Nifty Thrifty Girl

I’ve always wanted a fancy bird bath but could never afford one of the lovely vintage cast stone bird baths nor did I want to shell out the cash for a reproduction. And then at an estate sale I stumbled across an old metal ice cream parlor chair. It was rusty and falling apart, but for a mere $1.00 I decided I would purchase it and come up with some clever way to reuse it.

I took the chair home and started to disassemble the various pieces. As I sat and looked at the base an idea came to me. I grabbed an old ironstone platter and …TA-DA!… it rested perfectly on the base of the chair. I now had my very own, unique bird bath.

I do bring the bird bath into the garage for the winter as the platter would surely crack under the extreme NY weather we have. But as soon as spring arrives I always look forward to setting up my bird bath in a quaint little corner of my garden.

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One of my favorite organizing tricks is to make use of the assorted glassware I’ve collected over the years. Most of these pieces were found at thrift stores, flea markets and estate sales. I’ve made a rule for myself to never pay more than $4 or $5 for a particular piece - most of them were actually found for under $2.

I use these pieces throughout my house for organizing; here are just a few tips/suggestions on how to use your collections to your advantage:

- Use small containers to organize bathroom supplies such as cotton balls, Q-tips, makeup brushes

- Use on your dresser top to organize earrings, jewelry, miscellaneous items

- Use on your desk to organize office supplies such as pens, scissors, paper clips

Put your collections to good use, get yourself organized and have fun!

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Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.

When I couldn’t find the perfect chalk board for my kitchen I decided I would make my own. I had an idea of what I wanted, so I began searching yard sale after yard sale until I found the perfect frame. It was a mere $1.00 Yes…$1.00. I painted the frame, took a thin piece of Masonite and cut it to size, sprayed it with several coats of black chalkboard paint, and mounted it in the frame. Voila…a custom chalkboard.

I also added a piece of chalk tied to a string so it’s easily accessible for writing grocery lists.

Since we’re on the subject of chalkboards, another fun find was this Chautauqua Desk:

I found this piece at an auction for $3.00. It was in pretty rough shape and missing many parts. I was interested in the chalkboard and managed to salvage it. I put a hanger on the back and this lovely piece now hangs on my porch wall to welcome guests.

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Some windows just don’t need fancy window treatments. I tend to use very simple window treatments such as roman shades or light, airy lace panels. When I have a miss-matched window (one that doesn’t match any of the others in the room) or a single window in a room that I would prefer to let as much light through as possible, I use one of my favorite window treatment tricks – a salvaged stained glass window.

Vintage stained glass windows come in all shapes, sizes and varying colors. My very first stained glass window was purchased at a flea market for only $15. I pulled another window out of my neighbor’s trash! In a few easy steps you can have a fabulous piece of stained glass hanging in one of your windows.

Once you choose a stained glass window all you have to do is bring it home and give it a good cleaning. I like to use Ecover Multi-purpose cleaner - it’s environmentally friendly and has a light, lemon scent. Murphy’s Oil soap also works well. I chose to leave my stained glass windows untouched - just like I found them. If you prefer a cleaner, more polished look you can sand the wood frame, and use a wood stain or paint.

Project Skill: Beginner

You will need:

• Drill

• 2 sets of screw eyes and c hook screws

• Pencil

To hang the stained glass window:

• Drill two holes in the top of the stained glass window frame approximately 3 inches from either edge.

• Insert the eye screws into top of window frame.

• Have someone hold the window so you can mark the appropriate spots to drill for the c-hooks in your window frame.

• Drill holes and insert c hook screws.

• Mount stained glass window on c hooks.

Another creative and inexpensive way to make your home cozy!

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Do you have boxes and boxes of your child’s adorable artwork in storage? Are you tired of not knowing how to display this artwork? After my daughter tearfully asked me, “Mommy, why don’t you hang any of my drawings?”, I had flash of creativity and came up with this oh-so-simple solution to display my daughter’s artwork. All you need is a little bit of time and you can have a quick-change wall gallery for your child.

Project skill: BEGINNER

You will need:

A spool of chenille rickrack

2 flat headed thumbtacks

2 large buttons

Craft glue

Clothespins

Craft paint (if you choose to paint the clothespins)

Before assembling the “Clothesline Art Gallery” you need to prepare the clothespins and the button thumbtacks:

I chose to paint each clothespin individually which should be done several days ahead of time to ensure proper drying. If you don’t want to paint each clothespin you could also embellish them with any of the nifty decorative notions they now sell at craft stores. Scrapbooking sections are a great place to find stickers, die cuts, felt cutouts, ribbon, etc.

Next, you will need to assemble the button thumbtacks. This, also, should be done several days in advance to allow time for the glue to set. Place a dab of craft glue on each thumbtack and position the button accordingly.

To assemble the “Clothesline Art Gallery”:

• Measure the rickrack and cut to desired length.
• Poke thumbtacks at either end of rickrack.
• Position on wall and push thumbtack into place.
• Add clothespins and display art!

This project is so easy to assemble and provides ease in allowing you to change out the artwork as your child creates new masterpieces. What better way to make your child proud of their artistic accomplishments?

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Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.