From Junk to Jar Gift

It started innocently enough. I've been keeping glass jars out of my recycling for possible reuse. And with the holiday season approaching, I just knew I could use a couple for gifts. Hot cocoa kit? Cookie baking kit? Sewing kit? After wracking my brain, I decided I wanted to make some snowglobes.

This turned into a long lesson on how to (and how *not to*) make a DIY snowglobe.

First step, head to the thrift shops and find cute little toys or figurines to create the scene. I left Goodwill with an awesome white glossy rearing unicorn. Dubbed "Ulrich", the unicorn started at $5, but since it was discount day for blue tags, he was marked down to just $3. This adventure is starting out strong. 

This is the eventual majestic snowglobe:

Ulrich comes home with me, and the next step is choosing the right jar to put him in. I try the largest spaghetti sauce jar... then the largest pickle jar... and to my dismay, none of my many saved jars are big enough. I rack my brain... maybe a large Adams peanut butter jar. I would totally use more peanut butter, and could divvy it up into some of my smaller jars. So I measure Ulrich, and I'll need a minimum 3" jar opening, and 7" height. 

On to the grocery store with my measuring tape. I go from aisle to aisle, measuring the pickled artichoke hearts, and the bulk dill pickles, and finally getting on my knees in the grocery store to measure the Adams peanut butter. Nothing is larger than 6" tall! <sob>

Finally, I cave, head to Michael's, and purchase a giant, half-gallon Mason jar. Lesson 1: the knick-knacks for inside your snow globe need to be much smaller than you think!

Now that I've aquired my jar and unicorn, I can start assembling. Ulrich is adhered to the lid with some waterproof silicone sealant. Pro tips: 1) make sure your adhesive is waterproof, 2) apply in a well ventilated room (such as a bathroom with the fan on), and 3) make sure you know the curing time (this one takes 24 hours).

You can decorate the lid if you want to cover any branding or just to embellish for fun. Metallic or sparkly nail polish work great.

Once your scene is secure and cured, you can start adding liquid and "snow". To make your snow fall slower, you'll add some glycerin. Glycerin is a moisturizing, vegetable-based product that is used in soaps and lotions.

You'll only need a small amount, so save to use by itself as a moisturizer, or add to other DIY bath and body projects.

Next, figure out what you want your "snow" to be. Pay attention. I learned *all* the lessons. :-D

The first thing I tried was some rainbow mylar confetti that I had leftover from previous events. What glorious unicorn doesn't want to be surrounded by rainbow? Lesson 2: test your glitter for color-fastness. The mylar was not color-fast and quickly became a purple soupy mess.

I next tried some fine silver glitter. Lesson 3: Fine glitter combined with the water and glycerin will clump.

I finally landed on some course white and irrisdescent glitter. Next: to get the proportions of water, glycerin, and glitter right. One online source suggested 1 cup water to 1 tbsp glycerin and 1 tbsp glitter. This was substantially to slow-falling and too cloudy. I suggest you start with 1 cup: 1 tsp: 1 tsp. Close and shake your jar to test, then add more glitter if you want, and more glycerin if the snow is falling too fast. 

With a white unicorn and white glitter, we needed a pop of color. I painted on some rainbow stripes on the back side of the jar, and when dry, sealed with Mod Podge.

If you are concerned about the jar leaking, you can also glue the lid onto the jar, using a little of the same waterproof sealant from above on the threads.

The final result? Ulrich in a snowy magical wonderland.

Hopefully my lessons learned above will make your snowglobe journey much smoother! Looking for other ideas?

Safeway had these adorable candy jars available around Halloween. These could be created for any season by painting a seasonal character on and filling with your favorite candy. Or leave some of the jar unpainted and put in a small candle.

Alternatively, my brother received this yummy homemade granola as a gift. Minimal jar decorating needed, outside of a personalized label.

What are your favorite ways to reuse glass jars?

Festive for (Nearly) Free

We all know how expensive the holidays can get, between parties, feasts, and gifts. It's a great time to look at second hand to be able to have those fun winter looks you want, with a little less impact on your wallet. 

It may be way too late for Christmas, but not too late for New Years and the rest of the season. If you're like me, you may be thinking about getting something sparkly for toasting in the new year, or maybe something indulgent and cozy, if watching the ball drop from the couch is more your speed. 

I brought home this jacket (cape?) as a statement piece for when I want to feel more put-together. At just $28 on thredUP, it was over 80% savings off its retail price. Black and white, it can pair with many outfits, but the super-sized houndstooth print and wide wing-like sleeves make for a bold style.

