Retro Christmas

Here is a snapshot of my Christmas decorations:

Star made out of a Coke can

Starburst made out of Tinker Toys

Linking to these fun parties:
Skip to My Lou
The Girl Creative
Sumos Sweet Stuff
Todays Creative Blog
Tip Junkie
Someday Crafts
House of Hepworths
Somewhat Simple
Fireflies and Jellybeans

Recycled Pop Can Wreath

I don't know about you but I love Christmas!  Which is why I am one of those crazy people who already has my tree up.  Granted this is the earliest I have ever put it up, but hey I want to enjoy it for awhile.  A couple years ago I wanted a wreath for my wall, but if you know me, I am not a traditional greenery wreath type of girl.  Like you won't find any greenery in my Christmas arsenal.  So with the help of my handy hubby this is my version of a Christmas wreath.  

I don't have step by step pictures for the process, as I made this a couple of years ago, before I started blogging.  So here my best attempt at a step by step explanation.

1. Gather coke and diet coke cans and crush them in one of those can crusher things.  (I am sure there is proper name for this crushing mechanism, but I sure don't know what it is.)  

2. Drill holes in all of them and then string a piece of sturdy wire through them, forming a circle.  

3. Purchase or find a fake green wreath and take it apart so you have the hard wire ring from it.

4. Get a string of Christmas lights if you wish and wire them and your pop can circle to the hard wire ring.

5. Add a bow and voila!  You have a non traditional Christmas wreath.

Linking up to these fun parties:

Skip to My Lou

The Girl Creative

Sumos Sweet Stuff

Todays Creative Blog

Tip Junkie

Someday Crafts

Frugally Sustainable

Somewhat Simple

House of Hepworths

Fireflies and Jellybeans

The Shabby Nest

504 Main

Home is Where My Story Begins

Tatertots and Jello 

Metal Flowers

My husband bought me a dozen roses for our first date, but left them in the car on a cold December night in South Dakota.  So needless to say they froze and wilted the next day.  I told him he didn't need to buy me flowers anymore since they don't last.  So every once in awhile he surprises me with flowers that he has made out of metal scraps, truck parts, and washers.   He is a super thoughtful guy and wouldn't want me to share these on my blog, so don't tell him I told you! 

Linking to these parties: Skip To My Lou
Girl Creative Todays Creative Blog  Tip Junkie  Someday Crafts  House of Hepworths  Somewhat Simple  Fireflies and Jelly Beans  Shabby Nest  504 Main  Home is Where My Story Begins  Tatertots and Jello    

Upcycled Tiered Fruit Stand

I got this colander and jello mold thing when my grandma passed away.  I have always loved old aluminum kitchen things.  I wanted to make something out of them so when I came across a cake pan at the thrift store, a tiered fruit stand was born.  My handy hubby connected the pieces for me and then I gave them a shiny coat of red paint.  Every time I grab a piece of fruit I smile and think of my wonderful grandma! 

Linking up to these parties:

The Girl Creative

Shabby Nest

504 Main

Home is Where My Story Begins

Tatertots and Jells

House of Hepworths 

 

Record Album Reuses

I have always liked old records, 45's, 78's, 33 1/3's.  Not necessarily for the music on them but for the fun things that you can do with them. Here are some ideas: Inexpensive Photo Gallery I originally picked out some frames for this wall but after spending $90 on them I took them back.  As I was laying in bed one night thinking about projects I thought why not use records instead. I already had the records so the only part that cost me anything was changing the size and color of the pictures.  

 Tiered Trinket/Jewelry Stand

Here is a fun stand to hold your jewelry or other trinkets laying around the house.

  

 Record Bowl

The good old stand by of softening a record album and forming it into a funky shaped bowl.  

Wall Art

A fun, inexpensive way to add a retro touch and pop of color to any room in your house.

  

 

  

She Did It Anyway

For about a year and half I have wanted to start a blog.  I love looking at other blogs and dreaming about doing my own.  I have always had a creative spirit and knew I would have lots to blog about but my perfectionism always held me back.  What if people think my writing is dumb?  What is my project isn't good enough?  What if nobody reads my post?  About a year ago I took a course online by Brave Girls Club called  Soul Restoration .  One of the lessons was called She Did It Anyway, which pretty much said do it if even you are scared, do it even if it is not perfect, do it even if no one will see it. Be brave and do it anyway, it has taken me a little bit longer than most to "get brave", but here I am finally!  So here's creations, inspirations, and a little bit on life!                  

License Plate Address Sign

I started making purses out of license plates about 5 years ago and ever since then people have been giving me their license plates.  A lot of them were not purse worthy and were just collecting dust. I was about ready to get rid of them but I knew I would use them someday.  Well that someday came and I used them to make a address sign for the front of our house.

I started out with a piece of plywood and attached 9 license plates to it with screws. I them spray painted them turquoise. I then took scrap pieces of metal tubing (from my day job of making exhaust pipes for go karts) and welded them together to form my house numbers. (Yes, I welded them myself)  I painted them green and attached them from the back.  

It turned out way better than I had envisioned, always love it when that happens! 

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