Compost more, bin less.

Assuming you do compost things you can further overcome the limits of your bins capacity by following this handy dandy list of 30 unexpected things you can still put into compost.

For more inofrmtion on composting you might like to see this page.

How to Make Your Own Unusual Cocktail Coaster

How to Make Your Own Unusual Cocktail Coaster
By Sarah Martin

When it comes to choosing a cocktail coaster, your choices are virtually unlimited for ways of livening up a party. Unusual coasters will undoubtedly become the focus of conversation and bring about a few laughs depending on your choice.

How about glass coasters that have been treated with silicone? Such coasters are made from two layers of glass that are fused together. Once the glass has been annealed and cooled, then silicone feet are added to the bottom of the coasters to provide the protection that your furniture needs.

Your guests will surely delight in using a beaded cocktail coaster that you made yourself. If you have a talent for crafts, this is one area in which you can really shine. The best type of beads to use for this reason is seed beads called rocailles, which you buy in hanks.

You do need to make sure that all the beads you choose are about the same size so that you have an even coaster. Since they come in a wide variety of colors, you can customize your decor with these coasters.

In addition to beads, you will need to collect the following materials:

• cork for the backing

• waterproof glue that dries quickly

• pins to hold the beads in place

• small paintbrush

• felt in the color of your choice

• scissors

• pencil

• construction paper

Cut out the shape of beverage coaster you want to make by tracing the shape on the construction paper. Take off part of the string of beads - enough to completely cover this shape. It is easier to cover a circular shape in this way than any other, but you can use a square or rectangular shape as well.

Take care when you cut the string of beads that you tie a slipknot in the end to prevent the beads from all falling off. This refers to both the portion of the hank that you will be using and the portion that you want to use for another coaster.

Use the construction paper form to help you cut the felt. Place a thin layer of glue in the center of the felt circle and start gluing the beads in place by arranging them in circles from the middle to the outer edge.

Apply the glue with the small paintbrush or with a glue gun and then arrange the beads in place. When the glue is dry, turn the drink coaster over and coat the bottom with glue. Cut a piece of cork in the same shape and stick it to the bottom. If you want to provide a protective coating, you can apply a small amount of clear varnish to the beads.

This type of cocktail coaster is very absorbent. The liquid from the glass will drip through the beads into the felt and into the cork. The felt will allow the water to evaporate into the air, as will the cork. However, if you want to clean this type of coaster, you will have to wipe it clean with a damp cloth. The beads may come off the coaster if you put it in the dishwasher where the heat will melt the glue.

When you experiment with this craft, you can make a cocktail coaster for every color of the rainbow. Guests will surely want to know where you bought them and this could even be the start of a profitable home-based business when they place orders for coasters.

Sarah Martin is a freelance marketing writer that specializes in arts and crafts, home improvement, interior design, and entertainment. For a wide selection of cocktail coaster sets or for a monogrammed drink coaster, please visit http://www.thirstycoasters.com/.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Sarah_Martin
http://EzineArticles.com/?How-to-Make-Your-Own-Unusual-Cocktail-Coaster&id=1751154

Finish Your Blue Jeans Purse With a Personal Touch!

By David Urmann

You may have an old pair of jeans that have been hanging in your closet for years and you value them so much. Why not get some more use out of them by turning them into a Blue Jeans Purse? Native American accents are common designs for blue jeans purse. But don't limit yourself. Be creative and unique!

Look around a craft store for hundreds of embellishments you can use to adorn your purse. A pack of cheap fabric paints can also be used. They come in tubes and you no longer need a brush to paint and draw the design with the paints. You just let it dry and a new look will have a glittering effect.

Procedures in Making the Purse: Try to paint a string of upturned "V's" in white or red on the strap so as to embody tee-pees. Use colored russet paint to make three sticks coming out on top of each teepee. Get a coyotes, wolves, or rubber stamp depicting deer. Wet the rubber stamp in the fabric paint and stomp the animals walking across the bottom front of the purse. Use a big teepee together with numerous smaller ones bordering it as the picture of your purse's background or front. You may also use rub-on appliqués' to make tee-pees, moccasins, feathers, and headdresses at random places all over the purse.

