Ordinary Bottle to Beautiful Vase

Did you know you can turn an ordinary bottle into a beautiful vase? And you can do it with just a few household and art supplies on hand.

Who said bottles couldn't be made into works of art? And guess what? (as my son likes to say all the time.) This is a wonderful project whether you are 5 or 92.

What you'll need:
- bottles or other glass containers that could be used as a vase
- colored tissue paper
- scissors
- photos or pictures from magazines*
- small paint brush
- glue or Mod Podge (found in craft stores)

* if you decided to use photos, you'll first need to copy them on a color copier. Otherwise, the photos would be too stiff to be flexible enough to bend around the bottle shape. The glue would also make the photo finish smear. So, copying is the best way to use your personal photos.What to do:
First, cut or tear the tissue into little pieces. Mix your glue or Mod Podge with water. Usually, 2 parts glue to one part water works well. Then, brush a think layer of the mixture onto the bottle or glass container. Attach the tissue paper and photos to the bottle. Cover the entire bottle. Even without photos, the bottle looks beautiful using only tissue paper.

Once the bottle has dried, brush over the tissue paper and photo collage with another layer of the glue mixture to seal it. Let it dry and if necessary, brush a final layer onto the bottle. Before using the vase, make sure it is completely dry.

Voila! You now have a beautiful and useful piece of art!

Musical Notes Collage Cards

Making musical notes cards is a way of showing your love and thoughtfulness for those special in your life.You can create a beautiful series of collaged note cards just by beginning with a piece of sheet music.

What you'll need:
- Blank note cards
- Old sheet music
- Crackle-finish varnish
- Gold and silver paint for paper
- Paintbrushes
- Handmade or textured papers
- Fresh leaves
- White craft glue
- Netting or other widely-woven fabric
- Pieces of paper doilies

What to do:
First, paint the sheet music with a coat of crackle varnish. Make sure you follow the directions for the crackle paint. Then, follow this by painting a coat of gold paint over it.

After the paper dries, tear it into small and randomly-sized pieces. Then, tear the handmade or textured papers into small pieces as well.

Next, prepare the leaves you collected by diluting a small amount of white craft glue with some water. You'll then paint the front and the back of the leaves with the glue mixture and then allow them to dry.

Here's the fun part, start arranging all the items you've collected and painted in layers on top of your blank card. When you are satisfied with the arrangement, simply paste them down in the order you created and add some gold and silver paint to the background. Beautiful!

You can use these cards for any occasion - Valentine's Day, Birthday, or any special memory you'd like to share with someone.

Paper Airplane Contest

Like to fly paper airplanes? Well, get out your best flying paper, folding techniques and throwing arm!

Uncle Dean from the Online Paper Airplane Museum in Tampa Bay, Florida is holding the first annual paper airplane contest at the Tampa Bay Library. Participants from 1 - 99+ are welcome.

So, if you are in the neighborhood, be sure to stop by and join in the fun.

All kinds of races and games, prizes and fun times are planned for this March 24th event.

Get all the details at www.uncledean.net. And while you are visiting this site, check out over 800 different paper airplane designs that you can download for free!