How to Make Mobile Indoor/Outdoor Speakers

My family recently thought it would be a good idea to install some outdoor speakers so we could enjoy music when we're in the pool or out on the deck, but the more we looked into it, the more we thought it would be easier, and more useful, if we pulled together a solution that would allow us to use them anywhere (well, within our Wi-fi reach, at least).

My husband came up with the idea of using Apple's Airport Express to allow us to play music from our iTunes (from the laptops, PC, iPads, or iPhones, or iPods if you have them). From there, we found some speakers that we liked, but they weren't very mobile. We thought it would be fun to be able to move them outside when we're in the pool or yard, and inside when we want to use the speakers in a room where we normally wouldn't be able to hear our computers' built-in speakers.

I came up with a solution that uses all of the above, but in a small, rolling suitcase.

What You'll Need:
-Apple Airport Express
-Power strip or surge protector
-Rolling fabric suitcase
-Computer speakers (We used the Logitech Z313 speaker system)

It was really easy to set up: all I did was connect the components and place them into the suitcase. We were lucky and had this older, small, rolling suitcase up in our closet. It's covered in fabric, so it doesn't muffle the noise noticeably, but that means it isn't waterproof, so we'll need to be extra careful to remember to roll it all in when we're finished.

My first step was to make sure everything worked: I plugged it in and tested it, and everything sounded great.

Luckily, this suitcase had a piece of fabric that connected to the bottom with velcro, and this was handy in keeping the smaller speakers from moving around.

So, I tucked the smaller speakers under the fabric and used the velcro to hold them in place.

Then, I added the other components, heaviest on the bottom. Make sure the power strip is in the ON position so you won't have to open the zipper each time you use it.

I left the plug outside the suitcase, since it will need to be plugged in each time we use it. Since this speaker set also had a volume control, I also left it hanging outside and zipped around it. However, if you choose a speaker system that doesn't have a separate volume control, you can still use iTunes to control the speaker volume.

That's it! It's now ready to roll around and be used. I'm so excited to be able to listen to some decent tunes this summer while we enjoy the warm weather.

To use them, roll into place, plug it in, then go to your iTunes console, and click the speaker option (lower right of the screen - the rectangle shape). Select "Airport Express", and the output will be redirected to your Airport Express, wherever it may be.

And here it is on our deck, beside the hot tub. It sounds great!

This solution will be so handy for our 4th of July cook out - I can't wait!

How to Cover a Notebook with Fabric to Make a Wookie-Inspired Notebook!

My husband is a huge fan of the Star Wars franchise. He's also a big fan of always having a journal with him so he can capture his thoughts whenever he feels like it. He typically likes carrying a Moleskin, and he's also a big fan of journal bandoliers to hold his pens and keep his journal nice and tidy.

So, for Father's Day this year, my daughter and I decided to combine all of the above, cover the journal in brown fuzzy fabric, and turn it into a wookie-inspired journal as a gift for my husband. Since we were starting with a prototype, we ended up making two, one large and one small.

What You'll Need:

-Brown fabric (I used felt for the small one and a soft fuzzy polyester for the large)
-Black elastic
-White fabric paint
-White glue
-Quick grip glue (or super glue)
-Scissors
-Narrow white elastic
-Notebook(s)
-Foam paint brush

I basically followed the steps from this excellent online tutorial, but with a few changes. This is what I did to make it a "Wookie Book":

I first cut a length of black elastic that would fit diagonally across the front of the notebook. I cut a small loop of white elastic, sized to hold a pen or pencil, and sewed it onto the middle of the black elastic, perpendicular to the edges of the black elastic. I then used my white fabric paint to paint matching stripes along the front of the black elastic. This is the bandolier.

I let the paint dry thoroughly, then I cut a piece of brown fabric the size of the notebook, plus about 3/4" around each edge. I figured out the placement of the bandolier onto the fabric by doing a mock-up and placing the fabric onto the notebook, then the bandolier diagonally across the front. I marked the two spots on the back of the notebook where I would need to sew the bandolier edges.

I then sewed the edges of the elastic firmly onto the fabric. I back-stitched several times to ensure that it holds tightly when stretched.

This is what it looks like once sewn, before the fabric is attached to the notebook.

Next, I used white glue to attach the fabric to the front of the notebook. 

I used a foam paint brush to spread the white glue evenly, then pressed the fabric firmly onto the notebook.

Since my fabric was a bit bulky, the white glue wasn't quite powerful enough for the edges. I pulled out my favorite all-purpose glue, Quick Grip. It's useful for so many things around the house, and it worked perfectly for the edges of my wookie book.

