Do it Over Designers - Free to $5

I am joining Ann, from Apple Street Cottage, for Do It Over Designers, where we transform something that needs a makeover!  All of the participants are listed at the bottom of this post. Make sure you hop around for "cheap" recycling inspiration!

Our task this month was to recycle something that cost 

"FREE to $5". 

I chose "FREE".

This is something that we always throw away: 

SPICE CONTAINERS!

They can be used as vases for mini blooms....

.....that are too little for typical vases:

....or can hold markers or pens....

....portion out snacks....

...or wrap a mini gift, like earrings or a gift card....

This is a really old spice jar - check out the price!

29¢

You can even use cans as vases:

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Let's see what others recycled, spending less than $5:

Purple Hues & Me

Sum of Their Stories

Vintage Style Gal

The Apple Street Cottage

Birdz of a Feather

Exquisitely Unremarkable

Little Vintage Cottage

Modern on Monticello

Pandora’s Box. you are here!

Thanks for stopping by, Patti

How to turn a paper napkin into fabric....

I needed four little gift bags for a gathering of friends and planned on filling them with candy.  I didn't want the traditional paper bags but rather something seasonal and pretty.

I have so many paper napkins, but I knew if I tried to use them as gift wrap they would wrinkle and tear easily.  

I decided to turn some paper napkins into fabric!!

And it worked!  A sturdy bag filled with fall candy treats!

I began with a pair of napkins and light weight fusible interfacing:

I removed the backing layer of the napkins and tossed it away:

I ironed each napkin to remove the fold creases:

I cut the interfacing the exact size of each napkin....trimming it as close to the edge as possible

I ironed the fusible interfacing onto the back of each napkin - pressing both sides!

I then sewed the two pieces together on 3 sides to create a "bag".

I cut each bottom corner to reduce bulk and turned it right side out....

...and created a bag:

I filled the bag with candy and it was as sturdy as expected!

Now to make 3 more..... I pulled these out of my napkin stash and made three different bags:

Fun and easy to make - and they can be reused over and over!

Thanks for stopping by, Patti

Have you heard of Lemon Cucumbers?

Lemon Cucumbers:

From the internet:

Lemon cucumbers are round, yellow heirloom cucmbers that look like small lemons, but taste like mild crisp cucumbers! 

Taste and Appearance

Looks: They are small and round, about the size of a tennis ball. They turn a bright yellow color when ready to pick.
Flavor: They taste sweet and crisp. They lack the bitter compound found in the skin of many long green cucumbers.
Texture: They have a thin skin and tender flesh with very few tiny seeds.

How to Grow

Sunlight: Plant them in a spot that gets full sun (at least 6 hours a day).
Soil: Use rich, well-draining soil with a neutral pH.
Watering: Keep the soil moist. Water them deeply about once a week or more often during hot dry spells.
Support: Give them a trellis or let them sprawl on the ground.

Harvest

Size: Pick them when they reach the size of a lemon or a little smaller (2 to 3 inches wide).
Color: Harvest them while they are still bright yellow. If they turn orange or hard, they become bitter and woody.
Method: Cut the stem with scissors or pruners instead of pulling the fruit off.

Uses in the Kitchen

Fresh eating: Slice them into salads or eat them raw with a little salt.
Pickling: Cut them into quarters or pickle them whole due to their small size.
Stuffing: Hollow them out and fill them with chicken salad or tuna.

I made a simple cuke and tomato salad for lunch with basil ribbons, parsley, S&P, and a balsamic glaze:

Have you tried them yet?

Find the MacKenzie-Childs Courtly Check Ceramic Serving Platter here:

Thanks for stopping by, Patti

Sprinkles - Tomatoes

This has been one of my favorite snacks lately....

Trader Joe's had these delicious teeny tiny tomatoes (but cherry tomatoes will also be fine)

I cut the tomatoes in half, add some red onion, basil ribbons, a little parsley, S&P, and a dash of balsamic and hot sauce!

These are my new fav crackers:

I spread a little Boursin Cheese or Rondele spread on the cracker and top with the tomatoes !

The best part of these crackers is that they do not crumble when you take a bite - the cracker keeps its shape - no breaking apart!!

It's also delicious with a tortilla chip!

Thanks for stopping by, Patti

The Tales of the Traveling Tote. #48

The Tales of the Traveling Tote is a series of adventures that share where our Mackenzie Childs tote bags have taken us.  Three times a year a group of bloggers each write a connected post about the places we have been. We have built incredible friendships through our blogs and we hope you enjoy our tales as much as we do!

To read about how it all began, go HERE

This is what I have been up to:

MAY

I picked up a few things for my little garden at the Farmers Market.  I have only a few peppers currently growing in the garden - This gal has no green thumb!

JUNE

Each year we attend the Polish Festival - the food is amazing, the talent is entertaining and the "Pierogi Eating Contest" is amusing

JULY

I enjoyed working the Annual Mackenzie-Childs Barn Sale in Aurora for a few days.

We attended the Blueberry Fest at the Blue Barn Cidery and we picked blueberries at West Wind Farms with our daughter's family:

Sunflower Farm

This lovely sunflower farm is on a country road in Phoenix, NY and is free for everyone to walk around and enjoy....

....you enter the maze and are welcome to cut flowers from the back of the sunflower patch.

I cut 5 flowers to bring home, took a few photos, and enjoyed the country ride to the farm!

How kind of the owners to do this for the community to enjoy!

A fun afternoon with my Town Tote!

Cape Cod

College Friends:

A day in PTown:

I could sit here for hours and just stare out into Cape Cod Bay:

Ohio 

We got to watch our two oldest grandsons go off to 3rd and 12th grade!

We enjoyed dining and walking around Dublin:

We participated in a Murder Mystery in Delaware.  Our task was to visit 10 stores in town to gather clues and we solved it correctly!

The Great NYState Fair always is a sign of summer ending.

I participated in making salami roses in the Culinary Center, went to the Commodore concert, saw the farm animals and was amazed at the butter sculpture this year!

Apple picking is always on the agenda in the fall, this year we went early with our other two grandsons:

In a blink of an eye, the summer has ended.  Leave a comment for Emily for a chance to win this tote:

Don't forget to visit my friends:

Debbie with Miss Aurora @ Mountain Breaths

Emily with Miss Courtney Childs@ The French Hutch 

Linda P with Miss Lola @ Life and Linda

Patti with Miss Kenzie @ Pandora's Box  YOU ARE HERE

Rita with Miss Luna C @ Panoply 

Sarah with Miss Merri Mac @ Hyacinths for the Soul

Jackie and Miss Madi K @ Purple Chocolat Home

Ricki Jill and Countess De Monet @ The Bookish Dilettante  

Happy Travels!

Thanks for stopping by, Patti