Organizing My Bracelets

     Yesterday I showed you this spinning rack that I found at a yard sale for $1.

 

At first, I figured that I'd use it in my craft space, but the more I looked at it, the more I thought I could find a better use for it.

 

I have a slew of bracelets-so many that they were overflowing the basket where I keep them. I've been meaning to find new storage for them. That's where my idea was born.

 

 

I cut a doily place mat to line the bottom so the bracelets wouldn't slip out.

Then I organized them by color.

 

 

 

I think this is great- now I'll be able to get more use out of my bracelets. No more digging around trying to find the right color!

 

Definitely a dollar well spent:)

Next time you come across a nifty storage container, try thinking outside the box for ways to use it.

 

Thanks for stopping by and God bless.

 

Let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth.

1 John 3:18

 

 

     This post is linked to Happy Hour Projects, Tatertots and Jello, 52 Mantles, and My Repurposed Life.

Thrifty Thursday #36

     As promised, here's a look at the loot I got at the city-wide yard sale I told you about last week. I so enjoyed walking from yard to yard looking at stuff. My hubby even told me how much fun he was having. My younger son trotted alongside us in his football cleats (we headed out right after his game and forgot to bring him some extra shoes). My older son mostly sat in the hot car- but he was reading a book, so I didn't give him a hard time.:)

I scored this cool feed bag for fifty cents. The guy selling this said it was his last one and he had already sold quite a few which were in better shape. Too bad I didn't get there earlier!

LOVE this colorful crocheted blanket. Guess how much I paid for it-- $1. Can you believe it? Someone put hours of work into this.

I spotted this rack from across the street. Only cost $1.

Wait til you see what I do with it. . .

I am an avid reader and I'm cheap. Yard sales are the perfect place for me to find books. At a quarter apiece, I can't beat this deal!

A life preserver- kind of a crazy thing to buy secondhand. . .unless you find one that has never been used for a dollar!

My father-in-law got a new boat and is giving his old fishing boat to my hubby and boys. My boys are still young enough that they are required to wear one while on board.

Now if I could only find another one for this price. . . .

 

 

Not too bad of a haul, huh?

Thanks for stopping by and God bless.

 

He who walks with integrity walks securely.

Proverbs 10:9
 

     This post is linked to Apron Thrift Girl, Cap Creations, Liz Marie, and At the Picket Fence.

Layout of the Week

     Hey Guys, just a quick post today. I'm cancelling the Layout of the Week for this week only due to some rearranging that's being done at our house. My craft space is currently being relocated from our spare bedroom to the master bedroom. This is no easy task as I have a lot of junk crafty stuff.
     Our spare bedroom started out as a nursery. As the boys grew up, they were relocated into the larger bedroom. The nursery became a play room. As they got older, they didn't need as much room to play, so I moved my scrap booking stuff in there and it became my play room. Well, my boys are getting bigger and I feel it's time for them to have their own spaces. So I came up with the overwhelming bright idea to move my roomfull of stuff to a smaller area.
     Like many of my ideas, this plan worked better in my head. I now have some of my stuff in the master bedroom. I still have half a room full of stuff in the extra bedroom. Some stuff has even trickled into the living room. I hate messes and dissarray, so this slow process is driving me crazy and it's cutting into my crafting time.
     The rest of my weekly features here on the blog will not be affected. I will be back next week with a scrap booking tutorial and maybe even a photo of my new work space! In the meantime, stay crafty, my friends!
     Thanks for stopping by and God bless.

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering,

kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control.

Gal. 5:22-23

Recipe of the Week #36- Skillet Lasagna

Skillet Lasagna
1 lb ground beef
1 26 oz jar spaghetti sauce
1 2/3 cups water
1/4 zesty Italian dressing
12 oven-ready lasagna noodles, broken into quarters
1 cup shredded Mozzarella cheese
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 green peppers, chopped (optional)

Brown meat in large saucepan, drain. Stir in peppers, garlic, spaghetti sauce, water and dressing; bring to a boil. Add noodles; stir. Cover. Cook on med-low heat 10-15 minutes until noodles are tender, stirring occasionally. Remove from the heat. Sprinkle with cheese; cover. Let stand until cheese is melted.

