Festive Butter for Thanksgiving Dinner

Photo Credit

These decorative pats of butter add a festive touch to Thanksgiving dinner. They are very easy to make using inexpensive candy molds.

Simply let the butter soften for about 30 minutes. Then, using a butter knife or small spatula, fill the molds. Check the underside to be sure there are no air bubbles.

Set the mold in the freezer for a short time to let the butter harden (it will be easier to get out of the mold if you do this). By applying a small amount of pressure to the underside of the mold, the butter should just pop out. Be careful not to dent the butter.

For the fall shapes in the photograph, I used this leaf candy mold.

To make the butter really pop, place the butter on a bed of cranberries.

Beautiful Butter is linked to the following parties: Sunday Showcase, I Heart Naptime, Success U, The Chic and Crafty Party a Well-Seasoned Life.

Frugal Storage Solution: Wooden Crates

I've purchased a lot of these wooden crates over the years. They can be found at your local craft store (I purchased mine at Michael's) for around $10 (less if you have a coupon). We use them to store things under the beds. You can read about that here.

My latest use for them is in my laundry room. I have shelves in the laundry room. And lots of stuff. I wanted a way to hide all that stuff on the shelves and keep the items organized. The wooded crates worked perfectly.

I had already spray painted some baskets that I use for organizing smaller items above the washer and dryer. I used a green called Eden by Rust-oleum. You can read about that project here.

I used a dark brown, Leather Brown by Glidden, for the wooden crates. It's hard to tell in the picture because of the flash, but I used a paint with an eggshell finish. It gives the crates an older worn appearance as opposed to a new shiny finish.

It's amazing what you can fit in these crates. I've got lots of shelf space in that room, so I guess I'm off to buy more crates!

Here are some other ways to use these great wooden crates:

From Remodelaholic

From Patent Pending Projects

From The Violet Hours

From Ohdeedoh

From Color Me Southern

This post is linked to It's So Very Cheri, Organizing Junkie, Friday Favorites, Catch as Catch Can,  the Chic and Crafty party, House of Hepworths, Thrifty Thursday, Transformation Thursday, Show Me What Ya Got, Frugal Tuesday Tip, Tutorials and Tips Tuesday and Weekend Warrior.

Decorative Magnets from Old Buttons

Love this!

Taryn over at Design, Dining and Diapers made these awesome magnets out of old buttons. See how she did it here.

Another reason to save those buttons.

Upgrade Your Old File Cabinet

I have some very utilitarian file cabinets. They serve a purpose, but they sure don't look very good. So I scoured the internet for the best ideas in file cabinet upgrades. They all use my favorite product--spray paint!


Here are some of the best I found. Click on the caption for more information.

From Casa Cullen

Using Spray Paint, Fabric, and Modge Podge

Spray Paint and New Pulls

Love the colors.

2 Cabinets + 1 Door = Great Desk