Needle Fabric Case

These little needle cases made from fabric are quick and easy. They make handy items to sell at craft bazaars, or to give as a small gift to seamstresses you may know. A 1/8 yard piece of material will make about four of the needle cases. Open the fabric and cut into four equal parts lengthwise. You will want to cut a 3 x 2 inch piece of quilt batting or felt to use in a 6 x 6 inch block of fabric for the case. Put the batting or felt in the center of the fabric about 3/4 of an inch from the bottom portion. Fold the top part of the material down and tuck the edge in between the batting and the bottom fabric piece. Sew the bottom of the case with hidden stitches, or running stitches from front to back. Now turn the fabric all around at both ends outside in by about 1/4 inch, to hide the edges, and use the same stitches to close them.
Attach a five inch piece of 1/8 inch ribbon to the center of the left third of fabric. Now fold the right third of the case over the top of the batting/felt portion. Attach the other five inch length of ribbon to the right outside center part of the fabric which you folded over the middle portion. When you tie the two pieces of ribbon into a bow, the bow should be on the left side of the needle case. Untie the needle case and weave needles back and forth through the inner piece of fabric and batting (don't let the needles show from the outside). Tie the bow again, and you have a quaint little needle case much like the ones pioneer ladies kept in their sewing baskets.

Candle Decorating With Oil Paint

When you are going to have company over to celebrate a special occasion, using candles can set the tone for a nice evening. Buying inexpensive candles and decorating them yourself can save you a good bit of money.
Melt one or two white candles in a pan, and remove the pan from the burner carefully. Add a smidgen of oil based paint until you get the color you desire. You may need to heat the wax a time or two until you finish your project depending on how large the candle is, and how intricately you are decorating it. Remember the hot wax may ignite easily, and that is why it is safer to turn the burner off, or remove the pan from the burner in between heating it. Keep a lid handy to cover the wax in case it ignites, or keep the proper extinguisher for oil fires handy when doing this project. Always use the correct type of gloves for working with hot wax, and a long handled wooden spoon or wooden paint stick when stirring the heated wax.
Using a small wooden paint brush, make whatever designs on the candle you desire. If the hot wax cools it will become clumpy, so pay attention to this, and carefully heat the wax again if you need to. You may want to try to paint a scene on a larger candle when you master candle painting on small ones. Use one color at a time, and allow each of them to cool well, so the colors will not mix. Using an old candle to practice on a little will give you more confidence when you wish to work on your newer candles. The painted candles can be as decorative or as simple as you would like them to be, and they make wonderful homemade gifts for all occasions.

Tuna Casserole

Here is a fast and easy recipe to make when company drops in unexpectedly. Use three regular size cans of tuna (drained), two small cans of cream of mushroom soup, 1/2 cup of sour cream, about 25 small round crackers (crushed), and salt and pepper to taste. Put drained tuna in bottom of 9 x 9 baking dish. Mix sour cream, salt and pepper and cream of mushroom soup together and pour over tuna. Then sprinkle crackers over the top evenly.
This tuna casserole will serve about six people. I have also added a 303 can of mixed vegetables to the sour cream and cream of mushroom soup for the recipe to make a meal in itself. Served with a salad and Italian bread, this is a great meal.

Thought For the Day

I began writing in a journal several years ago, and recently I have included a thought for the day as one of the daily entries. It allows me to reflect on things that matter in my life. Some of the thoughts may influence me to become a better person, and some of them are words of encouragement to myself.
At times I have shared the thoughts with others, but more often than not, they are meant to be a focal point for me to remember something special that happened on a particular day. Some of them are posted across the top of my computer desk to remind me of my human characteristics, either good or bad. I've learned to take them with a bit of humor, because most of the time the thoughts portray my frailties. I like to look at each of them as a building block for my character. With each one I write, I strive improve the character that is writing them!

Soap Bar Fish

Making soap bar fish for your bathroom, or for gift giving, is a fun project. For making a fish soap bar, purchase fragrance soap bars that are in an oval shape, a spool of eighth inch ribbon, several yards of pastel tulle fabric (in different colors if you like), and you will need two sequins to make eyes for each fish.
Cut a 12 inch by 12 inch piece of tulle fabric, and lay an oval soap bar near the middle of it. Gather the tulle fabric around the soap, and tie a ribbon or string around the gathered end of the soap very tightly, and tie it in a knot. The gathered fluffy end will represent the tail of the fish. Using several strands of ribbon will add to the beauty of the tail of the fish, and you may want to cut the ribbon longer. Tying the ribbon into a bow will add to the beauty of the tail of your fish too. To make the eyes, glue one sequin to each side at the front end of the fish.
Find a small basket or bowl small enough to hold several of the soap fish. Add a few sheets of gift tissue paper in blue shades to represent water to place in the basket or bowl. Line the fish up side by side in the receptacle you choose, and you will have a beautiful school of fish to add fragrance to your bathroom. And for an extra bonus, if you ever need a bar of soap quickly, you will have some close at hand.

Car Visor Extension

A friend of mine that rides in our car is so short that the sun shines in her eyes even with the visor down. We devised a car visor extension to use when she rides with us. I purchased a half a yard length of pleated 1 1/2 inch wide ruffle from the fabric store. I measured a piece of elastic that would fit securely around the visor, over the passenger seat, of our car. I sewed the elastic together to fit the visor. I then sewed the ruffle to it, stretching the elastic about three inches out wider than the visor measurement as I attached the ruffle.
After slipping it over the lower edge of the visor, my friend and I took our project for a test drive down the road facing the sun. When the sun dropped down to the point where it used to allow the brightness to be in my friend's eyes, the new ruffle extension kept her comfortably able to see with no problem. Use a fabric ruffle that matches the color of your seat covers, and you will be riding in style.

Paper Picture Frames

To add a nice touch to your photos in scrapbooks, make decorative paper picture frames for them. You can lay the picture on a piece of acid and lignin free that has been cut about 1/4 inch larger than the picture. Or, you can cut out the frame on the inside just a bit smaller than the outer edge of the picture, and still cut it a bit larger than the picture itself. If you cut it the second way, you can lay the frame on top of the picture.
Using decorative scissors will also add a special touch to your photos. If you like, you may even use the decorative scissors to cut a border on the edges of the photograph itself. There are beautiful corner punches made to enhance pictures too. Some of these punches have three or more corner patterns on them. I have a special one I use that adds a Victorian look on the four corners of my photos. Whatever method you use, it will make your albums more interesting when people see them.