Friday Fix- Super Fast Last Minute Gift

I was visiting one of my favorite recipe websites Our Best Bites and I just happened to stumble upon the fabulous post for a really quick and easy gift.  I decided I had to do it for my co-workers and snazz up one of the teacher gifts I already had planned. 

 It's also super cheap!  I found 3 packs of holiday socks at Wal-Mart for under $3!!.  I made 6 of these and it was under $12 total!  You will need to visit Our Best Bites to get the printable to attach to the bag then package a cute pair of socks and a nail polish in a clear bag.  If you wanted to do a bit more you could also add a mini manicure kit and mini bottle of nail polish remover. 

Friday Fix-Homemade Wipes

I don't have a photo for this post since it would basically be a picture of a tupperware filled with paper towels.  I am sure you can use your imagination to picture what that looks like!  I wish when I was younger I would have be more into taking care of my skin.  Now I remove my make-up at night and use lots of different face creams and sunblock everyday.  (If you need some great day/night stuff go shop my Avon store)  I like to use makeup remover wipes at night but man they are expensive!  So thanks to White House, Black Shutters I can now make my own!  Depending on what you put in here you can use these as make up remover wipes, baby wipes, or cleaning wipes.  To make the makeup remover wipes you will need:

1 Roll of Bounty Select a Size Paper Towels
2 Cups Water
2 tsp Coconut Oil (I got mine at Sprouts)
2 Squirts of you favorite facial cleanser
A Container

First you cut your roll of paper towels in half
In a bowl mix water, coconut oil, and cleanser
Place paper towels in container, pour the mixture over them
Put the lid on and turn upside down for at least five minutes
After five minutes, turn right side up, pull out the cardboard roll in the middle, then pull your first wipe up from the middle.

These work so well and keep my skin so nice and soft.  It's a win win!  Saving money and getting wipes that contain no harsh chemicals :) 

Visit White House, Black Shutters for the recipes for baby wipes and cleaning wipes.

Friday Fix-Homemade Foaming Soap Refills

I keep meaning to take photos of this process but it never seems to get done!  My honey really likes the foam soap but I don't like the cost.  So thanks to the web I have found a way to make my own.  You will need:
1 empty foam soap dispenser (you will have to purchase it full but then can reuse it over and over)
1 bottle of liquid hand soap
Water

Fill your empty dispenser about 1/3 of the way full with liquid hand soap of your choice.  I find that Wally World tends to sell it pretty cheap. 
Add water, but not to the top as you will need to put the top back on.
Put the top back on and give it a little shake.
There ya go.  Liquid hand soap on the cheap!

Friday Fix-$1 Store Easter Wreath

I love $1 Store crafts!  For this one you will need to pick up some.......

I think I grabbed 4 bags of eight eggs for a total of 32 eggs and a large sized wicker wreath

You will also need

Pretty easy just start gluing your eggs on and fill up the front of the wreath

If you have naked spots or run out of eggs you could tie a bow and glue that on to hide the bareness

Luckily My bare spots were few and far between and this is what we ended up with.

Easy Peasy Easter wreath on the cheap which is always a bonus!

Friday Fix-Jewelry Organizing

I like jewelery A LOT!  I have a ton of it that I have purchased, made, or recieved in swaps.  I had to find a way to organize it all so that things weren't tangled and I could easily see what I have. 

So I hung a curtain rod on the wall in my bedroom and hung all my necklaces on it.

Underneath the rod is my bookshelf which has a jewelry box which holds bracelets and some of my earrings.  Next to the jewelry box is an earring display that I made.  If you look closely you can see it on the lower right hand corner of the picture below. 

I am starting to run out of room on the rod.  I don't know if this means I need to scale back on the jewelry or get another rod!

