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Thrifty Thursday :: Kitchen Goodies

whitney — Thu, 16 Sep 2010 15:22:13 +0000

Recently, my friend and I stumbled upon Ocean Beach and a nice, big antique store. We were driving along in my ‘72 Super Beetle and both saw the sign at the same time. In the blink of an eye, I’d whipped that bug around and swung into a parking spot! We spent almost two hours rummaging through everything there was to see.

While I saw MANY items I wanted to take home with me, I settled on these two. I’d been looking for an old scale for some time. I really liked this one when I saw it. It was right around $20 which is more than I normally spend on thrift items, but I didn’t feel it was too terribly high.

I also couldn’t resist this little Bisquick recipe box with the recipes! It was around the $15 range. Definitely more than I wanted to spend on it, but as I already stated, I couldn’t resist.

Love the colors and the old recipe cards. Makes me wonder who made all those dishes and for what occasions. I’m sure I can find them all online today, but there is something special about holding a recipe card and knowing someone (or more than one someone) has held it before you. I love that.

Hope to have more goodies to share with you next week!

Make It Monday :: Prettified Stones

whitney — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 01:19:36 +0000

I came across a bag of smooth stones I’d picked up pretty cheap at Ikea a long time ago. They seem to be moved from one box or closet to another. It was time they had a makeover! Here I’ve made them into pretty little paperweights.

WHAT I USED

- any rocks, smooth stones
- scrap lace or trims
- Fabric-Tac

WHAT I DID

Decide which side of your rock you’d like to be the top. Now flip it over, and place your lace edge down to see where you want it to be glued. I pushed mine towards the center a bit so you can’t see the edge when it is sitting on your surface.

Start by drawing a thin line of glue around the bottom of the rock. Take one end of your lace and place it in the line of glue. Press gently to keep fingers clean! Do not flip right side up until glue has dried.

You may also want to place a bead of glue where the ends meet to keep a uniform look throughout the lace. Otherwise you will see two unfinished edges.

Now you’re done! Use as a paperweight or simply a pretty little addition to your home.

Thrifty Thursday :: Honeycomb Trivet

whitney — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 19:45:34 +0000

Honeycomb, originally uploaded by sewtrashy.

Happy Thursday Everyone! I have no idea what this object is, but I thought it was beautiful. It was under $1, so I couldn’t pass it up.

It’s made of some type of wood, and my best guess is that it could be a trivet. It’s so lovely I may end up framing it. Currently it’s nestled under a small white planter by the kitchen window. This would make a lovely fabric pattern, wouldn’t it?

Thrifty Thursday: Blue

whitney — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 21:36:29 +0000

Theme for today is blue. Recently, we visited family in El Paso, and hit up a couple thrift stores. One of my favorite items I brought home is this lovely lamp. I believe it was $6, but now I’m on the lookout for the perfect shade to compliment it. Any suggestions? I’m thinking something more rectangular might be nice with the detail on the lamp. For now, I may just rip out the rusted old lighting and use it as a nice decor piece.

Another absolute favorite item I brought home is this lovely ceramic pitcher my mother-in-”love” gave me. I was admiring it during one of our many late night talks, and before I knew it she’d given it to me! So sweet of her. She picked this up when she was 19, I believe, while living in Florida. This will make a lovely container for displaying flowers or using as a pitcher. Love it!

Foodie Friday is tomorrow. Is your mouth watering yet?

Trashy Tuesday :: Old Pot to Fruit Bowl

whitney — Tue, 19 Jan 2010 15:30:25 +0000

Yesterday, our local thrift shop had a 50% off sale on EVERYTHING. I snagged this pot for about 80 cents. I have a fondness for these colored pots. Currently, I’m using one as a hanging planter seen here. Typically, you’ll find them in bad condition for cooking, but they make wonderful holders and containers for other things! And, I don’t mind the “worn” look at all. It adds a bit of character.

Here, I’ve taken an item otherwise destined for doom and repurposed it into a lovely fruit bowl for our kitchen. Simply remove the handle, and give it a good scrub in hot soapy water. Rocket science? No. Instant cheer added to kitchen? Yes! Who says you can’t buy anything for a buck these days?

Tune in tomorrow for Where We Live Wednesday!

Make It Monday: 5 Minute Ring

whitney — Tue, 19 Jan 2010 04:48:02 +0000

Welcome to the first of many Make It Mondays! Mondays will showcase items I have made be it crafts, art, home decor items, clothing or even food (if it can’t wait until Friday!) Sometimes, handmade items and ideas from other fabulous makers will be featured. Today, I’m sharing a quick 5 Minute Ring.

Tonight, I wanted something simple. After a hectic day full of work, appointments, MAJOR thrifting and a late dinner, I didn’t want to think too hard. I managed to knock out this spunky little number in about five minutes. It took longer to pull the materials together than to actually make the ring! I have been dying to transform these old clip ons into something more wearable for my tastes.

