Baseball Pin Collection

After coming home from our Baseball Tournament, my son came home with 63 trading pins.  I didn't want to purchase the nice in closed pin box from the tournament for $75.00 so I knew I would have to come up with something at home.  We decided to display them in the open for a while and that way, he can look at them often, instead of being kept in a tidy carry case where you can't see them.

I decided to take one of his jerseys that he was given and put the pins on that.  It was easy to push the pins through both front and back layers of the shirt and put the butterfly clasp on the back.  We just started lining them up but weren't to worried about exactness.

Then I took a hook and put it on the wall.  We slipped a plastic hanger in the shirt and realized the sleeves were to heavy and hung down so we pinned them to the wall.  Then I took one of his caps and hung it over the hook to hide the hanger.

Now he can look at them every day and after rearranging a few things, it fit perfectly in that little corner of his room.  The cost to display......$1.99 for the hook. 



Linking to:       Smart and Trendy Moms
                       Chic on a Shoestring

Clever Brooch Holder

You have got to go to this blog and see how Jane - made this clever holder for her brooches.

mamiejanes

I love this idea, but I love all those brooches more.

Thrift Store Find

Yesterday I stopped at a Thrift Store and they had just received  five pallets of merchandise.   Anyway they had about 100 of these great metal lanterns.  Most of them either had no glass or a couple panes were missing, or the latch was gone.  They had about 3 different sizes and ranged anywhere from $5.00 - $15.00. 

To continue my bird nest obsession, I took strips of dictionary pages (another obsession) and cut them in strips.  I covered a bowl with Saran wrap and then mod podged the strips of paper together overlapping as I went.  On my final layer, I just pressed dry strips to the wet mod podge so it would look textured and strewn about.  I let it dry at least 24 hours and removed the Saran wrap and voila - a cute bird nest.

I stuck in some moss and my beautiful green bird and gave him a new home.  My  lantern  only cost me $4.99.  I think I need another one!!!

Linking up to: http://www.whipperberry.com/

http://itsahodgepodgelife.blogspot.com/
http://chiconashoestringdecorating.blogspot.com/
http://www.mysimplehomelife.com/
http://craftomaniac.blogspot.com/
http://singingthreelittlebirds.blogspot.com/
http://www.thefrugalgirls.com/

 

Chic Candy Dish

Wednesday I went to the Dollar Tree and was just walking around....getting my "creative" on, and I spotted these cute little candle holders.

After I got home I kept looking at them without knowing exactly what to do with them.  As I had them sitting on my desk, I put one on top of the other.  I knew what I was going to do with them.  So I found an old cheap strand of fake pearls and put them in the candle holder.  Then I got my E600 and glued the two glass holders together.

I hung a charm on a small chain and hung it from the top.  Filled it with butterscotch chips (because seriously, my hips can't take any more Easter candy around here) plus I like the color, and found a lid from one of my other apothecary jars I no longer use.  I LOVE IT.  So for $2.00 I have a great little dish.

Partying all day at: http://diybydesign.blogspot.com/

http://www.whipperberry.com/

http://thebrambleberrycottage.blogspot.com/

http://romantichome.blogspot.com/
http://pinkpostcard.blogspot.com/
http://www.504main.com/
http://frugalfabulousdesign.com/fab-friday-42/
http://chiconashoestringdecorating.blogspot.com/

Bathroom Caddy

Just before I began blogging, I had made this cute bathroom caddy.  It was originally whitewashed gray, and I kept the kids pens, pencils, and school supplies in it so they could easily find things.  I decided to paint it black, mod podge paper to the front and added an inexpensive drawer handle.  I love it.

Party over at http://debbie-debbiedoos.blogspot.com/

Come join the fun!

Soda Bottle Cloche'

This is a complete copy cat project.  Is that bad in blog land?  I saw it just like two days ago and thought it was so clever I had to try it.  Honestly, I can't find who posted it.  I hope if you see this post and you made one recently you will please notify me so I can give the proper credit to you.  I searched for about an hour today, trying to find where I saw this.  I have been getting new followers and have been trying to acknowledge each one, and now I can't remember who posted it and if I'm following you or you are following me or ugghhhh.....I'm sorry. 

Anyway, I thought it was so clever I tried one, and love it.  I went to Ralphs and bought Grape Soda just for the kids (who were overjoyed) for .79 cents.  I cut off the bottom of the bottle, then I spray painted my lid silver, had to use mineral spirits to take the sticky back of the label off but it came off easily.  Put some moss on the pedestal, $1.00 bunnies from the Dollar Tree and tied a sheer ribbon around the lid.  It really does work.  It looks so cute.  Thanks for the great idea......wonderful blogger! 

