My quaint little candle snuffer, can you see the O-ring screw? Can you imagine it tinkling as you snuff the candle?

I do story-telling with my kids and their friends especially during special occasions.  We have adapted this quaint practice from Manila Waldorf, where our children go to kindergarten.

And part of the ritual is the lighting of the candle before the story and the snuffing it out afterwards.  You really have to see the kids when we reach the end of the story,  almost everyone would be at the edge of their seats in the eager anticipation that it will be their turn to snuff the candle.  It’s a special place to be able to do it because it will only be snuffed once.  They would have to wait for another day and another story before they would get to hold the snuffer and perform this much coveted role.  Hey, even I wanted to do it… they have such cool candle holders and snuffers.

So for several years I’ve been hunting down a snuffer in my favorite online store… EBAY!!!  But I never gotten round to actually getting it.  Then a few months back my mommy-friends were able to get some at Rustan’s which is quite a sturdy piece and quite reasonably priced, just PhP295 for a heavy steel shuffer with wooden handle.  I wanted one of course, but didn’t get around to it again until all they had left were priced at PhP1,000! (okay, PhP995).  But, I’m sorry, I don’t think I’ll spend that much on it especially since I liked how the less expensive one looks in the first place.

So, what else can I do… well… make a candle snuffer myself!

I purposely kept the clapper on the bell. I think it's more quaint with it, don't you agree?

As usual, in my OC moments I will not be able to rest until I figure out just how I will do it.  I remember a friend was given a handmade snuffer using a bell and an old violin wand.  Well, I didn’t have that lying around and even if I did I don’t think I can decapitate it.

And as an added challenge, my goal was not to spend a single centavo!  Ooooh, that’s a challenge! I would just use what was lying around the house. (I do stuff like this to keep me on my toes, … luckily I really have a lot of stuff lying around hehehe)

My PhP0 to PhP1,000 challenge... SUCCESS!

I remember I do have a bell (from previous projects) and…. a wooden scroll (the type used for invitations from Recto)  my kids play with!  So after attaching the bell to the scroll, with the help of hubby screwing in a tiny O-ring screw (literally lying around), I couldn’t resist but to decorate it!

The tiniest detail to enjoy

But I only had excess gold wires from my beading projects and that didn’t tie in my silver bell too well.  So but of course I had to used some cute silver findings to make it more as it should be.  Voila!  My handmade candle snuffer is now complete, it’s more fire retardant, it’s more substantial in weight and in appearance and, most importantly, it’s even prettier than what I can buy even for PhP1,000!

Can you think of other things you can turn from PhP0 to PhP1,000?

Let the quaint little things count,

Theresa

Quaint 3-step Frame Trashformation using cut-offs

By now, we have all heard anout recycling and reusing, there’s even a new term I have come across, which is “upcycling”.  But before that, I’ve been quite a fan of HGTV shows, especially Decorating Cents with their features on trash to treasure segments.  Some of the transformations are even better that the original that I have come to really appreciate this process.

Here’s a quaint little thing you can do using cut-offs and a frame for an Easy Frame Trashformation.

I’m sure you have some lying around, especially those which are too cute or too special to throw away or make into rags.  And, of course, you also have that special photo that deserves a little something more than your average frame and matting.

For this one, I used one from my pajamas which I really like. A wood frame (of course) that’s less than P100 from SM and one of the handful and my favorite candid shot of myself with my kids.

Here’s your 3-steps:

1. Trace the back frame on your cut-offs
2. Cut (I used pinking shears to prevent fraying)
3. Position and secure your one-of-a kind matting and photo on the frame. (I didn’t use glue, just made sure to get it all lined the way I like it and closed it up)

Since it’s just a small cut-off and I said 3 steps, I opted not to remove the seam stitching since it would show up anyway.  Instead, I used some rick-rack to “hide” it and give my matting another dimension.  You can also use ribbons, paper accents or embroider it if you feel a little more inspired.

What other quaint projects can you do with cut-offs, I wonder?  I have so much lying around, I really need to do more projects hehehe.