How to make a customized letter opener The other day, my teenage son (who is at an age where he is getting lots of mail from different universities who sincerely want our money) was asking for a letter opener. We looked around the house (I know that there is one around here, somewhere…) to no avail. […]

How to make a luggage tag from an old credit card or gift card Once you have cancelled a credit card or finished using  a plastic gift card, what can you do with it, besides tossing it in the trash? Here is one idea: give it new life by turning it into a luggage tag. […]

Design and make your own write-on wipe-off board Message boards are so useful, and yet most of them are so…. well, let’s face it — UGLY. Wouldn’t it be great to have one that actually coordinated with your decor? One that made a statement (even when there was no message written on it?) Well, here you […]

How to make unique cookie shapes I really, REALLY like to decorate cookies. It combines art and dessert, both of which I adore! Fairly early in my cookie-decorating career, I began to want cookie cutter shapes that were not readily available at shops in my town. Then I discovered some wonderful Internet sources like Foose […]

Ascending Marble Toy I designed this fun marble-rolling toy many years ago, inspired by a similar toy from the 1880’s. The object is to make a marble or small ball climb from the bottom of the box all the way to the top, as quickly as possible. Then you turn the box 180 degrees and […]

Here is a great Valentine card with a pop-up message (LOVE). I’ll show you how to do the basic technique, and then you can easily adapt the card to express your own message. You can use the card for a variety of different holidays and occasions by changing the one-word message: Christmas (NOEL), Halloween (BOO), New Year (the […]

Need place card holders for a wedding? Or maybe signs for a bake sale? Here is a quick and inexpensive solution: tea light card holders. All you need are tea lights/votive candles, wire (I used 18 gauge), wire cutters, and needle nose pliers. First, measure and cut some lengths of wire. Mine were 4.5 inches […]

When I was in junior high school, I worked in the school’s library. I think it was actually an elective course I took, to get out of taking a foreign language. While I now regret that I do not speak foreign languages, working in the library had its own rewards. Re-shelving required me to focus my […]

Can you guess what this picture frame was, in its former life…? Something found in just about every household… that gets emptied frequently… and that people throw away when empty… … … … Wait for it… … … … … a tissue box! Of course, it takes quite a few embellishments to transform a humble tissue box […]

How to make a sweatshirt scrapbook The other day, I was sorting through some old clothes to donate to charity, and I ran across a sweatshirt from my son’s elementary school days. On the one hand, it seemed silly to keep a child-sized sweatshirt when my son is now in high school, and stands over six feet […]

I made this advent calendar for my nieces, based on instructions from Chica and Jo. Theirs depicted the Grinch; for mine I used my favorite childhood Christmas special, Santa Claus is Comin’ to Town. The pockets are great for inserting small gifts. I used a red felt backing, and trimmed it with fun fur to make […]