Once the edges were glued, I used a sheet from the notebook itself to cover the inside front and back. For the larger notebook, I used a nicer piece of heavy stock stationery. I went back to white glue to glue the inside covers.

To help with drying, I propped up the inside pages to allow air to circulate. 

Once it was dry, I was pleased with the way it turned out. This is the front:

And this is the back:

Since it was a first attempt, the paint stripes seem a little uneven, so I'll work on that if I make others. All in all, I think it made a pretty good gift for my Star Wars, journal-carrying guy.

VHS Cassette Case as Hidden Wall Storage

What a smart idea...I love this!

Another Quick and Easy Hand Print Gift - Framed Art!

If you're still looking for a quick and easy Father's Day gift, this isn't very difficult and is another fun craft for you and your kids: a hand print tree, as framed art!

What You'll Need:
-Posterboard
-Tempera Paint
-Pencil
-Colored Pencils
-Poster Frame

I used the pencil to sketch out a tree like the one below. If your kids like drawing and art, though, they could draw it themselves.

I wrote, "Happy Father's Day 2012" at the bottom in block letters, although my lettering needs quite a bit of work. A paintbrush probably would have been a better choice here, but this was my result:

Then, I rounded my up niece, nephew, and daughter, and let them add their hands to the branches. If I do this again in the future, I'll be sure to make the tree outline darker so it shows up more.

I then let it dry and place it into a poster-sized frame, and that's it! I picked up the frame for $25 at Big Lots, but lightweight poster frames can be found at Wal-Mart for even less than that.

Have fun with it, and to all the Dads out there: may you have a Happy Father's Day!

How to Make Your Own Deodorant

I have been making my own deodorant for two years now. I see several benefits to it:

• It's cheaper then buying commercial deodorant / antiperspirant
• Less waste (no more little blue plastic containers to throw away - and anything that reduces plastic waste is a good thing)
• I never run out, as long as my ingredients are well stocked (and they always are)
• Fewer chemicals on and in my body. There is a great deal of Internet debate about whether or not the chemicals in deodorant and antiperspirants cause cancer and/or Alzheimer's, but whether or not it's true, I'd rather not take the chance...especially if I have a natural alternative that works just as well as the commercial solutions.

What You'll Need:

-Coconut Oil (available in the baking aisle of most supermarkets)

-Corn Starch

-Air-tight container for storage

-Baking Soda (optional)

-Tea Tree Oil or lavender oil (optional)

I find it's easiest to mix if you first melt the coconut oil in the microwave. I remove the jar's lid and microwave on high for 2 minutes until most of it is melted.

My preferred recipe is simply 1/2 C. Corn Starch and 4 Tbsp. Coconut oil, mixed together and stored at room temperature. I apply it with my fingers and it works well for me, even in the Summer. 

If that doesn't work for you, an alternative recipe would be 1/4 C. Corn Starch, 1/4 C. Baking Soda, and 4 Tbsp. Coconut oil. If that still doesn't control odors, you can add 10 drops of Tea Tree or Lavender oil to the mixture. 

Store in an airtight container and just mix more when you need it. I also use a little travel size container (that used to contain eye cream) for traveling.

This is a deodorant only, not an antiperspirant, so you'll still sweat (but you shouldn't stink). If I was a teenager, though, I'm not sure this would be a good solution, but since I'm older and don't sweat as much as I used to, this works great for me. 

Another important note - sometimes it takes a couple of weeks for your sweat glands to adjust to not being squelched by a commercial antiperspirant. So, if you feel like this isn't working because you're so sweaty, try giving it 10 days or so to see if your body adjusts. It really is worth it!

Quick and Easy Father's Day Crafts for Dads and Grandpas

It's nearly Father's Day, and if the men in your life are anything like mine, they already have everything they need. This leaves me searching for new ideas every year. Here are a couple of gifts we have made that the Dads and Grandpas loved:

Battery Garden


One Christmas, we gave my father-in-law a pack of batteries to power a new lantern that was separately wrapped. He opened the batteries first and went on and on about how he loved them and always needed batteries. Even after he opened the lantern, he told us how much he loved the batteries. So, it made me realize that men really do always need batteries, so why not make a cute little garden out of them and give them as a gift? My four-year-old decorated it herself and it was a fun project. I just helped cut holes in the boxes to hold the sticks, and added a little glue at their bases to hold the heavier batteries.

She had fun making it, and the Grandfathers both thought it was really cute. Be sure to tell them that they're new batteries so they'll be able to use them!

Painted T-shirts with Hand Prints and Footprints


Painted T-shirts are are a fun and simple gift, and my daughter always loves getting paint all over her, so be sure to wear old clothes if you make them! All you need is fabric paint (available at most craft stores) and plain T-shirts (they're cheaper at Wal-Mart, Dollar General, or a similar store than they are at craft stores).

