in an area with jewels. Another method is done by rolling up a simplistic picture, dropping it into the glass, and using it as the pattern. The party: Guests will be intrigued and impressed by the jeweled glasses that you make for a party or celebration. Write "Congrats", a monogram, a sentiment, or other message, using jewels. Or, create your own lovely design, suitable for the particular party that youre having.