Terrariums

Now that Christmas 2013 is all wrapped up I can reveal the Christmas Terrariums!

Every year, we like to make recycled, repurposed Christmas presents for our friends and family. Not only do making gifts usually save money, but the gift recipients get an awesome creative, one-of-a-kind handmade gift. I put all kinds of love in my handmade gifts and I enjoy receiving handmade gifts as well, because of the love that is put into them!
Keith and I scoured the local flea markets and antique malls for interesting jars and containers. We tried to get containers personally suited to each person on our Christmas list. Keith was really into this project and thinking outside the box or... should I say jar! He was on fire with great terrarium ideas! For example it was his idea to use an old glass cocktail shaker for our nephew that has a bar.
Terrariums are so easy to make and so easy to maintain - because terrariums are self-contained environments. It's a little ecosystem! The plants make their own moisture.
The first one I made was the large mason jar with the metal closure on top. I put a layer of aquarium pebbles or gravel on the bottom of the jar. About 1/4" deep. This gravel layer is for drainage since there are no holes in the jar. You don't want the plants' roots to get waterlogged and rot so this is a very important layer.
The next very important layer is activated charcoal. This is to help the plants to breath. On top of the charcoal add the fresh, clean potting soil. Plant your plants in the potting soil - don't over plant because the plants do grow! Try not to have the plants touch the glass. Pick out small healthy plants, maybe two or three depending on the size of the container. If they get too big - take them out and replace with a new small, baby plant.
You can next put a layer of moss or I sprinkled a few colored marbles instead. I chose blue to match the gravel - because part of the beauty of a terrarium is seeing all the layers!
And for the final touch, I added a little Wade pottery animal figurine - just for fun! I didn't realize until I started picking them out for these terrariums that I have quite a sizable collection of these figurines; they used to come in the box of Red Rose tea bags.
I watered it just a little bit before I closed it up. Set your terrarium in indirect light; don't put it in a window it will get too hot; if the jar gets steamed up; just open it up for a couple minutes to clear.
For some of the terrariums I used a layer of small white rocks for drainage and a sprinkling of small seashells on top of the soil.

We will probably being making more terrariums because there are so many potential terrarium containers out there! 

Furniture Rescue - The Sideboard

I'm in love with this sideboard. I worked so hard on it; I've really grown attached to it. And it makes me happy - when I walk into the house and turn into the dining room, it's the first thing I see. The bright red color just makes me so happy; it's so cheery and fun. It's a statement piece.

The sideboard is from a friend's husband's family. My friend decided she didn't want it anymore and put it out at the curb. She took a picture of it and showed it to me because she thought I would be interested in it. I was. So I followed her home on a rainy evening and rescued it from the elements. It sat in my barn for a couple of months and was exposed to the elements again. It was in pretty bad shape. 

I stripped off the veneer, sanded, nailed, puttied, and painted. It got caught in the rain again while I was working on it and I had to replace the top. I sanded, nailed, puttied, and painted again.

When I first picked it up I knew it had to be red - bright cherry red! I wanted to paint the inside of the cupboards a different color but I didn't know what; I knew I wanted it to be a surprise when it was opened. I found a little jar of hot pink paint on sale and it was perfect; the little bit of WOW I was looking for!

The sideboard had four original pulls on the drawers, but the pulls for the cupboards were missing. I wanted to keep the original pulls because they are so beautiful. I clean them up with a little baking soda and they have a lovely silver and black patina. I knew I would never find pulls to match the originals for the cupboards, so I found knobs that have the same "feel".

This sideboard was a labor of love and all the hard work and frustration paid off; I think it's a great piece.

Ties Revisited

As some of you may know I have an obsession with men's ties. The textures, the colors, the fabrics, oh my! I can't get enough of ties! I've accumulated quite a collection; so I am always on the look out for clever new ways to use ties. One evening, I came across instructions to make envelopes out of heavy paper bags. This inspired me and I just started experimenting with a tie and this is what I came up with - little gift envelopes. They are super easy and fun to make and and the fabric for the lining helps use up some of that fabric scrap bag! I use the envelopes as little gift bags for small gifts, thank you notes, money, and pictures.

My friends who have received the tie envelopes have been using them to hold music devices, money, radios, feminine products, makeup, phones and even regifting them. Some friends have even suggested I put cords on them so they can wear them and use them as small pocket purses!

The tie envelopes are so easy to make; first I open up the tie lengthwise, cut off the narrow end (save it for something later), take out all the lining and batting and etc. I carefully remove the sewn on or glued on label. I leave the pointed end of the tie pretty much intact because this creates the point of the envelope. Most envelopes are about 14" long before folded. Using my straight edge and using the point as the center I measure about 3" on either side of the center. So the envelope will be approximately 6" wide. Using my rotary cutter and straight edge - I cut the tie to form a 6" x 14" rectangle with a pointed end. This is just an approximate size. Each envelope is one-of-a-kind and will be a different length and width depending on the length and width of the original tie.

I then find a vintage button and sew that near the point of the tie. I then cut a coordinating piece of lining fabric the same size as the rectangle tie. If the tie fabric is really thin and light and if it is silk I use quilt batting or a heavier piece of lining fabric. I pin wrong sides together and sew around all the sides leaving an approximately 1" hole on the side to turn the piece right side out. I turn it right side out; press it nice and flat; fold the bottom end up approximately 5"; press it; sew sides together to form a pocket. Fold the pointed envelope end over and press. Easy! A little envelope is made!

I have a stack on the corner of my sewing table, ready to be filled and gifted!

Wine Bottle Night Lights

These beautiful night lights are made from wine bottles, glass beads and Christmas lights. It's an easy project, but it does take patience. It takes patience to drill through the glass without breaking it.
I washed the empty wine bottles and soaked the labels off. Keith helped me drill a hole near the bottom of the bottle, about a 1/2 inch from the bottom. We used a glass and ceramic drill bit to make the initial hole and then we had to make the hole big enough to get the strand of Christmas lights through. We used a diamond shaped carbide tipped router bit.
I then used the hot glue gun to glue on the glass beads.
I stuffed an 8' strand of clear Christmas lights in the bottle and left about a foot of cord hang out the hole to plug it in. I left the top of the bottle open so there would be some air circulation through the bottle, because you don't want it to get too hot.
I made a few for Christmas gifts and I plan to make a few more and I would like one for myself! I admit I was stunned at how pretty they look plugged in!