Small, Super Cute, Reusable Shopping Bag

I almost forgot to mention the awesome deal that I found at Bath & Body Works.  These little pouches were sitting so cutely in baskets I'll admit, very strategically, by the checkout line.  Impulse shopping?  Why, YES thank you!  These really are so cute, though, you have to admit... and for $2.50 how could you pass up something that fits so snugly in your purse?  This little cutie will work perfectly for those last minute, didn't bring along your normal grocery bags, "I need eggs and shampoo," shopping trips.  No more plastic bags for me!

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Dining Table Makeover

I got my home improvement fix this past week after a nearly half-year hiatus. I can't believe how much I missed mixing paints, digging through the tools, wandering through home improvement stores, and the many subsequent trips back to those same stores for things we forgot which then leads to the cashiers poking fun at you for coming back 3 times in one day. Yeah, it's a good time.

So here's what all that hassle and fun led to...

We started with a salvaged table top, it's sitting on top of our old ratty table in this pic.

We bought all the supplies to turn that top into a full table.
This is a prime example of things we forgot and mistakes we made. Notice that there is no actual color, just a primer and a varnish. Also, that varnish was DISGUSTING! Do not buy spar varnish for going over paint; it will turn it the color of molasses and will smell up your entire house for a week. We ended up priming and painting the whole table again and then finished with a plain old CLEAR polyurethane.

We attached the pine legs, primed and painted, flipped it over continued priming and painting.


And after a few days this is what we came out with.....


Ta-da! Now all we need to do are two more chairs so that we can finally seat six!

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Stacked Newspaper Trees

This looks like a very good candidate for my next craft project. I love Martha, find her directions and video here. Pin It Now!

Eco-friendly Crafts

Happy Friday! I was looking through my long-ignored inbox this morning and came across these eco-friendly craft ideas from Martha. Easy crafts are the best, their even better when they cost next to nothing! You can find full instructions here.


Mismatched teacups look so cute when filled with scented wax from old candles. Could be a neat gift idea for showers or Mother's Day.



Cerial boxes of all sizes can be put to new uses as organizers for office supplies and books.



By simply pouring glass enamel into clear glass jars you can make beautiful milk-glass-looking vases for those spring blooms. Pin It Now!

Easter

Easter celebration is over and cleaned up! Whew, now I can finally get back to my life. This was my first attempt at a full-on holiday celebration and it went exceedingly well if I do say so myself. I set up the tables in our bright basement in a sort of shabby chic/eclectic style with colors of blue, green, and yellow.

The centerpieces were homemade votives made from many glass jars (collected over the past couple of months) and coordinating tissue paper, I love cheap and re-purposed ideas!

Sangria Punch

1 can frozen concentrate raspberry lemonade
4 cups cold cranberry juice
1 cup cold orange juice
1 tablespoon lime juice
3 cups club soda
orange and lime slices for garnish










Pecan Crusted Sweet Potatoes

Filling

3 cups fresh (cooked) sweet potatoes
1/3 cup butter
2 eggs
1 cup granulated sugar

½ teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

Topping

1/3 cup all-purpose flour

1 cup brown sugar

1/3 cup melted butter

1 cup finely chopped pecans

Mix all ingredients for filling together until smooth, will be only slightly lumpy. Pour into lightly greased casserole dish. Mix together ingredients for topping with fork and sprinkle over mix; it will melt evenly to cover filling. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

*Tip: boil sweet potatoes with cinnamon stick or a sprinkle of cinnamon for extra flavor.

Deviled Eggs
This recipe was really a taste and add sort of recipe. The main components added to the hard cooked egg yolks were mayo, salt and pepper, dill relish juice, and a little spoon full of relish. So creamy and delicious!









Good company...











Lela is always so lovely.



The girls... Pin It Now!

Reusable sandwich wraps

Wow, has it ever been a long time! I hadn't realized that I've been away from my blog for a week now, how the time flies with a good book.

I was searching around today for some neat re-usable item crafts and found this one on Betz White's blog. Such a good idea for kids or for your own budget friendly lunches these days!




