Cover Those Outlets

 Hello Readers. We all like our home to look as nice as possible. Sometimes the functional items in the house are not that cute. Like my kitchen outlets. They seem like they should blend in more. Or could they just disappear? (But, I'm going to want them later. I am really attached to my electricity.) Let's hide them and make the kitchen cuter all at the same time. 

 Ugly outlet./Easy Solution. 

 I am not against modern inventions like electricity. I don't want to live by candle light at night. I just don't always use all these outlets and they don't look fabulous. I can fix that though. Let's hang some art!

I scrounged up a couple outlet covers that we used when our kids were young. They keep kids from sticking their tiny little fingers into the outlet and getting electrocuted. 

I had a couple but you can buy them almost anywhere. You could probably get 1 or 2 from a friend with kids. They probably have a few in a drawer somewhere like me. 

 I also needed a picture frame. Or two. (Similar here.) I used 5x7 size frames so that they would be large enough to cover the entire outlet. You will need 1 frame per outlet you want to cover. I used 2 frames that matched so the kitchen would have a uniform look. You can use any frame or frames that you like. 

  I used this cute little greeting card as the "art" for my frame. You could use anything you like, postcards, greeting cards, pictures of you and your family cooking or eating a holiday meal would be fun too. 

 I put the card in the frame and used the metal closures to keep the card in just like you would a photograph. I grabbed my hot glue gun to attach the frame to the outlet cover. The plastic outlet cover will stay fixed on the back of the picture frame and the frame itself will "hang" from the outlet cover when it is plugged in the outlet. 

 I used a good size squirt of hot glue on the back of my picture frame. It holds well and dries quick. It is super hot though. Be careful. 

  I pressed the plastic outlet cover onto the hot glue and held it in place while it dried. This only took a few minutes. It dries so quick, I love using hot glue.

When the glue was totally dry, I was able to "plug in" my photo frame. It fits in the outlet and covers the outlet cove and looks much cuter. This is a great way to hang art without putting nails in the wall. Sometimes renters are not permitted to damage the walls in any way.

The best part is that I can take the picture down if I want to use that outlet. I only need some of these outlets if I am cooking for a crowd or setting up a buffet meal on that counter top. Until then, I can see my cute picture. Thanks for reading along, now go make something fun for yourself.  

Make an Easy Map Table

 Hello Readers. I am always looking for ways to sneak educational things into my kids lives. This idea for a map table came about because I wanted to hang a big map of the world but I did not have anywhere large enough to hang it. I attached the map to the table so we can see it everyday at meal times and we will learn some geography. 

Attach a map to a table top.  

I got this map from Amazon. You can choose any map you like. You might want a map of the country instead of the world. The important thing about this map is that it is laminated. A paper map is going to get dirty and you can't wipe the paper clean like you can this laminated surface. This map is very close in size to my table. Your table will vary in size. That is OK. You want a map that is very close to the edge of your table on all sides, or the map can be larger and you can cut off the excess. 

 

I unrolled the map and put some items on top to hold it down while I checked the size. My map was wide enough to just reach the edges of my table. That was perfect. It was too tall for my table so I would need to cut it to fit. 

Next, I got some very sturdy shipping tape. I wanted it to be clear so the map would show through it. I did not use cellophane tape because it would be too narrow. I also don't think it would be strong enough to handle daily washing and cleaning up after meals. Shipping tape is wider and more sturdy.

 

I tried to get close to the tape with my camera as I attached it to the table so you could see. I taped one side of the map to the table to start with. This side was the right size and I wanted to hold the map in place on the table for my next steps. I used a long piece of tape and placed the tape right centered on the edge of the table. That way half the tape is on the map and half is folded down and stuck on the side of the table. This will protect the edge of the map from spills and clean-ups. (*Note- This tape could damage a painted or finished wood table. My table is metal on the sides so it will be fine.Test the finish of your table in a spot that won't be noticeable to see if the tape is safe for your table.)

 

My map was not fully taped in place all around the table yet but it was not moving around. That was what I needed so that I could cut the map to fit my table. The corners of the table are rounded so I cut the corners of my map to match using some craft scissors. It was easy to cut through the map.

 

One side of this map did not fit on my table at all. I cut off all the flags at the bottom of my map. I also had to cut off Antarctica. (My deepest apologies to Antarctica and the scientists working there. Please don't take this personally. I have nothing but love for Antarctica.)

 

Here is another look at the taped edge. I used the shopping tape all the way around the table to keep the edge of the map covered. I got a few little air bubbles under my tape but its OK. The tape is secure. And my kids can still see the world map and learn from it. That is what matters.

 

Here is a child recreating what it would look like to eat breakfast at this table. In reality it would be more messy. You can see my son is sitting around Australia. 

 

Here is a view of the map on my table, or, my map table from above. It turned out great. It cleans up really well. I can still put a tablecloth on top of it if I want to be fancy for a holiday or party. We really like it. Thanks for reading along, now go make something for yourself. 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Make a Cookbook Knife Holder

 Hello Readers. I wanted as knife holder so I could get my kitchen knives out of my kitchen drawer. The knives would bang against each other and other utensils too. There must be a better way to store my knives right? Let's make something fun and useful. And cute! Let's make a knife holder out of cookbooks. (This will be twice as handy because it will get my cookbooks close to where I am cooking too.)

The knives are handy and ready to use. And no books were harmed in the making of this knife holder.

The first thing you need to do is gather some of your cookbooks. You can also borrow some from your friends, your parents, steal some from grandma, or go buy some cookbooks for yourself. I like to look at thrift stores, there are always a lot of cookbooks there. Used bookstores are great places to get books for less too. 

  

When you have your cookbooks gathered together you are ready to go on to the next steps.  