If you still want to add more ornaments to your blue jeans purse, American bead patterns in shades of red, turquoise, white, and black will look extraordinary when sewn onto a denim purse. However, if you really want your blue jeans purse to look expensive in this pattern, you must sew it properly. At times you can find the tiniest of beads already strung and with a backing for sewing, and these are sold on a roll at some department or craft stores.

Use these beads to insert the purse strap or to decorate a pocket on the purse. String the beads and attach to purse. You can also make the most out of your unused jewelry to add inflection and unique touch. Put a bracelet or necklace on a string with turquoise accessory that can be tacked to a pocket on a purse, setting a dangling result outside your purse. You don't have to spend a lot of money in redecorating your purse.

If you still want to add décor and depth on your blue jeans purse, put a Conchos with bands of leather hanging from behind your purse. Apply beads and feathers or strip of rawhide to create zipper pulls. Strand the beads through the zipper heave hole. Thread the ends of the rawhide half way through wooden bead. Then paste it so it will be attached to the purse. At the opposite hole of the bead, squeeze the glue inside. Then insert feathers.

Many craft stores have an aisle where you can acquire pieces of feathers, leather, and Indian decorations. Engrave animal shapes from the leather pieces to attach to the purse using fabric glue. Draw round the animals with fabric paints.

Explore your local craft store for more ideas. There are dozens of rubber stamps that can be used with hundreds of different paints and inks, and thousands of bead choices and Indian decorations. Why not finish your blue jeans purse with a touch of your artistic quality and wealthy resources!

For more information on Blue Jean Purse Patterns and Knit Purse Patterns please visit our website.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=David_Urmann
http://EzineArticles.com/?Finish-Your-Blue-Jeans-Purse-With-a-Personal-Touch!&id=1752101

Winter Home Improvement Tips

By Jess Petroski

Most people wouldn't think of the end of the fall or early winter for home improvements, but making small home improvements can save you big on your home energy costs this winter.

Let's look at some winter Home Improvement ideas:

The fireplace - Getting our fireplace ready will certainly yield to better savings. Make sure that the dumper is tightly sealed when not using it. A small space would let the cold air rush in and send the warm air out. If you are using an electric heating system, an opening in the fireplace will mean a lot more work to maintain a warm, energy efficient home.

When you decide to use the fireplace, you can turn down your heater. This will save you as much as 8% on heating cost.

The furnace - The furnace will work extra effort if the filter is full of dirt. This will equate to home energy waste since the furnace will consume more power against the service it brings. To avoid this, make sure that your filter is clean. The owner's manual will tell you how to clean the filter. A clean filter will let you breath clean air around your house. A clean filter saves you 5% on heating cost.

The duct - Small leaks in the duct will certainly result in lost heat so make sure that this is regularly checked. Insulate the ducts by wrapping it with R-6 or higher fiberglass. Never use cloth-backed tapes. You can also wrap them with UL-approved metallic or plastic tapes and mastic sealants. Note that leaking ducts make your heating system work 30% more so make sure they are sealed and secured.

Solar heat - You don't need to have solar panels on your roof to use the sun as a source of heat. All you have to do is use open your drapes during the day to warn your room without using electricity. Just close them at night to keep the warn air inside. Reduction of the use of heating system during the day will let you cut as much as 10% on your home energy consumption. Now that's being efficient!

Openings - Openings around your doors, windows, and joints will let cold air outside come in and the warm air from your home go out. Make sure that these openings are sealed with either sealant or weatherstripping. It will help reduce the work of the heating system immensely.

