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What Not To Toss Weekend

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Easter Egg Wheat Grass Centerpiece from THRIVE

So, it’s almost Easter. And you’re making omelets. Or cookies. Or anything with eggs.

Easter Egg Wheat Grass Centerpiece from THRIVE

No biggie.

Just crack open those white shells and toss the whole thing, right?

Wait! Don’t toss that!

Easter Egg Wheat Grass Centerpiece from THRIVE

With two seconds of prep and some wheat from your food storage, those shells and carton can double as cute, FREE centerpiece for Easter brunch.

Easter Egg Wheat Grass Centerpiece from THRIVE

These come together in nothing flat—so easy.

* Gently crack your egg shells on the narrow end, remove the egg yolk and white, and make something delicious.

* Rinse shells in hot, soapy water and dry. Dye with natural or store-bought dyes as you would for traditional hard-boiled eggs.

* Add a tablespoon-ish of potting soil to each egg …

Easter Egg Wheat Grass Centerpiece from THRIVE

… and cover with sprouted wheat. *

Easter Egg Wheat Grass Centerpiece from THRIVE

Cover with plastic wrap and make sure soil stays moist, but not soggy.

Easter Egg Wheat Grass Centerpiece from THRIVE

Wheat will start to sprout in a day or two, with 4-6 inches of growth about a week later.

Easter Egg Wheat Grass Centerpiece from THRIVE

If the grass gets too tall or shaggy, just grab your scissors and even it out.

Easter Egg Wheat Grass Centerpiece from THRIVE

The carton doubles as a display tray by trimming down the sides with your nicest dollar store scissors.

Easter Egg Wheat Grass Centerpiece from THRIVE

And you can change up the look depending on how many eggs you use:

FULL DOZEN

Easter Egg Wheat Grass Centerpiece from THRIVE

HALF DOZEN

Easter Egg Wheat Grass Centerpiece from THRIVE

SINGLE PLACE CARD

Easter Egg Wheat Grass Centerpiece from THRIVE.4

(name written on egg)

Easter Egg Wheat Grass Centerpiece from THRIVE

(name on egg carton)

And when you’re done, EVERYTHING gets composted or recycled so there’s nothing wasted.

So …

Egg shells and carton?

March 2013 BLOG

It’s What Not To Toss this weekend!

* – Spouting wheat is easy and simply involves soaking and rinsing whole wheat kernels in water so that they start to germinate. There’s a great video of process HERE.

Ever have this happen?

Use a busted tape measure to decorate shelves - choose-to-thrive.com

I have.

My kids have killed three tape measures in the past year and it’s getting old. Really, really old.

Oh well. Time to bundle up yet another pile of measuring mess and haul it out to the trash, right?

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Wait! Don’t toss that!

Tape measure metal is a cinch to cut with regular scissors and is loaded with all the organizery-measury goodness that’s all over blog land right now.

I used mine to dress up the fronts of some temporary shelves I have in my bedroom-turned-impromptu-sewing-station.

See?

Use busted measuring tapes to decorate shelves - choose-to-thrive.com

I didn’t want to mess with painting these shelves with the whole ‘they’re temporary’ thing. But some extra color helps a lot.

Here’s the finished product:

Use busted tape measures to decorate shelves - choose-to-thrive.com

Oh, and did I mention how handy it is to be able to measure fabric and ribbon on the fly?

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I just hold up my yardage for a quick and accurate measurement.

Love that.

Here’s a few tips for anyone wanting to dress up their own shelves:

1. Be careful! The metal cuts easily with scissors, but the edges are sharp. Go slow, wear gloves and you’ll be fine.

2. Remove the measuring tape from the container by either unclipping the yellow portion from the blue tab or cutting it away using regular scissors.

Use busted measuring tapes to decorate shelves - choose-to-thrive.com

3. Use a strong adhesive like E-6000. Craft glue, hot glue and the likes won’t cut it. And don’t fight the natural curve in the metal. You’re not going to flatten it out so don’t try.

4. The easiest way to glue these is to remove the shelves from the the wall (if possible). I ran a generous bead of E-6000 down the board and used duct tape to keep the tape measure from shifting while it dried. Again, don’t try and flatten the metal—just keep it from moving.

