April 26, 2012

Acute How-To: DIY Fabric tape

Did you know that you could actually make your own fabric tape?  I confess, I didn’t know until fairly recently, but you can and it’s really simple.

This tape is perfect for dressing up handmade packaging or for adding a special touch to gift wrapping.

Supplies:

  • kraft packing tape
  • sand paper - If you buy the kind of tape that is covered in a waxy coating, then you will need to lightly sand the smooth coating. If you buy the kind not coated, then you can skip the sand paper step.
  • fabric, cut in strips as wide as the tape
  • mod podge glue
  • paint brush
  • waxed paper
  • scissors

Step One:

Tape pieces of kraft tape to a long sheet of waxed paper. If you have the tape with the waxy coating, gently sand down the surface {which is what I did}. If not, just proceed with step two.

Step Two:

Paint mod podge glue all over the tape and lay down a strip of fabric. Use a credit card or the back of a knife to smooth down the fabric.

Step Three:

Allow the glue to dry overnight and cut away the strips of tape. I cut my pieces of tape in half in order to have thinner pieces of tape. Roll up the strips of tape and secure with a small paper clip. Whenever you’re ready to use the tape, just peel away the waxed paper!

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April 12, 2012

Acute How-To: DIY Glass-Tinting

All the thrift stores I go to {and I am sure all the thrift stores all over the country} are filled with inexpensive glass bottles, jars, and vases.  The sheer abundance of all this glassware makes it cheap – and a little boring.

In order to “dress up” some basic cheap-o vases, I decided to do a little glass-tinting project. This project is super easy and inexpensive.  And the end result is pretty vintage looking tinted glass.

Supplies:

  • food coloring
  • water
  • Mod Podge – the gloss kind {can be found at any craft store}
  • Small bowls or cups for mixing the food coloring/water
  • newspaper or old paper bags to cover your work surface
  • wax paper
  • metal sheet pan
  • clear glass jars, vases, etc
  • plastic spoon or bamboo skewers for stirring
  • old plastic container or bucket

Step One:

Mix a few tablespoons  of food coloring with a splash of water {no more than a teaspoon of water}.  The more food coloring you use, the darker the tint.  I made the mistake of using just a little food coloring on some of my bottles and the tinting didn’t work very well.

Step Two:

Pour a tablespoon of mod podge + a bowl of food coloring/water mixture into a bottle and stir together with the plastic spoon or bamboo skewers {most of my vases were long and thin and these skewers worked the best}.

Next, turn the bottle around so that the insides are all coated.  It helps to flip the bottle on its side and turn it over and over in your hands.

Note: when you turn the bottle over, some of the mod podge/food coloring will drip out, so this is where your bucket or plastic container will come in handy.  Hold the bottle over it and spin it in your hands.  The mixture will all get caught in one place, which will make cleanup easy.  Also, since mod podge is glue, I wouldn’t do this over your sink.

Step Three:

Set your oven on warm {about 250 degrees} and line a sheet tray with waxed paper.  Place the tray in the oven and set your glasses on it {upside down}.  Bake the glasses upside down for about 15 minutes, then carefully flip them right side up and continue to bake for another 20-30 minutes.

During the baking process the glue will dry and you will be left with a pretty tinted glass.

These glasses are not food safe, however they do make pretty flower vases or jars to hold miscellaneous bits and pieces.

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March 29, 2012

Acute How-To: Low Fat Hummus

I realize that in general hummus is a really healthy food… but I discovered a way to make it even healthier and lower in fat.

Rather than using the traditional ingredient tahini, I tried fat free Greek yogurt.  Using Greek yogurt resulted in a super creamy and delicious hummus.

I used spinach and artichoke in this recipe, but you can use any of your favorite veggies and herbs.  Or, just do a traditional humus recipe with a little garlic and lemon juice.