Friday Fix-Stovetop Cleaning

I love having a flat stovetop.  It looks so much nicer and cleaner.  Except that is gets dirty so easily and it can be hard to get that cooked on stuff off!  I mean if the water boils over the pot, I am in trouble, from water!!!!  So I saw this tip somewhere on the blogosphere and decided to try it.  To clean your flat stovetop just use the spray oven cleaner!  I spray it on the top, let it sit for a while then wipe it off.  I will then use a wet cloth to wipe it again to make sure all the cleaner is off.  It works like a charm!!! 

Friday Fix-Fast Gift 3 Hot Chocolate

Mmmm who doesn't love a nice cup of hot chocolate? Stir in some chocolate chips and marshmallows and you have a wonderful treat! You can make your own hot chocolate mix and layer it in a jar to give as a quick gift.

You will need:

2/3 Cup Sugar

1/3 Cup Cocoa

Pinch of Salt

Mix all ingredients in a bowl and store in an air tight container.

To give as a gift:

Layer the mix with chocolate chips and marshmallows. Add a mini whisk and a cute mug and you are good to go!

Add two tablespoons of mix per mug of hot milk or water.

Easy Peasy!

Friday Fix-Fast Gift 2 Sugar Scrub

This is a Lemon Sugar Hand Scrub. It softens and exfoliates all at the same time. It helps that it smells great and is super quick and easy to make! I will be making these as teachers gifts this year.

I have seen a lot of different receipes for this online. I pretty much made up my own and I didn't measure!

You will need:

1 Container. This can be any glass or plastic container of your choosing

White Cane Sugar

Olive Oil

Lemon Juice

Optional:

Tea Tree Oil

Essential Oils

Pour the sugar into the container filling it until almost full

Pour in the olive oil and start stirring until blended.

Stir in your lemon juice and tea tree oil (if you are using it) Add enough to get the scent you want.

The oil will push down the sugar so you will have to add more sugar and oil until the container is full. Just add both and stir until the container is full.

Add a ribbon and a pretty tag!

Beware that if used in the shower it can be very slippery!

A variation on the recipe

White Cane Sugar

Brown Sugar

Olive Oil

Optional:

2 tsp Cinnamon

2 tsp Vanilla

Use equal amounts of the sugar and follow the same directions as above.

Easy Peasy!

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Friday Fix- Fast Gift

This is a really quick and easy gift to give to someone with kids. It's a kit to make applesauce cinnamon Christmas ornaments. I got the idea from a fellow Craftster sally1019

You will need:

1. A tea towel, I got mine from the $1 store or any gift bag will do
2. A single serveing of applesauce. I got a 4 pack at the $1 store
3. I included 1/2 cup of cinnamon. Again 1 large container from the $1 store was enough for two gifts
4. A cookie cutter. I purchased a 5 pack of cutters from the $1 store
5. Ribbon
6. The recipe

I used the tea towel and sewed it into a gift bag. I jumped right in rather than thinking it through. I will give a mini tute below if needed.

Measure out 1/2 cup cinnamon and put it in a baggie.

Place all the items in your gift bag and tie closed with the ribbon.

I attached the recipe to the ribbon.

To make the dough:
Mix equal parts of applesauce and cinnamon.
If dough is too moist add a little cinnamon and if too dry add a little more applesauce.
Start mixing with spoon then use your hands.
Roll 1/4" thick and cut with cookie cutter.
Use a straw to make the hole for hanging.
Let dry for 3-4 days or you can cook in oven at 150 for 1 hour.

To make the bag from a tea towel:
Open towel and cut in half widthwise
Using the bottom half of the towel (the piece with the design)
Fold in half right sides together
Sew up only the side of towel (if you have dangly things on the bottom, if not sew the side and bottom. Turn right side out and you are done)
Turn right side out and sew across the bottom being careful not to sew the pom poms into the bag (which I did on one of the bags I made, oops)

Easy Peasy!

I have decided that I really need a new camera to start taking nice photos of the things I want to post!


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Friady Fix-Baked Potatoes

I don't remember where I first saw this idea at but I tried it and it worked like a charm! I had perfectly baked potatoes when I got home from work.

