Yesterday's post put socks on my mind. Using a rock I found at the beach and a lonesome sock from my drawer, I created a paperweight for my desk.
You'll need a smooth rock, a sock, a needle and thread.
Slip rock inside of sock and cut off both ends of sock.
Stretch sock around rock and pull ends together tightly - stitch in place to close.
You could also use your sock rock to hold down napkins at an outdoor event.
My kids are quite active – so there are always a few bumps and scrapes to tend to. Too often, I find myself reaching for a bag of ice to ease the pain of a fall – but instead of wrapping the ice in a dishtowel – try using a tube sock. It really is the perfect way to hold an ice pack in place.
Just fill a tube sock with a ziplock bag of ice and tie to hold in place.
You can pick up a pair of long tube socks at Target - they're inexpensive. Place ice in a ziplock bag.
Slip ice inside of sock, position it in the center and tie icepack sock onto your patient.
For head injuries, tie the ends of the sock together twice to create a hand held bag.
The knot creates a handle to make the icepack easy to hold in place.
Here's another quick trick - we saved this snowball from January in a bag in our freezer - it makes a great icepack too. I find distraction techniques to be helpful when kids are in pain - this snowball gets their attention and helps to jog the mood along.
I'm obsessed with Vespa scooters lately - this Starbucks coffee bag grabbed my eye at the supermarket for that very reason. When I was through with the coffee, I cut the bag in half and used it as a vase. It holds water without leaking.
When making floral arrangements with cut flowers try adding seed pods and early blooms to add interest and dimension.
When making this simple arrangement this morning, I included the seed head from a clematis vine I have growing in my front yard.
This stage of the clematis bloom is tremendous - almost more beautiful than the flower.
For this arrangement I used clippings from my limelight hydrangea. I use this flower most often in its early bloom state.
A young limelight hydrangea bloom.
I also used clippings from my sage plant - this dusty green leaf adds texture, color and scent.
Thanks to a recommendation from my friend, Ken, we’re listening to Morcheeba today.
I love resale shops – so I make regular visits to a few of my favorites in my area. Every so often a friend will ask me about my purchases – they like to know why I buy the things I buy. I get the question -”How did you see the beauty in that? I would have walked right passed it!” So, I thought I’d start a new category on my blog called, Resale Shopping Notes – where I will post photos of my latest resale finds and give some insight into the thinking behind the purchase.
I picked up this lamp base for $7.00 at a local thrift store. Because I spent so little on it, I didn't mind splurging on the shade. Luckily, I found this great-looking shade at Anthropologie - on sale for $70.00. I love the combination of modern lines with ethnic handwork.
Why did this lamp catch my eye? I love its dramatic shape and contrasting matte and shine finishes.
It also has a patina that gives it charm - I never like anything to be perfect.
These glasses were marked $0.50 a piece - but there were 5 of one style and 4 of the other. This didn't prevent me from taking them home with me. They are similar enough in style and color (both earth tones) to be used together as a mixed set.
Why these glasses? They have a modern, Italian look to them and the glass is thin at the rim and they feel great in the hand.
I like to serve beer in a footed glass - it's nicer than the more traditional, heavier beer glasses.
They're also great for iced tea, carbonated water or sangria. I really love this set and it only cost me $4.50.
I picked up this bag at a resale shop for $2.00. I love the fact that it's a bit ambiguous in terms of its period. It could be from the 30's , 70's or even the 80's. I checked the interior for condition as well as the exterior. I also checked for a label - there was none - but I could tell from the lining that it wasn't designer. I like it anyway. The velvet and patent leather combo, combined with the fact that it can hold a bit more than the average evening bag, grabbed my interest.
I like this kind of bag with jeans and heels.
I picked up this bag for $2.00 as well. It is vintage and handmade in Portugal and in excellent condition. I was thrilled to find this one.
I like contrasts - so I combined this lighter, feminine-looking bag with a bold, graphic top. This is great for a casual night out to the movies.