Here are a few hand print / footprint designs:

"World's Best Daddy, Hands Down" with hand prints

"Best Granddaddy, Hands Down" with hand prints 

"My Granddaughter Walks All Over Me" with footprints

The best part of painting your own T-shirts is that you can customize them with whatever you call the Dads and Grandfathers in your life: Papa, Papaw, Grandpa, etc. Then, there's the added bonus of just getting messy with paint, so have fun with it!

All About My Granddaddy Free Printable

I love the "All About My..." printables that are popular now - the cute questionnaires that let kids answer questions about their relatives as a gift. My daughter calls my father-in-law "Grandpa," and those questionnaires are widely available and easy to find. I had trouble finding a printable for a "Granddaddy," though, which is what she calls my father.

So, like I always say...if you can't find it free, make it yourself! And make it available to others for free, right? So, here it is - free to download and use as you wish. Enjoy!!

How to Make a Quick, Easy, and Inexpensive Light Box

If you sell small things online, you could probably benefit from a light box in which to take your pictures. By using a light box and a free web-based photo editing site, you'll get pictures that are clean, crisp, and eye-catching to prospective buyers.

It really doesn't take much to make a simple light box. I used a cardboard box, cut the front panel along the right and left sides so that it is open to the front, and covered it loosely with white fabric (I used muslin, but you could use any smooth fabric).

A quick peek under the hood reveals...

It's a USPS flat rate box, which are available free (Free!) from the U.S. postal service. I love these boxes for shipping - this is one of the smartest things that has come out of the postal service in years. And in this case, the large sized box makes a perfect light box for me.

I topped off my cheap and easy light box with a small halogen desk lamp.

I think my husband originally purchased it from IKEA, but any small lamp would do. This lamp works well because the halogen is nice and bright, and the light is targeted and shines straight down into the box.

Once you take your pictures, you can use free online editing sites to crop and adjust the photos to look better. I love the Fotofuze site for this - it's easy to turn photos like this:

Into this:

I love how Fotofuze removes everything but the item and its shadow. It's also super easy to use! It's designed to work with Etsy, but it's easy to download the modified photo and then upload it to any other site, not just Etsy. Best of all, it's free! There are other free photo editing sites out there, but in my experience, Fotofuze is the easiest way to remove anything in the background as long as the background is white or black.

How to Make a Ruffled Heart T-shirt

So, I have all these colorful T-shirts that I've been using for crafts, and I love the look of those little girls' ruffled heart t-shirts. I happened to have a colorful Tangerine Tango T-shirt and my daughter had a plain white T-shirt, so I decided to put one together myself.

To make the ruffles, take the T-shirt you'll use for the heart and cut it into strips about 2 inches wide. The T-shirt I used had seams down each side from the armpit to the hem, so I cut horizontally along the bottom of the T-shirt then trimmed the seam off each side to get the strip you see here. Doing that would make two of these. If your T-shirt doesn't have seams down each side, you would end up with a large loop after each horizontal cut which you could cut in two to give you these strips.

To turn your strips into a ruffle, stitch a long stitch down the middle of the strip (I set my machine on the longest setting - 5), and do not back-stitch the beginning or the end of your stitch.

Hold the strip at one end, and pull one of the threads (either the top or bottom, but not both) in one direction (toward you) while pushing the material in the other direction (away from you).

You'll end up with a ruffle like this! Space the ruffles evenly by sliding the material along the thread, then place it onto your T-shirt and pin it into place. Continue making the ruffles and placing them onto your T-shirt until you have the size and placement you want.

You'll want to be sure to place the centers of the ruffles as close to one another as possible, otherwise when you wash it, you'll end up with gaps inside the heart in which the T-shirt underneath shows through.

Once you have everything pinned, simply sew the ruffles onto the shirt (taking extra care not to hit any pins!), and you're done!

Graduation Cap Candies

My daughter graduated preschool last night. It was bittersweet to see her walk on stage in a little cap and gown to accept her certificate of completion. She looked so much older with her hair curled and styled and pulled back into her graduation cap. I suppose these ceremonies are really designed more to prepare the parents - emotionally and mentally - for the future than those actually "graduating". It certainly was a dose of reality for my husband and me: our little girl is growing up.

Of course, any ceremony has to be followed by gluttony or it just wouldn't be American. Every family was asked to bring two dishes and a dessert, and I took the easy way out and brought a fruit and veggie tray for my two dishes. The dessert was really simple, too - but fun and fit the occasion. I made little chocolate graduation cap candies from store-bought candy and icing.

