Homemade Snickers

I came across this link for homemade candy bars on Huffington Post and thought I would give it a try.  I started with snickers bars, thinking that because they are my dad's favorite perhaps I could send some out to him if they turned out delicious.


I searched around for other snickers recipes, curious to see what others have done but they were all the same.  For whatever reason, I settled on a recipe from the BrownEyed Baker.  Making these turned out to be a lot simpler than I had initially expected and they taste fantastic and exactly like a snickers bar.

Upcycled Shopping Bag

I'm getting around to setting up my work station and realized that I do not have a small trash bin anymore.  Floor space is limited so I needed to get a little creative . . . 

We had our kitchen utensil rail from the previous place hanging around so I decided to put it to use in the work room.  The intent was to use it to hold all of my cutting tools but I have since found a really great n' old medicine cabinet from the flea market for that.  So now what?  No trash bin, limited floor space - maybe I'll hang a trash bag.  But that makes me feel trashy so I'll sew some fabric around it and make it cute  :)

I'm no professional so I needed a little guidance in what others have done when working with plastic.  I found a tutorial on how to make a plastic-lined snack baggy but I didn't feel as though I needed to iron the plastic and I wasn't looking to use my trash bag for anything more than scrap fabric and paper.  The tutorial is still really cute and a project I might try down the road. 

I ended up going with a standard lined bag, just lined with plastic:

The plastic bag is from TJMaxx and it says it would like to thank me for recycling their bag, knowing that I love the planet.

I added boxed corners, just to add a little character . . .

With the help of some great tutorials: Lazy Girl and Jessab Crafts

Next on the list - hanging fabric holders for scissors, rotary cutter and other tools.

New uses for old things?

Thanks to my sister's sisterly antics at the bridal shower that she, my mom and friends threw for me nearly two years ago, I am now the proud owner of many old, wooden thread spools.  These spools are totally neat and I had a project in mind to make some kind of tapestry out of them but thanks to Pinterest, I am finding more and more new uses for these old spools.

The first project I have started are simple purse hooks.  Inspired by what I saw people using them for as jewelry hooks, I thought I could use the larger ones as purse hooks at the entryway of our house.

Very simple:  From JoAnn Fabric I bought two, unfinished 3x5 pieces of wood, two colors of acrylic paint and a package of D-Strap hangers.  I attached the hangers to back of the wood, painted them and let set overnight to dry although the acrylic paint I purchased dries quickly. 

This morning, I applied wood glue to one side of the spools and placed a heavy book over them for about an hour.  I do need to purchase some 1.5 inch nails because I want to place additional security on the spools to the block by hammering two nails from the backside of the block into the spool.  Once I do this, I will start using the purse hooks.

Good people deserve happy gifts :)

Smiles are addictive and non-stop when good people receive happy gifts :)

Pictured below is Colleen with her reusable cup sleeve and Sue holding a mini-swarovski pendant.

The reusable cup sleeve was a small project for me years ago.  The Swarovski heart was new for me, difficult to make but very fun.  This past December I made about a dozen of each to raise donation money for the NCCC in recognition of Cervical Health Awareness Month (January). 

Thanks to family and friends, I raised ~$200 .... not bad at all!  So excited for this contribution to a good cause  :)

Kindle Cover Project

So Mom's friend had a bad experience purchasing a cover for her Kindle and when Mom mentioned my iPad organizer to her she asked if I could make a cover.

This was a pretty fun, little item to make.  I asked a friend from work to bring hers in so I could take some measurements and off I went.

Another pleasantly happy person.

 

The iPad2 Project

  Ever have the perfect something in mind but can never seem to find that exact item anywhere?  

  My husband gave me an iPad2 for graduation with a very nice leather cover.  I looked far and wide for an organizer that would also hold my charger, ear buds, attachments, etc. but I couldn't quite find anything that I really liked so I turned to making my own.  

  I flipped through several websites for ideas from others who created sleeves and cases but none of which had pockets for organizing.  I opted to create the standard iPad case with the opposite side dedicated to pockets.  It ended up with an extra, unintended pocket which actually comes in handy to hold the extension charger and misc papers, etc.  I do need to add elastic to some of the smaller pockets to prevent things from slipping out.

 

Reusable Coffee Cup Sleeves

  Had made a few a these in a different style a few years back and decided it was time for something new.  I found this style from multiple pages.  It's okay, definitely not a "drop the cup in and go" kind of style like my old one but it's cute and functions just as well.
  I will also have these listed on my "Fundraiser" link... check it out!  :)