Teacup Candles

In honor of the beginning of garage sale season, here's an easy trash-to-treasure idea: if you find a pretty teacup that is flawed, just use it as a candle holder.

The same can hold true for tins or containers that are too pretty
to toss out.

Antiquing as Sport

I've always said antiquing and thrifting are the equivalent of hunting for me. I'd really rather not shoot furry, doe-eyed creatures, but I do enjoy the challenge and thrill of seeking out a game of sorts.

The chase is addicting: eyes dashing around the store, finding mostly junk but then––oh, the moment is so glorious––there it is.

That's the feeling I got when this wreath caught my eye. I found it in an antique store in Tipp City. It's handmade and has a variety of vintage fabric yo-yos with vintage buttons in the center, and it even had a nest with a couple of faux eggs. The nest was missing a bird but I quickly filled that void with one from the craft store.

After a recent conversation with a friend, it occured to me that the antiquing/thrifting habit might also derive from a desire to salvage. I always think about how that knick-knack might have been a favorite in its past life. When buying second hand, you're giving that knick-knack another chance. It's beautiful, isn't it?

Recycled Art

Our bedroom needed a bit more color, so I decided to make a vibrant collage painting to brighten it up. I started with a base of my favorite color, turquoise. Next, I painted and stamped with different layers of yellow and gold.

Then came hodgepodge time! A couple years back, I had bought an old dictionary at a garage sale that was falling apart to assist me in craft projects. A couple carefully torn excerpts provided a black and white contrast to the color. There are also closely cut pictures of yellow and red roses from an old gardening book I had found in a give away pile. I had a calendar of vintage bird illustrations that I couldn't bear to throw away, so they nested on my painting. Lastly, I had dried some peach poppy petals from my garden and they also found their place amongst the fodder.

I love how every piece of the collage has a story.

Ephemera becomes eternized!