Instead of throwing away old vegetable and fruit cans, use them as a substitute for a treat bag at your next birthday party. After cleaning the can, let it dry thoroughly. Cut a string, yarn, or small rope the size of 5 lengths of the can. Fold the string in half and holding it by the fold, dip about two-thirds of the way into white glue, then let the excess drip off. Let the two ends of the string down into the can, using a stick or whatever you can find to arrange the strings to where they draw a line across the center bottom of the inside of the can. The two ends should be touching, or very close. Then, let the string pieces come up each side of the inside of the can. Finally, let the string hang out over the can and allow to dry.

When dry, you should be able to pick up the can with the string handle. Spray paint the inside of the cans, allow to dry. Spray the outside of the cans, allow to dry. Or, spread glue on the outside of the can and attach construction paper or cloth. Braid 3 colors of pipe cleaners together, and glue them around the edge of the can. You can then place stickers or stamp prints on the outside of the can. You can also paint each child’s name on the can exterior. Now you can put shredded paper and foil into the can, and drop in suckers, balloons, etc.

You can also have the cans prepared with the string and paint, then allow the kids to decorate their own cans. The same basic craft can also be done with a 1 or 2 liter soda bottle, after cutting it in half.

Other ideas for these cans are pencil holder, new baby gift, kitchen utensil holder and night stand jar. Other decorative exteriors: glitter, scrunched up foil, wrapping paper or photos.

If you want inexpensive candles to look like a million bucks, there are zillions of ways that you can spruce them up. A fantastic idea for a holiday or special occasion is to turn a plate or a platter upside-down and set a large square or pillare candle on the upside-down plate. You can also use a set of round pillar candles in various sizes. Then, decorate around the base of the candle with silk ivy, roses and baby breath, or pine needles and candy canes. You can also use fruits, cinnamon sticks or even pine cones and strings of beads.

This same concept can be used to make lovely kitchen candles. Use a cereal bowl or dipping sauce bowl (depending upon how large your candle is) and turn it upside-down to make the stand. Glue ceramic berries or other assorted fruits around the base of the candle. A variation of this is to turn a coffee cup upside-down and glue lace around, leaving a slit at the handle. Place round pillar candle on the cup, with the lace hanging down. Use the handle to carry the candle around.

If you have an old flat mirror, use it to lay on a bathroom counter or a tub shelf to place several candles, strings of beads, rings, etc. You can also place a couple of flowers or seashells on the mirror, depending upon the look you want.

In days gone by, everything wasn’t pre-packaged and sitting on a shelf, waiting for you to purchase. You had to be inspired, inventive, even ingenious to throw together a few things from the cupboard to make a luscious treat, like this one:

Total preparation time: 45 minutes

1 potato
18 oz. peanut butter (creamy or chunky)
2 lb. confectioner’s sugar

Boil 1 medium sized potato in a small saucepan until it is tender when poked with a fork. Remove from water and peel potato. Smash potato in medium sized bowl with a fork. Let the steam subside somewhat, then begin to add confectioner’s sugar until a dough forms. (If you add the sugar while the potato is too hot, it will turn soupy. If you add the sugar when potato has cooled too much, it won’t mix properly.) Add sugar when potato is not scalding, but still extremely warm.
After the dough becomes too stiff to stir, sprinkle confectioner’s sugar on a clean table and lay the dough in the middle of the sugar. Sprinkle more sugar on top of the dough ball, kneading the sugar into the dough.
When the dough is no longer sticky, use a rolling pin to spread the dough to about 1/4″ thick. Spread with peanut butter until completely covered.
Roll up like a jelly roll, then use a clean thread to cut into 1/2″ wide slices. *Do not chill. Cover with aluminum foil and leave out. Makes approximately 20 large candy pieces.

Substitutions: try strawberry or chocolate frosting instead of peanut butter, but you’ll have to refrigerate this version.

*If you must refrigerate, allow candy to sit out, covered in foil, until firm enough to handle easily. Wrap each piece individually in cling wrap before chilling.

Turtles:

Place 4 pecan halves in an “X” shape on a plate with waxed paper. Then place a caramel square on top of each “X”. Place in microwave on medium low until caramel is about half melted. Remove from heat and use a spoon to press the caramel down into the nuts. After completely cool, spready with chocolate frosting. Store in refrigerator or leave out, but covered.

