Bulletin Board Made From a Cardboard Box and Fabric

Do you have this problem - office junk covering your desk and no place to put it all? Maybe, like me, you don't have the space for more office storage furniture, nor maybe you just don't want to spend the money on some overpriced piece of particle board furniture that you'll just end up tripping over. In my case, I needed something to dress up a bland office that would add some color to a small, boring utility type room. The solution? I made this bulletin board out of a cardboard box and some left over fabric. It took only 2 hours to make, cost practically nothing, and solved a good portion of my storage issue. It hangs above my printer, next to my desk, giving me easy access to whatever I choose to store on it. My bulletin board is 4 feet by 4 feet, but you can make yours any size.

You will need:
*1 furniture box, with at least one solid side in the size you desire the front of the bulletin board to be. Your box should be heavy duty.
*A roll of packing tape (or duck tape if that is what you have handy)
* A staple gun and staples
* A piece of fabric the size of the bulletin board plus 5 inches or so on all 4 sides. You will staple this excess to the back of your board.
** If you want to make a pocket like I have on my board, add about 20 inches or so to the length of the fabric.
**A sewing machine and matching thread if you plan to create pockets.




Step 1. Flatten your box. Fold the excess flaps over the back side and tape down very very well.



Step 2. Measure your fabric, adding at least 5 inches around. Iron flat.




If you are adding a pocket, measure the size of pocket you want to make, double that measurement, and add 1 inch total for a (1/2 inch) seam allowance. My pocket is large enough to accommodate an 11 inch folder. I used a 20 inch strip of fabric to create this. The finished pocket is 9.5 inches high and is sewn along the entire bottom of the bulletin board.

With right sides together (inside facing out, fold the fabric in half and sew along the raw edge. Turn fabric right side out and iron down. Your pocket will now be a double fabric strip.

Place your pocket where you want it to be placed. Stitch along the bottom, 1/2 inch above the bottom line.

Stitch every 12 inches or so - depending on how you want your pocket to be divided up. I also added small side pockets to hold pens and such.




Place your fabric on your taped box, pinning in place. Flip the entire board over and staple along the back every 2 or 3 inches. This is where the thickness of your box matters. You want it strong enough to hold these large staples and thick enough to use push pins.



Honest - that is all there is to it. Cheap, easy, practical, light weight, and pretty.

I used sheet rock screws to attach my board to my wall, but you can use any type of picture frame holder, just make sure it is strong enough to handle the constant pushing and pulling the board will receive.

Dear Mom,

We have grown up and fought our way into the real world.

We have flown the coup, discovered ourselves, and one might even say we came out ahead. Now that we are fragmented across the country, i would like to say that it was you that has driven us here. Not to get away, but to reach out and find new places, seize an opportunity, experience something com

pletely different.I wanted to take the time to appreciate what you have done for you three kids (which we will always be in your eyes).

It started with smoking cigarettes. From blowing more smoke than a chimney to nothing, cold turkey, the first sacrifice of being pregnant with your fist kid. Two more were soon to follow, making school and a profession even harder. So we killed your cool factor and put the brakes on your interets all in the span of 4 years.At least we were supposed to, but you have accomplished these things anyway. Taking us to classes was probably harder than any of the credits we took in college. You have taken on a bouquet of jobs in a field that relies on personal rewards rather than monetary. You have even found another creative outlet in a store. Selling handmade products like natural soaps before organic was even the cool thing to do. Jobs at shelters and support groups have shown the world just a sampling of the support you have given us through the years.

You have cared for a small army of children in your own day care just to stay with us at home. As well as a full petting zoo of animals to keep us happy. Boy scouts, girl scouts, sports,

bands, jobs, and academic fairs are just a few more things that top off the list. But the list of what we have learned is greater and we are better people for it. Even though you are not physically close we carry your traits with us. Not to mention the recipes, curtains, and a crafty mindset.
So to give back we have decided to give you some tools to work on your new hobby with, photography. When you visit the grand canyon and Las Vegas rent some lenses for you camera, on us, so you can get the shot you want to. Pick 2 lenses for 7 days from a lens rental place.
Although we can’t be there for Mother’s Day we can give you something to be creative with.
Thanks Mom, and happy Mother’s Day!

