How to Make Paper Beads

Sure, you could recycle those old magazines, but some of the colors are too pretty to waste. Why not turn the pages into paper beads? Here's how--

1. Start by carefully choosing your paper. Remember, you'll be wrapping strips of paper, winding them on top of each other, to get a bead, so not all the original image will show. It's a bit tricky. I suggest you start with a solid color, or nearly solid, like the paper on the right. Also notice that I chose a two-page spread from a magazine. That'll give me a lot of paper to work with.

2. Use a sticky note to mark a cutting guide on your Fiskars Personal Paper Trimmer. See, you COULD use a pen and mark triangles on your paper, but why? Instead, look at the lines on your trimmer. Lay down a sticky note exactly along the half inch mark. You'll see why in a minute.

 

 

3. Line up the BOTTOM of your "bead paper" with the sticky note. Now...instead of having the paper go straight up and down so that you make a narrow rectangle an inch wide, tilt the top of the paper. See below...

 

 

 

Note that the bottom of the paper is at the sticky mark, which means your cut will be a half an inch wide at the BOTTOM. But the TOP of the paper is right at the cutting line. The bead paper is slightly tilted, see? It's wider at the bottom and narrowed to a point at the top! In other words, when you cut it, you'll have a long, skinny triangle! But here's a big tip: Start the cutting blade at the wide end of the triangle, not the skinny tip. Otherwise the paper will bunch up.



 

 

 

 

4. Here's the finished paper. We need lots of these to make our beads.

5. Note: Now your original piece of bead paper has a narrow triangle cut from one side, so flip the whole shooting match over, wrong side up, and repeat the process.

'Don't Get Mad, Get Even,' Suggests Barb Goffman

An Interview with Barb Goffman, author of Don't Get Mad, Get Even

 

When I think “short stories,” the name that comes to mind most often is “Barb Goffman.” Barb has been nominated for the Agatha Award five times, and the Anthony and Macavity awards twice each.

Recently, she agreed to answer some of my questions about her work.

1     Barb, how did you get started writing short stories?

It was early 2004. I’d been working on a novel, and I saw a call for stories for Chesapeake Crimes II from my local chapter of Sisters in Crime. I’d never written a mystery short story before—and frankly, I hadn’t read any either—but I thought this anthology might provide an easier way for me to break into the mystery scene than my then-unfinished novel. So I read the first Chesapeake Crimes anthology and a bunch of short stories by Jan Burke to learn about story structure and plot. Then I came up with a plot giving me psychological revenge against whoever stole a beautiful ring of mine at the 2004 Sleuthfest conference. I wrote and submitted the story, it was accepted and published, and about six months after that, I was nominated for the Agatha Award. It was one of the best moments of my life and a real impetus to keep writing short stories, which I’ve come to adore. They really suit my temperament.

2.     What pointers could you give to authors who want to get started writing short stories? Do you have any personal “rules” that you follow?

·       Read a bunch of mystery short stories. Study how other authors construct their stories. Let the structure become second nature to you.

·       Know where you’re going before you start writing. I recognize that this advice probably won’t help people who naturally write by the seat of their pants, but I’m a plotter, and for me, if I didn’t know the end result I wanted in a story, chances are my characters would wander around without going anywhere exciting. And if and when I did figure out the tale I wanted to tell, I’d end up with a lot of extraneous story that ultimately would have to be cut. So my advice: Do the thinking first and the writing should be easier.

·       Get in and out early. With a short story, you’re telling one specific story. It’s not a family saga. It’s not a novel with subplots. It’s one tight tale. Start the story as far into the action as you can while still getting in all the information you need to. And when you hit the sweet spot at the end—the twist or epiphany—wrap it up quickly. Don’t step on your ending. (This can be easier said than done, I know.)

·       Every scene should advance the plot. There should be no scenes designed simply to show character or to provide setting or to build your world (such as if you’re writing a historical story). Character formation and setting and world-building should be done while you’re advancing the plot.

·       Every character should have a purpose for advancing the plot. If you’re writing a story with three friends, when two could get the job done, kill off that third friend. You don’t need her!

