Use old plastic lids as ceiling medallions

I don't know if you have ever bought a ceiling medallion at Home Depot, but essentially there are a piece of plastic you hang between your ceiling and light fixture cap to make it look more substantial. They cost $10 to $20 each for a piece of plastic!

Now if you've read my blog you've seen me use iron wall art and old mirror frames as ceiling medallions, but by far the cheapest solution I have is old plastic lids.

Basically I found an old bucket lid laying on the ground outside my house (someone's trash most likely), and when I picked it up I thought, "that looks just like a ceiling medallion."  It was too beat up to use, so I decided to see what I had around the house. 

I looked in my tupperware drawer. I put all the pieces together to see what was left. I had a couple old larger plastic lids that didn't fit anything left, so I painted them, and put one under my bedroom ceiling fan.  You just need to cut a hole in the middle of it to make room for the wiring, etc.  (just like a real medallion has).

I put the other under my bathroom chandelier.

Easy FREE solution to something I would buy anyway (I for some reason just can't stand the look of a little 4" cap on a big light fixture).  I would have preferred larger bucket sized lids, but I used what I had.  In the future I'll be hitting up construction sites for more, when I ready to add them to my daughters rooms : )  Happy hunting.

My wine cork letter :)

Today I decided it was time to do a project I have pinned an Pinterest :). Mainly because my boards are getting cluttered, and I'm ready to start deleting the completed ones.

I realized I had everything I needed to make my wine cork letter "A". I wanted it to sit on something vs. be free standing (wanting it to have a little more presence). So I started by gluing two corks on each side of the base (a bamboo soap dish holder I had from Ikea). I used hot glue to put it all together, and it worked great.

I then added one cork at a time to each side at a slight angle. Once the sides met I just glued the top two together.

Being a letter A I also had to place the cross bar. I held two corks up to see where I wanted it, then started gluing. It turned out I needed three across the middle, but it worked out great and I just love it.

Thank you again Pinterest for all of the ideas :)

DIY candle with "remnant" wax

So this was a "use it or throw it away" day.  I went to change my scentsy wax block out and saw the pile of "used" wax I keep in my candle cabinet.  Old candle wax (where the wicks are gone but there is still wax), old scentsy wax (a jar where I pour all of the used "unscented" wax), old candles in bad colors, etc.

For this project I used an old blue taper I had for the wick.  Cut the taper in half or shorter.  The candle portion needs to be shorter than the height of the wax in the container.  This is easier to determine after the wax is poured into the container.   The wick needs to be as high as the top of the container to stabilize it (further explained below).

For the wax I primarily used the scentsy reject wax poured into these containers (there was a little old candle wax in the jar, too :)

To get the wax out of the jar, I just boiled it for a few minutes until enough melted that it would pour out.  It will just pop out of plastic. Sometimes you can break it out of a glass container with a butter knife if there is just a little, but this jar had a lot.

No photo for the next step, sorry, but once I was able to get the wax out of all the containers, I emptied this pan of water and placed all of the wax back in it.  I put it on low until it all melted and then poured it into my mold (this plastic bowl I have).  I then taped the wick to a pencil and balanced it on top to keep it centered and upright.

After refrigerating, I popped the candle out and there you have it.  A new big candle for free.  The exact amount I want to spend on every project : )

Notes:

You might use cooking spray to help get the candle out easily.  Took me longer to get it out than I wanted. 

You can easily clean the pot and bowl in the diswasher.  The hot water gets all of the remnant wax off.

In the future, I'm keeping an old taper in a jar and pouring my scentsy wax in as I use it.  Once it gets to the top of the taper, I have my candle : )

A Mason Jar works on my blender base!

Thank you to my Pinterest friends for this one.  Found an old mason jar in my candle cabinet today, so thought I would try it out on my blender to see if it fit!  It does!!!!  I have a Hamilton Beach glass blender and it fit right on.  Can't wait to grind some spices or make a dressing or whatever!  Now I'll be on the look out for more mason jars to make frozen drinks in individual servings!  Summer is looking better and better every day : )

Please note: do not use with hot or even warm liquids.  The pressure of the steam might crack the glass.

Here's what it looks like on (up close).  This is a smaller jar (I'll find a larger one to try, then I'll be on the hunt for the ones with the handles for mixed drinks ;)

Update Outdated Architectural Details

Do you have woodwork details in your house that look outdated?  Maybe an older mirror frame with a detail that's just out of style? It could be on a picture frame, a chair, a china hutch, etc. Something that just doesn't fit your decor (but the piece otherwise is just fine).  Maybe you can get a good deal on a piece with an unattractive detail!  Then all you need to do is cover it up!

Here are my corner blocks covered with a cast iron detail.

In my master bedroom, bathroom and study, my house had some corner block rosettes that were just down right ugly.  Imagine a corner block on a door frame with a hand-routed design.  It looked so cheap and old fashioned I couldn't stand it.

Drumroll please...here it is. I really don't know what they were thinking!

 Maybe for you its a shell or star detail like these.

I decided my corner blocks had to be covered up.  I could have bought new ones, finished them to match, taken out the old ones and put the new ones in.  But for fear of ruining woodwork or the sheetrock and paint, I decided to just cover it up.  I found a cast iron piece that fit the bill perfectly (and only 87 cents each!).   In Dallas we have an ironwork supplier that carries stuff like this (King Architectural Metals).  If you go to their website and search rosette you will see the extensive selection they have.  You want single faced so its flat on the back.

I used double-sided tape to put them up and it looks better than ever. The tape has held for 8 years now.  I also wet them and set them outside for a little while to get them to rust a little. Help them blend better with the wood finish.  Here's the after photo

Try an appliqué over the unwanted detail instead of getting rid of it!

Here's a before and after.  Night and day in my opinon. Hope this inspires you to update a piece of you own : )

Cover unsightly unused wall plates with ceiling tile wall art

If you are like me and have a few weird plates on your walls you don't use, here's an easy way to hide them. Use a ceiling tile!

I used one that is intended to hand on the wall. It goes right over them. In my case it was a phone outlet and audio control we don't use. It might be an unused plug, light switch, cable outlet, etc. Because these metal wall art pieces are hollow on the back, there is room for the switch plates to hide behind it and the tin still lies flat on the wall.

Easy fix for any spot on your wall that would require new sheetrock, texture and paint. Easy solution!

Hang a chandelier in your master bath

If you have ever seen my blog, you know I'm a fan of chandeliers : )  One place I absolutely love to see a chandelier hanging in a home is in the master bath.  It makes a rather sterile room come to life and become the retreat it should be for you.  If you have any sort of overhead light in there, transform the look of that room with a chandelier that compliments your decor.

For me it was a crystal chandelier I found on clearance at Tuesday Morning for $20.  I had an overhead light over my tub that was just crying out for a statement light fixture.  Twenty minutes after getting it home, it was up and turned out better than I could have ever imagined.

If you don't have an overhead light in your bathroom, look around your house.  There is somewhere you can bring a little more elegance into your home.  You're worth it :)