Shaker Style

Give your décor a dash of fun and flavor with playful salt and pepper shakers!

Highly Collectible Campbell Soup Kids

Smiling California Oranges...Only $13!

For our Aunt Kay’s birthday, we wanted to add something special to her salt and pepper shaker collection. Our opera-singing aunt likes shakers with big personality, so we headed to our favorite gift emporium, the flea market. Once we started looking, we were amazed at what we discovered. Those whimsical figurines were everywhere! And they had themes ranging from pixie-faced vegetables to kooky zoo animals. This was going to be a hoot!

Our first contender was a pair of Campbell’s Soup Kids, but Jennifer noticed that one was missing some paint and its stopper. The vendor dropped the price to $12, but we knew Kay actually uses her salt and peppers when she has company, so that wouldn’t do. We stepped into a booth that had souvenir lobster shakers from Maine, flamingos from Florida, and cowboy boots from Texas. Kitty haggled her way to a couple of smiling California oranges for only $13. We could see why Kay loves these collectibles­­––they’re cute, practical, and affordable!

Treasure Craft Salt 'n Peppers

One dealer showed us a cabinet of salt and pepper sets he described as “nodders, huggers, hangers, and stackers.” He suggested some bobble-head pandas, but they weren’t quite right. Jennifer priced a palm tree with hanging coconuts that would fit in perfectly with her Hawaiiana. Only $15 for a mint Treasure Craft set? Yes, please. 

Diva Kitties!

As he wrapped it up, Kitty spotted some dramatic black cat shakers with gold details, and we had our winner. The cats didn’t have any identifying marks or stickers, but we didn’t care. Those felines were divine! The price tag was a steep $38, but we asked the seller for a deal, and he came down to $30. We can’t wait for our diva aunt to use them at her next cast party!

The Cat’s Meow

Holt-Howard Cozy Kitchen Kitties

We must have a thing for cats! When we see Holt-Howard cat salt and pepper shakers, we always smile. Maybe it’s the way these white kitties lean into each other with a sideways flirty glance, or knowing that each one had a noisemaker inside that meowed when you shook it upside down. These Cozy Kitchen Kitties were made in the late 50s and early 60s. The design was so delightful, Holt-Howard made a whole series of housewares featuring these Siamese cats. So if you’re smitten, be prepared to collect a matching cheese crock, jam jar, wall caddy, memo minder, napkin holder, and a string dispenser with the twine coming out of the kitten’s mouth!

Make a crafty tassel from an unpaired salt shaker!

Shake It Up

Have you ever found a salt or pepper that’s lost its match? We ran across a display of tassels made out of these widowed shakers. Genius! We took a closer look, and it seems you pinch ribbon with wire then run it up through the holes, and finish with beads on top.  We see a craft night in our future!

Mind Your Ss and Ps

If your shakers don’t have “S” and “P” on them, here’s a tip. According to the Salt and Pepper Shaker Museum in Tennessee, the one with fewer holes is for salt and the one with more holes is for pepper. Good to know!

Prices We’ve Seen:

Treasure Craft “Hawaii” Fish $10

Campbell’s Soup Kids $10 to $30

Smiling California Oranges  $13 to $15

Bonzo Pup I’m Salt and I’m Pepper $14 to $20

Denton China Flower Pot Minis $15

Treasure Craft “Hawaii” Coconut Tree $15

Holt-Howard Merry Mice Noisemakers $20 to $40

Holt-Howard Cozy Kitten Noisemakers $20 to $60

Come Craft With Us In Florida!

We'll be crafting on the main stage at Orlando's Southern Women's Show and Craft Super Show! The dates of the show are October 13-October 16, and we'll post our showtimes as soon as we have them nailed down. We'll be doing a different Make-n-Take each day and plan on doing riveting, stamped metal jewelry, metal embossing, and resin rings!

