A Little Bit Warm Out Here...

It's beginning to feel a lot like summer.... certainly a hot day to work outside!

Yay! Duck Taped Recyclable Crafties

And now... one of my favorite duck tape crafties (not to mention easiest and funnest)- duck-taping the cardboard out of recycled boxes!

For the Wild Duck Tape Box, you will need:

• Yellow (or whatever) Duck Tape
• Zebra Print (or any other animal print) Duck Tape
• Cardboard box (I used one of my many recycled granola bar boxes)
• Scissors

I started with the zebra, then when I got to the bottom of the box, I edged it with the yellow. The top is also bordered with yellow, and I took that opportunity to secure the flaps down inside the box.

For the Two-Way Duck Tape Box, you will need:

• Yellow (or whatever) Duck Tape
• Blue (or whatever, so long as it coordinates with your first color) Duck Tape
• Cardboard Box
• Patience. The stripes are tricky on this one.
• Scissors

Ok, so this one is harder than the Wild box. Start out by covering the box in one of your colors (I started with blue).
For the Striped side:
 Cut strips the length of the box's diagonal in half and secure each equally apart from the created blue stripes. Repeat until the box is covered. I decided not to tape the flaps down on this one, so I covered them as well and cut a slit for the flap to fit into (to allow it to close).
For the Diagonal side:
Carefully wrap each half strip across the box diagnonally, making sure to keep each stripe positively and negatively balanced (in other words, make sure the strips are the same length apart).

For the Personalized box, you will need:

• A solid color of duck tape
• Sharpie
• Scissors

Simply cover the box in your solid-colored duck tape, and, using a sharpie, draw, trace, or stencil your initial onto the duck tape. Embellish accordingly and fill.






These boxes add a nice touch to any space, and are great for organizing items too. It's also a lot of fun to play with the different patterns and colors that duck tape has to offer!

Late "Spring" Cleaning, Early Summer Planning (and a little summer complaining as well)

    Bonjour! You can definitely tell it's summer around here, folks. Highs in the 80s, sweat pouring off of you when you go outside for 5 minutes, and my ever-favorite sign... NO HOMEWORK. No research papers, mile-long readings, or transiting to campus every day. Life really is good after all ;) .




     And since I have been blessed with this blessed free time (as long as it lasts, which soon won't be for long), I have decided to make use of my crafty inclinations and DO SOMETHING CRAFTY. Which you will get to see in my next post (easy does it though. it's a bit of a STICKY situation :) ).


      
For now though,  I have selected some random images for your delightful amusement.  They consist of Sassy deterring and/or halting me from my albeit late "spring" cleaning, which I accomplished (thank my spotless floors!) over the course of the day yesterday (you can tell from the mess underneath her *ahem*, slightly plump cat body, just how bad it was getting. A few (full) scattered notebooks, select college textbooks (a shoutout to that painfully bulky Educational Psychology monster in the left image), and torn/bent/over-worked folders complete the look my bedroom has been styling since, say, about last week or so. Maybe the week before, who knows. And that isn't even all the mess. But anyway, it is oh-so-good to be back on blogging, and hopefully bringing more bloggity goodness to Coral Reef fans everywhere. :)


P.S. She's laying on what used to be my drawer liner. Got to find a way to get that to stay secured...

Daisy Head Floral Headband

 Has the Spring season got you trippin' over your toes in flowers? Want to try out the trend that's got everyone pretty in petals?  Here's how you can make your own happy little floral headband!



What You Need:

• Scissors
• Floral tape (found at Walmart and craft stores)
• A beautiful bouquet (I recommend a Dollar Store for this one)

What To Do:

1. Cut off each stem a couple inches from the actual bud. Make sure you don't cut off more than you need; you can use the remainder of the bouquet in a vase to light up a desk or table.
2. Take each snippet and wrap the stems together, securing with floral tape. Do this until you have a band that will comfortably fit on your head. 
3. If you don't secure the tape tightly enough, some of the pieces may try to bop off. Adding more floral tape to problem areas can fix this issue.