The Thermostat - A programmable thermostat or a centralized heating system will let you save on heating costs. The programmable thermostat will let you set your desired at a specific period of the day. This is very useful if you are leaving your home or are going to sleep overnight. The centralized heating system on the other hand will give you the ultimate control of the temperature of every room. These 2 will let you decide how warm any one room can be. One interesting thing to note is that a centigrade lower on your heating system will let you save as much as 5% on your heating cost.

Many people neglect to truly prepare their homes for the winter season, and as a result, they pay for it big time in sky rocketed utility bills. Why? Because you need to warm you home and that doesn't come cheap these days. This consumes the biggest portion of our electric bill. Fortunately, there are measures we can take to lower our utility bills during the winter season.

But for those who are conscious enough to notice, winter means larger electric bills. Yes, it is true. Aside from summer, winter is the season of the year where your electric bills skyrocket to digits that cost you financial burden.

As you can see, there are many trouble spots in your home which require some attention during the winter season.

Learn more about DIY home improvement at do-it-yourself-projects.info.

DIYHomepro

www.do-it-yourself-projects.info

www.energy-efficient-home-improvement.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jess_Petroski
http://EzineArticles.com/?Winter-Home-Improvement-Tips&id=1750033

Building a Dolls' House For Your Grandchildren

By Dianna Moylan

Dolls' House Building: A Magnificent Obsession

When I was a child it was just after the war and materials were in short supply. I didn't have many toys - and don't think I missed them, since I became an obsessive reader and never had my nose out of a book. An exception was when I was in London with my godmother, who took me to museums.

The day I saw that great big, gorgeous dolls house, which had belonged to Queen Mary, was a milestone - one I have never forgotten. I was completely entranced by the wonderfully detailed furniture, the little people, the wallpapers - all in 1/12 scale. How I loved it. I suppose I must have been about 8 when I fell.

Then I hit my teens, got into rock'n roll, (no sex and drugs for me!) studied for my exams and forgot about the dolls' house.

At forty I was ready to have another go. But this time I knew that I wanted to build a dolls' house. Not a dolls' house from a dollhouse kit, but one from plans, cutting the wood myself and truly being in charge of it all. Let's start at the top -why not?

Why not is because I had no experience at all with carpentry. I had made clothes for myself and others, I had knitted really complicated patterns, my cross-stitch was the envy of friends. But this was a different kettle of fish. I had no tools to speak of, an uncooperative husband, who in any case wasn't a carpenter, and a burning desire to make a dolls' house.

I went to the local friendly hardware store with my plans and explained myself. They were wonderful. I marked up the dimensions I wanted and for the price of the plywood, plus a teeny bit more, they cut my house for me. I bought a keyhole saw, for the window apertures, and a few little bits - tiny strips of prepared wood, sandpapers, glue, tiny screws, tiny hinges, one long piano hinge, a few small screwdrivers and a spirit level. Armed with all that and a lot of optimism I went home and made my dolls house.

I was immensely proud of it. I finished it with love, wallpapered the walls, made internal doors, painted the woodwork, including the skirting boards (something I would NEVER do now) and stood back and admired it. Then I made the furniture, using plans from a second book and copying some of my own furniture in 1/12 scale like the rest.

When it was finished - oh, maybe a year after I had started - I looked at it again and realised how bad it was! But I had learned the skills, and knew many little things that would carry me through the creation of the second, bigger and better house. And it WAS both bigger and better. When I saw how much better, I threw away my first attempt.

A station building (built from a photograph to my own plans) and a shop followed. Then I made just one house in 1/24 scale which was fun and quicker, but not so satisfying.

So there's the history - until manufacturers began making wonderful, fairly cheap dolls house kits. At first I felt it wold be cheating. When temptation overtook me I bought my first and quickly made it up. Oh,how easy it is to make up a kit. It's square, it's complete, all the little pieces you forget you're going to need are there. The kit is built in no time at all, leaving you more time to buy or make the furniture. By this time eBay was operating and wonderful stuff for the dolls house could be bought for very little money.

