by Sharon | Feb 26, 2017
I received a notification that several of my posts are lost.
That happens from time to time. It’s nothing for me . . . or you to get upset about.
At one time I moved this website and didn’t back it up — so everything, back then, was lost. It was sad for me and sad for many of my visitors. But I started over . . . and through time, some links get broken and some posts do get deleted . . . so if by chance you’ve been looking for something here at TwoCansOnAString.com and get an error . . . hopefully, you’ll see the image to the right, with the word “oops!” to the left.
Just click the image and you’ll be taken to the Home page.
We make every effort to keep this website fresh and fun for all of you. We don’t like it that from time to time things get broken, but there is a lot of stuff here. Some old, some not so old, some new.
I realized I am really heavy on Halloween . . . maybe you like that . . . and maybe not.
We do have product review and crafts and holiday stuff, along with random thoughts. TwoCansOnAString.com is my fun website — it’s where I was able to introduce my little Diva — the Yorkshire Terrier from wonderful breeders from Wisconsin. It’s also where I can tell you about products that caught my eye and all the fun holiday stuff — I may even have a ghost story or two to tell you from time to time.
It’s Raining!!! What am I to do?
Well, I think crafts are in order. I do my best crafts when it’s raining and I don’t want to go out — but today I may venture out and pick up some grocery items. Little Diva wants something different . . . not a toy, but something delicious to eat. And I’m due for something different, too.
But, I did get side-tracked there for a moment. Crafts . . . what do I want to make? What do I have that I haven’t shared with you before?
Mr. Printable has some adorable bug boxes you can download and print out on your home printer. They’re great for spring and summer. These favor boxes are easy to assemble and fun to fill with goodies. Just click the image to the left and you’ll be taken to the page where you can download these adorable bugs.
I definitely like them. They may have been designed for younger children in mind, but I think they are suitable for everyone this spring and summer. They would look nice in Easter baskets, too. You know, come to think of it, instead of an Easter Egg Hunt, you could have a Bug Box Hunt . . . what do you think?
I believe you could have some serious fun with these Bug Favor Boxes.
Until next time,
Sharon . . . and Little Diva
by Sharon | Feb 11, 2017
I love the rain, especially if I can stay home and listen to it.
But, this Saturday morning I ventured out to run some errands.
I was surprised by the number of people walking in the rain. They were strolling, in no hurry, enjoying themselves.
While I was at the grocery store, a woman approached me telling me she was out walking and how she just loves the little town where I live ( and evidently where she lives, too.)
This got me thinking of how truly fortunate we are to live in a nice place and enjoy the weather, no matter what that brings.
It is better to think positively than negatively. And to express that to others as well.
When I returned the cart to the store after putting my groceries in the trunk of my car, I noticed the woman walking out of the parking lot. She was taking her time, looking at all the beauty around her. At that moment, I thought how wonderful it would be to take a walk . . . but I was glad to have my car and I’d be home with my groceries in about 5 minutes.
As I’m writing this, I’m thinking about taking a walk . . . take my camera with me . . . just to capture this priceless moment of serenity with the rain and the beauty the day has to offer.
I’m pretty much comfortable with my laptop, listening to the rain, with my precious Yorkshire terrier, Diva, sleeping next to me.
This is a great day to curl up with a good book, watch a great movie, do a craft item or put together a jigsaw puzzle.
Since Valentine’s Day is right around the corner, I was wondering what Ray O’Bannon of RavensBlight had available to make.
Yes, it is a bit on the dark side, but you have to admit it is unique. It has a skull and spikes around it. Just the thing to give to your special Valentine. It’s truly a one of a kind gift box.
Just click the image to be taken to the PDF you can print out on card stock, assemble and fill with delightful sweets.
Here’s the link to the Assembly Instructions for this exceptional Valentine’s Box compliments of Ray O’Bannon from RavensBlight.
This could be a keepsake box as well. I’m sure I’ll bring it out again for fall. It would be wonderful for Halloween.
The reason I think this box is so great is because of all the people who thoroughly enjoy Halloween and give all celebrations throughout the year with a bit of a macabre twist. Make up a few of these and see how welcome they are among your friends and family.
