Table Centerpiece & Bookpage Fruit

My mother-in-law gave me this cake stand to see if I could use it. Well the truth is I hardly ever bake, and if I do it more than likely isn't a cake. For the 2 to 3 times in a year I do happen to make a cake it is unlikely that it will fall around the Christmas holiday. I loved the simple shape of the piece so I had some "magic-working" to do. After taking the dog out at 3 a.m. it hit me, make it into a centerpiece for our dining room table!

I started by spray painted the entire thing with a couple coats of jade spray paint. While that was drying I started on the fruit. I picked up some apples and pears at the dollar store and got to work Mod Podging them with ripped book pages. To add a little color I soaked the pages in food coloring and a little white vinegar. After they dried the red was more pink than red. So with a brilliant idea from my hubby, I added red food coloring into the top coat of Mod Podge. It worked but at this point they were very VERY bright red. We added a drop of blue and little more red and I did one more thin messy coat to give the apples a darker look. I love how they ended up turning out.

A trashy romance novel should do the trick.

Then with the addition of some clearance place mats I had a whole new look for our table.

I couldn't pass up these adorable ruffled place mats, especially when they were on sale!

Finishing Touches

It is amazing what a little bit of ribbon can do...


Here are my sad, plain towels in the guest bathroom


And with just a couple cuts of ribbon, my towels have new life in them. Plus, as my hubby commented, "now guests know not to use them." My thoughts exactly.

Cookie Jar (03.17.10)

I got this little DIY gem from the site Design*Sponge, which has a ton of cute little projects. I had a craft filled weekend a couple weeks ago when Jordan went to GJ for a visit. This was just one of the few projects I completed.

I got a cookie jar from my sister Alicia for my birthday after my thrift store cookie jar was accidentally dropped through the hole above the cabinets and shattered on top of the microwave. Who leaves a gaping hole above eye-level?? Anyways, I wanted to spice up the cookie jar so I followed these Canister Makeover instructions.

I got a new wooden knob from Home Depot and painted it with the left over paint from the frames. Then I used some scrap fabric I had laying around to cover the canister lid. I don't think the directions mention it, but I decided to put a thin coat of Mod Podge on the fabric just to seal it a little better. In just less than an hour I had a totally re-done cookie jar!

Before

After