Up-Cycled Charm Bracelet

I have a collection of mismatched earrings.  Some of them are sentimental, some are favorites whose mates I'm still hoping to find, some are just yard sale beauties who followed me home like lost puppies.  Chances are you've got a small collection of your own, whether they're family heirlooms that you'll probably never wear but can't bear to give away or baubles that caught your eye.  Today's project will teach you how to transform those lonely little earrings and give them a fresh start as a cute and funky charm bracelet.

First, you'll need a small assortment of mismatched dangle earrings.

I've chosen a few that have similar colors (silver and black or grey) but yours could be based on a theme, a member of your family from whom you inherited them, or a geometric shape.  

Next, remove the ear wires with a pair of needle nosed pliers. Clean and repair any dingy or broken pieces. 

                                     

Measure your wrist to determine how much chain you'll need for your bracelet.  I used a light, open work chain with a toggle clasp, but a tighter chain with heavier links would work equally as well. Just make sure you can securely attach your earring charms with jump rings. Cut the chain to the length you measured, and secure a clasp with jump rings and pliers.

Using your needle nosed pliers, secure the charms to your bracelet with jump rings. Make sure you close each jump ring securely! 

Here's my finished bracelet:

                                               

Now go dig up those mismatched or broken earrings and happy crafting!

The Incredible Eco-Friendly Egg

I took advantage of the unseasonably cool and breezy weather this afternoon and took some kitchen waste out to the compost bin. As I was stirring the pot with some broken egg shells, it suddenly struck me that the egg carton (which is also compostable if you get the paperboard cartons instead of the styrofoam ones) would make a fantastic seed starter!

This year I started my vegetable garden from seed (not that it has fared well in this summer's drought conditions) in some plantable coco fiber seed trays. They worked just fine, and began to slowly disintegrate once I planted them in the garden plot. And for the most part they were fairly inexpensive--around $3 for a set of four 6-pot trays. But with the egg carton, we're making productive use of a biodegradable, rigid container which would otherwise be taking up space in a landfill. And let's not discount the fact that it's FREE!

So here's my plan for egg carton seed trays:
Cut the lid off the tray and place it underneath the bottom portion to keep your work surface a bit cleaner and help soak up any excess water.  Fill each of the carton's egg indentations with potting mix.  With the eraser end of a pencil, create a divot in the potting mix and sprinkle in a couple of seeds. (Make sure to read the instructions for the type of flowers or vegetables you'll be planting. Different seeds have different soil depth and spacing needs.) Cover the seeds with the appropriate amount of potting mix, and water gently.  Once the seedlings are tall enough to plant, simply cut the egg carton into 12 small cups and plant them directly in the ground.  The remainder of the carton will decompose into your garden soil and become a little boost of compost for your seedlings!

Guilt-less Pleasure: Frozen Yogurt Pops

It seems like everyone I know is on a diet. I'm constantly met with "Oh, I can't eat that, it's not on my diet," or "How many calories does that have? How much fat? How much sugar?" And maybe it's just me, but I find it difficult to enjoy my food when I have to do long division just to figure out if I can eat it.  So here's a sweet treat you can enjoy without the guilt, and with endless variations.

I made these blackberry frozen yogurt pops by first boiling blackberries and raspberries to release the juice. You can add a little sugar or alternative sweetener to the berries while boiling to sweeten the juice, but it's also quite tasty to let the natural sweetness of the berries flavor the popsicles.

Another option is to use canned or bottled fruit juice, but these typically have added sugar. To avoid these extra calories, look for a fruit juice designed for use by small children without added sweeteners, or buy a small jar of baby food in a fruit flavor of your choice. The great thing about the baby food fruit is that there's no added sugar or preservatives, and it's already pureed and ready to use.

Now, in your blender, mix the fruit juice or puree with a small tub of plain or vanilla flavored yogurt. For a healthier option, choose a fat free or low calorie yogurt and sprinkle in a fiber supplement like Benefiber.  You could also toss in a scoop or two of frozen yogurt, sorbet, or crushed ice. Blend the ingredients thoroughly, and pour into your popsicle molds. If you don't have popsicle molds, or you want to portion out your calories even more, pour into an ice cube tray instead; that way if you want just a taste of sweet at the end of a hot day, you can just pop one in your mouth without a hint of sticky popsicle mess!