Thrifty Thursdays: Matryoshki Madness

I Just wanted to share a find from last week. Its a five piece matryoshka doll set that I found at a local consignment shop.

Have I ever mentioned that I collect matryoshkas? They're so peculiar, I absolutely love them. Something about their little hand painted faces. It seems the smaller the dolls get, the cuter and funnier they become. And no matter how carefully you close a doll, the design never seems to line up quite right. Unfortunately these dolls are fairly new, so they're missing the USSR stamp that I love to see on the bottom.

I'm particularly excited about the style of these dolls. Most of my current collection is made up of Semenov dolls, and these are so different. The wood is left unfinished, and while most of the Semenov are brightly painted, the gold and woodburned design on these really make an impression. They're also a little more cheaply made. The larger dolls fit together very snuggly and once I opened them in the store to check for all the parts I couldn't get them together again. Nothing a little sanding couldn't fix. Anyways, I  just wanted to share. There's really nothing like finding a part of your collection on a whim.

Bringing Things to Light

 Another busy weekend, although not much interesting to write about. A lot of cleaning and organizing. While not all that fun, its definitely a welcome distraction from everything else over the past week.  The porch looks much better. I scrubbed the walls and moved all the junk that was sitting out to the garage. Added some summer porch lights, spaced out the wind chimes, and.....

Tada! Don't mind the missing lattice, that's another project for another weekend.

Besides that I also tried making a mason jar soap dispenser. I've seen the idea around the internet and its really easy. Literally a five minute project.

All you need is a mason jar (any size will do) and an old dispenser top from any disposable soap pump. I saved mine from a used up Bath and Body Works soap. I initially tried to drill a hole through the jar lid, but to be honest I've never been great with power drills. After a few tries and only leaving a small dent, I just ended up hammering a screw through the top. This was much easier for me. I stretched the hole to the size I needed using a pen, and then trimmed the pump tube to size. The fit was so perfect I didn't even have to glue anything together.

The dark blue dish soap is a little intense, but it definitely beats having an industrial sized Costco container next to your sink!

The last major project of the weekend was cleaning and switching out the kitchen lights. After all the work I've put in I'm still very self conscious about the kitchen. Those glaring white cabinets and checkered floor show every spec of dirt and flaw imaginable. There's simply not enough time in the world to clean a white kitchen. I've even held off on sharing projects because the photos have always seemed a bit dingy, even after working my fingers to the bone scrubbing. Well, I finally realized that the disappointing photos weren't so much my fault, but an effect of the lighting  

Regular fluorescent bulbs were casting a yellow light over everything. In most rooms I don't think its much of a problem, especially with neutrals. With cool tones it can even lend some much needed warmth. However the lights in the kitchen made everything look yellow and old. I replaced them with natural fluorescent bulbs, which are supposed to imitate sunlight with a slight blue tint. I can't believe the difference it's made.

To make up for lost time, here are some projects I never posted on because I couldn't get a decent photo.

Old liquor bottles as storage for dry goods (Legumes, Rice, Pasta, etc.)

Pot and pan wall

Old school faucet and nobs 

(I can't take credit for this one or the pots and pans above. My husband's not half bad at this stuff!)

Cute seed packets

(Found these at Farm chicks)

Three tier fruit basket

(See all those white specs on the ceiling? It really helps if you have the right tool for the job. I literally tried 15 or more holes before I realized I needed a toggle hook. Hopefully my dad doesn't see this. Har Har Har.)

One last thing... Russia is now officially The Creaking Floorboard's  largest audience outside of the United States! To celebrate, here are some matryoshkas from my collection. So cute.

Dasvidaniya!