Furniture Feet Pumpkins.....?

Yesterday I shared my fall mantel here on the blog with a little teaser that I had a confession to make.

I've said in the past that nothing in my house is that valuable; therefore nothing is really sacred.  So, when I noticed that the feet of the ottoman I am currently reupholstering would make great pumpkins - well, off they came.

They are just perfect with these candlesticks.  I get bored decorating with candles, so these feet made me happy - and they gave Edward a good laugh when he realized what they were.

Luckily, I had a spare set of feet in the garage, so the poor ottoman can still stand tall.  Don't you just love them as pumpkins, though?  They're such a great color.

The Ever Changing Picture, Picture

I bought an ugly picture, and I'm not even sure why.

You see, I went to a junk sale at a super fun place called 

The Chicken Farm in Jones, OK.  To learn more about it and the dates of their sales - check them out here.  They are so cool!

Anyway.....

.....it was the end of the day and these two ladies were selling this picture.  For some reason - they seemed to really want me to have it.  (Do I look like a jungle cat woman - or do they just know I'm a sucker for a good deal?)  They started reverse wheeling-n-dealing with me until the price was so low - who could pass it up?  What the heck - I could paint the frame or something.

I stuck it on my Dining Room wall just to fill the space for a bit, and you know - it actually kind of grew on me.  It started to look rather nice - imagining it without the brown mat and the cats.

I thought it would be fun to paint a mat with chalk board paint and write something like Eat, Pray, Love on it.  However, the mat ended up such a gorgeous black - I chose not to mess it up with chalk.

I also chose not to tear apart the mat and mess up the little gold frame embedded in it.  Instead, I poked holes in each of the corners and glued a small power magnet in the hole.  This allowed me to add a picture and hold in it place with metal of some sort.

Isn't it pretty?

The best part - it is like Picture, Picture from Mr. Rogers.  I can change the picture whenever I like.

Here is one I made for Fall.  It is so elegant in my Dining Room - so much nicer than the jungle cats.

Thanks for talking me into it ladies - it really is my style.  Hope to see you at the Chicken Farm again soon!

Crystal Lamp Upcycle To Apothecary Jar

If you like to decorate with apothecary jars, you might pay attention to the glass and crystal lamps you see while you're out thrifting.  The lamps I'm talking about are usually dated, pretty dirty, and might not look that great with fake painted metal bases - like this lamp.  Definitely something to pass over, unless you stop and look at the glass.

The fake, rusty metal was what I disliked the most, but the crystal was quite nice.  I hoped when I took it apart it would be in several pieces, and like most lamps - it was.

I removed all the things I didn't like, and was left with pieces to make a lovely apothecary jar.  I glued the two bottom pieces together using E6000 glue to create the jar.   Then, I glued a decanter stopper to the top piece to create a lid.

Here it is pictured next to a "real" jar.  They make a nice pair, if you ask me.  I'm not a matchy-matchy person, so this suits my home perfectly.  I like it so much better as a jar instead of a lamp, don't you?

Glass Knobs To Create Baubled Glass Cloches

A collection of glass cloches, apothecary jars, and cake domes is a gorgeous way to decorate.  Not only does everything looks prettier under glass, but I have to say - having 
a collection lets you change out your seasonal decor without having to box up lots of tchotchkes, only to unpack others.  Simply change out leaves for Christmas ornaments, or ornaments for eggs and your decorating is done.

But glass cloches can be expensive and hard to find!  So, today I have a few fun tips to help you make some by adding glass baubles to found objects.  This is also a great way to replace knobs on your pretties that might have been broken off.

But where do you get the glass baubles to add?

For this first tip:

Hold a plastic gem in a flame for a few seconds, then press the gem on a piece of tile or some other surface that won't be harmed.  

This will flatten the point, giving you a broader surface to glue onto a cloche or lid.  I use E6000 glue for these embellishments, and it seems to hold quite well.

 Here is an example:

Also, I bought this set of 2 apothecary jars at Goodwill, but didn't realize the smaller one was missing its swirly handle.  Although it doesn't match, the glass gem still adds a finished look and it isn't too noticeable.  Well, not until now -  
my secret is out.

I love this next bauble idea:

Pick up plastic/glass knobs when you see them for a good price.  I see this style at garage sales all the time.  Heat the metal part of the knob with a lighter for 15-20  seconds, then using pliers - twist and pull the metal off.  

Don't they make beautiful, sparkly baubles?

 

 

Lastly, just keep your eyes open for orphaned, unusual knobs when you're out and about.  I found this one at Hobby Lobby for 60 cents.  I have no idea what it was for, but it is my favorite addition of all. 

 

A little extra sparkle is always in order, don't you think?

 I sure do!

Solar Lanterns - Fast, Fun, & Fabulous

I think solar lights have to be one of the funnest inventions.

