Life in Rehab is BACK! Get ready for a slew of new projects for the new year! We just can't promise we know what we're doing!

Visit Life in Rehab's new Etsy shop
And because we're good friends by now,
our readers get 25% off
by entering the promo code
REHAB when you make a purchase!
So deck out, do some early holiday gift shopping,
strut your stuff and make a statement!


I'm on a mission. If I have never EVER not once replied to your comments, you may want to check this out: No Reply?



Tuesday, January 1, 2013

I Say You're Cold~Put on a Sweater

How many times did you hear your Mom say that?
Have the words ever left your lips?
It's okay~
Everything is wrapped in sweaters this Winter.
 From wall decor...
 ...to tabletop trinkets...
...right down to this ceramic vase I couldn't leave behind.
Hey, it was half price!
Of course, a lot of people are now bargain diving, so most of the other goodies were GONE.
What's a crafter who just cleaned out her closets to do?
Yeah, like you didn't see THAT coming, huh?
 For the next couple of projects, you'll need a sweater.
A nice button front cardigan is best.
And for once- I'm gonna say it- size does not matter.
 Details do.
 If you're Goodwill Hunting, choose a great knit.
 Pockets, cuffs, cables are all going to make the next little 
makeables sizzle with warmth.
For our very first trick, you'll also need a pair of straight sided vases from The Dollar Tree.
 Slide the vase into a sleeve.
 Decide how much of the cylinder you want to cover.
 Now, with a pair of sharp scissors, follow a line of stitches.
 Cut the sleeve off and trim it straight.
 Use it as a guide to cut the second sleeve.
 
 Now get this stuff.
You don't have this stuff?
You should have this stuff.
This is really good stuff.
 Run a generous bead of fabric adhesive around the cut edge of the sleeve.
 Slip a rectangle of wax paper or freezer paper inside the sleeve.
The adhesive won't stick to this.
 Lay both on another sheet of the paper to dry over night.
 And the next day...
TA-DA!
 Now just slide the sleeve onto the vase.
Pop in a pillar candle, and we're all warmed up!
 The sleeves come off and can be packed up in the Spring too!
AND you can slip this on a wine bottle for a cozy hostess presentation.
 Light these up and add them to your Icy Tablescape.
 The good part?
 At $1 each, if you have to purchase the vases, these will help you keep
that resolution you made to be frugal this year!
 So celebrate!
Don't throw that sweater away~ we have some more free tricks to perform!
Happy New Year!

Monday, December 31, 2012

Owl Always Love You

On a trip to Z Gallerie a few month ago, I spied THIS:
They had created a wonderful little microcosm or ice, snow, pristinely frosty perfection. and....
owls.
I wanted it.
You know that covetous feeling that overtakes you?
Something is destined to live with you in your world.
You need it.
I circled it, studying, trying to see what it was I was so attracted to.
I realized it was the ambiance, the glimpse of coziness in the cold.
Good thing too, because when I costed out the elements...
 100 bucks for the vase...
 $23 for a box of the gems..times how many?
 Forty Five clams for the frosty branches.
And a pair of owls?
15 pictures of George.
 Let's just assume this peaceful snowy scene is happening in the neighborhood
of two hundred dollars.
I wonder what the association fees are like in that neighborhood?
I started looking around and plotting in my usual manner.
$20 is my usual ceiling for any fluff item.
Any owls I stumbled upon in the following months ate the lion's share of that budget.
 And then, in West Elm this weekend, I found...
The Grumpy Owls!
Crank little spotted wise guys with a $6 price tag...
 ...and a 70% discount!
YES!!!
$1.80 avians!
I already had one very tall cylinder vase, about 18",
and a smaller one from the Dollar Tree. 
 I found bags of ice crystals for a palatable $3 at Blood Bath & Beyond
Bed Bath & Beyond.
I can do that.
 You know how to do this.
Little vase in the big one.
 Carefully add the "ice" to the space between the vases.

Then add some branches.
 These faux birch beauties covered in ice droplets are from Z Gallerie.
$15.95 was the original tag, but Christmas was 70% off, so we walked out 
hand in branch for just $4.80.


 Worth it.
 
Fill the center vase with river rock for contrast and stability.
 Bend the branches and perch your little owls, using a scrap of wire to elevate
them above cat toy status.
 So...what's our bottom line?
I had the vases and the river rock.
The ice crystals ran me $9.
Remember, use as much of what you have as possible.
 The branches were another $9.60 since I bought two.


And the owls?
$1.80 for each morsel of feathered grumpulence.
I of course needed 5, one for each family member
so yes, I shelled out nine smackers.
And I'm not even sorry.
$27.60 for my centerpiece.
 Sure it's a little over my usual budget, but the way Savannah
squeals out, "They're so GRUMPY!!!"
makes it worth every penny.

Not to mention it's about 14% of the original inspiration.
THAT makes my wallet feel all better.