Thrifty Thursday {More Vintage Finds}

  As of late, I have not been thifting regularly - just every once in a while. But after my last trip thrifting, I discovered that the western style shirt I had bought for my daughter's cowgirl costume for halloween was HUGE on her. There was nothing for it - I had to take it back. Most thrift stores only do exchanges (fine by me), so off I went to find a western shirt that would actually fit her. I found one that's perfect & figured while I was there, it would be efficient of me to check out the housewares section. *wink, wink*

  I walked out, not only with the properly sized western shirt, but also with two new treasures.

I have been looking for a medium sized globe for awhile now - and one that's reasonably priced as well. This vintage metal one is just perfect! I also really like the world landmarks on the colourful base. My husband was trying to figure out the age of the globe just by looking at some of the countries that no longer exist. We couldn't nail it down, but it's in the vintage range for sure. Anyone know any tips as to how to date a globe? I might have to google that one.

After purchasing the two turquoise vintage Pyrex bowls in the background last February, I've also been watching for some matching or co-ordinating ones. I found this white one with the turquoise motifs that fits in just right with the larger ones I already had.

Score!

Have you been thrifting lately? What have you scored?

Thanks for reading. If you like what you see here on Silver Boxes, I'd love it if you would become a follower, 

subscribe by email (sign up on the right sidebar), or follow along on Facebook, Pinterest, or Twitter. 

And please leave a comment when you do so I know who my new friends are! :)

Enjoy your day!

Check out the great parties I link up to!

Map Gift Box

  Since coming back from holidays I've been 1) recovering from a cold 2) cleaning up the house & doing vast amounts of laundry 3) scrapbooking vacation photos 4) trying to spend some time outside on the nice days. We still have 2 weeks until school starts & we've pretty much got everything bought & organized for that (other than a couple of uniform pieces we need to order), so we're now trying to squeeze every little drop out of summer that we can!

  With all the travelling we've done this summer, today's project seems to make sense to me. Maps were a daily occurrence on our trip. Whether we were driving & consulting our road atlas to see where the heck our GPS was taking us or consulting the map to see just where exactly the Space Mountain ride was, we got to know our maps really well.

  In July, when I made my Map Gift Bag, I had some materials left over. One pinwheel & a whole bunch of maps. I also found this little gift box in my gift wrapping supplies. Put it all together & here you have a sweet little map gift box.

Isn't that pinwheel so much cuter than a bow? I love it!

Have a great weekend! I will have a bunch of new projects to share with you next week!

Thanks for reading. If you like what you see here on Silver Boxes, I'd love it if you would become a follower, 

subscribe by email (sign up on the right sidebar), or follow along on Facebook, Pinterest, or Twitter. 

And please leave a comment when you do so I know who my new friends are! :)

Enjoy your day,

DIY Map Gift Bag

  It's not always easy wrapping a grad gift or a dad gift. Masculine wrappings often leave much to be desired. Usually it comes down to a gift bag festooned with fishing tackle or striped wrapping paper. The options are normally pretty limited. 

  Until now. 

  Have I got a solution for you! Enter your new best friend... old maps.

  You can simply wrap a box with a map which would be perfectly acceptable, or you can kick it up a notch by creating your very own customized gift bag.

  All you need is:

• a blank bag
• a map
• a strip of cardstock in a complimentary colour
• 2 brads to fasten the pinwheel centres 
• glue

I used this template for the pinwheels.

Cut on the lines. Punch holes on the dots. Fold the dots to the middle & fasten with a brad.

Source

  How great are these pinwheels? They add a little fun touch to what could be a stuffy-looking gift.

They may not, however, be for everyone. Totally cool. Just leave them off & do the strips of map paper on the sides of the bag. 

Awesomeness.

