Category: Wear it

Baseball Bracelet

I’ve got a great idea to share with all of you for a super easy and cute way to make a bracelet out of the strings of a baseball.  My college girl friends and I all made these to wear when we went to games…and I still wear mine to the Diamondback’s games every chance I get. 
 
It’s a great way to show your love for baseball!
 
 
Supplies you’ll need:
Baseball (you can get 2 bracelets from each baseball)
Xacto knife
 
 
First you will need to cut out the stitches all the way around the baseball.  It’s hard to see in the picture below, but there is a tiny line tracing the stitches from where I cut the leather.  Try to get your cuts as close to the stitches as possible without cutting them.  But don’t worry, you can always trim off any uneven parts when you’re all done.  You will have to apply a fair amount of pressure, and maybe even got over each line twice to cut all the way through the leather.
 
 
Once you have cut all the way around the stitches you’ll need to remove the leather pieces.  The leather is stuck onto the ball inside with some adhesive, so it could take a little elbow grease to get it off.
 
 
Once you take both leather pieces off you’ll need to remove the strings.  They will still be in once piece and should be easy to pull off.
 
Here’s is what your baseball should look like at this point:
 
 
You won’t need the ball or leather any more for this project.  Locate the point on the seam where the stitching begins/ends, this is where you should cut the remaining leather.  Be careful not to cut off the excess string, you’ll need every inch!  What you should have now is one long seam with two ends that look like this:
 
 
Find the middle of the seam and cut it in half.  Each piece should be around 8 inches long.  Begin unraveling the stitching at each end of the bracelet until you have about 4 inches of string unwound.  This should leave about 1 to 1 1/2 inches of leather sticking out.
 
 
Cut off the excess leather without cutting the strings.  You should now have two ends that look like this about about 5 inches of seam in the middle.
 
 
The best closure I found for this bracelet is simply tying the two ends into a knot each time I wear it.  To do this you will need to braid each of the loose strings and secure with a knot.  The strings will be gummy in the beginning from the adhesive used to attach the leather to the ball, but this will go away after you wear the bracelet a few times.  You might prefer to make a loop and bead closure, or come up with something else unique.
 
If you notice that the leather is twisted from it’s shape on the ball, don’t worry.  You can stretch the bracelet and gradually force it to hold a straighter shape.  And as the adhesive wears off it should loosen up a bit.
 
You can also trim the leather at this point if they are uneven from your cuts with the Xacto knife. 
See more instructions HERE at Icanfindthetime

20 Other Uses for Sugar

 
1. Soothe your babe
According to a study in Pediatrics, babies who were given a one-to-four sugar-water solution (directly into the mouth or administered on a pacifier) before immunizations handled the pain of the shots better than children who received only water.
 
2. Treat a wound
You can treat wounds with a sprinkle of sugar: Wives’ tale or wise truth? This study showed that pouring granulated sugar on bedsores, leg ulcers or amputations before dressing killed the bacteria that prevents healing and causes chronic pain.
 
3. Soothe a singed tongue
For too-quick-a-gulp of too-hot coffee, sizzling pizza — whatever your tongue-burner may be — sugar can ease the sting. Suck on a sprinkle of sugar or a sugar cube and the pain should quickly dissipate.
 
4. Ease a spicy burn
Acidic foods and dairy can lessen the pain of too much spiciness in the mouth, but a dash of sugar works well too.
 
5. Make a body scrub
Sugar makes a splendid exfoliating agent for body scrubs. You can make a super simple one by mixing sugar with oil (canola, almond, jojoba or olive all work well) to create a loose paste. Add some essential oil or vanilla extract if you like fragrance. Gently rub on your skin and then rinse off in the shower.
 
6. Make a banana sugar scrub
When bananas have reached the point of no (edible) return, they can be appointed to your beauty routine. Banana is moisturizing and works perfectly as a vehicle for sugar in a body scrub. Mash a ripe banana with 3 tablespoons of sugar and 1 teaspoon of olive oil. (Don’t over mix.) Gently rub on your skin and then rinse off in the shower.
 
7. Smooth your kisser
Blend a little jojoba or olive oil with caster sugar (also called superfine sugar; you can also make this by putting regular granulated sugar in the food processor for a minute) and a touch of peppermint or vanilla extract, if you like. Place some of the paste on your lips, massage and lick off.
 
8. Extend lipstick
Sprinkle a bit of sugar atop freshly applied lipstick, let it sit, then lick it off. This works to set the lipstick and will extend the application.
 
9. Clean cruddy hands
For extra mucky hands (think paint, grease, grime) add sugar to your soap lather to act as an abrasive. You can also use equal parts sugar and olive oil, which acts to soothe and moisturize over-worked hands.
 
10. Feed your flowers
Add three teaspoons of sugar and two tablespoons of white vinegar per quart of warm water for fresh-cut flowers. The sugar feeds the stems and the vinegar restricts the growth of bacteria.
 
11. Battle nematode worms in garden
Have you nematodes? If the plants in your garden have unsightly knots at the roots, they may have fallen prey to the microscopic parasites. To combat them naturally, apply 5 pounds of sugar for every 250 square feet of garden. The sugar will feed microorganisms which will increase the organic matter in the soil, making it a hostile environment for the nematodes.
 
12. Trap wasps 
Make a simple syrup by boiling sugar and water, fill a jar with it and set it outside to attract wasps. They will fly in and become trapped. What you do with them next is up to you.
 
13. Make a natural fly strip
Fly strips can be unsightly, but flies on dinner can be even more so. If you can’t scoot them out the window and you require relief, you can make all-natural fly strips by combining equal parts sugar, honey and water in a saucepan. Boil the mixture, stirring occasionally, until thickened. Let cool. Cut pieces of brown packing tape, punch a hole on the end and make a loop with string through the hole. Dip the strips in the mix, hang to let excess drips drop (with a pan beneath to catch drips) until sticky, then hang where the flies are most active.
 
14. Make a roach motel
Well, more like a roach last supper. Mix equal parts sugar and baking powder and sprinkle over areas of infestation. Sugar attracts the buggers, the baking powder exterminates them. Replace frequently.
 
15. Feed the butterflies
Matthew Tekulsky, author of “The Butterfly Garden“ (Harvard Common Press, 1985), recommends this formula for feeding butterflies. 
 
1 pound sugar
1 or 2 cans stale beer
3 mashed overripe banana
1 cup of molasses or syrup
1 cup of fruit juice
1 shot of rum
 
Mix all the ingredients well and paint the mixture on trees, fence posts, rocks, or stumps — or simply soak a sponge in the mixture and hang it from a tree limb.
 
16. Clean your grinders
Coffee bean and spice grinders can collect oils that are strong in flavor, but sugar can clean them by absorbing the offending elements. Pour 1/4 cup of sugar into the grinder and run it for 2 -3 minutes. Dump out and wipe well.
 
17. Attack grass stains
Make a paste of warm water and sugar and apply to grass-stained clothing, let sit for an hour (or longer for tougher stains) and then wash as usual.
 
18. Keep cakes fresh
If you store cake in an airtight container with a few sugar cubes, it will stay fresh longer.
 
19. Keep cookies fresh
See above!
 
20. Prevent cheese from molding? 
Some swear that storing cheese with sugar cubes will prevent cheese from molding.
 
Read rest of article HERE at mnn.com