DIY Edition: Jars

Do you like to burn candles? How about those scented waxes that you heat up in warmers? I have used both for some time and was frustrated when it came time to pitch all of that excess wax. So, I stopped by my local craft store, picked up a small box of candle wicks and now I'm reusing wax to make new candles.

It's easy - let me walk you through it.

Steps for candles:

• Once candle is burnt up, remove the excess wax with a butter knife. Sometimes you can cut it into small sections to remove it from the jar. You can also freeze it for a short time and the wax should pop right out. Once the wax is out, pry off the old wick base if you plan to reuse the jar.
• Prep the new candle jar by pouring a drop of oil into the bottom for the wick to set on. This makes them easier to remove when your new candle burns up.
• Place the wick in the bottom of the jar and steady the top of the wick to keep it centered during the wax pouring process. I use popsicle sticks, forks, or any other worthy utensil laying around.
• Heat the old wax on a candle warmer [in an appropriate jar or bowl] or a wax warmer. Once melted, pour into the new candle jar.

Steps for warmers:

• When the wax is no longer scented [or you tire of it] simply begin by heating it up and preparing it for your new candle.
• Prep the new candle jar by pouring a drop of oil into the bottom for the wick to set on. This makes them easier to remove when your new candle burns up.
• Place the wick in the bottom of the jar and steady the top of the wick to keep it centered during the wax pouring process. I use popsicle sticks, forks, or any other worthy utensil laying around.
• Once the wax is ready, pour into the new candle jar.

The not-so-obvious perks to these gems are:

• Multiple scents throughout the candle's burn
• Color coordination with your decor
• Great little gifts to give alongside gift cards 

On the topic of jars, I found this transition quite natural. Below is a jar that once contained a single serving of jam. Albeit cute, the lid was a bit tacky for re-gifting or exposed use throughout my house. A little roughing up with sandpaper did the trick and now they're ready for re-use!

Thanks for stopping by the Humble Hammock and looking around; do come back!

Cara

P.S. - Comment below with blog posts that you'd like to see!

DIY Edition: Recycled Canvas Art

A few summers ago I took an oil painting class. Needless to say, I was no Claude Monet and after a reasonable amount of time had passed I was stuck with five ugly canvases and no desire to pick up a paint brush again. Painting, like many hobbies, is expensive. I wasn't about to throw away $50+ of canvases.
Earlier in the summer I’d hit the crafter’s jackpot while helping my Grandma clean out her breezeway. She gave me a large paper shopping bag full of retro fabrics. I dug through it until I found something a bit tame on the eyes, and began measuring it for my latest craft; fabric wrapped canvases.

I laid the canvas on top of the fabric and cut it so that there was about an inch remaining along the parameter of the canvas. The fabric I chose had a pattern, so I had to be careful to line it up well before cutting. I then laundered the fabric, ironed it, and began to hot glue it to the wooden frame. Working slowly, I did the longer side first and then moved to the opposite side.  This kept the pull even and made sure that the fabric was equal on all sides.

This is what the finished product should look like.

 For the corners, I folded the fabric neatly and glued with each crease. That way there wouldn't be a bulkiness against the wall in case I ever decided to hang them with a nail. Taking time on this step was pertinent to making sure it looked clean and smooth.

Take your time on those corners!

Once complete, I placed the new "canvas” on my mantle and accessorize with other decor. When I tire of it I can simply choose a new fabric to wrap it in, add a monogrammed letter, or show off my terrible painting :/.

Here's the final product with some other decor.

If I’d have bought the materials for this project it would have cost about $10-$12. If you’d like alternative variations of this project comment below and I’d be happy to brainstorm! For more decor ideas check out my other posts on DIY Edition: [Home Decor] and Kitchen Whisks Worth Taking.

Thanks for stopping by the Humble Hammock and looking around; do come back!

Cara

How to Haggle

In my January 2014 post, Vintage Finds, I alluded to haggling and bundling to get items at antique stores for less than tag price. I wanted to dedicate this post to understanding the art of haggling.

Here are the basics:

• When a price tag does not say 'firm' then you know that you have some negotiating room. If in an antique store booth, look around for any hanging signage to validate your inkling.
• If a price tag does say 'firm' you know that the seller is offering their bottom dollar on the item. Don't negotiate. If it's too pricey for your taste, just walk away.
• When an item is old it's probably got some wear and tear. Understand the condition of the item before you negotiate. The pricing could reflect that item in fair, good, or excellent condition. Just because it's old doesn't mean it's worth anything.
• If you really love it, don't walk away. Items in these places go fast. Don't hope that it'll be around the next time you're in the area.

