First up: Another Downtown Abbey discussion tomorrow. (Hope that Sochi hasn't taken you away from DA viewing.☺)
So where were we? I remember. Right in the middle of my dining room table with a little project. A very little project.
John, bless his heart, didn't want to miss Valentine's Day so he brought home a small box of Russel Stover chocolates and gave them to me an entire week early. As you can see, we savored them. Yup, we scarfed them down so fast that they might as well have gone up in flames.
Now, John is a hoarder collector. My daughter no longer wishes to be seen at the transfer station when John is there because it is embarrassing for her to have her step-father on a pile of old lumber collectibles. I tell you this so you will understand why I decided to recycle the sturdy Valentine's box as a place to store eight pairs of earrings. It means that I value the gift more than just for the chocolates contained. This means plenty in John's economy.
I usually keep my jewelry in my bedroom on the second floor. It's not terribly convenient so slowly an entire plateful of the stuff has been migrating to the first floor where it has lived in a jumbled mess getting worse daily because of the basketball being played.
Basketball? Right. Imagine two active boys and one old grandmother playing basketball every afternoon for a half hour or more. It's wild and crazy with pictures knocked askew and jewelry knocked into knotted piles.
No more! I have my Valentine Day box solution.
I'll be adding mod podge to protect it today. I doubt that I'll get much more fussy than that.
I'm using my grandmother's brass bell to hold down the box lid. Believe me, things must be held down in the gym. I believe that she represents Queen Elizabeth I. She's beautiful a real woofer, but she does serve a purpose so she gets to stay.
She's Made in England by Peerage and seems to have a value of about $6.
What's this you wonder? It's what I found at Pinterest...a Taco Soup. I love it; John not so much. But isn't it lovely to have supper prepared in advance? I am going to do that all over again today just for the luxury of it.
Have a great day!
The pattern on the box cover reminds me of vintage wall paper. Lovely. That's a pretty good idea, putting earrings in the different slots. Seems I'm always holding one in my hand and digging for the other in the downstairs bathroom catchall. My jewelry box is inconveniently upstairs too. In fact there isn't much convenience in a two story home is there?
ReplyDeleteYou have had me smiling through this post..."the gym", the "woofer", John on the "collectibles"! :D
ReplyDeleteYour box is a great idea. I, too, have half of my jewelry downstairs and half (or less) upstairs in my bedroom. But I don't have a gym in my house, so it mostly stays put. In fact, it continues to grow due to the fact that there are other jewelry wearers living here...
Very pretty. As always you leave me chuckling..your John sure seems like a nice guy. I keep all my jewerly in a box as well..upstairs in my dressing room--err..storage closet, lolol.
ReplyDeleteMy mother always gave me a heart shaped box of chocolates on Valentine's Day. When I see them, I think of her. :)
ReplyDeleteLove what you did with it.
Great idea for keeping your earrings! The soup looks very tasty. Thanks for putting a smile on my face this a.m. Always a delight to visit with you.
ReplyDeleteThis was a very entertaining post, lol If ever there is a grandchild at our house, we two second as a gym, so I know the drill. I love your brilliant idea. I USED to have this problem as well. I lost more earrings that way. I solved the problem by simply almost never wearing them anymore, lol. Truly I went from a gal who almost never left her bedroom with a pair on, to a gal who doesn't remember the last time she wore a pair. Enjoy your day Vee!
ReplyDeleteYou got your crafty girl on, LOL! That's a lovely keepsake box, and should give you a smile each time you use it. I can understand the need to keep your jewelry handy. I never wear it in the house and put things on right before we got out the door to run errands, etc.
ReplyDeleteYou're such a great wife and grandmother!
ReplyDeleteThat really is a brilliant use of that heart shaped box. Love it. I've always had a secret desire to be gifted a heart shaped box of chocolates. Maybe I should let someone know...
ReplyDeleteI think I'd really like taco soup. Love your indoor basketball and Modge Podge is fabulous. I have a smaller version but not with such a great face...
Well aren't you clever, Vee :) Such a sweet and pretty use of a chocolate box....and maybe your earrings will smell like chocolate - yum :)
ReplyDeleteHappy Tuesday! Hugs to you!
I will be here for discussion on Downtown Abbey-----Wow! things are starting to pop.
ReplyDeleteYou are not only crafty but funny and tell it like you see it.
Great post.
Great idea! I totally understand about the need to have a weight to hold it down with two boys in the house:) I tried a crockpot chicken parmesan soup Sunday. It smelled so good and I was so proud of myself, but.....it was okay, not nearly as good as actual chicken parmesan:(
ReplyDeleteWhat a sweet project. I love little boxes to keep things organized! And how sweet of John to buy you candy....of course he did write poetry for me....so what can I say? Enjoy your day my friend! I'll see you tomorrow for DA!!!
ReplyDeleteOK, I can't even begin to tell you how much I love what you did here. I'm currently trying to save old (small) valentine candy boxes for a project for my SS class. Without boring with too much information, I'm leaving the transformations up to them. I'm going to show a picture of this as an example if that's OK with you.
ReplyDeleteYou know... pictures... copyrights... angry lawyers with their bots and all.
I love your valentine chocolate box Vee - so perfect for earrings with ready made dividers.
ReplyDeleteHope you enjoy this week's episode of DA!
Saw the first piece of Sochi on the news last night - a Russian figure skater who was incredible!
You have me giggling Vee - love your sense of humour. Your house/gym sounds wild and wonderful and the chocolate box idea for jewellery is a great one. You go girl!!!
ReplyDeleteVee...your little earring box is adorable. I had an idea that's what you might be doing when I saw yesterday's post :) By the way, LOVE the taco soup! We often have soup suppers at church in cool weather and taco soup is usually on the menu!