And then I decided to share this with others. I'm no genius, and I wanted to share my enthusiasm with other women. I had come to this with no formal training, and, with the advent of dolls' house kits, knew that none was needed. So I went into the business of finding out how to sell this idea on line. It has been a real educational journey, which continues. I am not there yet, but I know more and more each day. My website is up and running and now there are search engines to learn about.

What I do know is that women can build dolls' houses, and that they enjoy, no - love, doing it. I have a little group of people I know who share my joy of it. My grand-daughters both love the houses and the nine-year-old has built one with me. She became quite possessive about the colours we would decorate it in, and insisted on choosing the bedroom wallpaper. I bought a wonderful CD off someone clever on eBay, with which I can print my own flooring (which I do on matte photo paper) and wall coverings (ordinary paper works). So we have a wide choice of papers readily available on my pc and colour printer.

Bedding and cushions are fun little projects for us both, and I made (actually MADE) some people to go in the house. We have a father, a mother and one kid. (Oh, and lots of little babies who came on eBay). It isn't finished yet - well, the house is but the interior still lacks the odd thing, but I am already onto the next task, renovating an old house given me by a friend.

I have to confess, the storeroom is rather full. And I'm probably spending too much time on it. But what else would I be doing? I still go to the theatre, visit the family, play the piano, watch TV, read. Other times I work on the latest doll house project. And I wouldn't change any of it. Sometimes I forget the housework - you know, the real stuff. Who cares? I'm working on my dollhouses and having a wonderful time.

I am Dianna Moylan, in my mid-sixties, an ex-teacher who has fallen in love with dolls' houses. I live in a small house which is rapidly becoming swamped with doll house stuff. My site, http://www.diannadollhouses.co.uk is newly launched. I also sell on eBay. In addition to loving making dolls' houses I enjoy writing a lot and welcome this opportunity to have a say.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Dianna_Moylan
http://EzineArticles.com/?Building-a-Dolls-House-For-Your-Grandchildren&id=1743432

Quilting Made Easy

By Chad Carroll

Have you ever been to a friend's home and admired their quilt and said I wish I could do that? Well now you can. You just need to know the basics and then you can get started.

First, a quilt has three layers of fabric that have been sewn together. If it doesn't have three fabric layers, it would be just a blanket. The top layer, also called the quilt top, is the visually stunning side. It can be made up of hundreds of quilt squares fit together in indicant geometric patterns. There are no limitations to the colors and fabric designs you can use. The easiest way to get started is to purchase pre-cut quilt squares or jelly rolls from online fabric retailers. Purchasing pre-cut quilt squares not only saves you time but also gives you a chance to make a quilt from several different designer fabrics without purchasing multiple yards of each style.

The middle layer or the batting is the inner layer between the quilt top and the backing. The batting gives the quilt its thickness and strength, not to mention it's coziness. You can purchase batting by the yard or precut to fit different bed sizes. It's important to remember to follow the manufacturer's instructions for pre-treating and washing your batting.

The third layer is the side that lays face down on the bed and is called the quilt backing. Even though the backing is not always seen the fabric color should complement the quilt design and be made of a durable cotton fabric that will not tear or fray when machine washed.

Now that you have the 3 layers of your quilt, it is time to add a fabric border to frame your quilt. When choosing the fabric for the border, pick a color that compliments the colors and style of your quilt. Many online fabric retailers that offer pre-cut quilt squares also have complementary Jelly Rolls which are pre-cut fabric strips. These pre-cut fabric strips are perfect to use as your quilt fabric border.

Finally, and the most important step, is putting it all together. There are really only two methods for stitching a quilt: hand and machine. Obviously machine stitching will be faster than by hand but when deciding which method to use you should consider how your quilt will be used. If your quilt is going to be used for everyday use and washed regularly than you should consider machine stitching. If your quilt is going to be an heir-loom than you should consider hand stitching.

