Karen Bertelsen (The Art of Doing Stuff) joined S&C to help us think outside of the box.  Too often we get looped into seeing things for ONLY what they are.  Karen takes us on a tour of her favourite Dollar Store and shows us how she often sees things A LOT differently.  She'll purchase a few items and will show us that with a few other tools and materials you can make something fabulous for your home - FOR CHEAP! 

Contemporary Cat Dish or Treat Bowl



What you need:

• 2 bowls that are the same
• 2 thin magnets that you can superglue onto the base of each dish
• Crazy Glue (or equivalent)

Find 2 bowls you like the shape and colour of and stack one on top of the other.  Glue magnets onto the base of both.  That way you can separate the dishes easily to wash them, but they're secure enough not to topple over when the cat or dog is eating out of them
Fill the top bowl with food and allow nature to take its course.




 
 
Dish Soap Dispenser



There's something really satisfying about improving the little things around you that you use every single day.  No more hiding your soap containers under the kitchen sink with the rest of the ugly things like bottles of bleach and scrubby pads.  Don't do dishes?  I don't blame you!  Use your bottles for hand soap, vinegar or oil.  (hand soap is pretty thick so you may have to water it down a little if you don't have a HUGE spout on your stopper)

Here are a few fun options for you ...



 Speaking of which, the key to this working is finding the proper stoppers for the top of each bottle, so when I'm out at the Dollar Store or wherever and see cheap spouts/stoppers I buy them on the off chance it'll fit one of my bottles.

The stoppers made out of cork are great because you can actually sand them down with a bit of sandpaper to make it smaller.  If the cork still seems a tiny bit too tight, just soak it in some water to get it more pliable and rub a little soap around the outside of it.  That should make it easier to push in the neck of the bottle.
 

Mirror Box



All you need is dollar store beveled edge mirrors and glue gun with glue sticks.  As you can see the mirrored box also makes quite a fetching planter. Total Cost? Five dollars! Plus whatever a squirt of Windex and a paper towel will cost every time you pick them up to marvel at their beauty.

And here's how you do it!

• Scrape the stickers off with a razor squeegee. Trying to peel them off will only end in tears.
  
  
  
  

• Lay your base, mirror side down and hold one of the mirrored pieces up to the edge of the base.

• Once you're sure everything is even and level run a bead of hot glue along the seam where the edges meet.

• Wait patiently for the glue to dry before moving onto the next piece of mirror.
  
  
  
  

• Continue lining up and gluing the bottom and side edges of the mirrored pieces.

• Done! If you think you're going to see inside the boxes, remove the round felt pads on the bottom of each square.
  
  
  

 

SPECIAL THANKS TO DOLLARAMA FOR KAREN'S FIELD LOCATION
www.dollarama.com