Who knew half the fun would be contacting companies like Darice, EKSuccess, and Plaid to get materials donated!? Not only did we get tools and supplies from over fifteen companies, they are also sending us all kinds of free stuff to give away! Craft schwag! Tape measures from Beaducation! Craft kits from Cousin! Krylon is even sending travel clocks! Hope to see you there.

Email us if you have any questions!

Make Me Over!

Kitty found a set of these chairs for $10 at the flea market! Irresistible! We featured them in this article we wrote for Decorating Spaces. It's sort of a Chair Makeover 101. 

Cheers, J&K

Before: A Chair In the Rough

It’s rusty. It’s filthy. It’s fabulous! If you know what to look for, a ratty old wrought iron chair can become a delightful addition to your little garden oasis. Just take these tips picked up from the pros and get thee to a flea market to find that diamond in the rough.

After: Sweet Little Seat

A Chair In The Rough

This chair passes all the tests with flying colors: the rust is minimal, the seat pops right off, it has no real damage, and it’s loaded with personality. All it needs now is a little TLC. Start by picking a fun fabric for the seat and use a swatch to select your spray paint. Remove the seat and smooth the rough areas and rusty parts of the frame using medium, then fine sandpaper. Clean thoroughly, then spray paint the chair with primer and your chosen color. (To avoid runs, do several light coats.)

What To Do:

1. Disassemble the seat by removing the old vinyl, foam, and rusty staples.

2. Recover the seat with two-inch thick foam and your chosen fabric, folding carefully at the corners and stapling the fabric underneath.

3. Then finish your new treasure by reattaching the seat to the chair. Now you’re sitting pretty!

Tips:

You don't have to use oilcloth to make your outdoor chair waterproof—just cover the fabric seat with a layer of clear plastic.

When selecting a fabric for your outdoor chair, you don't have to stick to florals. Consider decorator fabrics with stripes, dots, or plaids, as long as the pattern matches the mood of the chair.

If you want to spruce up a plain chair with more than just color, try a spray-on finish like metallic copper, hammered bronze, or even natural rust. Yes! You can buy rust in a can!

Crate Awakening Storage Ottoman

We did this cute crate craft for Create and Decorate. Kitty has it in her studio and she uses it to keep bird seed for her feeder!

J&K

Turn a rustic wooden crate into a lovely footstool with storage to boot!

Materials
Medium-sized wooden crate (flea market find)
Plywood, ¾" thick, cut to fit on top of crate
Printed decorator fabric, measure plywood and add 3" to each side
Grosgrain ribbon, 1½" wide, twice the length plus twice the width of the plywood
2 Pieces of high loft batting, measure plywood and add 2" to each side
4 Medium duty swivel plate casters, 2" with mounting plates
16 Wood screws, #8 size, ½" length
Beacon Adhesives Fabri-Tac
Staple gun and staples
Drill and 1/8" drill bit
Screwdriver
Iron
Scissors
Ruler
Pencil

Instructions
1. To find a suitable crate, look for a medium-sized wooden crate large enough to prop your feet up on, but not so big you can't carry it to the car. Inspect the crate for wood rot and insect damage. A little wear and tear is charming, but the crate should be sturdy.

2. To create a padded lid, layer the two pieces of batting. Lay the plywood on the batting and wrap the edges up around the lid. Staple the edges of the batting to the wood. At the corners, fold the batting around the edges until they meet in a mitered corner. Trim the excess triangle of batting then staple down the edges.

3. Iron the printed fabric, then use it to cover the padded lid. Fold the edges up and staple in place. To make tidy corners, fold the fabric in like you are wrapping a present.

4. Cover the rough edge of the fabric and the staples with the grosgrain ribbon. At each corner, fold the ribbon over itself. Use Fabri-Tac to glue the ribbon in place.

5. Before you attach the casters, mark the holes using the mounting plate as a guide, then pre-drill the holes. Screw on the mounting plates with the #8 wood screws.

Liner Notes: If the bottom of your crate is thinner than your mounting screws, you might wind up with screws poking through. Hide them by covering a piece of foam core with fabric and using it to line the bottom of the crate.