Jewelry Display Organizer

There are times when I can be a small scale hoarder, and I'm hoping I'm not the only one.  One of my prized hoarding items is costume jewelry.  For so long I have kept all my precious jewels in a dirty old shoe box (labeled "precious jewels" to make me feel better about the disarray).  It probably doesn't even count as a box anymore.  All sides busted, more or less laying flat on the ground with a tangled up mess of beads and strings sitting on top.  I thought I'd make a fun and quick little art project to try and harness this mess:

And turn it into this!

Here are some more great ways to display jewelry in a frame:

Back it with a fun fabric.  This would be sweet for a little girl's room.

Use wire mesh in the frame to be able to hang more earrings.  I like the pretty ribbon, too.

Or hang items from vintage lace.

Screw in some great vintage knobs to hang your necklaces from.

Put together a collection of frames with fewer, more prized pieces to make a beautiful artwork statement.

Baby doll arms!?

Click on the read more button to learn how I did my version.

I have found "the one"

The one cloth diaper that is.  I promise this won't turn into a baby blog, but I am just so excited about the diapers I'm going with.  They are called gdiapers, and they are the perfect balance between disposable and cloth.  Basically, it is an cotton cover, with a nylon liner, and then a disposable insert.  What is wonderful is this disposable insert is absorbent and totally biodegradable.  And if it couldn't get any better, the insert can be flushed down the toilet!!!  So not only will we be keeping diapers out of landfills, but we won't have to house stinky poo holders in our own home while waiting for the trash man.  Here is a video if you need more of a visual of how they work:

If I was extra crafty I would build my own composting pile and compost the diapers myself, but I'm not sure if I'm ready for that.  There is a spot next to my husband's veggie garden he is starting.....could this be the start of "baby fertilizer"?  Gross.  I think not.

Here's what my dapper dan (or should I say "Diaper Dan") can wear on a night out.

It's a Boy!

My husband and I just found out yesterday that we can be expecting a little fella in about 4 and half months.  Which makes me wonder, is there such a thing as vintage baby clothing?  You'd better believe there is.  How adorable (and extremely well priced) are these boy selections from where else but etsy.com.

Have I ever expressed what a sucker I am for baby shoes?

Celebrate Mama Earth!

Happy Earth Day everyone!  I will celebrate both Mama Earth and being a mama myself at Babies R Us.  Look at this great coupon for a free reusable tote!  I have been needing one for my groceries / shopping for a LONG time now.  Its only good through today though!

Maybe when I get back I'll have a little surprise announcement for you : )

In the mean time, you can enjoy this clip of Disney's new movie "Oceans" that opens today.  Call me a granola loving hippy or whatever you like, but when I watch this I can't help but get a little misty eyed at how incredible our world is.

Junk Schmunk

So here is another before / after I'm pretty pumped about.  It all started on my favorite thrift store block in Memphis.  I had been looking for a bench to put by my entry door where we could take off our shoes.  I saw a doozie sitting outside that looked perfect, but I was already loaded down that day and it would have to wait.

I played thrift store roulette and waited a few days before I went back.  I thought I had lost, because when I drove back by it was no longer outside.  Feeling a bit sullen, I parked and went in the store anyway.  I looked around and didn't see it inside either.  Accepting defeat, I started to walk out when....TA DA!  There was that bench!  Only now it was a broken bench in two pieces.  Still excited to see it, I asked how much and the fella looked at me like I was crazy, called out to his business partner, and in Spanish asked what probably went something like this,"This crazy woman wants to buy your broken down bench.  How much do you think we can get out of her for it?"  I got the bargain deal of $10!  I even got a pretty cool magazine rack for 5 bucks.  The owner asked as I was leaving if I wanted to buy any more of his junk....I'll show him.  Here is how the broken down bench started (after a coat of primer):

We even got lazy and left it outside for a couple of rain storms, but the bench prevailed, along with some icky friends that made me squeal like a little girl.  I think this one was the mama.