I collect vintage Brownie Cameras from the 1920's - 1960's. When I find one that I would like to add to my collection I need to have a thorough understanding of the condition, age, and overall value. Some sellers don't know what they have and just slap a price on an item because "it looks old and must be worth some money." Not the case - if you're starting a collection get up to speed on the average values and conditions before you get ripped off. Don't fret about learning it over night, some things are learned over time.

Now that many buyers have the ability to use their phones to quickly reference selling prices of vintage items, there is less likelihood of geting taken on a deal. Exhaust all resources before you buy.

When you are preparing to haggle:

• Consider this: most of the objects in an antique store have been sitting around awhile and are hard to sell. If a seller sees you're interested they are more likely to deal with your offer because it's hard telling how long it will take for another buyer to walk through the door. This is specifically true for random items and not collectibles or trendy pieces. 
• The more you show interest in an item, the more leverage the seller has. If you want to 'feel out' the seller before negotiating on an item you really want, grab another item from their booth and use it as a 'tester'. Say I want this stunning Brownie Camera. I may grab another camera from the same booth and take both to the check-out counter. I'd start with the second camera and see how far the seller would be willing to budge before proceeding to the Brownie. If they have unrealistic prices I know that the deal isn't worth it for me.
• Sometimes you can walk away. If you have seen half the store and have an item you like, try haggling before looking through the rest of the store. That way, if you can't come to terms, the seller will have some time to mull over your offer. This is a great tool for big-ticket items such as furniture.
• In antique shops especially, there are many booths. If you want to haggle you usually do it over the phone since the booth owner isn't on-site. Don't expect the person at the register to be the one that you haggle with every time.
• Bundling is a sure-fire way to get a great deal on multiple items from the same seller. Did you find five camera's at one booth that you want to buy? Get the seller on the phone and make a deal for all of them at once. In this situation, I'd weigh the total value of all camera's combined and subtract the value of one full camera. Sort of like a buy one, get one scenario.

Thanks for stopping by the Humble Hammock and looking around; do come back! 

Cara

DIY Edition: Home Decor

Home décor has really taken a fancy to big, bold letters and phrases. Trends have encouraged us to decorate our dwellings with large vintage metal letters, monograms, and artistic photo montages spelling out our last names. My caveat with this trend is the repetitiveness of certain phrases and words, such as ‘live, laugh, love’ and ‘home sweet home.’ Understand that this is entirely my personal preference and by no means do I detest those who display said inspiration in their homes. As the Brits would say, "It's not my cup of tea, dearie."

I had all but removed myself from this trend when my roommate gave me a letter ‘H’ that she had randomly acquired. Being that my last name begins with an ‘H’ I accepted her gift and pondered what I’d do with it. Doing a monogram seemed a bit cheesy and truth be told, my last name is about to change. How silly would an obsolete monogram be at that? So I decided I’d hop on the bandwagon and create a 3-d word montage and display it as home décor.

Here are the materials I used and the approximate price of each:

• Leftover craft paint + brushes = $0
• Three 8" paper mache letters from Hobby Lobby = $3.99
• White floating wall shelf = gift [follow the link below to buy your own]
• Ceramic birds = $5.00 at a craft fair
• TOTAL COST: $8.99

With that, I challenge you to do it for less by using odds and ends from your house!

After swinging by the local Hobby Lobby and grabbing three more letters of 8" paper mache for $1.33 each after coupons and specials, I jetted home to paint them. [Remember to use the App from the post Deal or No Deal called Coupon Sherpa.] Although Pinterest would likely have provided a quick design idea for this endeavor, I forced myself to come up with a design independently. Stripes have been catching my eye lately and it just so happens that the letter ‘E’ is a perfect letter for three big stripes. With that, I free handed the stripes on two of the letters.

After glazing the letter 'M' with some dull golden paint, I knew that my décor was complete. I threw the letters up on a shelf that I received for Christmas from Wayfair and added some little ceramic birds from a local craft fair and ‘VIOLA!,’ a completed 3-d word montage was born. By the way, the shelf referenced above is hands down, the best floating shelf I've come across. SUPER easy to hang, very sturdy, and matches the molding throughout our house. I'm smitten with it :)

And here you have it, the finished product. 

Thanks for stopping by the Humble Hammock and looking around; do come back! 

Cara

Decorate: Kitchen Whisks Worth Taking

Kitchens serve, in my opinion, as the most versatile room of the house. In our kitchen, friends gather with glasses of wine to chat, celebratory sweets are baked, breakfasts are made, and dinners are both hastily and leisurely crafted. When we bought our first home I knew that the kitchen had to be nothing short of functional and balanced. I spent time mulling over how I would make it even more organized and functional. Also, being a half-link [or something near that] I knew that my tall cabinets were potentially going to be my biggest enemy, more so than the ceiling fan cord. 