·       Always carry a pen and paper to jot down ideas. You never know when and where they’ll strike. Middle-of-the-night ideas can be great. Force yourself to get up and write them down. Don’t think you’ll remember them in the morning. You won’t.

·       Read your work aloud so you can hear if it flows and sounds natural and if your characters come alive off the page.

·       Don’t edit only on the screen. You’ll miss things.

3     Since you help edit at least one short story anthology, what tips can you give to authors who hope to be published in a short story anthology? Any ideas about how to stand out in a crowd? As the editor, what’s the biggest problem (or the most frequent) problem you see in the submissions?

Before answering, I should point out that as an editor of the Chesapeake Crimes anthology series, I don’t choose the stories that are accepted. For each volume, we use a varying three-person committee of authors who read the submissions without knowing who wrote each story, and they choose the stories that are accepted. Then Donna Andrews, Marcia Talley, and I edit the stories and put the anthology together for Wildside Press. I do read all the submitted stories, however, so I can answer your questions.

How to stand out in the crowd:

·       Follow the instructions. If an anthology’s rules specify a word limit, meet it. If the editor wants submissions to have one-inch margins, do it. Don’t think these submission requirements are no big deal and that you’ll adjust your story once it’s accepted. While it’s possible your story will be accepted despite any such deficiencies, it’s also possible the editor will have one slot left and several stories that could fill it. The author who followed instructions may be looked upon more favorably than one who didn’t. You want the editor to think you’ll be easy to work with and respectful of her time, not expecting the editor to do the work asked of you in the first place.

·       Try to be different. For instance, in the upcoming Chesapeake Crimes: Homicidal Holidays (Wildside Press 2014) we asked for crime stories involving any holiday. I figured we’d get a lot of Christmas stories, so I submitted a story involving Groundhog Day. It was the only Groundhog Day story submitted, and it was accepted. Did my unusual choice of a holiday help? I don’t know, but I like to hedge my bets.

·       Consider using an unusual setting to grab an editor’s attention. For example, in Chesapeake Crimes: They Had It Comin’ we had two stories set abroad, one in India, the other in Japan. These settings stood out among the remaining stories, all set in the United States.

·       Highlight an unusual custom in your story, since readers often like learning new things. For example, my story “The Lord Is My Shamus” involves a Jewish family during the period they should be sitting shiva (a formal mourning period after a Jewish person’s funeral). While this custom probably isn’t considered unusual to anyone who is Jewish or who lives around Jewish people, I figured it might be new to a large number of readers.

The biggest problem I see in submissions:

The problems will vary per story, but ultimately, stories that aren’t accepted often have a major deficiency. It could be that the writing isn’t clear or is vague and you can tell the author couldn’t get the idea from his head onto the paper. Or the story will meander in the middle, and it feels as if the author got lost or got too invested in description and showing how beautiful his writing is. Or the story is boring because the author obviously did a lot of research and decided to put all of it in the story, even though a little bit would have gone a long way. Or the author nears the end of the story and has the main character start telling a lot of back story so the reader can understand what happened and why.

That’s not to say that every story that’s rejected has a major deficiency. Sometimes stories are rejected because they’re too similar to another story that was accepted or simply because they didn’t meet the taste of the editor making the choices, or—especially with prestigious publications—the story is great, but the editor only has two open slots and 200 submissions. Nonetheless with many stories, there is a problem with the telling.

I believe one way to address such problems is to join a good critique group and/or hire a good editor. I know there are a number of established authors who don’t use critique groups and feel they aren’t necessary. But to me, critique groups can be invaluable in catching plot holes or mechanical difficulties or boring passages—problems that hold stories back from their full potential and could result in the story being rejected. Every author, no matter if she’s a newbie or is multi-published, can benefit from a second pair of eyes. And that’s what a critique group/editor really is, so I recommend them highly. But the author has to be open to hearing what’s good and bad in her work and to making adjustments.