 

I took all of the paper dust jackets off my books. You don't have to do this but I liked how they looked without the covers. They just seemed more cohesive without the extra cover art. But yours might have a really fabulous cover so do whatever you think looks the best. 

 

I arranged my books with the tallest in the middle and the shortest on the outsides. It made a slight pyramid shape that looked really nice. 

 

I wanted to tie the books together. They need to stay closed to hold the knives so I found some natural looking twine or cord. You can use any kind of ribbon or string that you have and any color would work so use whatever you like. You can match your kitchen or use something for the season or upcoming holidays. 
 

I used 2 pieces of cord, I wrapped it around the set of books and tied a simple knot in front. You can tie a big bow if you want, I wanted the books to be the focus so I kept it simple for now.

 

You can set you books right on the counter if you want. I like this basket-tray. (It keeps my cutting boards from falling over.) I slide the knives in between the pages of the books. I put the largest knives in the largest books and the smaller knives in the smaller books. If you have a lot of knives you can add a couple more books to hold them. If you only have a few knives, you can use less books. Make a set-up that works for you and your kitchen. 

 

Having the cutting boards and knives right next to each other is really nice and handy. Will this make me the next Julia Child? No, it's not going to work miracles. Will this make me a slightly better cook? I can't promise anything, but we'll see what happens. 

Thanks for reading along, now go make something fun for yourself. 
 

 

 

Scrabble Tiles to Magnets

 Hello Readers. I have a family and we are always on the go. I thought we could communicate more with some magnetic letters on the refrigerator. We could leave little notes for each other, say hello on busy days and even make a note that we are out of milk or eggs. If you live with someone else, this might be fun and useful for you too. 

These letters are small enough to fit many of them on the fridge but not so small that they are difficult to see. Esspecially in the morning without my glasses on. I can barely see anything then.

 

The first thing you will need is a pile of letter tiles. You might have them somewhere in the house from board games you have in the closet. I like these letter tiles because they are very neutral in color and won't clash with the kitchen decor. There are magnetic letters for toddlers and preschoolers but my kids are older and I didn't want the chaos of glaring bright colors all over my refrigerator.  

 

You can take the tiles from old Scrabble games you don't play anymore. And you can also find lots of board games at thrift stores for very little money. You don't need the complete game, just a collection of letter tiles. 
 

 

There are also other kids games that use similar letter tiles, like Bananagram's. It is a less well known game but you can use whatever letter tiles are easiest for you to get your hands on. Or use a combination of letters you can scrounge up.

 

You will also need some but strong but small magnets. With a little work, these will keep your letters on your refrigerator. 

You will need a glue gun. They can be super hot so be careful. I added a small blob of glue to the back of the tile with the glue gun. Don't skimp on the glue, you want everything really well stuck together. If you do not have a glue gun use a strong glue and let the glue dry fully before trying to use the letter tiles as magnets.

My next step was to add the magnet to the glue and pressed it down firmly. The glue and the magnet need to adhere to the letter tile well. 

 

When you are all done with the glue, you will have a pile of magnetic letter tiles that look like this on the back. The great thing about using a glue gun is that they are already set and can be used right away. No waiting hours for glue to dry. 

 

Just a note- I tried using a roll of magnetic tape with adhesive already on the back. It did not stay on the letter tiles well at all. It was not sticky enough and it did not want to lay flat on the back of the tiles. I do not recommend using this type of magnet for this project. 

 

My letters were getting used immediately. I thought these would be useful for making it known we needed important groceries or household items. My family wrote notes and my youngest was trying spell words he didn't know. (That was an educational bonus for me.)

 

  I hope this helps you and your family and friends and whoever you live with. 

Now go make something fun (And magnetic!) for yourself.  

Fixing a Curtain With Big Holes

 Dear Readers. Hello from my house. I found these holes in my curtain and it seemed like the identity of the vandal was obvious. It had to be Gordon. No one else in the house is that height and no one else took the blame. Who did this doesn't really matter, I really wanted to repair the curtains. 

He is really sorry. Let's fix this. 

The curtains are actually one large panel. They were custom made and then returned to the decorating shop my mother-in-law worked at. She bought them with her employee discount and gave them to me. I can't afford to replace them so I wanted to try and fix this in some way. All the damage was on the left. The holes were too big to just sew the holes together. What else could I do?

Could I remove the section of curtain that had holes? That would mean removing the the 2-3 feet of fabric on the left. I decided to take the curtains down and take a better look. 

I got up on a step ladder and took the curtains down. 

 

 My curtain hung on little hooks but the way it is hung won't really matter for this fix-it job. 

I stopped for a quick wash. Since I had the curtains down, I might as well wash them. 

I used sharp sewing scissors to cut off about 2 feet from the width of the curtains. My curtain had stripes woven in it. That helped me cut straight up the curtain. I wanted to have an even straight cut to make a new side of these curtains. This was a lot to cut off one side but I wanted to try it and see if it would look OK when I hung it back up.

 

I folded the newly cut edge under twice. I needed to make a new seam to finish this side of the curtain. I made this new seam as small/narrow as possible. This curtain is going to be more narrow now but making the smallest seam might help a little. 

 

I hung the curtain up the way it was before and kept hoping it would cover the whole window. It did, but not quite as full and fluffy as before.

 

The curtain is more narrow now. But it looks so much better with out the big holes in it. If you try this fix your curtain will be a little more narrow too. That isn't necessarily a terrible thing. As long as the curtain covers the window, or most of it, I was happy.

 

Gordon has been spending time thinking about what he did and he promises not to eat curtains again. Thanks for reading along, now go fix your curtains too. 

***Year End Update***- Gordon has not eaten any other home decor items. What a good boy.