The $2 Infinity Scarf

I was planning on writing this post about making gifts out of a thrifted sweater. Unfortunately that didn't work out when I decided to wash the thrifted sweaters. I ended up with something so shrunken and unuseable that the only thing these "sweaters" are good for now are for the cat to sleep on. Oh well...I have a better project to share with you anyway. ~ I love how that works out. You plan for something good but in the destruction something better comes along :) Here is what I want to share with you....

I made the infinity scarf shown above and all it cost me was $2 and 15 minutes of time. I kid you not! I love infinity scarves. I pretty much love all types of scarves, as do most women these days. Recently while at Dollar Tree (I think I should be blogging for them as I promote their products enough) I found these snowmen scarves on sale. I bought 2.

I had an idea to sew these two scarves together to make an infinity scarf. I figured - what the heck? - if it doesn't turn out all I am out is $2.

First, I ironed the scarves to make them easier to sew.

Next I stitched the short ends of the two scarves together. To do this just place one scarf on top of the other. Sew the short sides together using a basic straight stitch. You will do this twice - once on each end of the scarf. When you are finished you will have one large continuous loop.

Here is a picture of me in the mirror to show you just how long the big loop is once the two scarves are sewn together into one. (please ignore the background and yucky smudge on the mirror)

Putting the two scarves together gives you plenty of length so that you can loop the scarf around your neck several times making it very full and lush.

This is me wearing the finished scarf. This project took me no more than 15 minutes from start to finish. No complicated sewing involved. A child could do it.

I LOVE how it turned out. SO easy, SO inexpensive and SO cute and stylish!

Heading out now to buy more of these. (Hoping they are still there.) I think I will stitch up a few for gifts. I am going to be on the look out for non-holiday themed scarves there as well.

Happy gift creating!!!

KayteeJane

Gifts from the Thrift

Each Christmas I try to make many of the gifts that I give instead of buying them. I do this for two reasons. One, to save money and two, because I enjoy doing something special and personal for the people on my list.  I really enjoy creating gifts and it satisfies the creative person inside of me.

With a dollar having to stretch longer than it ever has, I am coming up with several ideas of simple & easy gifts that can be made on a budget. I am planning on sharing all of my ideas here on my blog over the next weeks. Today I am showing gifts you can put together using things that can be bought in just about any thrift store. I do not think these gifts are tacky or sacrifice style at all, just because some parts of them came from a thrift store. In fact I think they turned out very nice and I know I would be happy receiving any of these things. And by making gifts like these instead of buying "new", we are doing something good for the environment by reusing. So be unique! I challenge you to try one of these ideas for someone on your list - a teacher, a friend or a neighbor perhaps?

Project #1 - Forced Bulbs

(Click on picture for original souce.)

I love forcing tulip and paperwhite bulbs. Here in Pennsylvania they are a welcome bit of color and freshness during the winter months. Forced bulbs make nice gifts too. You can buy a pre-made gift package for forcing bulbs from Target complete with a pottery dish & bulbs. However, since I like to do things my own way I am going to make these myself using vintage & recycled containers and for a lot less money!

At thrift stores look for glass & pottery bowls, planters & dishes that would be good for forcing bulbs. Here are some pottery planters that I have collected.

Milk glass is a beautiful container for paperwhites. At my trip to the thrift last week I spotted this milk glass dish for $1.99.

Here are some other containers that I have collected - all of which would work to hold the bulbs. The more unique the better. Think outside the box.

To make the gift, you will need some rocks or stones for the bottom of the container. I found these bags at Dollar Tree for a dollar each. You will mostly likely need one bag of rocks for each container you are using unless it is a larger container and then you will need two.

Look around at discount stores or gardening centers for packs of bulbs. I found these red tulip bulbs for $2.50 a package. There are 8 bulbs in a pack - enough to make 2 or 3 gifts.

Fill the bottom of your container with the rocks. Place the bulbs on the top of the rocks nestled in so that they don't fall over. If you do this now (a month before you give the gift) you can begin to grow these at home and then give the gift with the flowers in bloom. If you decide to do that, add water to your rocks (not overflowing) and place the dish in a sunny/warm location. The flowers will begin to grow. OR you can wait and give the gift with the bulbs just starting. If you do this, don't add water. Just package the bulbs as shown below. Doing it this way is nice too because the recipient can then grow their own flowers in January when we all need a little bit of spring to brighten the days.



Here is one bulb packaged in a vintage drinking glass. I used clear pebbles for this one.

 

 

Remember that once the bulbs are done growing the gift recipient can keep the container for later use and also plant the bulbs in their garden!

Each of these gifts cost me less than $5 each.

