Many Uses For Christmas Cards:

Greeting Card Trivet Instructions:

Create a Christmas trivet from an inexpensive tile and a recycled Christmas card or wrapping paper. It can be displayed on an easel when not in use. Makes a great Christmas gift along with an inexpensive easel!

Supplies:

• white 6-inch glass tile
• Christmas card or wrapping paper
• Mod Podge
• foam brush
• scissors
• clear acrylic sealer
• felt or cork
• craft glue

1.  CUT OUT YOUR DESIGN SO THAT IT IS SLIGHTLY SMALLER THAN THE GLASS TILE. 

  2.  COVER THE TILE WITH A LAYER OF MODGE PODGE. 

 3.  PLACE THE IMAGE OVER THE MODGE PODGE. 

  

1. Apply Mod Podge over top of image.
2. Allow Mod Podge to dry completely.
3. Spray the tile with acrylic sealer and allow to dry.
4. Apply a second coat if necessary and allow to dry.
5. Cut cork or felt into squares to fit back of tile.
6. Use hot glue or craft glue to adhere the backing to the tile.

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Courtesy of:  By Rachel's Mom from Wilkesboro, NC

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MORE USES:  

Don't throw away all the pretty Christmas cards you get away. There are so many things you can do with them. Everyone knows you can make postcards and name tags for gifts with them, but you can also cut out the design you might want to use when you scrapbook. Scrapbooking is a fun thing to do with them. You can also decoupage with them. You can use cards from birthdays, Valentine's Day, Easter, etc. to do your crafts with and not have to buy the pretty designs. I also decoupage my soap with the designs I have cut from the cards. There are so many things you can do with the pretty cards you have received. Have fun!
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Courtesy of: dwedenoja from New Creek, WV

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GREETING CARD CD CASES COASTERS:

I use old greeting cards and scratched cds to make beautiful coasters. You make a template from a piece of acetate and place this so the part of the card you want to use is central. Cut out using scissors or craft knife then glue the picture to the cd. Cover in contact film and then glue felt circles on back.

You can also use family pictures or a themed topic such as animals/cars, etc., depending on who the gift is for. Make into sets for 4, 6 or 8 and give as a present.

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Courtesy of: wildflower16

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DECORATE GIFTS WITH RECYCLED GREETING CARDS

I am often without wrapping paper for a special occasion. I also keep a box full of cards that I have received, rather than pitch them. When a holiday comes around, it is fun to take a paper bag or white construction paper and use pictures from old cards, pasting them on, in any design needed. An animal here, a child there, tree, etc. You can tie it with string and add any item, like a piece of jewelry, a domino, or a paper clip to brighten it up.

For cards, you can do the same thing, and if creative, write your own personal verse or sketch. You can also use parts of photographs to make them more personal, especially if you have duplicates.

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Courtesy of:  Christine from Dayton, OH

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25 WAYS TO USE PEPPERMINT ESSENTIAL OIL – 

1. Stay alert while driving:  Place peppermint on temples and under nose or just put the bottle under nose, and inhale several times to wake up.

2. Cool a fever:  Place a few drops of oil on a wet washcloth and wipe down fevered body to cool down.  You can also apply the peppermint to bottoms of feet to bring down the fever.

3.  Herbal tea: Add a drop of peppermint oil to a cup of herbal tea to clear sinuses, and enjoy a brisk cup or warmth to soothe you.

4. Relieve nausea: Rub a drop of peppermint oil on the tummy, and place a drop in a cup of hot water and sip it.

5. Repel spiders: Place peppermint oil on a cotton ball or cotton pad and place in areas where you find spiders.  You can also make a spider spray repellent.  Add 4-5 drops of the oil to water in a spray bottle. Make sure it has a strong peppermint scent, and spray in areas you want to repel spiders. Check out Momasuarus for more about repelling spiders naturally–be sure to watch her great video too!

6. Relieve joint pain: Rub on joints to relieve tendinitis and arthritis pain.

7. Make your own peppermint coffee mocha:  add one drop of peppermint oil, cocoa powder, or chocolate syrup, stir and enjoy

8. Freshen breath: Place one drop of peppermint essential oil on tongue for a freshness.

9. Ease seasonal allergies : combine lavender, peppermint and lemon essential oils together to relieve allergies. Add the three to a carrier oil, and rub on bottoms of feet, to the back of the neck and across the forehead. Then take hands and cup over nose and inhale with deep cleansing breaths to bring fast relief.

10. Remove ticks: Rub the tick with a peppermint essential oil soaked q-tip.  Look for the tick to withdraw its head and then remove it.

11. Bring focus and alertness: Rub peppermint on the back of neck to wake up and bring focus when you are tired.

12. Improve digestion: Add peppermint to a glass of water hot or cold and drink for a daily digestive aid.

13. Relieve headaches: Place drops of peppermint on temples and back of neck, even across the forehead to ease a headache.

