The Best Stuff on Earth

Yes I AM talking about Snapple.  And to be more specific, I am talking about Snapple Trop-A-Rocka.  I CANNOT get enough of that delicious stuff!  And sadly, I can never find it at the store.  They are ALWAYS sold out -- so when they do happen to have it, I buy several cases...sometimes I buy it all -- even if I have to dig to the back of the shelf to get it.  Yes, I am THAT lady at the store.  Embarrassing.  Well since I'm guzzling this stuff all the time I had been recycling all those lovely glass bottles....until recently.  After taking a longer look at the bottles, I realized they were really cute -- they had a lovely shape, plus I had like a bazillion of them.

Now, I'll warn you  - this is not an original project.  I've seen people do this with other bottles...so unfortunately, I'm not the genius behind it's originality. But I did make it my own with some added decorations.

I peeled off the labels from my bottles, but it left a sticky residue behind.  Yuck.  

I took some goo gone and removed it and then cleaned the bottles so they were ready for my paint.

I grabbed a can of my Valspar Gloss White and gave the bottles a few coats of white loveliness.

Then I dug through my scrapbooking stash and added some rub-on vinyl I had leftover from a scrapbook page.  I thought my bottles needed a little bit more, so I added some of these jewels stick-on things to the mouths of the bottles.  If you decide to do this, you might want to glue them on -- mine kept sliding off after a while, so I decided to take the hot glue gun to them.  

So are you ready to see?

Cute?  And here's the close up of those jewels:

For a zero cost project I think it'll do. :)  And I'd love to show you where I put them.......but you'll just have to wait.  I have a whole room transformation that I can't wait to show you!  (but the paint's still drying, so I'll have to share another day).

Linking up to:

Mondays:Between Naps on the Porch ; C.R.A.F.T; Craft-O-Maniac; Keeping it Simple; Mad in Crafts; Making the World Cuter; The DIY Showoff; The Girl Creative Tuesdays:  All Thingz Related; House of Grace; I'm Topsy Turvy; Lucky Star Lane; Sugar Bee Craft Edition; The CSI Project; These Creative Juices; Today's Creative Blog Wednesdays:  Blue Cricket Design; Creations by Kara; Debbiedoos; Domestically Speaking; My Backyard Eden; Night Owl Crafting; Seven Thirty Three; Someday Crafts; The Thrifty Home; Trendy Treehouse Thursdays: Beyond the Picket Fence; Craftastical!; Fireflies & Jellybeans; House of Hepworths; Life as Lori; Somewhat Simple; The Shabby Chic Cottage Fridays:  Chic on a Shoestring; Finding Fabulous; Fingerprints on the Fridge; Frou Frou Decor; Frugal & Fabulous Design; It's a Hodge Podge Life; It's Fun to Craft!: Just a Girl; Remodelaholic; Simply Designing; The Shabby Nest; Tatertots & Jello Weekend:  A  Little Lovely; Be Different Act Normal; Funky Junk Interiors; House of Thrifty Decor; I Heart Naptime; Kuzak's Closet; Under the Table & Dreaming

  And don't forget to enter our Ad Giveaway HERE!

Mod Podge Strikes Again

So this is another one of those "use what you have" projects.   I always have left over "parts" or supplies from other projects that I do.  I suppose most people would just throw away something they didn't use....but not me.  I CAN'T throw things away ... I might need to use that sometime within the next 20 years.  Is this how hoarding starts??? Let's hope not.  I don't want to end up with a maze through my house full of "I might use this" finds.

My left overs today are from my favorite project so far......the Pottery Barn Light.  

Are you tired of hearing about this light yet?  I can't help it!  I had so much fun transforming that light.  And don't tell -- but sometimes I go turn it on just to revel in it's knocked-off glory.   When I originally got the light (thank you Craigslist!!), it had a lantern-ish glass case around it.

I knew I would be able to use the glass case, but  until a few weeks ago, I hadn't decided what I wanted to use it for.   I figured it would make an awesome outdoor lantern.  I honestly thought this was such an original idea...but sadly, it's not.  Since I had my idea I've seen other crafty bloggers turning their outdated lights into PB-style lanterns.  So here's my twist on it.

Here's my light part that was left over (yikes - dust! It was out in the garage....I promise!).

