Tip Tuesday: Use Nail Polish Remover to Remove Ink Pen Stains

Use nail polish remover to help take out ink pen stains, such as Bic, but not permanent markers 

like  sharpies, from items made from cotton and cotton blends, like denim, twill slacks and jackets, 

cotton/poly blend dress slacks, 

cotton sweaters, most anything than can be put into the washing machine. 

For the stain, pour nail polish onto the ink mark and rub it in for a few seconds. 

Use a liberal amount and rub well. 

I let my items set on top of the washer while it fills with water.  I wash in warm to warm/hot.

Toss in the item as usual.

It should come out clean - if not, then repeat the process before drying. 

Do you have any tips that removes ink stains?

Spaghetti? Red Clay dirt?

I'd love to hear your comments.

JoAnn

Blue Jays... Finally!

 Finally, a Blue Jay!  

We've had such a hard time with Mocking Birds

the past few years chasing away all of the other lovely birds,

so it's nice to see that one has "elbowed" his way

into the yard and stand his ground.

It's a beautiful Sunday here in Georgia.

Have a wonderful day, y'all!

JoAnn

Teddies and Bunnies Too Cherished To Part With

Do you have little things that you just can't bear to part with?

Just thought I'd share a few of mine with you.

My craft room-turned into - antique room - turned back into - craft room

still has a few things hanging on the wall that I probably won't take down.

Some teddies collected over the years by my daughter.

I love bunnies! This little cutie, made by Kristin, has the sweetest eyes.

I've hunted for Kristin's bunnies on ebay but cannot find them.

(Do any of you know where to find them?) 

The little two brown bears are old, I mean OLD. 

There was a third and a Mama Bear, chained together, 

but long gone, so I put on the pink ribbon.

This boy / girl pair were my Mother's from long, long ago.

I just love the little bluebird.

Bunny Love! too sweet...

And last, this very old panda is from my husband's family.

(as is the little brown bears).

Happy Friday Y'all!

JoAnn

Join the Blog Hop at Happy Go Lucky!

http://happy-go-lucky-harvey.blogspot.com/2012/01/its-time-to-mingle.html?showComment=1327581363415#c3416635392132071154

Crafting Organization

And here are more ideas I'm getting for my craft closet

http://www.thecreativehomeschool.com/2009/01/happiest-closet-ever/

http://byyourhands.blogspot.com/2012/01/organizing-craft-closets.html

Love this wall's shelving system and color

http://sallyzblog.blogspot.com/2008/07/inspiring-craft-studios-and-rooms.html

And even though this is not a closet, still... WOW

http://inmyownstyle.com/2010/06/my-studioffice-part-2.html

Sewing Table 'Good Will' Find!

I found this huge trestle table at our local 

Good Will last year for $40, thinking I might repaint 

it to use in my dining room, but the table is missing

both end's inserts, which are usually 18 inches.

This table could easily seated 8 - 10 people. 

No chairs or benches came with the table.... 

so I decided that I needed a sewing / crafting table instead.

I needed a large flat surface for projects such as quilts,

so my husband cut out a place for the machine,

using the same board to support the 

sewing machine underneath.

The top can easily be removed and replaced. 

(see the three bolts?)

The rest of the table is very good shape, 

should I ever decide to have

another top made, with the matching ends. 

I'd love to have Windsor chairs on one side, and a 

long bench on the other.

Happy Good Will Hunting!

JoAnn 

Tip Tuesday: Blow Dryer Softens Hot Glue Mistakes

Use your hair blow dryer to help soften hot glue mistakes, enough to pull it off and start over. That's how I removed the raffia from the material I used on my Repurposed Wood Wick Candle Jars, without ruining the material. 

Hold it at a safe distance, but close enough, to soften the glue.

HomeMade Thread Spool Board

This is our version of a home-made thread spool board adapted from one I found over at Craptastic that Katie made.  You can find her tutorial there.

