Sweet Books and Glass Painting

With Valentine's day approaching, I have pulled out a few of my Susan Branch books. They are full of pretty watercolors, intricate handwriting, inspirational quotes and some great recipes:

And I have "discovered" painting on glass. Here is an salt cellar that I trimmed in black, white and gold and it is sitting in a Sydenstricker bowl. The salt dish was purchased for only $.29 at the Christmas Tree Shop. Glass painting is another fun way to "doodle" and there is more of this to come!!:

Sharing this with Coastal Charm for Nifty Thrifty Tuesday

Boots of Flowers

Leigh, From Tales from Bloggeritaville, took her niece's old rain boots and planted petunias in them....I thought this was so clever that when I saw these children's boots at a garage sale for $.50, I had to buy them and copy her idea:
As you all know, I do not have a green thumb and I do not enjoy gardening, but I am trying to create a rock garden in the back of my yard to take away from the ugly drainage area. I don't tend to this area very often because my husband saw a HUGE snake there the other day...he described it as being "huge and very long" and I asked him if he was sure it was not a dinosaur!

But either way, the boots are fun to look at rather than the rocks...thanks Leigh for the great idea!

Crashing these parties:

Nifty Thrifty Tuesdays @ Coastal Charm

Toot Your Horn Tuesday @ A Silly Little Sparrow

Thrifty Thursday at Tales from Bloggeritaville

Recycled Totes from "everyday throwaways"

Allison at The House of Hepworths had a post yesterday that reminded me of a recycling project my high school fashion design students were challenged to a few years ago. Their task was to create something out of an everyday item we toss away. I demonstrated making the following items to give them a few ideas:
Alison made a lunch bag similar to these, but without the handles:
I also took 8 empty packages of muffin mixes to create this tote bag:
These are sewn together and grommets were used to adhere the handles:
And I made this tote from laminated magazine covers:


So, what did my students make? A cell phone case from old dish cloths, a necklace from soda flip tops, a pillow from an old flannel shirt, a wallet from a cereal box, a child's pinwheel toy from a cardboard box, beaded earings from old scraps of fabric, a jean skirt from a pair of jeans, a headband from giftwrap ribbons, a vest from an old blanket and many more clever ideas!

House of Hepworths has links where she has given credit, so stop over to see her lunchbag and link over to see where she found her idea!

Joining these parties this week:

Nifty Thrifty Tuesdays @ Coastal Charm

Toot Your Horn Tuesday @ A Silly Little Sparrow

Thrifty Thursday at Tales from Bloggeritaville

Milk Glass Memories...

Milk glass reminds me of my childhood. I can't pinpoint the memories, I just feel them. I have been searching for pieces in thrift shops and garage sales and have decided not to pay more than a few dollars on each piece. So far I haven't spent more than $2.00 on Fenton, Westmoreland, Hazel Atlas and Indiana milk glass pieces. I like the snowy white milk glass and I am partial to hobnail.

Just recently I found this Fenton candy dish at a garage sale for $2.00 - couldn't resist it.
And I found this sweet Fenton perfume bottle vase (1930's) for only $.99 at the Salvation Army thrift store:
I also found 8 more Hazel Atlas candy dishes at various thrift stores to add to one that was my mother's. I would like 3 more! I use them as salad/fruit bowls and I paid between $.39 - $.79 for each:
This is a sweet Indiana Glass Grape Harvest candlestick that I bought yesterday for $.99:
I'm not sure when to stop buying milk glass - haha - any suggestions??

I am joining Nifty Thrifty Tuesdays at Coastal Charm and 2nd Time Around Tuesdays at A Picture is Worth 1000 Words

Necco Wafers....

I have a problem. I have a sweet tooth. I love candy.
Anything with sugar...
Chocolate is NOT my favorite, but a good standby.
My favorite? Necco Wafers. I remember playing "Communion" with them as a young child. That means I have enjoyed Necco Wafers for 50 years.
I can't go to the movies without Necco Wafers. It's a must, a neccessity... it is crucial to have them after some popcorn!
But I think they have done something new with them. The flavors seem stronger, the colors are muted and the packaging looks different. I think I will do some research to see if I am right.
Anybody out there feel the same way about Necco Wafers??

They are nifty and thrifty...so I am joining Coastal Charm's Nifty Thrifty Tuesday Party. Stop over to see find some great thrifty ideas!