Cruising down the aisles in my local Veterans Thrift Store, I always see pretty plates, saucers, tea cups, and glasses. Many times there may only be one plate or one tea cup and not a complete set. Each of the shiny glassware is marked 49 cents to 98 cents. Such a bargain for a crafter!
It seems to me that the holiday season is when I:
- bake more,
- entertain more,
- and probably eat more.
- I like to display pretty cookies or finger sandwiches.
Why not use discarded, but once loved, tableware and give it a new life?
There is something comforting about knowing that the plate or cup found in the thrift store once belonged to someone and was used for their special occasions.
- Select plates, bowls, candle holders, saucers, bud vases, and glasses that you are drawn to.
- Stack them to create cookie displays, cake stands, or pastry trays.
- Add battery operated tea lights inside a few of the glass pieces and watch your table display glow.
- One can even add cardstock borders around the plates to give them a more Victorian look or to tie a color theme to the table. A border paper punch works well for this.
Rub-ons used with glassware are a match made in heaven. The rub-ons apply to the glass and give it instant art that looks like watercolors. No drying time is required with this project.
You may not be able to eat on the plate after the rub-ons are applied but it becomes instant wall art. You may even choose to adhere the glassware to a bookend. Place a matching teacup and you have instant kitchen chic bookends for all those cookbooks.
After attending Junk Bonanza, I saw many artists combining glass pieces to create unique garden art. They would use a bud vase turned upside down as the project’s base. A dowel rod would fit into the bud vase and go into the flower garden ground. A variety of glassware would be used to create the rest of the sculpture. Plates work well for holding bird seed, and small candle holders will allow your garden art to glow at night. Create this piece of art as a Christmas gift for those who are hard to buy for. It will glimmer in the sunlight all year long.
If you are attracted to dinnerware, colorful glass, and old teacups like I am, get crafty and combine pieces you love into works of art. Be amazed at what you can create with very little money needed.
~Kara (Studio Pink)