Love,

Cati, Jess, and Matt

Lens suggestions:
Like the Canon 16-35mm f/2.8L II

Sigma 8-16mm f/4.5-5.6 DC HSM

Muffins for Healthy Skin

I created these muffins about 10 years, using ingredients that are known to be good for your skin, like flax seeds, chia seeds, bananas, almonds, and safflower oil. These muffins contain tons of fiber, are high in protein, low in calories and fat, and - believe it or not - they actually taste good. Oat bran fills in for most of the white flour. The sugar called for in the recipe can be reduced, according to your taste, down to 1/4 cup, if your prefer.

The recipe instructions are the same as those for our applesauce cake recipe. You can refer to it for more detailed directions and/or ways to adapt the muffin recipe to different flavors.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Ingredients

Sift together 3 times:

1/2 cup flour - white or whole wheat
1 cup oat bran, finely ground
1/2 cup flax seed, finely ground
1/2 cup chia seed, finely ground
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda

Set aside

Separate:
5 eggs


whip egg whites until fluffy but not completely stiffened.
* hint - egg whites whip best when they are room temperature

Set aside





Beat together for 2 minutes:

5 egg yolks
1 cup sugar
1 banana, mashed well
1/2 cup safflower oil

Add the flour mixture 1/3 at a time, beating after each addition until just blended

Fold in 1 cup almonds

Lightly fold in the whipped egg whites



Fill 18 greased and floured muffin tins 3/4 full.
Bake 400 degrees F. for approximately 12 minutes or until cake springs back when touched in the middle. Only brown slightly - do not overcook.


These muffins freeze beautifully. I have one with my morning coffee every day - delicious.

Applesauce Cake - from a reduced calorie, fat, and sugar recipe that is not only high-rising and healthier, it converts to many flavors

We made cake after cake, trying out every low-cal recipe we could get our hands on until we developed a cake that is delicious without compromising texture or flavor, as many low-cal recipes do. This recipe stands about twice as high as the old spice cakes your mother made and it is very light.
The real beauty, though, is that it is healthier (uses half the sugar and fat), cheap and easy to make, and uses ingredients you have around the house.
The basic recipe can be used to create many cakes. We've included adaptations for pineapple, carrot, or pumpkin cakes, but you can, of course, create your own variation.



Ingredients:

2 1/4 cups flour - all purpose sifted 3 times with:
2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon baking powder

set aside



Separate:
4 eggs

Beat together for 2 minutes:

4 egg yolks
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup plain yogurt, drained
1/2 cup safflower oil *safflower oil is great for baking. It is thick, mild tasting, and loaded with linoleic acid which is great for your skin
1 cup unsweetened apple sauce

Whip egg whites.
Set aside




Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, 1/3 at a time. Beat on low speed for 2 minutes.

Gently fold egg whites into mixture.
Pour into your well-greased and floured bundt pan
Bake 350 degrees 35 to 40 minutes until firm and lightly browned on top. Do not overcook
Let sit 5 minutes. Gently loosen cake from sides of pan using a knife or spatula. Turn out onto a cooling rack.



Cake Variations:

Pineapple Cake
Replace applesauce with 1 cup pineapple, pureed (1 can). If using canned pineapple, drain the liquid before pureeing.
In place of pumpkin spice, use 3 tablespoons lemon juice added to pineapple puree.

