Re-purpose Stuff...small projects

      

Tree-Branch Coasters

To make these rustic drink perches, you'll need a tree limb that's roughly three inches in diameter. (Save-on-crafts.com sells birch logs for $12.29 a foot.) Saw the branch into slices about3/4-inch thick—or have a hardware store do it for you—and lightly sand each wood disk. Create the leaf motifs shown by pressing an inked stamp (stamps, $23.28 a set; green ink pad, $6.61; stampinup.com) onto each coaster. Let dry for five minutes, then coat the stamped side with a protective matte finishing spray (Krylon Make It Last Clear Sealer, $3.63. Allow 15 minutes of drying time before using.

 

Barnyard Candleholders

To show these plastic animals the light, we applied a technique featured on thesweetestoccasion.com. First, use a drill to make a small pilot hole in the flattest spot on the back of an animal (from $3.49; anwo.com). Align the pilot hole beneath the hole in the bottom of a menorah candle cup ($9.95 for nine; zionjudaica.com). Secure the cup using a no. 5 screw (its head will rest just atop the cup's hole). Repeat to make multiple holders. Next, apply three coats of Krylon's Fusion for Plastic white spray paint ($5.99; amazon.com), allowing 30 minutes of drying time after each coat. Finally, place a menorah candle ($4.14 for 45; amazon.com) inside each cup to set the herd aglow.

Make Your Motto into Art

Reward a great quote (we cribbed from The Wizard of Oz) with the gallery treatment, courtesy of this project adapted from Meg Mateo Ilasco's Crafting a Meaningful Home ($24.95; STC Craft).

Step 1: Lay a piece of poster board on a flat surface. Use letter stencils ($7.69 for a set; staples.com) to spell out the phrase of your choice on the board, experimenting until you find a placement you like. (Use a ruler and pencil to mark horizontal lines for guidance.)

Step 2: Spell out the phrase backward, then flip the stencils over (you'll be turning the board over when you're done, and the words will then read correctly). Trace the letters onto the board with a pencil.

Step 3: Carefully cut out the letters with an X-Acto knife, then use hem tape to affix a patterned piece of fabric to the poster board. Flip the poster board over to reveal the finished artwork, then frame.