Potato Chip Taste Test: Fun and Easy Labor Day Party Idea
BBQing with friends soon? Conducting a Potato Chip Taste Test is a fun and easy Labor Day party idea. No joke, the hardest part of this entire activity is deciding which chip tastes the best. I learned this when our family did a potato chip taste test just a few weeks ago, and we are still surprised by the results. The best thing about the taste test is that I didn’t have to make any extra food. Plus, the setup only took about 60 seconds, and this was a blast for teens, octogenarians, and everyone in between. Here’s how the Potato Chip Taste Test went down, and tips for how…
Last Minute Father’s Day Gift Ideas – No Clothes On This List
Father’s Day is less than a week away. If you need a last-minute Father’s Day gift for the dad or father figures in your life, I’ve got you covered. These are Handy Husband-approved items, so that means there are no clothes on this list. No neckties. No BBQ grilling items. No golf-related items. What’s left that a dad could want? I’m so glad you asked. Check these out… Rechargeable Jumper Cables | Walmart / Amazon These rechargeable jumper cables that allow you to jump your car battery without needing another car have 127,000 reviews! We’ve owned these jumper cables for two years and have used them recently (yikes!) to get…
DIY Wood Pedestal With Mini Egg Trim
Did you know mini wood eggs for Easter are a thing? Dare I say, the greatest thing? Well, you do now! Today’s project, a DIY Wood Pedestal With Mini Egg Trim, was a thrifted find that I made over for Easter, using mini wood eggs for a festive trim detail. Click here to jump to the supply list. Click here to jump to the project directions. There was nothing wrong with the wood pedestal when I spotted it on the ubiquitous dusty thrift store shelf, especially not for the price. It was $6. But I had a makeover idea hatching in my brain, and I couldn’t rest until I knew…
No Sew Denim Heart Bunting
A denim heart bunting is a little bit country and a whole lot of cute! If you have a pair of jeans to cut up, you can make one, too. I used my husband’s jeans. An old pair. Not his favorite pair. I’m not a monster. The jeans that are past the point of no return and ripped out in not-safe-for-work places. How does that even happen? Anyway, let’s not get distracted. Here’s What You Need to Make a Denim Heart Bunting: denim fabric pen or marker ruler or other straight edge fabric scissors craft knife cord, string, yarn, or embroidery thread yarn needle/large eye needle optional: pom poms or other…
DIY Grapevine Heart Garland
Anthropologie is currently selling a grapevine heart garland for Valentine’s Day, and I thought I could make one for cheaper and put my own spin on the craft. I was right, for once, about the cheaper part. And I love putting my own spin on a craft, so this one was right up my alley. I did not consult the Crafting Constitution to determine if there is a rule decreeing that a garland must be composed of like-sized items. As you can see, the hearts on my garland are different sizes and don’t connect at the same point, but they are all strung together. I could hang it below the…
Christmas Around Our Home 2025
It’s almost Christmas! Today, I thought we’d relax a bit, and I’d show you what Christmas around our home looks like right now. I walked around the house and snapped photos over the course of ten minutes, so most of what you’ll see today are those candid photos. We’ll start in the music room. Perhaps my most creative craft ever, in terms of upcycling, is the piano hammer Christmas tree sitting on our antique radio. It’s subtly festive, and most people probably wouldn’t realize what it is made from. If you’re my piano tuner, though, this is the sort of decor that tickles your ivories. He probably does think we’re…
Giant Paper Angel – Christmas Mantel Decor
I’ve watched creators making paper angel ornaments for a few years, and I wondered if the idea would scale. Could I make a giant paper angel using brown kraft paper? Spoiler alert. I could, and I did. Here she is in all of her glory. No word on if the heavens declare her amazing, but I do! For reference, our mantel is 7 feet across. The angel is just shy of 4 feet tall. As you can see, I couldn’t leave well enough alone with just the angel. Not me. My holiday fireplace decorating always escalates. (See here and here for evidence.) The paper angel looked lonely up there. She…
Blue and Metallic Christmas Tree
Welcome! Come, join me in my living room. I’d love to show you my blue and metallic Christmas tree. It’s a little bit rustic, a little bit glam. We’ll call it an opposites attract situation. This year, pretty much all of the ornaments on the tree are handmade or semi-handmade, meaning I put my own spin on an existing ornament. Truth be told, it’s more fun for me to make Christmas ornaments than to decorate with the things I make. However, decorating a Christmas tree isn’t exactly a chore. This blue and metallic Christmas tree is decorated with all sorts of fun ornaments, most of which are reused from prior…
Five Ways to Decorate With Nuts for Christmas
Decorating for the holidays with natural ingredients is a hoot! This year, I have come up with five ways to decorate with nuts this Christmas. Three of these ideas are mine. Two are not. I consider the two ideas that are not mine to be crafts-in-waiting. There’s only so much time in a day. I can either buy something another maker has made if I really want it now, which is okay! I can also save the idea to make it another year. At my current rate of idea saving, I have enough crafts to keep me busy for the next 1,413 years, give or take a decade. Can you…
Nutcracker Holiday Mantel Decor
Fair warning. Your jaw may drop after viewing my Nutcracker holiday mantel decor. (There also may be a pun or two in this blog post.) You know I love a theme, so I chose nutcrackers as this year’s holiday decor theme for our dining room fireplace. This theme has been a long time coming, as I have been in possession of my mother’s nutcrackers for years. Decades, actually, but who’s counting? I don’t always decorate with the nutcrackers because they don’t match anything that I own. I also can’t seem to get rid of them for sentimental reasons. I’m sure you have your own version of this in your house.…