While planning a wedding, one of my friends shared that there should be one item that you splurge on and feel guiltless for adding to the big day. For this project I kept the same thing in mind and splurged. I’ll delve, but also give some budget friendly alternatives. So with that, here are my kitchen modifications. 

Let's get the elephant out of the room and address my splurge item, the pantry closet. Before the makeover, the closet wasn't BAD but it really wasn't functional. Did I mention that after setting a box of cereal down one day that the entire shelf came out of the wall? That aside, we visited The Container Store and invested in a custom Elfa configuration for our space. It was EASY. Like A,B,C & 1,2,3; seriously. We measured our space, took the numbers with us to the store and had a designer help us built a closet. If you consider this, MAKE AN APPOINTMENT or you may have wait around a couple of inconvenient hours like we did. I mentioned that this was my splurge, but Elfa has a huge sale at the beginning of the year for 30% off. Naturally we took advantage.. I won't bore you to death with the awesomeness of Elfa, but just know that if you take time to learn about a closet system that is designed to hang on your wall rather than pulling out of it when weight is added, you'll love it too. As far as pantry prep, I bought some basic drywall putty from Home Depot and patched the walls. I repainted them because the putty had to be concealed. For this, I found some ‘oops paint’ as Home Depot calls it. It was a neutral so I was safe using it in such close proximity to our tan kitchen walls. Since, I've found the variation in color is actually quite nice. It took about ¾ of a 1 qt. can to cover the walls of this pantry. All in all, this patch and paint project cost me about $8.

Before

After

Next up, the floor. My honey, sweet as he is, was a little careless when putting in our waterline and managed to use the refrigerator much like a Ditch Witch and dug a trench in our beautiful hardwood floor. To help cover up his mistake and create a little color interest, I went searching for some rugs that had a hint of vintage appeal. I landed at Garden Ridge and paid $5 per rug. Here's a HUGE explanation of the store's offering by Thrifty Decor Chick. Now with rugs, you get what you pay for. I washed one of these little gems and threw it in the dryer after spilling some dinner remnants. It shrank by nearly one-third! I managed to snag one more before the store sold out and replaced the boo-boo. I’ll resort to washing and hang-drying in the future. Here they are preventing more blemishes during the next home project...

Following the rugs were my salt & pepper shakers. I've seen LOTS of pairs floating around antique and thrift stores. My first set was a Bass fish cut in half with a tail for salt and a head for pepper. I then got some quaint little birds from a reward program but they were really meant to be on the table and not for serious seasoning. Recently, my grandparents were cleaning out their breezeway and gifted me a whole box of vintage alcohol in travel sized bottles. Ironically these two glass Cohodas Vineyards old glass dogs once held alcohol, but they’re serving their purpose far better on my stove top. Last weekend I saw the same pair in an antique store for $11 each. Not a bad find and they certainly have a resale value! 

 Last up is this vintage-inspired key holder. Our kitchen, being right next to our garage, not only has lots of cooking utensils and food, but shoes, keys, mail and whatever else is unloaded from the cars. I ended up getting this cake stand from my Grandma last fall but it didn't have a dome lid. So, I use it as a key drop. It’s practical, fancy, accessible, and matches my decor. Be warned that it isn't shatter-proof so if you have a key lanyard, be sure that you don’t move the cake stand with the keys! The cake stand and dome at an antique store or yard sale can be expensive. I've noticed the milky white patterns or clear-colored glass also being more pricey, especially if they’re a reputable brand. If you’re searching you should be able to find one for $10 or less, especially if it doesn't have a lid or a fancy collectible name. For a list of names to avoid [or pursue if you want this to be your splurge item] check out the cake stands on  Ruby Lane.

Thanks for stopping by the Humble Hammock and looking around; do come back!

Cara

Deal or No Deal

Sometimes our wallets need a break. If we paid full price for everything we couldn't sustain livelihood; or maybe we could, we'd just be in lots and lots of debt. Debt becomes more terrifying than the monster under your bed ever was, and you quickly find that looking for deals and scraping around for bargains is as important for survival as hunting buffalo was for settlers of the United States.

I like to think that the deals I find aren't by coincidence - they're instinctual. Knowing what days are best for sales and staying out of stores on those other days is critical. NEVER have I EVER paid full price for anything and today you're going to find that you won't have to either. Let's start with my favorite bargain spots and what I get there.

