Beat the Heat: Make A Cool Tie!

Make a Cool Tie
   June 4, 2019 by Cynthia Ewer

Beat summer's heat with this sew-simple craft project: a cool tie!

This bright cotton neckerchief has a summer secret: a filling of water-absorbing polymer granules from the garden center.

Soaked in water, the cool tie's polymer granules absorb more than 200% their weight in water. Tied around the neck or worn as a headband, a cool tie provides all-day cool relief through evaporation.

A cool tie is simple to sew, requiring only a straight-stitch sewing machine. It makes a great gift for gardeners! Printable Cool Tie gift tags adds a splashy note to your hot-weather gift.    Read More >>

Mother's Day Craft: Make a French Memory Board

Make a French memory board
   May 2, 2019 by Cynthia Ewer

It's pretty place for photos, cards and mementos: a French memory board!

If you can sew a button and wield a stapler, you can make it.

Begin with a stretched artist's canvas, add batting, cover with cotton fabric, then criss-cross with ribbons.

Novelty buttons secure ribbons to the memo board's canvas and add a bright touch.

Light, pretty and oh, so easy!    Read More >>

Leprechaun Poop: St. Patricks Day Gag Gift

Leprechaun Poop Gift Tag
   February 20, 2019 by Cynthia Ewer

Faith and begorrah! What's the greenest gag gift for St.Patrick's Day? Leprechaun Poop!

Inexpensive and easy to make, Leprechaun Poop is a great gift for workplace friends, neighbors or youth groups.

To make Leprechaun Poop, place a handful of Lucky Charms brand cereal, green jelly beans or candy mints in a small zipper food storage bag.

Seal the bag and add a printable gift tag or add a hand-written tag using the poem below.    Read More >>

Make A Jiffy Pop® Popcorn Topper for Valentine's Day

Valentine's Day Popcorn Topper Template
   February 2, 2019 by Cynthia Ewer

Who needs flowers or chocolates when there's ... popcorn?

Create a Valentine of a different kind with our Valentine's Day Jiffy Pop® Popcorn Topper.

Based on the fun-to-make kid's treat, our popping-good Valentine features a free printable label template to create this gift in a jiffy! It's as simple as print, cut, give.

New to Popcorn Toppers? Learn how to create these easy craft gifts with this photo tutorial:

How To Make Jiffy Pop® Popcorn Toppers    Read More >>

Cupid Poop: Valentines Day Gag Gift

Cupid Poop Poem
   January 25, 2019 by Cynthia Ewer

Valentine tricksters, take note ... it's Cupid Poop! Surprise your Valentine with this easy gag gift.

Making Cupid Poop is as easy as placing a handful of candy hearts, seasonal marshmallows, or red jelly beans in a small zipper food storage bag.

Seal and label with a free printable Cupid Poop gift tag or bag topper, or handwrite a tag using the poem below.    Read More >>

Chill Chaser: Make A Winter Warmer Jiffy Pop® Popcorn Topper

Winter Warmer Jiffy Pop Popcorn Topper
   January 10, 2019 by Cynthia Ewer

It's a cheery gift for a dreary day: a Winter Warmer Jiffy Pop® Popcorn Topper!

Add our free printable template to a package of Jiffy Pop® brand pop-in-pan popcorn for an inexpensive "popcorn topper" craft gift.

Paired with Snowman Soup, you'll bring warmth and fun to a wintry day!

How To Make Jiffy Pop® Popcorn Toppers

Printable Winter Warmer Popcorn Topper Template    Read More >>

Get Organized for the New Year: Post-Christmas Clean-Up!

   December 31, 2018 by Cynthia Ewer

Ready to start the New Year from a clean and clutter-free home? Try these post-Christmas clean-up tips from sister site, Organized Home.

These simple, do-it-now strategies can reduce clutter and conquer Christmas chaos. We like this one:

Sort Before You Stow

Once the New Year arrives, most families take down holiday decorations and store them for the following year--but too often, there's a sense of "sling it in there and worry about it later" when it comes to putting away Christmas ornaments, holiday linens and outdoor lighting.

This year, pay it forward: sort and declutter holiday decorations, linens and specialty cooking items as you store them. Cut the non-working, the tattered, and the tired from the herd as you put away holiday decorations. Has-been decor items can be recycled or donated; stained linens can be repurposed as cleaning cloths.

Streamline holiday decorating next year: sort before you stow!

Post-Christmas Clean-Up    Read More >>

Post-Holiday Debriefing: Get Organized for Next Christmas

   December 30, 2018 by Cynthia Ewer

It's over for another year!

Wild and woolly or sane and sedate, we've passed through the holiday season and into a new year. Breath caught, it's time to debrief.

You know debriefing, right? The astronauts do it, spies do it, pilots do it: a measured after-the fact evaluation of the mission or flight.

Smart holiday planners should do it, too--because taking time now to note what worked, what didn't will be a road map to a more organized Christmas next year.    Read More >>

Seasonal Storage Tip: Holiday Stragglers Box

Holiday Stragglers Box
   December 29, 2018 by Cynthia Ewer

Christmas has come and gone ... or has it?

Lights are stored, the tree is down, and holiday decor rests in boxes in the storage area, waiting for next year.

Then you turn the corner and spot an overlooked Santa, shining on top of the piano.

In the refrigerator, the holiday butter dish hides the last remnants of a stick of butter. Holiday linens, napkins and kitchen towels pop up in the laundry area this week, next week and the week after.    Read More >>

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