 They are so inexpensive now, and can be used 

to dress up your outdoor spaces in such fun ways.

Here are a couple of solar lanterns I put together:

I put a glass bowl on this old chandelier 

and added a few solar lights

Here is how it looks at night.

On my front porch, I put some solar lights inside of 

pink glass candle votives and added a stem of artificial orchids.

It makes such a pretty glow.

This was the moon on the night I was taking these pictures.

Awww,......how I love Summer Nights.

 

$ Tree Candlesticks/Vases

I made these candlesticks for Valentines Day this year, but never got around to posting them.  You can find similar versions all over Pinterest and Blogland, so I didn't figure mine would be missed.

However, I've had a lot of fun using them in different ways so I thought I'd share an idea or two.

Spray painting the candlestick before gluing the pieces together with E6000 glue really added a nice touch of color.  I'm actually surprised how many ways I can use them in hot pink.  I think a red set is next on my list.

I love to use fillers I already have on hand like......dried peas, candy, moss, colored water, dirt.......and these colorful pony beads!  They remind me of jelly beans - which I think I will eventually replace them with.

Also, notice the hair bands I put around the base.  This is an easy way to add some fun color, but it also creates a great place to tuck a flower or glue something, since I really don't want to glue permanently to the glass.

For Valentines Day, I partially filled them with conversation hearts and a candle.  I think the egg is pretty cute for Easter, too.  My next idea is to see how they would look with Minnie Mouse cake pops for my grandbaby's birthday.  I think they could make adorable centerpieces!  When I get that far, I'll come back and post a pic.

Thanks for stopping by the Tub!

Ellie

Pillows Made From Recycled Sweaters

I know this is nothing new, I just thought I would show you mine.

 

Oh, I love not throwing perfectly good things away.

This taupe sweater (below) was not tall enough, so I used 

pieces of the sleeve to stitch across the top. 

Lavender Tub Tips:  Make the pillows to fit tight since they have a lot of stretch.  This doesn't mean to stretch them out, but you might make a test pillow first to give you an idea how loose or tight it will fit before you cut several at once.

Also, when stitching the bottom opening closed, do a fairly loose hand stitch.  I stitched my first nice and tight like I normally would, but popped the stitches when I tugged on them to shape the pillow.

If you have a serger definitely use it.  

The pillows pieced together like a dream using my serger.

Thanks for stopping by the Tub!

Ellie

PicMonkey - How to Combine Graphics for a Custom Design - Ballerina Picture

Today I'd like to show you how to take some free graphics that are available to you on the web, and combine them to make something unique and special.  I'm using 2 graphics that I downloaded from the Graphics Fairy to make a pretty picture to hang in a little girl's room.

 

 

When I open PicMonkey (see below), I am going to select Edit, and then choose the decorative frame graphic pictured above that is now saved to my computer.

Next, I'm going to click on the butterfly icon on the left, which allows me to add stickers to my picture

and I'm going to select Your Own at the very top.  While many of PicMonkey's features are free, this is one you will need to pay for, but it is awfully fun for the price.  I think it is only $5 to have all the upgrades for an entire month.

At this point I can now select any other picture I have saved on my computer to add to the picture I am editing.  I will now choose the ballerina.  (I did a little cropping and editing on this picture, and saved it back to my computer beforehand.)

Notice it is not blending very well, so I will now look to the pop-up editing box which automatically appears when you add a sticker (see it on the far right in the above pic).  Just click down through the Blend options to Darken, and that should blend your pictures together perfectly.

I finished this picture by adding an initial to the top.  All that is left is to save this back to my computer, giving it a new name.  It is ready to insert into Word or some other software to size and print it.

This is a great tool for making personalized invitations, cards, jewelry, gifts.....really the options are limitless!  Think you'll give this a try?  Let me know how it goes.

Thanks for stopping by the Tub!

Ellie

Fast, Fun, & Fabulous - Wire Cloche

Have you seen these Frenchy wire cloches that are so cute for decorating, especially for spring?  Wow, I thought I might like to have one until I looked at the price.  Ouch!!!

 So........how would you like to make one 

for a little over a buck?

I took my favorite crafting medium from the Dollar Tree, a little wire waste basket, and cut the bottom completely off of it.  Then I shaped and molded until it had a nice cloche shape.  Finally, I glued a bathroom knob hook to the top.  I picked this set up at a garage sale for next to nothing.

Isn't it adorable? 

 For a $52.50 savings - I'll take mine any day.

(There is not a hook hanging down inside - that is the S from the weather vane behind it)

I found that by using a table top and pressing my hand against the inside of the basket - it helped with the molding.  I shaped a second cloche by forming it around a glass cloche I already had.  I liked the glass cloche method the best, but perhaps not everyone has one to use as a form.

 

Thanks for stopping by the Tub!

Ellie