It’s also important to be in a good critique group and/or have a good editor. A good group or editor will highlight the things an author does well so she can capitalize on those abilities, as well as help the author spot her weakness so she can address them and improve her work. Groups that only give praise don’t help the author improve. Groups that only spot problems can be debilitating to the author’s creative spirit. You need a balance.

4    How do you come up with your ideas? What gets your thought process flowing? Are there any unusual resources you rely on?

I like anthology prompts. The challenge of meeting a prompt often gets my creative juices flowing.

Newspaper articles also can inspire me. For instance, I read an article a few months ago that said many people in Los Angeles consider who are a size six to be obese. To me, that’s one of those huh moments. I know a lot of women—me included—who would kill to be a size six. So I wrote a story in which the main character is a size eight, and her friends consider her fat, and that fact plays a key role in the plot. I like being able to make a point about ridiculous body expectations while entertaining the reader with a good tale. (That story, “Dead and Buried Treasure,” will appear in the Halloween mystery anthology All Hallows’ Evil, scheduled for release on September 18^th.)

I also get a lot of ideas in the shower. All of the sudden, I’ll hear voices in my head, and I’ll think, that’s an interesting opening for a story. Or, ooh, that character sounds interesting. Who is she? I probably come up with a lot of ideas in the shower because I don’t have anything else for my mind to do at those times. I can’t read while I’m in the shower, can’t watch TV, etc., and using soap and shampoo isn’t that mentally taxing, so my mind is free to actually think.

Really, ideas can come from anywhere. Last year I learned that a large church property near my house had once been a nudist colony and there had been a murder there many years ago. I wondered where a nudist would hide a murder weapon. and the story ideas flowed from there. (That story became “Murder a la Mode,” which appeared last year in the Thanksgiving anthology The Killer Wore Cranberry: A Second Helping.)

I don’t have any unusual resources I rely on except, perhaps, sleep. If I go to sleep trying to figure out how to fix a plot problem, I’ll sometimes wake up in the morning with a solution. So my advice is to keep your eyes and ears open. You never know where or when you’ll encounter some information or a photo or something that makes the voices in your head come alive or helps a solution to a plotting problem become evident.

           Please describe your process for us.

When starting a story, I’ll often sit with a pad of paper and jot down ideas. For example, with my story “Biscuits, Carats, and Gravy,” (which is available in my collection), I wanted to write a crime story involving gravy. (The story call asked for funny crime stories involving Thanksgiving food.) So I thought about how gravy could figure into a crime. Poisoning came to mind. I wrote it down. But that seemed obvious, so I kept thinking. Then I thought that something could be hidden in gravy. So I wrote that down. And I thought, what could be hidden in gravy and why? Each idea generated new questions and new ideas about plot and character. As often happens with me, I ended up with a sheet of paper filled with possible ideas and arrows leading from one idea to another. When I’m in this plotting stage, at some point, I’ll feel I’ve come up with a plot and characters that excite me. I’ll circle the key ideas that figure into my final idea, and then I’ll start writing.

       I know that you recently lost your wonderful dog, Scout. I believe that authors have a unique bond with their animals because we spend so much of our time at home with them. Could you tell us about Scout and about the memorial service for him?

Thank you for asking about Scout. He was an amazing dog. He was a lab/shepherd/malamute mix. By the time I adopted him from the SPCA, he was six years old and had already been dumped twice. He’d had cancer so a lot of people probably didn’t want to take a chance on him. Yet he was still so open and loving. He would bark ferociously and scare away solicitors. He loved chasing sticks and trying to catch leaves I swept off the deck. He liked interrupting my writing over and over, wanting to go out and come in, incessantly. He was my best friend.

After I adopted him, Scout survived two more battles with cancer, a splenectomy, the removal of a benign tumor on his butt, a torn ACL, so many cysts, and more. Yet he still loved going to the vet. He loved everyone. In the end, his arthritis became unacceptably debilitating and painful to him, so I had to let him go. But I miss him every day. And I feel a little guilty that I’m getting so much more writing done now that he’s not here to nudge me for treats or to open the door or simply to give him some love.

