Geckos and Cookies at the Dollar Store

Have your ever bought cookies at the Dollar Tree Store? Well, Wednesday was my day to get cookies for Mr. Z ... "the cookie monster". They have a great variety.

Walking into Dollar Tree you are greeted with all this colorful summer fun stuff ... decorations for Memorial day and Spring.  

Looking at all the fun stuff, I almost forgot about the cookies. If I was having a pool or patio party and needed decorations or cookies, the first place I would go would be Dollar Tree. 

Well, I remembered Debbie at Debbiedoo's and Shannon at Fox Hollow Cottage are having a Dollar Tree Summer Decor Link Party and just maybe I can find something to blog about.  

 

I loved what "bj" at Sweet Nothings made for her pool party.  (see post #4 or hop over to Sweet Nothings and see what she made). 

Truth be told ... after I saw that cute Gecko on "bj's" plate ... 
I just had to have one. 

So, when I saw this big green Gecko in the $ Store ... the decor wheels started turning.  They were so nice and I loved that he was green. I bought five ... just knowing I would find uses for them.

These bug/fly swatters in the shape of butterflies, flowers and bugs in the middle were really nice and only 50¢ each. 

 

Then came the colorful plastic watering can ... (can always use one of these) ... then picked three clumps of grass and the Gecko.  All I needed for a cute flower arrangement.  Cost would be $8.00. Not bad for a cute centerpiece and usable items. Can also be used for a door decoration ... but might need a burlap bow.

   

Wet play sand in the watering can kept the swatters in place. I bent the handle on two of them to make them shorter; added the grass and attached Mr. Gecko to the front. Hot glue did not work, so used some rolled-up, double-sided, foam mounting tape. This worked for the moment, but to be permanent, he needs to be wired on.

Swatters could be used as table favors or fold the handle over and secure it to a stand and use for name place tags.  

I was in the check-out line and saw this nice summery yellow cloth bag $1.00, thinking that would make an nice cover for a potted plant ... and so it does.

I tucked the handles inside ... cut a plastic milk jug and a plastic juice jug in half and fitted them in the bag added cardboard inside the front to strengthen and give it shape. Glued the Gecko to the bag with hot glue and put some potting plants inside that I had bought for the yard. This centerpiece cost $2.00 to make, plus the plants, but you have a choice of live plants, live flowers or anything from your yard or garden. 

 

I really liked this look and enjoyed it while I had my lunch.  

 I topped a thick slice of tomato and some lettuce with a small amount of left-over chicken salad. Fruit and crackers rounded out the simple lunch.

 

For dessert, I had two chocolate covered gram crackers that I bought at the Dollar Store ... I think there are 18 cookies in the package for $1.00.  

Now wasn't that fun ??? 

Summer decorations, cookies and Geckos all over the place. 

Just hanging around and waiting for the party to begin.

 at

Debbiedoo's and Fox Hollow Cottage

Junk Drawers and Silhouette Cameo

As some of you know; we added a storage room to our workshop and for the past month, I have been going through a lot of JUNK, sorting, cleaning, purging and moving stuff from the garage to the workshop storage room. (will blog on that later) ...   

Junk Drawers FEATURED....

 

Garage Sale coming soon ... 
do you think people coming to our garage sale will pay me to haul off our junk if it is in pretty drawers ?


Found three boxes at the Wednesday 25¢ Sale at Finds Thrift ... not really a drawer, but they will work. Saved me making them! After I painted my mirror ... had paint left, so painted the drawers.

  (oops, forgot to add the knob) ... oh well.

(Just had to add a knob ... funky and off to the side ... but cute !)

I bought a Silhouette Cameo stencil cutter with some of my Christmas money and today, I set my mind to try to learn how to use it. I had tried to cut stencils before ... did research, but I was not getting it ! Finally called Support and was able to cut a stencil. I wanted something simple ... so chose JUNK drawer.

I wanted to do a sign like Angie at Knick of Time does, but that is a little bit complicated. Check out her signs ... love them and she sells some of them. I will learn how to do that too.

I had some just regular household clear contact paper, so that is what I used. It worked ...

 I used both the positive and the negative parts of the stencil
Using just the individual letters; I dry-brushed white over them, letting the green show. The white letters were done with the stencil. Was able to use them a couple of times.  The paper was pretty thin and flimsy, but the more paint I got on it the better it was.  I was pretty happy with the results.