Ingredients:

  • 1 can (about 14 oz) of garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained
  • 1/3 cup non-fat plain Greek yogurt
  • the juice from one lemon
  • 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder (or 1 small garlic clove)
  • 3/4 cup frozen shopped spinach that has been defrosted (or 2 cups fresh)
  • 1 cup artichoke hearts (frozen or canned…just avoid the kind packed in oil)
  • a handful of fresh flat leaf parsley
  • 1 teaspoon of salt and some black pepper

Just add everything to a food processor or powerful blender and whirl away!  I ate mine with fresh pita bread and carrot sticks.

Store leftover hummus in an airtight container in the refrigerator for about 3-4 days.

Enjoy!

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March 15, 2012

Acute How-To: Glitter St. Patrick’s Day Banner

I made this banner for the upcoming holiday. It was so simple and would be a fun project for kids. You can also switch it up with lots of different sayings and colors for any time of year. Trust me, glitter is appropriate year round.

Supplies:

  • super thick paper { water color paper found in the painting section of the craft store is perfect}
  • mod podge or craft glue
  • craft glitter
  • a small paint brush
  • string or twine
  • small clothespins
  • acrylic sealant {found in the spray paint section}

Step One:

Print your saying {I chose to write “Lucky Me”}, trace it on the super thick paper, and cut out the letters.

If you have a good printer, you can skip the tracing step and just print directly on the thick paper. When I did this my printer jammed {oops!} so make sure your printer is capable of handling the thick paper if you choose to do it this way.

Step Two:

Paint the letters with mod podge or glue and sprinkle on the glitter. Allow the letters to dry for a few hours.

Step Three:

Seal the glitter by spraying the letters with acrylic sealant.

Step Four:

Hang the letters from the piece of string by clipping with the clothespins. You could also string the letters together by punching a hole through each one… but I think the clothespin method is the easiest. I also added a few glittery shamrock cutouts that I bought at the craft store.

Just hang and enjoy – and have a very Happy St. Patrick’s Day!

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March 1, 2012

Acute How-To: All Natural Fabric Dyes

Before chemical fabric dyes came into existence, natural substances such as fruits and vegetables were used to dye fabric. I have been meaning to try out a natural dye technique for a while and finally did it this week. I am happy to report that it was a success and SO simple!

Pretty much any dark colored fruit or vegetable can be used for this how-to. Some options are: red cabbage {pink}, blueberries {purple}, blackberries {darker pink/purple}, tea or coffee {beige}, turmeric or saffron {yellow}, grape juice, and many more.

What you will need:

  • Fabric items to dye – These items must be made from a natural source, such as 100% cotton. I used a tote bag, a few old napkins, and a few small cotton drawstring bags {all of which I already had laying around my house}.
  • ¾ cup salt – I used plain kosher salt.
  • Fruit and/or veggies – I chose blackberries {dark pink/purple}, tea {beige}, and turmeric {golden yellow}.
  • A large pot
  • A colander
  • Lots of water

Step One:

Mix ¾ cup salt with 12 cups of water. Submerge your fabric in the water and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and let the fabric simmer for about an hour.

Remove the fabric from the salt water and rinse with cold water. Ring out the items and set aside.

Note: if you are planning to dye a lot of items, you might need to do this step a few extra times. Or use a really, really big pot and double the amount of salt and water.

Step Two:

If you are using berries, put a cup in a pot with four cups of water and boil for about 15 minutes. Strain the fruit from the water and discard. Set the water aside to cool.

I also used turmeric and black tea. For the turmeric, I mixed two tablespoons with four cups of boiling water. For the tea, I let several bags of black tea sit in four cups of boiling water for about 5 minutes.

Step Three:

Dye your fabric. I wanted a dip-dyed look for my cotton bags so I carefully set the end in the dye and draped the top {un-dyed part} over the side of the bowl. I let my items sit in the dye for about 10 minutes.

For my napkins, I decided to completely submerge them in the tea dye and let them sit for about 10 minutes.

Step Four:

Rinse your fabric with hot tap water, ring out, and hang to dry.

That’s it! This process can be done with any cotton or other natural fiber fabrics. Just be careful when/if you need to wash your items as they might bleed the first time.

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