Note: I skipped the green peppers and used garlic powder in place of the garlic cloves.

This is a delicious and easy dish which truly tastes like lasagna---without all the work! Everybody at my house loves it.

Thanks for stopping by and God bless.

Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!

Phil. 4:4

This post is linked to My Girlish Whims, Embracing Change, and Tip Junkie.

Paper Covered Pumpkin

     It's only a little over a month until Halloween, so I thought I'd share this super easy and inexpensive pumpkin project.

 

     I started with a plain decorative pumpkin that can be purchased at any craft store. I cut up fall-themed scrap book paper into squares and rectangles. Then, using Mod Podge, I pasted the squares until the pumpkin was covered. Finally, I added a little green ribbon to the stem.
     This is the pumpkin that keeps on giving. Because the papers have fall colors on them, this guy can sit out until Thanksgiving!

     Thanks for stopping by and God bless.

Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God

1 John 4:7

     This post is linked to Brassy Apple, Craft-O-Maniac, Tip Junkie, Embracing Change, and Between Naps on the Porch.

Vegetable Grater Photo Holders as Centerpieces

     Just yesterday I showed you these old, somewhat rusty, vegetable graters that I got for a dime apiece at an estate sale.

     From the moment I saw them, I knew what I wanted to do with them. . .

 

 turn them into photo holders!

 

I just wiped them clean- leaving most the rust to add to the "vintage" look- and used a glue gun to adhdere a bull clip. (I used Tim Holtz's Hinge Clips- they were just the right shade of gunmetal.)

Then I tied a piece or ribbon to the handle, and voila!

 

Wouldn't these be cute as centerpieces for an anniversary party, wedding, or bridal shower? You could glue a bull clip to both the front and back sides and place an electric tealight inside.

 

 

They look good with recent photos or 

 

with older photos.

 

Since I don't have any type of party coming up, anniversary or otherwise, I placed mine in my livingroom on my piano.

 

What do you think?

 

 

     Thanks for stopping by and God bless.

 

 

I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;

your works are wonderful, I know that full well.

Psalm 139:14

 

 

 

     This post is linked to Today's Creative Blog, Happy Hour Projects, Tater Tots and Jello,  Funky Junk Interiors, I Heart Naptime, At the Picket Fence, 52 Mantles, Be Different Act Normal, Too Much Time On My Hands, Sewing Barefoot, andMy Repurposed Life.



 



Thrifty Thursday #35

     This past weekend, I was so excited to head to a small nearby town that was having a city-wide yard sale that I planned my day around it. That's right- I'm that kind of girl:)
     As soon as my son's football game was over (luckily he had the early game this week), we headed out. We didn't even stop at home to drop off the boys- they had to come with us.
     At the edge of our town, there was an estate sale. I got quite a load there. It was such a good sale, I told my hubby that we could skip the rest of the yard sales. . . but we didn't.
     Anyway, here are my treasures from the estate sale.

The prices were great- better than I've seen at an estate sale.

These old rolling pins were only $1 each.

Got these for a dime apiece. Stay tuned to see what I plan to do with them- no, it's not shredding carrots.

I have a nice collection of Texas license plates, so I was pleased to add these to my collection- especially at only $2 for the set!

Got this 6" clothespin for fifty cents. That's a bargain if you ask me.

This fella just needs to be cleaned up, then he's going to become a shelf in my son's room. It is an insert for a military foot locker. Only $1.

I've been wanting an old tire like this and for $1, I finally got one. My boys looked at me like I was crazy when I said I wanted it, but I know just what I'm going to do with it.

That's it- all this for less than $7!

     Stop back next Thursday to see what I got at the city-wide yard sale! Thanks for stopping by and God bless.

Be of good comfort, be of one mind, live in peace;

and the God of love and peace will be with you.

2 Cor. 13:11

     This post is linked to Apron Thrift Girl and Shabby Creek Cottage.

Layout of the Week #29- Incorporating Game Pieces

     It is game on this week as we utilize parts of old board games in our scrap booking layouts. I really had fun playing around with these layouts and I hope you will as well.

     This is what we're going to create.

