Embellish

Although the 4th of July is one of my favorite days of the year, I’m not always gun-ho for the traditional outdoor aspects of this holiday. Of course, I think fireworks, warm weather and grilled food are the necessities for a great 4th of July party. Still, I think there are some other must-haves to make sure everyone enjoys the festivities:

1. Insect repellent

As a kid, I hated getting sprayed down with this stuff before going off to play, but now I don’t step on picnic grounds without it. Nothing ruins holiday enjoyment faster than a mosquito bite on your shin or elbow.

2. Hand sanitizer

When you’re grilling in the park, sometimes the bathrooms are just too far away or too dirty when you finally get there.

3. Non-alcoholic beverages

For some, the buzz from the bees is enough.

4. Seating and Shade (preferably seating in the shade)

Fold-away chairs, benches or blankets all do the job of giving party goers a resting place, but the rest will easily be interrupted if they’re baking in the sun. If the festivities can’t be parked under a tree, invest in a canopy or table umbrellas.

5. Music for all

Spin the summer-themed oldies for mom and dad and more recent chart toppers for you and your friends. And don’t forget to throw in some Kidz Bop tunes for the little ones.

Learn how to twist a lemon peel or fire up an orange for the perfect summer drink garnish.

Photo by Divine in the Daily. Licensed under Creative Commons.

Visit http://how2heroes.com/videos/beverages/citrus-garnishes for a video how-to. It features a detailed guide to get a perfectly curled peel and an easy way to do multiple twists at once. Dress up all the drinks at a summer get-together or make yourself smile at home.

-Taniesha Robinson

Sun catchers make great summer window treatments and fun crafts for kids that you won’t mind displaying in your home. You can get elaborate with this craft using stain glass or adding chimes, but for an easier way to catch the sun, grab a few CDs and string. Use a few old CDs that skip on your favorite parts – it’s time to upgrade to digital MP3s anyway – or find some in your junk mail.

The sleek shine and circular design of CDs provide a luminous, modern finishing touch to your window. Also, because they’re reflective, they’ll complement any room’s color scheme. You can even add a little paint for accents to further match the space. Here’s a link to a step-by-step guide for making a CD sun catcher from eHow.com.

Photo by Eternal*Voyageur. Licensed under Creative Commons.

A recycled-CD sun catcher is a great green design idea for any window at home, but for methods on creating sun catchers visit http://crafts.kaboose.com/how-to-make-suncatchers.html and http://www.essortment.com/hobbies/stainedglasssu_saih.htm

- Taniesha Robinson

Last year, I took an English class that centered around this equation: space + value = place. And boy, did I learn about the art and science of Feng Shui experiment.

Space
The space of my apartment is structured somewhat like a small studio, as in for one person or for a couple who doesn’t mind keeping close.  It is oddly angled. The walls and the ceiling seem to be in some type of tension that makes the walls seem slanted. Then again, they could actually just be slanted.

Value
I have a roommate who is also a writer. We both have too many books, scattered Post-it notes, old magazines, and more receipts and napkins scribbled with our furious writing all over the apartment. We like to save our money on low rent. We also both knew that the apartment would be small, but when we both moved in we didn’t remember it being this small.

So as we are moving our beds so we can still manage to get inside the bathroom, I shake my head multiple times at every arrangement. In one arrangement, one of our beds ends up blocking the entrance to our room (um, no door) or the bathroom. Another arrangement, one bed is too close to the radiator and blocks off the closet. My roommate and I push our beds around like Tetris blocks when she decides we should make an “L” shape with our beds.

“What’s wrong with this?” my roommate asks.

“It’s not Feng Shui,” I say, ignoring her exasperated-dagger-throwing look.

There’s always a time when friends, especially roommates, find out things they never expected to know. For me, I never knew how much my roommate liked her stuff monogrammed – her stationary, her towels, her bathrobe and her apron. And she never knew I was “into Feng Shui.” She also didn’t know that I promised my mom that I would try to use Feng Shui in my apartment, who is visiting this weekend.

