Turning Some Tassels

You may have seen them around the estate sale, thrift store, garage sale circuit. The lonely, single vintage salt or pepper shaker. Long ago separated from its partner.

I've collected an eclectic bunch of singles on my treasure hunts and enjoy transforming them into one-of-a-kind decorative tassels. I previously shared my upcycling method with you here. Recently, I got the itch to shake up some new tassel treasures.

Here's some of what I've been up to:

This one's a hoot. He's dedicated to my daughter, who's crazy about owls.

This art deco design is so evocative. Surely this one must have appeared on the dinner party table at one of Jay Gatsby's extravagant summer bashes.

What pretty, dainty feet on this charmer.  They add such a special dimension. The holes in the top of the shaker are decorated with gold stars.

This is my personal favorite. The pretty spring green design looks Irish to me, even though the salt shaker was made in Germany. The embellishment around the base of the shaker is a wonderful scrap of reclaimed metallic trim.

I've been using tassels to jazz up my decor for years. Since I started making my own with upcycled salt and pepper shakers, I've been enjoying this simple decorative element even more.

Make it a great day!

Linking to:
Masterpiece Monday

Nifty Thrifty Tuesday
Knick of Time Tuesday
The Scoop
What's It Wednesday

Design {It} Friday
Frugal Friday

Winter Under Glass

A light, fluffy snow fell gently all day. No winter wind here. No ice under. Just the sweetest, softest snow we've had in ages.

The late Thanksgiving threw me off my game this year and my holiday decorating is about a week behind my normal schedule. I put most of it up last weekend, hubby decorated the tree and I am now putting on the finishing touches.

One of the items I brought back from Arizona when we started cleaning out our parents' house was a beautiful folk art Santa by Pam Schifferl. I have a couple of her ornaments that I simply adore!

I planned to put the Santa under a cloche I had, but it wasn't tall enough. So, I headed to my neighborhood Home Goods store, which has an extensive offering of clear glass vases, hurricanes, apothecary jars and cloches. Eureka! They had one that was tall enough.

But, alas, I got it home and, not taking into account that it wasn't straight-sided, but rather bell shaped, the curvy section wouldn't fit over the width of the figurine. After an exhaustive and futile search for the right-sized cloche, I gave up and decided to make my own from a large egg-shaped vase.

The cute glittered bird substitutes for the cloche knob. He's surrounded by an ice wreath I already had among my holiday trimmings.

My mom's woodland Santa clearly is from the same clan as my ornaments.

Woodland Santa perches on a vintage milk glass cake stand atop a vintage bevelled mirror and is surrounded by vintage family mercury glass ornaments.

Welcome, Woodland Santa.

Make it a great day!

Linking to:

Nifty Thrifty Sunday

Motivate Me Monday
Nifty Thrifty Tuesday
You're Gonna Love It Tuesday

Night Owl--Crafting Down to the Wire

A while back, I picked up this cute vintage owl coaster holder at an estate sale for a song with the intent of giving it to my daughter, the owl nut. It bears a label on the back, "Made in Japan." I'd guess from its style and the Japanese origins that it's from the '60s or '70s.

The coasters were the simple cork discs, probably not the original ones that accompanied the owl because they were imprinted with a promotional message. So, of course, I wanted to spruce them up.

Good thing these are easy to do, as I waited until the last minute to begin this Santa gift project. I chose six different patterns of card stock to cover the coasters. First, I traced around a coaster and cut out the circles just inside the tracing lines to ensure the circles wouldn't be larger than the cork discs.

Then, I applied a coat of Mod Podge to each coaster--over the promotional imprint. I attached each of the circles, burnishing with a folding bone to eliminate any air bubbles.  After letting them sit for 10 to 15 minutes, I applied the first of three coats of Mod Podge matte finish sealer to the paper coverings.

After wavering on whether I should paint the owl or leave him as is, I decided to leave him in his natural state. I liked the simplicity of the plain wood and the way the eyes stand out against the darker color, so I just cleaned him up.

These are so easy to make, you could create them for any occasion that calls for a small gift. You can purchase the pre-cut cork discs at almost any craft store and can cover them with the paper of your choice. Use your imagination to come up with a stand or holder for your coasters:  a vintage tin, a glass bowl or box, a small metal tray.

Quick, fun and easy.

Make it a great day!

Linking to:

Savvy Homemade Monday at Home Savvy A to Z

Metamorphosis Monday at Between Naps on the Porch

Creative Bloggers' Party & Hop at Homemaker on a Dime

Nifty Thrifty Tuesday at Coastal Charm

Rednesday at It's a Very Cherry World

Vintage Thingie Thursday at The Coloradolady

Give a Hoot

Our daughter recently moved to a cute little Victorian-era rental. The night before we headed to Kansas to deliver the cedar chest we'd been storing for her, I remembered a 50-cent garage sale find I had squirreled away to give her at a later date.

She collects owls, but I couldn't give this to her as it was--basically cute, but just too boring (I could see why it ended up on a garage sale). So I whipped out my paints, whipped up a mixture of pomegranate with a touch of charcoal and gave it a base coat. After it dried, I wiped on a layer of parchment paint and removed the excess with an old t-shirt. I let it dry overnight.

In the morning, before loading the car, I glued a couple of nice twigs from our bur oak tree on the front and back. Now, the sweet little bird looks like he's perched on a branch. Originally, Hooty was intended as a napkin holder. Molly is using him for her mail.

Fun little house-warming gift, don't you think?

Make it a great day!

Linking to:

Savvy Homemade Monday
Sunday Showcase
Made With Love at Sew Chatty
Share the Love Wednesday
A Little Birdie Told Me at Rook No. 17
Sugar and Spice at Seven Thirty Three
Primp Your Stuff Wednesday