My work here is done. ;)

~~~~~

Thanks for reading. If you like what you see here on Silver Boxes, feel free to become a follower, 

subscribe by email (sign up on the right sidebar), or follow along on Facebook, Pinterest, or Twitter. 

And please leave a comment when you do so I know who my new friends are! :)

Enjoy your day!

I link up to these great parties

This project was featured on:

Map Wall Art

Several weeks ago, I posted about our family room & a few of the changes I wanted to make in the space.

I'm happy to say I have another project complete!

Here was my original list:

• New artwork above the couch - done!
• New artwork for T.V. wall - done!
• Makeover the little table my map lamp sits on
• Paint the dress-up box (to the right of the couch)

I wanted something a little less boxy to go on the wall over the T.V. Because the T.V. isn't centred on the wall, it was awkward to hang rectangular art on that wall. I needed something more free form.

I had these embroidery hoops in my crafting box & a bag of maps from my parent's travels. I put the two together & in about 10 minutes, I had new art!

I also really like how the maps nod to the map lamp that's in the room too. :)

Enjoy your day!

I link up to these great parties

This project was featured at:

The (Map Covered) Notebook

  There's something about a blank notebook that just inspires me to write. Especially a really great looking notebook.

  I was due for such a notebook. My current one was getting pretty full & I had a plain, black one waiting in my craft bin. It was very uninspiring & I had plans to pretty it up somehow. I recently was blessed with a bag of great maps from my parents' numerous travels to Europe. (Thanks Mom & Dad!) After unearthing some great small maps of the city of Paris, I knew exactly what to do with the bland notebook!

If you would like to make one like this, here's what I did:

Gather your supplies:

~Plain notebook (available at any stationary store)

~Map or other pretty paper

~Mod Podge

~Sponge brushes

~Scissors 

1) Determine how you want your map or paper placed on your notebook. Trim it down with a wide margin around the edges. We'll trim it down completely later. Using a sponge brush, apply a thin layer of Mod Podge to the cover of the notebook. Carefully place your map or paper over the Mod Podge, making sure to smooth out the bubbles with your fingers.

2) Let dry.

3) Once dry, trim the extra paper off of the edges.

4) Apply an even layer of Mod Pogde over the paper. Be careful to get right to the corners. Let dry completely. 

  This is quite a fast craft project. Maybe half an hour plus drying time. I think this would be a great gift too - maybe for a friend who's about to embark on a European adventure? It would be a great travel journal!

I'm ready to fill it's pages with goodies...

Enjoy your Monday!

Check out these great parties I link up to!

This project was featured on:

Lamp Revamp

   In these cold winter months, one thing that gets me through the dreary days is the expectation of Spring, Summer, & fun things to come. Right now, we're planning a big road trip for this coming summer and we've started talking about a trip next winter... somewhere warm. :) 

  Last week I posted some ideas using maps. With all this talk of traveling & maps, I was itching to get to this project I've been planning since last fall. I present to you my latest makeover, the travelling lamp!

It started out with this 80's brass lamp with a dusty rose little highlight in the middle. It would have gone perfectly in my bedroom when I was 12 years old. I'm not sure about you, but I'm so over that colour scheme. :) 

I paid $4 for it at a local thrift store. 

I also paid $4 for the lamp shade, which wasn't so bad to begin with. It was just a bit dirty. 

I got out my favourite glossy white spray paint...

Then I wrapped the cord & the light socket with aluminum foil before starting to spray.

I gave the base 3 light coats of spray paint. The first two I was able to do outside in the garage because we were enjoying unseasonably warm temperatures. Then it got cold & I had to bring it inside to do the last coat. 

The house smelled for days! Ya, not one of my most brilliant moments. :)

After cutting the map into sections, I used Mod Podge to decoupage the map to the lamp shade, 

being careful to push out the bubbles with my fingers. 

After it had dried, I trimmed the edges & hot glued some white grosgrain ribbon to the edges to finish it off. 

Oh, by the way, I paid $2 for 2 vintage maps at an antique store here in town. 

The colours are slightly more muted than a brand new map.

We're enjoying our new lamp in our family room & it reminds me of our fun travels to come. 

I would like to thank all of you, my wonderful readers, for stopping by. 

In these last several months, I've been so excited to see Silver Boxes grow & see my friend count rise bit by bit. 

I really appreciate all of my new friends in the blogosphere. Thank you for your kind words & support.

I hope you stop in again soon. And don't forget to join the party on facebook! :) See you there!

Enjoy your day!

I'm amazed by all these features! WOW! Thank you!

This project featured at:

On A Map Quest

  Maps... they bring me a sense of excitement. Probably because my husband & I love travelling so much. So when I see old maps used in clever ways, it really brings a smile to my face. 

Here's several favourites I've spied over the last little while...

Cover some old shoe boxes in maps & use as a nifty storage solution.

Via

Cut out a bit of several maps that represent your favourite places 

and frame them together as a nice reminder of your travels.

Frame a vintage map.

Via

Use a map to brighten up a drab dresser.

Via

Cover some wooden letters spelling out the place on the map.

Cut an old globe in half & use as a bowl.

Via

Cut letters out of an old map (or sheet music) to add a nice alternative to a gift tag.

Via

Cover an old trash bin with a map.

Via

Add some fun colour to a monogram.

Via

Make some pretty pinwheels for your desk.

Via

Make light pennants from an old globe.

Via

Wrap a gift with a map. Wouldn't it be fun if the gift was a trip or some airline tickets? Or perhaps a travel book?

Via

Line a drawer with an old map. 

Via

Make a Christmas ornament.

Via

Line a table top.

Via

Make a set of coasters. Another great way to remind you of your favourite travels.

Via

Which was your favourite? Have you made any projects involving maps? Please let me know! I'm always looking for fresh inspiration. :)

I've actually been working on my own map-themed project this past week. 

I hope you come back to check it out next week!

Enjoy your day!