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If you don’t want to put a bumper sticker on your car, you can still make a statement with a window decal. A window decal is an image that clings to the glass on the car, but it does not have a sticky back to it like a sticker would. It just sticks to the window with suction. With modern technology, you can actually print one of these window decals on your own. All you need is an inkjet printer, some inkjet printer ink, and some window decal paper. With those materials and the guide below, you will be making your own decals in no time.

Design the Decals

The first thing you have to do is design the decal you want to print off. You can either use an image that you already have on the computer, or you can use a photo editor to make one of your own. Try to get something that has hard lines and bold colors because that will show up the best on your window. If you have light, wispy lines, you may have trouble letting people see whatever it is you wanted to put on the window.

Print the Decals

Once you have your design in place, you can use your printer and decal paper to print the image out. You may want to print a test image out on traditional printer paper to get an idea of what the image will look like, and then you can actually make the print on the decal paper. Load the paper into the tray just like you would normally and print off the image. You should have the decal you wanted when everything comes out of the printer.

Display the Decal

The only thing you will have left to do is put your new decal on display. You should be able to just peel the decal off the backing and put it on the window, but you may have to put some soapy water between the decal and the window to get it to stay. Squeegee the decal down to get out all the air bubbles, and then it will be on display for the world to see. For best results, clean the window ahead of time. That way you have a clear surface to adhere the decal to.

Popsicle sticks can be used for much more than checking a person’s throat or holding a sweet treat for the summer. If you have a set of popsicle sticks lying around your house, you may be surprised by what all you can do with them. You can make a whole weekend out of popsicle stick crafts if you want to. Here are some of the different projects you may try out with your kids in the future.

Popsicle Stick Houses

One of the most popular ways to use popsicle sticks is to make small houses similar to log cabins. You can construct everything from the floors to the roof out of sticks, and you could even make a fence with them for the “yard” in back. If you get colored wood sticks, you could use the red ones for “brick” and the green ones for “grass.” You just have to be as creative as you can be with them. Use a little bit of glue to hold everything together and you should be all set.

Popsicle Stick People

Do you remember making people out of popsicle sticks when you were in elementary school? If not, you missed out on one of the coolest craft days for the year. To make popsicle stick people, all you need is a set of sticks and something to decorate them with. You could use some markers, stickers, glitter glue, wiggle eyes, or anything else you can think of. You just have to give the little people some personality. Make them look like different people you know using yarn for hair, or you could make them look like crazy aliens. You just have to let the creativity do the talking.

Popsicle Stick Picture Frames

Have a picture frame that needs a new look? Popsicle sticks may do the trick. Just get some glue to adhere the sticks to the frame, and then you can set them up however you want. If you want to just have the bottoms on the frame so they look like shingles, you can do that. If you want a frame full of standard sized sticks, you can do that too. Once you’re done, all you will need is some printer ink so you can print something to put in the frame.

X-Acto knives are finite box cutters that a lot of people use when making models. Their blades are thinner and sharper than the blades on standard box cutters, so they are able to make more precise cuts on whatever it is they are being used for. You can use X-Acto knives to cut through foam board, chipboard, cardboard, and much more. It just depends on what you need to do. In order to ensure the best results from your X-Acto experiences, you need to learn how to use this tool properly. Here are some tips to help you when using an X-Acto knife.

Use a Ruler for Guidance

If you are trying to make a straight cut with an X-Acto, you need to have a ruler on hand to guide the cuts. Ideally, you need a steel ruler so you don’t cut the actual ruler during your project. If you’re cutting on something thick like foam core, make sure you hold the blade as vertical as possible. Otherwise you may cut along the ruler and still end up with an incorrect cut.

Replace the Blades Frequently

You will need to replace your blades on a regular basis if you want the cuts to come out as cleanly as possible. If you start to see the material curl up on the side, that is because the blade is no longer sharp. You have to change out blades after every few cuts to ensure a sharp looking line every time. That is why it is usually best to buy blades in bulk to avoid a huge bill when you do a project. If you can get a rhythm down for changing out your blade, you will be able to maintain a high level of craftsmanship throughout your project.

Avoid Excessive Pressure

When you start to cut something with the X-Acto, make sure to press lightly on it. You may have to go over the same line multiple times in order to do this, but that will keep the blade from warping as you work with it. If you have a warped blade, you will inevitably end up with a warped line on your board. As long as you can maintain a steady hand as you cut, your precision will look like perfection with an X-Acto.

Has your printer been running a little slowly lately? If so, you may want to figure out if there is a way to increase the speed at which your pages come out. Every printer works a little differently based on the ink cartridges it uses and the kinds of images it produces. Before you decide to throw your printer away because it is too slow, you need to learn what it takes to print documents and images quickly. Here are some tips to help you do just that.

Speed vs. Quality

One thing you need to realize about printers before focusing on speed is that you usually have to sacrifice the quality of your prints if you want them to come out faster. Inkjet printers typically spend more time making a quality print based on the amount of ink they deposit on the pages. If you want to get the best looking images possible, you may have to wait a little bit for them to come out. If you don’t care about quality though, you can get a printer that will shoot out a whole stack of paper in a matter of minutes. You just have to figure out what matters most to you.

How to Improve Your Printer Speeds

You can start the improvement process by minimizing the amount of ink you use per print. You should be able to set this on your printer or on your computer, depending on what company your equipment comes from. Make an effort to find a place where you can say how much ink you want to use per print, and try to set the printer at a minimal volume. That will improve your speeds and give you the most usage out of your printer.

Try to hardwire the printer to the computer rather than hooking it up wirelessly. A direct connection is always going to provide the fastest speeds, including the connection for the internet. If you want to work as effectively as possible, you can’t rely on a wireless router.

Set up multiple prints at once rather than waiting for one to finish before you do the other. That way your printer can just keep going until you are done. If you buy an efficient printer from the start, you should have no trouble getting a decent printing speed from it.

Are you tired of using the same old Bic pens that everyone else seems to use? Perhaps you want a little pizzazz for the office. If that is the case, you may want to find a way to dress up your pens and make them a little easier to find. This will prevent people from stealing them, and it will also give you a conversation starter for anyone that comes into the office. Before you throw away your pens for good and start relying on your printing supplies to do all of your written work, you may just want to have a little crafty fun with your pens. Here are some projects to help you do that.

Add Fake Flowers

Get some fake flowers to attach to the ends of your pens, and then you can use floral tape to hold them in place. You can wrap the tape around the office pens so that they look like the stem of a flower, and then you could even put them in a little flower pot on your desk. That way you have something with a little personality that can still function at the end of the day.

Top with Funky Feathers

You can add a feather to the top of every pen and secure it with electrical tape or glue. This will not be quite as covert as the flowers may be, but it can still give you a chance to add a little fun to a boring set of pens. You can get feathers in crazy colors that match your office décor, or you can just get a set of neutral ones that are easy to see. That part is up to you.

Cover in Rubber Bands

Have you ever made a rubber band ball before? If so, you can do the same thing to a pen that you would to the ball. Just start wrapping the pens from top to bottom with rubber bands, and then you will have a built in gripper and a way to store your rubber bands for the office. If you get a set of colored rubber bands, you can turn your pens into a true work of art.

Think outside the box and you will surely find a way to make your office pens one of a kind.