Whatever fabric or method of stitching you choose is up to you. Just remember, it's your quilt so have fun with it.

For fabric and quilt squares please visit Imagine Fabric.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Chad_Carroll
http://EzineArticles.com/?Quilting-Made-Easy&id=1764350

How to overcome a student debt and profit from it.

If you leave university with a debt of, say, £21,500 in student loans (as my sister recently did) you will be facing for august 2008 an interest payment of £85.37 but 9% of the threshold earning rate is only £25.96 per week or about £103.84 for the month. so you are slowly paying off the borrowing but most of that is interest.

Now what makes this particularly bad is that at no point is it made explicit that the interest is charged from the beginning so for a whole length of time compound interest was being charged making the numeric size of the debt grow bigger. It's scary.

Especially as the websites seem to go to great pains to avoid talking about the rate of interest and the fact that it is charged from the onset. This strikes me as somewhat dishonest and something that you should be aware of. It is wrong, in my opinion, to assume that a student has any idea how things are going to work. It is the duty of the lender to educate the borrower and not to mislead in any way.

Should one panic though?

The short answer is no and here is why. Assuming that you are able to save some money each month into an savers account that pays more than the base rate of interest you will sooner or later reach a point where you earn more in interest than you are paying for.

» Continue Reading: How to overcome a student debt and profit from it.

Credit Crunchies - Some of Our Secret Ingrediants

Very quickly I am going to take a few moments to tell you about the articles that can be found inside this site. The overall theme of this site is dealing with and living with the credit crunch however this is made up of a number of skills and abilities topics and ideas.

Garden Shed The garden shed is traditionally where all DIY projects start. In Credit Crunchies this is where the "make and do" articles can be found. Everything from insulating your home to knitting your own clothes.

In short the Garden Shed section deals with beating the crunch by mending, reusing and making do. Practical things you can do that have a low cost to benefit ratio. So if you could save money by teaching yourself how to do a few simple things those simple things are found here.

Laughter Sometimes real life is hard to cope with and so the laughter section is where you will find jokes, comics, jibes and anything else that will raise a chuckle. It is here for some light relief and a chance to have a giggle at the times we are in.

Mother Hubbard's Cupboard A huge source of savings are to be found in the Kitchen. Cooking better, using generic food stuffs and basic versions of things. Cooking your own rather than pre-packaged and making nice things from inexpensive ingredients. The kitchen is, without doubt, the largest single cost in our daily lives.

This is the News is where our writers can report the news and comment on it. This might be news that has already been reported else where or news that they choose to break.

General Crunchy is a section for those other hints, tips and interesting talks that don't seem to fit elsewhere. This is where new sections are born (sometimes) and where the general etcetera of Credit Crunchies can be found.

Micro Crunch is that tiny blog over on the right hand side (assuming you browser rendered the page as it should). Here tiny snippits, links and other things can be found. Good for a tiny snack of Credit Crunchy goodness.

Getting ready to tell the whole story

So far we at Credit Crunchies have focused on the news and the money but that is only part of the story. Living frugally, making do and doing better with what you have also have a part as well as spending with wisdom.

We don't have to live like poor church mice to survive this credit crunch and, as Kate has been showing us there are ways of doing a lot with very little. By adding a little skill and know how to the mi we can be more effective with our money and as a result better off even in hard times.

Over the weeks leading up to Christmas we will be seeing a number of not-at-all Christmas related topics from a number of guest writers. We will look at some of the DIY skills that you can look forward to trying out in the new year.

While we are on this subject save your wrapping paper and wrapping paper off cuts this year. After Christmas I will be showing you some of the things that can be done to keep kids happy, stimulated and above all sitting down for a few hours at a time (depending on your little one's, of course... your mileage may vary product may not be as pictured etc etc).

Technology permitting I will be using video or failing that photographs of my own children's work. You may need news paper, scissors, some scrap books, card (empty cereal packets are good) or heavy paper or some glue. All of the above would probably serve you well but some inventiveness might do the trick anyway.

