Building a Nest

I can't believe it -- it's already Friday!

This week flew by so quickly.

This week, I accepted Rane's challenge to turn

blah dryer lint into a TADA!

I came up with a few ideas that made

this more, ummm, visually appealing.

Without further ado, here's my final idea:

Remember this Rit Dye?

It came with the Martha Stewart goody bag.

Haven't used it yet and I think today's a

good day.

I put a cap-full of dye in a plastic tub and

added the dryer lint (about 2 cups).

Mix using a skewer or chopsticks.

Let it soak for a few hours.

The lint is like cotton, making it easy to absorb

the dye. The final shade will depend on the

color of the lint & length of soaking time.

When satisfied with the color, remove dryer lint

from the dye solution. Use rubber gloves!

Wring out all the liquid.

Let it dry on sheets of newspaper.

Once dry, put the dryer lint into a plastic tub and

pour in some white glue (about 1/4 cup).

Mix using a skewer or chopsticks.

With rubber gloves on, mold into desired shapes.

I created little nests & used these plastic cookie trays as a mold.

Allow to dry for a couple of days.

TADA! I made these nests out of dryer lint!

I added some colorful birds that I got from

a little shop in Chinatown.

The feathers, I picked up in the park

during a summer walk.

The eggs are painted paper mache'.

I think I'll use them as place settings

(just add the name of the guest) for a dinner party.

They double as a centerpiece & party favors, too!

Have an eggs-cellent weekend folks!

Light My Fire

Rane, one of the blah to TADA!'s lovely readers

challenged me to transform blah dryer lint into a TADA!

I hope I haven't disappointed her so far.

As I've mentioned in the previous posts,

dryer lint is highly flammable,

so it's important to take care when re-using it.

But today, we'll take advantage of its flaming super power by

crafting a fire starter kit.

Fill a box or tin with dryer lint.

Add a set of matches or a lighter,

and TADA! -- simple materials to

get a fire going for your next camping trip.

Put the box of lint & matches in a

resealable plastic bag to prevent

it from getting wet.

Happy camping!

Flower Pendant

This week on my blog, I'm turning dryer lint from blah to TADA!

Ever since Rane wrote me an e-mail & proposed this challenge,

I tried to remember to collect lint each time I did the laundry.

And in the past two days, I've shown you how to make these

fabric balls that I turned into push pins & into a colorful

necklace...all out of dryer lint & old t-shirts!

I've got a few extra fabric balls that I sewed together:

TADA! I made a cute flower!

Add a pin to the back to make a brooch, or...

Sew a jump ring to the back of the flower & thread to a chain.

Now you've got a fun flower pendant!

Kindly take note that dryer lint is flammable.

Take extra care when wearing this necklace.

Otherwise, replace dryer lint with fiber fill

taken from an old, ready-to-throw pillow.

Lots of Lint

Rane is a fabulous gal who threw a challenge my way:

Turn dryer lint from blah to TADA!

So I've been collecting lint in this bag every time

I did the laundry.

Similar to yesterday's craft, I made more fabric balls:

Step 1: Cut circles from fabric scraps (these are old t-shirts).

Step 2: Sew a running stitch all around.

Step 3: Pull the thread so the fabric becomes a little bowl.

Stuff the "bowl" with dryer lint.

Step 4: Pull the thread all the way, knot the end &

cut the thread.

Make as many fabric balls as you need.

String them together with crochet thread,

sandwiching a gold bead in between

each fabric ball.

TADA! I've a got a statement necklace

and I hardly spent anything!

I have to point out that dryer lint is flammable.

I know you won't be cooking, grilling or dancing around

a bonfire with this necklace around you, but do take

extra care!

Blah to TADA! Challenge: Dryer Lint

Thanks for stopping by today!

It's been a while and I think I'm ready for a new challenge.

Rane wrote me a few months back:

Hi ya Claire!! I have a true challenge for you! What can you do with dryer lint? Every week I throw this away and always wonder could it be used for something?

I hear ya Rane!

So this week, let's make a detour to the laundry room

en route to the craft room.

Like most of you, I throw away lint from the dryer.

I only recently started keeping it in this bag.

I must admit, lint isn't very attractive.

But it reminds me of fiber fill.

I got myself a few fabric scraps:

I cut them into circles.

Then sewed a running stitch around.

I pulled the thread slightly so the fabric bunched up.

Then stuffed it with dryer lint!

Pulled the thread all the way to

seal the edge & then knotted the thread.

Here's the result:

TADA! I made little fabric balls

out of dryer lint & scrap fabric.

Then I attached them on the head of

these tacks with hot glue:

Note: The tacks get hot when hot glue is applied -- this

may burn your fingers. To avoid this, pin the tacks to a cork board,

add a bead of hot glue, then add the fabric ball.

Allow to dry and pull away any excess glue.

Another TADA! -- push pins!

These will dress up any cork board at home,

in school or at the office.

See you again tomorrow!

Bandana Beautiful

Hooray it's Friday!

I hope you've been enjoying the weather.

I am and I'm enjoying this Trilby hat

that I got from a street market:

If you tuned everyday this week,

I've been dressing up the hat

to change its look.

We don't want it looking blah, right?

TADA! I tied on an old bandana

to give the hat a new spin.

And I think I'll wear it with

a jumpsuit similar to this

one from Tory Burch.

Have a cool weekend everyone!

Hooray for Stripes

I recently purchased this really cool Trilby hat:

To keep it from looking blah,

I've been dressing it up.

TADA! I put this blue & white stripped ribbon

over the existing black band.

Doesn't it give a whole new personality to the hat?

And doesn't it go well with this outfit?

{Image from BCBG Max Azria}