Flea Market Finds: Jadite Bowl

Yesterday I visited one of my favorite North Country shops, North Country Neighbors, and found some great finds at incredible prices!  Their Holiday Open House is this Saturday, so stop by and find some great buys!

Vintage Jadite Bowl - Originally $18, one sale for half off only $9.00, similar ones listed on Etsy for $40!

5 Vintage Candy Canes - $1.00 similar ones on Etsy $7.00

This wasn't  a super deal but I have wanted it for weeks so I finally bought it, floral strainer $8.00.

Stop by the Holiday Open House, Saturday December 3 in Downtown Potsdam.  I am going to try to stop by after my show in Downtown Massena from 10 - 2 at the Old Phil's Florist Shop!

Recycled Canada Dry Can Snowflake Decoration Set

I had been trying to come up with a good snowflake design for the past month and finally altered one of my previously done flower designs to work as a snowflake and I think it turned out great!  I used canada dry diet ginger ale cans, since they have the most white on them and a little green and red for the Christmas season.  

This set along with other similar ones including a set made from teal and white Arizona cans will be for sale, this Saturday December 3rd from 10 - 2 in Massena at the Old Phil's Florist Shop, stop by and check them out in person, they are beautiful!

Crock Pot Cream Cheese Chicken Chili

Time to share a great crock pot recipe!  As you may have noticed, I am now booked for the entire month of December and have already warned the BF that cooking will be limited!  If I can find more great recipes like this he may not starve!  Super easy and delicious, from Rita's Recipes another great Pinterest find!

Crock Pot Cream Cheese Chicken Chili

I followed Rita's recipe exactly, except I added only 1 tsp of cumin and some shredded cheddar cheese at the end.  Served it over rice and it was amazing!

Recycled Soda Can Bow

Nothing says Christmas Time more than a wreath with a big bow.  I love the simplicity of the bed spring wreaths plain, but adding the bow adds a tough of holiday flare.  Created from 3 soda cans, they are actually pretty easy to make and I hope to have time to write up the tutorial before christmas, basically each side of the bow is one can, that is rounded down on the ends and glued together in the middle.  The ribbon ends that hang down are cut from another can as is the center piece to cover the section that is glued together.  I then attached a magnet to the back so they will stick anywhere on the wreath!

This one I spray painted gold:

This one I spray painted a nice glossy red:

Lastly, this one I left un-painted: 

I am currently gearing up for shows, as I have one every weekend until Christmas, please check my upcoming events if you want to find a unique christmas gift!  

Bed Spring Wreath with Magnetic Book Page Flowers

Another Christmas Decoration Set, now available in my Etsy Shop.   Some of you may also remember this set from my last show!  Created from squares cut from an old book, featuring a center cut from a cereal box, painted and glittered.

Check back tomorrow for my first post on a Bed Spring Christmas Tree!  Down the road I also hope to provide a tutorial on how to make these lovely flowers, I just haven't had the time!

Recycled Soda Can Poinsettia Decoration Set

My first Christmas wreath of the season, similar to the Recycled Book Page Dahlias, except made out of Diet Cherry Pepsi Cans!  I made two different size flowers just so they don't overwhelm the wreath.  I hope to make a bunch more in this style, in several different colors throughout the seasons!

    

Enjoy!  Someday I might share this tutorial  right now I'm keeping it a secret b/c it is a lot of work :).  

Recycled Cereal Box Star Tutorial

A lot of you must remember the Sheet Music Star Decoration Set from last week, well here is the tutorial on how to make your own recycled stars.

Supplies:
Cereal Box or other food box (soda can boxes work great too)
Decorative Paper (Scrapbook paper, sheet music, the funny pages from the newspaper)
Scissors
Glue
Butter Knife
Marker
Star Templates (I used http://familyfun.go.com/printables/printable-star-pattern-703380/ and printed them on cardstock)

Step 1: Trace your start template on the back side of your cereal box. Cut out your star.

Step 2:  Trace the star you just cut out onto the back of your decorative paper and cut out.

Step 3:  Glue your decorative star to the backside of your cereal box star.  You may need to do a bit of trimming with the scissors an exacto knife to neaten up the stars edges.

Step 4:  On the cereal box side of the star (the back side) mark the center of the star with a marker. (it just needs to be approximate).  Get your butter knife ready!

Step 5:  On the back side of your star, using your butter knife, score a line from the point of each star to the center point.  You should do this 5 times, try to be as exact as possible.  The score line is going to be wear your fold your stars. It should look like this: 

 

Step 6:  Repeat the above process but do it from the angle in between the star points to the center.  This step should leave the back of your star looking like this: 

Step 7:  The final step!  Carefully fold each star point on the score line with the decorative side up, to get the 3D look and then fold each crease on the score line in between the star on the cereal box side to make it even more 3D!  The front of your star should look like our first image and the back side of the star should look like this: 

Give it a try!

Happy Crafting!

Recycled Sheet Music Stars

I am really trying to work on my photography skills.  To make my photos a little better on the blog.  They still appear to be a tad dark but I'm getting there.  I have had no time to right up a tutorial on this one but expect it soon b/c they are super easy.  Basically I cut out a basic five point star from a cereal box and glued  the same size star cut of sheet music to one side of it.  On the other side, I used a butter knife to score from each point of the start to the center as well as in between each point to the center to make the star fold nicely and give it a three dimensional feel!  Check it out!

This decoration set will be with me this weekend at the North Country Department Store at Indian River Middle School Saturday, November 5th from 9 - 4!

Recycled Candy Cane Decoration Set

With Halloween over its beginning to feel a little like Christmas time.  We haven't seen any snow yet up where we live which is shocking, but I'm sure it won't be long.  In preparation for Christmas I created this cute candy cane magnetic decoration set for my bed spring wreaths.

Created by twisting and shaping strips cut from a soda can!

I am honestly trying to work on my photography.  That is going to be one of my goals for the new year!  This set will be with me at the North Country Department Store this Saturday, November 5th in Philadelphia, NY at the Indian River School.