I was listening to John Mayer’s Heavier Things while I wrote this post tonight. Have a great weekend!
A dark glove and part of an egg carton are used to make this Mummenschanz inspired hand puppet.
For those of you who may not be familiar with it, Mummenschanz is a non-verbal performance art group that became popular the 1970’s. As a child I was absolutely fascinated by Mummenschanz. I became so familiar with them through their TV ads & PBS performances, that I would attempt to recreate their costumes and movements and put on small, impromptu performances for my mom. This is a happy memory for me – so I thought I’d share it with my daughters.
My inspiration - Mummenschanz.
To make your own Mummenschanz puppet - cut out the end section of an egg carton. Make sure you include the last two compartments and the entire peak. Create eyes with a black magic marker.
Put on a black glove and position puppet head on hand by inserting middle finger into the back of the peak.
Here’s a clip of our homemade Mummenschanz performance -
And here’s an actual Mummenschanz performance from 1976 -
When it comes to working on projects with children, sometimes the process is just as exciting as the end result. That is definitely the case with this craft. Crayons left to melt in the car take on a great new shape and are reborn as “car crayons”.
Old crayons are stripped of their paper, chopped up, spooned into a heart-shaped ice cube trays and left in the car on a hot summer day. The result? A lot of laughs and some cool, new multicolored crayons for the kids.
Have your kids peal the labels off a bunch of old crayons and crack them in half.
Using a sharp knife, chop these pieces up into quarter inch chunks and spoon into a lightly oiled ice tray (to prevent sticking). We used a heart-shaped rubber ice tray from IKEA.
Place ice tray on a dish in the back of your car on a hot day. On a really hot day - it won't take more than 10 minutes for the crayons to melt. We also added a few chopped up crayons to some plastic sandwich bags to create "free form" crayons too.
We went to the park for about 30 minutes - when we returned - the kids were thrilled to find the crayons had completely melted.
Success!
Set melted crayons in fridge to cool and harden and you've got a new set of crayons. Just twist tray to release.
What to do with two leftover bagels from Sunday morning breakfast? Try making this simple bagel bruschetta for a Monday evening appetizer. You'll be surprised to see how many pieces you can get from just two bagels.
Using a sharp knife, cut bagels into thin slices. Brush with olive oil and place in oven until crispy.
Chop tomatoes and basil and place in a bowl, drizzle with olive oil and the juice of half of a lemon - salt and pepper to taste. Add olive oil to a pan, add chopped garlic and cook until soft, but not brown. Strain garlic from pan and add to chopped tomato mixture - place on top of bagel chips and serve.
My kids inhaled these in minutes. If you decide to give this a try - let me know if your kids liked them too!
I found great looking cupcake tin liners at IKEA - they reminded me of small pleated lampshades. Within minutes, I created a softer look on a strand of bulbs hanging in my garden.
Using an X-Acto knife, make a cross cut in the bottom of the liner. Remove bulb from socket - slip on liner and replace bulb.
You can find these in the kitchen supply section at IKEA. A package of 65 is $0.99.
If you're using these indoors - the paper liners are fine. However, outdoor use won't stand up to rain - so you'll have to slip them off when you're through.
One package contains three different styles - so you can mix them up or use all the same.
Although I have never had a problem – please use caution and do not leave lights on when not present. Also – make sure paper liners do not directly touch bulb. This project is not meant for long term use.
A quick fix for hardworking hands - LAVA soap and vitamin E-oil.
I get my hands into all sorts of messy projects and I rarely wear gloves. So, when I wash my hands I need a little extra help sometimes. For a quick clean up try washing hands with LAVA soap (pumice soap available in the supermarket – has a gritty texture that gets hands super clean and exfoliated). Follow up with a few drops of vitamin E-oil (also available in the supermarket). Massage oil into hands and cuticles for deep moisturizing. I keep these items in my kitchen cabinet and grab them for a quick hand treatment right at the kitchen sink.
I love feathering my nest in unique ways. I hope my ideas inspire you!