4. Wear on a picnic, nature walk, or garden show. This headband is sure to bring happiness wherever it goes (and maybe a couple butterflies too)!

          P.S.- Ignore the timestamp. It lies. ;)

Featured On: Fave Crafts Blog

Hello again, lovely Islanders!

I realize it's been a looong time since the last post, but fear not! The fair summer days approacheth! And then this blog will be bursting with all good things to cook, craft, and create. Also, I wanted to mention that our going green Rice Krispies Box Makeover (below) is currently featured in a contest on favecraftsblog.com, so be sure to check it out here.



 Ribbons and Bows Rice Krispies Treats Box Makeover

This box will add color and organization as well as help you become a mean, green recyclin' machine!

You Will Need:

• A Rice Krispies Treats Box
• 2 Pieces of Cardstock Paper
• Paint, Brush, and a Jar of Water
• Scissors
• Tape

 1. Cut an opening in the top edge of the box. This will be where headbands, etc. are inserted.

2. Attach the cardstock to all sides of the box with tape, being careful not to obstruct the opening.

3. Now comes the fun part! I found painting to be the simplest way to decorate, using quick-drying tempera paint. Put a pattern on the front and back, but leave the top, bottom, and sides solid to keep it stable.

                                    4. To mount, simply punch a hole in the back of the box.

5. Finally, add your headbands, sunglasses, and whatever accumulating accessories are daunting your dresser to the box. Because of the top slit, you will have super-quick and easy access to whatever you put in there. Enjoy!

This post is featured on:

>^_^< Spring Fling!

The first stop on your guided tour to Spring:

 Pinterest! Check out some of the egg-cellent ideas it has to offer, and be sure to drop by my board "Spring Fling"! What are you waiting for? Crack an egg and get hoppin'!


Spring Fling Pinterest Board

 

Easter Easter Easter

So as you all probably know, Easter is just around the corner. As in Sunday. As in only two days away. Sooo to celebrate, we're bringing back memories from last year....


First, HUZZAH for floppy hats!! Nothing says tres fab like a nice, big, floppy hat. I got my first one today, and it won't be the last. It reminds me of the Coca-Cola commercial with "Lola" and David Beckham.



Second, as I promised, Home-made Easter Baskets are here. Attach tissue paper to a cotton candy container, tape a ribbon on the inside, and get ready to egg-hunt!

Also, check out Citrus Easter Chicks Cookies in the Creature's in the Kitchen tab.







... and bringing in some new ones! Stay tuned for more springtime/Easter fun!

Caught in a Spring Thing...

Hi readers!

So, some of you might be wondering what I'm doing on the blog when I expressly mentioned previously that I have a HUGE workload. Well, I have a little friend named Procrastination. I call him tin for short. He is always hanging around. I have another little friend named Inspiration. He likes to come over when Procrastination is  around. And so that is what I'm doing on the blog. Besides that, its SPRINGTIME!!! And it's around that time that Inspiration stays for a while. So don't be surprised to see more posts coming up...

P.S. Like the new background?

Chocolate Roses

Valentine's Day is almost upon us, so if you  haven't gotten your sweetheart something, Coral Reef might be able to help out. While looking at Valentine's Day things on Pinterest, I came across these homemade roses using chocolate Kisses as flowers. The following is pretty much the same craft that I found.

Image from: http://alilbird.blogspot.com/2011/02/hershey-kiss-roses-tutorial.html

Supplies:

Wooden skewers
Chocolate Kisses (two for each skewer)
Plastic wrap
Tape
Green construction paper

Directions:

1. Place a piece of tape on the bottom of one Kiss, and stick the flat part of a second Kiss on top.

2. Cut a small square of plastic wrap, wrap it neatly around the Kisses, and tape to the top of the skewer.

3.  Draw several small  leaves on green paper, cut them out, then glue along the skewer. Repeat for as many roses as you wish.You can also paint the skewers green for stems. Give to your Valentine, and enjoy!

Sew Sweet Valetines

Tired of plain Jane paper valentines? Try adding some sweet bows and stitches to mundane messages!