Thanks to author Sandy Parshall, I was able to host an online memorial service for Scout on the blog Poe’s Deadly Daughters. Rabbi (and author) Ilene Schneider gave a nice eulogy and many people shared their memories of Scout. It really helped me begin to heal. I decided to have an online service because so many of my friends and family are scattered, and so many people knew Scout from Facebook, so memorializing him online made sense.

I also recently wrote a short story involving a dog partly as a way to honor Scout. The dog in the story is named Maxwell in memory of author Ellery Adams’s childhood dog, but when I wrote the story, I pictured Scout. I’ve submitted that story to an anthology, and I hope to have good news soon.

      What are your future plans? You’re very involved in Malice Domestic. Could you tell our readers what that’s all about?

Future plans: This is a timely question, Joanna. I’m thrilled to announce publicly for the first time that I’m about to launch my own editing service for crime fiction. The business’ website isn’t up yet, and some logistics still need to be worked out, but by the end of the month I should be open for business. I love editing, and the authors I’ve worked with have been pretty happy with the results, so I’m excited to start this new venture. I’ll offer copy-editing services as well as story-development editing. Anyone interested can email me at GoffmanEditing {[{at}]} gmail {[{ dot }]} com (eliminating the {[{ and }]} marks, of course).

You also asked about Malice Domestic. Malice is one of the largest mystery conventions in the United States. For the past 25 years, Malice has been celebrating the traditional mystery. Each spring, between 500 and 600 mystery readers and authors travel to Bethesda, Maryland (right outside D.C.) for the convention. Authors participate on panels and in other activities. Readers have the chance to meet their favorite authors, learn about new authors, buy books, have them signed, and basically get an inside look at the writer’s world. The prestigious Agatha Award is also given out at each Malice convention, voted on by fans in attendance. I’ve been program chair for Malice since 2007, and I love it.

At the next Malice Domestic convention, scheduled for May 2 – 4, 2014, our guest of honor will be Kathy Lynn Emerson, our toastmaster will be Earlene Fowler, and we will be honoring three authors for their lifetime achievements: Dorothy Cannell, Joan Hess, and Margaret Maron. They all will be in attendance, as I hope you will be, Joanna. And I hope all your readers will come, too. Learn more at www.MaliceDomestic.org.

Thank you for inviting me for this interview, Joanna. It’s been a lot of fun!

About Barb Goffman…

Barb is the author of the recently released Don’t Get Mad, Get Even (Wildside Press), a collection of fifteen of her short stories, including five new stories and “The Lord Is My Shamus,” currently nominated for the Anthony and Macavity awards to be presented at Bouchercon in September. Barb says her short stories “often focus on families because the people you know best are the ones you’ll most likely want to kill.” Barb’s short stories have been nominated for the Agatha Award five times, and the Anthony and the Macavity awards twice each. In her spare time, Barb serves as a co-editor of the award-winning Chesapeake Crimes series and as program chair of the Malice Domestic mystery convention. She has a B.A. in Communications and Political Science, an M.S.J. (masters of science in journalism), and a J.D. (juris doctor). Her website is: www.barbgoffman.com.

How Anyone Can Improve His or Her Writing Almost Instantly

By Joanna Campbell Slan

School has started, and your child may be one of many who struggles with written assignments. Or perhaps you, yourself, are going back to school. Or maybe now that your kids are off to classes, you've decided to get down to the business of writing that book you've been meaning to tackle for years.

I've been writing my whole life. In fact, I can't remember a time when I wasn't putting words on paper. I've also taught writing to adults, both college students and professionals. There's one tip I can share that will dramatically improve your writing--anyone's writing--instantly.When I tell people this simple tip, they usually scoff. What a shame, because it's so simple and so incredibly effective:

Read the work out loud.

Do NOT mumble the words. Don't simply move your lips. Actually read it, as if presenting it to an audience. In fact, if you can find another person to listen, so much the better.

As you read, you'll hear glitches in your work. You'll catch the rough spots. You'll notice where phrasing is awkward or where the transition needs help. Mostly, you'll notice words you left out or misused, but duplicated words will also jump out at you.