The following snippet is taken directly from Crafty By Nature and you can find the complete directions there as well.

Make lunch, not trash! These fun, functional sandwich wraps give you a reusable alternative to plastic baggies, plus they are a snap to make. After each use, they can be wiped clean with a damp cloth or tossed in with the rest of the laundry.

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Old Window Greenhouses

I've been poking around one of my favorite gardening sites, GardenWeb, this morning and found some really useful ideas for re-using old windows. I like re-using old things for new purposes and I REALLY like saving money! Here are just a couple of ideas for using old windows, I'm hoping to add some more later today when my internet connection gets a little faster (I loath Comcast).This is a very simple greenhouse from Mao Tse Mom from Ohio, no frills but gets the job done during the summer. It's completely made out of old windows, the same kind of windows in my house! This gives me even more inspiration to re-do our windows... if only I had a bigger back yard to build this adorable greenhouse. More pictures and details here.

This is my dream greenhouse! Wyndyacre from Ontario, Canada wrote this little snippit about it: "We used salvaged windows for the glass, salvaged doors, an old deck for 1/2 the floor and the other half is discounted paving stone. The walls that aren't glass are insulated and the north side of the roof is insulated and asphalt shingles. Several back and side windows open, I tie the doors open and there is an automatic venting window in the roof near the ridgeline."

Here's a simply-made coldframe she attached to the back of her greenhouse. You can find more photos and details about this greenhouse here.

Okay, so this one isn't using old windows but it is so beautiful I just couldn't resist putting some pictures up! PabloVerde from Atlanta, GA put these up on GardenWeb. I could see using re-furbished cedar boards from an old deck to build the shelving.
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Reusable shopping bags

I've made it my mission to stop throwing away plastic grocery bags. However, I'm not planning to carry all my groceries in my arms. I'll probably end up buying the cheapy weepy bags from my local grocery store but I couldn't help myself from looking at all the cute reusable bags available now.


These are from CYMA and look a lot like the bags available at the grocery store but don't have the blaring advertisements. The colors do a few favors for the overall appearance as well.









These adorable little balls by Flip and Tumble are easy to store anywhere for those unexpected trips to the grocery store.













Martha came out with this cute do-it-yourself idea, perfect for teachers or going to the library.
















Kenneth Cole makes this statement bag. Reads: "Use Me, Again and again and again... (I'm used to it)" When I saw it at Macy's I just had to take a photo of it, too funny!














Anya Hindman's bags are so not plastic but are instead very trendy (which correlates to higher price as well). Pin It Now!

La Fleur Debris

I was browsing through my favorite crafty blogs and a few new ones looking for some inspiration and came across this adorable little flower craft on Heather Bailey's website. Those of you who have ever received a gift from me know that I love to put a lot of love into presenting them. I may need to alter my usual wired-ribbon routine to incorporate these beautiful blooms!


















The following how-to blurb is quoted directly from Heather's website.

"Looking for a quick stocking-stuffer idea? I cut two flower shapes out of felt and stitched a running-stitch around their perimeters. I drew up the stitches on the top-most felt flower to curl and rumple the edges. Then I stacked on slubby wool yarn, a vintage fabric yo-yo, a slitted circle of wool felt and a fun little button. With a pin on the back, it's a perfect bit of pizazz for a winter coat or a holiday sweater." Pin It Now!

Zipper Flowers

Such a cute idea from Annie Mistak for using colorful zippers! I love the idea of attaching one of these to a purse handle or accessorizing a jacket. Found the directions for making these through Martha. You could also buy them through Annie Mistak's website.








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Pom-poms

I found this cute idea to liven up a dining location through the Belle Maison blog. I'm seriously considering making these colorful pom-poms to hang over my eclectic dining tables for Easter this year. I will be hosting it in the brightest room in my house: bright "Lettuce Alone" green. They will sure have the WOW factor! I'm so excited to get started to see if these are an actual possibility to make in bulk.

You can find directions for these here.



I simply love these cute little pom-pom napkin rings! Pin It Now!