Some of My Favorite Reading Material

We are heading out for a three day mini-vacation, so I don't have a project to show you today.

I do, however, want to share with you what I'll be reading in the car.

I have a subscription to this magazine,

 and I am giddy when I open the mailbox and see it sitting there waiting for me.

I just saw that Walmart has it in their newsstand as well.

Or you can go here to get your own copy.

Thanks for stopping by and God bless.

I will praise You, O Lord, among the peoples

Psalm 108:3

This post is linked to My Girlish Whims, Artsy Fartsy Mama,
Lil' Luna, and Tuesdays With a Twist.

Vintage Book Page Candles

Whenever I'm out secondhand shopping, I'm always drawn to old books.

Needless to say, I have quite a few of them.

I used a few pages from two different vintage textbooks for today's project.

I wrapped candles with them.

All I did was cut the pages to the same height as the candles.

Then I used Mod Podge to attach them.

Here are the backsides of the above candles.
I covered the entire outside of each candle with images.

Here are the backsides of the first set.

Yes, you can still light them. 

I did it and the candle just burns down behind the paper.

I think these would make darling party decor or sweet gifts for a teacher.

Thanks so much for stopping by and God bless.

As for God, His way is perfect; the word of the Lord is proven

Psalm 18:30

This post is linked to Tatertots and Jello, Funky Junk, The Crafted Sparrow, Too Much Time,
and My Salvaged Treasures.

Vintage Fruit Crates For Storage

A door couch is cute, but you know what makes it even cuter?

Putting vintage fruit crates underneath it!

I bought some vintage fruit crates when I went to the flea market last month.

I knew what I wanted to do with them.

We recently got a different tv stand (wait til you see it!),

 so we needed a new home for our DVDs.

Guess what fits perfectly into vintage fruit crates?

My hubby put some small casters on the bottoms of the crates 

to make them slide easier from underneath the couch.

Truly, aren't they just too cute?

Thanks for stopping by and God bless.

Be hospitable to one another without grumbling.

1 Peter 4:9

This post is linked to Knick of Time, My Repurposed Life, Miss Mustard Seed, 
Natasha In Oz, Funky Junk, and Tatertots and Jello.

Vintage Book Vase Covers

Who loves old books?

I know I'm not the only one.

I have several shelves full of vintage beauties,
but that doesn't stop me from buying more when I find them at a good price.

Some are in great shape, others not so much.

Some I'd never cut up, while some are just begging for it (Contrary to my hubby's belief)!

Today I grabbed a few and yes, I cut them up.

How cute are they as vase covers?

Wouldn't they make great centerpieces?

They're actually just two book covers tied together.

Here's how to make them:

Carefully remove the pages from two books without cutting through the covers.
Make small cuts with an Exacto knife or sharp scissors.
I kept flipping mine over making sure that I was only going through one layer.

Once you remove the pages, you'll want to make marks for the holes.
 I marked every 1.5 inches.

Then to make the holes, you'll want to use either a drill or a Crop-a-dile
(which is like a paper punch on steroids).

I used my Crop-a-dile and it went through the covers without any problems.

After the holes are punched, use twine to tie the books together.

Then stand the covers up in a square shape and insert a vase of flowers.

You can set it so that the two different covers show. . .

or so the binding of one book shows.
They're cute from any angle.

I even made one out of vintage school books.

For this one, I used a longer piece of twine at the top holes and tied a bow on the outside.

Wouldn't this one be cute at a teachers' banquet or even a baby shower?

What do you think? Are you itching to run out to a thrift store and get some old books?
I hope so:)

Thanks so much for stopping by and God bless.
I hope you all have a lovely weekend.

If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, 
who gives to all liberally and without reproach,
 and it will be given to him.

James 1:5

This post is linked to Life With Lorelai, Tatertots and Jello, My Repurposed Life,
Simple Nature Decor, Funky Junk, and My Salvaged Treasures.

A Peek At My "Old" Furniture

Every Thursday, I show you what I've found while secondhand shopping.

I often repurpose these items.

Some of my favorite projects are furniture pieces.

I have several pieces of furniture in my house that actually started off as "trash."

The couch in my living room was made from three old doors (that I got for free).

Isn't this sofa cool?

My hubby and boys made it for me. They're the best.

Sitting in front of that couch is this coffee table. . . 

which is a chalkboard trunk!

I got the trunk at the thrift store for less than $5.

Also in the living room is this cute little end table made from an old Texas Instruments wooden case.