Chocolate Covered Nuts:

Place a medium saucepan of water on burner and heat to boiling, then reduce to medium heat. Place a bag of semi-sweet chocolate pieces in another, smaller saucepan and place on top of the water. Allow chocolate to melt, stirring frequently. When completely melted, begin adding peanuts or mixed nuts to the chocolate, stirring well. When mixture is full of nuts and getting thick, remove from heat and place tablespoons full of the mixture on waxed paper. Allow to cool, then store in refrigerator.

Haystacks:

Place a medium saucepan of water on burner and heat to boiling, then reduce heat to medium. In a smaller pan, place one bag of butterscotch morsels then place upon the pan of water. Allow morsels to melt completely. After melting, add dry chow mein noodles, stirring well. When mixture becomes thick with the noodles, remove from heat and drop large spoons full of the mixture on to waxed paper. Store in refrigerator.

Snowglobes are a wonderful Christmas present and they are so easy to make. You’ll need a circle of wood; the size depends upon the size of the globe you will be using. You can use a globe which goes to a light fixture, found at a hardware store, or you can use a clear glass bowl from a store which sells dishes or from a craft store. The wooden circle should be about 2-3 inches wider than the mouth of the bowl. Decorate your wooden stand the way you want: you can spread glue, then artificial snow, then a Christmas tree with presents under it, or you can place a tiny train set on the wooden piece, but however you decide to make it, be sure that you have enough room to put the bowl over the top without damaging the scenery. Glue the bowl to the wood with wood glue, hot glue or white glue, which should be as white as dental veneers.  Allow to dry, then decorate the portion of the globe where the bowl meets the wood, by surrounding with pine branches, pine cones, small bells, or whatever you select.

Additional ideas: Place strands of gold beads around the wood piece where the glass meets. You could also place berries, tiny gifts, or drapery tie-back cord in gold or silver.

Scenery: You can put in small, snow-covered houses, paint the wood silver and place mini ice-skaters or an glue an L-shaped picket fence with various size trees lining it.

If asked, most people would agree that they would not want to be kept alive by machines while in a vegetative state, following an accident or severe illness. But, if they knew that they would remain that way for only a month or so then would gradually get better, they might have a different opinion.

The truth is that none of us ever know what our futures hold. If we did, some would choose to die should we ever be extremely incapacitated whereas others would choose to hold out for treatment and possible recovery.

During serious medical tragedies some people are left with the inability to make these types of decisions and others are left to make the decisions for them. Typically the decision maker is the parent if the child is under 18 or unmarried and the husband or wife if the patient is married. If the spouse is already deceased the patient’s children are in charge of these decisions.

Unless the patient spoke specifically about their feelings on such matters before they were stricken the decision maker can be wrenched with questions of life or death and the loved one’s possible wants and wishes.

Spare your family this agony by having a living will made while you’re able. A standard form can be printed out from the Internet or you can have a more detailed living will drawn up by an attorney. the will should state the conditions under which you would prefer to pass on or to be maintained.

Specific time limits can be spelled out for recovery. For instance, you can state that you would like to be kept alive, as long as the financing for this expense is obtainable. Or, you can specify that unless you’ve improved within 6 months you would no longer like to continue being maintained. You can also specify certain things that you do not want, such as a “Do Not Resuscitate” order posted in your medical charts. This means that should your heart stop, physicians will not attempt to bring you back to life.

The living will must be contemplated seriously since a person doesn’t know what could happen in any particular instance. Should you order a “Do Not Resuscitate” you could pass on when the doctors could have saved you and you could have returned to a normal life. But if you don’t issue the resuscitation request in your medical charts you could be brought back only to live life as a practical vegetable.

The decisions are yours to make. Have a current copy notorized and signed by yourself and a witness. Pass out copies to local hospitals, family and friends. Keep the living will updated as the years go by to allow for new medical practices or a change of mind.

Cake pans are available in many different shapes. One of these shapes is a snowman. These pans are usually foil or another type of metal. The foil ones will not hold up as well as the metal type of pans, but either will work for this door hanger craft.

Turn the concave side of the pan down on a flat surface. Use paint colors of your choice to paint the eyes, mouth and red cheeks. Use a piece of fleece or other appropriate material to tie a scarf around the snowman’s “neck”. Tie in a knot at the front. You don’t have to go completely around the back of the cake pan; you can just glue the scarf, one end on one side of the neck area, the other end of the scarf on the other side of the neck area.

You can purchase a ski cap for the snowman, or you can make your own by shaping a piece of fleece or flannel into a cap. The cap can be shaped like a ski cap, or can be made like an old-fashioned sleeping cap, tossed to one side, and hanging down. You can put a pom-pom on the end of the cap, or even a bell.