I took my Mod Podge/Food Coloring mix and slathered it on my new lantern.  For those of you curious about the exact mixture, I don't have one.  It's a "I-think-this-looks-good" method.  But if I were to guess, I would say I use about 1/4 cup of Mod Podge and 5-7 drops of neon blue food coloring and 3-5 drops of neon green food coloring.  You'd be surprised how far that 1/4 cup of Mod Podge will go - so use it sparingly!

It's a little scary looking at first, but it definitely turns out in the end.  The next step was to stipple the Mod Podge with a paper towel, so it looks like this:

Then I tried something a little different.  I baked it.  Yes, that's right I put my lantern in the oven.  I saw this on Autum's blog, Creative Little Daisy.  She has some detailed instructions on baking the Mod Podge mixture.

I baked mine at 175 degrees for about 25 minutes until it looks like stained glass.

NOTE:  The regular Mod Podge is not water-proof.  Sooooo, if you are going to use whatever your Mod Podging for outside - get the Outdoor Mod Podge - that stuff will stick! :)

Next I painted the gold "trim" on the lantern black - I painted it by hand becuase I was getting really frustrated with taping it off. But I'm sure if you had more patience than me you could tape off the gold and give it a good spray-paint.  That was it.....and here she is!

I have to say, I certainly got my money's worth out of that Craiglist chandelier.  And the money-saving projects I got out of this one ugly chandy have far outweighed the weird looks I got from the gal I bought it from.

Linking up to:

Mondays:Between Naps on the Porch ; C.R.A.F.T; Craft-O-Maniac; Keeping it Simple; Mad in Crafts; Making the World Cuter; The DIY Showoff; The Girl Creative Tuesdays:  All Thingz Related; House of Grace; I'm Topsy Turvy; Lucky Star Lane; Sugar Bee Craft Edition; The CSI Project; These Creative Juices; Today's Creative Blog Wednesdays:  Blue Cricket Design; Creations by Kara; Debbiedoos; Domestically Speaking; My Backyard Eden; Night Owl Crafting; Seven Thirty Three; Someday Crafts; The Thrifty Home; Trendy Treehouse Thursdays: Beyond the Picket Fence; Craftastical!; Fireflies & Jellybeans; House of Hepworths; Life as Lori; Somewhat Simple; The Shabby Chic Cottage Fridays:  Chic on a Shoestring; Finding Fabulous; Fingerprints on the Fridge; Frou Frou Decor; Frugal & Fabulous Design; It's a Hodge Podge Life; It's Fun to Craft!: Just a Girl; Remodelaholic; Simply Designing; The Shabby Nest; Tatertots & Jello Weekend:  A  Little Lovely; Be Different Act Normal; Funky Junk Interiors; House of Thrifty Decor; I Heart Naptime; Kuzak's Closet; Under the Table & Dreaming

Some Details I Forgot

So I have gotten an enormous amount of emails from all the lovely bloggers out in the blogosphere who have had some questions about the Mod Podge Solar Lights -- and I wanted to post a little update to my instructions.  (You can also see the new information on my original post).

1.  What kind of jars did you use?

I used Ball Pint Sized Wide Mouth Canning Jars:

 I found mine at Menards for $7.00ish -- but if anyone lives by a Fleet Farm, I would try there too. 














2.  What kind of solar lights did you use?

This is kind of hard -- I bought these lights from Menards.  BUT - you don't have to do EXACTLY as I did -- you could use a bigger light and have it sitting on top of the jar -- just leave the plastic case thing on the light so it helps the light stay the jar:

















3.  Where do you get outdoor Mod Podge?  

If YOU find out - let me know!  It's something you may have to order online -- I couldn't find it in any stores.  I know Joanne's website has it, but their store didn't.  So -- check around online -- you can probably get it cheaper than in the store too.  Oh - and sadly there are no Hobby Lobby's around me -- but I'm sure they have it.

Feel free to comment or email with any other questions -- I'll do my best to answer -- but I'm no expert!!


If anyone makes these lights -- let me know -- I'd love to show them off on here!


And thanks to Nikki at Nikki's Nifty Knacks (say that three times fast!!) - she featured these lights today -- AND she's having a Gettin' Crafty on Hump Day party -- so go check out all the fun crafty things people are submitting!!

