In honor of our family reunion today, I’m drinking my morning coffee from my 1996 Giuseponi etc. commemorative family reunion mug.
Eating, laughing and several choruses of “You Are My Sunshine” and “Que Sera Sera” played on the mandolins are sure to fill a jar like this to overflowing.
I love this idea – thanks for the inspiration inchmark.squarespace.com!
Great idea for some quick extra seating – bhg.com never disapoints!
Perfect for impromptu family dinners under the grapevines – I can’t wait to make these!
A big thank you to Our Life in a Click!
You know I love the free stuff. And I love books. And I have a Blog - Trifecta!
So when I heard about Blogging For Books I had to check it out.
Free books just for speaking my mind – Does it get any better than that?
Blog? Want Free Books? Check it out here.
Last week when I was visiting my super-awesome-sister, who also happens to be super-awesome-thrifty, she was mid-painting when I noticed she was using a plastic movie case as a painting palette.
Pretty Smart.
To see some of her super-awesome-paintings - check her out here.
At the local recycle center 80 empty water bottles will get you a whopping 4 bucks.
At the Samaritans Purse website that whopping 4 bucks will provide a child with milk for an entire week.
You Should Do It.
Still buying those water bottles and single handedly ruining the planet? ? or so *they* say?
Let me ease your guilt - Upcycle that water bottle:
Sock + Empty Water Bottle = Best Puppy Toy Ever!
Just insert bottle into sock – tie a knot and it’s on like donkey kong.
We?re bringing it old school using a tube sock with the double stripes.
I love getting Christmas cards – I love it so much I want to marry it.
But what do you do with them when you flip the calendar to January? Some Christmas cards are just too beautiful, or too precious to toss in the recycle bin or donate for a classroom project ? so instead of shoving them in the back of a drawer somewhere, try this:
? Cut the card at the seam and use craft scissors to trim out a pretty frame, both on the front of the card and the inside of the card
? Affix the front of the card to a piece of sturdy craft paper and the inside of the card to the back
? Tie a pretty ribbon to create a ?hook? for your Christmas tree
Viola – A beautiful Christmas ornament! I made a bunch one year because I had more tree than ornaments. These days I have plenty of ornaments, but these remain my favorites. As we decorate our tree each year, it?s wonderful to re-read all of the special Christmas cards my family has received over the years.
Tomorrow kicks off the national collection week for Operation Christmas Child – although for many of us this project actually begins in July, when it’s still hot outside and most people aren’t thinking about Christmas.
A small group of us gather each Wednesday to wrap shoeboxes to look like Christmas presents. As each Wednesday follows the next, the weekly tasks turn from wrapping boxes to sorting, counting and packaging soap, wash cloths, tooth brushes and toothpaste into ziplock baggies.
Next is school supplies, hairbrushes, socks, candy and of course toys and a special stuffed animal. Last to be included is a short note to the receiving child letting them know that even though we have never met, there is someone out there that is thinking about them and praying for them. And most of all, we want to tell them that Jesus loves them so very, very much.
You may wonder what this has to do with upcycling – I could take the easy road and say that we turned an old shoe box into a Christmas present – but it’s so much more.
Today our small church exchanged our normal Sunday morning service for a box packing service – everyone of every age participated. Two hours and 1200 shoe boxes later we had turned a small congregation into world-wide missionaries, sending hope to children all over the world.
Learn more about Operation Christmas Child
Ever come across an item destined for upcycled greatness only to find that you?re running low on inspiration?
Check out ETSY.
This site is made up of amazingly creative handcrafters ? a community of unending inspiration and a major source of cool.
One of my favorite features of this site is that you can search by geographic location, making it easy to support your local community. Just click the ?shop local? tab ? and get inspired!
Here are a couple of shops to get you started:
Interactive
FlibbertyGibbits
And because I can’t help myself… REGRETSY
