Usages for Clear Plastic Salad Containers

You know these containers and have probably thrown many away. Wait, read what you can do with them.

1. They make great seed starters because they are like mini greenhouses. Punch a few holes in the bottom, add soil and seeds in the container and place in a sunny window and mist with water every day or so.  Transplant to a larger pot when they are about an inch or two high.

2. Send home leftovers with guests or adult children. This way you don't mind that you don't get the containers back.

3. Reuse for the obvious - salads or other cold lunches for work. Remember, you cannot microwave these.

4. Keep things organized - crayons, buttons, all those small condiment packages of ketchup, soy sauce, etc., craft supplies. I am sure you can think of  a million other things to store in them.

5. Use to mix paint for art and craft projects.

6. Cut them up and use as labels for plants. Write the name of the plant with a permanent marker.

7.  Fill with cookies or candy and put a bow on top to give as gifts.

8. Store bulk food items like dried beans and rice that come in bags.


9. Create your own spice rubs and store in the containers.

10. Use in the garage for storing nails, screws, etc.

Garage & Yard Sale Tips

The garage sale season is in high gear. I love to shop these sales because you never know what treasure you might find. Here are some tips on how to look for items at garage, yard, estate sales:

1. Lamps can usually be found pretty cheap. You can paint almost any base. I am currently painting a brass lamp base black. If the shades are not to your liking, you can always add a different shade or even paint the one that comes with the lamp.

2. Don't be afraid to ask. I recently went to a sale and there was a lamp where I did not want the base but really liked the shade. I asked if the owner was willing to sell the shade and not the lamp. She said yes and that she also had a another one she just didn't set out. I got both shades for only $5.00.

3. Don't be afraid to ask if the owners will take a lesser price for an item. Many times they will say yes.

4. If you like the painted furniture look, almost any sturdy wood piece can be painted. If it is stained, you can use a deglosser before painting and it may not require sanding. To save on paint costs, check with your local hardware store to see if they sell "oops" cans of paint that you can get for a discounted price.

5. Think outside the box. Just last weekend, I went to a sale and saw two heavy glass half globes. I was told they were old light covers used at a school gym to protect the light bulbs. I am repurposing them as cloches (bell-shaped glass covers used to protect plants).

6. Think ahead to Christmas. I know this may be really hard to do in the heat of the summer, but Christmas decorations are usually really cheap at garage sales. I recently bought a bag of nice globe ornaments, some with price tags still on them, for only $1.00.

7. Bring measurements for things you are looking for and a measuring tape to measure items with.

8. If you find a picture you like but not the frame or vice versa, keep in mind that frames can be painted or replaced. Likewise, pictures can be removed from the frames and the frames reused with other pictures or mirrors.

9. If you find a wooden chair with a fabric cushion seat where you do not like the fabric, it is usually easy to recover. Check that the cushion can be unscrewed from the bottom. If so, it is simply a matter of wrapping new fabric around the cushion and screwing back on.

10. You can usually get kitchen basics very reasonable at garage sales. Pyrex casserole dishes, glass measuring cups, colanders, pots and pans, mixing bowls, etc. can be found at most sales. Just check that they are in good condition and wash thoroughly when you get them home. You can save a lot of money buying these items at garage sales.

Unusual Planter Ideas and Inspiration

I saw these recently on a trip to Harbor Springs, Michigan and thought they were so different. I would like to recreate them. They use curly willow, ferns and pinecones.

Transformed Candle Holder

I had this candle holder in this fake blue/green verdigris that was popular several years ago...

I painted it using DecorArt Americana brand paint in Raw Umber

Here it is after painting. I think this is much much better. Do you agree?