recycled lemonade can utensil holders

I drink sugar-free lemonade like it's my job. Seriously. I have a problem and it's quite an ordeal in my house when I'm out of it. Anyway, I accumulate quite a lot of the empty plastic lemonade canisters so I decided to put some of them to good use. (other than throwing them away)

These plastic canisters are perfect as utensil holders. This can be for office supplies like rulers and pencils or kitchen utensils. I used mine for kitchen utensil holders as I have quite a lot of them. You never know when you'll need a potato masher, a silicone spatula or even a basting brush, right? Plus, my one little drawer alotted for these things is OVERFLOWING.

So, I took this...

And turned it into...

All it took was some leftover fabric from a skirt I made, ribbon and a hot glue gun. I cut the fabric and wrapped it around the can and hot glued the ends together. Then I did the same with the ribbon on top to cover up the ragged edge.

Voila! There you go! You can keep yourself organized and stylish while saving the planet. :)

diy fabric flowers

I'm a lover of the flowers. (in case you haven't noticed)

I'm also a lover of the crafts. (also in case you haven't noticed)

This combines the best of both worlds. I found this super-easy tutorial online after making my own at a stamping party. The tutorial I found uses heat from a votive candle and it's just as good as a heat gun...and way cheaper.

Here's the tutorial. (I'd copy and paste it but it's really detailed and has pictures!)
The author gives great tips to which I'd like to add the following:
- Keep the fabric moving or it's VERY easy to burn your fingers
-Tealights work best because the larger the candle, the hotter and larger the flame.
-Any "silky" or "netty" fabric works best. I've experimented with nylon, organza, rayon and polyester. Old polyester shirts from Goodwill or a thrift store are PERFECT!

Here are a few of my results!!



I added bobby pins and safety pins (brooch pins) to the back of mine but you could put them on headbands, ribbon (for bracelets) or even a bunch of them as a belt.

recycled pets

I don't consider myself a super-passionate person. I like and enjoy many things and I have my own formulated opinions on various topics but I don't really have a "soapbox" about anything. Except for animal adoption. That is the one area where I find myself getting passionate about spreading awareness of it.

You see, I just can't rationalize buying a puppy from a breeder when there are so many already who are homeless. Nothing against dog breeders (the good ones) but I just don't like the idea of perpetuating a pet overpopulation problem with breeding more dogs. There's absolutely no reason someone can't adopt or rescue a dog instead of buying from a breeder and as a matter of fact, there are MANY perks...

1. They are usually already housetrained/crate-trained/obedience trained and socialized. This is wonderful if you're introducing them into a family with children and or other pets or if you don't want to spend the time housebreaking them.

2. They usually have their vaccinations. Even adopted/rescued puppies or younger dogs have at least their first round of shots.

3. You are giving a loving home to a homeless pet. Enough said.

And you can't use needing a specific type of dog for allergies as an excuse! I am HIGHLY allergic to dogs yet found the perfect little non-shedder on Petfinder. You can find mixed breeds, purebreds and even designer dogs (Labradoodles and Puggles) and breed-specific rescues (like Lucky Labs of North Carolina) if you're interested in a certain kind.

With all this talk about "going green" this is one area where people still don't. They want to buy new instead of recycle used. Why not recycle a pet and give one a new leash (ha!) on life? You won't regret it.

This is my Hewitt and this picture was inserted solely for emotional persuasion! :)

Now, I'm off my soapbox!

sew simple: tank top tote

This is the easiest sewing project EVER and it can be done with or without a sewing machine.

I originally found this project on Craftbits.com but I tweaked it a little to make it work with what I had.

Unfortunately I don't have a "before" picture of the tank top...but I do have an "after" complete with the 4 instructions to make this.

And the result is a cute tote bag that is recycled and cool! This was actually a maternity tank that I had (hence the empire waist piping) so the end result is more like a slouchy hobo bag, but I've seen it made with an A-Tank (also unfortunately called a "wifebeater") and it was just as cute.

Using a sewing machine makes it go by faster, but it's just as fine to not use a sewing machine because you're essentially just sewing the bottom shut. Go over a few times to reinforce it.

Happy Crafting!

sew simple: inaugural project

So, I got a sewing machine for Christmas and decided to break it out this weekend. This one was a Singer Simple (designed for extreme beginners) and it included an instructional DVD. Let me just say that for as "simple" as this was supposed to be, it wasn't very intuitive for those who knew absolutely nothing about sewing machines. I've only ever sewn by hand and most of those in my family with the craft gene don't use them. So, I had quite the time threading the machine and I even broke a few needles on my first project.

BUT, despite that strange beginning...I did it! And it ain't purty, but it works! I'm going to work on some troubleshooting stuff as I go along, but for now, here's my project and the final product.

So, for the cost of 2 dishtowels in the clearance bin at Target, I now have a cute tote bag.

resolving to resolute

I don't really like New Year's Resolutions, but I feel the need to establish some goals for this year. Inspired by a few of the New Year's posts in some of the blogs I follow, I decided to post some goals I'd like to accomplish. I'm not resolving to do something EVERY day or completely get rid of something from my life because I don't think that is realistic, so instead, I'm posting my goals and some other things I'd like to incorporate more into my life in 2011.

1. Make it a habit to wear more of the clothes in my closet and purge the clothes that I haven't worn in a year. I did this a few times this past year, but I've realized that I hang on to clothes for sentimental reasons too. Plus, the more I purge, the more room I have for new stuff. ;)

2. Be more diligent about exercising. It's important to me and my health and it just makes me feel better when I do it.

3. Save more money. So far, I've been pretty successful at saving almost everything I make from my (2nd) part-time job and using my full-time job to pay the bills. I want to continue to do that and watch my savings account grow!

4. Be more creative. Whether it's being more diligent about blogging, using my sewing machine, doing more crafts or trying new recipes, I want my life to exude more creativity. I can't wait.

What are some of your goals for this year?

it's beginning to look a lot like christmas

I'm totally in love with this idea. This year, I want to reuse old Christmas cards and paper by cutting up and turning them into wreaths and ornaments. Also, I can display the new cards I get this year on a different wreath where they'll stay intact (like the first pic below). I got the idea from a Shutterfly mailer, and found a bunch of these beauties on an internet search...