Gift for a Graduate

Take a picture of your graduating child and his or her friends. Purchase a piece of off-white, tan or beige cotton fabric.If the fabric is 45 inches wide, you will need half yard.Cut the fabric in half so that you have 2 pieces that are 18x22 1/2. When the picture is developed, take it to a copy shop, along with one piece of the fabric, and have it enlarged to 8x10,and color transfered onto the center of the fabric. Then take it home and stitch the two pieces of fabric, wrong sides together,around the edge leaving a space for turning. Turn right side out and stuff firmly. Sew the opening closed.There should be a 4inch to 4 1/2inch border around the picture. Get all the people in the picture to sign the pillow with a permanent fabric marker or pen. They can use different colors. Then throw the pillow in the drier to heat set the ink if necessary. Your child will have a wonderful memento to take away to college or where ever they are going.
Sherie, Jamaica

Homemade Laundry Powders...

Years ago an Alabama grandmother gave a new bride the following recipe:
I can only imagine a young bride who said to her grandma she didn't know
how to wash clothes and perhaps she just wrote it down for her.

This is an exact copy as written and found in an old scrapbook - with spelling errors and all.

WASHING CLOTHES

Build a fire in backyard to heat kettle of rain water. Set tubs so smoke wont blow in eyes if wind is pert. Shave one hole cake of lie soap in boilin water.

Sort things, make 3 piles
1 pile a white,
1 pile a colored,
1 pile a work britches and rags.

To make starch, stir flour in cool water to smooth, then thin
down with boiling water.

Take white things, rub dirty spots on board, scrub hard, and
boil, then rub colored don't boil just wrench and starch.

Take things out of kettle with broom stick handle, then wrench,
and starch.

Hang old rags on fence.
Spread tea towels on grass.
Pore wrench water in flower bed. Scrub porch with hot soapy
water. Turn tubs upside down.

Go put on clean dress, smooth hair with hair combs. Brew cup of
tea, sit and rock a spell and count your blessings.

My Website; http://www.rustybucketprims.com
My eBay; http://tinyurl.com/2d2zx5
My Etsy; http://thecountrycrock.etsy.com
My Web Shots; http://tinyurl.com/6ps649
See & Sign up to win My Giveaway at
The Primitive Handmade Directory; http://tinyurl.com/56yfkv
Trina Clark; http://tinyurl.com/6pzt7p... [Read More]

Snowman Poop

Give a bag of large marshmallows with the poem:

You've been naughty,
So here's the scoop.
Coal's so expensive,
Your getting snowman poop.

Egg heads!

Use small nail to make hole about the size of a quarter in one end of egg, then drain egg and rinse out shell.Draw or paint funny faces on the shells and put them in an egg carton.Use permanent markers as they won't bleed threw.Use a spoon to fill with soil then plant with grass seed(follow directions). Moisten the soil, cover with plastic wrap and put in sunny window until the seed sprout. When the hair is thick, remove plastic. Style the hair and water everyday!

Sparkleball for Holidays

There are lots of ways to make sparkleballs -- those light balls made out of plastic cups and mini-lights, but this no-melt way is easy and safe enough for children to do.

You'll need:

1. 50 **soft** plastic cups (9 oz size, tumbler-style with slanted sides)
2. a hole puncher
3. an electric drill with 1/2" bit
4. string of mini-lights (100-150 lites)
5. 200 zip-tie fasteners

Step One
Drill a hole in the bottom of all 50 cups. (Stack them 2-3 at a time for drilling.) Then punch 4 holes in the rim of each cup. Evenly space the holes, so each hole has one opposite it. If cups have a "lip," then the holes go just under it. The holes don't have to be perfect. Just guess.

Step Two
Put 12 cups in a circle with rims touching. Attach each cup to its neighbor with a zip-tie through the holes. Don't tighten zip-ties all the way until you've attached all the cups. Then tighten one by one, making sure circle of cups stays flat. Tighten zip-ties and trim.

Step Three
Add 9 cups on top of the 12-ring. Lay them on one-by-one, attaching the cup to the one it sits on top of. When all 9 cups are in place, attach the cups to their neighbors on either side. Tighten zip-ties and trim.

Step Four
Fit 4 cups into the space left. Attach each cup four times, to cups on either side. Half the ball is done!

Step Five
Now thread half the mini-lights into the cup bottoms. The lights are inserted into the cups, so the bulb(s) sit inside the cup, pointing outward. Each cup with have 1-3 lights depending on how many are in your string. Make sure the plug hangs out. ALWAYS TEST LIGHTS BEFORE YOU BEGIN. And be careful not to miss a cup or a light, when you're threading.

(for a dancing sparkleball use multi-function, "chasing lights" with a little controller)

Step Six
Build the second half of the sparkleball just like the first. Finish threading the lights into the new half.

Step Seven
You're almost done! Put the halves together (make sure the plug is hanging out!) and join with zip-ties. Tighten them and trim.

Step Eight
Decide where you want the top of the disco ball to be, and add a hanger. I make mine out of a small piece of chain and "s" hooks. But you can use fishing line, zip-ties, or ribbon.

plug in and enjoy!

For lots of photos of light balls from all over the world and step-by-step **photo** instructions, check out www.sparkleball.com It's free.... [Read More]