You are here: Home / Archives for How-To

Cool and Colorful Crafts You Can Make With Paint Swatches

September 3, 2015 by

The next time you find yourself admiring the colorful aisle of paint swatches at your local hardware store, grab a few favorites and bring them home with you. Even if you’re not planning on painting anytime soon, these affordable swatches make the base of a number of adorable DIY projects. Here are three that will help to get you started.

DIY Paint Swatch Chandelier [heygorg.com]
Dress up a dinner party or even the tables at a wedding with this simple chandelier. All it takes is a paper punch and a few simple crafting supplies, and because you can choose the colors in the swatches, it’s perfect for coordinating with the rest of a color scheme.

Paint Sample Bookmarks [melissasbargains.com]
If you’re looking for a fun DIY project to do with the kids, this one is great for a budding bookworm. The shape of a strip of paint swatches already makes it a great bookmark, so all you’ll have to do is add a few fun decorations.

DIY Paint Chip Animal Friends [handmadecharlotte.com]
Craft 3D animal figurines out of colorful paint chips and create a tiny zoo for your little ones. This unique tutorial even includes downloadable templates for each animal, so all you’ll have to do is trace, cut, and assemble.

Filed Under: Miscellaneous Tagged With: , , ,

Uses for a French Press — Beyond Coffee!

June 4, 2015 by

Many people are jumping in on the French press trend because it makes barista-quality coffee quickly and easily right at home. If you own a French press, however, you might be surprised to find that you can use it for much more than just brewing your morning cup of joe. Here are a few unique uses for your French press.

  • Making tea. This one may be fairly obvious, but many people don’t realize that they can also use a French press for tea. Simply fill the bottom with tea bags or loose leaf tea, then brew as usual.
  • Frothing milk. If you consider frothed milk a luxury of the coffee shop, you’ll be pleasantly surprised to find that you can froth your own milk by simply adding it to the French press and pumping it up and down a few times.
  • As a strainer. Use your French press to strain just about anything, even pesky quinoa that usually slips through the cracks. Just add things like spinach, fresh fruit, or even shrimp and dispense the water. Just make sure to thoroughly clean the press afterward!
  • Infusing oils. Mix herbs and spices with olive oil and heat the mixture in a saucepan over medium heat. Allow the mixture to cool, then transfer it to the French press and strain out the herbs.

5 More Uses For Your French Press! [The Kitchn]
14 {Other} Ways to Use a French Coffee Press [Preparedness Mama]
Use Your French Press to Make Whipped Cream [LifeHacker]

Filed Under: Miscellaneous Tagged With: , , ,

Cute and Kitschy Uses for Vintage Tea Towels

May 7, 2015 by

Vintage tea towels are a common find at antique stores, flea markets, and thrift shops, and they’re typically as affordable as they are adorable. Here are just a few great ideas for how you can breathe new life into kitschy tea towels.

Lavender Pillow [allaboutyou.com]
Add a fresh, fragrant scent to your closet or drawers by creating this DIY lavender pillow. Choose a towel in your favorite pattern or color, then fill it with dried lavender from the local health food store. Best of all, you can even use iron-on adhesives and bypass the sewing machine.

Tea Towel Tote [simplicity.com]
Craft your own vintage-inspired tote bag by sewing together a few vintage tea towels with a sturdy ribbon as the handles. It only takes very basic sewing skills to get this project right, and you can customize it with button embellishments of your choice.

Tea Towel Blinds [houseandgarden.co.uk]
Stitch a few tea towels together in the dimensions of your window to create eclectic, retro tea towel blinds. Attach the top edge around a wooden baton using sturdy Velcro, then add loops of ribbon to keep the whole thing tied up when it’s not in use.

Filed Under: Miscellaneous Tagged With: , , ,

Pin It on Pinterest