How to make candy-friendly bookmarks

I've had this idea for bookmarks cut from double-sided card-stock scrapbook paper for months, so naturally I waited until three days before I wanted to tie them to candy canes and give them away before I started making them.

Fortunately, they are fast.


You Will Need

cutting mat
rotary cutter
a ruler longer than 12"
a hole punch
lengths of ribbon/scrap yarn - allow 11"/22" per bookmark
scissors
candy canes, the kind where the wrapper follows the contour of the hook


How to Proceed

First, cut out the bookmarks.  I made mine 1.5" wide and 6" tall but obviously this is flexible depending on the size of the candy you want to tie them to.  If you're using 12" x 12" paper your job could not be easier: just keep cutting the pieces in half.

You know... from two 6" x 12" pieces, you take one and turn it to cut into two 6" x 6" pieces, and take one of those and cut it into two 6" x 3" pieces, and then cut one of them into two 6" x 1.5" pieces.

Even faster: take your 6" x 12" piece and just keep slicing every 1.5".

I cut some from 8" squares too, leaving out the excess bits, before I realized the paper was really too flimsy for a bookmark.  But if the paper is good, it's still easy to use an 8" square piece.

Most of my bookmarks were intended for people with a very small appreciation for florals, and a lot of my paper was pretty far down that road, but when you cut up the patterns it's amazing how 'floral' becomes 'abstract'.

If you're not attaching these to anything, you can stop here and maybe even pick up a book to put one to use for yourself.  If you are, however, keep reading.

Next:  punch a hole in one end of the bookmark, not too close to the top that it will rip, and as close to the center as possible.  Don't be like me and get too tired and absently punch both ends of the bookmark because that is just not pretty.

Now you are ready for yarn or ribbon or whatever you are doing at the top.  First, do some colour coordination because that's fun.  And rewarding, if you're like me and have lots of yarn left over from other projects that is too nice to toss and too short to make something else with.

If you're using ribbon you are probably fine with single 11" lengths of it; if you're using yarn, you will get a cuter tassel with a double strand.  Cut 22" lengths for these if you're using slim yarn, a bit longer if you're using something more bulky, because you will need flexibility when you go to tie these onto the top of the cane.

I found it easier to wait till I was ready to 'finish' the next bookmark before I cut each of these long yarn lengths into two.  At that point, you line them up perfectly and fold them in half again so you get the top of a loop.

And now, you're doing the same thing no matter what your tassel is made of: poke the top of that loop through the hole, and slip the loose ends of the yarn/ribbon/whatever through said loop.  So cute!

Finally, it's time to tie the bookmark to the top of the top of the cane.  If you want to add a To and From card onto this present, slip it onto the front half of your tassel strand(s) before you do your tying.  Set the cane right in front of the bookmarker (and tag if you're using one) so it/they make a secure backing, and pull your yarn tight when you tie it to the top of the cane.  If it's snug enough, it won't slip off either end, which is extra Yay.

Done.  Done and cute and ready to go out spreading bookish cheer to your friends and neighbours.  Have fun!

How to paper a box to cute up your cupboards

Yay for scrapbook paper: is there anything it can't do?

It can even give a girl a break from clearing out kitchen cupboards to do some totally legitimate crafting (not that there is any other kind, of course) and resolve some space issues at the same time.  Want some cute storage boxes for your cupboards too?

You will need

An empty cracker, cookie, or cereal box in the size of your choice

Lightweight patterned scrapbook paper (for easier folding around corners)

Either a steady hand and scissors, or a cutting mat and a rotary cutter

A ruler bigger than the longest side of your paper

Clear tape

How to proceed

First, decide which side of your box you want for the opening, and cut it away.  If necessary, tape the remaining walls of the box for stability.  Then measure and cut strips of scrapbook paper to cover the sides.  Don't worry about the bottom: it won't show!

Next, tape the paper neatly to the box, ensuring that each paper strip is centered over the side that will be on display for a neater look.

Fill the box with the contents of your choice and tuck it into your cupboard.

Done!

I gotta say, I love the boxes on the outside of cookies and crackers.  You may have read how I put them to use as shallow drawer organizers last fall, and now I am using more to separate hair accessories from bug cream along the front end of my deep dresser drawer at the cottage - same kinds of boxes, just cut for depth rather than length.

This particular box frees up extra space in my cupboard, because it's a bit smaller than the one the oatmeal comes in.  You know that whole "sold by volume, contents may settle" thing on the side of food boxes?  Well, once that food has settled, I'm very happy to tuck it into a box that matches its new size.

And the idea is great for more than food.  After I did this box, I covered an empty bulk-sized box of Rice Krispie Squares (yum) for stashing my microfiber cleaning cloths.  The paper I had couldn't cover all the way around that big box, but it doesn't show where it counts and it is so much more cheerful to start cleaning now.

