A Little Thrift Store Decor

I looo-ve "thrifting" at thrift stores.  My love started a decade ago as I searched for those darling Gymboree clothes and Hanna Andersson pajamas for my little ones on our seriously tight budget.  (Who can pass up 69 cent Hanna PJs??)  That affinity turned into eBay selling for awhile.  My husband used to joke that we didn't need a clothing budget... I actually MADE money with clothes.  I'd buy the kids clothes super cheap, let them wear them for the 3 months till they outgrew the clothes, and then re-sell the name-brand clothes on eBay for more than I paid.  
Somehow with child #3 my thrifting-turned-eBay sales diminished.  But my love for a good deal continues... even if I am not filling a closet for a few quarters/piece anymore.
I'm all about saving a buck when I can... nowadays more with home decor and crafting fun.   

(I found this grasscloth frame for $2, added red burlap behind the glass, wrote on the glass and added a couple of red burlap roses.  Easy $2+ Valentine's decor.)

I'm used to the mega-stores out near DC or up in PA where I could fill a cart for $40 and be positively giddy on my drive home.  Out here, we only have a few smaller ones within a short drive.  Less giddiness, but still a rush.  There is one in the town next to us... and of course, a ReStore, too.  (LOOOVE to wander around that place!)  I try to make time to visit them weekly when I can squeeze it in.  And sans-kids whenever possible.  :-)
So, a few weeks ago when my thrifting itch was driving me crazy and I knew I NEEDED to get out, I ventured out a little further than the norm.  (My son was actually serving with the church youth group that weekend in my regular store, and I didn't want him to think I was stalking my little boy... )


Here is what I found:

Two of these glasses at $2/each.  Are they meant to be glasses?  A little squared off, I thought.

I figured I'd spruce them up just a tad and make a couple of candle holders.  

Needs:

Glasses (any solid color or plain glass, any shape with a stem would work)

Sisal rope

wooden tag

chalkboard paint

raffia

candles (in my case, the faux LED type...looks real, doesn't it)

hot glue

Steps:

1.  Wrap the stem with sisal rope.  I kept it pretty tightly wound and would dab a bit of hot glue every 5 or 6 wraparounds to keep it secure.  Here's what it looked like when I was done.

2.  At this point, I realized my handling of the glass resulted in a lot of fingerprints. So, I cleaned 'em up before I added details to the top.

3.  I took a little raffia and wrapped around the middle of the glass top and knotted it.

4.  Then, I added my little LED candles to the glasses.  Of course, real votives would be fine, but I liked the size of these... votive-width, but a little taller than the normal votives.  This way I can achieve the glow without the messy wax puddles that would result from real candles.

5.  At this point, I decided they needed a little something.  So, I sprayed a couple of wooden tags I had on hand with chalkboard paint, added a few numbers (to pay homage to that math degree I don't use much anymore...), and got....

Cute, eh?  Maybe I can find a few green candles for St. Paddy's Day...