MAGIC OUTSIDE THE BOX

CLOSE UP SURFACE MADE FROM PICTURE FRAME
I've never liked using my old mat for close-up, but this I do like. Built from an old picture frame, I simply cut a thin piece of wood the size of the old glass. covered it with 1/8 inch thick headliner material, fabric glued on a sheet of red felt and mounted it in the frame. Underneath are felt tabs of course to keep it from scratching surfaces. It fits right into my briefcase and serves me well. So if you have an old frame lying around...

My Magic Tea Pitcher $15 @ Target. Gimmick $1.99. Prism stickers 1.99. Shown here on my grandmother's old teak wood TV table that the legs broke off yrs ago. Painted of course.

SPICE UP YOUR RICE BOWLS! Here's a relatively easy paint you can do to your plain ole' Brahmin Bowls. The original interiors tend to chip, so lightly sand then paint the interiors with oil-based flat black Rustoleum using a sponge brush (no stroke marks). No primer on the outside.The characters were simply cut from masking tape and applied before I sprayed the gold and then the gold and flake green on the extra bowl. I finished with a few coats of clear. Easy peasy.

KIDDMAGIC: The world's cheapest magician.
"Sands of the Dessert"
Here is a set of desert bowls from Walmart. The main bowl costs only $6.97 and the smaller are $1.99 ea. You can see that I painted a Middle-Eastern motif on the large bowl. I did this with making tape and an exacto-knife using glass frosting spray paint.
http://www.walmart.com/ip/Anchor-Hocking-Large-Trifle-Bowl/17656213