14. Use in cooking: Add peppermint essential oil to cookies, brownies and sweet treats, oh yum!

15. Curb your appetite: Inhale peppermint oil right from the bottle to help suppress hunger.

16. Relaxing foot soak: Add peppermint oil to a warm foot soak, or add peppermint to an unscented lotion and do a foot massage with it to relieve the tension.

17. Make refreshing drinks: Peppermint is a wonderful addition to iced tea for those hot summer days

18. Kills Aphids: Add drops of peppermint oil to a spray bottle of water and spray plants to kill aphids.

19. Clear congestion: Add peppermint oil to a hot cup of steaming water, and inhale.  Even make a tent over your head and bend over the peppermint steam and inhale to relief pressure in sinuses.

20. Relieves itching: Apply peppermint oil to bug bites to stop itching.  (don’t apply to open sores, it will burn!)

21. Relieve motion sickness: Rub peppermint essential oil to tummy, place some on your tongue, and even to your wrists to help with travel  and motion sickness.

22. Relieve chest congestion: Rub peppermint oil combined with a carrier oil to the chest to relieve congestion, and you can combine with #19 in this list.

23. Add drops of peppermint to a humidifier to freshen air and relieve breathing while sleeping.

24. Massage it in: Combine lavender  and peppermint essential oil to a massage oil to bring relief to feet, shoulders and back.

25. Air cleansing spray: Combine peppermint, lemon, and bergamot to distilled water to make an air freshener and cleaners for your rooms.  ( You will use less peppermint then the other oils, as it is stronger)

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Courtesy of: www.deniseinbloom.com

Did you know vinegar could possibly be 

the last household cleaner you’ll ever 

need?

1. Make all purpose cleaners by pouring with equal parts into a spray bottle
2. Clean dirt off your computer and mouse with a little vinegar and a q tip
3. Clean your drains with vinegar and baking soda
4. Wipe away mildew
5. Clean and polish chrome and stainless steel
6. Use as a fruit wash-rinses away germs
7. Erase ballpoint-pen marks
8. Erase crayon marks from clothes
9. Remove stickers and price tags
10. Disinfect cutting boards
11. Restore wood paneling
12. Remove carpet stains
13. Keep car windows frost free
14. Remove candle wax
15. Conceal scratches in wood furniture
16. Get rid of water lines on furniture
17. Freshen your kitchen
18. Trap fruit flies by placing some in a small bowl
19. Wash out your washing machine and dishwasher with 1/2 cup
20. Wash away mildew from your shower curtain
21. Put the sparkle back in your china
22. Remove mineral deposits from shower heads
23. Whiten your grout
24. Clean a coffee maker
25. Remove stains from pots and pans
26. Help bruises heal faster by applying a little vinegar
27. Sooth a soar throat by gargling 1 Tb of apple cider vinegar with 1 tsp of salt
28. Soften your cuticles
29. Clean your toothbrushes
30. Erase scorch marks
31. Unset old stains
32. Soak out blood stains
33. Keep cut fresh flowers fresh
34. Revive your paintbrushes
35. Kill weeds in the yard
36. Peel off wallpaper
37. Clean cloths and sponges
38. Keep unwelcome guest out of the garden
39. Clean counter tops
40. Clean and freshen the smell of the refrigerator
41. Clean and disinfect baby toys
42. Get rid of stubborn bathtub residue
43. Spray vinegar along doorways to keep ants away
44. Treat stained Tupperware stains with vinegar
45. Shine porcelain sinks
46. Pamper your skin by blotting it on with a cotton ball
47. Treat a bee sting by pouring some undistilled vinegar on it
48. Relieve sunburn by lightly rubbing it with vinegar
49. Boil better eggs by adding 2 TB vinegar to the water – keeps them from cracking
50. Make fluffier pancakes by adding 2 TB of vinegar

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Courtesy of:  http://blogs.babycenter.com

USE BORAX TO KILL INSECTS

Known most commonly as Mule Team Borax, you can find this powder at most grocery stores, Wal-Mart and many online shops. It is relatively inexpensive which makes it a great choice for many household jobs. The great part is that it takes very little Borax to get the job done.

 It has awesome cleaning properties and you can use it in so many different DIY recipes. We have a great collection of some of these cleaning purposes for you that are easy to make and will really make your life a little easier.

Borax is very effective at keeping cockroaches, ants, water bugs and a few other household pests at bay. You just have to mix equal parts of borax with regular sugar. The sugar helps to draw the bugs in and the borax takes them away – permanently. Take care that you do not leave this out where pets or small children can reach it. Mule Team Borax actually recommends that you keep it away from your pets so keep the bug treatment somewhere that pets cannot reach.

Good places are under stoves, refrigerators or sinks. These are areas that are normally infested the most anyway so they are good places to begin treating your home for pests. Borax also works well onmice. You just have to sprinkle it in areas where you think mice may be hiding and it will work wonders to get rid of those bothersome pests. You can also sprinkle it on carpet and vacuum to remove fleas or sprinkle on your mattress to rid your bed of bed bugs.

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Courtesy of:  www.diycrafts.com