Whatever you choose to do today, rain, snow, sleet, hail or sunshine, I hope you have a lovely day.
Thanks for stopping by!
Sharon
by Sharon | Jan 3, 2017
This is so exciting!!
These goggles are from RavensBlight and look so steampunk.
You can personalize them, too. I’m sure you and your children will come up with hundreds of variations — different colored lenses, using plastic sheets, adding metal gears, buttons, feathers, wire, pipe cleaners, stir sticks, or whatever you have around the house.
I think this would make a fun family project one evening . . . or a rainy or snowy day . . .
I’m trying to tie them into some holiday celebration, but nothing comes to mind . . . unless for a birthday or even Valentine’s Day . . . definitely for next Halloween . . .
They just need a story to go along with them. I’m surprised Ray O’Bannon, the creative genius behind RavensBlight hasn’t come up with one.
I’m thinking of how a busy mom got looking around the haunted toys of RavensBlight and came across this pair of goggles. They were just plain ordinary looking goggles, but when she put them on . . . she couldn’t believe what she saw. She saw herself in her home, working on her paper craft projects. She also saw the laundry coming out of the laundry room, marching up the stairs and folding up to fit in drawers or put on hangers in the closet. The vacuum was running itself and the dishes jumped into the dishwasher . . . after the cycle jumped into the cupboards.
Was this some futuristic thing . . . could these goggles be used to program all her daily and weekly tasks to complete them automatically?
She had to know.
She found a panel of gears and gadgets . . . would these work? She wondered. She found some levers and thought about mounting them on her goggles . . . she found some wire . . . all color-coded . . . She changed the lenses to different colors . . . Piece by piece she created her goggles and while going through the process thought of each piece as being a task.
By the time she finished making her goggles, she decided it was time for her to begin straightening up the house . . . but everything was done.
Looking at the time, she grabbed her keys to go pick up the kids. While waiting, she thought of the goggles . . . and other tasks she would love to have them perform . . . fresh baked cookies . . . groceries . . . dinner cooking in the oven . . .
If she could do all this from a pair of goggles . . . where would the possibilities end . . . Then she shuttered, “Oh no! The kids could make a pair that would do their chores and even do their homework for them . . .”
She decided to hide her goggles the minute she got home. No way was she going to allow these goggles to get into the wrong hands . . .
Isn’t that something. Something so powerful that could benefit everyone would give a mother pause . . . afraid of what would or could happen if gotten into the wrong hands . . .
Well, I’m not concerned they will get into the wrong hands. I’m hoping you will make dozens of these and show your children how to make them, too. Maybe they could tell their own story of what each part could do . . . It would be valuable family time you can share.
Just click one of the images of the goggles above to be taken to the PDF — sorry, I got caught up in my story.
Click here for the Assembly Instructions.
Thanks for stopping by!
I hope you make up quite a few of these goggles and have a fun time paper crafting and imagining with your family.
Sharon
by Sharon | Nov 12, 2016
There is always a degree of apprehension and anxiety when faced with change . . . along with disappointment, discouragement . . . which leads to challenges and looking for the positive . . .
For some, there may be a pay off to being unhappy, angry, disappointed . . . 
For others, in spite of disappointments, we look for the positive . . . the challenges within ourselves that we must face to accept not getting what we want to something not being what we thought it would be.
I was all into the concept of die cuts and how wonderful it would be to have a plain template . . . but then, having something ready-made seemed to appeal to me more . . . Allowing me to see where I was going . . .
And changing something to my liking from a ready-made printable seemed the easier way to go.
But, in truth, it all comes down to your personal comfort level.
Initially, I was overwhelmed by the pieces, as above, that didn’t seem to have a purpose . . . because I never put it together before . . . and it didn’t look like anything . . . But there are more possibilities for creativity and individuality with the die cut pieces than the ready-to-print-out-and-assembly Gingerbread House.
It does go together nicely and it does have all the icing and embellishments in place . . . The first one will look the same as the second . . . fifth . . . tenth . . . fiftieth . . .
