Bella Dia

Glittery Newspaper Tree

I saw this tree on the Martha Stewart site and almost
immediately set to making it.  I'm planning on doing a whole 
landscape of recycled trees this year for a holiday display so
this fit the bill perfectly. I have a few tips for you if you decide
to make one as well. 

* I made the polymer clay base exactly as the instructions and
it came out perfectly only I used a bamboo skewer instead of
a knitting needle for the support.

* I have a large paper cutter and I am *so* glad I did! 

* Cut out all the newspaper ahead of time so you use the
same amount of each size. 

* We used a small newspaper cone for the top instead of a
star since ours is just a regular tree in the woods
and not a Christmas tree.

* I used Elmer's spray adhesive for the glitter. The glitter is
actually small opalescent flakes - a brand new bag
that I got while thrifting, woot!

* It is surprisingly sturdy and I plan to keep if for next
year so we'll see if it stores well.

* My kids were very much involved and could easily do it
on their own but it does take awhile so you may want to
have them switch out if they get bored.

Thrifting: The Wood Aisle

One of my favorite aisles in the thrift store is the wood
aisle. These are some of the things I found on one of my
last forays - I was especially excited about the little
hutch and the wooden shoes. 

These are after pictures of the hutch and the chair, aren't
they cute?! I have visions of making the little hutch into
a miniature craft cabinet with folded bolts of cloth and
jars of buttons and stuff. For the little green chair I
want to make a cushion and imagine relaxing in it
with a mojito at my side.

I don't have a before picture of this bench but it was
plain wood when I bought it. I used acrylic paint and
finished it with a coat of varnish. 

These are fun for the kids to do too. You might
need to use some sandpaper on items that have been
previously painted or varnished but take a look next
time you're thrifting and see what you come up with!

Glass Plate + Glass Bowl = Garden Cloche

Not much of a how to here: find a glass plate and a glass bowl at the thrift store (or perhaps your own cabinets), make a pretty display on the plate, turn the glass bowl upside down on the plate and you're done. A beautiful display of found objects!

   

There's something about putting even the most mundane object under glass that turns it into a work of art.  The items I've chosen are findings from one of our last outings - obsidian, agate, other pretty rocks, shells, pinecones, and a bug (possibly a cockroach?) casing.  See?  Even a cockroach
can be art! ;) 

I meant to make a Mother's Day post but I found myself in bed for most of the weekend suffering with the flu.  Then, what happens next?  Come on mothers, you know.  Yep, my son gets it.  Luckily, so far, crossing my fingers, my other two haven't come down with it so we are on the mend.  I am very behind on email so I hope you all understand and I'll be up to speed soon. 

Repurpose: empty food boxes + scissors = drawer organizers

We all need drawer organizers right? I'm magnetically drawn to any sort of organizer but I usually balk at spending money on something that is permanently hidden in a drawer just to organize the miscellaneous junk that has gathered there. Plus, I never know if they will fit my drawer or what configuration I would need. For an easier, less expensive, and good-for-the-planet solution look in your pantry instead!

You can measure and draw a line around your box or you can just freehand it like me. You can adjust the height according to what you'll be storing inside. The boxes can be used from any end, just use clear packing tape to close up any open side.

I also use empty dry goods boxes to wrap presents in even though it can be a little embarrassing when the recipient doesn't realize it and starts thanking you for Cheerios or graham crackers ;)

Nice and neat! Save the leftover cardboard and do this fun project with the kids - great for rainy and snowy days :)

Repurpose: Glass Jars + Crochet = Cool Containers Yarn Balls + Bamboo Skewers = Modern Flowers

The yarn ball flowers were a spur of the moment thought. Just poke the skewer into the yarn! You can always find second hand yarn at the thrift shop or use your own. They remind me of giant allium.

I love making these cozies for the glass jars I've saved. They are super quick and a good way to use up stash yarn. They can be coordinated to any room and I love the soundproofing that the cozy provides too. Here we've got a Pom glass, a pickle jar, and a pesto jar. The jars are removable so they, and the covering, can be washed.

Crochet notes: Begin by crocheting in the round to form the base. The base should be slightly smaller than the base of the jar. Once the base is the right size then stop increasing and continue crocheting until you've reached the height of the jar. Change colors when and where you want and add an edging to the top edge if you desire. The blue and green one doesn't have an edging, the other two do. I used single crochet but any stitch will work.

Repurpose

One of my new keywords this year is repurpose: taking an old or unused object and changing it so that it can be used in a new way. If you're a thrifter or a crafter this idea is probably already near and dear to your heart, as it is mine, but I wanted to make it more of a focus of my everyday life and not just something that happens every now and then. If you haven't seen The Story of Stuff gather the kids and watch this short video (20 minutes) on the stuff we all have, where it comes from, and how having less stuff is one way of making the world a better place. My kids loved the straightforward yet entertaining presentation and we all found it to be great motivation for being more green in 2008. I'm adding a new category to my blog for repurposing and I hope to have it full of ideas by the end of the year.

So, what does that have to do with Clementines on cake stands? Well, if you look closely, only one is a true cake stand - the other two have been repurposed. I got this great, no, brilliant idea from Betz White and decided to give it a try. You'll probably need to take a trip to your nearest thrift shop but take a look in your own cupboards first.

Find one pedestaled dish that can be turned upside down for the base and then find another dish for the platter part. I used clear caulking like Betz suggested (I got mine at Target) and it worked like a charm. Betz has a great step-by-step tutorial here so check it out and give it a try :)

Have you figured out which one is the real cake stand? It's the one in the middle!