You will need:

one piece of black 12"x12" card stock

one  piece of Kraft 12"x12" card stock

7-8 cards from a game (see below for more info)

one piece of 4 1/4"x 6 1/2" black card stock (for the photo mat)

one 4"x6" lined index card (for the journaling card)

letter stickers for the title

adhesive

paper trimmer

 

First, trim 1/2" off the right side and the bottom of the Kraft card stock. Then cut your game cards in half lengthwise. Line them up along the edge of the piece of Kraft. It's OK if they overlap. You should lay them out and space them correctly before you start to adhere them. See note below.

Mat this with the piece of black card stock. This gives the edge a more finished look.

Mat your 4"x6" photo and adhere it centered at the top below the card border. I also used two wallet size photos just underneath it.

 

Trim your note card to 2 1/4"x6" and adhere it below the photos.

 

Place your title at the bottom of your journaling card. Then write your journaling at the top of the card.

And we're done! What do you think? Your layout doesn't even have to be about playing games. The colorful pieces add a playful element to your layout, hmm? 

Here is a second example where I used part of an old Yahtzee pad (see the strip second to the left) and Monopoly money (see the fifth strip from the left). I also used an old Bingo chip with the #9 (because this is about my sister's ninth anniversary) and I used two small red poker chips (on the corners of the journaling card. The journaling card is the back of one of the Yahtzee score cards that I had cut for the strip and I used a playing card (two of hearts because of the anniversary theme).

 

See how easy it is to use these common and inexpensive items in scrap booking?

     Note: If you don't have a bunch of old games to snag pieces from, pieces from even one game would work.  For instance, Monopoly would be great - you could use the money, the real estate cards and the Community Chest cards.
     If you would like a collection of random pieces, here is a link where you can get assorted grab bags of game pieces. It's a rockin' site- they have lots of goodies there!
     Also, yard sales and thrift stores are great places to look for old games. I have bought quite a few with the intentions of using them for their parts.:)

     If you like this kind of look on your pages, you may want to see this post where I used playing cards in scrap booking.

     How about it? Feel like digging out an old board game? Thanks for stopping by and God bless.

Do not be wise in your own eyes;

fear the Lord and depart from evil.

Proverbs 3:7

 

     This post is linked to My Girlish Whims, Five Days Five Ways, and Shabby Creek Cottage.

Recipe of the Week #35- Lofthouse Sugar Cookie Bars

Have you ever gotten those frosted sugar cookies at Walmart or Target? You know the soft and yummy ones? I really love those things. Needless to say, when I spotted this recipe, I had to try it.

Lofthouse Sugar Cookie Bars

1 1/2 cups sugar
1 cup butter, room temp.
8 oz cream cheese, room temp.
1 egg
2 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
2 1/2 cups flour

Preheat oven to 350.
Spray 15"x10" pan with cooking spray.
In your mixer, cream butter, cream cheese, and sugar together. Add in egg and vanilla and mix well.
With mixer on low, add the dry ingredients. Mix until just combined.
Press dough evenly into your prepared pan- dough will be sticky.
Bake for 20 min, until edges begin to golden.
Cool completely before frosting.

Frosting
1/2 cup butter
1/4 cup milk
16 oz powdered sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla
Mix all ingredients together. Adjust milk and powdered sugar to get desired consistency. Frost the bars once they're cooled. Top with sprinkles, and enjoy!

Hope you like these. . . I sure do!

This recipe was from Cookies and Cups.

Thanks for stopping by and God bless.

Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.

Romans 12:12

 

 

This post is linked to Tip Junkie.

Super Cute and Useful Magnetic Plate

     I know. You read this title and said to yourself, 

"This girl has finally gone mad. Why on earth would I need a magnetic plate?"

     To which I say, "Why not?"

     Look how handy this is. At the end of the day, you can place all your pretties in it. No chance they'll get bumped and lost because they stick to the plate!

This would work great for seamstresses.

How about for scrapbookers? I believe this would be great to set on a desk to hold brads and eyelets.

How about for the gal in the office or a teacher? This would make a delightful paper clip holder.

Christmas is coming- perhaps this would make a nice (and affordable) gift to give.

To make it, all you need is a cute ceramic plate, 3 magnets, and some E-6000 glue.

Glue the magnets to the bottom of the plate and allow 24 hours to dry.

Important: make sure that the magnets are not thicker than the lip on the bottom of your plate or they will stick out and make the plate wobble.