The Project: 5 Minute Ring

The Materials:

- Any clip on earrings you adore, but don’t want to hang from your lobes
- Button Shank Remover, jewelry making pliers
- 2 headpins

The How-To:

1. Remove the “clip on” portion of the earring. Mine was quite simple. The button shank remover easily cut through three tiny metal tabs which held the “clip on” portion to the beading.
2. Slide one headpin through one hole on the right outer edge. Slide a second headpin directly across from the first on the left outer edge.
3. Now begin to twist the headpins together creating the ring shape, but remember to measure your finger early on so it doesn’t end up too small. Be sure to tuck the ends away from the inside so they don’t scratch or dig.
4. Now you’re done! See how easy that was?

You could certainly use a real ring base. I did not have one on hand, but this was a perfect solution. I can always go back and replace it later if necessary.

The possibilities are endless. Get started!

***Check back tomorrow for Trashy Tuesday!

DIY Hanging Planter

whitney — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 21:57:14 +0000

A while back Dustin bought me this lovely hanging plant. I didn’t realize in the hurry to hang it in it’s new home that there was nothing to catch the water. That is, until I watered it the first time and it came pouring out of the bottom! It was a pretty funny moment, trying desperately to catch all the water with cupped hands.

Since then I’ve wanted to find a cute container so I could hang it up again. I never see anything I like, nor do I want to spend any money! Today, I came across this small vintage pot that I’ve been wanting to convert into a planter anyway. It was a whopping $1.91 at my local thrift shop, and the wooden handle simply unscrews. This little plant fit perfectly in the vintage pot! Next, how do I hang it?

A couple days ago I came across Megan’s new book Generation T: Beyond Fashion, and there was a project like this. I have no idea how it was made according to her idea, but I decided to try something similar! I am really pleased with how it turned out. And, I love the little extra bits hanging around the top, it makes me happy.

Hope you enjoy the photos. I guess I went a little crazy! If you want to see more, click here.

Recent Finds :: Vessels

whitney — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 19:40:37 +0000

I am a sucker for a lovely, useful vessel. Whether it be glass, metal or any other material, I have a very hard time refusing it. And, around $1-$2 a pop (some as low as .69 cents!), I certainly can’t turn that kind of a deal down! I splurged a little on the white tea tin I found on Etsy ($6). But, it was totally worth it!

I’ve decided to share some of my favorite pieces that I’ve accumulated over the last 6-8 months or so. I find these jars and tins so useful around the kitchen as well as the rest of the home. The glass flip top jars are perfect for food storage. I like to keep my nuts, seeds, snacks, dog treat, and baking items in them. Everything looks much prettier in a glass jar! These metal tins I typically use to contain my numerous teas. However, I have also been know to empty a few containers out and use them at a Craft Show as seen in this post.

The possibilities are endless. Enjoy!

Recent Finds :: Bags

whitney — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 16:23:43 +0000

Have I ever mentioned I might have a bag obsession? It’s been going on since childhood. I’m sure I’m not the only one. Anyway, I wanted to share a few recent finds.

Dustin took me thrifting on my birthday a couple weeks ago and I scored this fabulous American Tourister Weekender Bag for a whopping $3.99! I just love Greta (that’s the bag) in all of her avocado green glory. Greta is in great condition with a minor stain on the inside lining. However, it seems to be something I can easily clean up. Now, I need an excuse to take Greta somewhere fabulous!

Another travel suitcase I found back in April. Unfortunately, I do not recall how much it was, although, I’m sure it was under $5. This is the exact same avocado green as the Weekender Bag above. I love this small suitcase. It’s in pristine condition, and my favorite part is the inside. Makes me want to sit in front of it and get ready for a night out! I love the little mirror and the stitching detail. And yes, I should have cleaned off the mirror BEFORE shooting pictures. Not sure what her name should be. Suggestions?

Now I must take a quick pool break before finishing up my work for the day! Enjoy your Tuesday. Can’t believe it’s almost Independence Day already. Any fun plans?

T-shirt + Collared Shirt =

whitney — Fri, 15 May 2009 17:02:34 +0000

I love this shirt refashion! It’s taken me about a year to photograph this and share it… Slacker. I know. Well, I am sharing now, right?! Right. So, both of these shirts were from The Salvation Army in Honolulu (when we lived there). I loved this red t-shirt simply for the geta sandals (close-up image below) on the front! However, it was a little snug for my taste. I believe I saw this project in one of my t-shirt project books, Tease, I believe it was. Well, it’s simple, obviously. Slice up the middle, add in the buttons and collar from another thrifted shirt and…Voila! New fun super comfy shirt! I especially like the rough, unfinished edges that I left on the white shirt, and the red thread is also pretty fun. I love collared shirts, but this one has the yummy comfiness of a t-shirt! Can it get any better? Oh yeah, and my husband has requested one!! Can’t wait to make his and share that too!