Hello All,

Took some time for the baby.  Maddox Troy is 6 months old now, I'll be back up & runnin' real soon.  Please be patient {...as you have been, thank you.} and I'll conjure up some ideas in no time.

In the meantime, follow me on Pinterest and that'll keep you plenty pacified until my return to the blog world.

Yours Truly,

Pam

With the summer rapidly approaching, what better time to pull out the cardboard boxes and packaging you saved in your {already packed} garage and have some good ol' free fun with the kids?

Check out the links below to venture to the best sites featuring the cheapest construction material on the planet!

32 Things to make using cardboard  {tip junkie}

Cardboard Ottoman  {esprit cabane}

Kids Box Crafts  {artists helping children}

Cardboard Box Crafts  {talking child}

Cute Cardboard Box Crafts  {parents.com}

Cardboard Crafts  {family fun}

Cardboard Crafts  {wiki how}

Cardboard Piece Craft Projects  {about.com}

34 Ways to Reuse Cardboard  {kaboose}

Cut-out Cardboard Coffee Table  {guardian.co.uk}

Cardboard Thank You Cards  {design*sponge}

Fun With Boxes  {squidoo}

How to Work With Cardboard  {ikat bag}

Projects Using Cardboard  {cut out & keep}

Cardboard Craft Search  {pinterest}

Whether you're off to the a dinner party or just the backyard, let your hair down for a breezy, just-been-to-the-beach look (even if you're nowhere near the ocean!).

At last, a use for those ancient tees stuffed in the back of your drawer: supersoft rollers.  To get romantic ringlets, shower at night and rake a mousse (like Living Proof Full Thickening Mousse, $26) through damp hair.

Cut a T-shirt into 6x1-inch strips, double them up, and wind big sections of hair around them. Roll each one up like a curler, tie the ends in a knot, and hit the sack.

In the a.m., untie and tousle.

The gently mussed side braid has an unfussy edge and works with, not against, the added texture you get from air-drying. First, let hair dry completely. (If you're naturally curly, you won't need to add a thing; if your hair's wavy or straight, build in body and piecey-ness with volumizer.)

Create a deep side part by flinging your hair over to one side, then gather all your hair together and braid away. If it looks too schoolgirl-ish, scrunch your fingers into your roots to mess it up a bit and free a few tendrils. Finish with a blast of hairspray.

For a few happy days of flyaway-free hair, put wet hair into a bun and let it dry: The bun compresses all the cuticles. Comb a smoothing cream through wet hair, then coil it up and twist it around itself into a knot. To fix it in place, use Goody's Spin Pins ($6.29 for two); just screw one in at the top of the bun, one up from the base, and boom — you're done.

To get hair that air-dries perfectly, begin in the shower, it's all about conditioning, because the healthier your hair is, the smoother and more compliant your cuticles (the "scales" on the hair shaft) will be and the less weirdly it will dry. Do a deep conditioning treatment like Organix Renewing Moroccan Argan Oil Treatment, $7.99, every two weeks, and let it sink in for at least 10 minutes. (Hey, you're not blow-drying — you can spend a little extra time in there!)

Post-shower, a big dose of leave-in conditioner works wonders for wet curly hair. And for fine hair, smooth a bit of oil (like Kérastase Elixir Ultime, $50) onto dried ends for extra moisture and shine.

When hair is 80 percent dry, scrunch in a salt spray like Paul Mitchell Awapuhi Wild Ginger Texturizing Sea Spray, $17.50, from roots to ends. Working in one- to two-inch sections, twirl locks of hair around your finger.

If hair is limp, give each section a short burst of hairspray while it's still damp. Then, hands off while it's drying; this prevents frizz. When hair is totally dry, flip your head over and shake it out — you'll stand back up to soft, sexy ripples.

Click on Redbook logo for more hair tips!

Also check out Orica Blog for more Air-drying advice!

Image Credit: Orica Blog

Paint Stick Flag

Show your true stripes – and stars – with this easy-to-make Americana flag. Kids will love the hands-on techniques; Mom will love the price tag!

size: 7-5/8"x12"

Materials

• Wooden items: 4" star cut-out, Loew Cornell™ Woodsies™ Wood Slat, paint stir sticks, seven

• Sawtooth hanger, 1"

Tools

• DecoArt® Americana® Acrylic Paints: Country Red, Uniform Blue, Warm White, Burnt Umber, Black

• DecoArt® Americana® Gel Stain Medium

• Adhesives: craft glue, glue gun

Basic Supplies

ruler, pencil, paintbrush, palette, painter's tape, sanding block, soft cloth

Directions

1 Measure four stir sticks and tape off at the halfway point with painter's tape.

2 Paint left side of each taped stick Uniform Blue; let dry. Apply second coat, if needed; let dry. Remove tape.

3 Paint star and one remaining stir stick Warm White. Paint two remaining stir sticks Country Red. Finish painting two half-blue stir sticks Warm White and two Country Red. Let dry completely.