For a daytime or casual look, I pair the jacket with a simple long-sleeve cream colored tee, black chunky necklace, jeans (from Buy Nothing!), and some low black boots (good for some grip in this wet dreary season). 

For a dressier look (good for the office, night out, or holiday party), I pair the jacket with a longer black sheath dress, tights, and black heeled booties with gold accents. These are my favorite booties that I keep repairing because they are comfortable, go from day to night, and with dresses or pants.

It's kindof fun watching houndstooth regain popularity in the 2020s since last being big in the 1990s. What looks are you wearing this winter?

Kill Two Birds with One Swedish Dishcloth

It's rare I go to the office these days, but I go in the other day to meet up with some folks. I step into the elevator and there's a poster advertising a holiday market. Yay! Now I have something fun to check out over lunch. :) 

I grab a couple co-workers and we check out the booths. Some have gorgeous handmade ceramics (my coworker B got a lovely mug to go with her new teapot). Some have lovely handmade soaps or candles. Another booth had reusable glass straws, and my coworker R got one of those...

I come across a booth that had a variety of awesome eco-friendly housewares, from washable bowl covers to adorable wool dryer balls that looked like owls. Scanning the booth, my eye lands on these items with a cute patterns labeled "Wishcloth". The booth attendee explains: "They're greeting cards. But also Swedish Dishcloths."

You may be familiar with other types of eco-friendly greeting cards, such as those made with seeded paper, so you can plant the card when you're done and it becomes wildflowers. But this concept was totally new to me and so unique. 

If you're not familiar with Swedish dishcloths, they are a super soft, spongy, durable cellulose towel, that can replace your sponges and paper towels. Per Brightly, "With just one of these, you get the same use you would out of 17 rolls of paper towels." And when you are done with them, because they are made of natural fibers, they can be composted. So not only is this card a card, but it's also a great little kitchen gift.

Look at the cute prints they come in, such as holiday llama: 

Or "You Make the World a Better Place" (awwww):

They are slightly bigger than other Swedish dishcloths, because they are folded, so you can write your message on the inside. 

At $7.99 each, these unique cards are about the average price I'm seeing for standard greeting cards these days, or you can get a substantial discount with a 3-pack or 6-pack. Brightly also sells many other products on their website, as well as offering getting started guides, tips and tricks, and other advice, so please browse around!

 

Thankful for Leftovers with a Refreshed Flavor

Each Thanksgiving, it's a challenge to discover new recipes that will make the most of your leftovers. Many take a different form but use the existing flavors of Thanksgiving, for example, a turkey pot pie with a gravy or gravy-like sauce.

This may sound sacrilege to those who know me best and my unnatural love of gravy, but I really only want that flavor a couple days in a row before wanting some variety. So I was super excited to try a turkey pot pie recipe that has a creamy/cheesy sauce. Mmmm, flaky crust.

This recipe calls for: 

• Roast turkey - I used the smaller pieces that came from processing the carcass. (Read here to learn how to do this in your crockpot.)
• Roasted or frozen vegetables - I had some frozen, but you may have some leftover from a veggie tray? 
  
• Cheese sauce - I had cheese leftover from the appetizer charcuterie tray, and milk remaining from the mashed potatoes. 
• Sour cream - I had leftover from my ambrosia salad. 
• Puff pastry - These come in a two pack, so I always have an extra one hanging out from prior recipes. 
• Egg - Whenever I need to brush an egg on pastry crust, there is inevitably plenty leftover. Throw it in the microwave for 20-30 seconds, and my dog Meeko is happy to eat the "scrambled" egg. 

I'm pretty excited that this will do a good cleaning of my fridge. 

Start with 3-4 cups of turkey and 2-3 cups of veggies. 

Add in 1 cup of cheese sauce and 1 cup of sour cream.

Mix well and spread into a pie pan. 

Cover with the puff pastry and brush with egg. 

Bake about 30 minutes or until the crust is golden and flaky, and the filling is bubbling.I needed to add foil around the edges for the last 10 minutes.

Eat a large helping, and when you're done, let your cat lick the bowl. Toby approves of the cream sauce!

Happy Thanksgiving weekend, and may your leftovers be tasty.

Kintsugi - The Golden Repair

Kintsugi is a Japanese method of repair, typically for pottery, where you fill chips, cracks, or even rejoin full breaks with gold. Not only does this allow the piece to be in service for years to come, but rather than trying to hide the repair, it is highlighted and celebrated as a part of the history of the piece. Here is an example:

The Japanese have multiple methods of visible mending in their culture; in addition to kintsugi for pottery, they also have sashiko (embroidery) and boro (patching) for textiles. I love this concept to extend the life of my items, while adding character and color. 