You can now put pine branches behind the snowman, by gluing them to the back of the cake pan. Try putting some around the head of the snowman, sticking out, and to the sides of the snowman.

Hang a nail or picture hanger on the door for holding the snowman.

This same concept will work for a Christmas tree pan (try using glitter paint, gluing on strings of beads and gluing little presents under it). For the Christmas tree door hanger, you’ll want to forego the pine branches in the background.

For a Santa cake pan, use red, like strawberries and white, like porcelain veneers, felt to make a hat and glue on a fake beard and moustache.

Old fashioned icicles on a string are beautiful on any tree. Here’s the supplies you’ll need to get started:

Clear beads:

25mm starburst beads

12mm round, faceted beads

18mm starburst beads

10mm round, faceted beads

12mm starburst beads

8mm round, faceted beads

8mm starburst beads

6mm round, faceted beads

4mm round, faceted beads

Additional supplies:

Dental Floss

Hot glue gun and hot glue sticks

You can choose your own shapes of beads for this project, these are suggested shapes. You can use oval, triangular, or other shaped beads if you prefer.

Tie the end of a piece of dental floss into a knot, then begin threading the beads in this order: 1 - 4 mm round, then 1 - 6mm round, then 1 - 8mm starburst, then 1 - 8mm round, then 1 - 12mm starburst, then 1 - 10mm round, then 1 - 18mm starburst, and finally, 1 - 12mm round and 1 - 25mm starburst. After they are all threaded, cut the excess floss, leaving a couple of inches remaining. Loop the remaining piece of floss over, threading it through the bead. You should now have a loop for a hanger. Squirt hot glue into the hole of the bead where the loop of thread is connected. Hold still until glue is dry.

For stick icicles instead of string, get tinsel pipe cleaner and follow the above pattern of threading the beads on. For a hanger, cut a 4″ piece of dental floss and hold the two ends together. Slide the ends into the final bead, squirt the bead hole full of hot glue, then place the bead onto the stick.

Options: Blue beads can be used instead of clear ones, or you can do a pattern of clear, blue, clear, blue.

Use a 1, 2, or 3 liter soda bottle to make a cute snowman. Put a few pebbles, beans or rice in the bottom of the bottle to weight it. Remove the label and slightly sand the bottle. Use white primer to paint the bottle. After drying, paint again with white sparkle paint. You may need to add a second coat when dry. Tie a piece of flannel around the middle of the bottle for the neckline, then place a ski cap on the snowman’s head, hot gluing it to stay. You can paint a face on the snowman, or you can buy eyes and a small carrot for the nose, at a craft store. Hide the bottom of the bottle by attaching pine branches around it.

Variations to the hat: use a plastic butter bowl and a butter bowl lid to make a hat. Make sure the lid is from a larger butter bowl than the one you will be using. Spray paint the lid black, then cut a hole in it, leaving only a few inches around for a brim. Now, paint the bowl black, and place it upside down, over the bottle top, until it rests on the lid. Glue the two pieces together for a cute derby. You can decorate the hat with a couple of holly leaves and berries.

Variations to the pine branches: disguise the bottom of the bottle by using a styrofoam ring, then gluing on tiny gifts, strings of beads, ivy, poinsettia leaves, etc.

If your baby has a sleeper or outfit which he or she has outgrown, or you can purchase one inexpensively, you can make a cute doll. Use a knee-hi or pantyhose leg to stuff and form a head for your doll. Tie it off and set aside. If you’re going to use a sleeper, glue the cuffs of the sleeves shut, then stuff it, shape it, and add a dowel rod down each leg of the sleeper, in to small booties or shoes, which have been hot glued on to the sleeper feet. Hot glue the head part to the neckline of the sleeper, and hot glue a hat which has a brim to hang down and hide the back neck area. An alternative to this is a ball cap which is worn backwards. Now glue the sleeve cuffs of the sleeper to the front of the face where the eyes should be. This doll doesn’t need a face - you glue the cuffs where the eyes belong, and stand the doll in a corner, hiding its face. If you must have a face, draw on or purchase “face pieces” at a craft store.

To use an outfit rather than a sleeper, glue cuffs of pants or overalls down into the top of the shoes, stuff pants and put in dowel rods. Hot glue the hem of the shirt to the waistband of the pants. Stuff the shirt, gluing cuffs shut. Glue the head of the doll on and again, glue the cuffs of the sleeves to the face area. Attach a hat and belt, or any other accessories you wish. You can also make the doll with a dress, but you’ll have to use colored tights and shape the legs just right. A variation of the pouting doll is to leave the dowel rods out and let the baby lie on a bed or on the floor