There is no surprise there . . . unless I decide to alter it in some way . . . but such alterations may be much more work than if I started with a die cut template.
Yes, if I want, I could make the die cut elements above into a gingerbread house. I can add a wreath on the front door . . . I could make a fence of gingerbread children . . . I can cut out white window frames . . . and add some white “frosting” to the roof tiles . . . And candy canes . . .
Now look back at the first image . . . The die cut . . .
You have a decision to make . . . What color card stock to do want for the body of the house . . . and for the roof of the house . . .
With the die, I had to decide at that point the colors and cutting the card stock and place it over the appropriate places . . . and later learned how I should have taped it down so it wouldn’t slip . . .
Yes, I was initially overwhelmed and a bit disappointed . . . But, it was all a matter of getting out of my way that I realized there was a learning curve for me . . . I didn’t like it . . . but if I wanted to create something different each time I made this Tim Holtz Sizzix Village Dwelling, I’d have some decisions to make . . . and it started with the first one . . . an experiment . . . and maybe several experiments until I got it right . . .
I had to learn the die . . . and the Sizzix Big Shot . . . then assemble the pieces . . . and decide what else I wanted to do with it . . . add a different roof pattern . . . add a siding pattern . . . It takes a bit of trial and error . . . and some disappointment that it didn’t turn out as initially imagined . . . but it was all about learning . . . and facing each challenge head-on.
I was watching a movie yesterday about this mathematical genius . . . who really didn’t fit in with others . . . not understanding the dynamics of relationships . . . except those associated with numbers . . . He did learn how he missed out on things . . . and found he wasn’t “all that” . . . especially when it came to his relationship with his mother . . . And, in the end, after waiting for her son to respond to her . . . they learned how to communicate . . .
This gets me to a YouTube video I watched of an interview with an adult who had a famous mother . . . and the relationship they had . . . which wasn’t so much love . . . as respect . . . an admiration of her mother’s talents and abilities . . . It struck me a bit strange . . . Yet, many famous people may be incapable of love or conveying it to their children . . . It is all about them . . . their career . . . their life . . .
It’s all a matter of perspective . . . and how we deal with it . . .
Life isn’t easy . . . we are faced with challenges . . . disappointments . . . successes . . . 
The same applies with crafts. The whole concept is to have fun . . . to make something . . . So you get all the tools and paper . . . and find it isn’t as easy as it looks when watching someone else.
You can always throw in the towel and give up or pout and throw the whole thing in the trash . . . or realize it is a bit of a challenge and the first effort may not work out . . . or even the second . . . third . . . oh my gosh! fourth . . . But, each time, you get a bit closer to achieving your goal. Just know that there may be another failure after a success . . . There are no guarantees.
There’s no guarantee that the more you work at it, that you will succeed . . . It depends upon your perspective of success . . . and respecting the tools for what they are . . . and recognizing their limitations . . . as well as your own . . . but having a determination to figure it out . . .
There are always these wise people who have these wise sayings . . . but we can never bring them to mind when we need them . . . So, we need to rely on ourselves . . . depend upon ourselves . . . be gentle with ourselves . . . accept that we’re not perfect and things aren’t always easy . . . and alternatively, things aren’t always difficult . . . We may have cycles of success . . . and cycles of failure . . . but it’s just a cycle . . . and we have to go through it until the tide changes . . .
We control our thought, our actions, our feelings . . . there are some things we can’t change . . . nor control . . . but we can focus our perspective . . . we can look for the positive . . . strive to find something funny or different or interesting or unusual each day . . . Surprisingly, you’ll find it . . . because you’re looking for it . . .
So, what we may be unable to do one day . . . we may be able to do the next . . .
This applies to all things in life . . . I know I throw a lot of concepts at you all at once . . . You may be wondering what I’m thinking . . . But, if you’ve ever had a conversation using Two Cans On A String . . . you miss some stuff and have to fill in the blanks . . . And, drawing the string of what connects life, movies, interviews and crafts together . . . is your challenge of filling in the blanks to make sense out of it for you . . .
Thanks for stopping by!