Solar + Mod Podge = AMAZING

THIS POST IS SPONSORED BY:

When it's June in the Midwest you can only bet that we are outside -- whether it be work, play or relaxation -- you can find us soaking up the sun in the great outdoors.  And since we are spending so much time outside now -- we thought we should definitely invest in some solar lights for the front yard patio.  Have you shopped for these lately?!?  They are like $8.00 - $10.00 per light -- seriously!!  I have been browsing them for months now trying to find a good deal...but no luck so far.  So of course I turned to my trusty blogger friends for some ideas and inspiration......enter these two lovely ladies:

They both had WONDERFUL projects -- and I totally "borrowed" their fabulous ideas and created something new.  So go visit their blogs too and check out their projects:

Heather over at Our Life in a Click did some incredible solar light jars -- for only $6.00!

And at Pam's blog, Gingerbread & Snowflakes  she has a great tutorial on how to "tint" glass! Visit her tutorial -- it's awesome.  (I mentioned this last week on my PB knockoff table lamp).





Okay, are you ready for the project!?!

I picked up a box of wide mouth Mason jars (12 jars for $7.82).

And I already had my food coloring-Mod Podge technique down from  my last project like this.  But just for some additional instructions (you get better each time you do it!) -- here's how I did it:

Pour about a 1/4 cup of  Outdoor Mod Podge onto a plastic plate and add 5 - 7 drops (depending on how light or dark you want your color) of food coloring.  I used McCormick's Neon Food Coloring (except the yellow - which is from a plain old box of food coloring).  BTW - this was MORE than enough of the mixture to cover three glass jars.

Mix it together with a paint brush until it's completely blended.

Then paint it on!

Let it sit for a minute or two.

Take a paper towel and crumple it up.  Dip it into the Mod Podge mixture and stipple the jar until you get the desired look.

 
If anyone else is a "messy crafter" like I am -- here's a tip:  I took an old Crystal Light container and put the jar on top of it.  That way I could hold the end of the container while I kept my hands free and clear of the Mod Podge mixture that was being slathered on my jars.

And don't be frightened if your jars look like this initially:

 Hello Electric Green!  They do mellow out as they dry to look more like this:

Now that the jars are done -- time to add some light!

I picked up these little solar lights at Menards for $2.00 a piece (still wish I would have bought more!)

Then I took the post and clear plastic off -- leaving just the solar top and light.

These lights sit perfectly in the tops of the jars -- they are pretty snug, but hold the light up:

Next step is to wrap some wire around the lip of the jar to hang them from a hook.  I'm thinking you might able to use some sort of twine too?  Just a thought.

I wrapped my wire around a few times and hooked them around each other so that each side had an end of the wire.  Then I twirled them together in the middle to make a handle.  (Make sure your wire is wrapped really tight around the glass).

The last step is to hang them on a hook.  I searched high and low for some sort of shepherd's hook that didn't cost an arm and a leg.  I found these online, but I'm a "results-now" kind of girl -- so I didn't want to wait for them to shipped.    I did happen upon these 18" plant prop rods at Home Depot though.  And for $.74 a pop -- I took twelve!

Simply hook the wire around the loop and you're ready for some night-time light  from your colored jars!

Aren't they cute?  I'm in love with these!  But what's even better is the price:

MATERIALS:

12 pack of wide mouth jars:  $7.82

12 solar lights at $2.00 each:  $24.00

Wire:  Had

Mod Podge:  Had

Food Coloring:  Had

12 Plant Prop Rods at $.74 each:  $8.88

GRAND TOTAL:  $40.70 which means just $3.39 PER LIGHT

Not bad!

And how 'bout a peak at night?

(luckily my talented hubby knows how to take better pictures at night than I do!)

And today I'm linking up to these fun parties!

UPDATE:

 So I have gotten an enormous amount of emails from all the lovely bloggers out in the blogosphere who have had some questions about the Mod Podge Solar Lights -- and I wanted to post a little update to my instructions.

1.  What kind of jars did you use?

I used Ball Pint Sized Wide Mouth Canning Jars:

 I found mine at Menards for $7.00ish -- but if anyone lives by a Fleet Farm, I would try there too. 

2.  What kind of solar lights did you use?

This is kind of hard -- I bought these lights from Menards.  BUT - you don't have to do EXACTLY as I did -- you could use a bigger light and have it sitting on top of the jar -- just leave the plastic case thing on the light so it helps the light stay the jar:

3.  Where do you get outdoor Mod Podge?  

If YOU find out - let me know!  It's something you may have to order online -- I couldn't find it in any stores.  I know Joanne's website has it, but their store didn't.  So -- check around online -- you can probably get it cheaper than in the store too.  Oh - and sadly there are no Hobby Lobby's around me -- but I'm sure they have it.

Feel free to comment or email with any other questions -- I'll do my best to answer -- but I'm no expert!!

