Yard Sale Finds: Trash To Treasure
by Abigail Beal
The weather gets warmer and many of us know this means one thing: yard sales. If you are a crafter, yard sales can be great places to find someone elses castaways and turn them into your treasures.
As a person that loves to do decoupage, I am forever on the lookout for wooden boxes to decoupage. But remember that yard sale bargains can also inspire you to try a craft you havent done before. A baby quilt I found made a great pillow, when I had little practice with sewing projects.
When looking for a find, what should you look for? If you can already imagine the object taking on a new life as something else, thats great. But there are plenty of things people have overlooked that with some time and imagination can be objects of beauty in your home.
If it is broken, do you know how to fix it? A dresser without knobs only needs new knobs but a dresser without a drawer is going to take some more work. Could you replace the dresser with a wicker basket you pull in and out? Could that drawer be replaced with a flat surface you could keep items like a handbag or shoes there? Start using your imagination and the solutions will come. Most objects can be recanted, repainted, repolished and reupolstured.
Sometimes with a trash to treasure project you may think it will become one thing and you change your mind halfway through the project. Be open to inspiration. Something may catch your eye and you choose to change the color scheme or the function of the craft.
Trash to treasure crafts can be very chic. Shabby chic as it is called is found in many decorating magazines. You are also doing something good for the environment, by reusing materials.
It is also important to know that not every trash to treasure project works and this doesnt mean it isnt successful. You may succeed in learning a new painting technique or something about quilting. Or you may learn something about what kind of project you do want to put in your living room, or what you really want to create right now. Every project is part of your learning experience as a crafter and an artist.
Some great trash to treasure items include chairs, tables, dressers, vintage cocktail dresses, baby quilts, spools, jewelry boxes, suitcases, costume jewelry, dolls, picture frames, magazines, books and mirrors. You probably can find many more items that begin to inspire you to create something special.
The only challenge about becoming a trash to treasure crafter is then it becomes very hard to actually allow others in your home to throw things out! Happy crafting!
Reasons For Divorce; What Constitutes Viable Reasons For Thinking About Or Wanting A Divorce?
by Karl Augustine
According to the Center for Disease Control's National Vital Statistics Report of 2002, 50% of first marriages ended in divorce and 60% of remarriages end in divorce. But, the Center for Disease Control also found that 96% of Americans express a personal desire for marriage, and almost three-quarters of Americans believe marriage is a life long commitment. I imagine that there are somewhat similar statistics worldwide.
With these kinds of statistics, its easy to see how complex it can be when people think they want a divorce, they have difficulty identifying how a truly viable divorce reason might be defined. Wanting happiness through marriage and wrestling with what may seem an inevitable outcome (a divorce), can be emotionally and mentally c 
Reasons For Divorce; What Constitutes Viable Reasons For Thinking About Or Wanting A Divorce?
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Feeding the Hummingbirds
by LeAnn R. Ralph
Early in May here in west central Wisconsin, I can count on seeing a Ruby Throated Hummingbird hovering in front of my kitchen window, flitting back and forth, as if to say, "there was a hummingbird feeder RIGHT HERE last year. Where is it?"
And then I know it is time to put out hummingbird nectar. I feed a 3-to-1 mixture of water and sugar (3 cups of water and 1 cup of sugar brought to a boil and cooled to room temperature). After the hummingbirds' long trip from South America, they are thin and hungry.
The general rule-of-thumb is a 4-to-1 mixture, but to start out in early spring I always use a 3-to-1 mixture. Later on in the summer, when there are more flowers available, I switch to a 4-to-1 mixture.
I know it is important to wash the Feeding the Hummingbirds
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Make Gift Wrap Paper
by Abigail Beal
Chances are at the holidays you’ve been tempted to make holiday wrapping paper. But you may have heard too many stories about needing to use potatoes and tempura paint that bring you back to your grade school days. Have no fear – you do have options! Here are some suggestions to get your creative juices flowing.
Okay this one does involve a potato….. but it’s good:
For this one you need to get some supplies. Yes you do need a potato. I prefer using a potato for stamping rather than a sponge because the potato gives you something to hold onto, and more importantly you can create your own customized look. So keep in mind that if you find a rubber stamp you fall in love with – the potato is optional.
You will need: acrylic paint in one or t Make Gift Wrap Paper
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It's a Sick World
by David Leonhardt
It's no joy to be sick. It's even less joy when your child is sick. But the most unjoy is when you AND your child are sick together.
That happened to my poor wife a few weeks ago. She and Little Lady, going on three years old, both had a cold -- with all the sneezing and wheezing, hacking and coughing, wailing and whining required for a certificate of authenticity.
Little Lady normally bubble-pops with zest and vigor. Actually "bursting at the seems, bouncing off the walls and ka-booming through the roof" would be a more accurate description. So it was quite eerie to see her mope around like the drooping leaves of a Siberian Peonies that's been fed too much stale beer...not that I have a clue how the drooping leaves of a Siberian Peoni It's a Sick World
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