So: twenty minutes well spent.  I bet a box like this would look fantastic in a yarn cupboard too, don't you?

How to make laminated paper wall tiles

When it comes to getting inexpensive, quirky art onto the wall in a humid room like the kitchen or bath, there is no easier way I know than lightweight, laminated paper:

This project is perfect for using up the pages from old calendars you loved, or any other kind of paper (newspaper, even!), but I've focused on a couple of sheets of deluxe wrapping paper by Cavallini, bought from a fancy stationery store.

You will need

Printed paper

Either a steady hand and scissors, or a cutting mat and a rotary cutter

A ruler bigger than the longest side of your paper

Clear adhesive film (I used Opmark Adhesive Film in roll form from Staples, but I spotted Avery sheets at Amazon as well)

Painter's Tape (I like Painter's Mate Green)

How to proceed

Your goal here is to laminate the front and back of the paper - the front, so as to easily wipe the paper clean, and the back, so as to make the finished product easier to put on and take off the wall.

There are two ways to achieve this kind of coverage.  If you are planning to use a large span of paper, you can unroll the adhesive film over it,

and cut afterward.

Alternatively - if you don't want to laminate everything, for example - you can cut put favourite bits of the paper first, then slip the clippings of your choice under the adhesive film.

Either way, you will want to smooth out any air pockets with your ruler before trimming away the edges of the film.

Note: if you are able to acquire Opmark Adhesive Film, you will have no trouble at all lifting and repositioning it over your paper.  That can be handy if you went with the Cut Second option, because if the film's edge lands in the middle of an image you wanted to use, you can simply remove it after cutting away another part and start over in the new area.  I can't speak for the Avery option, but I can tell you that Staples in Canada has sold Opmark for years alongside poster board.  For some reason, you just won't find it on the Staples website.

Once you've covered both the front and the back of the paper and cut it all to shape, you are ready to hang your tiles wherever you please, thanks to the miracle of Painter's Tape folded into a sticky-side-out loop and stuck on the back.

(in case you don't keep this stuff in your house at all times, let me tell you, you cannot top it for labeling water bottles etc. - I've had bottles I've washed for years and their Painter's Mate labels have stayed intact, until I effortlessly unpeeled them.)

Painter's Tape won't harm most surfaces - test first - and is infinitely repositionable. Between that and the lamination, your artwork can become a bathroom-friendly wallpaper border,

an accent for a kitchen cabinet door,

or a backup focal point below a wall of clipboards,

when they are not showcasing a young cottage guest's efforts.

That clipboard business is one of my favourite ideas for the cottage - rainy days are downright dire for children trapped in a tiny place with a lake just out of reach, so art supplies are essential.  But where to store the clipboards so necessary to stand in for table space or a lap desk?  Hanging from nails on an empty kitchen wall, that's where. 

But to get back to the tiles: omigosh, so fun.  And best of all, there's no commitment if you aren't sure about what you've posted. You can leave pictures up for a party, or all the way to the end of a season, or as long as the Painter's Tape holds, which varies based on how many times you move the pictures around.

You can also opt for laminating the front only, and sticking the back to a magnet, which is how I have my own custom collection of Wallace and Gromit 'frig magnets (paper source: an old calendar.)

Thank you so much for joining me to look at paper art for your walls, and I hope I will see you again tomorrow for something yarny!

How to dress up your spice rack

I love a good vintage spice rack, but spice bottles: meh.  That's why this little project was so perfect for me.

That, and the fact that it couldn't be easier.

You will need

Labels for your spice bottle tops

Plain spice bottles (mine came from a bulk food store)

Washi tape (this is an Etsy link)

Spices (or whatever else you want to store)

How to proceed

I bought these Martha Stewart labels from an office supply store, and they are great for this project because they go on the top of the lid, leaving the rest of the bottle free for Washi tape festings (and that's the Etsy link again in case you missed it... but don't click on either link if you have only minute levels of self control.  really.)

After you've washed the bottles and their various bits, you can write on the labels and stick them on the tops.

It doesn't matter whether you fill the bottles first or decorate them and then fill; let your patience level dictate that part.  Whichever you choose, you get to stick Washi tape onto the bottles (which is kind of the point of this whole craft project.)

Sometimes the bottles aren't perfectly round, which makes for puckered tape.  I found that ripping the tape to size and sticking it flat onto the front of the bottle was a good solution.

A few wrinkles at the back won't show on the spice rack.

You can experiment with so many different tape combinations and placements.

In the end, I couldn't decide which I liked best,

and then I remembered I didn't have to choose.

 Yay!  Walls of 1973 stylishness plus Washi tape: so much love.

(Of course you realize you can put Washi tape on any old thing for purely decorative purposes.  Except on knitting, because that would just be sticky.)

Thanks for checking out my spice bottle project - have a great day!