So faced with the task of just fitting all our stuff into our apartment, my roommate (grudgingly) and I are also going to arrange out apartment with the principles of Feng Shui.

Making a Place
I would not say that I’m “into Feng Shui” and I don’t know much on the subject, but I grew up with my mom arranging our house using Feng Shui techniques that she learned while growing up in South Korea. At home, I am mostly unaware that our house was arranged with any set of rules or requirements, but I know how practical the arrangement is. Our furniture is set up with multiple points of access and there are no sharp corners to bump up against. It’s also very clean.

Feng Shui literally means “wind” and “water.” It’s an ancient Chinese practice that looks how people react to their environment and how the environment impacts the people who live and work in that area. Remember, space + value = place? Well, Feng Shui principles are also based on calculations… only ten times more complicated. Feng Shui involves rules of aesthetics equated from the astronomy and geography, or more abstractly using the laws of both heaven and earth, to improve one’s life and maximize one’s chi.

It’s an eclectic term and it’s a lot of information based on 1,000 or more years of history and practice, but really it has to do with being in balance and harmony in a space that you occupy. Feng Shui has been shrouded in a lot of skepticism and superstition, but from my experience so far I think it’s simply practical.

So in respect to my mother and to the practice of Feng Shui, I have enlisted the help of Feng Shui consultant Reiko Gomez in order to correctly Feng Shui my apartment. Owner and founder of Reiko Feng Shui Interior Design, Gomez uses her knowledge of Feng Shui and background of design in personal consultations, both online and in person, to help put this ancient practice back in style with a modern sense.

Following the tips from my consultation, here is how I used Feng Shui in my apartment:

1. Clutter Free: After many trips to the dumpster, my apartment is cleaner and feels bigger. My roommate and I designated a bookshelf with some storage to hold all our books, notebooks, journals and other precious pieces of paper in we couldn’t bear to throw away.

2. Clear the Door: The front door is very important in Feng Shui, Gomez calls it the “mouth of the chi” where energy activates and enters a room. I bought a shoe rack that kept us from kicking our shoes all over the floor and from blocking our chi.

3. South Ward: Arranged my bed so the crown of my head faces south. Through my consultation, Gomez said it was the best direction for me to sleep.

4. Major Storage: After investing in some shelves and some canvas bins, it easy to store things away and to keep clutter at bay by freeing up floor space. My small armoire was perfect in style and in space.

5. Color Add-ins: In order to enhance certain elements (fire, earth, metal and water), I added colors in small accents. We put a blue poster in the bathroom to enhance the water element. To enhance the earth element in our bedroom, we bought a potted plant that hasn’t died…yet.

My consultation with Gomez was very detailed and she offered plenty of advice with both Feng Shui and design, but these are just the basic changes I made due to my budget and time. And while it hasn’t been that long for me to tell you that I’ve felt my life change, I can tell you that I feel more organized and it didn’t really hurt, besides a couple of dirty looks from my roommate, to give Feng Shui a try.

- Nina Yun

Armed with a sewing machine and some fabric, Margo Witzel reveals her ABCs of made-to-order manufacturing.
Witzel, a baker with the Web-based specialty cakes company Edith+Ethel,  began her love affair with the apron when she started culinary school a few years ago in Chicago – and she hasn’t slowed down since.

Here’s her best apron recipe:

1. Take an apron you already have and the new fabrics you are using, fold vertically.

2. Trace and cut.

3. For contrasting fabric style, repeat steps and then sew both pieces together.

And here’s a cute apron from Jessie Steele!

-Kate Sullivan

A homemade gift is a special pleasure to receive. It’s a sign that someone cares enough to share her talent and time.

