Okay, you look at this and say yeah?  What is it?  Looks like a cake stand.  So?  But, it's something I made to fill a need.  I am going to use this in the centerpiece on my dining table.  It's going to be a candle holder.  Actually, I am making several.  And was it ever cheap!

This is what I used.

I found these plates in the clearance section at Old Tyme Pottery.  They were 38 cents each.  That's right - 38 cents each.  They were on clearance (my favorite word) at 75% off with another percentage off.  Original price was $3.79 each so I saved $3.41 on each plate.  YES!  They have a silvery cast to the glass which makes them really beautiful to use for my Christmas centerpiece and are 8 inches in diameter.  Perfect to hold a pillar candle and leave room for some decorations around the candle.

I had several glass candlesticks from the Dollar Tree that I have been shifting around from place to place for a couple of years.  They were - you guessed it - $1.00 each.  I have them in several heights, but I am using the 4 inch pair to make my candle holders.  They look like this.

The only other thing I needed was super glue.  You can get two tubes  in a packagefor $1.00 at Dollar Tree.

All you have to do is clean  your plate and make sure it is really good and dry.  Lay your plate upside down and apply super glue to the top of the candle stick or glass you are using for the base.  Center it on the bottom of the plate and let it dry.  Turn it over and you have a really pretty elevated plate that can be used for whatever you want it for.  Wouldn't this be lovely to hold cookies or candies for gift giving or to grace your table for Christmas?  It makes a beautiful candle holder and I will show you what my table looks like tomorrow after I get it all decorated with my hand painted runner and finished table setting.  It's going to be smashing I think.  (Did I just say smashing?)

This is a quick and easy project you can do using mismatched plates you may already have and odd and end stemware or candlesticks.  I have a couple of sherbet glasses and martini glasses that I am going to use for bases also.  Any base you find interesting could work as long as it can be glued to a plate.  You can even hit the thrift stores and see what you can find that is usable.   Any vintage plate or candlestick could be fantastic.  Here is what mine looks like with a  candle sitting on it.  Just remember, it is undecorated (and yes I decorated the candles).  Will tell you more about that later.  These candles would also make lovely gifts!  I couldn't decide which picture I liked best so I posted both of them.  Can you see the potential here?

Well, it's time to get to work.  I have many more gifts and projects to make before I am finished.  Hope you can put this idea to use to make something lovely for your home or for gift giving.  With budgets being tight this year, remember it is the thought that counts and you will have put your time and effort and thoughtfulness into this gift.  And, it  is a really inexpensive project that only takes some glue, a couple of pieces, and an idea.  No one will ever know it only cost $1.38 or whatever you spend.    They will think you worked very hard putting it together and are so creative.  : )

Everyday Donna

Things to Remember:

May no gift be too small to give, nor too simple to receive, which is wrapped in thoughtfulness, and tied with love. ~ L.O. Baird

A Quick And Inexpensive Table Runner For A Wedding Shower

The Traveling Grandparents are back home after a trip to Chicago to help our son and his family pack their household for a move to New York City.  Our son has been performing in a show called The Million Dollar Quartet for a year and a half and will now be performing with the New York cast.  This was a sudden call with short notice for the move.  We left last Thursday and helped all we could to make the transition as easy as possible.  We headed home Tuesday, while they started their trek to New York.  But, the night before we left for Chicago, I had to make decorations for a wedding shower my daughter was hosting for her dear friend here in Nashville.  We had just gotten home from two weeks in Dallas helping our daughter and her family there while she went to New York to film a segment for 60 Minutes.  When we got home, we spent three days watching our grandson here in Nashville while they were transitioning Nanny's. (Okay, I am exhausted just reading about this last month)  I had told my daughter I would do the decorations for the shower, but it had to be something that I could make and leave for her to work with since we were having to make the trip to Chicago.  Normally, I would have helped her decorate and would make the fresh flower arrangements, but it was not going to happen this time.  I wracked my brain about what to do.  