Idea #2 - Beautiful Soap Dish

I love antique dishes. I frequently see singles - ones that don't come with a complete set - for sale at thrift stores & antique stores.I use a pretty antique plate as a soap dish in both my kitchen & bathroom. Here are two dishes that I am using for my gifts.

For my gift I am buying handmade soap to go with the dish. My friend Julie made the tree shaped Spruce soap shown below. I love how it looks on the red and white transferware plate. If you can't find any handmade soap, TJ Maxx and Marshalls sell great soaps at reasonable prices.

This gift cost me $5.

Idea #3 - Drinks with Style

Glassware abounds at the thrift store. Much of it is in great shape and sells for pennies on the dollar. If you are going to dinner at someone's house and typically bring a bottle of wine, why not pair it with some nice wine glasses that you found at the thrift store. I have no misgivings about buying glassware second hand. I look it over to check for chips and scratches. If it looks good then I know I can take it home and put it in my dishwasher to get it nice and clean.

When shopping for glassware, keep your options open to what may be available at the thrift store and then base your gift around what you found. Just last week I saw these Margarita glasses for sale. Package these along with some Margarita salt and Margarita mix for a cute gift.

I also saw these. I thought they were pretty cute with their hobnail base. They only cost 39 cents each. I would pair several of these glasses with a bottle of champagne. - This would make a nice New Year's gift.

I also saw these. Very retro! I'm thinking Mad Men all day. These would be great along with a bottle of flavored liquor, whisky or what you would need to make a martini. Include some cocktail stirrers and some fun paper cocktail napkins. Only 99 cents each for beautiful vintage glasses!

If you don't want to do alcohol, how about a Root Beer Float Basket? I found these small-sized beer mugs at the thrift store. I bought these red & white straws at Dollar Tree in the Christmas aisle.

Pair the glasses and the straws with some ICB Root Beer and a pint of good vanilla ice cream for a sweet gift idea - all for about $10 if you include the ice cream & root beer.

If you are crafty, here is an idea that I saw on Pinterest last year. You could do this with any stemmed glassware.

(Click on the picture for the original link.)

Idea #4 - Food Packaging

You can find a great assortment of glass containers at the thrift store that would be beautiful for holding your home baked cookies, fudge, snack mix or candy. Much prettier than a disposable foil or plastic container and much cheaper than buying new. Fill with your homebaked goodies and tie with a ribbon.

Here a some examples of containers found at thrift stores or antique stores that would be beautiful for packaging food:

Look for glass cake plates to hold fruit cake. Glass jars to hold snack mix or cookies. Tins to hold candy or fudge. Loaf pans or vintage Pyrex to hold a loaf of bread or a cake.

So there you have it. I hope you have been insired to shop at your local thrift store this holiday season to find gifts for the people on your list. You will be helping the environment, helping the charity that runs the thrift store & helping your wallet. Not to mention you will be giving a gift that is unique and one of a kind.

If you have any other ideas of gifts from the thrift - please share them with us in the comments. I would love to hear what ideas you have!

Next time...how many gifts can you make from an old wool sweater? Join me to see what I come up with!

KayteeJane

Gift Baskets...with a vintage touch

When out at flea markets and yard sales I often find cute vintage things at very inexpensive prices. This makes it hard for me to walk away - even if at the time I don't have a specific purpose for said item. Case in point - these cute little syrup containers.

(The one with the red lid is my favorite :)) I think I paid about 25 cents for each of these. 

Later an idea came to mind to add them to some gift baskets I was making for my daughter's teachers. 

The theme of the basket is pancakes, so these were added in for a cute vintage touch.

The basket liner is a napkin. I bought 2 of these napkins at a thrift store. Cotton napkins and vintage linens are usually very inexpensive when you find them at yard sales and second-hand shops. They make great "green" gift wrap that can be reused by the recipient.

I found this little cutie at the Goodwill recently. It is a cut-glass creamer. I really liked it and just couldn't leave it behind so it came home with me. I decided to add it to this gift basket I made for a friend. I tucked a linen dishtowel inside the creamer. Of course that was thrifted too.

These little items are so very inexpensive but they add a nice touch to your gifts. All year long be on the look out for treasures that you can store away until you are ready to give someone a gift. 

Some other ideas for using vintage treasures:

A vintage coffee canister filled with Keurig K-cups or a bag of Starbucks coffee.

Vintage salt & pepper shakers filled with homemade popcorn seasoning or cinnamon sugar.

A lovely antique tea cup and a box of herbal tea.

A glass cake plate with a homemade cake on top.

A silver spoon tied to a jar of homemade preserves. 

The ideas are endless.

Happy Gift Giving!

KayteeJane