Easy DIY paper tray tutorial.

Setting aside special events and milestones, there are typically just two types of 'everyday' days that stay with you.  One is when everything goes your way.  For me right now, that means primo parking spots with each errand stop, long naps for the kidlets, dinner planned and ready, nice (enough) weather for walks and outdoor play, cookies for snacks.  Oh, and let's not forget impromptu dance parties instead of tussles with the siblings.

That was my kind of day. 

My friend had the other kind--potential worrisome news about a pregnancy, job calamity, dishwasher tanking with a house full of company inbound for a holiday.

You can offer to take the kids, come over to clean, bring over margaritas... whatever.  But you'll probably be stubbornly waved off, like I was.  So I decided that the least I could do was bring over some dinner and cookies, with the silent hope that some good mojo would tag along.

The dinner could go in a throwaway foil tray.  But I wanted to package the cookies in something cheerful while also disposable.  I've seen some of the cutest little takeout paper trays and wished I had some on hand.  When I spied my empty english muffin packaging destined for the recycling bin, I realized I had the next best thing...a ready-made template!

I wanted to use 12 x 12 cardstock paper, so I cut the english muffin tray down to size and taped.

I traced with a pencil, but went over it with black marker so it would photograph.  For future trays, I'll stick with pencil to minimize markings.  Don't forget to mark where to place the slits for the tabs like somebody did.

Cut out, score on folds (referring to your template as a guide), fold, tuck, and embellish if you desire.  I desired. 

Deliver, give hugs, and scheme with others on more ways to help.

For more ideas, check out DIY day over at A Soft Place to Land. 

 

Craft along give away, no. 1.

As I mentioned in my initial post, one of the reasons I started this blog was to try to motivate myself to take on more of the wonderful tutorials out there and actually produce things.  But mostly, I'm still just staring.  I blame two of my personality traits for getting in the way.  One, my economies of scale mentality and two, I am as fickle as they come about crafts.  Let me explain.

When I see a project that I'd like to do, chances are it's something new to me.  And so, although my stash of craft supplies and unfinished objects is piled impossibly high, it sometimes falls short of an essential supply item.  Enter trouble--because when I research sourcing this latest must-have item, I usually find that I can get, let's say, 5 keychain fob hardware sets for $6.  BUT...and please tell me that you know what I'm going to say because you've been there too...I can get something crazy like 50 sets for $20. 

Do I need 50 sets?  Um, no.  Will I be enchanted with the project long enough to ever make 50 sets?  Well, pigs could fly I suppose.  And don't even get me started with my "oh, maybe someday I'll put some in my Etsy shop" rationale because I've tried that, too, and that little shop has sat empty since the birth of pumpkin little no. 3.  But just as certain as I am to check on the boys before I can fall asleep--recklessly risking waking them up by leaning in so close to their quiet little faces to hear them breath so that I know they are fine, just fine--I will buy the "better" deal or none at all.

This is where you are going to come in, so stay with me, okay?

There is nothing more motivating than having a partner to get you going.  So, on a regular basis (tbd--just thinking out loud here), I will pick a tutorial that I'd like to try and will gather the necessary supplies.  And since it's usually just as easy to gather up several sets of whatever key supplies I need handy as it is to do one, I'm going to give one (or more) away for a craft along!  And also--occasionally--I hope to do a co-op of sorts to make things a bit more economical when I cannot resist my supersizing ways (offering up shares of supplies to defray costs if anyone else is interested). 

For our first foray into this experiment, I give you The Small Object's and Chica and Joe's tutorials on how to make your own custom notepad.  Are these on your to-try list but you still haven't?  Perfect!  No padding compound you say?  No worries--I have some and I'd love to share.  I will give away three 2 oz. bottles of the compound (enough for many, many pads, you'll see) to three readers.  No co-op this time.  Baby steps.

To enter, please leave a comment by Friday, September 25, 2009, midnight, EST.  I will pick three random entries and post on Saturday and mail asap.  My blog is pretty new and comment light, so you should have a good shot if you enter. 

Above are the 'mom's got a latte do today' notepads I made, courtesy of the freebie download at Skip to my Lou.  I love them!