Pina Colada Cake
To the above pineapple cake recipe, add 1 cup shredded coconut

Carrot Cake
Replace applesauce with 1 cup pureed pineapple (see above)
2 cups grated carrots
1/2 cup raisins
1/2 cup grated coconut

Pumpkin
Replace applesauce with 1 1/2 cups pureed pumpkin



Glaze Recipes:

1.) Maple Buttermilk Glaze

1/3 cup maple syrup
1/3 cup buttermilk
a scant 1/8 teaspoon baking soda

*Heat maple syrup and buttermilk together in a sauce pan, stirring constantly until hot. Add baking soda. Glaze will foam up. Let foam for about a minute, stirring constantly.
Pour hot glaze over cake with a spoon, a little at a time.
Top with ground walnuts (optional)

2.) Buttermilk Glaze
1 cup powdered sugar
2 Tablespoons buttermilk
*stir together with a fork until well blended and all the lumps are out

Of course, if you want, you can always use a richer frosting:

3.) Rich Cream Cheese Frosting
1 8 ounce bar of cream cheese
1 stick butter
2 cups powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla

4.) Pineapple Frosting
1 8 ounce container heavy or whipping cream, very cold
1/2 package vanilla instant pudding
1 can crushed pineapple, drained very, very well
2 Tablespoons lemon juice

Whip the cream until thick, but not overly stiff. Add pudding mix. Whip on high speed for 1 minute. Add pineapple. Whip on high speed for another minute. Place in refrigerator for 1/2 hour to set.

Free Sliding Camera Strap with Lens Cover Pocket - Handmade for Virtually Peanuts

Our free sliding camera sling strap is fully adjustable (using the adjustment hardware from the leash) to accommodate different heights and comfort levels. We created a loop cut from a piece of cat leash then attached it to the camera using a quick release hook. The camera slides along the strap for quick, comfortable shooting

Recently, there has been a resurgence of camera straps on the market that allow your camera to move freely along a comfortable, easy to use, sling type strap. To use, you simply lift your camera, take your shot, then release. Your camera slides up the strap for shooting, then down the strap, resting near your hip until you want to shoot again. These straps caught our eye because constantly fumbling with the camera strap is a pain in the neck - figuratively and literally. Not only do these new straps stop constant adjustments, but they reduce the strain on your neck from the weight of the camera. You are able to shoot quickly and more efficiently, keeping your hands free and your strap out of the way.

The downside of these new straps is that they are expensive - around $50.00 or so. As a matter of fact, it is expensive to buy any new camera strap. So what can you do? Make your own, of course! Using the following tutorial, you can re-purpose your old strap, giving it a fresh, new look while making it more functional.

There are many blogs out there that show you how to make camera straps that are either free sliding or decorative. Our strap is both. And - it is made cheaply using the strap that comes with your camera and left over fabrics and supplies you have around your house. Your cost? Practically free. We have also incorporated a pocket that holds your lens cap while you shoot - a handy little feature to add.

Two different camera straps we created, one with lens cover pocket.

Another reason to make your own strap is that you can custom create it to suit your own needs. You can make it adjustable, colorful or padded. You can add features to the sling like additional pockets or holders for supplies. You can make it as thick or thin as you like, and, you can even make it function like a mini camera case, depending on what features you add. The bottom line is this - you'll have a strap that takes away the cumbersome problems we all face on camera shoots.

Supplies you will need

For the Strap:
1. A removable camera strap
2. 2 strips of fabric that are each a) the width of your camera strap plus 5/8 inch on each side for your seam allowance, and b) the length of your strap plus 1 inch on each end.( If you are padding your strap, add another 1/8 inch to the total width).
3. Optional: 2 strips of thin batting, each cut to the exact width of your camera's strap. This will pad your strap and make it more comfortable to wear. This is a nice feature to include, but not necessary.

