This is a simple project. One I’d been planning to do for some time, but just didn’t get around to it. Do you have those projects? I’m sure you do. You know, the ones that take no time to actually complete? The ones that you keep putting off? The ones that are so rewarding once you finally just go for it? This was one of those projects!

I picked up these plain white teacups at a local thrift store for under $1 a piece. I knew I wanted to embellish them with some doodles. Originally I’d purchased them to use as vessels for making candles. Since, I am not making candles anytime soon, I decided to use them for a couple small succulents who needed some cozy containers to live in. Perfect!

MATERIALS

Old teacups, bowls, mugs or any vessel in need of a facelift
Paint pens in various colors*
Small succulents
Potting soil
Small rocks or pebbles

*I used Craft Smart paint pens. These are acrylic, non-toxic and water resistant. Ideal for wood, plastic, metal and glass. Purchased at Michael’s.

INSTRUCTIONS

- Wash and dry your vessels.

- Follow directions for paint pen. I had to shake, shake, shake it. Test on a scrap of paper.

- Start doodling! I drew on the teacups without a plan. You can sketch out ideas if you’d like or use a stencil if you aren’t feeling up to freehand. I made mistakes, but that’s ok. Don’t be afraid! Mistakes are beautiful. A lesson I’m learning…

- Let the designs dry. I waited an hour before planting. This was really difficult!

- Place some rocks or pebbles in the bottom of your vessel, and top rocks with a bit of soil in before centering your succulent.

- Hold the succulent in place while packing in soil all around it. Water well, add more soil if needed.

- Now, place you lovely custom planter in a sunny spot and enjoy!

I’m kind of addicted to this project. It’s so simple. What a lovely housewarming gift, no? Can’t wait to make lots more of these! I also plan to doodle on other dishes. It’s so much fun.

Have you tried this? I’d love to see your creations. Send me a link!

Generally, empty toilet paper rolls end up strewn in pieces all over our living room rug after Bonsai (our dog) gets ahold of them. I managed to salvage one for my first challenge for Project Restyle. I decided to make something I could hang by the window. After few snips and hole punches finished off with a simple string it was ready to hang! I love how it turned out. Now, I’m tempted to make lots of them to hang in a cluster. Could be really lovely and fun. We’ll see if I can snatch them up before the dog gets them!

More information on Project Restyle.

Never underestimate your trash and discarded materials, just start playing and piecing… who knows what you can create!

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!

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!

*TIP: Picture frames and mats can be so inexpensive. I think it is pretty ridiculous. I always scour thrift stores and flea markets for interesting or basic frames that I can revamp to fit my taste. You would be amazed at how many cheap picture frames are out there just waiting for a facelift… and your photos of course! 

BEFORE: Picked up this large frame at a the Salvation Army in Hawaii before we moved. Replaced the photo, but never got around to painting it. This photo was at the top of Haleakala on Maui. I love this shot, but it was not quite right for the freshly painted frame. I replaced it with the shot below!
 

AFTER: This is our little Jack Russell Bonsai. I took this shot of him after an evening at the park where he decided to roll around in the mud! This is in the bathtub before Dustin gave him a bath. I just can’t resist that little face! I think this REDO turned out quite nice!
 

BEFORE: Two more thrift store finds. The one on the left was only $1!! I could not resist. I love the character of the frame too. I think the one on the right was between $3 to $5. Check out the after. There’s that chair again! Just a little tease. I will share them soon!
 

AFTER: This is not one of our favorite photos together, but one of the only “professional” ones, if you can call it that. All of them we are cropped off in weird places. Ah well. It’s still a memory!

AFTER: This one was a great REDO. Do you remember all the gold, even on the mat? Well, I salvaged the mat too! Just painted it white, and it looks great! This photo Dustin took while at the Honolulu Zoo. That was a fun day. 
 

BEFORE: Gold Frame, $3.25
 

AFTER: Clean ad crisp with my sister’s artwork! 
 

AFTER: Detail shot of the frame. 
 

AFTER: This is a collage I created from moving stickers a while back. Blogged here. This frame came from IKEA, but I didn’t think the natural wood was quite right for this collage. I’m glad I decided to paint it!

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I would love to see your photo frame revamps! It really is super simple. And, don’t be intimidated by larger pieces that have been professionally framed. It only takes a little bit of work to disassemble these. I’ll be sharing a tutorial on just that hopefully tomorrow! I have a great trick for removing the mat from the photo or artwork without damaging the mat. Stay tuned!

Mirrors and frames I picked up from different thrift stores.

Two mirrors on our $4 thrifted chair.
This find was by Dustin! 
 

I shared a while back that I totally lucked out with some recent thrifting. Well, as promised, here’s a little bit of what I got. 

I have been wanting some mirrors for our place. But not just plain old boring ones, something with some character, and affordable! I came across these mirrors at a local thrift shop and had to snatch them up. The larger one was $8 and the smaller one $5. I think that’s pretty darn cheap for mirrors! The big mirror looked like a pretzel or some sort of bread. It was pretty bad. 

My plan was to slap some glossy black paint on them (along with a bunch of thrifted picture frames that I’ll share tomorrow). I think they turned out exactly as I imagined! Can’t wait to hang them!
 

Here’s a close up of the large mirror drying!
  

 
Big mirror. Let me just say, taping this off was FUN! ha!
Totally worth it, I think it looks a million times better! Not sure
if I want to hang it this way, or flip it upside down.
Any thoughts?
 

Small mirror. Maybe I should have wiped down the
mirror before taking the shot! oops.
 

Can’t wait to share the rest of my finds! Including that orange chair up there. Wait until you hear the story behind that furniture! I’m still in shock.