This & That Junk Drawer Wednesday Headache Pillow & Old Milk Carton Bird House Tutorial!!

No matter what is happening in your life, know that God is waiting for you with open arms!!!

The Headache Pillow

This is made from a really cute fleece scarf I found at a thrift store.

Materials Used:
fabric (I used this fleece scarf, which has 2 layers of fabric. You could use pretty much any kind of fabric that you want.)
scissors
stick pins
sewing machine or needle and thread
rice
dried lavender or lavender essential oil

Directions:

1. Cut a rectangle about 8"x6" (or whatever size you want). Since I had a double-layered scarf, I just cut the end off. It's about 4"x6", with three sides already sewn.

2. Pin the sides you will be sewing, right sides together (wrong sides out).

3. Sew by hand or by machine (I don't have a sewing machine, so mine is done by hand. Since it's so small, it doesn't take very long). Be sure to leave at least 1" open on the end to pour the rice in.
4. Flip inside out so the right sides are now facing out.

5. Mix about 1.5 cups of rice with a handful of dried lavender or a few drops of lavender essential oil. Pour rice into pouch. It helps to use a funnel.
6. Fold about 1/4" of the opening into the pouch to hide the edge (make sure it's flush with the outside edge of the pouch), pin, and sew up the opening.

And now you have the Headache Pillow. You can warm it up in the microwave, or put it in the fridge or freezer, depending on how you like it or need it. Place over your eyes when you have a headache. It's nice when you don't have a headache too.
You can make this bigger and use as a heating pad for cramps or body aches or just to warm up your bed on cold winter nights! I'd probably leave out the lavender though.

No-Bake Peanut Butter Squares

Mix together:
1-1pound box of confectioners sugar, sifted
1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
2 sticks butter or margarine, melted
1-17 or 18 ounce jar of peanut butter
Press onto the bottom of a 9 X 13 inch baking dish.
Melt together:
1 stick of butter or margarine
1-12oz bag of semi-sweet chocolate chips
Pour and spread the chocolate mixture over the peanut butter mixture in the baking pan. Refrigerate for a few hours and cut into squares.

Birds and the Bees - Make It

Where do baby birds come from? Your backyard, if you put together this DIY birdhouse, blueprint courtesy of craft-maven and stationer Art School Girl, Amy Rowan. Cardinals, sparrows, and robins are currently looking for places to crash, so instead of tossing your OJ or soy milk cartons (cardboard + paper = 41% of the city's waste), use 'em to build a bird crib. Here's how you do it.

Old Carton Birdhouse
2-3 hours

What You Need:
2 half-gal milk or juice cartons
About 4 yards masking tape
Craft knife (like an X-Acto)
Pencil
Ruler
Rag (yep, that old 'N Sync tee'll do)
Brown, nontoxic Prism paint (other earth tones optional)
Small paintbrush (optional)
Awl (or other hole-making tool like a protractor or upholstery needle)
4 inches string or twine

1. Rinse out the carton and let dry. Cover the outside of one carton entirely with masking tape, wrapping it horizontally so it looks like siding on a house.
2. Create an awning to keep the rain out: Using the craft knife, remove (and recycle) the top, triangular part of second carton along edge. On the remaining lidless piece, use pencil and ruler to mark a cut line 2.5 inches from the top, and cut horizontally around to remove (and recycle) the bottom piece. On this center piece, mark a diagonal line along two opposite sides and cut along line, creating a hollow wedge.
3. Using tape, affix the wedge to the front of your birdhouse (see photo) then cover the awning with tape to match the rest of the house.
4. Using the rag, rub brown paint into the tape to give it a weathered-wood look. (Brown's best for keeping pesky predators - like your cat - away.)
5. About 4 inches up from the bottom of the house, front and center, trace the carton's round cap (or a quarter) and carefully cut out a hole with the blade.
6. Using the awl, punch several holes in the bottom of the carton to keep any water from collecting there. Then poke a hole into the very top of the carton (where you would open it if it didn't have a cap) - be sure not to pierce the roof itself. Attach a 4-inch piece of twine and hang the house at least 6 feet from the ground on a sturdy branch.

This & That Kitchen Junk Drawer Wednesday!