4. For the Strap Extension and the Free Sliding Mechanism:
You can use many things, depending on what you have at home. For ours, we used an adjustable cat leash. An old backpack also has the types of attachments and straps you can use.
Another option is to use is a large metal or plastic purse ring and some kind of thin adjustable strap.
5. a quick release latch

Below is a good website to purchase hardware from:

http://www.strapworks.com/Plastic_Harware_s/18.htm


5. For the Pocket:

You will need 2 small pieces of fabric, large enough to hold your lens cap, plus 1 1/4 inch on each side.
To determine the size you need: On the wrong side of one piece, lightly trace your lens cap. Add 1 1/4 inch to each side, then draw into a square. Cut two. Place your squares right sides together. Taper 2 sides in as shown below. The bottom should be the width of your strap plus 5/8 inch on each side. When finished, your pocket will look like this:


Sewing Your Strap

1. To make pocket:
With rights sides together, sew the 2 cut pocket shapes together at the top, bottom, and angled sides. Leave the left and right sides un-stitched. Turn right side out. Iron. It will appear as above. The sides are left open because they will be sewn in to the cover's side seams. The bottom and top edges are finished. Set aside.

2. To Make Cover:
Remove the ends off of your old camera strap by taking out the stitching with a seam ripper. Set ends aside.




3. If you want to pad your strap:
Sew your batting strips to your strap, 1 at a time, 1 on each side, using 1/4 inch seam allowance.



4. For the Outside Cover:
Put the front cover fabric over your neck. Place your pocket on the front side of the fabric, where you find it most comfortable to use (we placed ours on the left so we could grab the lens cover with our right hand). Pin. Stitch the bottom only of your pocket to the front fabric.

5. Next, place your outside cover fabric strips right sides together (the wrong sides of the fabric will be facing up. Your pocket will be in between and the raw side edges only will be sewn into the seam. The finished angled edges will remain open. Do not sew them into your strap. Your pocket will be slightly bigger than the strap in order to accommodate most lens covers. Pin.

6. Sew both cover side seams using a 5/8 inch seam allowance.

7. Flip right side out. The easiest way to do this is to put a safety pin on one end and pull the pin through the inside until one end is peaking out of the other, turning the entire tube right side out.

Tube turned right side out. This is how your pocket will appear

.


8. Feed the camera strap through the fabric cover tube

9. To finish ends: turn the corners only of the raw end pieces inside, forming an angle. Iron down.
Iron the entire strap.

*Optional: If you want, you can sew a narrow finish stitch along both long edges.

9. Take the faux leather end pieces from the old strap and reattach them by sewing over the old stitch marks .

You now have a basic, covered camera strap.

*To use grommets instead of camera strap ends: Finish the raw edges of your strap by turning edges under and stitching in place. Attach grommets by cutting an X the size of the grommet hole and trimming excess until the grommet fits through. Although the cut doesn't have to be clean, keep it snug to the grommet for the best hold. We suggest using a grommet tool, but any rounded metal edged hammer can bend the metal in place.

Strap Adjustments

1. You can choose to make your strap either adjustable, or not adjustable. We made ours adjustable. The top illustration is for a non- adjustable strap. The second illustration is for an adjustable strap


To make your strap adjustable, first cut the cat leash to size. Then, securely sew one end into the leather end or loop it around the other end of the grommet and sew it to itself. The other end of the slide strap will loop through the end of the shoulder strap and come back to a strap adjustment. Try to keep the strap adjuster close to one side of the shoulder piece so it doesn't get in the way of the camera attachment.


To Create Free Sliding feature

For the camera slide feature, you will be making 2 loops cut from the cat leash. The first loop will attach to your camera through the original strap attachment slot., and the second loop will slide along your strap. Both will be connected together using the leash's quick release attachment. Or, as shown in the above illustration, you can use a simple purse ring or plastic loop attachment. You can buy these at most any fabric store. To quickly attach and detach, use the hook of the leash or any other quick attachment hardware.

Good luck!

Great Sites for Saving Money

Check out these sites for savings on anything from restaurants to items on Amazon.com. I've purchased things like half price movie tickets from Fandango, $10.00 off anything at Amazon.com, and half price clothing at Norstrom Rack. They make deals with just about everyone so you can save at local and/or national stores and services.

www.groupon.com

www.livingsocial.com

Thanks, Martha!

We are so excited to learn that Martha Stewart selected our "Sewing on the Cheap" tutorial, How to Make Custom Shades Without the Custom Price for her website. This is a great honor for us in the homemaker's blog world.

Thank you, Martha!

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