The Apple Street Cottage

Hello, Friends!  It's December and the holiday crafting is in full-swing. I'm all about the upcycle DIY projects and here's a cute one for you!   Today, I'm using Scrabble tiles to make an ornament for the tree.  I've made them before using paint stirrers  and there was the Grinch ornament .  Incredibly, I still have a bag full of Scrabble tiles, so let's get started on a Santa ornament. This post may contain affiliate links. I pulled out 2 things:  scrabble tiles that spelled 'Santa" and some little Santa hats. Do the hats look familiar?  Yes, they are the same ones I used for the Grinch ornament !  They must be multiplying in the box since I still have a bunch of them! Anyway, I started gluing the tiles together along the edges.   Once glued, they were set aside to dry.   For a little more stability, I glued a craft stick to the back. Once everything was dry, the Santa hat was attached to the edge. Some ribbon was glued to t...

That's right!  It's time to make another glass bowl Christmas tree.  You may remember the one I made last year.   Wow, was that a popular post!  Since then, I've been collecting thrifted glass and have a new one to share.    This post may contain affiliate links. The process has 4 easy steps and to be perfectly honest, the hardest part is Step 1:  F inding the Glass.   For all the details on finding your glass, check out the original post.   Keep in mind, the pieces have to stack together and you want some flared edges to give you that 'Christmas tree' look.  This time I found a hefty candlestick to serve as the trunk of the tree and a beautiful plate with pointed edges. Sometimes those flared edge bowls are elusive! Even without as many flared edges, you can still make a pretty tree and I was thrilled to find a glass bell as a topper. Step 2:  Clean your Glass Bowls As long as they're not crystal (which I try to avoid), you ca...

Since downsizing to a smaller house it's been my mission to also downsize my belongings. That includes the thrifted, yard sale, estate sale, and road-side finds stashed in my craft room.  Believe me when I say there are plenty of them and I have my work cut-out for me!   That being said, let's get started on this little tree! W elcome to the 'Do It Over' Designers blog hop.  We are a group of bloggers who love to recycle/upcycle/DIY.  I'm happy to host this hop and I hope you'll visit everyone to see what they have to share with you. This time our theme is  'The Holidays' . The links will be listed at the end of this post. This post may contain affiliate links. This is an easy project that can be completed with just a few items.  I pulled out my stash of thrifted lace & trims, jewelry, burlap, and old doorknobs.   Add glue , the hot glue gun , a small dowel, styrofoam cone , and some Rub 'n Buff (not shown). Start by coating your styrofo...

The holiday hoopla is about to begin (if it hasn't already) and I thought I'd sneak in one more post about creating our Charming New Cottage.  If you missed the first post here are the important points I made: There will be LOTS of posts about making this little house our new home.  Please keep in mind, the updates will not be fast and furious since we're retired aaaaaand....I believe bad knees were already mentioned.  Wink-wink! It was a rental property.  In other words, we are (and will be) dealing with lots of 'landlord specials'...affectionately nick-named by our daughter. We have  down-sized  and   I don't mean it's a 3 bed, 2 bath, 1800 square foot house.  No, this is just a little over 900 sq. ft.....Did I mention 'dowwwwn-sizing'? I want to create a home that is cozy, relaxed, and welcoming while incorporating practical elements. The focus is on  comfort, not grandeur. I've always promised to "Keep it Real" and share the good, t...