Additional use for old medicine bottles

As a follow up to this very important conversation about what to do with old medicine bottles. I give you one more option. Very cool binoculars. Although I think the littles in the world would most appreciate these.


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What to do with those empty medicine bottles.

 I know this is not critical to most. I realize this may be a minor issue in the big scale of things. But seriously, old medicine bottles are like rabbits in this house and they seem to be multiplying. I really want to recycle them but for some reason I feel like just putting them in the recycle bin is not enough. They need a new life, a new purpose, a rebirth of sorts. So here are some ideas.

I got this from my mom. When she sees my nephew she hands him over one of these babies filled with quarters that he can use for games. Do they even have arcades any more? I know a few pizza places have games and that is usually where he uses them up. I keep one in my car for parking meters and it moves to my purse when I travel. Very handy.

Quarters

The bug loves glitter. And I have to say I am quite fond of the sparkly stuff as well. This container is a combination of all the different colors we use. It is the extra that gets knocked off when one is glittering. It invariably gets mixed up with other colors in the middle of a project and I don't want to taint the pure glitter color with some funky mixed color by trying to put the extra back, so it all goes into here.

Glitter

 This is one of those mega bottles and it holds some needles, a spool of thread and my cool cutter that I can take on the plane. I use it for yarn as well and thread. It is a circle with some recesses that have a blade so that you can cut your thread without cutting anything, or anyone, else. I have to get a shot of it to show you. Often I will just use a regular bottle with a bobbin of thread and a needle or two, sans cutter. But it is a handy way to carry these tools. You can throw it in your purse and you know you won't end up with some stray needle or pin poking at you from the depths of your bag.

Sewing Kit

 Throwing out old needles scares the poop out of me. I mean seriously, how are you supposed to package up that vicious little thing so that you don't hurt yourself or someone else. So I don't. I just pop them in here. When it is full the whole thing will go in the trash. Ta da!

Old needles

 This is probably the most common use for old medicine bottles. And old baby food jars as well. And it works well so I am sticking with it. Especially if you have little elements like this for a certain project, or area of your house. You can identify them so much easier in one of these little things.

small screws and nails

 I was working on a large quilt and pre-wound a bunch of bobbins. I needed a place to keep them all together so they wouldn't unwind and this was perfect. I think 6 fit in one of the standard size bottles.

Bobbins

Let's see, what else?

• Matches to keep waterproof when camping. 
• Money and a key to take to the beach or some other outing. 
• Office supplies like paper clips, although why I am not sure. But you could. 
• I also used this kind of container to hold the watered down glue we used at Easter to make glitter eggs. 

I tried lipstick or chapstick for the beach but they were too long for the bottle. And I really wanted crayons to fit so I could carry them easily for the bug. But again, just a bit too long for the bottles I have. So I'll keep looking and I'll let you know what else I find.

I truly hope you don't have any of these in your house. That would mean you don't need any medications. But if you find that you do have a few lingering, put them to work.

We are a making family

That is what I told a woman in the store we were in this afternoon. She was complimenting Bug on the scarf she was wearing. It was made by one of the cousins, one of our generation cousins. And I realized we really are a making family. On so many levels.

So many different members of our family make things. Really cool things. And not just immediate family, but extended as well.

We just opened an etsy store called MGD Custom. Right now it only has our wood blocks. Those with the Encinitas signs and the custom ones on the Playskool blocks. Soon it will have much, much more. Both from the man and from me. And hopefully one day from the Bug.

But the really cool thing about today is that we saw a fun canopy type thing hanging over a crib/bed in the store. I showed it to bug and she really liked it. So we went home and made something just like it. From what we had around the house. And it was a complete family project.  Okay, so maybe not exactly like it, but close. The one in the store had rainbow silky fabric. Ours is sheer white but we did have this rainbow silk that a friend had given us. Bug remembered it. And we used that to cover up the (totally cool) chandelier attachment hanging from the light.

It is her room and she loves it. And is really proud that we made it. And I think that is the most important part. We really are a making family. Go us.


Oh, Happy New Year! I hope to see you around here more often.
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Works of Art

So this is another Pinterest project. I am just loving that site.

This is one of our only free walls, and actually it wasn't really free. I had to oust a fish picture. The man looooooves to fish so we have fish and related things on display in the kitchen (because he also loves to cook and does most/all of the cooking) and into the family room as they are connected.