ReplyDeleteClever girl! I always love those shaped boxes ... turning one into a useful item that goes past the ultimate cache of chocolate gets you points!
ReplyDeleteLove your heart shaped jewelry box. What a great way to recycle!
ReplyDeleteHey Vee,
ReplyDeleteSounds like you are the most wonderful Grandma.... and you are so right, supper prepared in advance is like heaven on earth...
Stay warm..
Love, Mona
Now I know what to do with those heart shaped boxes. I like it, Vee!
ReplyDeleteThe ball tossing looks like fun and a good way to keep two house bound boys entertained.
My husband is the opposite to John. I am scared to death of what I'm going to lose whenever he mentions a trip to the dump!
Well that's purposeful repurposing. Quite idea. Would be fun for sorting buttons too. Weren't you the one that commented on my playing bouncy ball in our kitchen with my grandie?
ReplyDeleteIt's a sweet little box just made for re-purposing.
ReplyDeleteAren't you clever! That is a neat idea for an earring box. I also am glad you mentioned taco soup, I'll have to try that. We are about burned out on chili, which we had last night and potato soup a few nights before that.
ReplyDeleteThat's a sweet way to store earrings. They do tend to get all jumbled up in boxes and drawers. I like Podso's idea of sorting buttons, too.
ReplyDeleteWe don't play basketball here yet, but when Little Miss A wakes up we'll be playing dinosaur. I hear that I have to roar a lot. Her mother is very busy today.....
Hello Vee, I really wanted to see what you did and here it is! What a cute idea, now if I get any chocolates I just may try this for my granddaughter. I am making Taco's tonight, I think we may be thinking South of the Border LOL
ReplyDeleteBlessings to YOU, Roxy
This is such a clever idea! Alas, I don't think anyone is giving me chocolates and I shouldn't eat them anyway. But using the box for earrings would be an excellent idea....What I really need to do is make something to hang necklaces from. Mine are always a tangle...
ReplyDeleteLove your post today. Feels like having a chat with you!
ReplyDeleteDeanna
Candy boxes are so pretty, it's a wonder they aren't ALL saved. I remember my sister and I had a big red Valentine box of candy once, and I do believe it was Russell Stover. We tacked the box to our bedroom wall through the bottom of the box so we were able to remove the lid if we wished. We deluded ourselves that this was our "secret hiding place" and no one would ever know we used it to store treasures. They would think we tacked it up there just for decoration. Ah youth ;>)
ReplyDeleteAs for the soup, I love getting something in the crock pot in the morning and knowing the rest of my day I don't have to think about dinner. So freeing.
Oooh, Russell Stover. We have a R S factory here in our town with their own candy store, sometimes having pretty good sales on seconds etc. The first heart shaped box of valentine candy I ever received and the one I remember best was when I was in high school my then boyfriend gave it to me. Unfortunately I had a very sore mouth at the time (my old time dr called it 'trench mouth" - I don't know what it would be called today) and I could not eat it. Then, when I could I had to share with my five little nieces and nephews, well, maybe four of them since the baby couldn't eat them yet. I was living with them at the time. I saved the pretty box for awhile but eventually it went the way of all "old boyfriend stuff". Enjoy your jewelry box!
ReplyDeleteI with you...chocolates have short lifespans near me. Thinking of visiting a candy store and refilling some of my old heart shape boxes. My favorite had a picture of Elvis on the cover and played Love Me Tender whenever the top was removed. Scared the bejeebers out of my office mates at Valentine's Day.
ReplyDeleteI think I might add a pretty drawer pull knob to the top of the box, with a washer on the inside for longevity. A heavy glass knob ought to do the trick and allow the Queen to wander off to tea.
Since the chocolates are already a distant memory...I'm thinking John might just be bringing home more goodies for Valentine's Day. I think I have only received chocolates in a heart shaped box from Elmer once...when I was eighteen. I kept the box for years. Wish I still had it! :)
ReplyDeleteGlad you have found a perfect use for the candy box! As for the 'real woofer'...I had to go look up the word, since to me it means something about amplified sound. Now I know...it's a rather uncomplimentary term.
You made good use of that candy box. I told Ken NOT to bring me any candies!! : )
ReplyDeleteI think we would like that taco soup too.
Great idea with the Valentine box!!
ReplyDeleteYou and John are BOTH creative!! I can't say much about 'collecting.' LD and I are pretty good at it!
ReplyDeleteI have tons of earrings! No piercing for me so most of them were given to me when others went down that lane.
Vee, that's a great idea - upcycling your choco box. John is just too cute. I love Valentine candy. And I REALLY love that my husband hates chocolate. I swear, he won't touch the stuff. Heh.
ReplyDeleteHey I posted very good news today. ♥
Vee- What a cute idea for the Valentine's Day box. My Hero is a "collector", too...or a junk-man-not sure which. Great post, Vee. Off to bed here- too tired to think any more and the baby boy coming here again tomorrow- xo Diana
ReplyDeleteDid you know that Russell Stover candies began as homemade candies in Denver, Colorado a long time ago? The lady who made them opened a store front and the rest is history! I should do a blog post about them one day :) I love your idea to re-purpose the heart box for jewelry.
ReplyDeleteValentine heart looks good. Your chocolate box also fine. I am found of chocolates.
ReplyDeleteYour heart box looks pretty, Vee! Glad you get to see your grandsons so often, and that you play with them. You are a fun grandma! You are creating special memories.
ReplyDeleteI order taco soup whenever it's on the menu. We, here at home, have the same difference of opinion about it.
ReplyDelete