 My husband, Ted, made this from spare wood lying around the barn.  It's a good bit smaller that Katie's - mine it about 11"w x 19"h.  I wanted to use the same type of nail Katie used, called finishing nails, because they have no heads and the spools can easily slide off and on.

Also, Ted added the L shaped side pieces, making mine be a free-standing board.  I didn't want it to scratch up my wallpaper ;) Katie's leans against the wall.

She did a great job on the staining and painting the chevron pattern. I just used old spray paint. 

While Ted was making it, I thought this would be big enough but as I started putting on my spools, I quickly realized 

"I gotta have a bigger board!"

Well, this one's a start anyway - this one can hold my bobbins.

Maybe next weekend... for the bigger one?? Honey... please???

Happy Saturday, Y'all!

BTW It's almost 80 degrees here in Sunny SE GA :)

Thank You to Katie at Craptastic

for the tutorial!

JoAnn

TUTORIAL Repurposed Wood Wick Candle Jars

These are re-purposed Wood Wick Candle Jars.

Make them for the bath to hold cotton balls, cotton rounds, 

Q-tips, band-aids, ponytail holders, barrettes, short combs, 

tubes of lip balm, you name it! 

For the sewing room, fill with buttons, safety pins,

empty bobbins, scraps of lace, etc...

For the beach lover, fill with small sea shells

or layers of the colored sands...

Melt the remaining unwanted wax. 

I let my coffee *CUP* (*see ending note) 
warmer do all the work for me ;)  

Get a dry dish cloth to carefully pick up the

VERY VERY WARM jar...

Some people pour it in ice trays or egg cartons to use for another craft. Me? I had a weed that needed to go. 

HOT WAX ought'a do the trick! (gasp!)

Could this have been a tip for 'Tip Tuesday'?

By the time you walk back into the house, it will be cool

enough for you to wipe the remaining goo 

out with a paper towel. After complete cool-down,

wash as normal with a degreaser cleaner, like Dawn,

or use the "Magic of 409" to clean it out.

Wash the wooden lids and the removable 

rubber seals. I did let them air out a couple of days.

Unless it was a scent you just didn't like,

it'll freshen up the cotton balls/rounds you'll be using.

But if you don't like the odor, you could use a 

clear sealant to spray on a couple of coats. I did not.

OK... onto the FUN part...

For this project, using the Wood Wick lids...

I used some left over "leaf-y reds'n tans" material. 

If you ARE using left overs, be sure you have enough for the number of lids you want to cover. I am planning on four.

Cut your material around the lid, allowing an EXTRA 1/4"

for gluing down the sides.

It's pretty thin material-at just the right angle I could see WW

I cut out some left over batting a tad smaller than the lid

Dab a couple glue dots to the lid top,

 then place the batting down .

Layering the material, batting and the lid, glue

around the slanted lid a bit - NOTE, see the dripping glue?

Wipe it off quickly! It will hinder the shutting of

the lid if you don't. I didn't and had to cut it off with scissors, after it dried.)

Glue a little at the time. Use something like a small screw driver to help press down & hold the material,

so you don't burn your fingers.

Trim off any remaining material or glue that goes below the 

lid rim - it will not shut correctly if you don't.

I **finally chose the 3/8" grosgrain cream colored ribbon

AND decided to try Aleene's TURBO tacky glue. 

Though I'm happy to report 'no burnt fingers,'
I really missed the INSTANT stick of hot glue.
And, oddly enough, the smell of burnt glued fingers.

Then I added a little bow :)  One down, three more to go. 
(the 4th will hold bandages)

About the **finally... I first used raffia for trim

 BAD choice.  The way these WW jars are shaped, 

the raffia made it look top heavy. See below.

I removed it - after the hot glue dried. 

(you'll see THIS Tip on Tuesday)

However, I will say that the lid by itself looked good, 

but when placed on this jar, it looked out of place.

Do you have a craft using these empty jars?

