Tag Archive | recycle

Tips and Tea on Tuesdays

Dec27

On Tips and Tea on Tuesdays, I will cover a topic and hopefully provide you with some tips that will be helpful! And just as an afterthought, tea may occasionally be a cup of Joe!

breakfast

Tea today is lemon zinger, and two slices of my favorite carrot and zucchini bread. Last week I talked about collecting vintage cookie cutter molds. Well not to be forgotten are the other aluminum molds that you can find, like the ones pictured below. These were used for Jell-O molds or aspic molds, and probably a few other reasons I am not aware of.

They make a great tea-light candle holders.
They make wonderful little dishes for display.

Tip: Find and Re-purpose Vintage Aluminum Molds

  • Check out your local thrift store, garage sale, or eBay favorite.
  • Often you will find these grouped as a set, or you could bargain for a lower price when you buy more than one.
  • Once you have your molds at home, wash and dry them as you would any dish or baking item.
  • Then gather together your favorite treasures, fill the molds, and put them on display.
  • Smile!

Happy tea drinking and stitching to you! ~Christen

PS: If you have any questions or thoughts, just leave a comment! See Tips, Tricks, the Basics, for more helpful ideas.

Tips and Tea on Tuesdays

Dec13

On Tips and Tea on Tuesdays, I will cover a topic and hopefully provide you with some tips that will be helpful! And just as an afterthought, tea may occasionally be a cup of Joe! 

angels and hearts
Angels and Hearts

Tea today is a cup of Tazo Joy, which is a blend of black and oolong green teas. There is a pleasant little hint of peach, so I decided to accompany my morning repose with a few of the thumbprint cookies I made (with apricot jelly centers). The aroma is just wonderful, and the cookie(s), well are divine! Pictured here is my Angel and Hearts tree. My mom called me her Christmas Angel, probably because I was born on the 21st of this month. Each year she gave me an angel for my collection, and here are just a few.

Wooden Ruler Tree
Wine Cork Tree
Vintage Kitchen Tree

Speaking of trees, I wanted to share a few unconventional trees, that I have made from recycled objects. These are pretty simple to make, and the supplies are easy to find.

Tips: Recycled Trees

Note: Always practice safety when using a glue gun. Keep a glass of water on hand to dip your finger into just in case you burn yourself.

Wooden Ruler Tree

  1. Gather a collection of 12″ rulers.
  2. Choose one for the stem.
  3. Cut the remaining rulers into varying lengths from long to short.
  4. Glue these to the stem with wood glue.
  5. Glue a pop top hook to the wrong side of the stem with a low temp glue gun.

Cork Tree

  1. Gather a collection of wine corks.
  2. Arrange the corks in rows.
  3. Use a low temp glue gun to glue the rows in place, then the rows together.

Vintage Kitchen Tree

  1. Gather old sieves, and other kitchen equipment that will stack nicely.
  2. Use a wooden chopstick, or knitting needle for the center pole.
  3. Hold the center pole in the center of a pie tin.
  4. Thread the utensils onto the center pole, from the large to small.
  5. Arrange aluminum cookie cutter molds around the bottom of the tree.

Happy tea drinking and stitching to you! ~Christen

PS: If you have any questions or thoughts, just leave a comment! See Tips, Tricks, the Basics, for more helpful ideas.