If anyone makes these lights -- let me know -- I'd love to show them off on here!

Round Two of the PB Knock-Offs

Thanks to Leslie at Bargain Shopping Paradise for featuring my the PB chandelier:







And thanks to Allison at House of Hepworths for featuring my PB chandelier today!  Her blog is SO good -- not only is she ultra-crafty but her posts never fail to crack me up too!  So THANK YOU Allison!

And speaking of Pottery Barn Knock Off Lights ....... we're trying another one today.  Should I say that I really pulled out all the stops on my last one and this one is not nearly as exciting?  It's kinda true -- I was so happy with how the first light turned out that none of my other projects around the house are really measuring up.  Oh well, someday I'll get over my love affair with my light (maybe).

I saw this set of lovely lights in my PB catalog a few weeks ago (does anyone else continue to get these even though they never order anything??  Sadly, I'm just too cheap -- but I'm glad I have the catalog to flip through -- it makes me feel sophisticated).

Aren't these lovely?  And I especially the bluish green tinted one.  

So I kept my eyes open at the thrift store for the perfect piece of glass.  I scoured their million and one vases every time I was in.......and I finally found "the one."

The shape was darn-near perfect for my mini version of the PB light.  And I LOVE when you get to the register and it's on sale even MORE than you thought.  Cost for this little lovely?  $1.49 -- SCORE!

I was a little bummed that it wasn't colored -- but oh well I'll take what I can get.

Oh, wait -- it gets better - I found Pam's blog, Gingerbread & Snowflakes with a WONDERFUL tutorial on how to "tint" glass!  OMG -- could not even tell you how excited I was when I found this -- visit her tutorial -- it's awesome!



So the trick was to use Mod Podge and food coloring.  Well first, let me say that I have NEVER used Mod Podge before -- but I've heard AMAZING things about it and how addicting it is.  So I went out and bought some (did you know Joann's has a 50% off coupon this week?) with my coupon of course -- and I L-O-V-E this stuff! 






So I happened to find some Neon Food Coloring in my cupboard (no idea what I would have used this for -- but it came in handy this time!).  I put a few drops of the neon blue and mixed it with the Mod Podge like Pam did and painted it on.  After I painted it I stippled it with a paper towel -- real technical using paper towels and all, I know.

I know it looks quite electric-blue in the picture -- but as it dried it mellowed out. 









Next step was the lighting portion of it.  If you look at the PB light, there isn't a cord going through the glass -- it simply gets pushed out the top.  So I used the wires and switch from this light:

It's not too hard to get the wires out -- just unscrew the bottom wing-nut:

The bottom of the lamp just comes right off and the wires can be pulled out, but first you need to detach them from the switch part at the top of the light near where the bulb goes.












Unscrew the top by the actual switch and pull that bottom cover off.

**NOTE -- You could just as easily buy a lamp kit at the hardware store instead of reusing an old lamp.  It would probably be easier. :)

I unscrewed the screws that were holding the wires to the switch of the light.  Once the wires are unscrewed they can slide through the base of the lamp.  Now all you should have are the switch part and a black plug-in cord. 

Then put everything back together without the base or the glass part (I'll be using the base for another project).

What you should end up with is the top part of the lamp where the light bulb goes and the black cord that you plug into an outlet.

This part will sit in the top of the vase.


For the final part of my light I had really wanted a simple round lamp shade -- but I couldn't find one in the size I wanted or in the price range I wanted.  So I decided to makeover a lampshade that I had lying around the house.

I LOVED Amy's tutorial over at The Idea Room for a Rosette Lamp Shade.  She did an adorable lamp for her daughter that had a TON of the cutest little flowers on it.  I didn't do as many as she did but I did take her idea in using one of my hubby's old t-shirts he was going to throw away.

I cut it up into strips and rolled away!

I only did five and put buttons in the middle of each one.

The buttons were ones I found at Joann's for $1.50.

I think they turned out pretty good for my first try.

And are you ready for our lamp reveal!?!

I'm in love with how the glass turned out.  Pam is an absolute genius! 

I'm definitely going to be using the glass-Mod Podge-food coloring on other pieces.

Total for my lamp:

Vase:  $1.50
Light:  $2.99 (plus I can reuse the base for another project)
Buttons:  $1.50
Mod Podge:  $3.49 (and I'll be reusing this - a lot!)
TOTAL:  $9.48 (compared to $99.00 for the PB one!) 

I'll be linking up to these parties today.