Sharon
Oh! I almost forgot!! Click the image of the Gingerbread House on the left to be taken to a PDF you can print out, cut out and assemble. It’s a great treat/gift box.
by Sharon | Nov 1, 2016
One of the best parts of Thanksgiving is having an extra piece of pumpkin pie to take home.
For many of you, you may be getting a head-start on Black Friday . . . 
I do hope you made up some of these boxes for your guests to take home a piece of pumpkin pie.
Click the picture on the right to be taken to the PDF for downloading and printing.
I like to do as much as possible a day ahead. Then while the turkey is roasting in the oven, I go out and rake up leaves. There is something invigorating about this little bit of physical labor in the fresh outdoor fall air.
It’s amazing how quickly these leaves get raked up and put in the yard waste barrel.
I then relax on the front porch with a hot cup of coffee admiring my yard before cleaning up and working on the vegetables for my Thanksgiving dinner.
I like having a relaxing day . . . no major rushing around before my family and friends arrive. I do like to have everything ready so I can relax a bit.
Jigsaw puzzles and Thanksgiving seem to go together. It’s a time to get a bit nostalgic.
I hope your Thanksgiving Day, however you celebrate it is blissful.
Thanks for stopping by!
Sharon
by Sharon | Oct 16, 2016
I’m a big fan of Tim Holtz and Sizzix’s Big Shot.
Tim Holtz was the inspiration behind the electric version Vagabond. It looks like a suitcase and you can add travel labels to it. This is an excellent die cutting machine for those who do a lot of die cutting and those with issues with their hands . . . or are just tired of hand cranking the dies through the Big Shot.
One or the other of these machines is necessary to use the Sizzix Bigz Village Dwelling Die by Tim Holtz.
This die is essential in making a village . . . Tim has created other dies that are add-ons to this die . . . The Village Manor, Village Winter, Village Bell Tower, Village Bungalow and the Surf Shack. I think I covered all of them . . . There’s also a Brownstone that I believe is a stand-alone die . . . And there are also dies with different roofs, shutters and windows that you can add to make your dwellings a bit different.
And you can always add embellishments of your own using paper or other materials along with craft store items. It’s amazing how different roof materials and siding can change the whole look of the dwelling. I prefer to make these decisions while the dwelling is still in pieces. That way I don’t need to try to figure out measurements and cutting things at weird angles.
Some people are amazing with paint and paint these up to make them all different with brickwork or rock work or woodwork . . . I’ve known people who cut up paper and layer it to get the correct texture on their dwelling.
This is cute and with the other dies for variations, you’ll be creating a whole village in no time at all!
I found inspiration from the Surf Shack . . . I thought this would be a fun craft for kids who spend a lot of time at the beach . . . surfing and just enjoying the water . . . I’m sure you could make a whole seaside town with restaurants and shops . . . Allow your imagination to flow freely and you’ll be making up whole sections of your village from various places you’ve vacationed or lived . . . or would love to visit.
I’m wondering about something for Halloween . . . Thanksgiving . . . Christmas . . . Easter . . . I think anything is possible once you get the basic house structure and you can create variations upon variations. I like to see what others create and I try to improve on their idea . . . I believe Tim Holtz designed the dwelling house to have fun and see what would develop . . . Then he came up with more dies to add to it . . . Like the Surf Shack, Village Winter, Bell Tower for a church and school house . . . The Village Manor — which would make an excellent Haunted House . . . and the Village Bungalow . . . That one would be delightful for spring or Easter with flowers and bunnies . . . But, it could also work for other seasons, too . . .
Just take a moment to look at the different houses all made from The Village Dwelling and you’ll soon find other houses you can make by combining elements from the other dies.
The important thing is to get the basics down first . . . Then you can design some extra-ordinary dwellings from your own imagination.
Here are some links you may find helpful:
With these along with the images in the post, you’ll have everything you need, except paper, to build villages for every season of the year.
And, if this is your first purchase of a Sizzix Big Shot or Vagabond, it’s a good idea to get the extended cutting plates and a crease pad and other suggestions that go with the machine and with the dies you’re purchasing. You don’t want to wait for your next order to arrive before being able to use your dies.
Thanks for stopping by!
Sharon
