ARTFULLY AVOIDING THE LANDFILL (& driving my husband crazy) ONE PIECE OF JUNK AT A TIME

3/6/10

Glass Insulator Challenge

You may remember that I have a gazillion glass insulators sitting around here waiting for a new purpose in their mundane little lives.  I decided to challenge myself to see what I could come up with...without running to the store to buy anything new to embellish them with.  So, I gathered my "stuff", scratched my head and started playing.

 

Sitting front and center above is a little glass votive holder that I snagged at Wal-Mart a while back, but found they were too boring, so they sat in the closet forever.  Imagine my joy when I found they are absolutely perfect fits!  If you didn't know any better, you'd never guess they weren't a part of the insulator.



My first creation was inspired by my Great-Grandma Daisy.  She was crazy about plants.  Her windows were layered with shelves of plant slips that she would start in baby food jars.


I think Grandma Daisy would be proud of me for being practical with my creativity : )

The next one took me FOREVER.  I am learning that I am NOT a florist.  I wanted to learn how to make a rose.  I tried following the directions for tissue roses, paper roses and coffee filter roses.  The tutorials said they were "easy".  Well, I guess I am "follow-the-directions-challenged".  I finally found a really, really easy one.... tie a knot in a piece of wired ribbon, pull the wire on one side to gather the ribbon, roll it in a ball and wrap the extra wire around it to make a rose.  Ta Da!


Moving right along, I wondered what it would look like if I layered an insulator...

Glass jar, potpourri, insulator, candle.  It works!


What farm home would be complete without Gallus Gallus Domesticus fruit holders????


I just want to have company for breakfast so I can serve them fresh hard boiled eggs!

While I had birds on the brain, I came up with this little number for our fine feathered friends:


I think Grandma Daisy would think the bird feeder was practical too.  When the snow melts, I'll fashion some wire and hang it from a tree limb.  

Next I messed around with potpourri again in colors that coordinate what's going on in my living room.  It's prettier in person (as usual - I swear I'm going to buy a decent camera as soon as I can!) and boy, does it smell good!


Last, but not least, I was back to looking for something to fit in the laundry room.  As luck would have it, I found this old candle holder that was tarnishing in just the right color!


A little hot glue, a few burned fingers and whoa-lah...




...it's just gaudy enough to make me giddy.

Now, I know I have a lot of silent "peekers" checking out my blog, so, please don't be shy! which one is your favorite?  You don't have to leave your name, you don't have to say anything fancy, just leave a comment about which is your favorite, okay?


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11 comments:

  1. Soooo many cute ideas...my fav is the bird feeder! Hope you have a FUN weekend:)

    Blessings,
    Linda

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  2. Great ideas! I really like the candle holder with the ribbon rose. It looks beautiful!
    ~Jennifer
    www.studiojru.com

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  3. I like the layered insulator in the larger glass jar...
    and the bird feeder too, especially if you hang in a tree.

    All cute ideas!

    I'll have to take a picture of my one and only and share it with ya sometime!

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  4. I like the bottom one, but I still think you should make a chandelier somehow. Would xmas lights fit in the opening of the glass? You could line them up to the barn and make a lighted path! Open side down. Light inside.

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  5. Good idea, Trish.. but I don't have that many! Maybe a lighted cat-walk for the fur kids in the backyard??

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  6. Hi Coleen! I Love your glass insulator ideas! Particularly the candle holder! WOW! I have some insulators laying around here somewhere(hopefully I still have them). Thank you so much for stopping by and leaving such a wonderful comment on my blog about my artwork! I really appreciate it!

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  7. Ooops ... sorry about the exclamation points ... I can be quite animated when I talk ;) LOL

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  8. again- love the insulators-

    glad to see you joined Prior's party.
    Good post

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  9. I love the last one, well all of them...Since I have some of these, too, glad to see all the ideas, especially that the Wal-mart votive cup works so well. Thank you so much for adding me to your side bar and joining my first blog party ever... Your projects were exactly what I had in mind...Prior lives with a story to tell. I'm with you, stick with the name Grandma Queen, that's great! Lezlee

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  10. Really like all your ideas. I am having a tough time between the bird and the egg!
    smiles, alice

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  11. I think my favorite is the bird feeder. I have a lot of these insulators too---now you have me thinking. I may challenge myself. Thanks for sharing.

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