Quote Capsules <$15 for 1000 "pills"

I've been making these since I was a teenager. Maybe because I've always loved miniatures and sprinkles? These have long since been a favorite gift of mine to give to the person who has everything.

All you need:

A plastic pharmacy container*

Gelatin capsules: available in multiple sizes at any health food store in a huge bag of 1000 for <$15, I have purchased mine at The Good Earth and Dr. Christopher's Herb Shop

Typed quotes cut into individual strips: print my Word doc containing 370 quotes here

Candy sprinkles dumped in a small bowl: I like the small, generic circular ones that most resemble the filling in real pill capsules

A label for your container: this is an enlarged version of what I use with the actual size just below on the document - you could easily type this up in Word or a design program and highlight the text

One cotton ball

*You can ask any pharmacy for extra empty bottles and they will just hand them over, especially when you explain that you are filling them with candy for a gift. The tiniest size holds 30 capsules, the next one up holds 60, and there is a super giant one that holds just under 200. I prefer to give 30s and 60s, but if you want to give the gift of one happy quote per day for a year just give the gift in a 30 and put all the extra capsules in a mason jar labeled "REFILL."

Cut all your quotes into nicely trimmed strips. Fold them in half, in half again, in half again, etc, until the slip will fit in the capsule.

Open the capsule (the two halves pull open), insert the quote, dip the capsule half in the bowl of sprinkles, pop both halves of the capsule back together. You can feel a little click when the capsule is closed.

Repeat until you have done all your quotes.

Place filled capsules in the empty pharmacy container, put a cotton ball at the top (just like real medicine!), affix the label, and deliver to your beloved friend. Easy peasy!

Now your friend gets to open a happy message or thought for many days in a row. It's like a miniature fortune cookie that renews itself daily!

 

Foam Plumber's Tubing = Wreath Form <$1

My friend Mia made a wreath like this from Better Homes and Gardens' website. I can't find the link, but this shows you how to wrap yarn around a foam wreath form in a Christmas version. Just scroll down to the white wreath with a twig of berries shooting out of it.

I had seen online that you can buy 6' of plumber's tubing at Home Depot for less than a dollar and make your own wreath form. So I did it. Super easy. I trimmed it a bit and taped it with packing tape.

So tape up your plumber's tubing and get started!

I wrapped the first round with "clean" lines.

I did "messy" lines the second round.

I had some random black Halloween ribbon (given to me years ago by a neighbor who was cleaning her basement) that I cut with pinking shears and wrapped around for a little contrast.

RE helped me sew a spiderweb of felt and we hot glued it to the back of the wreath.

Then we used epoxy to affix the spider to the wreath. He is not coming off. Ever.

I was super happy about this project because I was able to use up the rest of my orange yarn that is too ugly to use for anything other than a Halloween project. The felt was leftover from RE's S&P shaker Halloween costume, and the spider was in our Halloween box but never appropriately used indoors. I like cheap door decorations because if they get worn out and weathered it's not a sad day when they have to be thrown away.

Now go use up all the spare yarn in your house. Go!

Birthday Card from Wooden Spools $0

I don't know why I have things like this in my stash. Actually, yes I do. I have them because I love anything that resembles a sewing notion. I always make a motion for notions. These are available at any craft store. Unfinished wooden spools. Get some.

Stain them. I used spray-on ink. Easy. Just squirt, let sit, and rub off the residue with a paper towel. If you don't have spray ink you could use paint, an ink pad, or probably even a cup of tea. Or you could always just use it as-is.

Type the birthday message. You will have to make sure that the message is just under the width of the spool and about 1/4" less than the circumference around the spool. My messages were 1.75" wide and 4.25" long.

Glue to spool with a glue stick. Glue the bottom of the message first, where you signed your name, so that when you wrap the note around the spool the header will lay on top and look nice and neat.

Punch circles from neat paper to paste to the end of the spools for fake spool labels. I used a map of Paris. Glue circles to ends of spool with a glue stick.

Find some neat ribbon. Ooh, I have a stash of antiqued bias tape that would make your head spin. And if you're wondering about my adorable square pincushion...Jaime made it for me. You'll have to talk to Jaime.

Cleverly conceal your words of love by wrapping the ribbon around the spool.

Pin it with a pretty pin. Like one with a pearl head. This is your friend, after all. They deserve better than a silver straight pin. Drop the finished spool in a sack and maybe add some salted chocolate. Again, don't you love your friend? Give them the square you've been hoarding in your stash!

Stuffed Alligator from Old Clothes $3

  

You will need:

Alligator Pattern by penguin & fish (given to me as a gift)

Fabric (I used a linen skirt and cotton shorts for the body and an old pillowcase for the teeth)

Embroidery Thread or Buttons for the eyes

One Entire Bag of Premium Fiberfill ($3)

*If I make another one of these I will use one layer of quality felt for the teeth and spikes instead two layers of fabric turned inside out. It will be way less clipping, trimming, pain and suffering.

Window Seat from Old Door $56

Old Solid Wood Door Not Like the Cheap Doors Around Today: free

Hinges, Triangular Braces, Shop Tools: free due to my kickin' family tree

Spray paint: $6

Particle board: $2

Upholstery Foam: $42

Fabric: $6

I was driving through The Village a few years ago when this door was on the curb for trash pickup. It was sweet ol' Mel Bowman's door. (His funeral was three days ago.) I pulled over and knocked on his front door and asked if he cared if I took it. He didn't.

I had plans to find legs for it to make a narrow harvest table for our patio. Turned legs are expensive, even at thrift stores. I am not going to spend $80 on legs for a free table.

So I asked my sister Cristall to chop it all to pieces in her husband's shop while he was on a camping trip. She's a whiz with the table saw. We trimmed it right up to make a window seat for RE's bedroom and put it together loosely with the old hinges.

Cristall's husband, Harper, is a full-fledged construction genius and he built me some triangular braces to secure everything from the back. If there were a window seat code this thing would pass with flying colors.

RE spray painted it antique white and then we bought a scrap of particle board at Home Depot for $2.01 and had it trimmed to the exact size of the top. This way all her weight only rests on the thick part of the door, not that flimsy middle section. That also got sprayed.

This would have been an $8 project if upholstery foam didn't cost the equivalent of a college education. This piece of 4" foam cost $40 with a 50% off coupon at Jo-Ann Fabrics.

We covered the dreamy, plush foam with some polka dot upholstery fabric I bought at DI for $6. It was just enough fabric to make two slipcovers, which is lucky since I botched the first one and had to make a second one. I'm not kidding- I had half an inch of fabric left after I completed the second slipcover. These kind of things affirm that I'm being watched over. Lucy approves of the 4" foam and is glad we didn't scrimp and get the 3". You'd be surprised how much an inch of foam adds as far as comfort goes. 

RE's bedroom is on the 2nd story of our home and our little lilac bush (that we planted for our 5th anniversary) is now 11 years old and has surpassed the height of the 2nd story. RE can curl up on her window seat with a blanket and read books against a wall of blossoming lilacs. They smell good, too. I can't believe our lilac bush is almost as tall as our house. Crazy.

But not as crazy as an almost-free window seat from a door off the street. I love people's trash!