While we were staying with her son, I saw the invitation to her friend's wedding on her refrigerator.   They are having a private wedding in their yard with a big party/reception afterward.  Dress was "dressy casual with hats."  Hmmmmmmm.  The invitation was dark green with a big tree on it and it said "Eat, Drink and Be Married."  Okay, now my brain was starting to swirl.  I called my daughter and asked her to pick up some fabric because I would not be able to get to a store before we left.  She got 3 yards of a linen like fabric for $4.49 per yard on sale.  Her dining table is six feet long and she has a table on her screened in porch also.  This was enough fabric for me to split and make two table runners.  I found three little girl's hats at Goodwill for $6.00 total.  Everything else I needed was already in my craft arsenal.  She was trying to keep cost way down and this was really going to help.

I made two table runners by cutting the fabric in half.  It was 45" wide and would be just right for this project.  I turned the edges under 1/2 inch and pressed with a steam iron.  I then turned them another 1/2 inch and pressed.  Using clear nylon thread, I stitched the edges on my machine.  I timed it to see how long it took and it took me exactly 5 minutes for each runner - 10 minutes total.  If you do not sew, you can use fabric glue or stitch witchery for the edges.  Just follow the directions for the product you use.

I did not miter the corners, but simply turned them under in this fashion.  Saved me time and I knew the ends would hang off the table and hopefully no one from the 4H would be looking.  

I had decided to stamp Eat, Drink and Be Married on the runners and I already had this set of rubber alphabet stamps.  I also had the leaf stamp in the picture above.  I always have paint of varying colors and they are using greens and shades of blue for their wedding.  Perfect!  I was set to go.  I started by finding the middle of the runners by folding them in half and marking the middle with a straight pin.  I chose a place on either side of center and started stamping the words Eat, Drink and Be Married.  I used a light blue paint and painted each letter and stamped it on the fabric.

Next, I painted the leaf stamp with green paint and stamped a random pattern of leaves around the words.  You have to put paint on the stamp each time you use it. 

This shows one side of the runner.  Next, I used a black fabric paint marker and drew vines and connected the leaves in random fashion.  Then, I added "squiggles" and used a round sponge "stomp" and made blue berries on the vine.  

The runners came together very quickly and I have to admit, looked quite lovely when completed.  They fit the theme of the shower and added color and depth to the tables.  Tomorrow, I will show you the hats I decorated that were also used on the tables.  My daughter took a picture of one of the tables for me, since we were unable to attend and I will post it with tomorrow's tutorial.  

These runners were so quick and could be made for any occasion imaginable.  Once you have invested in a set of letter stamps, you will have them to use forever.  I got mine at Michael's.  I also have a lot of stamps that I have used for various projects, but they can be purchased at any craft store.  Acrylic fabric paint is cheap and also available at any craft store.  The total cost for this project was only the cost of the fabric.  It certainly kept her under budget and made a really impressive look on the table.  Give this project a try.  Fall, Thanksgiving, Christmas, a baby shower, birthdays - the possibilities are endless!  Let me know how yours turns out.

Everyday Donna

Things to Remember:

If a miracle has ever happened, it can happen to you. If anyone has succeeded, you can. If things have ever worked out for anyone, they can work out for you. No one and nothing sets you apart from your highest good other than you. You are the miracle, the success, the good. It is all present within you, now. Cynthia Occelli

What's A Boy To Do?

Little boys are not the most organized creatures on the planet.  They carry around lots of little "things" which end up all over the car, the floor, in the furniture and anywhere else it lands.  They are always in a panic searching for whatever they just had because it could be ANYWHERE!

Our two oldest grandsons are 7 and 4 and they LOVE Pokemon cards.  The first thing they do when they get up in the morning is talk Pokemon cards, they trade Pokemon cards, they carry them around constantly because they might want to trade a card or two with someone at school or the playground.  They spend an entire trip in the car talking Pokemon cards.  These cards have "values" and "damage" and all kinds of things I don't understand - it is the language of Pokemon and I don't happen to speak it.  In my day, boys traded baseball cards.  Now that, I understand.  Guess I'm showing my age here.  Inevitably, a card disappears.  That means MELTDOWN.  These cards are more valuable than gold to these little fellows.