 

Patience, perseverance, and a lot of wood glue gave us this happy ending:

I absolutely love the way it turned out.  It works wonderfully functionally and its really fun having that little bit of happy red in the corner.  Let's see if that store owner thinks this bench is junk now!

My Dream Car...

Is an old Ford or Chevy truck!

I would take a refurbished one, but might even prefer a clunker a la Sanford and Son.  As long as I can load it with junk and take it to my future upcycling store.  I have a feeling I would want to spruce up the interior with some sort of girly floral fabric.  The whole experience would be even better if I could pick up by best salvage buds Courtney and Susan, and we can hum this tune:

Jewels! Jewels! Jewels!!!

Are you looking for a smashing piece of jewelry or accessory to be a great conversation starter?  Look no further than etsy.com and check out the "vintage repurposed recycled jewelry", and try not to spend all day looking at some of the most fabulous creations around.  Here are some of my fave's:

Caddy Wings Necklace

Bug Broach Cocktail Ring

Zipper Flower Pendant

Fork Pendant

Heart Tin Broach

Scissor Necklace

Swiss Watch Innards Cufflinks

Vintage Typewriter Necklace

Crazy Broach Necklace

Barbie Leftovers Necklace

It's worse that I thought...

As stated in my previous blog, the plastic situation on our planet is not good.  However, I honestly had no idea how bad it is until I heard about "The Plastiki Expedition".  It is an expedition starting in San Francisco sailing across the Pacific Ocean all the way to Sydney, Australia on a boat made of plastic bottles!

They are making this unfathomable voyage to bring awareness to the awful plastic situation as well as alternative and renewable energy.  Here are just a few startling facts (many more on the Plastiki website):

• A plastic milk jug takes 1 million years to decompose.
• Americans use 2.5 million plastic bottles every HOUR.
• An estimated 14 billion pounds of trash, much of it plastic is dumped in the world's oceans every year.
• Every year we make enough plastic film to shrink-wrap the state of Texas.

Here are even more facts (I think this one might have to be enlarged and framed and go in the baby's room):

 (click on the picture to make it larger)

And here is a handy dandy downloadable poster on the many types of plastics.  Be sure to check to see what plastics can be recycled in your town, because what plastics are accepted vary:

Let's go save the planet!

Go get a STEEL of a deal

So it is not an earth shattering fact that disposable plastic water bottles are bad for the environment.  Something fairly new to me however, are these awesome stainless steel water bottles.  

These stainless steel wonders are washable, do not leach harmful chemicals into liquids (like studies are showing plastic bottles can do), are rust resistant, and totally recyclable!  I’m not sure why you would want to get rid of one though, because they are so heavy duty.  And so darn cute!

I recently bought a great one at Walgreens from the SubZero brand for less than $5!!!  It travels with me everywhere, because who doesn’t want to stay hydrated in this warm spring weather?  

I also recently saw this clip on “Cougar Town” (one of my fav ABC Wednesday night shows).  If this doesn’t make stainless steel water bottles cool, then I just don’t know what will.  P.S. this clip is beyond bootleg, as I'm sure you can tell.  Please don't report me to the FBI.

Roadside Treasures

I have got to get better at taking before / after pictures, because this one was a doozie.  I saved this poor guy off the side of the road after it sadly stared me in the face for three weeks.  It looked like it had been through a lot.  Stripped of its drawers, roughed up top, I had to do something.

After a thorough cleaning, removal of the cardboard back and stray staples, some plywood from Home Depot, and primer and paint, this has been a most excellent addition to our home.  He even made it to the focal wall in our living room!  I lucked out and found some baskets that fit just perfectly in place of drawers, but it definitely would have worked as open shelves, too.

Very long story short.  Don't be afraid to take a extra look at discarded furniture on the side of the road.  It may take a little work, but who can resist a FREE piece of furniture that you can make as unique as your heart desires?