4 Heavily sand edges of star and each stir stick to remove some of the paint.

5 For an antique effect, as shown in second photo, mix Gel Stain Medium and Burnt Umber paint according to product directions. Apply to painted wooden pieces with a brush and allow to sit for a few minutes. The longer the stain remains on the wood, the darker the antiquing will be. Remove excess stain with a clean, dry cloth.

6 Center sawtooth hanger at one short end of wood slat; attach with hot glue gun.

7 To assemble flag, apply a generous layer of craft glue over front of wood slat. Line up painted stir sticks facedown on work surface, using photo as placement guide. Press glued side of wood slat facedown onto center of stir sticks. Weight with heavy book, if needed, and let dry completely.

8 Use craft glue to attach star to center of blue field; let dry.

All info found on Crafts 'n Things

What do you do when Your Dishwasher is Thirsty?

Clean lime deposits and iron stains inside the dishwasher by pouring a packet of

Lemonade Kool-Aid

(the only flavor that works) into the detergent cup and running the (empty) dishwasher. The citric acid in the mix wipes out stains; you don't have to.

Check out:

For a hug list of "New Uses For Old Things" {Kids Edition}

This father's day, take a moment to contemplate the roles that dads play in their children's lives.  Our kids are watching to see if what we say matches our actions.

This is one young son's message to his father to challenge and uplift him acknowledging his importance.

"I'm Watching you, Dad."

Happy Father's Day!

Vintage Book Page Coasters {recycled sewing}

Framed Viewmaster Print {etsy $4.50 unframed}

Free French Vintage Lemonade Printable Labels {i do it yourself} 

Upcycled Vintage Office Organizer From Dish Rack {robomargo}

{plus many other repurposing projects on their page}

1940's Vintage Makeup Tutorial {you tube}

5 Awesome ways to make your

walls POP!... on a budget

{Part Four}

Are you stuck in a decorating rut when it comes to your walls?  Are they totally boring?  Well you'd be amazed at how you can take care of that issue without spending too much or even leaving your house! You can recycle what you already have or just purchase a few items to create them.

Read on in the fourth of many installments for some tips on how you can make those walls pop for very little effort or money.

Alphabet photographs are a {semi} new concept in home decor.  There are several versions of this type of site, but the one listed below {the most popular} is from Sticksandstones.com

This waaayy easy site lets you choose the letters from their gallery of many versions of the alphabet and you can choose which combo to have framed.  Keep in mind that this is a project you can take on yourself by simply grabbing your camera and venturing out into the world looking for beautiful architecture.  Turn your head when you see a handle and it turns into a letter "L"!  Have fun with it.

sticks and stones

This is a unique and upcycled project involving various colorful rolled magazine pages.  This site:  Recyclart.org features several projects so awesome, you'll be ravaging in your garage for days on a hunt for enough materials to create a whole room.  {everything but the kitchen sink!}

Recyclart

This tutorial from Country Living shows you how to think outside the...uh...silverware drawer {well technically it's plastic-ware!} and create a stunning eye-catching mirror. 

country living

What a "tube"ular idea! Head over to Readymade {top photo} & DIYgadgets {bottom photo} to check out there idea of funky storage.  Way to stick to a budget, guys! While diygadgets features no link or credit on their site, You can catch a tutorial on readymade's website here.

above readymade

below diy gadgets

Ocean lovers will appreciate this crafty mirror idea.  It brings a lot of texture and interest to a rustic nautical decor.  Check out the tutorial at aol's DIY Life.

diy life

Wanna catch the rest of the list?

Click on these three post-its for the other three

installments of the series.

make and takes

martha stewart

The Light Garden

martha stewart

ziggity zoom

kaboose

parent dish

oh my crafts

alphamom

twinkle toes

alphamom

Mix Tunes for Dad alphamom

Popsicle Stick Photo Puzzle impress your kids

Personalized Barbeque Condiment Bottles amazing moms