Having learned about kintsugi years ago, I was just waiting for an opportunity to try it out myself. Despite my reputation for klutziness, I surprisingly break few dishes! However, I do have a large wooden salad bowl that has a crack through the side of it. It's a fairly small crack that will be easy to experiment with. The offender:

I'm starting with a food-safe silicone. You can choose a product that matches the material you're working with. There are plenty of choices out there, from silicones to epoxies to resins. Just make sure if you're working on dishes that you choose something labeled as food-safe, and that you work in a good space. Most of these products will have an odor and require ventilation. If you're working on something that is just decorative, you could even use a nail polish.

Next, you'll need pigments. I had these leftover from previous craft projects - you should be able to get them where you get your medium. I have a few different shades of gold, so I'm mixing a shade.

I mix the pigments with the silicone, and then apply to the crack with a small paintbrush. This crack goes all the way through the bowl, so I work from both the inside and outside to make sure it's entirely filled. Remove any extra that lands on the surface of the bowl with a clean paper towel.

Here's how the outside now looks:

And the inside:

Now it looks more like a scratch, and when it hits the light right, you can see the gold. The main benefit here is that now I don't need to worry about food or moisture getting inside there and damaging the bowl more, or being hard to get clean.

What are some of your favorite methods for visible mending?

Second-Hand Socialite

It's time for the annual second-hand/DIY Halloween costume post. A few years ago, I aspired to be something glamorous and epic for Halloween. And at the last minute, I made a fatal mistake in my DIY-ing, and had to change direction entirely. 

This year, I was out thrifting with my friend T, and kid you not, the Goodwill gods directed me to 2 identical ballgowns, new-with-tags, and in my size and the adjacent size. 

It was meant to be that I should revisit the idea from years ago.  Introducing, painter Gustav Klimt's muse, the socialite Adele Bloch-Bauer. She was the subject of several of his paintings, and the 2015 film "Woman in Gold". 

This is the pre-altered dress. About 6" too long for me, but otherwise a perfect fit and very comfortable. My goal is to not damage the dress with my costume embellishments, so I still end up with an evening gown. 

Beyond this being a generally great gown, the price was fantastic. As mentioned, it was new with tags, so I know the original retail price was $357. The Goodwill price was $50, which was already a great deal. However, I noticed the other size was marked $10 less. ALWAYS ask the question. So I bring both dresses to the register and ask if I can pay the lower price, and they agree! So this gown came home with me for $40 (89% off).

First, I start with hemming the dress for my bitty 5'3" stature. I'm finally trying a zig zag stitch, because it's a stretchy fabric.

If you can learn some of these basic stitches, you can save some major cash. I had a formal dress hemmed last year for a wedding and the alterations cost $70 at Nordstrom. Halloween costumes are a great low-risk project to practice on, because worst case scenario is I only wear it for Halloween. 

Next, I use that 6 inches I cut from the hem, and reuse it to make a wrap that will serve as a faux ruffled "cold-shoulder" neckline. Adele's ruffle is patterned, so I'm painting on a design before sewing. The paint? Craft acrylics from Buy Nothing (free!) mixed with a little textile medium.

Onto the body of the dress, the painting is decorated with what I describe as eyeball shapes. For those, I started with an old bed sheet that  contained a similar pattern, and embellished with acrylic paint.

Now, when I went to attach these appliqués to the dress, I wanted to make sure I could remove them without residue, so I could rewear the dress in the future. I tried 2 products: a basting spray adhesive (did not work to adhere the eyeballs), and a double sided fabric tape, which worked phenomenally. (Cost $9)

Finally, I completed the look with this gold and pearl collar. I had found the collar at an estate sale for $5 years ago, with no purpose in mind, but knowing I'd eventually put it to good use. This collar emulates the stunning bejeweled heirloom necklace that Adele wears.

Here is the completed look! For just $54 (dress, collar, and tape), I was able to create a one-of-a-kind look:

This price is competitive with the average pre-packaged adult costume cost at Spirit Halloween, and is a $320 savings on the leftover strapless formal gown.

Now... time to start thinking of ideas for next year. :)

Why Waste?

I just discovered this new show that I couldn't be more excited about. San Pellegrino hosts a website called FineDiningLovers.com, which is a digital magazine highlighting all the amazing chefs and restaurants of the world (which of course pair well with S. Pellegrino ;) ). Part of the site is educational, and illuminates how we can be more sustainable with our food. The link above is directly to their new show "Why Waste?". 