If you find yourself pausing to "explain" what you wrote, that's a huge red flag.

Now, I know what you're thinking: Huh. Right. Maybe I will and maybe I won't.

But trust me on this, it's the BEST tip I've ever gotten, and it'll improve your work dramatically.

When I was writing Paper, Scissors, Death, I must have read the car chase scene to my son six times. I never made it through to the end. Not the first five times. I'd start reading and realize how wrong my phrasing sounded. Or how lame. Or whatever. So I'd say, "Never mind! Go back to your computer games!" and walk off, back to my own computer, to start over.

You'll probably do the same with your work. But when you finish revising, you'll have a much, much better piece of writing. Trust me on this.

Why You REALLY Need to Get Your Sleep

A special post for Tune Up Tuesday
By Sally Lippert

How many hours do you need to sleep in order to function?

Are you a nap taker?

As we all know, lives are so busy these days that the one area from which we steal time from is our sleep.

There are many reasons that sleep gets disrupted: You may be a new parent, have a sick child, sick pet, or you yourself may be sick. Or perhaps you can't turn your brain off. You lie awake thinking of all the things you need to do.

But don't fool yourself...you really, really do need a good night's sleep. Most people need at least eight hours.

Sleep deprivation can cause all sorts of health issues e.g. weight gain, problems driving (1 in 5 car crashes are related to fatigue), higher stress levels, brain fog, and lower immunity.

Most of you might not know that Joanna's sister Jane is a Registered Sleep Technologist. Her job is to monitor people as they sleep. I have learned so much from her about the necessity of healthful sleep.

We spend a third of our lives sleeping--and yet most of us spend too little time creating a helpful sleep environment. That includes owning a good mattress, purchasing comfy bedding, and replacing our pillows frequently. All light sources should be covered, making the room as dark as possible. The temperature in your bedroom should ideally be 68 degrees.

Of course, it gets complicated if your sleeping partner has different needs than yourself. My guy likes lots of heavy covers and I only want a sheet. (Never seemed to have gotten past those menopause nights!)

A lack of "good" sleep takes its toll on all of your body--especially if you go without for very long.
Jane's website Sleep Compass is a great resource, full of useful suggestions for helping you get a sound night's sleep.

I wish all of you "sweet dreams," and a good night's sleep.

How to Create Inchies -- and What to Do With Them When You're Done!

In my newest Kiki Lowenstein short story, she runs short of craft supplies and ideas. But Kiki never fails her customers, so she came up with a wonderful "make and take" project--inchies!

Inchies are one inch by one inch pieces of original art. Typically they are collage art, but that's not always the case. What's so wonderful about inchies? Making them will...

• Stretch your creative muscle,
• Use up odd scraps of paper, 
• Encourage you to try new color combinations
• Supply you with an endless source of cool embellishments!

 

Kiki Lowenstein’s Inchies

 

This is such a fun project because you literally cannot do it wrong! Best of all, it’s a thrifty way to use up those small bits of paper that you hate to toss. When you’re done, there are tons of cool products that can be used in a variety of places on your cards or scrapbook pages. You can even trade inchies with your friends. And yet another benefit…inchies force you out of your crafting comfort zone. Think of them as an exercise to strengthen your creativity muscle.

 

 

Supplies:

 

Thin cardstock—flattened cereal boxes or old file folders work best

Trash—pages of magazines, bits of scrapbook paper, foil from candies, snippets of ribbon, pieces of cardstock

Embellishments—faux gems, glitter, sequins (if you like sparkle, that is)

A variety of glues, especially one that dries clear

A ruler and a pencil

Scissors

Inks and rubber stamps

A sanding block (if you use a cardboard box with slick printing on one side

 

Method:

1.    Turn the cardstock over to the blank side. Draw a grid in pencil. Make the squares 1” by 1”.  (Tip: Want an easy way to draw a grid? Use your Fiskars Personal Paper Trimmer as a guide!)