Dictionary Covered Plastic Eggs

Easter is almost here and even though I live in Southern California and it is almost always Spring here, it has been rainy and cold (for our standards) lately.  I love the Spring since I grew up in the Mid West and actually miss the extreme changes that Mother Nature gave us back there.  Things are starting to bloom and blossom and there is a feeling of new life around us.    

I have a couple Easter ideas to post on my blog, and this is my first, very easy, fast, inexpensive project.  I bought plastic eggs - 6 for $1.00 and took my handy dandy dictionary paper, tore it into small pieces and mod podged it on. 

Then after it dried, I took a yellow highlighter, pink ink pad, green marker, walnut ink pad, and colored each egg.  A couple I left the original color of the dictionary paper.  Then I put another coat of mod podge and sprinkled super fine glitter on them.  It's on there, I just have camera issues.

I put them under a cloche (because everything looks better under a cloche), and have them in my downstairs bathroom.  Soooo easy and they look very pretty with the tiny sparkle from the glitter.

Terra Cotta Cupcake Stands

My own creation

I love to look at recipes at Bakerella.  This is a beautiful blog, with a beautiful author, who is very sick right now.  She posted these delicious cupcakes on these super cute cupcake stands.  I have attached the link.  The price is 6 for 39.99.  Yikes for me.  I wondered if I could make something like them.


http://www.victoriantradingco.com/store/catalogimages/1a/i15408.html



So, I have been looking and thinking, and looking and thinking.....I needed something washable, non-toxic, and cute.  I finally came up with an idea at a fraction of the cost.  A jumbo size cupcake looks the best in mine, but the various ways you could use them for displays is countless.  Here is what I did.

I got 8 (4 inch terra cotta bowls) and 16 (1 1/2 inch small terra cotta pots), patio paint, my E-6000, my .39 cent brush and I forgot to include in the picture my high gloss mod podge.

4 inch bowl - .89 cents each
1 1/2 inch pot - .59 cents each x 2
Paint 1.79 x2 = 3.58

Total  $2.00 + some change per stand

I took two small pots and glued them together, then I attached it to the bottom of the larger terra cotta bowl.

Next, I put on several layers of paint.  This patio paint said it was great with terra cotta and made for outside weather so I knew it could get wet.  It probably took about 3 coats each stand.  This is my 2nd coat.  I got 2 botttles of paint and each bottle did at least 4 complete stands.

Next, I put on 2 layers of High Gloss Mod Podge just to seal it all together.  I think they turned out really cute.  I made a set of 8.

Easter Bunny

It's time to start thinking about Easter.  Two years ago at Christmas time, I found these really cute wooden tags.  They measure 10x6.   They were .99 cents each so I grabbed about 10.  I have made them into Christmas tags, Halloween tags, Fourth of July tags, but I never made an Easter tag. 

I found a cute clip art picture of a bunny I liked, grabbed the mod podge and set to work.  I glued it to the wood, and then inked the edges with my ink pad.  I put glue on the bunny and used my Sprinklers glitter to shine him up a bit.

                Just the right amount of bling!            

I hung him from my favorite candle holder in the niche in our entryway. 

Super easy and took about 30 minutes.

Dictionary Covered Pillar Candle Stand

I have a huge dictionary from the thrift store I used for my dictionary wreath.  I am dying to use more of it.  I have two wooden pillar candle holders just aching to be remade. 

I got out the mod podge and started tearing out sheets of dictionary and covered the pillar with the torn pieces of paper.

I inked the edges with my ink pad to make it look older.  Then glued on a flower that had broken from a bracelet I wore.

I used my black candle and set it in the downstairs bathroom.

I like it.  It adds one more texture to my grouping.

Candle tip: Can't remember where I saw this, but once you have the candle you like, burn it down just a little way. (Mine needs to burn down just a tiny bit more so you can't see the tea light.)  Then put a tea light candle inside the burned section, and your candle will last forever.  You just replace the tea light each time it burns out.  Pretty Clever. 

Birthday Cans

I teach seven (4 year old boys) every Sunday in church.  I wanted to give them something fun on their birthdays so I came up with this idea.  I did a similar idea at Christmas with a Cookie Exchange only with much bigger cans.  Each boy gets his own personal pop open birthday can, especially for him on his special day.

Use any can size you want.

With my handy can opener I removed the bottom of the can.  This can opener is great because it doesn't leave a sharp edge around the lid.

Clean out the can and make sure it is really dry.  Remove the label.

Cut out paper to wrap around the outside of can.

Glue it on.

I put a Hot Wheels car, Smarties, and Airheads inside.

Put a little filler

And glued the bottom back on.

I made a little tag, added some jute and now it is ready for delivery.  He can pull open the top and find his surprise inside.