I welcome your comments.


*NOTE: I have been using this little gadget I purchased years ago, a CUP WARMER, that came with a cup and coffee sample pack, (I even bought one for a co-worker as a Christmas gift)
to melt my candles LONG before they were even marketed as CANDLE warmers. See Photo. 

(Did I miss my ticket to financial freedom?)

This is AMERICA. Use what you want, how you want.
*Show your support for me on Pinterest
by re-pinning my post.*

JoAnn

Blueberry Cream Cheese Mini Bagel Snack Attack

Slightly toast your mini bagel (my personal preference)
Spread with WHIPPED plain cream cheese
Top it off with wild blueberry preserves (not jelly)

OH MY!! Need I say more?

What is your "snack attack" cure?

Tip Tuesday: Use Vanilla Extract To Freshen Ice Cooler

Has anybody ever used your "NO FISH" ice cooler for... fish?  Can't seem to get rid of that FISH-y smell?  Or any funky cooler odor, for that matter? Try this:  After washing and drying your ice cooler, get out your VANILLA EXTRACT and a paper towel; liberally wipe the inside of the cooler with the V. E. using the paper towel; close the lid, leaving the paper towel inside the cooler over night; rinse the V. E. out of the cooler the next morning (discard the paper towel.)                                               Ta-da... no more stinky odor ;)

Got any other remedies for this similar problem?

other than NOT putting fish in the cooler ;)

I welcome your comments!

JoAnn

Bunny Give Away at The Old Cupboard Door!

If you like bunnies, there is a Super Cute Giveaway at The Old Cupboard Door

Ruffled Fabric Wreath with Bow

This is my version of a really cool wreath I found over at 

Jones Design Company where you can use their tutorial for the How-To.

 I chose to make flowers and that tutorial is here.

The burlap flower is 3" w., the top flower from extra material at 1 1.5"w.

My wreath is on a 12 inch foam form, JDC is on a 10 inch.

If you accidentally buy the wrong size (as I did) remember to allow

extra material for the extra ruffling and wrapping :^/

Although I really liked the linen material JDC used, I wanted something

that would blend a little better with the colors in my LR wallpaper.

And I'll be getting some olive or pear colored pillar candles tomorrow!

The material was up-cycled from a king sized dust ruffle

that I found at our local Good Will for $3. ;),

which I have plenty left over... so you'll probably

be seeing it in a lot of my crafting projects.

Thanks JDC for your easy-to-follow tutorial!

JoAnn

Tip Tuesday: Salt Scrub on Stainless Steel, Glass, or Stoneware

Ever find yourself without a steel wool or scouring pad to

remove stubborn food residue from your stainless steel 

or regular non-coated aluminum pots or pans?

or glass or ceramic casserole dishes?

Even the dishwasher doesn't remove sticky egg yolk.

*For Stainless Steel, non-coated aluminum cookware,

glass, ceramic, or stoneware bowls and casserole dishes:

Wet the dish with COLD water,

 (not warm, you don't want to melt the salt) 

then sprinkle liberally with regular table salt;

use a cold wet, but not soaking, dish cloth to

scrub off the stuck on food. 

*Do not use this method on the teflon type coated non-stick pots / pans!

(you shouldn't have to anyway, after all, they're 'non stick' :)

Happy Tuesday!

JoAnn

Gone Fishing Theme Bathroom

We remodeled one of our bathrooms a few years back
with the Gone Fishing theme.
The tongue n groove has three coats of clear satin varnish.
It's holding up great!

Yep, even the Georgia Bulldog goes fishing!

My husband collected a few antique baits with boxes

I lucked up on an antique fisherman's leather & wicker basket
It makes a nice upright tissue box holder.
The bait can holds q tips.

Although I bought this nutcracker the Christmas of 2008,
he fits in with the fishing theme without really being Christmas-y.
The little basket holds cotton balls.

I'll take fishing over working ANY day!

JoAnn