First wash your potatoes

Wrap in foil

I put some butter and garlic salt in the foil before I sealed it

Place in your crock pot and cook on high 4-6 hours or low 7-8 hours.

Carefully remove and serve!

They do look a little more brown than white but they taste just as good as oven baked potatoes

Friday Fix-Idea Organization

I find so many different wonderful ideas that I want to try on blogs and craftster. These ideas range from crafts to recipes to decorating ideas. I have found tons of different printables thanks to fellow bloggers. It all very inspirational but a bit hard to keep track of.

I do a few different things to try to keep track of things I have printed, stencils, ideas, recipes, etc. My computer is of course the most help. I use my scanner to scan in neat or one of kind ephemera before I use it so that if I want I can reprint it later for another project. I save all these pictures along with stencils, tutorials, and ideas in folders on my computer.

I print out recipes and try to remember to include the link on the print out (so when I share here I can link back!) and I file the recipes in a three ring binder. If it turns out good it's kept if not it's easy to toss.

I also have a three ring binder where I store printed patterns, stencils, and pictures. It's easy to locate what I want when it's all in one spot and I can just flip through the pages.

What do you do to keep your crafty ideas organized???

Friday Fix-Herb Saver

This is such a fabulous idea that I found on Tip Junkie and I just had to share! I don't buy many fresh herbs because they go to waste if not used right away. But fresh is best so you can save your fresh herbs buy putting them in ice cube trays with water then freeze em! I did this with the cilantro pictured above and actually just used a cube yesterday for marinade I made.

Friday Fix-Who spilled the beads?

Did you spill some beads or sequins? Wrap a nylon or thin fabric around the hose of your vacuum. Hold in place with a rubber band and use to pick up these small items. Just be sure to hold the hose over a bowl before turning off the vacuum!

Friday Fix-Saving your kids school work

Since it's the start of another school year and I have a kindy kid I know I will be amassing a ton of school projects, ribbons, report cards, etc for the year. I of course don't save every scrap of paper but I do want to save the special things. The best way I have found to do this is to put everything into a medium flat rate box. The long thin rectangle shaped one.

These can be ordered online from The US Postal Service for free! I keep it open and just date the papers then slip them in throughout the year. At the end of the school year I seal it and label it. They are super easy to stack and keep track of then.

You can also take it a step further and roll artwork and store it in an empty paper towel tube. I also frame certain paintings and display them throughout my house.

Another idea is to scan a picture, print onto cardstock sized 3X5 and turn into custom notecards.

Friday Fix-Squeeze Please

Use a squeeze bottle for pancake mix or for piping frosting
I got a set of ketchup and mustard bottles at the $1 store!
Our favorite pancake recipe is from Bakerella

Do you have any other ideas for these bottles?

Friday Fix-Envelopes

I love to make my own envelopes. All you need is a template , a glue stick, and decorative paper. You can use old calendar pages, childrens books, cardstock, really anything you want to make your envelopes.

Select the template you want, trace it onto your decorative paper, cut it out, fold it and glue the edges.

I have many envelope templates which are "laminated" and I keep them in my crafty binder.

If you have ideas for Friday Fix please email me at craftylikelindy at yahoo dot com

Have a great weekned!

Friday Fix

Every Friday I will post a Friday Fix which will be a tip or idea that I have thought up myself or used. If you have ideas for Friday Fix please email them to me at craftylikelindy@yahoo.com
If this turns into a popular feature then maybe we can have a Friday Fix link party someday!!!!

Todays Friday Fix is do it yourself laminate. I have been using clear contact paper to laminate paper templates. This way templates that I am going to use over and over get more than one use. Just sandwich your template between the two sticky sides of contact paper and cut it out. I also punch a hole in my template so that I can store them in my crafty three ring binder.

One roll of clear contact paper will last for quite a while and is a lot cheaper than laminating sheets.