You Will Need:

• Yarn (pink and red work well)
• Scissors
• Scrapbooking paper
• Construction Paper
• A sharp tool for poking holes

What To Do:

1.  Cut a piece of scrapbooking paper 8"to 4" for a larger envelope or 5 1/2" to 2 1/2" for a smaller envelope.
2.  Fold 1/3 of the paper over the other 2/3 to create an envelope
3.With your sharp poky tool, poke 6 holes along each length of the paper on the decorated side on the 2/3s part of the paper.
4. Poke 3 holes on the folded up flap in the shape of an upside-down triangle, and another hole in the flap that will close the envelope.
5. Tie a knot in the end of a piece of yarn, and thread it in and out of the holes up one side until you get to the hole that makes up the middle point of the triangle, thread the yarn through the hole in the top flap, and cut off the yarn, leaving enough to tie a bow with. Repeat this process on the other side of the envelope (see below image for assistance).

5. Write a note to stick inside, tie the yarn into a bow, and send to your secret valentine!

Valentine's Day

Hello bloggers!


It's that time of the year, where lovelights turn on, chocolate is given and eaten, valentines are made (or bought), and flowers are handed over. It's also the time that Coral Reef Island gets the love on, with Valentine's Day crafts, recipes, and more! So get ready to feel the love!

Resale Review

Imagine this: you go to your closet to look for something to wear, but you can't find anything that you haven't recently worn. Hmm, you think, I need some new clothes. But I don't really have a lot of money to spend... What do you do? My solution to this problem is... resale stores! When some people think of resale stores, they probably picture a dirty, grimy building, with dirty, grimy clothes. While some may be like this, a lot of gently-used stores have some really cool stuff, not to mention they usually have really good prices. Plus, they always have sales going on, so you get to save even more!
 Think of it like this: you're paying practically nothing for something really cute/cool that someone else wore or used maybe just a few times. Brand new clothes can add up to a lot, and especially with the bad economy who has a bunch of extra money lying around? So, take it from Coral Reef, bloggers: Resale rules!
                 Picture from: http://www.treesfullofmoney.com/?p=992     

2012's Most Popular

Had enough fun yet? With Coral Reef Island's first year came over 100 posts, varying from holiday recipes to cat houses, crafty crafts to lizard eyes, and gift ideas to adventure-seeking golf balls. And out of those sprung Coral Reef Island's Most Popular Posts from 2012:


 

Fly Away Birdies

Birdhouse is doing well, but I STILL have not seen any birds in there!!! Course, it may be because I put parakeet, cockatiel, and parrot birdseed in there, and the birds visiting it would not be any of the above, but still! How picky can wild birds be?!

Also shot this beautiful butterfly which I think may be a Painted Lady. Maybe it would like a birdhouse to feed in.







  Creature Halloween Costume Contest

You know it's fall when you see the Creature Costume Contest! That's right, it's back, and for the first time on the blog! Here's how to enter:

Design a cute, scary, or uniqe costume and email it to creaturelove04@aol.com and you might see it on the Coral Reef Island blog!

The deadline is Oct. 26.and the restrictions are:

• No devil or witch costumes (basically anything Satanic is not accepted)
• Preferably nothing with jewelry
• Nothing skimpy (they're creatures, not toddlers in tiaras)
• Nothing that wasn't fun to create :D

So what are you waiting for? Get creative!
Coral Reef's Shoe Line
 




Things-To-Do-Before-the-End-of-Summer List 2012
 Summer is here again, and the best way to start it off is with a things-to-do-before-the-end-of-summer list. So, here it is, my to-do list for this summer:

• Go on a picnic
• Plant a garden
• Ride (bike) 3 miles
• Have a Movie Marathon
• Redecorate bedroom
• Learn a classical piece
• Workout every morning
• Finish my dress
• Write 100 posts on mon blog
• Get 100 members on mon blog

And the most popular post:
Framed















Enjoy!
P.S. Click "fun" at the top of the post for a little surprise!