Make it Yourself

Something breaks,  you need something in a pinch, you need something completely random.  Often, the knee-jerk reaction is to grab your keys and start your engine.  You run off to the store in hopes of finding exactly what you need.  Next time you are found in this situation, challenge yourself to slow down, think and look.  We all have tons of stuff just sitting around the house begging to be used.

A quick example to illustrate my point.  Santa Claus graciously bestowed our family a beautiful cerulean (remember that crayon?) beta fish.  He was dubbed Alex, in honor of Alex Trebek.  The first week with Alex went swimmingly (ha).  The time came to change his water, and we were aghast to realize that Santa had not given us a net to help extricate him from the bowl during water change.  Instead of heading straight to the pet store, we tried to improvise.  First we tried scooping him up in a measuring cup, then a ladle with holes, then an egg yolk separator.  None of things worked.  After some brainstorming, we had a blueprint for a homemade fish net.  My husband fashioned a wire hanger into a loop with a handle.  I used a square of old chiffon curtain and sewed it loosely onto the wire hanger.  Presto!  We had ourselves a new fish net.

My next trip to the store I meandered through the pet section to see how much the nets cost.  $5!  For about ten minutes worth of work, we saved $5 and used materials we already had on hand!  What unconventional things have you made at home?  Behold below our homemade fishnet.  As you can see, the craftsmanship leaves much to be desired...but it works!