Why Waste? is now in its second season, and you can view the episodes directly on their website or at YouTube: Season 1 YouTube playlist, Season 2 YouTube playlist. Each episode runs about 10-15 minutes long and contains a fun challenge between two renowned chefs, from different places around the globe, and the challenge is to design a fun dish centered around food waste. 

For example, season 2 episode 2's theme is "over-ripe fruit". Now, I guarantee you all have that household favorite recipe for banana bread, which is best made with brown-spotted bananas. But when happens when you get Michelin star-rated chefs to bring their best creative selves to create a new recipe in a day? 

This episode shows Dominique Crenn, of Atelier Crenn in San Fransisco create a "peach smoothie" and Cesar Troisgros of Troisgros is Ouches, France create a "raspberry ice cube". I put these recipe titles in quotes, because it dramatically oversimplifies their amazing work. 

Dominique's smoothie uses overripe peaches, almond milk, lemon verbena, and just a touch of liquid nitrogren, to freeze the smoothie liquid into this beautiful seashell presentation, which you can then eat like an ice cream. Find the recipe here.

 

(pictures borrowed from finedininglovers.com)

Cesar's raspberry ice cube, creates perfect little snacks from overripe raspberries, yogurt, and cream, molds them in ice cube trays, and then to make it a beautiful presentation fit for a dinner party, he wraps them in a meringue shell. He describes these as looking like butterflies; I see wontons, but you can mold the wrappers to the shape you like. Not feeling that fancy? You could 100% just eat the ice cubes as a perfect "two-bite" portion of frozen yogurt. Find the recipe here.

While I'm not always trying to host a fancy party or compete with Michelin-star chefs, this show is a fun way to think outside the box and get some creative ideas for flavor combinations or techniques. 

What are some of your favorite uses for past-their-prime fruit?

Eco-Friendly Shopping through Langley and Anacortes

My dear friend A and I took a much needed long weekend/girls trip up from Portland and Seattle respectively, to Anacortes. On the trip, we realized we've known each other for exactly 20 years, and what a fun way to honor that friend-iversary!

Our B&B check-in wasn't until 4pm, so we had plenty of time to slowly meander our way up there. We started with taking the ferry from Mukilteo to Whidbey Island, and then stopping in the first seaside town, Langley. What a gem! If you're seeking a day trip from the Seattle area, you can easily hit this adorable town, full of cute beach-themed shops, boutiques, and galleries. 

Here we ended up at Star Store, a "natural market and fashionably fun mercantile", and I fell in love with these LOVE bags. They have two styles, a stiff tote (which can stand on its own) and a flexible chico bag (which easily collapses into its own pouch for portability). These bags are made of 100% post-consumer recycled plastic, washable, and will save you bag fees at the register! They come in fun prints like the kitties and sandpipers shown here.

 

 

The next day, our B&B host recommended we head to Commercial Ave in Anacortes, which is a several blocks-long strip of shops and restaurants. At the north end of the strip is the historic Marine Supply & Hardware store. While it still houses some marine supplies, it also now contains Alley Cat Antiques.

Antique stores are such a great way to find unique treasures - especially if you are a collector or seeking something nostalgic. While not as great of a steal as thrift shops for generic items ("I want a serving bowl"), these stores will have curated pieces and harder to find older brands ("I want a carnival glass bowl").

Just a few of the great pieces from Alley Cat: this Lladro statuette of Girl and Piglet.

Display case upon display case on Fenton glass bowls, in every color under the sun.

 

On the marine supply side of the store were these fun candles, made from upcycled beer bottles. Not only is the bottle upcycled, and but the candle is made of soy wax, made in the USA, and donates to Support the Troops. 

 

We worked our way down Commercial Ave, and entered Pelican Bay Books and Coffeehouse. They not only have a sizeable collection of used books in all categories, but they also have a cozy fireplace, coffee shop, and piano ("for skillful playing" only). We took a load off from the October rain, and enjoyed a nice beverage while perusing the stacks.

They had nostalgic collections, such as vintage hardcover Hardy Boys (for $5 per book).

As well as anthologies like this collection of Lewis Carroll complete works for just $11.

Moving on to Ink & Wool, a shop that features locally made artisan goods, as well as sustainable goods. I enjoyed the feel of these flannel cloths that are designed to replace paper towels and more.  They're super soft, and at only $16 for a 6-pack, you'll be hard pressed to compete with washcloths or tea towels.

And they come in super cute prints like rainbows and mushrooms.

Once we left Commercial Ave, we spent the rest of the weekend hiking, eating, and laughing with new friends made around the breakfast table at the B&B. We left the area rested, rejuvenated, and impressed with the options to buy used, upcycled, recycled, and antique.