 

 

2.    Flip the cardstock over. Sand off the shiny print on the "right" side. (Tip: Wear an apron as this gets messy.) You don’t have to sand off every bit of the slick print, but do scratch up the surface so that the glue will stick more easily.

 

 

3.    Start by gluing down a magazine page and then glue pieces of paper on top of it randomly. (Tip #1: Glue down small bits of ribbon or netting. Cut out words and glue them down. Tip #2: This is a great place to use negative spaces left by punches! Tip #3: Kiki likes using her small punches to create tiny shapes. These she places on the surface randomly. Tip #4: A pair of tweezers and a craft knife are helpful for manipulating the tiny pieces of paper.)

 

 

4.    Keep adding until you like what you have. You can also ink the design and/or rubber stamp on top.

 

 

5.    Cover the piece with Mod Podge and let the piece dry.

 

 

6.    Once it's really, really dry, turn it over and cut it into one inch squares. Or leave it in larger sections if so desired. Remember, the guidelines you drew are for your convenience. You can do whatever you wish with your inchies.

 

 

7.    Be sure to sign the backs of your miniature pieces of art!

 

What to do with your inchies:

 

 

1.    Add them to greeting cards as miniature pieces of art.

2.    Use them as you would any scrapbook embellishment.

3.    Trade them with your friends.

4.    Line them up along the bottom of a scrapbook page for a border.

 

Okay, what do you think of Kiki's inchies?

 

 

 

And the winner of "Jack the Ripper in St. Louis" is ........

The winner is lbisset. Please send Sally your mailing address at salfl27@att.net so we can make sure that your copy gets sent to you. Thanks everyone for your comments.

And the Winner of The Highway by CJ Box Is...

Petite!

Please send Sally your email address so we can mail you the book! Sally's email is salfl27@att.net

Thanks so much!

Joanna

Why You Should be Reading More Thrillers by Women--and a CONTEST

I don't often go on tilt, as my boys say, but once in awhile, I get frustrated with the book industry. Case in point: A conference I once loved posted their line up of "star authors." There wasn't a single woman in the bunch! When I asked why, they told me, "Oops. We couldn't come up with any women's names who would be big draws, especially since we usually feature thriller writers."

They must be drinking their own Kool-Aid, something spiked with testosterone, because my bookshelves are full of thrilling reads by fantastic women writers.

1. Heather Graham -- I just finished Let the Dead Sleep. Graham is a writing masterclass on the page. This book has it all: a slightly paranormal twist; a fantastic New Orleans setting done right; strong female protagonist; and interesting secondary characters. Oh, and did I mention a rollicking plot?

2. Meg Gardiner -- Her newest book The Shadow Tracer combines a couple of fascinating female protagonists with a glorious panorama of a setting and adds a current topic (fanatic religious sects) in a fast paced adventure that I couldn't put down. And yeah, I consider Meg a friend. She's fantastic.

3. Kathy Reichs -- Somehow I missed Deadly Decisions, so I picked up a copy and I'm having trouble tearing myself away. I always learn so much from Reichs, and she's as impressive in person as she is on paper. Her entire Temperance Brennan series makes for chilling, thrilling, and thought-provoking reading.

4. Lori Armstrong -- Her "Mercy Gunderson" series is superb, and a great example of how a character can grow and change as a series progresses. Mercy's backstory makes her a compelling character.

Here are a few other reasons I value these authors--

1. They didn't choose to write under a pseudonym. Yup, they are women and they don't care who knows it. Got to admire that!

2. They don't indulge in gratuitous violence/perversion toward women in their books. Too many "thriller" authors take the low road by indulging all their blackest, most foul imaginings and frankly, scare the bejeebers out of me. These talented authors stay within the bounds of good taste while offering great reads.

3. Their female protagonists are appropriately strong and weak, rather than super humans.

4. Nobody immediately has sex with the first man who wanders across her path. Honestly, I've had it with books by men where the male protag beds every woman on every page. I mean, REALLY?

