Wire Wraps

To keep wires from getting tangled I wind them up and tie them with just about anything I can get my hands on...

a fabric wrap (I made it out of scrap fabric and a snap),

a knitting accessory (I think they keep knitting needles together),

a twisty tie, and

a plastic tie from a kid's toy.

Organza Flower

I came across this tut to make pretty organza flowers. The instructions are easy to follow and the flower is relatively easy to make (be sure to craft in a well ventilated area). I made several different colored flowers and attached them to hair ties, hair clips and my sun hat.

Bento Tray, Again

Last weekend my husband and I built a cabinet from IKEA. I used a bento tray* to sort the hardware bits making it easier to find the right parts. The tray is portable, so it can easily be moved around the work area. I think it makes building faster and a little less stressful...or maybe because my husband did most of the work.

* This bento tray was also used in a previous blog.

Eating Outdoors

During the summer, we love to eat outside, but flies are a big problem. I use microwave covers to protect plates from pests and to keep food warm. I also set an extra plate of scraps for flies to have at; our flies like corn cobs and rib bones.

Beach Pool

A few years ago, my son fell backward while wading at the beach. After that he didn't like going to the beach. The following summer, I took our kiddie pool and filled it up with ocean water. It was a fun re-exposure to water for him AND a great way to cool off hot feet.

Chubby The Fish

I started crocheting amigurumi characters a few years ago. Chubby is one of my favorite fish patterns...and it is free for download here at Diana Prince's blog. Her site also includes tutorials to help you get started making your own school of fish.

Traveling With GPS

Rather than purchasing an expensive bag for our GPS, my husband used and old camera case. It's perfect for storage AND traveling with the unit and accessories.

Craft Organizer

Before...and after...

I use this really cute travel case to organize my craft materials. It make it so much easier to find items.

I LOVE Composting!

I've been backyard composting for over a year. I was so tired of piling up my neighbor's leaves and our mowed grass in the street for the City to pick up. It felt like such a waste.

SELECTING A COMPOSTER

There are many different types of composters available. This site gives detailed info and specs on compost bins for less than $100, but it isn't necessary to purchase a bin; my auntie digs a big hole and buries organic material.

I purchased an Earth Machine (EM) through a program offered by Santa Clara County Recycling and Waste Reduction Commission. The County offers a free composting class and the EM for $55. I did a lot of compost bin research and found the EM to be the best for the price. It is round, making it easier to turn the compost and the screw-on-top keeps out unwanted critters.

GETTING STARTED

I dug up a sunny dirt area in my backyard and placed the EM directly on top of the newly turned soil. I added the big pile of leaves and freshly cut grass; basically, adding equal parts of "browns", which are high in carbon, and "greens" which are high in nitrogen.

Brown: dry leaves*, cardboard (paper towel, toilet paper, wrapping paper tubes)

Green: grass, kitchen scraps (fruits, veggies, coffee grounds, tea bags, cut leaves)

NOTE: Do NOT add animal waste, meat, or dairy

I mixed them together, then added water. The mixture should be damp like a sponge, not sopping wet. After a few days of "cooking" the pile decreased in size.

I kept adding materials (trying to maintain the 50% brown, 50% green mixture), watering and turning the heap until the bin was 75% full. A couple of weeks later, I wasn't completely satisfied with the progress, so I mixed in roughly two gallons of compost that I'd gotten from the City to help the process.

COMPOST COMPLETE!

Four months later it was ready!** It looks like damp soil when done. I didn't water it for a couple of weeks (but continued to turn) to let it dry out a little then sifted out all the things that didn't break down completely (and put those things back into the bin for the next batch).

In the second batch, I added a lot more kitchen scraps and ended up with a bin full of earthworms. They must have come up from the soil under the bin.

I found this helpful Troubleshooting chart at the bottom of www.calrecycle.ca.gov for reference.

* The instructor in the class I attended said that anything that falls off a tree naturally (vs. cut) is considered brown

** Breakdown slows during colder months. Keep adding material and turning; it will begin cooking when the weather gets warmer.

Hello Kitty

I made these little Hello Kitty's out of crochet thread and a super small crochet hook.

Reuse Bread Clips

I'd put a couple of small gifts together and forgot to include gift tags. Of course, I didn't want to unwrap all the gifts to add the tags. I remember reading on a website (although I cannot remember which one) that a bread clip could be used to attach a tag. So, with double stick tape, the forgotten tags and bread clips...problem solved.

While trying to find the original site, I found this gem with other useful things to do with clips.

Another Free With Purchase Bag

I have a drawer at home that has a ton of chargers for all of our electronics: phones, headsets, laptops, cameras, iPods, etc... I used to get frustrated trying to figure out which charger went with which electronic. I added cord identifiers, which helped, but I still had to dig through a very messy drawer to find what I was looking for.

When my auntie gave more "free gift with purchase" cosmetic bags, I knew exactly what to do with them. I put each cord along with accessories into a bag. For instance, my phone bag (in the photo) has a bluetooth headset, its charger, my phone charger and manual plus an extra case for the phone. Now the charger drawer is much cleaner and brighter!

Is That My Cup?

I made these cup "sweatbands" out of towel scraps (remember that hat I lined?). I added a grommet at the bottom and used embroidery thread to hang a paper circle with each guest's initial.

These helped identify everyone's cups AND kept condensation to a minimum.

Plant Food Jugs

I use empty apple juice jugs to mix plant food and water. I write the contents and when to use on the outside, saving the extra for use the following month.

Garden Booster

If I know I'm going to be gardening in an area for a while, I'll pull out my son's old booster seat to sit on. It makes weeding tolerable.

Carrots in a Bag

Back in March I planted a few carrot seeds in a plastic bag. I thought it would be easier to harvest...if they grew at all. Four months later I pulled out a sweet and juicy carrot! It was actually tastier than the carrots grown in dirt.