Hands at Home

I love KoolAid. Good grief, not to drink! To dye stuff with!

KoolAid is a ready-made acid dye, suitable for any protein fiber. That means silk, soy silk and wool, fiber fans. Usually I dye wool with it, or its close relative, Easter egg dye.

If you like the look of aged copper but can only afford cast aluminum--or even plastic--then you can fool everyone into THINKING you could afford the real thing. All it takes is paint. Don't worry if you're not artistic; you don't need to be. It even helps if you're naturally messy. But the results are impressive.

When we were planning our new backyard several years ago, the designer said, "So I hear you want lavender. How many plants?" I told her, when you think you have too many, add five more and you'll have made a good start.

Fall is a wonderful time of crisp air and beautiful colors. It is my favorite time of year and when I feel my most productive. I have some great craft ideas for your kids that I think they will enjoy.

One of the biggest organizing challenges is craft items. If you're like me, you have way too many projects going at once: Projects your purchased years ago for "some day," and projects you continue to purchase on top of all your UFOs (UnFinished Objects). Many of you have more than one type of hobby and that doubles or triples your UFO load. Hopefully the following tips will help you cope with too much to do, too little time to do it.

Dirty dishes are an inescapable fact of life (in fact, I'm ignoring the pile in my sink right now). But sooner or later, they've got to be done. While scrubbing dried-on enchilada sauce off a baking dish isn't my idea of great fun, having the right tools can make this job more enjoyable.

Handmade dishcloths are environmentally sound, attractive, and relaxing to make. The very first thing I knitted was a square cotton dishcloth. I still use it.

As our parents age, bit by bit the activities that bring them joy are lost as physical limitations set in. Gardening does not have to be one of those lost hobbies. With a little planning and adjustments, gardens can be made accessible for everyone.

My daughter loves doing craft projects. Every day, I hear "Mommy, what can I make today?" Our house is covered with crayon drawings, paintings, collages, paper and felt flowers, sand art, and many other beautiful but space-consuming objects d'art.

Transforming ordinary clay pots into works of art is fun and easy. One of these projects will work for any child old enough to hold a paintbrush.

You'll need various size terra-cotta pots to begin with. If you use pots you already have, scrub them well so you've got a clean surface on which to design. Different crafts use different additional materials, but a newspaper or other cover keeps your work surface neat.