So, down came the fish picture and up went the empty frames with clips. That simple. Now we can hang all of the bug's art as it comes home from school. These are the first things home from preschool, and it is only the second week. They will go into whatever frame fits the size via the binder clip. So easy. And the frame on the bottom and the top can also be switched to hang the other direction if needed. I think we were studying red this week....

In the eye of the beholder

When we were getting Bug's room ready for her arrival I was looking for a quilt rack, or a blanket rack. But the only ones I saw had only one bar or maybe two at the most for hanging. And I am a blanket girl. I needed many more options than that. So as I was perusing thrift and second hand stores I ran across this.

It was that weird fake pine color so I painted it white. And I loved it. As I was painting it my husband says - Why did you by a shoe rack?

What? Oh, I guess I really did. But I didn't see that until he pointed it out. Here is what I saw. My perfect blanket rack!

Alternative Storage Option

I know that storage is a big issue for most people, and it seems even more crucial to those who sew, quilt, craft, etc. So here is a cost-free idea for storage.

I use the zippered, or snapped, heavy plastic bags/pouches that linens come in. Actually, many items come in this kind of packaging and I hate to throw them out. They were so functional to protect what I purchased, surely they can protect my projects. And the nice thing is that most of them have little pockets that hold the description of what you purchased. Turn that little slip sheet over, right down your new project and put it back in the pocket. Instant knowledge of what is in that bag.

I often just collect fabric with an idea in mind. So those will go in these containers with the 'plan' for the fabric written on the card. Just to keep me on track.

One of my favorite containers like this is what the Boppy came in when I was pregnant. (Nursing pillow - great invention!) It is big purse size, zips closed and has handles. Love it for larger projecs.

So as you are taking your purchases out of their packaging - rethink just tossing them.

Is that a napkin or a pillow?

I know pillows are probably one of the easiest things to make. But I still avoid making them from 'scratch'. I try to find as many quick and easy ways as possible. And I love to use items in ways other than what they were intended. I think the buzz word there is REPURPOSE! Love it. So these -

Became this. Oh so easy. And cute!

My first quilt

This is my first quilt. Although I don't know if you can really call it a quilt.


This was made maybe 18 years ago. I washed the bandanas many, many times before putting it together. To make sure they wouldn't bleed and also to soften them up. It is definitely soft now! The back is a twin sheet and I put buttons in the corners where they come together. This has been our picnic blanket for years. It sits in a basket by the back door to be used on the grass or to cozy up with on the hammock when it cools down.

That is just one of my favorite things. I think the hammock gets used more in the cool weather, at night all wrapped up, than in the summer.


The pillow was pretty easy. I did the zipper first and then the other sides. Still not a fan of putting in zippers, but this one went pretty fast.


I need to make more of these bandana quilts. I really love them. Anyone have any bandanas they want to part with? (Only those not used as hankies, please.)

Is that a table runner or a valance?

I love curtains, or a valance, or some kind of softening on windows. But I really don't like to make them. So I tend to get creative when I want some kind of window covering. Like when I wanted something simple for the kitchen windows. The accents in that room are blue but it is mostly a white kitchen. So I was at Ikea, saw some table runners I really liked, and voila - matching valances. All of the edges are already finished so no worries there. Just eyeball how long you want it, sew a pocket for the rod and there you go. Instant valance.

Is that a bed skirt or a valance?

I love repurposing things!

While hunting around for nothing in particular in the clearance part of a bedding store, I found a great bed skirt for our king size bed. And lo and behold, they had 2 of them - a great shade of blue, in raw silk looking fabric, and $9 each! Yeehaw.

Did you know that a king size bed skirt makes a great window valance for a 16 foot span? Well, it does.

So this (ignore the wrinkles)

Becomes this -


I have been wanting to soften our bedroom a little since we moved in, about 1 1/2 years ago. We painted and put in crown molding - or at least hubby did - I was pregnant at the time and they wouldn't let me paint or get on ladders. But since then it just needed some finishing touches, some fabric, a little extra love. And I finally got that done this weekend. Fancy pleats and all. I love it.

(As to the wrinkles on the bed skirt that is on the bed- I got so excited to see how it would look I didn't want to wait to iron it, and then I didn't want to have to take it off again. I am hoping they hang out, but not looking good so far. I wonder how long the cord is on my iron.)