Here is one of the quickest, easiest, and most clever craft projects ever—a free pet maze, courtesy of my sister. Many readers will remember her tutorial for creating a cat condo, which was the most popular pet post of 2014.

A very sweet reader named Janetta saw that post and emailed me, asking if I knew of a free craft that both cats and dogs would enjoy. Since I’m really not crafty, I definitely didn’t, so I turned to my sis for ideas.

Her solution was this incredible pet maze! While the primary user is her cat, Fury, it’s also enjoyed by Oscar the Chihuahua. The entire project can be completed in 30 minutes or less and only has 5 simple steps.

1.  Start with any size cardboard box. This works especially well with leftover packages.

2.  Trace circles onto the box, either free hand or with a stencil. The circles should be various sizes for best results.

3.  Check over the circles to make sure there are no sharp edges.

4.  Inside the holes, attach any toys your pet likes, such as rattling balls, fake mice, yarn, feathers, stuffed balls, or ribbon. For an extra kick, try a catnip sachet (to be used only with cats).

5.  Place the maze on a safe surface and let pets go wild, enjoying hours of playtime, for very little cost.

While I knew cats would love it, I was a bit skeptical about dogs. Oscar loved using it so much, he tired himself out to the point of exhaustion! Check out his yawn of exhausted bliss. He and Fury adore their new toy.

I can’t wait to make this for my cat, Pumpkin. I’ve had a dozen boxes—no joke–sitting in the hall closet since Hanukkah and now I can finally use them for something productive. (Plus, I know have the necessary inspiration.)

Isn’t it awesome to turn trash into treasures? Love it!

Have you ever made pet crafts?

Is there anything better than binging on British TV, courtesy of PBS? I can’t express my love for PBS strongly enough! My favorites have always been Masterpiece Theatre and cooking shows. Since both were on Sunday night, I was in heaven!

First up was the Season 5 premiere of the insanely addictive Downton Abbey. Since the very first episode I’ve been hooked on the Edwardian era soap opera that follows the trials and tribulations of the Crawley family. (Picture a more lavish version of Upstairs, Downstairs.) I’m dying to know the future of Lady Edith’s illegitimate daughter and whether or not Lady Mary will become the wife of Viscount Gillingham.

In addition to the premiere, there was a companion piece, Manners of Downton Abbey. It revealed the secrets of how the aristocrats dined, dressed, interacted with peers and servants, made money, and chose suitable marriage partners. Living during an age when every bit of life was so constricted must’ve been quite difficult—particularly for women.

Last but not least was the awesome The Great British Baking Show which features 12 amateur chefs competing to be the UK’s best. The chefs ranged in age from 17 to senior citizen, with an elderly lady that had been cooking for 60 years. Episode one focused on cakes. Did you know Swiss Rolls come in numerous varieties? (I mistakenly thought it was simply a chocolate cake filled with cream—inaccurate!) Some of the recipes were so creative it was incredible: strawberry, orange, hazelnut, and cardamom pistachio, and red velvet.

Talk about inspirational! I consider myself a decent baker, but these folks are light years ahead of anyone I know. Can you imagine the effort to hand paint those strawberries on the cake? Unreal!

After the Swiss Rolls, they were instructed to make the judge’s recipe for Cherry Cake. Sounds easy, except key components were missing! Here’s what it’s supposed to look like:

Most of the results didn’t. Some were really bad, but everyone of them deserves an “A” for effort. I can’t wait to watch Episode 2; they call them “biscuits,” we call them “cookies.” In either vernacular, they’re delicious!

Do you watch any British TV?