• Kohl's carries home decor and an array of clothing and accessory options. I love the LC Lauren Conrad line as well as Vera Wang, but sometimes the prices are a bit steep. Of course you can spend $50 and get $10 in Kohl's cash, but there are BETTER ways to save, people. Swallow your pride and hit the 60-80% off rack. Start there and you won't get into as much trouble. Now, once you've fallen in love with a few things, open the Coupon Sherpa app [referenced below] and find a coupon. I know Kohl's pitches these credit cards in store and I vowed never to succumb to getting one. Instead, I signed up for the Kohl's rewards program and get lots of great coupons through email.
• Dollar Tree [Yes, that place where all kinds of poor people go to get whatever poor people get]. Get over yourself - the Dollar Tree has lots of good finds for a fraction of the price of wholesale giants AND you can shop online. My favorite items include: holiday decorations, cards, wrapping + gift bags [their selection is awesome!], basic cleaning products [sponges, rags, knock-off Swiffer wipes], cheap cups/plates/bowls for everyday use, scented closet hangers and water beads, and of course craft supplies! Be aware however that since everything is $1 you get charged sales tax on that dollar. If the item is less than $1 at another store, don't get it here.
• Thrift Shops - Seriously, these hole-in-the-wall places often have vintage articles, neat decorating pieces, and unique items. It's also my go-to place for Halloween costume materials since I make all of mine. Wise up, Goodwill isn't as cheap as you'd think. Look for the Salvation Army and small Mom & Pop shops to get the good stuff for garage sale prices.

This costume came together from Goodwill, garage sales, and with the help of a little elbow grease.

I thrifted for these costume pieces and made the Bubba Gump Shrimp hat .

• Garage Sales -  Not only have I found a 1980 Schwinn bicycle for $20, but I've also picked-up new riding boots, Christmas decorations, furniture, and plenty of good books. On the flip side, I enjoy having garage sales and using my earnings to find new pieces for my closet and decor.

Going at the end of the day to garage sales is wise. This bike was priced at $50 earlier in the day!

Before going into a store to purchase a groceries, gifts, or goods I do three things:

1. I open the Coupon Sherpa app on my iPhone to see if there are any deals at stores I'll be visiting.

2. Get online and print coupons for big ticket items

3. Collect any coupons I have handy from the newspaper to use at the grocery. 

I'm not a "super couponer" but the small savings of 10%-20% help too. 

Other ways to save cash?

• AAA discounts save you 10% off of regular priced items at lots of places; including Target and Shoe Carnival!
• Carry your college ID - some places love giving alumni or students a break.
• Know days you can save - Goodwill for instance has different 'color' deals every day on their product tags.
• Understand markdowns and final sale. Final sale items cannot be returned, but often times you can negotiate the price even lower if it's damaged. I bought a $50 collar necklace that was marked to $10 but talked it down to $2 since it was broken in two places. I came home and used a pair of pliers to tighten the loosened links and fixed it good as new!

Thanks for stopping by the Humble Hammock and looking around; do come back! 

Cara

DIY Edition Off the Wall

In my last post, Finding DIY Inspiration, I blogged about other uses for "wall decals that also work on a trillion other things." Here are some odds and ends that I have used wall decals to decorate.

FURNITURE
Slapping those wordy wall decals on a piece of furniture is a great way to spice up a boring piece. I haven't done this one yet, but I came across a great example. The wall decal is just layered latex paint that you mush onto a surface. By placing the decal and scratching with a flat object (I use a pan scraping tool, myself) it'll be stuck on in a few seconds.

DOORS
Here's one I did at my house. I bought a simple "Welcome" sign and put it right on my front door. It's visible from the road and matches the trim on the outside of our house. I love the little bit of coziness that it brings to our curb appeal.

WALLS [of course]
Obviously these decals were designed for walls and they do well there. I have found that they can leave a residue upon removal, but it's nothing that the Mr. Clean Magic Eraser can't handle. [I promise I don't get sponsor money for talking about Mr. Clean all the time...] I had this Clint Eastwood decal in my first apartment for a couple of years. I was sad when I moved out to not take it with me, but I could have put it on a glass frame and done just that.

GLASS
This is one of my favorite uses for the wall decals. Here's my rendition of sticking the decal on glass. The glass is still washable and the decal can be removed with heat. If washing in hot water do not attempt to dry by hand. Do NOT put these items in the dishwasher. Here is an example of how I would use these decals on glass.

What kind of post would you like to see next? Comment below to see your request featured!


Thanks for stopping by the HumbleHammock and looking around; do come back!

Cara