PAPER MACHE:
The things you can make with paper mache are only limited by your imagination. As paper mache dries, it hardens over the mold you have made. You can make doll heads, Christmas ornaments,snowmen, pinatas, dolls, dollhouses, boxes, sculptures or bowls. The final dried product can be painted, decoupaged or decorated however you please.
Make a form from wire, wadded newspaper, stuffed paper bags, or balloons. For a flat piece, such as a dollhouse or box, you can use a piece of cardboard. Tear newspaper into strips. Narrower strips work best for a rounded mold and larger strips are good for flat or rectangular shapes. Choose one of the following recipes to make the paste. Dip strips into paste, coating completely, squeezing out excess paste with your fingers. Use the strips to cover your pre-made form. If you overlap the strips, your finished product will look smoother. Allow each layer to dry before adding another layer. Cover your form with 4 layers.


PAPER MACHE PASTE:
Rather than make my own paste for paper mache, I use liquid starch that is relatively inexpensive. I bought a large jug at the supermarket that I have been using for years. It gives the same result as the cooked method. It dries smooth and clear - fantastic for use with gift wrap scraps. I use it with brown grocery bags when I want to create pottery or leather looking crafts...add a little cinnamon to the mix - it makes it smell good...

Here is another if you want to do the cooked method.
Try this easy paper mache paste recipe:
Take 1 heaped soup ladle of powdered cornstarch
Place in a heat proof bowl
Add enough COLD water to form a paste and to dissolve powder to consistency of thick cream.
Pour in one kettleful (1.7 litres) of RAPIDLY BOILING (MUST be bubbling away...) and stir like crazy...!
It is very very HOT like porridge and it can form lumps so I usually give it a whisk or beating with my electric mixer to smooth it.
Paste should change from opaque white to translucent once the boiling water is added.
It will keep a few days and can be microwaved to be heated so it's less "jelly-like". Kids love to use it while it's warm, but it works equally well cold
A couple tablespoons of salt can be added to prolong shelf life...

Do you have dryer lint and want to use it?

Dryer Lint Papier Mache Paste:
Ingredients:
3 cups lint from your dryer
2 cups water
2/3 cup wheat flour
3 drops oil of wintergreen
newspaper

Method:
Put lint and water in a large saucepan. Get all of the lint wet. Add flour and stir constantly so lumps won't form. Add oil of wintergreen. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly,until mixture holds together and forms peaks. Pour out onto several thicknesses of newspaper to cool. Adding Elmer's glue to a any recipe will give it more strength!

HOMEMADE EGG SUBSTITUTE:

6 egg whites
1/4 cup nonfat dry milk powder
1 Tablespoon corn oil
6 drops yellow food coloring

In a medium bowl combine egg whites, dry milk powder and oil. stir with a fork or wire whisk till thoroughly combined, then add food coloring and mix it in well. You will get 4-1/4 cup servings...store in fridge for 1 week or freeze in 1/4 cup servings........Weight Watchers Points is 1 for two 1/4 cup servings!

ZUCCHINI OMELET:

8" zucchini grated
1 Tablespoon chopped onion
Spray a non stick skillet with cooking spray. Over medium high heat,saute the zucchini & onion till tender. Lower heat to medium and pour 1/2 cup of egg substitute over and cook till set...Serve with 2 Tablespoons salsa...Now this really good..
Weight Watchers Points is 1

For lunch today I had 1 La Tortilla Factory tortilla(green onion one),1 ounce of boiled chicken breast chopped and 1/4 cup of my Jicama Slaw (see Mondays post for recipe)...I warmed the tortilla for 20 seconds, put some hot mustard (wal-mart) on it, then the chopped chicken and the jicama slaw, salt substitute and pepper...It was so good and filling, and all of that for 2 weight watchers points...The tortilla has 50 calories, but it has 6 grams of fiber which makes 1 of them = 0 weight watchers points...

My final this & that...

SWAN CANDLE COMPANY

Click here 12 oz Kitchen Pantry Jar to go to their site:
If you want the best smelling candle you have ever used then get a Gingerbread Candle from The Swan Candle company...a few years ago, Becky from "Tennessee Ridge Primitives" sent me one and I have been buying them ever since...Tried the other scents, but none of them compared with the gingerbread....I got a candle warmer at Wal-Mart for about $6, and I put that candle on it (I never burn it)and you can smell it even in my basement...and best of all it lasts and lasts...You won't be sorry and they send you another small candle for free....