Use busted tape measures to decorate shelves - choose-to-thrive.com

4. For the first shelf, I cut  a piece from the very end of the measuring tape and glued it to the left side.

Use a busted tape measure to decorate shelves - choose-to-thrive.com

The next morning I started at the beginning of the tape measure and glued it along the front and right side.

Use busted tape measures to decorate shelves - choose-to-thrive.com

For the remaining shelves, I measured the sides and front of each one and cut a single piece of metal tape. I glued the fronts of the shelves first and allowed them to dry overnight.

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Then I carefully bent the tape measure around the corner and glued it to the sides of the shelves. Again, duct tape kept everything in place while it dried.

Use busted tape measures to decorate shelves - choose-to-thrive.com

Super easy and cheap.

So …

Busted tape measure?

Use busted tape measures to decorate shelves.10

It’s What-Not-To-Toss this weekend!

7 Things to do with wrapping paper centers - choose-to-thrive.com

It’s late. You’ve got a movie on. Or Pandora. And you’re frantically happily wrapping gifts and stashing them away for Christmas.

And then you reach the end of the roll.

And if you’re using cheapie wrapping paper like me, that means you’re face to face with not a solid cardboard tube, but a 12”-18” roll of heavy paper that doubles as a tube.

7 Things to do with wrapping paper centers - choose-to-thrive.com

Who cares, right?

Wrap the dang present and toss the faux-tube, right?

Wait! Don’t toss that!

I’ve got SEVEN reasons to hang onto to that wrapping paper center.

7 Things to do with wrapping paper centers - choose-to-thrive.com

And to make all of them easier, do yourself a favor and reroll that paper width-wise instead of length-wise—it’s much easier to store.  While you’re at it, roll several together to keep all of it in one, neat spot.

#1 – Get Your VonTrapp On

7 Things to do with wrapping paper centers - choose-to-thrive.com

Neighbor gifts, presents or any of your “favorite things” look snazzy with minimal effort or cost.

#2 – Paper Crafts

The natural color and subtle texture are great for cards and art projects without the premium craft store price.

#3 – Make stencils and patterns for craft projects

This paper’s heavier than regular craft paper and holds it’s shape better. Sewing patterns hold up better and stencils have less bleed through from paint or marker.

#4 – Wrap Shipping Boxes

This heavy weight holds up like a champ in the mail and post office types adore it.

#5 – Protect Your Work Spaces

7 Things to do with wrapping paper centers - choose-to-thrive.com

Painting, coloring and gluing projects just got a whole lot neater. And unlike newspaper, there’s not risk of paint soaking through.

#6 – Protect Breakables

Skip the flimsy paper towels and cut squares to layer in between holiday plates and serving platters. This paper is both pliable and thick enough to protect dishes from scratching and moving when stacked.

#7 – Line Pet Cages and Kennels

Thicker is always better here. Always.

So …

Left-over wrapping paper center?

7 Things to do with wrapping paper centers - choose-to-thrive.com

It’s What-Not-To-Toss this holiday weekend!

skirt.7

Anyone else have one of these in their linen closet?

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A special pillow case made by a grandma/aunt/mother/friend/neighbor that you can’t bear to part with even years after it’s stopped being used?  Or what about regular ‘ol pillow cases with fun designs that are rarely used?

My girl is way too tall for one of those popular pillow case halter dresses for toddlers that are all over Pinterest, so it must be time to put that pink and purple number in the donate bin after all, right?

Wait! Don’t Toss That!


Ten minutes of superdee quick refashioning will yield an easy skirt project, perfect for older girls.

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I just measured from my daughter’s waist to knee and added 1.5” to make a casing for a simple elastic waist. Then I sewed the casing and added some reclaimed elastic from an old pair of underwear  just like I did here in the Captain Underpants elastic waist twirl skirt.

See?

Feb 2011 BLOG

Start to finish was less than ten minutes since the side and bottom hems were already finished – love that.

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Now my crazy-tall girl has a breezy summer skirt that’s actually long enough to wear, yet lightweight for hot days.

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Perfect for grand adventures or lazy walks.

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So glad I pulled that sweet pillow case out of the donate pile.

