New Luggage Handle!

My poor little weekend suitcase's handle disintegrated. It was still functional, but it was ugly to look at and uncomfortable to hold. SOOOOO, using this tutorial from Little Birdie Secrets, I made a new CUTER one!

Here is a close up. To add more cushion and stability, I cut a piece of craft foam and glued it (with all-purpose glue) to the finished handle on the inside. No more uncomfortable hands using this handle! And it makes it easy to spot if I need to check it at the airport!

Don't for get to make a matching luggage tag!

Pesto Turkey Pasta

A meal, from Betty Crocker, so simple and delicious that I had to share. It takes 20 minutes to prepare start to finish.

You will need:

3 cups uncooked bowtie pata

2 cups pre-cooked cubed turkey breast

1/2 cup basil pesto

1/2 cup chopped roasted red bell peppers (in a jar)

parmesan cheese (not pictured)

1. Boil your pasta.

2. Mix cooked pasta, turkey, pesto, and bell peppers until everything is heated through.

3. Sprinkle with parmesan LIBERALLY and mix in thoroughly.

Voila! Easy and yummy!

SOOOOO GOOD!!!

Money Soap

I'm always looking for unique gifts for my male teenage cousins. They are the hardest group to shop for! Money is always appreciated, but I hate just handing over the cash. Gift certificates are great, but I ALWAYS give those. So, I have a new idea...MONEY SOAP. It's money embedded in soap. Now those stinky boys will have to wash up to get paid!

To make this soap, you will need:

4 oz. CLEAR melt and pour glycerine soap

1 mL of lime essential oil

1-2 drops green food coloring

paper money (any denomination)

4 oz. soap mold (I got mine at Michael's)

rubbing alcohol in a spritz bottle

Fold your money and set aside.

Cut soap into cubes and put in heat safe container. Microwave in 20-30 second bursts. Add the lime oil.

Add food coloring.

Stir.

Pour a thin layer of soap into the mold (about 1/4 inch thick) and spritz with rubbing alcohol. Let cool until a thick skin is formed.

Spray money liberally with alcohol. Spray cooled soap with alcohol again.

Pour the rest of the melted soap into the mold (you may have to microwave again) and submerge money with a toothpick. You may have to hold the money down so it won't float up. I set up a rig where I had the soap on my cutting board and I set a knife on the counter with the handle hanging over the edge to hold the toothpick in until the soap cooled completely.

Once cooled, remove toothpick by twisting then pulling out. Melt the last bit of soap and pour it over the hole. Let cool. Wrapping your soap is important to preserve it. Tear off a piece of plastic wrap and tightly wrap soap.

Cut any excess plastic wrap.

Use an embossing heat tool to "shrink up" the plastic wrap to create a nice sealed package.

You'll end up with a beautiful bar of soap that everyone will want!

A bagalope would be the perfect way to package this up! Easy and creative!

Check out more fun and easy projects on Poppies at Play!

Creative Gift Packaging

So, this is my second tutorial, and I think I put too many pictures this time. But, it will be that much clearer for my readers. This is a tutorial for a "bagalope." It is a small gift bag made from an envelope perfect for small gift items and gift cards. It is cheap and easy, AND, it only takes 5 minutes to make! Perfect if you are running late.

You will need:

an envelope (I used a 5" x 7" but any size will work)

ribbon

stamp

ink pad

glue

self-adhesive address labels

scissors

bone folder

embellishments (I used a die cut flower and glitter paint)

First, seal your envelope. That's right. Seal it.

Decorate the sealed envelope on both sides with a stamp and ink pad. If you have time, you could emboss it.

Fold both long sides of the envelope in about one inch. Make the crease very sharp. Repeat on one of the short ends which will ultimately become the bottom of your bag.

Cut the top edge (the remaining short side) off. The more you cut, the shorter and stouter your bag will be.

Pop open your envelope...

And push in all the sides.

This is what it will look like when all sides are pushed in.

Fold the little "tabs" on the bottom in and glue into place.

Your bag will now stand on its own. Yay!

Now, cut two equal lengths of ribbon...about 8-10 inches long. These will be your handles.

Attach each end of each piece of ribbon to its own address label.

Stick the ribbon and address labels to the inside of the bag.

Now, you can glue on any embellishments.

The last think I did was decorate with gliiter paint. I added little "dots" all over on both sides.

Allow to dry and you now have a beautiful custom gift bag!

Enjoy!

Check out more awesome DIY at Poppies at Play!