(I got the case at a resale shop and the rocker at an estate sale.) 

This sweet turquoise bench sits in my front entry.

I bought it for around five dollars at a yard sale and painted it.

This lovely lady sits in my kitchen.

It's a an old pew that I got for free, then recovered.

 I love these old pieces. They have such charm- and they certainly are unique!

My teenage boys, on the other hand, are not fond of my "old" stuff and often give me a hard time about my taste in decor.

What about you? Do you prefer old or new?

Thanks for stopping by and God bless.

Now may the Lord direct your hearts into the love of God

 and into the patience of Christ.

2 Thes. 3:5

This post is linked to Miss Mustard Seed, Today's Creative Blog, My Repurposed Life,
Funky Junk, and Simple Nature Decor.

Repurposed End Table

Yesterday I showed you the awesome Texas Instruments box that I picked up at a resale shop.

Right when I saw it, I knew that it would make the perfect. . .

end table!

My hubby was with me when I bought it.

Since he had the afternoon off and was in a helpful mood,

we stopped at a hardware store and picked up some casters.

Then that sweetie put them on for me that very night!!!

It's the perfect size- large enough to hold a remote control and a drink,

but small enough that it doesn't take up much space or jut out in the walkway.

Plus, we can use the inside for storage.

I am delighted with it.

Thanks for stopping by and God bless.

Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom,

 teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, 

singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.

Col. 3:16

This post is linked to Miss Mustard Seed, My Repurposed Life, Funky Junk,
My Salvaged Treasures, and Today's Creative Blog. 

Table Runner Made From Vintage Book Pages

Last week I showed you some vintage autumn themed centerpieces that I helped with.
We didn't have any table runners to use, so I got to try out a project I've been wanting to do. . .
 

 

a vintage book page table runner.

 

The tables that we were using were pretty long, so I decided that I'd make my runner

seven pages long. The book was about 12" high.

 

 

I tore 14 pages out of an old French textbook. I only trimmed off the rough edges from being torn. The rest of the edges were discolored with age and I wanted to leave that look.

Then I lined up the pages two across and taped them together being careful to keep them straight.

Once I had two rows of seven attached, I used a paper punch to give the edges a scalloped look

 

Then I repeated this seven more times to make a total of eight table runners.

I was so tickled with how cute they looked that I was willing to overlook the fact

that they were a little time consuming.

 

Plus they added to our vintage theme for the rest of the decorating.

 

If you have any sort of event coming up and you don't know what to do for a table runner, try this project. You'll be delighted with the results!

 

I think this would be cute done with sheet music, too!

 

Thanks for stopping by and God bless.

 

I will sing of mercy and justice; to You, O Lord, I will sing praises.

Psalm 101:1

 

 This post is linked to It's Overflowing, The Dedicated House, I Heart Naptime,

 Funky Junk, and Natasha In Oz.



Centerpieces to be Thankful for. . .

This past weekend, I got to help decorate for the Thanksgiving lunch banquet at my church.

Two other ladies and I decided to go with a vintage autumn theme.

We brought in some vintage stuff from our homes and paired it up as centerpieces.

We incorporated projects that the Children's Church classes had made

(like the painted jars and pumpkins made from Mason jar lids).

We added artificial fall leaves here and there.

We used vintage book page table runners.

Come back on Monday to see more about those!

Who would've thought that scales look so cute as centerpieces?!?

The silver base here is a vintage film roll canister.

Old books work great to give height to different pieces.

Here's another film canister.

I brought my easy autumn mason jars (on the right).

Here are the doily topped pumpkins that I showed you here.

This is a chicken feeder filled with all sorts of vintage goodies!

One of the gals brought this from right off her dining room table at home!

I love how the oranges brought a little pop of color and added to the autumn look!

You can go here and see how I used jute, a leaf, and a book without a cover

 to create the book on top of this pile.

This jar is filled with lots of treasures including a cross stitch piece that one of the ladies' grandma started but never finished. I love how she displayed it in this jar!

See how we used the old crochet thread to sit out as décor?

Scrabble tiles always add to any type of décor if you ask me:)

Thanks so much for stopping by and God bless.

For the Lord is good; His mercy is everlasting,

 and His truth endures to all generations.

Psalm 100:5

 This post is linked to My Repurposed Life, Today's Creative Blog,
My Salvaged Treasures, Embracing Change, Funky Junk,
Between Naps on the Porch, and Craft-O-Maniac.