Renewed: Black evening bag

As I was window shopping at a local thrift shop one day, this cute black evening bag yelled out "Save me"...and well...you know the rest. I just had to save it from just hanging around!! LOL! Although it was in fab condition...I couldn't leave well alone, so a quick trip to Joann's garnered a wonderful panel of Japanese women in kimonos with the colors that I felt would enhance my new little black bag. Back home I cut out the ones I liked the best and then positioned them where I thought they should be. And as soon as I was happy with placement...I got my brush and Mod Podge ™ and began securing the cut fabric images in place. I made sure that a portion of the hair-do popped up and gave that part of the design a brushing on both sides more than once to stiffen it up a bit.

 Front View

Open View

Back View

Once all of it dried completely, there was a nice sheen and feel to it and then I gave it away. And yes, the recipient of this renewed little black bag loved it!! I think she wore the heck out of it! LOL!

Do you have a purse hanging around that can use a new life? Try it...it doesn't take long... just get a bit of fabric and Mod Podge™ and use some creativity and that'll do it. The bag was $5.00 and the panel of fabric was $8.00, but you can get fabric that has a better repeat of design and don't have to spend that much on fabric.

Cost to make: <$15.00

Handmade ensures memories that last a lifetime!

How-to-make: Contemporary Photo Frame

I simply luv handmade gifts and even attempts by my closest friends and family to make a special handmade gift for me is soooooooooo appreciated...much more than a store-bought gift. Here is a sample of a picture frame of my grandkids (the first 4 of them at the time) which would make them great-grandkids for my former mother-in-law fand ready for bragging rights!

I put together 4 pictures I really loved at the time and made sure they were the size needed...3"x3" worked in this case and had them reprinted through Walgreens.  In this case you can't print them up on your home printer because they don't hold up under Mod Podge ™ which we will be using to adhere the picture to the tile and then as a top coat for that super-shiny look.

So, here's what you'll need:

*4 favorite pictures cut or resized to 3"x3" each

*4 tiles (I purchased 4 coasters in a basket at Big Lots for only $2.00) If you don't want to purchase tiles...you can cut out cardboard and cover with fabric or paint them

*1 picture frame 8x10 with a mat

*Embellishments of your choice...Michael's and Joann's both have great $1.00 bins with goodies to use...here I used flowers and rhinestones

*Hot Glue

*Double-sided tape

*Small piece of fabric to use as the background..9"x11" or 10"x12" would work

*Mod Podge and a small brush

*Small amount of paint (any kind) to cover one side and 4 edges of tiles

And this is how to make it:

1. Paint your tiles on top and all 4 edges with paint you selected (I used black to match the frame) and allow to dry.

2. Make sure you have 4 pictures resized and cut into 3"x3" size (I recommend using a paper cutter instead of scissors.)

3. When the tiles are dry, place double-sided tape on back of each picture and adhere one picture to each tile.

4. Fill your brush with a light coating of Mod Podge and uniformly brush on the entire top of each picture tile.

4. Allow the tiles to fully dry by placing them in a well-ventilated area.

5. Meanwhile cut your fabric and iron, if necessary, ensuring there are no creases.

6. Take your frame apart...Placing double-sided tape on the back of the fabric...carefully lay over the exposed cardboard of the frame which normally is covered by a photo (check out my frame where I used a purple print fabric). Before securing all the edges remove the mat from the frame and then replace once you've secured the edges neatly.

7. After the mat is replaced, check the tiles to make sure they're completely dry...if they're ready, place double-sided tape on the back of each tile and begin to assemble a block of 4 picture tiles...don't worry about them falling out, the glass will keep them nice and snug.

8. Replace the glass and secure the back of the frame.

9. Embellish your frame and if needed, use hot-glue to secure each embellishment. The flowers I used, needed a dot of hot glue, but the rhinestones were the stick-on kind.

10. Enjoy the frame yourself or give as a gift to someone special!

Cost to make: <$20.00

Handmade ensures memories that last a lifetime!

How would you make this frame differently? Please share in the comment area.

Great treasure find: Distressed headboard with detailed carving

Driving through my neighborhood, I spotted 3 dark brown headboards at a garage sale. Not particularly interested, I didn’t turn back and kept on going. Two weeks later, I drove by the same house and the 3 headboards were still there. My son and I continued to our destination; however on the way back I was drawn to stop and check it out. LOL!

Do you believe in fate? I do --- so one of those headboards was meant for me!!! Once I knew the price of the twin board, I chose the one I wanted and we carefully put it into my back seat. I was so happy and my smile would have told you so. After a cleaning with Formby’s™ Tung Oil, the distressed parts started shining and some of the detailed carvings were loose and would eventually need extra care, but for now – all the cracks, distressed paint, and the chipped paint tell a story and I just loved the worn look about it: It was perfect and I made a “great find”!

Cost: $10.00


Does anyone have any recommendations as to how I could carefully "fix" the chipping on the carved detail? Please comment...all ideas are welcome!! Thanks!

Renewed: Pole Lamp with Decoupage Lampshade

Isn’t it crazy how many apartments don’t have overhead lighting??? So once upon a time, I purchased a simple and inexpensive silvery pole lamp that came with a non-descript plastic dome-shaped shade. It served its purpose; but certainly didn’t make me house proud.

Meanwhile living in a complex with 91 units…tenants come and go all the time! Therefore it is safe to say that there are treasures to be found -- OFTEN! Especially, because the norm doesn’t know what to do to fix their broken belongings and many don’t want to know!

But this day, I saw a metal pole lamp out by the bin missing a lamp shade. I scurried it up to my apartment, plopped a bulb on it and plugged it in! Yeah, it worked!! Then I replaced the lamp with my old lampshade on top and stared at it. Though it was working, it was missing my touch. After a bit of polishing, a few scraps of left over fabric, and a few brush strokes of Mod Podge ™… Now, an otherwise boring lamp has become a delightfully “renewed” lamp for my bedroom.

Cost to me: <$5.00

Repurposing: Glass Dining Table

Years ago, my children were given a gift to help them along with their research assignments in school. Mind you…this was way back before the world wide web came and changed our entire lives. One day a very large and heavy package arrived and in it was a complete set of Britannica Encyclopedia, a gift from their grandmother. Times were changing so fast back then…I believe they used the books for a maximum of 6 months or so and that was it. The Internet took over and with its convenient and ease of use and quickness…they quickly forgot about those beautiful books that were stacked in the bookcase.

Many years later, I moved into an apartment when all the kids started college. No one was buying encyclopedia’s online and none of my friends or relatives wanted the books, so what I did next truly had a “repurposed” theme!  

Here’s my “SMART-TABLE”…LOL!

The beveled glass table-top was left behind when a tenant moved out from my complex. My mouth dropped when I saw it and, luckily once cleaned, it had no real dings or scratches except a small chip on one corner. It was my lucky day!   So now, my dining table is propped up by all those lovely encyclopedias and we can have Japanese meals whenever we want!


Cost to me: $0