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 […]

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 […]

A stack of yummy butter cookies, decorated with frosting and topped with hard candy, make a quaint setting for fondant bluebirds.