Girls have a big advantage because we carry purses.  You put all your "stuff" in your purse and you know where it is.  Little boys may have a pocket, they may not.  Actually, grown up boys may not be a whole lot better.  They seem to always be looking for their keys and their wallets.  How do they do it without a purse?  What is a little boy to do?  I have come up with a solution:  a simple draw string bag that will hold a big handful of Pokemon cards (or other little things they want to carry around) and will fit in their pockets.  Or, they can carry them in the bag and not be dropping them everywhere.  Here is how I did it.

I chose each one's favorite color, blue and purple.  I bought a fat quarter at JoAnn's for $.99 each.  Yes, that is right - 99 cents each.  They are usually used for crafting and quilting.  The fat quarters are already packaged, they have them in a variety of colors and patterns and you don't have to stand in line to get anything cut.  That is the best part!  You can get two bags out of one fat quarter using this method.

I had colored hemp at home (that I use to make bracelets with) to use for the draw string and I bought a 2 inch initial to put on each of the little bags for a decoration.  I could not find anything Pokemon that would work without ordering it on line and I didn't want to do that since this was a spur of the moment idea.

After measuring the cards to know what sized bag I would need, I made a 5.5 inch x 4 inch pattern using brown craft paper.  The quarter will be folded in half already.  I  then folded one end of the fabric over to meet another fold making 4 thicknesses of fabric.  I pinned the pattern on and cut it out.  Make sure you have 4 pieces when you do this.

Next, I put two pieces together and stitched the initial on.  It is an iron on, but I wanted to make sure it didn't come off when they take it in and out of their pocket repeatedly.  (and they will)  I wanted the bag to be a little heavier than just one thickness since it is going to get used a lot.

Next, place the other two pieces of fabric on top of these two pieces so the the initial is in the inside.  You should have two blank sides of fabric, one on top, one underneath.  Stitch a 1/4 inch seam on 3 sides, leaving the top open.  Go back and zigzag the seam or serge it.  My serger is being contrary right now, so I zigzagged mine.  I use clear thread when doing projects like this so I don't have to keep changing the thread and the bobbin to match the fabric.  Makes things go much faster.

Next, turn down the top of the bag 1/4 inch and zigzag all the way around.  Turn down another 3/8 inch and stitch close to the bottom of the fabric so that you have a casing.  Start at one seam, stitch around until you are about 3/8 inch from where you started.

I used colored hemp for my draw string.  It is sturdy and colorful.  Cut a 15 inch piece of hemp for each bag.   I could not find a little safety pin (go figure), so I used a piece of jewelry wire and poked it through the hemp so that I could thread it through the casing.  I folded it over so it would have a smooth top to facilitate the threading and would not get caught inside the casing.  That is a nuisance when it happens.

   

Once you get the string through the casing, turn the bag right side out.  Knot the end of the string (I knotted mine twice) and you are finished.  The casing will be on the inside of the bag.   A really quick and easy project.  The boys can put their cards in the bag, keep it in their pocket, remove the cards easily to look at or to trade.  Ta Da!!  (see the beginning picture)   Now, you give it a try.

Hopefully, there will be fewer meltdowns because there is always a "lost" card.   One more effort to keep them organized!  Yes, they have binders with pages to hold the cards and boxes and all kinds of things, but they are too big to carry around.  This is Grandma's quick and easy solution.  Hopefully, it will make their mom's life a little less stressful with 3 little boys to chase around all day.  I remember those days very well!

I sent a picture by text to her today.  She loved them SO much, that we are going to make these bags as favors for H's "Minute To Win It" birthday party in August.   She is going to order some Pokemon symbols from the internet to decorate the bags with and I will whip them up.  Inexpensive and original!  Hopefully, it will make everyone's life a little less stressful and a lot of little boys very happy.

Everyday Donna

Things to Remember:


It's not whether you win or lose, it's how you do your hair.  LOL   quote from my favorite hairdresser, Joseph Barnes