Plus, I think her grandma will appreciate seeing her handiwork being loved again.

Win, win.

Old pillow case?

June 2012 FAM-1

It’s What Not To Toss This Weekend!

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These are my daughter’s church shoes. She’s going through a glitter phase right now.  A biiiggg, happy glitter phase.

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She’s got a red Wizard of Oz pair that look just as bad. Time to send those shoes over the rainbow straight to the trash, right?

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Wait! Don’t toss those!

With a little spray paint love, those shoes may just have a few heel clicks left in them.

Enter Krylon Glitter Blast spray paint. Or as I like to call it, the Oh-My-Heck-This-Stuff-Is-Expensive-And-Better-Work-Miracles spray paint.

glitterblast

(And no this isn’t a sponsored post. Bummer.)

I’ve seen the buzz all over blogland about this stuff and wondered if there was anyway it could save my girl’s shoes. 

I had serious reservations about buying a can since you guys know that spending money on crafts this year is a no-no in my house.  But I totally struck out at all FOUR of the thrift stores in my area … and I was staring down at least $12 for another cheapy Walmart pair with the same glitter ratio … so spending $6 after coupon {cough, choke} on a can of magic glitter might be the smart way to go after all.

So I did. And it worked!

A little painters tape around the inside and ribbons …

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… and a few squirts of paint over the whole thing …

… and a little black sharpie action on the vinyl bows …

… and voila!

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Rainbows appear, bird sing, shoes saved. I don’t think we’re in Kansas anymore, Toto.

Even though this paint is a little touchy to use, it still worked great. I loved how the shoes turned out and am so glad I gave it a try.

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I only bought one can to start since it was so pricey, but  I can’t wait to grab a can of the red and get those Dorothy shoes back to their yellow-brick-road best.  And I love that I still have lots of paint left and can touch up her shoes whenever I need to.

And for those of you without glitter shoes, this technique will work for any pair of shoes.

That means you can rock cheap shoe refashions for everyday use, Halloween costumes, or even school dances.

Here’s a few Man-Behind-The-Curtain tips to save you a few headaches:

1. Use a coupon. {Oh good heavens use a coupon.} My can was $6 after the coupon and is only half the size of a regular can of spray paint.

2. Use short bursts. Long sprays will clog your nozzle in two seconds flat.

3. Watch the pressure. This stuff has a nasty habit of getting too much pressure built up and oozing glitter paint out the top. To stop that from happening, pull up lightly on the spray button whenever you hear a hissing noise. This seems to release the pressure kind of like the valve on a pressure cooker. My friend warned me about the oozing problem and recommended the pulling-up-on-the-cap trick. Worked great.

4. Use two light coats for the best coverage. As I’ve gone back through these pics I’ve liked the coverage, but think the toe area could use a touch more paint. I’m going to give them a quick recoat this afternoon.

5. Be sure to use the clear coat sealant. The paint will wear off very quickly without it.

So there you go.

Scuffed up shoes?

Sept 2011 BLOG4-8

It’s What Not To Toss this weekend!

I have a love/hate relationship with little girls’ dresses:

dress.11

love the adorable high waist and full skirts that twirl perfectly.

hate that those cute skirts get too short and the bodice too tight with a good growth spurt.

Time to toss, donate or hand-down, right?

Wait! Don’t toss that!

Those skirts can last a few more months on your little girl with the help of a seam ripper and some fabric scraps.

To save this too-short, 18-24 month dress and make it work for my 5T little girl,  I removed the skirt and all the fluffy layers of tulle from the bodice using a seam ripper.

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For simple, lightweight fabrics all you need to do is add a simple elastic waistband by rolling the top hem and making a casing.

But since mine had multiple layers that would be too bulky for a rolled casing …

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… I decided to make a casing out of a left-over sheet and attach it to the top of the skirt.

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It was easy after that to open the casing, thread through some reclaimed elastic and stitch the waistband closed.

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Start to finish was less than 30 minutes.

And the end result?

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A cute summer skirt for my 5T girl with enough length on it to last her through next summer.

So go dig those outgrown dresses out of the donate pile and have a second look.

Outgrown Dress?

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It’s What Not To Toss this weekend.

 

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