How to make a paper pennant banner

This banner was so fun to make for the bedrooms at my summer cottage, and so much faster than a fabric version.

You will need

Patterned scrapbook paper - I used a card weight
(if it's double sided, you can run the banner through a room and not just on a wall)

Either a steady hand and scissors, or a cutting mat and a rotary cutter

A ruler bigger than the longest side of your paper

A hole punch

Clear protectors for the holes you punch

Twine

How to proceed

First, cut away the edges of your paper to leave triangles.

The large triangles I cut are 9" wide along the top...

... and I was able to cut more 6" wide ones from the scraps left behind.

You can get three pennants from just one square sheet!  That's sooooo many banners.

Next up: use your hole punch to snap circles into the two corners of the top side of your triangle.  Don't get too close to the edges, and stay pretty consistent across all the pennants.

Now, protect the holes by applying reinforcement stickers.  

I used clear for mine, but I saw brightly coloured stickers at the office supply store that would make a fun contrast for a solid or complementary paper.

How many pennants you will need depends on how wide an area you're planning to cover.  For my 96" wall, I used 7 9-inch pennants and left a little space between each one.  Certainly, you don't want more banner coverage than wall, even if you do plan a big drape, because you will lose a little real estate in the corners.

Cut your twine to cover the width of the area plus perhaps another quarter or third for drape and to tie loops at the end for hanging it up.  (alternatively you could wait to cut the twine until after you have the pennant set up, and just cut at the point of excess.  this is the option I chose.)

I like to make a one-off patterned pennant the centre, and line up other patterns in sequence on either side.  Whatever you choose it helps to get the pennants stacked up in order before you start stringing.

String them so that the twine goes front to back into the right-hand hole, and back to front on the left.

The strung banner is very portable (or store-able) if you fold it accordian style.

And now the fun part starts: hammer a nail into each of the upper corners of the wall where you want to display your banner, tie loops in either end of the twine, and hang it up.

It's so easy to adjust the space between individual pennants once they're up - on rough twine, they won't slip at all.

We think this funny, off-centre lamp makes the pennants look like teeth and its shades like goofy monster's eyes.  

Amazingly: it's still possible to sleep underneath it.

It's also possible to sleep if you have a ceiling fan on top speed, blowing the pennants up and down off the wall.

Probably the fan masks the sound of the moving paper.

Hardly took any time at all to brighten up these brown wood panel walls - a lot less than painting, that's for sure!

And they make every vacation day seem more like a party.  Who doesn't want that?

Have a great day and thanks for stopping by to see my paper project!

No-sew cover for the cardboard box near you

Today I want to talk to you about craft storage, whether it's yarn or fabric or paper and scissors.  I can't be the only one challenged in that area, right?  And for me, the hands-down best starter storage is a good ol' cardboard box.

Cardboard boxes are fantastic for storing things like moth-protected (hello, Ziploc) yarn- or fabric-in-waiting, but they don't look pretty.  In fact it's probable that whatever unsightly thing they are storing for you is more attractive than the box itself.  The appeal of the box is its function in wrangling all that stuff into one stackable space, so let's look at making the most of this purpose and the least of the negative.

You will need:

A box
Fabric to cover the box
Scissors to cut the fabric, if necessary
Tape - painter's, packing, or even carpet

First, find a space you can use to put the box in, decoratively.  I have these boxes on the tops of most of my storage hutches and wardrobes - those are mostly sewn together, as here:

but I recently reclaimed an open shelf in the kitchen from some canisters I was able to move to less valuable real estate. (this is my reward for not baking so much right now.)

Then, find a box that fits your space.

Grocery stores that discard boxes for customer use are terrific sources for a selection of sizes.

If you're like me, finding fabric that matches the decor of the space and the size of the box will not be a problem.  I chose a length of red-striped linen tea toweling, but if your fabric is very thin you will want a darker colour than white to keep any labeling from showing through.

Cut a piece of fabric that will cover all sides of the box, excluding the top.  Or, if you're feeling stingy and it won't show, all but the back side of the box.  I was stingy.  Also: lazy - you can see I didn't even bother trimming the frayed edge of the fabric piece.

Now wrap the fabric over the box as though it is a present, and start taping.

Tea toweling gives you a nicely sewn edge for the top, but you can achieve the same effect with a neat fold along one side. If you have time and/or the inclination, you can even iron it flat.

The taping job doesn't have to be pretty unless you're planning to take the box down and display its contents to your guests, for example when the Queen visits.

Fill the box and: done!

I'm keeping cookies in mine.  Are you surprised?

This project is very quick.  The most time consuming part for me was picking up the boxes and choosing which one worked best.  This makes the project a huge help when you're trying to focus on organizing a space without getting distracted by the fun of making it, though actually, taping up a box cover in three minutes and having more storage practically instantly is very, very fun.

Hope you find this helpful for some part of your home! and I'll see you tomorrow.