thrifty decor
Creating Stepping Stones with Seashells
Shells are fun to collect at the beach, but it’s hard to know how to use them once buckets have been brought back. Filling glass bowls with them is pretty but cliche, and also not kid friendly. Instead, we used them with an inexpensive stepping stone kit. All my younger brothers and sisters wanted to help create the pattern. The finished product was a garden treasure everyone could enjoy.
Preliminary designs were traced out on the countertop:
seashells as flower petals and spirals.
We used some leftover glass from a stepping stone kit, and I let the kids make the designs. We then followed the instructions on the cement package, placing the stones and shells in the same pattern and then pouring the cement over them in the frame. 
We used some leftover glass from a stepping stone kit, and I let the kids make the designs. We then followed the instructions on the cement package, placing the stones and shells in the same pattern and then pouring the cement over them in the frame.
Lenten Wreath
Decorating on a college student budget brings an interesting challenge. It causes me to see small objects and knick knacks in a different light. Rather than just looking at something as it is, I find myself asking, “How could I use this? How many different ways?”
One of my favorite embellishments has been this grapevine wreath. These are popular right now, so it’s hardly an original idea, but the number of ways to use it is limited only by the imagination, and presents endless opportunities for creativity. I enjoy changing out the ‘toppings’ woven into the vines to mark the changes in the seasons of the year.
To mark the weeks of Lent, I have a left most of the wreath bare. The stark wood reminds me of both the wood of the cross and the woven crown of thorns. The purple flowers show the traditional color of Lent, and the wrought iron cross is formed by two nails.