To put these together, all you'll need are:
-Chocolate squares (I used Ghirardelli Dark Chocolate - found on sale at Target)
-Miniature Peanut Butter cups (I used Reese's)
-Cookie icing (I used Betty Crocker)
-White Fondant icing (I had some left over in the freezer from decorating a birthday cake recently)

I originally thought that I would use graham cracker squares dipped in chocolate for the cap tops, but the chocolate squares were so much easier. It occurred to me later that I could also have used brownie bites in place of the peanut butter cups - maybe I'll do that next time! Brownie bites would also be best if someone has a peanut allergy.

To assemble, unwrap the candies, and turn the peanut butter cup upside down. Place a small amount of cookie icing onto the peanut butter cup, then place the chocolate square on top of the icing.

To make the tassel, add a little icing on the center of the cap, then roll a small amount of fondant into a long string-like shape, and place one end of the string into the icing.

Give the icing time to set up (Betty Crocker's cookie icing is great for setting up very quickly!), and you're all done! They were a huge hit at the graduation dinner, enjoyed by kids and parents alike.

Happy Graduation to all of this year's graduates out there! And to both the parents and graduates - you did a Great Job!

The Perfect Mother's Day Gift (and it's FREE!)

Are you still searching for the perfect Mother's Day gift for your wife or significant other? I'll share a secret Mom's wish with you guys who are out there, desperately searching the ether for last minute ideas...

This is what Moms really want:

1. Let her be able to do something - anything - of her choosing, unrushed and uninterrupted. I haven't been able to do this in over 5 years now. A pregnant friend recently asked me, via email, if I had any advice for her, and I told her to expect to not be able to finish anything uninterrupted for the next few years. I still haven't heard from her, but I'll bet she'll agree with me in a couple of years.

2. Pretend she isn't there. That's right! That means you and the kids figure out the day's details, events and activities - everything from eating meals to wiping butts to finding the duct tape - on your own. Even if she's there, pretend she isn't and improvise if you must. Whatever you do...don't ask her where something is, or how to do something, because that really isn't giving her a break at all, much less letting her have some uninterrupted time (see #1).

3. Pick up your own stuff, and your kids' stuff, if only for one day. She picks up her own stuff and puts it back where it belongs, all day, every day. Guess what! She also picks up your kids' stuff, all day, every day. You don't notice it, but trust me, she's doing it. All. Day. Long. And - BONUS! She also picks up your stuff. You probably don't notice that either, but it's always where it belongs, isn't it? And - hmmmm...I'll bet you weren't the one that put it there, but like magic - POOF! It was there, in it's place, when you went to get it. So, just for Mother's Day, don't leave her anything extra to pick up and put away.

Forget the jewelry, fancy dinners, breakfast in bed, and anything else that you thought she might want. Trust me when I say that if you can swing these three things, you'll have a happy Mama in your house.

More Scent-sational Teacher Appreciation Gifts!

A few weeks ago, I posted about finishing a Teacher Appreciation Day gift early. In true fashion, tomorrow is the big day, and I haven't done anything more to add to it. So, at the last minute (you call it procrastination, I call it forced efficiency), I decided to make a few more of the aromatic shower bombs I also made recently, and put them together as a Super-scent-sational gift.

I dressed up the shower bombs by using decorative foil cupcake liners, wrapping each individually, and making a label for the bottom that explains to the teacher what it is ("Aromatic Shower Bombs - place in the bottom of the tub while showering. Do Not Eat! Contains baking soda, food coloring, and essential oils.")

I put a couple of the bombs into a decorative little watering can I picked up for a couple of dollars at Dollar General, then added the lavender sachets and a handmade card from my daughter.

For the finishing touch, I wrapped them in cellophane and tied the top. I love the way they turned out!

I'd love to hear other ideas for Teachers' gifts. What is your favorite thing to give to your child's teacher?

Rainbow Pour Paintng

I love this idea!

Grilled Cheese in the Waffle Iron

Today is National Grilled Cheese Day (who declares these things, really? I'm curious). To celebrate, I made my daughter a grilled cheese in my Winnie the Pooh Waffle Maker. It couldn't have been easier, quicker, or tastier than this!

I love this waffle maker. It was a Christmas gift a few years ago, and I love using it for everything from waffles, to cinnamon rolls, to sandwiches!

Everything comes out with Tigger on one side, and Pooh on the other, so it makes for a fun treat for my daughter.

Prior to putting it in the waffle maker, I did fold two edges of the cheese so that the cheese wouldn't ooze out onto the hot interior surface.

I then buttered the bread and closed the waffle maker. I waited about 60 seconds, and that's it!

She loved it! And it was fun for me, too!