Later in the spring I hope we can look at growing things in the garden too.

What's your focus during the credit crunch?

With Christmas upon us the BBC turns to mater of pressent and climate change with respect to "the credit crunch" (you saw that one coming didn't you).

Daniel Emery and Andrew Webb talk about what games to get this season while Richard Black, Environment correspondent, tell us "Climate talks hit stumbling block" as green issues take second place to the god of money (or maybe the oh-god of no money).

Where have your priorities been this season?

The Russian answer to the credit crisis

The Russian answer to the credit crisis has been to paint the windows black and tell them the train is still moving judging by the output from profy.com. While it is not all bad there has been significant attention given to the press.

It looks like here in Russia the authorities have already figured out how to cope with financial crisis by influencing opinions of people living in the country. writes Svetlana Gladkova on profy.com [...] the government has been trying to pretend that the crisis is not here and the government is perfectly prepared to help businesses cope with the crisis. Unfortunately, the measures that the government has been undertaking here have not been efficient enough and everyone now understands that many industries have already been affected - and many more will follow.

However before you cry censorship Gladkova tells us that publications distributing information that is not reliable and can damage the financial situation will face appropriate penalties. Which sounds like sound reasoning in a time of mass panic.

However, with so many other controls being pushed in the British and American population (and others I have no doubt) is it something that we would find acceptable?

Save money by cooking like your Grandma

My grandmother knew a thing or two about saving money. Growing up during the depression, then becoming an adult just as World War 2 broke out, followed by being a young mother during the post-war years of rationing, it wasn’t really surprising that she knew how to make a meal out of apparently nothing and didn’t believe in wasting anything.

By the time I was born my gran, along with the rest of the country had become more affluent, but she never forget the days when there often wasn’t enough to go around and it was only the determination and imagination of housewives that kept a family fed.

We could learn a lot from the women of my gran’s generation. In our throw away, easy come-easy go society, ideas such as make do and mend, or making meals out of left-overs might seem arcane, but really they shouldn’t because not only is that a more economical way to live, it is also very green. With that in mind, read on for a list of great websites offering wartime recipes that are both delicious and frugal - it wasn't all sheeps heads and powdered egg. Many of these recipes are also healthier than a lot of our modern food, don’t forget, the British public were at their healthiest during the war years - not sure what that says about us the rest of the time LOL

Some Wartime Recipes: Includes a recipe for real Lancashire Hotpot, perfect for this chilly time of year.

Food and recipes of wartime Europe: Includes a recipe for Mock Goose which would be a good vegetarian option this Christmas.

Frugal recipes from wartime Britain: Amongst the offerings is a recipe for sausage and sultana casserole which seems an odd combination but sounds intriguing.

Wartime Mock Recipes: During the war people came up with ingenious ideas for creating mock versions of popular but hard to obtain food, this page lists a few.

20 Thrifty recipes from the austerity years: These recipes are actually scans from original books so are a little hard to read. It’s worth persevering though, especially for the last one, a frugal Christmas pudding.

We're not earning more regardless of claims by Halifax

According to the Telegraph and a large number of other papers poor places such as Thanet top the Halifax table for 2003 to 2008 wage increase (£18,769 to £29,956 an apparent 60% jump). The problem here is that presented as they are the figures seem to indicate the opposite to the truth.

In an article for the Thanet Star entitled "How they came up with the £30,000 a year lie" I explain how these figures are doubly pointless as a pound in 2003 is not the same as a pound in 2008 due to inflation. Assuming an average inflation rate of 4% the 2003 figure would actually be £22,835 in real terms which is only a 31% increase.

What is worse is that the selective sample actually allows us to see the dire state of the underlying situation. In short it looks like we are all earning more but actually only the well paid are not losing jobs.

» Continue Reading: We're not earning more regardless of claims by Halifax