The Cutest Spice Rack Ever

I've been on the lookout for a good spice rack for ages, but most of them take up too much counter space or have the most random spices in them that I'd never use or are just plain NOT cute. And we all know cuteness is a priority when I make purchasing decisions. (It was even a factor when buying my car.)

So, a few days ago I found these at Goodwill:


Perfect size, great price, but not super cute. On top of that, the woods in the two racks were different, and I knew that would bother me. So, I decided that the situation called for some crafting. I found spice bottles at Bed, Bath, and Beyond, and spent the weekend transforming my boring spice racks into one-of-a-kind, shabby chic, absolutely adorable creations. It's amazing what a little paint, scrapbook paper, and buttons can do!

My spice racks went from this:


To this:


I sanded off the varnish on the spice racks and then painted them with two coats of white acrylic paint. Next came a coat of crackling medium, topped off by the lime green paint, which crackled as it dried. To give it an extra weathered look, I sanded the edges just a bit after all the paint dried, exposing a little more of the white underneath, and then finished it off with a coat of clear acrylic spray paint to protect it a little more.

Then came the spice bottle caps.


I found the perfect scrapbook paper on clearance at Ben Franklin's this morning and cut 1.75" diameter circles to Mod Podge onto the top of each lid. Then I cut out flowers from a doily-like piece of scrapbook paper and added some buttons for extra character. Buttons make everything cuter, don't you think? The spice names I just printed out on large mailing labels, cut out, and stuck on to the lids. A couple coats of clear spray paint over the lids, and I had myself the cutest spice racks ever!

Here's a better view of all the lids I've come up with so far. I still have 7 extra spice bottles, so as I figure out what kinds of spices I might use frequently (yes, that means I have to actually cook more often), I'll add to my collection.


It certainly wasn't the world's quickest project (took me a good portion of the weekend), but I'm absolutely thrilled with the results. It makes me want to go cook something now! =)

Decoupage Frames

Today I continued the Christmas crafting, and absolutely love how my project turned out! I was inspired by this Decoupage Harvest Frame at Brixton Lane and created my own little twist on it.

Here's one I made for Nana:



And another for a friend:



I got the frames at Michael's for $1 and had everything else on hand. Such an easy and adorable gift!

A Book Lover's Dilemma

I love books. Always have. Always will. During my years working at my college library, I learned how to break in the spines so they'll last longer. I never turn down corners or bend back covers. Signs of wear on my books are there only because I've read a favorite book over and over (like L.M.Montgomery's Blue Castle, my copy of which the cover is falling off).

So you can imagine my dilemma when I saw this project on a great crafty blog tonight:



On the one hand, I love it! It's beautiful and made of one of my favorite things. But...can I really destroy a book? Much as I love books, I have to admit that not all of them are brilliant literary works. The best part of this project is that you can't really read the pages once they're on the wreath, so I can find one of those less-than-inspiring books at a thrift store (no offense to the author who's poured his/her heart and soul into writing it) and make it more valuable with a little paint and hot glue. Meanwhile, my favorites remain unscathed!

Ooohhh...I wonder what it would look like with book pages printed in French or Italian? This is definitely going on my list of projects to try!

Domesticity

I know I've been absent from the blogosphere for awhile...but I'm making a comeback. Now that I've reclaimed my life and have only ONE job in addition to grad school, I've had time to rediscover life and hobbies (novel idea!). I've been busy crafting and cooking and have become completely addicted to crafty blogs.

I have a long list of projects to try, courtesy of all those creative domestic divas out there. Most of my projects so far are intended as Christmas gifts, so I can't share quite yet. But here's a gift I made for my Nana, inspired by Heritage Unwrapped's post HERE.



A 2x4, cut into blocks at Jerry's, some spray paint, a little Mod Podge and scrapbook paper, and voila! Fun little tip I discovered: to make the letters in "family" metallic and sparkly, I sprinkled silver embossing powder on the wet paint and then used my heat gun to set it.



More to come soon as I continue exploring my crafty side. =)

Logophilia

I love words. They fascinate me. The etymology, the layers of meaning, the often ridiculous spellings of our crazy English language. Yes, I'll admit to being one of those people who reads the dictionary for fun. And to having the complete 20-volume OED (that's the Oxford English Dictionary for those of you less nerdy than me) on my wish list of books to someday own.



Until that floor-to-ceiling library of mine (a la Beauty and the Beast) makes its appearance, I'll have to content myself with other sources of word entertainment besides the OED. For example, this delightful list of some of English's funniest words:
100 Funniest Words in the English Language

I think I need to work "collywobbles" and "snollygoster" into my presentation tomorrow night.

What are your favorite words?