I think it made pretty cute Junk drawers. I was not too careful with the paint or the lettering, because ... they are what they are ... junk drawers. 

? Would you buy one of my 'junk drawers'   full of goodies ?

 

Thanks for your visit.

Hope you enjoyed my JUNK story.

Blessings,

Audrey  

Linking to Knick of Time
Homemaker on a Dime
Funky Junk Interiors
The Shabby Nest Frugal Friday





Finding Fabulous for less

Wire Whisk...Bright Idea

Whisking up a bright idea.

  

This is a large wire whisk that would have been used in a restaurant. I bought it at an Estate Sale for $1.00. Wish I had bought all three of them. 

 Not only for cooking ... I made a light out of it. I wired it to hang and it looked pretty cute in my kitchen. So easy and quick ... just drilled a hole through the handle, and ran the lamp cord pipe up through and attached a ring finial on top to hang it. Whisk wires are very flexible to work through or change the bulb. The Edison bulb is perfect for it.  

 Then I thought it would also be nice as a table lamp and all I needed was a base ...

 .

... so, I remembered this small Christmas tree stand and it was perfect.  

 

I just clamped it in. If I decide to leave it as a table lamp, I will change the wiring to run through the bottom of the stand.

What do you think ... table lamp or hanging lamp. 

So happy to have my " Bright Idea" featured on Nifty Thrifty Sunday. 
Thanks, Vanessa

Sharing with: 

Funky Junk Interiors

Nifty Thrifty Sunday

I Gotta Create:

 The Shabby Creek Cottage.

Fluster Buster

Knick of Time  

Serendipity & Spice

Home Maker of an Dime

Thanks for your visit.

Blessings,

Audrey Z.

 

ICE WATER ironstone pitcher and Brown transferware.

Have you ever gone to an Estate Sale and found something that you collect ... 

... was pretty, but was a little pricy?  

Well, I have many times ... 

This beautiful vintage ironstone ice water pitcher was $60.00 ...

My friend tried to talk me into buying it.

I liked it, but did not LOVE it ...

Second day of the sale, it would have been half-price $30.00 ... 

... but, still did not LOVE it enough to drive 

15 miles back to town for it ...

  

... just look at that ice lip to keep the chunks of ice out of your drink ...

...  that pretty little knob on the handle 

and all the stained crazing.

 

Unsold and donated ...

 Thrift store price of $15.00 

just made me LOVE it ... 

 

Now it sits beautifully next to an old ironstone bowl filled with vintage rag balls. 

  

 

I also scored this beautiful 14" brown transferware pitcher the same day at another Thrift store for ...

UNBELIEVABLE ... $31.00

Happy Spring

I appreciate your visit and love comments.

Audrey Z. 

Linking to: The Dedicated House

Nifty Thrifty Things

  

A Little Bit of Blue

Actually ... more than just a little bit ... of blue

When we moved back home after retiring and in this house, I wanted a County look and blue was my love. Not so true anymore, but this, I have to live with.  I also thought every wall needed wallpaper.

The antique painting of pink roses came from an Estate Sale many years ago. 

Reflections in a 36" round mirror that belonged to my Mom and Dad, also, thrifted.  It was used as a platter for my wedding cake because my brother, the baker, could not find anything else big enough.  He made a cake into an alter, including an isle for the eleven wedding party figures. It had little bowls of flowers on each side of the alter with little birds sitting around the bowl. 

Could the sparkles around the lights be magic angel dust ?
      Information about the oak mantel shelf  is written below.

Everything that you are seeing came for an Estate Sale, garage sale or a Thrift store. 

This lamp with fringed shade, is our night light for this master bathroom. This is the surround area of the built-in bathtub. 

This started out to be an Easter post, but this new computer has my editing program messed up, so much delay. 

Hope you had a happy Easter though. 

Some of the prisms have hand-painted, one-stroke roses, bought off eBay from the artist. 

The mantel shelf is off a sideboard and I moved it around all over the U.S. forever, storing it under the bed. Yep, it is big.  Finally, back home, our son made it into a mantel self, using fragments from a Church podium for the brackets, also collected and moved around for years. 
(can't really see them in the photos.)

Hope you enjoyed being in our master bathroom.

Thanks for stopping by.
Wishing you many Blessings.
Audrey Z.
Timeless Treasures 

Linked to: The Dedicated House 

Knick of Time