Design and make your own write-on wipe-off board Message boards are so useful, and yet most of them are so…. well, let’s face it — UGLY. Wouldn’t it be great to have one that actually coordinated with your decor? One that made a statement (even when there was no message written on it?) Well, here you […]

How to make unique cookie shapes I really, REALLY like to decorate cookies. It combines art and dessert, both of which I adore! Fairly early in my cookie-decorating career, I began to want cookie cutter shapes that were not readily available at shops in my town. Then I discovered some wonderful Internet sources like Foose […]

Ascending Marble Toy I designed this fun marble-rolling toy many years ago, inspired by a similar toy from the 1880’s. The object is to make a marble or small ball climb from the bottom of the box all the way to the top, as quickly as possible. Then you turn the box 180 degrees and […]

Here is a great Valentine card with a pop-up message (LOVE). I’ll show you how to do the basic technique, and then you can easily adapt the card to express your own message. You can use the card for a variety of different holidays and occasions by changing the one-word message: Christmas (NOEL), Halloween (BOO), New Year (the […]

Need place card holders for a wedding? Or maybe signs for a bake sale? Here is a quick and inexpensive solution: tea light card holders. All you need are tea lights/votive candles, wire (I used 18 gauge), wire cutters, and needle nose pliers. First, measure and cut some lengths of wire. Mine were 4.5 inches […]

When I was in junior high school, I worked in the school’s library. I think it was actually an elective course I took, to get out of taking a foreign language. While I now regret that I do not speak foreign languages, working in the library had its own rewards. Re-shelving required me to focus my […]

Can you guess what this picture frame was, in its former life…? Something found in just about every household… that gets emptied frequently… and that people throw away when empty… … … … Wait for it… … … … … a tissue box! Of course, it takes quite a few embellishments to transform a humble tissue box […]