But there’s also a payoff for those who are applying their gift-making skills – it’s fun to create an original gift with someone in mind, say crafting experts.
And being able to make something original at a fraction of what you might pay for a store-bought gift is valuable when you’re on a tight budget.
Making a gift doesn’t demand technical skills or a lot of equipment. If you can do basic stitches with a sewing machine you can make a delightful gift, according to Karen Edenfield, inspiration specialist for Jo-Ann Fabric and Craft stores.
“People have skills; they just need ideas,” says Edenfield.
The chain, in Hudson, Ohio, recently developed directions for gifts you can make for $25 or less.
To keep the experience enjoyable, Edenfield recommends breaking the project down into simple steps and starting early enough so that you don’t feel rushed.
“You want this to be a joyful thing without the pressure,” Edenfield says.
The grill guy in your life might like a chalkboard apron, inspired by restaurant chalkboard menus, and anyone who treasures her cell phone and similar devices will appreciate a charging station, which requires simple sewing skills. Here are the steps from Jo-Ann’s Fabric and Craft Stores.

Charging station

Supplies to purchase:
1/2 yard cotton quilting fabric
1/2 yard Warm & Natural batting
1/4 yard 12-gauge clear vinyl
1 package Velcro

Basic supplies:
Sewing supplies
Sewing machine
Iron

1.Cut two pieces of quilting fabric 15 inches high by 14 inches wide. Measure and mark 8 inches up each side; also mark the center of the top. Draw a line from the sides to the center top and cut.
2.Use the cut fabric pieces as a pattern to cut two pieces each of batting and interfacing.
3.Fuse iron-on interfacing to back of fabric and pin batting to front and back panels.
4.Cut a 6-by-18-inch piece of vinyl for pocket.
5.Cut a 3-by-18-inch fabric piece for vinyl pocket top. Fold in half lengthwise wrong sides together and press. Fold edges into center and press to make 4 layers. Stitch to top of vinyl.
6.Pin pocket onto bottom of front, dividing evenly into 3 pockets and stitch allowing it to pleat at bottom.
7.For small pocket, cut 2 pieces of fabric 31/2 inches by 51/2 inches. Stitch all 4 sides, leaving an opening; turn and press. Place pocket above vinyl pockets, fold in small tucks on sides forming a 3-inch square and stitch in place along sides and bottom.
8.To create power strip holders, cut 4 pieces of fabric 3 by 5 inches. Fold long edges and stitch as in step 5. Cut two 3-inch strips of Velcro and sew loop portions to 2 fabric strips and hook portions to 2 fabric strips. Pin one hook and one loop strip to bottom of charging station front, 4 inches in from one side, and another pair 4 inches in from other side. Position Velcro so the fabric strips wrap around a power strip and hook together to hold the power strip in place.
9.For handle, cut 2 fabric pieces 3 by 8 inches, fold and stitch as in step 7. Cut one 8-inch strip of Velcro. Stitch hook portion to one handle strip and loop portion to other strip. Pin handle, right sides down to top of front at point.
10. Pin back to front, right sides together and stitch, leaving a 4-inch opening for turning. Turn, press and stitch closed.

Chalkboard Apron

Supplies to purchase:
1 yard heavyweight black fabric, 60 inches wide
2 packages black double-fold bias tape, 1/2-inch wide
Sharpie, Medium-tip fabric markers: white, red and green
Basic supplies:
Sewing machine
Ruler
White lead pencil
Plate for making circle template

1.For strap, cut 2 pieces of fabric, 3 inches by 60 inches
2.Sew fabric pieces together with 1/4-inch seam allowance to make 120-inch strip.
3.Fold strip in half lengthwise with right sides together. Sew strap together across ends and along side, leaving opening for turning.
4.Trim corners, turn right side out. Press.
5.From remaining fabric, cut a 24-by-34-inch piece.
6.At top of apron, which is the 24-inch side, measure in 6 inches on each side and mark.
7.Measure down 11 inches on each side and mark.
8.Cut diagonally from 6-inch mark to 11-inch mark on each side.
9.Sew bias tape around apron.
10.Make a casing for strap by folding the diagonal sides to back 11/2 inches and stitch in place.
11.From one side, slide strap up through casing, then down the other side.
12.Draw faint white lines with pencil on the apron as a guide for the lettering. Use the plate as a template for drawing the arch, use a ruler for drawing the straight lines.
13.Use the white marker to write the personalized information; a menu, recipe, quote or a name. Add artwork if desired.
14.When paint (lettering) is dry, wipe away lines with a damp washcloth.

