"Wonderfully Made"

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Saturday, June 17, 2017

Vintage Caster Wheel Photo Bookends

This is my husband's Father's Day present.

I've been looking for some vintage caster wheels for awhile for this project and last week while driving home from a visit to my parent's, I spotted a "Barn Sale" sign and of course told my husband we HAVE to go check it out! It was an experience to say the least (more to come about the sale in another post!). But while digging through the piles of stuff I spotted these wheels . . . covered in gunk, dirt and grease. For 5.00 . . . they were mine! I did some research on how to clean these. Do you know there was actually an article on cleaning vintage steel caster wheels??

After first cleaning as much as I could with a wire brush, they went into a white vinegar bath for 24 hours. Isn't that a pretty sight? Just look at all that crud that floated away. Per the instructions, I rinsed them thoroughly and dried them.

I love that the vinegar bath even removed all of the crud in the nooks and crannies that I would have never been able to get to. I also had to stabilize the 'swivel' of these. If you are just making them for photo display, it wouldn't matter and you could skip this step. I just wound some thin wire around to disrupt the 'swivel'.

For the base I bought these moulding pieces from Home Depot for under 2.00 each. I drilled the holes for the screws and then painted them black. I added a piece of cork onto the bottoms to finish the base off.

All of this was the easy part. The photos . . . that was another story. I started by measuring the diameter of the wheels with a strip of paper to see how many/what size photos I needed for each wheel.

Then I printed a few sample strips, adjusted the photos and finally printed them on matte photo paper. I cut them to fit the width of the wheel.

Then came my first "fail". I tried using double stick tape to attach them to the wheels. It didn't stick. At all. Toss that set out. Print second set.

Go with good, old Mod Podge (I used the matte finish). I applied a thick layer directly to the metal wheel, then to the back of the photo strip, then another layer on top of the photos. I smoothed it out with my finger and set them aside to dry . . . until I realized I had applied the photos UPSIDE DOWN. Because these are being used as bookends, I need the photos to be 'viewable' from a distinct direction. Sigh.

After much peeling and scraping, I got most of the photo paper off and started all over again.

I did add a second coat of Mod Podge to seal them extra well and then they were finished! The steel will continue to rust and age which I like.

I also did some research on the value of these . . . they are selling online for as much as 50.00 each so I think my $5.00 was well spent!

If you can't find two of these wheels, I think it makes a great photo display as a single wheel too.

Men are SO hard to buy/craft for! What ideas do you have or have you made for the men in your life? I'd sure love more ideas!

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Tuesday, June 13, 2017

Ceiling Globe Solar Lights

I've seen several versions of this. Gail @ Myrepurposedlife

provided a very nice tutorial on this. She used ceiling fan globes and I used ceiling light globes. The difference is that the fan globes are open and the ceiling light fixture globes I used are closed. I used the light globes because that's what I had. You can find these at every thrift store and ReStore for just a dollar or less. I bought the cheapest 'stick in the ground' solar lights at Big Lots and unscrewed the solar part from the rest of the light.

I used electrical wire (because I have a big roll of it from the ReStore) but you could use any wire you have on hand. Form the hanger first as pictured above.

You will want to slip those hooks onto the wire that goes around the neck of the globe BEFORE you tighten the ring.

Gail mentions that she just set her solar lights onto the globe or she says you can attach with E6000 glue. I wanted them attached but not permanently in case I need to replace the solar light in the future. My solution was to use Red Liner Tape. You can find this super sticky, double sided tape at most craft stores. I use it for a lot of things so I got mine on Ebay. It comes in different widths (I used the 1/4" wide here) and was originally designed for use to secure toupees and wigs! I love it -- it's one of the 'tools' I could not do without. I applied it to the rim of the globe.

Here you see it with the backing pulled off and ready for me to attach the solar light. I then simply pressed the light onto the globe.

I love this one -- it kind of looks like a cluster of grapes. None of my globes match and I like that. You could certainly do matching ones if you wanted to.

I love how the shapes of these cast pretty designs on the garage at night.

My neighbors have already commented on how pretty they look at night. I'm planning to do more of these for sure. An inexpensive, easy project to add interest and lighting to your garden and yard! I hope you are enjoying this summer -- we are in the midst of a delightful heat wave and I have to say -- I am loving it!

This is where I hang out most of the summer! I love sitting out here on hot summer nights reading or working on my blog . . . it's my retreat.

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Saturday, June 3, 2017

Strawberry Shortcake Kit

It's that time of year. Whether it's a gift for your child's teacher or simply a unique hostess gift that you need, here's something just about everyone will enjoy. Combine fresh, sweet strawberries, a can of whipped topping and some homemade shortcakes for a fun, easy gift.

You could use any container for your berries but I love these rustic berry boxes from Hobby Lobby.

I added a card with a simple 'recipe'.

Once everything was inside the basket, these gift bags from the Dollar Store made these look so professional!

The white, wire baskets are also from the Dollar Store and were the perfect size for everything. I bought little treat bags to hold the shortcakes and created a little card: "Thanks BERRY much for a great year" -- these are all in my fridge right now waiting to be given to the wonderful teachers who serve under me at our church.

You could definitely use store-bought shortcakes but I opted to make mine. They were really quite simple and for me, they make the dessert (along with of course, the WHIPPED CREAM!). I looked at a lot of different recipes and opted for this one from All Recipes, "Scrumptious Strawberry Shortcake". I made a few changes based on others' comments and they turned out DElicious!

Scrumptious Strawberry Shortcake

Wash and slice 4 c strawberries. Sprinkle with 1/4 c sugar, stir and let sit for at least an hour. The longer it sits, the more juice that will be produced to soak into your shortcakes.

Combine: 3 c flour, 1/4c sugar, 3 t baking powder

Cut in 1 cup margarine (Orig. recipe calls for butter)

Add 1 beaten egg and 3/4 c half & half (others used milk and said it was fine too) Work until dough starts to come together then continue kneading a few minutes on a floured surface. Pat out to 1/2" thickness and cut in squares or rounds, whichever you prefer.

Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes. Cool. Slice and top one slice with berries, put 'top' on, add more berries and whipped cream.

I had blackberries so I added those. You could use ANY fruit and this would make a lovely, summer dessert. A fun kit to make to give . . . or keep for yourself to enjoy!

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