Silver Bells(Shells)

Take some not-so-quite-perfect shells.....................

Add some metallice silver spray paint(no priming necessary)..........

Add one white candle............Isn't this the most perfect dress-up centerpiece ever?

But what if you added an old pearl necklace?......................................

Even better!

Toss in some greenery from the back yard................

perfect for the holidays!

A Shell Mirror

Take a framed mirror,from IKEA,and some shells...........Base coat the frame white.............

Get out the trusty glue gun.................

And you have a mirror!

Now,if I could just find a place to hang it...................

Imagine This.......

Soooo,imagine you're on an island.

Any island.

Pick one.

I know where this event occured,but it could happen on any island.....

So,anyways,you're on this island,visiting dear friends,and it's decided,"Let's go to -----."(you fill in the blank), "-------is playing there,tonite."

You get there,and find out they are closing down,at closing time,for a long week-end to refurbish the place,which hasn't been been done since the 20's(1920's,that is),or whenever.

"Take whatever you want." the bartender says.

"The barstools,too?" you jokingly ask.

Come closing time,and after quite a few adult beverages I might add,people(including the night's performer,who happens to be an old high school friend,and the bouncer)are loading barstools into,and onto,a SUV.(a hybrid SUV!)

You wake up in the morning and find this.......

"What the He@# are we gonna do with those?!" you ask.

Refinish 'em!

but first,you have to get them home 120+ miles in the back of the Tacoma,to be greeted with,"What the Hell have you brought home this time?"

After being totally dismantled,bleached(those leg rungs were sooo nasty!Don't wanna tell ya what was on them.),removal of those nasty blue vinyl seats,and numerous coats of stripper,you end up with this....... After staining,you get to this point........ and the finished product! Well worth the effort of getting 'em home,etc. wouldn't you say? Never know what you're gonna find in a bar,do ya?

An Olive Jar..........

How about displaying your Olive shells in an olive jar?

I don't want to say how much that jar of real olives cost($$$$$),but when I saw it in the grocery store I knew it would be a perfect way to display Olive Shells! The display effect was well worth the money.

The perfect

way to display perfect Olive shells!

(BTW,the Garlic Stuffed Olives were delicious!)

Using Those Shells,Again.......

When it comes time to clean out the garden,or just make a bouguet,here's a way to use those "tourist shells".....................

Now,how tropical is that?

Hanging Patio Lantern

Let's make another hanging lantern for the garden,shall we?

For this project,we're gonna need very,very little.

-An old bottle

-One of those kits that turn a bottle into an oil lantern.I got mine many,many moons ago, at Michael's Crafts.I just never found a bottle I wanted to use,until today,when the crafting muse bit me! "Hey!I got an idea.You know what you could do with that bottle?"

-Wire cutter

-Needle nose pliers

-Heavy gauge wire,which I relocated from J's work area.What's he use it for anyways?

Cut a length of wire to fit around the neck of the bottle.Make sure it's long enough so you can twist two loops for the hanger.The piece I used was long enough that I could make decorative thingies on the ends.

Cut another length for the hanger.Just bend it in half,and thread it thru the two loops.

And.........

Voila'

Another lantern for the garden,patio,porch,lanai.

I wouldn't advise hanging this from a tree(I just did this for a photo-op),unless you want a forest fire.And firemen at your house.It's up to you.....

A Patio/Lanai/Porch Light.......

This is a project that costs ab-so-tute-ly nothing at all.And we all know how I like
cheap,
or nothing at all,cost wise!

All you are gonna need is this:

-A hammer
-A wire coat hanger(who doesn't have a bazillion of these cluttering up their closet?)
-A can-any size will do.A coffee can with a lid is best(we'll get to that later),but any kind will do.If you can find a can without ribs(do they even make cans without ribs,anymore?),all the better.
-A nail-a small size,like a finishing nail.Or you could use different sizes to get the effect you want.

-A template-I got mine from clip art,on the Internet,or you could trace around an objectA child's coloring book is a great place to find templates,by the way.
-Spray paint-anything will do.We all have leftover cans of spray paint,loitering around the garage.At least,around this house,we do......
-Water
-Wire cutter

First of all,clean the can.Fill it with water all the way to the top,and freeze.That should take about 24 hours.The time will depend on the size of the can.
Tape the template on the can.Go outside,and start hammering with the nail!If you have the lid,it's best you put it on for this part,as the ice is gonna start to crack.
Don't forget to put two holes,or more depending on the size of the can,for the coat hanger.Those are gonna be for your coat hanger thingy(Don't you just love the word-thingy?Kind of covers everything,doesn't it?)

Looks kind of crappy,here,doesn't it?

But wait!

There's more!

Get out the spray paint(for this I just used RUST-OLEUM Rusty Metal PRIMER.I just like that look,but you can use whatever.....

VOILA'

For this one,I just used 3 different size nails to get the effect of the palm tree.
Notes-----
It really doesn't matter if the cans get dented in the hammering process.You're gonna use them after dark,after all.No one's gonna see the dents.And the paint will hide most of the defects.

We use the citronella oil candle cartridge thingy's(there's that word,again)in the cans.

You can use use any size can for this project.Even pet food cans.Just vary the size of the candle you use.

They really look best,if they are in a grouping,hanging on your patio,or in your garden.Great way to get rid of garbage,isn't it?

If the can comes with a plastic lid,all the better.You can use it to keep the rain out!

How's that for cheap?