See? It works! It really is super cute and useful:)

     Thanks for stopping by and God bless.

Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good!

For His mercy endures forever!

Psalm 107:1

     This post is linked to Tip Junkie, Making the World Cuter, Brassy Apple, Craft-O-Maniac, Between Naps on the Porch, and Skip to My Lou.

Rosette Bracelet Tutorial

     Happy Friday, Amigos!
     Earlier this week, I made a wreath with interchangeable rosettes, and since rosettes are so cute and so easy to make, I thought why not put some on a bracelet? After all,  I haven't made any jewelry in awhile. . . and I do love unique bracelets.

Here's what I came up with.

If you'd like to make one, here's how.

 

 

You need four rosettes that are 1 1/2" across.

If you don't know how to make them, you can go here.

 

 

This is the fabric I used. It's quite busy, but when rolled into a flower, it looks pretty cute.

 

 

Next, you'll want to cut circles out of felt or denim. These will be on the back of the rosettes and hold them to the bracelet chain. I used a quarter and trimmed around the edge. If you fold your fabric in half, you can cut two circles at once.

I chose denim as it coordinated with my fabric.

 

 

The circles should fit on the back like this. You don't want them to be bigger around than the rosettes or they'll show on the front.

 

 

Now you'll need a length of chain. I got mine at Walmart. I didn't trim the extra links off until after attaching the rosettes. (My chain ended up 7" when I completed the bracelet.)

 

Attach a clasp to the end of the chain.

Flip your rosettes upside down.  Then lay your chain across the backs of the rosettes leaving only one or two links on the side with the clasp hanging over the outer edge of the first rosette.

 

 

Using a glue gun, place glue around the denim or felt circle and place it on the back of the rosette pressing the chain between the two. Repeat this on all four rosettes.

 

 

Allow glue to set.

Remove the extra chain. I left one link past the rosette (see on the rosette to the far right). The link was big enough for the clasp to hook on it, so I didn't add a jump ring. If your chain is more narrow, you may need to add a jump ring.

Voila! That's one unique and colorful bracelet!

 

 

And it matches this ring I made:)

     If you'd like, you could make a fabric rosette necklace in a coordinating fabric to go with this bracelet.

     Thanks for stopping by and God bless. I hope you all have a wonderful weekend.

Grace to all who love our Lord Jesus Christ with an undying love.

Eph. 6:24

     This post is linked to Today's Creative Blog, My Repurposed Life, Embracing Change, Tatertots and Jello, I Heart Naptime, Be Different Act Normal, Too Much Time On My Hands, and Happy Hour Projects.

Thrifty Thursday #34

     Whoo! Thrifting time has been slim around these parts- between home schooling, working on Fridays, and Saturday morning football games. Too slim in my opinion:)
     This is the third week in a row  my younger son has made the thrift store rounds with me. He's even been good while doing it. He used to slide his shirt over his nose and complain about the smell, but I guess he's growing up because I haven't seen that kind of thing in awhile!

I got this 14"x16" frame for $.50. Frames usually cost more than this at the thrift stores, but this fella doesn't have any glass. That's just the way I like them. The detail on this is beautiful. After I spray paint it a pretty color, I'm going to glaze it. The detail will hold the glaze wonderfully.

 

I couldn't pass up these two bags of basket filler for a quarter each. Never been opened.

You just never know when you'll need this when wrapping a gift:)

 

These three items are literally the only things I found. So I had to dig this next photo out of my vault:)

One day I was walking in our neighborhood and I saw this beauty sitting in somebody's front yard. There was also a moving truck in the driveway. So I knocked on the door to see if they were interested in getting rid of this old desk. They were- for a mere $5. I hurried home to get the cash and then put this in my boys' bedroom. It's just the right size for the boys and for the space.

 

I love old desks. My dream is to someday own a desk from an old one-room school house- the kind where the desk is attached to the chair in front of it (like on the cover of one of the American Girls books). Someday. . .

 

     Thanks for stopping by and God bless.

 

Each one of us should use whatever gift he has received to serve others,

faithfully administering God's grace in its various forms.

1 Peter 4:10

     This post is linked to Apron Thrift Girl and Liz Marie Blog.