- Bev Bennett

When I’m packing my purse to leave the house, the usual suspects get tossed in first: cell phone, keys, wallet and lip gloss. Once those survival kit pieces are packed, in goes my little pink notebook.

Since I was old enough to look around, I’ve been creating things. Poems, songs, paintings, plays and clay sculptures only a mother could love – ideas and projects have always just poured from me. I’m not very good at balancing my checkbook (okay, I never actually have) and chemistry was the bane of my existence in school. But the creative stuff? Done and done.

With all the ideas that I have, I have found it essential to carry around my little pink notebook. If I don’t write these ideas down, I’ll never remember anything and end up creating very little.

Ask any of my close friends or my husband – if inspiration strikes me, out comes that slim, leather-bound book. It’s no larger than a checkbook and no heavier. The thought of adding more weight to my already heavy shoulder bag makes me not want to create anything but somewhere to sit.

Here are a few randomly selected ideas from the LPN. Most of them lead to completed projects I most surely would’ve forgotten had it not been for my perfect creativity companion.

- bird picture frame
- curtain made from neckties – ask Dina!
- faux wall paneling
- go to Bleeding Heart Bakery [okay, this wasn’t a DIY project idea, just a note to self – baked goods can definitely inspire]

- Mary K. Fons

Which bread plate and water glass are mine?

A friend showed me this easy tip for identifying my bread plate and water glass at the dinner table.  Use your left hand to make the “b” for bread and your right hand to make the “d” for drink.

Since I needed three hands to take this picture, I borrowed this image from MIT’s website.  For the complete entry, go to: www.mitadmissions.org/topics/learning/the_month_of_january_iap/kiss_the_frog.shtml .

- Jamie K. Garcia

Most households have two sets of dishes: the “good china,” used once or twice a year, and the every-day dishes.
I have one set of dishes I love – a strategy I think saves hassle and expense.  And none of my family or friends has complained about eating off my everyday dishware yet!
Casual or moderately priced sets of dishes are typically sold in boxes of four place settings. Buy three boxes; use two sets and store the third. Replace the plates that get chipped with those from your spare box over time.

For a colorful setting buy two or three solid-colored sets of dishes and mix them together.
Pick up mismatching antique dinner plates at closeouts, rummage sales or flea markets. When placed on lace placemats, the effect can be charming.

- Kit Davey

A favorite purchase of mine for the home is a set of tea light sized votives.  I have found so many uses for the same glasses that they have become an entertaining must-have in my home.  Here are a dozen ideas for using votives in your home:
1.       Votives look great spread around a table and in the guest bathroom to illuminate a party.
2.       Votives can be used as mini flower vases, displayed on a table or at each placesetting.
3.       Votives can be wrapped in colored vellum paper and secured with double sided tape.
4.       Votives can be wrapped in ribbon; this looks especially nice with ribbon along the rim and secured with double sided tape.
5.       Votives can be filled with candy, colored sand, salt or colored sugar and then used to place lollipops, flags, or anything on a short stick.
6.       Votives can be used to raise small decorative plates at a place setting to create drama.
7.       Votives can be used as planter pots for tiny flowers.  Place one at each place setting and give away as a party favor.
8.       Votives can be decoupaged with printed or tissue paper.
9.       Votives can be decorated with flat sided stones and affixed with hot glue.
10.   Votives can be monogrammed or decorated with stickers and etching crème.
11.   Votives can be used as shot glasses, which is especially handy when a large group is going to enjoy a shot together.
12.   Votives can be placed on top of the center of fresh or silk flowers, like this craft project from Michael’s Craft Store.

No matter what the occasion, votives are great to have on hand when entertaining.

- Jamie K. Garcia