Here's the thing: Most women buy hardback books for their husbands/boyfriends to read. Why not buck the trend as exhibited by the-conference-that-shall-not-be-named? Why not buy a hardback by one of these fine women authors and hand it to the guy in your life...

After you read it, of course.

CONTEST

To make it easier on your wallet, I'll send one lucky commenter a copy of Let the Dead Sleep. Just tell me who your favorite female thriller writer is!

Being Married to a Heart Transplant Recipient (Preventing Inflammatory Response)

Tune Up Tuesday by Sally Lippert

How do you handle life when you get an infection or injury?
Do you run to the doctor?
Or do you Google your symptoms?

I have learned first hand about keeping the immune system in check. My husband received a heart transplant almost  19 years ago after his heart failed due to a rare birth defect. The transplanted organ looks like a foreign body to the immune system causing an immediate inflammatory response. As soon as the person receives the transplant, they are hit with a ton of antirejection medications to stop the inflammatory response. These medications are adjusted but must continue the rest of their life.

Most people, who do not have a chronic illness e.g. asthma, arthritis, irritable bowel syndrome or lupus, can handle illness with minimal intervention. Healthy immune systems respond with fever, pain, redness or swelling. This is our bodies way of telling us that something is wrong, either inside or out. Interventions may be needed for acute inflammatory illness or injury but doctors are recognizing that less is more when it comes to treatment. Superbugs are on the rise as antibiotics become less effective. Prescription medications are causing more side effects that the diseases themselves.

Don't get me wrong, I believe medications have their place. More studies are showing that alternative therapies in conjunction with traditional are quite helpful to people.

One example I will give is the use of Turmeric for arthritis pain relief. After thorough research, I tried it on the recommendation of my doctor with great success in easing my arthritis discomfort.

My husband has been blessed with the "Gift of Life" and strives to be the longest, living transplant by doing everything he can to keep his inflammation under control.

Books that I can recommend are "The Anti-Inflammatory Diet and Recipes" by Jessica K. Black and "Forks over Knives" by Gene Stone.

I would love to hear how you handle illness or injury.

And the Winner is......

And the winner is "traveler" for commenting on their ideas for Joanna's Baggie craft use. You were chosen by using Google's widget Random Number Generator. Congratulations and please send your mailing address to salfl27@att.net so I can send you your prize.

Upcycle Styrofoam into a Great Coaster

The portions in most restaurants are far too large for me, so I always ask for a carry-out container. Sadly, most of these are made of Styrofoam, or polystyrene, a product that takes nearly forever to breakdown in our landfills.

So I've been searching for ways to reuse my Styrofoam containers, and this idea is so simple and easy that I can't believe I didn't think of it before!

Since I love potted plants and vases full of flowers, I often find ugly circles on my furniture where the damp pots and vases touch the wood. Even glazed pots somehow transfer moisture. I used to put plates under the pots. Then I bought those stupid thin plastic pot "bottoms." But they got really ugly and often fell apart. One day I realized that all I really needed was a coaster of an impervious material. Enter Styrofoam!

Here's how the finished project looks--

You can barely see the white Styrofoam coaster under this orchid, but it is there--and it's protecting the surface of my wooden chest.

TIME:
Takes at most ten minutes.

SUPPLIES:
An empty Styrofoam "clamshell" container, a ballpoint pen, scissors, and a sanding block.

METHOD:

1. Divide your container into two parts. You'll be using the flat portion without partitions.

I'll be using the portion on the left. I simply took a knife and cut the container in half.

2. Carefully clean and dry your Styrofoam container. I've noticed that you practically have to pour dish detergent right on the Styrofoam because oils love to cling to it.

3. Set your vase or pot on top of the flat portion. Use a ballpoint pen and trace around the base of your vase/pot. The tip of the pen will lightly carve into the foam. Cut out the shape. (I like to use kitchen shears for this.)

The pen point actually makes a small groove as you follow the curve of your vessel.

4. Use a sanding block to file down the rough edges of the circle and make it more symmetrical.

5. Slide it under your pot or vase. If you did it right, it should barely show.

Look at you, you crafty thing!